Joshua's Island

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Book excerpt

CHAPTER 1

DAY 1

JOSHUA

Only one more year of this crap, I thought as I looked out the window of the school bus. One more year and I’ll be in high school. One more year and this will all be behind me.

It was the Tuesday after Labor Day, my first day of eighth grade. I’d only turned thirteen a month before, and the growth spurt I’d been praying for all summer still hadn’t kicked in. My mother, father and sister Alyson were all tall, but here I was, finally a teenager, and my height had only just crept over the five-foot mark.

There were a lot of fifth-graders on my bus this year. Most of them were acting like idiots, so I just tuned them out. It was a little annoying having to attend the same school as ten-year-olds, but that’s how the middle-school system in my area worked. I was thankful the fifth- and sixth- graders had their classrooms and playground on the other side of the school … I don’t think I could deal with that level of jackassery all the time. Jeez, even some of the fifth-graders are taller than me already. If this is some big cosmic joke, I’m not laughing.

My school wasn’t the largest in the city, but it was still a good size. It was a public school, located in one of the more respectable areas of town. There were certainly much less desirable schools I could’ve attended, but I’d learned the hard way that even the best schools had problems. In my case, that was the bully squad: four guys who had made my life hell for three years.

I stepped off the bus, collected my course schedule and textbooks, and located the locker that had been assigned to me. I tried saying hello to some of my classmates, hoping they’d forgotten over the summer that I was still an outcast. No such luck.

I locked eyes with Brent between second and third periods, and he smiled that horrible smile at me. No doubt he’d thought up a whole slew of new tortures he and his friends could inflict on me this year, and he couldn’t wait to try them out. Maybe I should just stand outside the nurse’s office. Then I won’t have far to crawl after they’ve finished.

Back in the fifth grade, the bully squad hadn’t been much taller than I was. Now most of them towered over me. Brent had packed on a lot of lean muscle over summer vacation, as had his buddies Derek and Phil, and I was still a hundred-pound string-bean. Even Randy, the smallest member of the squad, had gained an inch on me over the summer. The little twerp.

Sigh. Less than a day into the school year, and already the despair was setting in. I could feel my stomach twisting and turning in dread. I hated that feeling more than anything. I remembered a time, years ago, when I’d been happy to come to school. When I had friends. When I’d been the same as everyone else. Then the bullying and the false rumors took all that away from me.

I was okay with the teachers whose classes I’d been assigned to, with one exception: Old Man Taylor for fifth-period science. Yay.

Alyson had warned me that he was always in a bad mood. Sure enough, when he entered the classroom, there were no “hello’s,” no “welcome back’s,” no attempts at courtesy at all. He simply grabbed his seating chart and said, “Everyone stand up and go to the back of the class … girls on the left side, boys on the right. NOW.” We all silently obeyed.

“I’m going to start calling out names,” he announced. “There’ll be one boy and one girl at each table. You will be lab partners for the entire semester.”

Half the class groaned.

“One of the things I'll be grading you on is teamwork. I don’t care if you know each other or not … you need to find a way to work together. If you don’t, your grade will reflect it.”

Another groan.

Alyson had had Mr. Taylor as a teacher when she was in eighth grade, so I was prepared for this. It was actually refreshing to know that it would be just as awkward for my classmates as it would be for me. I’d wondered all summer long which girl would end up stuck with me.

I had nothing against most of the girls in my class, even though they seemed to have something against me, besides a height advantage. As I stood at the back of Mr. Taylor’s classroom, I quickly scanned their faces, and there wasn’t a single one I could expect sympathy from. When girls looked at me, if they looked at me at all, it was with contempt. All I could hope for was to be paired with someone who had an open mind and a streak of kindness.

Two at a time, Mr. Taylor paired us up, until finally my name was called. My partner was Eve Devereaux.

I’d known Eve since the first grade. We even rode the same bus to and from school. In all that time, though, we hadn’t spoken more than a few words to each other, as far as I could remember. All I really knew about her was that after years of spending nearly all her time with her longtime friends Emily and Susan, she’d finished seventh grade by hanging out instead with Rhonda, the most popular girl in school. How did that happen?

