分节阅读_6

  shoulder, and
  su a huge breath. i do this, i lied to myself feebly. no one
  was going to bite me. i finally exhaled a of the truck.
  i kept my face pulled bay hood as i walked to the sidewalk,
  crowded with teenagers. my plain black ja't stand out, i noticed
  with relief.
  o aroueria, building three e
  black ”3” ainted on a white square o er. i felt my
  breathing gradually g toerventilation as i approached the
  door. i tried holdih as i followed two unisex raincoats
  through the door.
  the all. the people in froopped just inside
  the d up their a long row of hooks. i .
  they were two girls, one a por-colored bloher also pale,
  with light brown hair. at least my skin wouldandout here.
  i took the slip up to the teacher, a tall, balding man whose desk had a
  ifying him as mr. mason. he gawked at me when he saw my
  an eng response — and of course i flushed tomato red.
  but at least he seo ahe back with
  me to the class. it was harder for my new classmates to stare at me in
  the baehow, they ma my eyes down
  list the teacher had give was fairly basite, shakespeare,
  chaucer, faulkner. i'd already read everything. that was f… and
  b. i wondered if my mom would send me my folder of old essays, or if
  she would think that was g. i went through differes
  with her in my head while the teaed on.
  when the bell rang, a nasal buzzing sound, a gangly boy with skin
  problems and hair bla oil slied across the aisle to talk
  to me.
  ”you're isabella swa you?” he looked like the overly helpful,
  chess club type.
  ”bella,” i corrected. everyohi radius turo look
  at me.
  ”where's your class?” he asked.
  i had to my bag. ”um, goverh jefferson, in building
  six.”
  there was o look without meeting curious eyes.
  ”i'm headed toward building four, i could show you the way…” definitely
  over-helpful. ”i'm eric,” he added.
  i smiled tehanks.”
  we got our jad headed out into the rain, icked up. i
  could have sworn several people behind us were walkio
  eavesdrop. i hoped i wasing paranoid.
  ”so, this is a lot different than phoenix, huh?” he asked.
  ”very.”
  ”it doesn't rain much there, does it?”
  ”three or four times a year.”
  ”hat must that be like?” he wondered.
  ”sunny,” i told him.
  ”you don't look very tan.”
  ”my mother is part albino.”
  he studied my face apprehensively, a looked like clouds
  and a sense of humor didn't mix. a few months of this and i'd fet how
  to use sarcasm.
  we walked bad the cafeteria, to the south buildings by the gym.
  eric walked me right th it was clearly marked.
  ”well, good luck,” he said as i touched the handle. ”maybe we'll have
  some other classes together.” he sounded hopeful.
  i smiled at him vaguely a inside.
  the rest passed in about the same fashiory
  teacher, mr. varner, who i would have hated anyway just because of the
  subject he taught, was the only one who made me stand in front of the
  d introduce myself. i stammered, blushed, and tripped over my own
  boots oo my seat.
  after two classes, i started the fa each
  class. there was always someohe others who would
  ihemselves aions about how i was liking forks. i
  tried to be diplomatic, but mostly i just lied a lot. at least i never
  he map.
  o h trig and spanish, and she walked with me
  to the cafeteria for luiny, several ier than my
  five feet four i her wildly curly dark hair made up a lot of
  the differewe