That’s Allenville High to me. Faced with the criticism of being elitist, the school decided to officially stop painting. I guess they couldn’t hide the three computer labs, the state-of-the-art science and tech department, or the vast two-story library. So they haven’t even touched up the worn pea-green of the institutionalized hallway walls in the last decade. It’s a strange situation, being part of a geeky magnet school. The popular crowd is nearly feverish in their attempts to make Allenville as snobby and social as any other place. They’ve got a big GPA to overcome. Raye isn’t here yet. She’s running late. That’s the thing about having to bum rides. You’re always at the mercy of other people. Like my parents and, you know, fate. For instance, if something happens—like last night Raye broke up with Josh because he just wasn’t Ian, and then she sat in her little blue Honda and cried and she left the lights on and ran the battery down—then I have no way to get to school.
