Stella whispered exuberantly as we exited the classroom? I’d somehow managed to make it through the rest of the period without acknowledging the boy who sat behind me. It wasn’t easy, that was for sure. People like Parker demanded attention just by existing and when they didn’t get it, they turned into whiny little children; case in point, the pen which he kept jabbing into my back every few minutes. “I don’t know him,” I answered simply as we headed for our lockers to exchange books. “Sure looked like you knew him to me.” She giggled. Her voice held so much delight I almost didn’t want to let her down. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but I don’t. Not really, anyway. I ran into him down on the beach by my house. He’s kind of a jackass, if you ask me.” She released a wistful sigh as she traded one book for another and closed her locker. “Yeah, he can be sometimes. But then he can also be really nice, you know? I’ve known him since we were little, and he wasn’t always like he is now.
