The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth - Alexandra Robbins [35]
Besides, there was something gratifying about owning books. She didn’t have to read them within a predetermined time limit. She took good care of them because she figured that in twenty years, she wouldn’t want a torn-up, dog-eared copy of Snow Falling on Cedars. She’d want a clean read.
Danielle read in classes because she was bored, and aced the tests anyway. Her classmates made fun of her for it, but their opinions didn’t outweigh her love of reading. She could relate better to the worlds in her books than she could to the teens at her school.
Recently, two physics classmates near Danielle had discussed phoning significant others just to talk. “I don’t know if I should call her or not,” the boy said.
“[My boyfriend] calls me every night. Sometimes when he doesn’t call, I get mad,” the girl said.
Danielle looked up from her book. She wouldn’t want a guy to call her. Not that she had to worry. Danielle had never had a boyfriend, and didn’t want one. She figured that was yet another thing distinguishing her from other teenagers. She couldn’t identify with the girls she saw fluttering over their latest boy dramas. A relationship seemed like a waste of time and effort if you weren’t going to marry. “What do people even talk about when they call each other?” Danielle asked. “ ‘Oh, hi honey, how was your day? . . .’ It seems boring.”
“What?! You are so weird, Danielle,” the boy had said.
There were downfalls to being an outsider, even for a loner. When Danielle did want company, her few friends were usually busy. Beyond her tiny group, Danielle had not once hung out with anyone else outside of school. Just because she liked being alone didn’t mean she always preferred to be. “You know how in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, they’re all such good friends and they can tell each other anything and they always give each other hugs and stuff?” she said. “I’ve always wanted to have friends like that. I’m kind of averse to hugging, and I’m obviously not very good at sharing things about myself, but those are the kind of friends I wish I had.”
It was difficult, too, when everyone else in the room seemed to be having fun, while Danielle couldn’t fathom how she could possibly relate. Like now. Danielle spotted a familiar color. One of the preps was wearing the same Homecoming dress as her. Ugh, Danielle thought. I knew I shouldn’t have gotten a dress from the mall.
Danielle lasted maybe half an hour on the dance floor before she began hunting for open doors through which she could sneak out of the building. Stone Mill kept doors locked until 10 P.M. in an effort to keep students from drinking and driving. When she finally found one near the art hallway, her friends weren’t ready to leave. By the time Paige agreed to join her, chaperones were allowing students outdoors. Danielle and Paige spent the rest of Homecoming at a local Wendy’s, waiting for Mona and Camille to get tired of the dance so they could spend the night in a backyard tent like they had planned.
JOY, CALIFORNIA | THE NEW GIRL
Joy sat with Natalie in the library, talking over lunch as they had every day in the two weeks since Joy had arrived. Natalie peered at her Asian friends at a corner table, briefly at Joy, then at the clock. Joy knew what was coming.
Natalie cleared her throat. “Hey, Joy, um, tomorrow I’m gonna eat lunch with my friends, okay?”
“No problem. That’s cool,” Joy said. She had seen the looks Natalie’s friends gave her. She understood why Natalie didn’t invite Joy to sit with the group. Races stuck together. Joy was not the type of person to hold grudges, but even she wasn’t immune to the sting of rejection. She didn’t know anybody else at school.
The first weeks at Citygrove were some of the loneliest of Joy’s life. In English, Joy’s favorite subject, the