“He lives and dies by a code, and that code is not messing around with point totals and rules,” Marianne explained. “I have to get Bs or better on everything and turn in all homework—everything—and make sure I keep up with Quiz Quest and have no attendance or behavior issues, and, of course, stay on the team through State Championships … But that’s not even the thing. It’s that … Never mind.”
Without any warning, Marianne’s breaths went high up in her chest again, like her lungs sat behind her collar bone. She hated when this happened. But there was so much to do, and always more of it. These days, there was never a time with no worksheet or no reading or no event coming up. Expectations never ended.
She missed ignoring them.
Skyla laughed. “What’s happened to you? You’re stressed about studying? Do I even know you anymore?”
“Ha ha,” Marianne mock-laughed with a scowl.
“Hey—it can’t be that hard to ace attendance and behavior at least, right? And showing up to practice?” Skyla asked as Julie poked at her shoulder to say something. They conferred about something or other on Julie’s phone.
Not hard for Skyla, anyway. She slid by in school by being average. The perfect life.
Marianne used her entire body weight to push open the doors, and the fresh air enveloped them.
“Sunshine.” Marianne tilted her face to the sky.
Skyla shifted her attention back to Marianne. The sun hit Skyla’s soil brown freckles on the tip of her nose. Marianne had missed her.
“Sounds like a lot,” Skyla said. “I can go over it with you?”
“There’s your dad.” Marianne pointed to his car.
She hopped in without looking back. Skyla still stood outside. She stopped to chat with Julie, Zara, and Ellie.
“Hey, Jason.”
“Hey, Marie Curie.” He winked at her in the rearview mirror.
“That’s a new one,” she said.
If Vi were there, she knew, she would say something like, “Can anyone in this country name a female scientist besides Marie Curie?” Marianne knew she’d say that because she’d brought it up every time they studied a woman in STEM.
Marianne found herself chuckling at the thought. Vi resembled what Oscar the Grouch would be like if he were an ambitious young girl.
“Should I honk for her?” Jason said, nodding toward Skyla, who was deep in conversation.
“Can I do it instead?” Marianne asked.
“Ha.” Jason tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “So have you chosen your classes for next year yet?”
“Huh?”
Jason took a swig of his huge Starbucks drink and then said, “Skyla met with the guidance counselor last week to pick out her classes—didn’t you? It looks like she’s going to take some honors courses, but hopefully it won’t be too much at first. Sounds like you have some interesting elective choices? And a language?”
Marianne hadn’t been called in yet. Maybe it just wasn’t her turn. Or maybe they didn’t want her signing up for anything unless high school was a done deal. Skyla was going to take honors courses? She wondered what classes Skyla had chosen, if she’d purposefully not told her about them, and if that was what she was discussing with her friends right then.