How It Ends by Catherine Lo (classic books for 13 year olds .TXT) 📕

radiant. She’s so happy that it makes me feel weirdly sad.

So . . . Scott Hutchins, right?

Oh boy. Yep.

He’s the guy from the night I picked you up at that party. Is he your boyfriend?

Yes. That’s the night we got together.

Cute! Lucky guy.

I blush. Thx.

I scroll through Sophie’s wall posts, getting little clues about who she is as a person. It’s crazy that you can live in the same house with someone and not know them at all. I’ve always thought of Sophie as stuck-up and spoiled, but from what I can see, she’s friends with all kinds of people, and nice to all of them. There are no catty posts or snide comments on her wall.

You know, if you ever need to talk about anything, you can talk to me, she types.

I almost cry.

I gotta look out for my little sister, you know?

I blink back tears and then look up and give her a wobbly smile. Sophie winks at me and goes back to her computer.

She logs out of Facebook a few minutes later, but I keep the chat window open for the rest of the night.

Little sister.

Jessie

I was just about to log off Facebook and get back to my homework when Courtney posted a new status update: Some people just don’t know when they’re not welcome.

The bottom dropped out of my stomach. I knew it.

Ever since we got back from Christmas break, Courtney’s been tormenting me in a million different ways that are apparently invisible to everyone but me.

It started with little snubs. Like the day I sat down across from her at the lunch table and she immediately got up and moved away, claiming that the sun was in her eyes. Or the time she went on a McDonald’s run and remembered everyone’s order but mine. Then came the “accidental” insults, like her rant about how ankle boots were so last year on the day I wore my new ones to school, and the time she insisted that my sweater looked exactly like one she’d donated to Goodwill two years ago.

Annie, of course, has been completely blind to all this. When I tried to explain what was happening, she told me I was being paranoid. “Don’t be so sensitive, Jess. Court’s treating you the same way she treats everyone else. She says the same stuff to me and Liss.”

She doesn’t, though. It’s not the same.

So when I saw Courtney’s Facebook status, I texted Annie straightaway. She couldn’t ignore this, I figured. It was right there in writing.

Check Facebook, I texted.

I’m on . . . what’s wrong?

Courtney’s status.

??

My fingers shook as I dialed her number. I needed to know that she was on my side. That we’d still be friends even if Courtney kicked me out of the group. “It’s about me, Annie!” My voice quavered and tears welled in my eyes.

“What are you talking about? It’s probably about her family or something.”

“No! She hates me!” I wailed. “This is totally about me.”

I could hear Annie’s sigh through the phone. “Jess, I love you, but you’re being paranoid. Court’s dealing with a ton of shit right now. Trust me when I tell you that she’s not even thinking about you tonight.”

I took deep breaths and tried to calm myself down. Maybe she was right. Why would Courtney be posting about me at 9:45 on a Monday night? I decided that I was overestimating my own importance.

I held on to that reassuring thought all night and into this morning. But by lunchtime there was no overlooking the fact that Courtney sighed audibly every time I spoke and rolled her eyes at everything from the lunch selections on my tray to the outfit I was wearing. I felt queasy, and inched my chair closer to Annie’s. You’re not here for Courtney, I reminded myself. You don’t care what she thinks.

When Annie pushed her tray away and pulled out her science textbook, inspiration struck. I leaned in close, hoping no one would overhear. “Want to go study in the library with me?”

Annie looked up at me right as Courtney barked a cough that sounded suspiciously like Lez into her hand. The whole table erupted in laughter.

I watched as Annie shot an exasperated look at Courtney.

“What?” Courtney laughed. “I just have a tickle in my throat.”

I gave Annie an I told you so look and waited for her to defend me. I was expecting her to be the girl I remembered from the locker room on the first day of school. Instead, she just shook her head at Courtney and went back to her homework.

What the . . . 

“Oh, don’t look so upset, Jessie,” Courtney snapped. “I was just kidding.”

I shrugged my shoulders, struggling to keep my face blank. “I’m not upset,” I lied, packing up my tray and getting up to leave.

“Jess . . .” Annie said. “Don’t go! Courtney was just joking around.”

“I know,” I said, like it was no big deal. “I’m going to the library to study. Want to come?” My heart hammered in my chest.

Annie looked at Courtney and then back at me. “Just study here with us. We can quiz each other.”

“No, thanks,” I said, grabbing my tray and walking away.

I could hear Courtney laughing at me as I left, but it didn’t hurt nearly as much as Annie’s indifference. She saw, and she didn’t even care.

Outside the cafeteria, I took a deep breath and blinked back tears before heading toward the library. I kept expecting Annie to fall into step beside me, but it didn’t happen. Annie had made a choice, and she didn’t choose me.

I sleepwalked through the rest of the day, feeling as if I’d taken a huge step backwards. I was alone again, but it hurt so much more than it ever did last year. All I could think about was where I’d sit at lunch tomorrow. I didn’t want to go back to Courtney’s table, but I wasn’t sure where to go instead.

I could sit at the table Annie and I shared before Courtney came