Ani didn't see him until lunch but had heard all about it from Fey. He hadn't said a word to her, or Jake, or any of the other emos. Perfect. "Look at him," Fey said around a mouthful of lukewarm goulash. "Sitting over there with his new friends like he's the shit." From the uncomfortable looks the other kids at the anime table gave him, Ani wasn't sure how friendly they all were. "Where the hell does he get off, thinking he's too good for us?" Jake blinked at Ani, then looked sidelong at Fey. "I thought you wanted him to leave you alone." Fey poked her fork toward him. "You don't get it. He's disrespecting us." She looked at Ani. "Am I right? It's disrespectful." Ani shrugged. "Sure, Fey. But who cares?" "Yeah," Fey said. "Screw him." * * * Ani took the next two weeks as they came. Dylan turned his thousand-yard stare on his new clique, and from what she heard was sprinkling Japanese into his conversations. They didn't accept him—several complained about how unnerving he was—but they had little recourse once he decided to force himself among them.
