Being Italian, Maria Abruzzo had things in her lunch that Tora had never eaten before—sometimes Boccaccini cheese, which was a little bit salty and had the texture of bubble gum; sometimes salami, prosciutto, or capicola. Tora had asked Phyllis if she could buy some of these delicious meats, but Phyllis and Mrs. Abruzzo didn’t shop at the same grocery store, so trading parts of her lunch became a treat for Tora.

“Reggiano cheese,” Maria said, handing a chunk to Tora, who popped it in her mouth. It was tart and tangy and made her mouth feel alive.

“Wow!” Tora said.

“You like that?”

“Yes, it’s really good.”

“My mother got it in Prince George,” Maria said. “She buys a lot of food there whenever she goes … meats and cheeses especially. She says, ‘If there was an Italian grocery store in Redstone, that would make it the perfect place to live.’“

Tora laughed. There were a lot of things she’d like to see in Redstone—like a bowling alley, or a big indoor mall—but maybe it could use an Italian grocer too.

Just then three of Maria’s friends came into the cafeteria and walked past the table where Maria and Tora were sitting.

“Hey, guys!” she said, waving her hand. “I’m over here.”

The three girls turned around, spotted Maria, and each gave a nod of their head. “Oh, we saw you,” said Gabriela Santos, one of Maria’s closest friends. “We need to study for a math test this afternoon.” Then she turned and led the others to a table two rows away.

“That’s strange,” Maria said. “We always sit together at lunch.”

Tora watched the girls take their seats. They began to eat their lunches, but only one had a textbook out on the table.

“They don’t like me,” Tora said.

“Nonsense,” Maria replied. “They’re my friends and you’re my friend…that makes all of you my friends.” She shrugged. “They need to study, that’s all.”

Tora wasn’t convinced.

“Do you want another piece of cheese?” Maria said.

Tora looked into her lunch bag and saw that she had a ham sandwich on white bread, an apple, a granola bar, and a box of apricot-passion-fruit juice. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything good to trade.”

Maria shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. My mother has twenty more pounds of this stuff at home.”

* * *

Second Period. Math.

Argus lingered at his locker as long as he could, but when the hallway emptied and everyone was in class, there was no putting it off any longer.