Ms. Anderson explained more about how the science fair projects should be organized. Then she said, "Now I want you to form small groups for brainstorming about science fair ideas. I'll be circulating among your groups to begin talking with each of you individually."
After they had counted off, Jane found herself in the first group, with three girls, including Lucy Adams —not Emily. Ms. Anderson pulled her chair over to join them.
"In science, we start out with questions," Ms. Anderson said in her low, throaty voice. "What questions about our physical world would any of you like to try to answer?"
Jane had plenty of questions, but she kept them to herself. Why wasn't she growing taller? How come some people were better at things than other people? How could anybody have hair that
Jane floated through science class and art. Then, in third-period math class, she came down to earth with a thud.Mr. Putnam was a short, stocky man who always wore a bow tie and suspenders. He looked a little bit like an inflatable toy, held down by beanbag weights stuffed into his small, shiny black shoes."Boys and girls," he began, rocking slightly on his toes, "today we are going to start a new program called Peer-Teaching."Jane looked over at Emily. She could tell that Emily didn't like the sound of it either."In Peer-Teaching, students work together in pairs as partners. Partners study together during class several times each week."Jane met Emily's eyes again. They never wo
At lunch, Emily could talk of nothing but Grace Anderson."Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!" she moaned piteously to her ham sandwich. "I thought I was in love those other times, but they were nothing compared to this."Jane didn't want to talk about Ms. Anderson with Emily. She wished Emily hadn't seen her first. She wished Emily hadn't said that she was in love with her first."What do you want to do after school?" Jane asked to change the subject."Nothing," Emily said in the same lovesick voice that was beginning to get on Jane's nerves."We have to dosomething," Jane insisted."I guess we could mess around
By the end of the day, Jane had made three new entries for herUnfair Lifebook. In a black-bordered box on its own special page, she wrote: Monday, 27.Jane Waleski was assigned Lucy Adams as her partner in Peer-Teaching. From gym class she had: Monday, 27.Jane missed more baskets than anyone in the class except Emily Zuckerman. Coach Jim said, "Sometimes I find it hard to believe that you and Caroline Waleski are really sisters." As soon as Coach Jim had said it, Jane could tell that the coach felt sorry for letting the words slip out. "Just kidding, Jane," the coach said. "Come on now, concentrate!"
Jane tried to think of a project for the science fair, but she didn't know how to begin. In elementary school, she and Emily had just done whatever project their dads suggested, from a library book Jane's mother checked out every year on award-winning science fair ideas. One year they had done something with magnets. Another year they had let mold grow on different foods: apples, bread, yogurt. That had been Jane's favorite project.She forgot what their hypothesis had been, but she still remembered how gross the food had looked when the project was displayed in the elementary-school gym.This year she wanted to do something different—not an experiment out of a book but one she thought up all by herself. She fantasized about the judges to be astonished that a sixteen-year-old could have thought up such a project and carried it out
On Friday afternoon, classes were canceled for a school-wide pep rally in the gym. It was the game of the season. The school had its biggest rival in every sport coming into tonight's game undefeated.As Jane walked to the pep rally with Emily, she gathered data for another entry in Unfair Life:Friday, January 29th.On the way to the pep rally, three different people asked Jane Waleski, "Are you really Caroline Waleski's sister?"When the team came running out into the gym, the people in the bleachers went wild. Everyone was chanting Caroline's name. Emily joined the crowd until her throat was hoarse from yelling. Jane had cheered as loudly as she could for all the others, but she tried to cheer even more for her sister. She felt terrible for th
Jane made up her mind to stick to her rules. After making a list of her dream goals, she made it her life mission to cross each one of them.But the hard part was crossing them.She felt a sense of optimism, almost excitement flooding through her. She was also slightly overwhelmed by the things she had to commit to. Things that were mostly her least favorite things, like studying instead of watching her TV shows or hanging out with Emily.But she believed that every great man and woman had to sacrifice a lot to reach their goals, so no more whining. She would have to do the same or die trying. That was how serious she was.Jane had been shooting baskets from five until seven. She only made 30 baskets out of 100. Compared to her usual
The bell rang. Jane was stuffingATale of Two Citiesinto her backpack when she heard Lucy's voice beside her."You're readingDickens?"Jane nodded warily."Oh, IloveDickens. Have you readDavid Copperfield? OrOliver Twist?Olive Twistis my favorite. I've read it twice. I cried both times. I can't believe someone else in our class is reading Dickens."To her dismay, Jane found herself walking down the hall to English with Lucy by her side, still talking, talking, talking."I didn't know you were such a big reader, Jane," Lucy said, smiling at her. "I guess because yo
Jane wondered exactly how the others had found out that Lucy liked her. Mary had probably told them. She was the kind of girl who loved to know a secret about somebody that she could sell to somebody else for free. Now Mary had Jane's secret. She only hoped that no one would buy it.Jane remembered how Mary had snatched back the poem she had shown her the other week, most likely so she could have the pleasure of showing it around. Not that Lucy ever tried to hide any of her poems. She scribbled in her Moleskine notebook in full view of the whole world. More than once, Jane had seen Mary standing right behind Lucy, reading over her shoulder.One thing was clear, though. If Lucy's crush had been a secret before, it was a secret no longer. It seemed everywhere she turned, people looked at Jane weirdly. And when Jane walked into science cla