Revenge of the Geek by Piper Banks Page B

over a pair of crisp white shorts and navy blue grosgrain flip-flops. She looked much more like a Florida girl than she had on the first day of school, when she’d shown up in dark clothes and Doc Martens.
    “I have a cardigan in my bag,”Nora said. We stopped for a moment while she dug out the white cardigan and put it on. “What happens if you get a dress-code violation?”
    “Nothing really. Just a warning and a hassle about it from the headmaster,”I said.
    When we got to the cafeteria, Nora and I found a couple of empty seats at one of the corner tables. Platters of sandwiches, fruit salad, and peanut butter cookies were already out on the table.
    “It’s so weird that the food here is served this way,”Nora said, helping herself to a sandwich and a bunch of red grapes. “My old school had an actual cafeteria, with food that was spooned out onto plastic trays by grim women wearing hairnets.”
    “They have a whole theory behind it,”I explained. “Apparently, they think if they put the food out on the tables, family style, it will foster a sense of camaraderie among the students.”
    “That sounds totally bogus,”Nora said.
    “Yeah, I’m sure some school administrator just made it up. All it does is create a free-for-all with everyone trying to grab the best sandwiches,”I agreed.
    “I had fun yesterday hanging out at your house,”Nora said.
    “Me, too,”I said. After Nora and I had eaten the rest of our popcorn, we’d taken Willow on a long walk down the beach. Even though Nora still didn’t seem all that comfortable around Willow, she at least stopped flinching and gasping every time Willow sniffed in her direction. I kept assuring Nora that Willow was very gentle and not at all aggressive, and Nora had finally seemed more relaxed around my greyhound by the time we got back to the beach house.
    “And I think I’m going to take your advice and work on layout for The Ampersand ,”Nora said.
    “Good! I know they’re always looking for people. And your experience will be a big plus,”I said.
    “Did you get any work done on your article?”
    “No. But I did talk to Dex about it, and he agreed to let me interview him. I just wanted some time to think about what questions I’m going to ask. Besides, some of his friends came in while we were talking, so Dex had to get off.”
    “That’s too bad,”Nora said sympathetically. “The long-distance-dating thing is so hard.”
    “Did you talk to Marcus last night?”I asked.
    Nora nodded. “He wasn’t very talkative, though. I couldn’t tell if he was just feeling quiet or if he was actually upset about something. It’s so hard not being there and seeing him in person.”
    “Have you tried talking to him on Skype?”I asked. “That way you could at least see him. That’s how Dex and I talk most of the time.”
    “Marcus doesn’t have a computer,”Nora said.
    “Really?”I asked. This surprised me. Everyone I knew had a computer. In fact, laptops were mandatory for all Geek High students. Then I remembered what Nora had said about Marcus being poor, and that was at least part of the reason why her mother was against their relationship. “Maybe he could use one at school or borrow a friend’s?”
    “Maybe,”Nora said, with a shrug. She didn’t seem all that keen on the idea, so I decided to drop it.
    “Did you ask him if he was upset about something?”I asked instead.
    “Yeah. He said he wasn’t. But who knows? I’m so far away, I can’t tell what’s really going on with him,”Nora said. She sighed and dropped her half-eaten ham sandwich on her plate. I didn’t blame her—lunch was especially bad that day. The sandwiches tasted as if they were about two weeks old, and the apple slices were mealy and covered with brown spots.
    “Yeah, I know what you mean. Dex has this whole other life up at his school that I’ll never be part of,”I said, pushing aside my plate. “And it’s good that he has a life there—I want him