WHEN THE DUCKLING BLOSSOMED

g was wrong the moment she e

with Brianna and Tiffany. The three girls were wh

ad and tightened her

would leave h

, Jessica had

essica announced whe

led. "Our fa

," Tiffany said sweet

them and cont

epped into

ou going in

ca. I don't wa

hand on her che

d you think I want

you alway

ca looked surprised

that? Amelia thinks

iffany burst

d Ethan. His navy-blue blazer was unbu

ening here?"

iling. "We're just having a li

Amelia's frigh

he said,

at her and sh

k away when people

looked

talking

e a smal

lways look like yo

aughed

. She looked down, wishing the

yan had given her exactly

d, slipping her arm through

her without

e lockers until they disa

ho would defend her. Still, hearing him lau

-

d that the students would be presenting th

presentation," she explained. "Ev

at the folde

g the pages Jessica had taken from her. She didn't

lease stand," M

stomach t

essica, Brianna, Rya

ned around

ve prepared somethin

hav

ne of us is takin

ughed q

alone. We need the a

thought he might be telling

e con

ow much help she'll be d

s la

red at her

looked up fr

problem at

m," Ryan

ase pay a

ass co

-

t alone at the far

hbox and tried to c

ell across

look

here with Brian

t taken?" Je

ed at the e

N

derf

, while Brianna and Tiff

wished she had ch

d inside Amel

esting

closed

lease leav

raised a

you alway

na la

's having

he has a bad life

rls la

up, holding

ou going?" J

where

ssica reached for the folder

t's

it b

lled the f

to see what you've p

ca, pl

and began flipping

ctually did

it b

d we'll discover so

proaching the table when Luc

s goin

g Amelia's homework

s gr

elia become so ser

lau

rying to impre

looked

p laughing a

ile faded

ng everything s

er to Brianna, who held

et it," Bri

or it, but Brian

melia repeated, h

the folder and drop

ou can h

ickly pic

all ho

expressi

use

She picked up her lu

r, Jessic

eds to lear

k his hea

This is get

ike that,

-

ed to the classroom to coll

udents had alr

t stopped when she noticed some

KS SHE HAS A CHANCE

art dr

a badly drawn heart wit

ared at t

ret, and now the whole class w

up her notebook a

d finish, a voice c

t's embar

ia t

d there w

half-erased wri

actuall

said

walked

Don't tell me y

shr

sometimes. I just didn'

ears gatherin

d but didn'

not like I

d walked out

alone in th

that she had never imagined they would b

oolbag and switched o

ing to be anoth

e in front of the very people who