Next Year in Israel (12 page)

Chatterbox looked up. “It’s safe to jump.”

Mia and I stepped forward, through the waterfall, which felt like a cold shower. Her hand held mine tightly. I smiled. “One, two, three—”

She closed her eyes, and I laughed as we took off.

Chapter 11

“WAKE UP, LOVES. BREAKFAST AND school,” Leah yelled into our room as the alarm clock beeped. I was already awake, but Mia and Jordyn hadn’t budged.

“Okay.” I wondered why Jordyn wasn’t up.

“Five more minutes,” Jordyn peeped.

I closed my eyes again, snuggled under my wool blanket, and drifted back to sleep. When the alarm clock went off again, I hit the snooze button for another fifteen minutes. My bed squeaked when I finally pulled myself up. Jordyn’s eyes were open, staring at the ceiling. Usually, she was blow-drying her hair by the second snooze. “Are you okay?”

“Caleb broke up with me.” That explained why she had been quiet after Leah had ushered her in at curfew the night before.

“Why?”

“He wants to date other girls.”

“I’m sorry.” I wanted to heal her broken heart and wondered if I should say something else to cheer her up.

“I think he was cheating on me.” She lowered her voice. “Do you notice how Mia flirts with him?”

I looked over at Mia’s closed eyes and open mouth. Except for pushing him into the pool, she had ignored him until Ben had become her boyfriend. She still didn’t talk to him much. “She’s with Ben.”

“Doesn’t mean she isn’t trying to get Caleb. He’s better-looking than Ben.”

“She likes Ben for his personality.” She obviously chose him for his status, but it seemed as if they enjoyed being around each other. She thought he was funny.

Mia’s nose snorted. “I’m up. What are you two talking about?”

“I broke up with Caleb,” Jordyn said. “I want to be with other guys.”

I picked up Mia’s toothpaste apprehensively. An upset Jordyn wasn’t good. Bad things would happen. “We’re late,” I said.

“I hate chemistry.” Mia pushed off her blanket. “We’re already late. Might as well ditch.”

“I’m the queen of skipping school,” I boasted. I was finally telling the truth.

“I’ve only skipped school twice at home,” Mia said. “How often did you do it?”

“The last Thursday of the month, as long as there wasn’t a test.” It was the only way to get out of the place I hated most, and it had been easy with Mom at work.

“You never got caught?” Mia sounded like she didn’t believe me.

“I almost did once. Mom came home from work early. I told her it was a teacher workday. She never checked. What’s our excuse for skipping chemistry?” I grinned.

“I slipped in the shower and hurt my ankle,” Mia said. “You and Jordyn helped me get dressed. Jordyn can carry my books. I’ll fake a limp.”

Jordyn sat up. “Leah’s not going to buy it.”

“She will. I’m a great actress.”

“Then Rebecca carries your books,” Jordyn said.

“Okay,” I agreed. It wasn’t below me. Nor was using an excuse. But after we got dressed and walked to school, I felt increasingly nervous about Mia’s plan. Faking a limp was more complicated than it had to be. Mia would have to hobble around for a few weeks. Couldn’t she say she had a headache? Then again, that wouldn’t let Jordyn and me off the hook. This way we wouldn’t get in trouble as long as Mia pulled it off.

While we crossed the school courtyard, Mia complained about always being cast in supporting roles for school plays at home. Jordyn, clearly irritated, wrinkled her nose and changed the subject to Caleb. My nervousness eased up a bit. Mia wasn’t going to flub it. Limping would be her well-deserved acting role.

At school, Mia didn’t hesitate as she knocked on Leah’s door. “Stop smirking,” Jordyn whispered to me while we waited for Leah. I heard Leah’s office desk chair scoot from the other side. A moment later, Leah opened her door. “Girls. Lovely for you to join us.”

“I slipped and hurt my ankle in the shower,” Mia said.

I looked at the English books in Leah’s bookcase to distract myself from laughing. Most of Leah’s books had the word Jewish in the title. Jordyn took a deep breath, and because she was congested, she sniffled. I turned my attention away from Leah’s furniture. The fact that I was looking away made it obvious I was trying to hide something. Whenever I lied to Mia, I always tried to look her in the eye.

Mia furrowed her forehead, drumming up her inner actress. “Jordyn and Rebecca had to help me get dressed. It still hurts. Ouch.”

Leah didn’t seem to suspect anything. She bent over to look at Mia’s ankle.

“Ouch, don’t touch it!” Mia squealed. “I’m in pain.”

“Why didn’t you go to the nurse?” Leah asked. “It might be sprained.”

