The Bodies We Wear by Jeyn Roberts Page A

they don’t come inside.”
    I pick at the last remaining chips on my plate. Mostly for show. I was done eating five minutes ago. “Doesn’t sound that interesting.”
    “It’s worth five hundred.”
    I get up, collect my tray of cold food, and start to walk away. “Make it a thousand and I might consider it,” I say back over my shoulder.
    Always leave them wanting more. That’s probably the only thing my father ever taught me before they hauled him away. I wonder if it worked for him. Will it work for me? Time will tell.
    I have to admit I’m a little disappointed. Even though I had to reject Paige, it was nice thinking that someone wanted to befriend me. Christian was the last friend I had besides Gazer, and Gazer doesn’t count because he’s in his late thirties. It’s been so long, I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have someone my own age around. I sometimes wonder if Christian and I would have remained friends if he’d lived. But I don’t think about it often. It hurts too much.

    They haul my ass into the office right after lunch. The vice principal comes and gets me personally. She leads me straight to the principal’s office and shoves me through the door.
    “I understand there was a bit of a disturbance this morning?” Mrs. Orman, the principal, asks me once we are locked away in her office.
    “No, not really,” I say. I’m trying to remain calm but I’m worried. This is the first time in three years that they’ve had to come and talk with me. I’ve done so well. It would suck to get expelled now, especially when I’m so close to graduating. Only a few months to go. I quickly glance down at my outfit to make sure everything is in order. No buttons missing. My skirt is pressed and wrinkle-free. No scars poking through the cotton. I look like the prim and proper schoolgirl I’m supposed to be. If I smile sweetly, I might even look innocent enough to fool her.
    She looks at the file on top of her desk. “Screaming? Disrupting the entire classroom? I’d hardly consider that a small thing.”
    “I had a bad daydream,” I tell her. “I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”
    “You’re not using again, I hope.”
    I shake my head vehemently. “No, of course not.”
    “Good, because I’d hate to have to remove you, considering you’ve done so well here. But you understand how important it is to keep a low profile.”
    “I have been keeping a low profile.”
    Mrs. Orman nods in agreement. “So far, yes. Let’s keep it that way, shall we? Consider this a warning. Make sure you get enough sleep from now on. We need you nice and rested, don’t you think?”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “Good.” She closes the folder and nods at me to leave.
    My last class of the day is physics and I coast through it by sitting at the back of the class and pinching my leg every few minutes to keep myself awake. I don’t need a repeat of this morning. Most of the hype has died down but there are still a few students giving me unusual looks.
    Paige is waiting for me at my locker. I knew she was going to be there. She’s alone. I guess they figured Jesse was getting on my nerves. I’ve got to learn to keep a better poker face.
    “A thousand is acceptable,” she says. “Will you do it?”
    “Okay,” I say. “But I’ve got some conditions.”
    “Which are?”
    She waits. I open my locker and shove my books in. I grab my jacket. “I’m not going to hurt anyone unless they try to hurt me first. So I won’t fight someone just because you tell me to. Consider me more of a peacekeeper.”
    She agrees. She actually looks relieved. I have a feeling this wasn’t her idea. Hiring me. Hell, she probably didn’t even want the party.
    “And I want to be paid up front. And I’m not staying the whole night. I think till two a.m. is acceptable.”
    “Okay,” she says. “Tomorrow is Thursday. I’ll give it to you then.”
    I grab my backpack. “Deal.”
    “It’s funny,” Paige says as I get ready to