Memoirs of a Girl Wolf by Xandra Lawrence Page B

my breathing. I looked at Kristen with my mouth open.
    “He sent it to everyone,” she said.
    “Everyone?” I repeated in shock.
    She leaned forward and slapped my legs. “Everyone.”
    Mom called up to us to come downstairs and have lunch. I wasn’t hungry, but I didn’t want make Mom suspicious or upset, so I slowly slid off my bed and motioned for Kristen to follow me. She kept replaying the video all the way down the stairs.
    I snapped at her to put her phone away when we sat down at the table. We sat, staring at one another, in silence. I didn’t know what to say. I felt like if I didn’t acknowledge it then it wasn’t real. Mom set plates of chicken barbeque sandwiches in front of us, smiled nervously, and then left the room.
    I picked at my sandwich a little before saying, “Maybe no one watched it.”
    “Everyone watched it, Mickey. That’s all anyone has been talking about this morning. Socially, it’s over,” Kristen said, dipping her head and frowning.
    “But he was a jerk. I mean that’s not fair the video doesn’t show him acting like a jerk,” I said.
    Kristen chewed her sandwich with her mouth open. She shrugged and said, “It doesn’t matter. Sydney said I can have the open spot on the cheerleading team.”
    What?
    Just like that because of Max my year was ruined? I had only been in school for a week.
    “But you’re not going to right? Can you cheer?” I asked, but we both knew you didn’t have to be able to cheer to be a cheerleader. Spots were awarded to whoever was popular.
    Kristen was silent for what felt like ever. She tucked her hair behind her ears and without looking at me she nodded and, making eye contact with her sandwich, said, “I’m your best friend and I still am no matter what happens Monday. If you don’t want me to take that spot then I won’t.”
    There was a part of me that didn’t fully believe her maybe because she refused to meet my eyes, but I was freaking out and at the moment her comment was enough to comfort me.
    I thought back over the video and remembered hearing Reign’s voice. Why did he run over to us? I was handling Max fine. Despite my odd behavior, I removed myself from the situation. Did he think he was being a hero? Why was he out with his dog that late at night anyway?
    Suddenly, the boy who ran through my thoughts nonstop the past week and even wasted my birthday wish on became someone who I never wanted to see again. If he really wanted to help me, he should have stepped on Max’s cell phone.
    Mom came back into the room and started to clear the table. She turned to us before leaving and said, “I just remembered I grounded Mickey, so no friends. You’re gonna have to go Kristen.”
    Kristen stood. “That’s okay. I’m meeting up with some people anyway.”
    “You are?” I asked. My heart dropped a little bit. Who were some people?
              “I’ll see you at school Monday,” Kristen said.
    “Not tomorrow?”
    Kristen flipped her dull, stringy hair over her shoulder and flashed an awkward smile. “Sure, tomorrow” she said, nodding.
    I watched her walk out of the room and listened to the side door open and shut. Then there was just silence except for Mom washing dishes in the kitchen.
    I crumbled within myself as I sat with my hands gripping the edge of the table, but I didn’t feel like crying—I couldn’t. I was numb, frozen and unable to move. I didn’t know what to do with myself and not just because I was grounded, but after this conversation with Kristen I realized, with fear, that I may not even have any friends.
    Resting my chin in my hands, I turned and looked out the glass doors. My eyes fell on a black gigantic wolf licking its front paw. In that moment, I forgot all about school and Max. I had never seen a wolf so close to the house before.
    “Mom!” I yelled, turning my head in her direction. “Mom, look.”
    Mom appeared drying her hands with a stripped dish rag she looked at me with