“I didn’t want to miss school,” Mia said on cue. “I think it’ll heal if I stay off of it.”

“Nurse Rachelle needs to examine it,” Leah said.

Jordyn threw her shoulders back. “We should probably get to class.” Nurse Rachelle was throwing a wrench in our plans. How would Mia pull a fast one over her?

“Go to Nurse Rachelle,” Leah repeated. “I don’t want you falling down the steps.”

“I need Jordyn and Rebecca to help me walk there.”

“One helper’s enough. Jordyn can go with you. I expect to see a note from Rachelle.”

“Thank you.” Mia hobbled to the door.

Jordyn took Mia’s right arm. I picked up Mia’s backpack and went over to Mia’s left arm. Leah’s phone rang. “Close the door.”

Jordyn shut the door. I giggled.

“Hey, girls.” Ben stood by the steps, round the corner from Leah’s office. “Where have you been?”

Mia broke away as Ben walked toward us. “We overslept. Shouldn’t you be in class?”

“Shouldn’t you?” Ben said. “I was on my way to the bathroom.” Once he reached us, Mia cozied up to him and planted a kiss on his neck. “I told Leah I sprained my ankle.”

“Smartass.” Ben stroked her back. Jordyn and I watched Mia whisper in his ear. Envy washed over me. She was lucky to know where she stood with him. They were a couple.

“I’m excusing you from work for three days,” Ben said loud enough for Jordyn and me to hear. He walked to the steps.

“Bye, Ben,” Jordyn called after him.

He smiled at Mia as if Jordyn hadn’t spoken. “Later.”

“I’d better get to Nurse Rachelle before Leah sees us,” Mia said.

“I’ll take your backpack to class,” I said. “You shouldn’t have to carry it.”

“Ha. Ha. I can’t wait to hang out in Ben’s room this weekend,” Mia gushed.

I flung Mia’s backpack over my shoulder. “I can’t wait to go to Avi’s on Friday.” Waiting to kiss him again was taking all of my self-control. It was hard not to call him. I just wanted to hear his voice, but if I called him too soon he’d think I was a clingy hookup.

“It’s good to have a supervisor boyfriend,” Mia said.

Jordyn took Mia’s right arm, and squinted in disgust.

~ * * * ~

The next day, Jordyn stopped by my desk just before history class began. “Mia’s into Caleb. I saw her touch him yesterday.”

Our only contact with Caleb the day before had been her saying hi to him at lunch after her trip to see Nurse Rachelle. “She isn’t.” I was fed up with Jordyn. Mia wouldn’t backstab her for Caleb. The three of us were getting along. Didn’t she see it?

“I’m going to tell Mia that Caleb broke up with me for her,” Jordyn said as the bell rang.

Mia hobbled in, holding Ben’s arm. Jake carried her crutches and leaned them against the back of her desk. Surprisingly, Nurse Rachelle had given Mia an ace bandage, crutches, and a no-work note.

Jordyn sat down in the back row.

Leah walked in. “All right, class. I’m teaching permanently. Your teacher had a mild stroke last night. He’s expected to recover, but he’ll be out for the rest of the year. Read chapter fifteen from your book.” I opened my book, anxious.
Should I warn Mia?
What if I warned her, and Jordyn didn’t say anything? Jordyn might be setting me up to do her dirty work.

Jake tapped my desk. “Has Jordyn talked about who she wants now that she’s not with Caleb?”

“She’s not your type,” I said. Starting a Mia rumor would have enormous consequences. It would affect Mia, Ben, and Caleb.

“Rebecca and Jake, stop talking.” Leah pulled down the map and started droning on and on about different countries.

Jake passed me a note asking what I was doing this weekend.

Avi’s
, I wrote back.

Jake leaned in. “Have you kissed him?”

My face flushed. It wasn’t his business.

“That’s what I thought,” Jake said.

Leah paced in front of the map. “No talking, Jake.”

I looked at Jake. He winked at me.

Why did I let myself react? I was just another body to him.

I doodled in my notebook until class ended, relieved Jordyn hadn’t started a rumor. After school, Jordyn caught up to Mia and me on the steps. “Mia, I heard the Israelis talking about you at lunch yesterday. They think I’m deaf to Hebrew and didn’t realize I understood. I wasn’t going to tell you, but I would want to know if there was a rumor about me.”

Mia gave me her crutch. “What? Tell me.”

“That you did it with Caleb last week.”

My stomach knotted. Wasn’t it enough to talk about Mia behind her back? Throwing the lie in her face was vicious. Mia turned her head to pinpoint Ben’s whereabouts. He was in the courtyard, talking to Jake and Caleb.

