Francie slid into her seat just as the bell rang, and realized that she hadn't gotten her breakfast from her parents.

She was famished.

Lola turned around immediately, face alive with equal parts sympathy and interest. "Oh my god, Francie, I heard all about it and I'm so sorry." She put her hand on top of Francie's where it sat on the desk.

Next to her, Jill gave a dismissive snort and turned back to her notebook, which was of course already open. She shook her head but kept it turned away.

"Please, she deserves everything she gets," she murmured.

"Now just a minute, Jilll," Lola began, squeezing Francie's hand.

"I got this, Lola," Francie said, releasing Lola's fingers. She turned to Jill, wishing Lola weren't there to listen to every word, because she knew it would be all over the school in about five minutes.

"Jill, whatever you've heard about me isn't true," Francie began. "I'm haven't slept around, I'm not pregnant, and the crappiest part of all of this is that I even have to say those things. It's no one's business but my own whom I sleep or don't sleep with, I think."

"It's Chester's, too," Jill shot back, finally looking up from her notebook. "He's such a fine person, I can't fathom what he sees in you, I really can't. And now you're dragging his name through the mud with yours, I can't stand to watch it."

"That's so unfair," Francie said. "I'm not dragging his name through anything. Whoever's doing this to me is doing it to him as well. I have nothing to do with this."

"Please. The whole school knows you were dating that Brazilian hairdo forever, then you dumped him for Chester," Jill said, her voice rising, making kids at the other desks turn around and stare. "Then, who knows what happened? You bounced back and forth between them like a ping pong ball, from what I heard, with some bounces to some of the hairdo's friends in between for good measure."

"That never happened," Francie said hotly, standing up so fast her chair fell over backwards. The teacher, who was taking attendance from her seating chart, looked up sharply.

Francie picked up her chair and took her seat.

"Oh, please," Jill hissed, careful to keep her voice down, though most of the students could hear her, "all of them are bragging about how they've banged 'Francie the Body.' Are you saying that they're all lying? Even the Brazilian?"

Francie stared at Jill, then looked at Lola, who nodded.

"Yeah, lots of guys are saying they've screwed you."

"Well, they haven't," Francie said simply.

"Hold on, hold on," Lola said, turning all the way around and grasping the edges of Francie's desk. "Are you saying--are you saying you've never slept with anyone?" Her voice went down to a delighted whisper, and even Jill turned all the way around to hear Francie's answer. "Are you saying that 'Francie the Body' is actually 'Francie the Virgin'?"

Francie could feel herself blushing and it made her mad. It shouldn't matter whether she was or wasn't, but it was also nobody's business whether she was or wasn't, was it?

"Lola, turn around." The teacher's voice cut across the classroom like a knife. "Unless you want to spend your lunch hour in here giving me back the time you're taking, that is."

"No ma'am, I'm so sorry," Lola said contritely, turning around immediately after looking at Francie with wide eyes.

Francie took a deep breath. She was off the hook for now, but she knew that this was just more grist for the never ending gossip mill.

When she left class, she saw the police working on the graffiti, and she was gratified to see that they'd already begun painting over it on one end. She could feel the stares of everyone in the corridors, though, and knew as well that the vandalism had already had its intended effect. No one really talked to her except Tyler and Veronica, and people parted around her, giving her a wide berth, like she carried some kind of disease.

Most of the boys, however, gave her smirking, knowing looks, like they were picturing her naked, like the spray-painted images on the wall outside. Francie held her books tighter to her front and kept her eyes resolutely down.

During the break, she went to the elementary side to see Finn, who was busy playing a game called "dinosaur balloons" with his friends out on the grass. Francie had no idea how it was played, except that involved a lot of roaring and running around.

"Francie!" Finn yelled when he saw her. He came running over, crashing into her with all the enthusiasm of a little brother who loves his big sister more than anything. He lifted his arms so Francie picked him up, hugging him to her, loving the smell of him, the feel of his arms around her neck, the way his hair tickled her arms.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"I just missed you," she said.

"You came all the way over here from the big kids' side because you missed me?" he asked in wonder.

Francie nodded, suddenly having to blink back tears. "Te amo, fratello mio," she said softly, kissing him on his beautiful mouth.

"Anch'io, Lala," he responded with a smile like the sun, using his childhood nickname for all of his sisters, making his dimple pop, hugging her with all his might.

"Oh, Finn, go play with your friends," Francie said, setting him down on the grass. "Ciao."

"Ciao," he called over his shoulder as he scampered away, brown hair flying as he returned to his game.

Francie went back to the high school side feeling better than she had all morning.

By the time she got to English, however, she was feeling anxious, and wanted to see Chester. Her face lit up when he walked in, and he smiled when he saw her as well. She waited until he set his crutches aside, then stepped into his arms for a much needed hug.

"You holding up okay?" he murmured into her hair.

She nodded. "I feel better now I've seen you," she admitted, unwilling to release him.

"God, I'm so sorry that your dating me has opened you up to all of this," he said as they finally took their seats. "And I'd give anything to know who's behind it," he added as he watched Antonio walk in and take his seat.

