Chapter 1

Lunchtime

8 Years Later

I was standing in the middle of the cafeteria. Where should I sit? I wondered. I took the Magic 8 Ball out of my pocket and shook it, sending glances towards the table I sat at the year before. They were nice enough.

"Should I sit there?" I whispered.

Reply hazy, try again.

I took that as a no. I looked at the next table. I was kind of hoping the ball would say no to them. They were kind of like Jimmy's friends: weird, annoying, jerks, or a combination of all three.

Very doubtful.

The next table had only one person there. Again, I hoped the Magic 8 Ball would say no. Who wants to get caught sitting at a table by themselves? I shook the ball.

Yes.

I heaved all of my books onto the table and took a closer look at the girl sitting there. The first thing I noticed was that she was drumming her fingers like crazy. It was as if there was a piano on the lunch table and she had to play it as loud as possible. Thick black hair shielded her face and she appeared to have earbuds in. She was wearing a blue sweatshirt and jeans.

"Hey," I said. "Is it OK if I sit here?"

Piano Fingers looked away from whatever she was doing and nodded.

"What are you listening to?" I asked, trying to make conversation. Piano Fingers didn't respond.

One of teachers walked up to her table - our table. "Go get something to eat," she instructed.

Piano Fingers and I both got up to buy our food. I went up to the counter and glanced at the pizza, which was probably a mixture of stale bread, plastic, heavily processed food products, artificial flavorings, and more plastic. "Should I get the pizza?" I whispered, shaking the Magic 8 Ball.

It is decidedly so.

"Pizza, please," I said.

The cafeteria lady flopped a slice of more-plastic-than-pizza-food-type-thing onto my tray. I hurried to the end of the line, paid for my food, and rushed back to the table. A few minutes later Piano Fingers was back. She adjusted her glasses and sat down across from me. Piano Fingers picked up a book and started reading. I didn't dare interrupt her. I shook the Magic 8 Ball again. "Should I work on my homework?"

Cannot tell you now.

I groaned. Papa's Magic 8 Ball was stupid like that sometimes. I took out my Geometry book, but it was hard to focus with so much noise in the cafeteria. It wasn't like I needed to get it done anyways. It was Badminton Night and I wasn't playing again.

I only got through two problems. It was weird having someone at your table but not talking to them, but I supposed I would have to get used to it. Piano Fingers didn't seem like she was going to chat with me anytime soon.

"You're dismissed," the teacher said.

Piano Fingers and I walked out of the cafeteria side by side before going our separate ways. This is going to be a long year, I thought. But the Magic 8 Ball brought me to Piano Fingers, and it was my job to sit there and try to befriend her.