“Ben’s my boyfriend. I don’t cheat,” Mia said bravely.

“I could tell off Caleb for you,” Jordyn said.

I wanted to slap Jordyn. Mia stopped on the step. “Forget it.”

“Aren’t you worried Ben will hear?” Jordyn said.

“Not really,” Mia said, and I knew she was worried. How could she not be? Jordyn was on the verge of doing something that would be impossible to repair.

“They’re calling you a slut.” Jordyn tried not to smile.

Mia shrugged, totally mellow. She was either giving a great performance, or she was completely sure that Ben trusted her.

“I’d be mad if everybody was talking about me,” Jordyn said.

“Whatever,” Mia said.

“Do something about it,” Jordyn insisted.

“It’s like you want to keep it going.” Mia’s face had an edginess that told Jordyn to back down.

“Do not,” Jordyn said. “You’re my friend.”

“Really? ‘Cause you don’t seem like it.” Mia’s face flushed, and I wondered if she had some self-doubt that might be gnawing at her. Till now, I had been Jordyn’s victim. Was it Mia’s turn? Would Ben fall for it?

“My friends stand up for themselves.” Jordyn raised her voice, reminding us of her power.

“I think you need some new friends,” Mia said calmly in the chaos, and I knew she wasn’t gonna let Jordyn break her.

“My friends aren’t sluts. I’m finding new roommates.” Jordyn walked over to a group of Israelis.

“I don’t believe the rumor,” I said, impressed by Mia’s strength. “Everybody knows you wouldn’t cheat.”

“She’s asking for it.” Mia waved to Ben. “Let’s tell her to move tonight and redecorate our room without her.”

Chapter 12

“I MISS MY PARENTS,” MIA said to me as the bus turned out of the
kfar
. It was our second trip to Jerusalem. I looked out the window. It was dark outside. There were two cars parked at the gas pumps in front of the Deleck. “You got an e-mail from them yesterday.”

“It makes me miss them more. I miss my school.”

I closed my eyes. “You don’t like your school.”

“I like yearbook and student government. Don’t you miss home?”

How could I miss who I used to be? “Nah.”

“You don’t miss anything?” she asked.

“My parents a little, and the Chinese restaurant near Dad’s.” The bus stopped at a traffic light. There’s nothing to miss about being a victim.

Mia put her head against the window. “What’s wrong with me? I’m homesick, and you’re not.”

She’d realize why I wasn’t homesick, if she knew what I left behind. “There’s a reason I don’t miss school.”

Mia nodded. “‘Cause it’s different here?”

Telling her about who I had been would ruin everything. She’d wonder if there was something wrong with me. Why cloud our relationship with those types of thoughts? I was in an easy place. She thought she was helping a semi-cool smarty. It’d be different if she knew the truth. The silence between us was getting awkward. I had to say something. “There’s more to me than being a valedictorian wannabe. It’s cool that you get it.”

Mia adjusted her headband. “I don’t see you as a geek. You didn’t freak when you got eighty-five on our history quiz.”

“Well… it’s gonna trash my GPA,” I said. “I just keep it to myself when I don’t get the highest score in the class. Don’t want to bore everybody with my grade-induced mood swings.” My stomach swirled again. It was wrong. I was being fake. She’d be pissed if she found out I lied about my pre-
kfar
life, that I wasn’t who I claimed to be.

“I’m different here, too,” Mia said.

She wasn’t. “You’re still popular.”

“Yeah, but I’m seeing things differently.”

I smiled. “Like cracking a brainiac out of her shell? Do you think Avi was blowing me off?” He had postponed my visit to the upcoming weekend.

“Stop obsessing. He wouldn’t have rescheduled if he was.”

“True, but homework’s a lame excuse.”

“You said he goes to a cutthroat school,” Mia said.

What if he changed his mind about liking me? It had been two weeks since our kiss. He might be sending me a not-into-you signal. I took off my jean jacket, thankful he wasn’t at the
kfar
. I’d be a wreck, analyzing his every move, wondering if I should be cool or friendly around him.

“Take it all off,” Jake said from the seat across from us.

My heart zigzagged. I pulled down my tee shirt quickly.

He pulled Jordyn’s hair. “Your turn.”

Jordyn batted her hand in the air. “Please.”

Mia and I were getting along fine without Jordyn since she had found new roommates.

“
Boker tov
,” Chatterbox said into the microphone.

No one answered him.

“I said
good morning
.” We’re going back to Jerusalem today to see Yad VaShem, a Holocaust memorial. In Hebrew, the Holocaust is called—”