"I don't think it's him, do you?" Francie asked as she watched him. "I mean, he's kind of conceited and into himself, but he didn't seem this vindictive, you know? And how could he know any of the stuff about my mom?"

"All that stuff that happened with your mom and the video from when she was in college, didn't you say that was international news?" Chester asked. "I mean, just because I didn't know about it doesn't mean that other people wouldn't have heard, right?"

"I guess so," Francie said doubtfully.

Chester looked at her, gray eyes serious. "Have you considered the possibility that it might be someone who's pretending to be your friend?"

Francie stared at him. "What you mean? Like who?"

Chester took a deep breath. "Like Allegra? Or Lola?" He looked around, then back at her. "Or Tyler or Veronica?"

Francie swallowed. "No way. Just, no. They'd never do this to me. I mean, what reason would they have? Chester, no!"

Chester shrugged. "Hear me out, Francie, hear me out."

The teacher entered just then, and they had to pause their conversation, but Francie shook her head at him whenever they made eye contact for the rest of the period.

It was lunch before they could continue talking. Francie looked mutinous, but held her tongue and let Chester talk as they sat together at the table. Francie purposely sat with her back to the south wall, where the horrible graffiti was now nearly completely covered.

"Maybe they've secretly been jealous of you all this time, you know? You're rich, you're pretty, you're smart, popular, you pretty much have everything anyone could ever want," Chester said as he ate his lunch. "Have you ever considered that it might be hard to be your friend all these years and always be second fiddle, so to speak?"

Francie just stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"How many times do you think they've been described as 'Francie Santangelo's friends'?" Chester asked. "Or been asked if they could introduce someone to you, or get your dad's autograph or whatever?"

Francie considered, and finally shrugged. "It's happened. We usually laugh about it."

"Now how many times have you been introduced as 'Veronica's friend,' or 'Tyler's friend'?" Chester offered as he took a drink of his chocolate milk. "Has that ever happened?"

Francie slowly shook her head. "Probably not."

"So I'm just saying think about it. Maybe one of them got tired of always standing in your shadow."

Francie sat back. "But that would be so awful. They wouldn't do that. They'd just stop being my friend, they wouldn't do something this terrible, Chester, they just wouldn't. This is so cruel." She shook her head. "No. I won't even think about it anymore, it's just not possible."

"What's just not possible?" Veronica asked as she took a seat next to Chester and looking back and forth between the two of them. "Whoa, you two look so serious, should I leave? Are you talking about the horrible artwork left by our mystery pig over on the south wall?" She pointed over Francie's shoulder.

She looked between them again. "Seriously, should I go? This looks very heavy."

"No, Veronica, it's nothing, please stay," Francie said, putting a hand on her friend's arm.

"You okay?" Veronica asked. "You must be having the most god awful day. I'm surprised you stayed. I'd have gone home for some Netflix and chill or whatever." She dipped some fries into her ketchup. "You're amazing, Francie, really."

"She is," Chester agreed.

"Where's Tyler?" Francie asked, letting the compliment slide.

"Had to pick something up in the office," Veronica answered. "Said he'd come find us if he finished in time."

She gestured again toward the wall. "So, do they have any idea who's behind all this crap? I mean, if the police are involved, they're obviously treating it really seriously, right? They're going to catch the person?"

Francie shook her head. "They're coming to the house after school to interview us, though. They think my mom's involved because of the daisies and stuff that were on the picture, they think it might be someone who knows my mom? Which is crazy because who at the school would know my mom?" Francie sounded mystified. "Especially someone who hates me?" In spite of herself, her chin trembled.

Chester saw, and moved around the table, holding on to it for balance, so he could sit next to her and put an arm around her.

Francie leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, trying not to cry. "I'm sorry," she said. "I guess everything's getting to me a little bit."

"Shh, it's okay," Chester soothed. "This will all get cleared up before you know it, you'll see."

"I just don't see why this has to happen to me," Francie said, lifting her head and smiling through her tears. "I finally find this really great guy to fall in love with, and instead of just having a nice, normal romance, it turns into some sort of weird, twisted noir film, you know?"

"I guess your life finally ran out of perfect," Veronica said as she took a bite out of her hamburger.

"What?" Francie asked, staring.

"Well, I'm just saying, you have to admit, it's been pretty perfect until now," Veronica said matter-of-factly as she chewed her burger.

She saw the look on Francie's face.

"Oh god, Francie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you or anything, I hope you know that? Shit, I'm so sorry if I upset you--" Veronica put down her burger, looking ready to cry.

"Christ on a bike, Veronica, stop stop stop," Francie begged her friend. "We've been friends since we were five, you can't upset me that easily. Besides, I know what you meant, my life's been pretty great, it's true." She smiled. "Now pick up your food and finish it before the bell, please."

The bell rang a couple minutes later, and they headed to class, parting with Veronica at the steps.

"And I'll thank you not to go putting any more ideas in my head, please," Francie said to Chester as she kissed him before turning towards her class. "I need all the friends I can get right now, you know?"

"Sorry," he said contritely. "See you at the pool."