Chapter 2

I had provoked Zoe.

She had always been insufferable, throwing her weight around school just because she had a delinquent boyfriend.

On Wednesday, I was lining up for lunch in the cafeteria.

Zoe suddenly appeared with her posse, cutting in line right in front of me without so much as a word.

Normally, I might have said something.

But that day I was starving. I had forgotten to eat breakfast and was famished by third period.

So I pushed her. Hard.

I forgot how strong I was sometimes.

That one shove sent her sprawling on her butt.

The sound of Zoe hitting the ground was loud enough to make the whole area go quiet.

All eyes turned to us.

I don't think she had ever been treated like that before. Her face turned beet red, like an overinflated balloon about to burst.

I was about to apologize when the lunch lady called out to me:

"What'll you have, honey? Don't hold up the line, there are people waiting behind you."

I froze, completely forgetting about Zoe still on the ground. I rattled off my order to the lunch lady.

By the time I got my food, Zoe was gone.

I figured we were even - she had cut in line first, after all. As far as I was concerned, it was water under the bridge.

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