“What’s in it for her?”
“The two of us used to be friends. Then she got popular in middle school and dropped me,” Sarah said. “Later she felt bad and tried to reconnect, but I was over it. Now I just reach out when I need some troubleshooting, and she helps me. I think it makes her feel good—like she’s doing community service.”
“Do you think she might look at something for me?”
Sarah shrugged. “Maybe. Honestly, though, she gets a bit grumpy when I bring her small stuff, so if it’s something pretty basic you might want to first search the interwebs for an answer yourself. What she likes best is when I bring her the hard stuff.”
“Mine’s pretty hard. I don’t think she’ll even be able to do anything with it.”
Sarah smiled. “Say it exactly like that. That will drive her crazy. I’ll ask her about my phone too while we’re at it—it’s still not back to its old self.” Then she paused. “Oh, and this really wouldn’t be like you anyway, but just a word to the wise—do not bring up Brian with her.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because they broke up last spring. It’s still a super-touchy subject. And I say this as someone who teases her about a lot—do not bring up Brian. I made that mistake already, and she’ll assume I’m behind it if it happens again.”
“Okay,” I said.
And I meant it. But I couldn’t help thinking back to Mona rushing past him during the lockdown drill, and to that day on the roof. Couldn’t help wondering what exactly had happened between the two of them.
Or maybe it’s not fair to say I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you wouldn’t understand.
Maybe it was more that I was afraid that if I talked about it, I’d find how little there was to say, the words crumbling in my mouth. How impossible it was to explain why I couldn’t stop.
Because obviously, I needed to stop.
Yet I couldn’t. It was inevitable, like magnets.
That’s an excuse. That’s the truth.
I still can’t explain how both of those things can be true at the same time.
SARAH TEXTED ME LATER THAT morning to let me know that Mona would meet us in the computer lab at lunch. When we arrived, she was already there.
Waiting for her to finish up something she was doing on the computer, I found myself mesmerized by her hair. I wasn’t a hair person, but I had to admit that Mona’s hair was a work of art. Each curl appeared to have a full and complete life of its own.
“She won’t let you boing them, if that’s what you’re wondering. I tried once and she wasn’t having it.”
Sarah was grinning at me from her seat on one of the computer lab tables, her feet pushing a chair onto its back legs until it almost tipped over.
I flushed. “I wasn’t wondering that. I would never—”
Mona shook her head. “It’s okay, I know.” She shot Sarah an unimpressed look. “Sarah is just winding you up. She’s a big fan of doing that to people.”
Sarah tilted her head and looked dismayed. “Oh no—was that a dig at my social skills, perchance? Should I reform my ways so I can be part of your idiotic girl gang?”
Mona rolled her eyes, then typed a few more words. “Okay, I’m done,” she said. “And it’s a squad, not a gang. And dialing back the sarcasm wouldn’t be a terrible idea, if you’re planning on asking me for a favor.”
I started to relax. I’d been worried about this meeting, about how awkward it might be between me and Mona. But this Mona was an entirely different creature from the Mona on the roof, or even the Mona with Lauren and Beth. She seemed confident, at ease. Like she was slipping right back into a conversation she’d been having with Sarah forever.
“Favor?” Sarah asked, eyes wide and innocent. “I don’t know about that. Of course, if you’re bored, then I might have something you could take a look at. Jess might have something too, if you can handle it.”
“Thanks oh so much. What do you have for me this time?”
“Well, since you insist—my phone is being kind of weird.”
“Weird? Did you try turning it off and then on again?”
“Yeah, like ten times. You’ve drilled that into me. I even do that with my damn toaster now when it starts burning the bread. Off, wait ten seconds, and then on again. I’m a goddamn off-and-then-on-again robot.”
“Does it help with the toaster?”
“Sometimes.”
“Well, there you go. Have you been making all the updates to your phone, like I told you to?”
“Yes.” Sarah paused. “Like, most of them, anyway.”
Mona sighed. “So what’s it doing?”
“It will barely hold a charge. It’s completely drained after two hours. I’ve started carrying my charger around everywhere I go, but competition for the outlets is fierce.”
Mona made a beckoning gesture. “Give.” Sarah pulled it from her pocket and Mona frowned as she reached over to take it. Then Mona turned to me. “So what did you bring me? I’m hoping something more exciting than this piece of junk.”
I unzipped my bag and gently pulled out the Ziploc bag containing Anna’s phone and handed it over.
“Whoa,” she said, eyebrows shooting up. She turned it over with a reverent expression. “Now, that’s what I’d call broken.”
Sarah smiled. “Glad we could bring you something worth your while.”
Mona opened the bag, slid out the phone, and examined it more closely.
“So what did you do to it?”
“Nothing,” I said. “I mean, it’s not…it’s not really my phone.”
Sarah frowned. “Wait, then whose…” She trailed off.
Mona looked at Sarah and then back at me. “Anna?” she asked gently.
I nodded.
Mona started to put Anna’s phone down. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know if this is a good idea. Besides, this is just a hobby for me, and this phone—I don’t know if