Eve had shoulder-length silky black hair, deep brown eyes and a gorgeous round face. If I had to rank every girl in the eighth grade just on prettiness, Eve would have been right near the top. I would’ve bet actual money she’d never dressed for school as stunningly as she had today. Rhonda’s influence couldn’t have been more obvious if they’d announced it over the P.A. system. She was even wearing makeup, and it made her look even more awesome. In a parallel universe, maybe I’d have a chance with her. Sure wish I lived there and not here.

In the past, she might not have objected to being my lab partner despite my unpopularity. She’d always seemed like a happy, friendly person before, but it looked like since the Dragon Queen had sunk her claws into Eve, her personality had changed. “Can I have another partner? Please, anyone else? Anyone but him!” Right in front of everyone, she said this.

Lovely.

But Mr. Taylor, the crusty old fart that he was, wouldn’t budge, so Eve and I took our seats next to each other at the table in the back. She immediately moved her chair as far away from me as she could, like I was contagious. I wanted to say something, but she was running with the popular crowd now, and the unwritten rules of popularity said that I wasn’t allowed to speak to her, or look at her, or breathe the same air as her, or whatever. We were being graded on teamwork, though, and we weren’t off to a very promising start. 

When I got home, I found Alyson in the living room, surrounded by textbooks. We were pretty close, I guess, being our parents’ only two children, but now that she had a driver’s license, a boyfriend and a heap of college prep courses to take, we didn’t have much time for brother-sister bonding anymore.

“Geez, Aly,” I said. “And I thought I had a lot to do.”

“Hey, squirt,” she said, smiling. “How was your first day?”

I shrugged. “You know, same old, same old. How does it feel to be a senior now?”

“Take a good look,” she said, gesturing at the textbooks that surrounded her. “This’ll be you in four years.”

“Don’t remind me,” I said, heading down the hall. “Call me when dinner’s ready.”

I loved my room. It was where I spent most of my free time. It had everything I needed: a bed, a television, a stereo, a computer, a desk, and shelf after shelf filled with books. That’s really all I’d done for the last three years; read books.

I’d read like a gazillion books, some of them several times. I loved stories about heroes who fought evil, against incredible odds. Fantasy, action, adventure, sci-fi, graphic novels, anything I could lose myself in. I’d spent hundreds of nights lying on my bed, imagining I was a dashing hero or a brave warrior swooping in to vanquish the villain and save the day. It was my favorite escape.

I’d even gotten into slightly more romantic stories lately, ever since I’d developed an interest in girls. Guys in those stories always knew the right thing to say. I often wondered what they might have been like at thirteen. Brave warriors and heroes had to start somewhere, right?

Sighing, I went over to the desk, dug out my textbooks and started my homework. Back to the routine.

One day down, two hundred and seventy to go. Then I can finally get on with my life.

CHAPTER 2

DAY 1

EVE

It’s all for the better, I told myself.

I escorted Kirsten and Sophie to their bus stop, where plenty of other kids were waiting, before walking the three blocks to my own stop. My little sisters were so happy to start school again. Had I been that happy to go to school at that age? I honestly couldn’t remember. Enjoy it while it lasts, girls; in a few years things are going to start getting complicated.

While waiting for the bus, I replayed the events of the last four months in my head. How lucky I’d been to run into Rhonda back in May, like it was destiny or something.

I’d been looking at improving my wardrobe at Westridge Mall. I was standing in front of a mirror, holding outfits that were far too expensive for my mom’s tastes, when up Rhonda walked. It hadn’t surprised me she was there; after all, it was exactly the kind of store I figured she’d shop at.

Rhonda was the most popular girl in school, and you didn’t get that title unless you looked the part. Her face, her hair, her clothes were always so amazing. She’d been so friendly to me, treating me like I was her best friend even though we’d never really spoken before. She’d even helped me pick out some new clothes, things she thought I would look great in, which was so cool.

Mom had let me spend the rest of the afternoon chatting with Rhonda. All I could talk about was how much I admired her. I must have sounded like such a dork, but Rhonda just smiled. She probably got that all the time.

I was surprised when she asked me a lot of questions about myself, which I was only too happy to answer. I told her about my parents, my little sisters, and my best friends Emily and Susan. I was even more surprised when she’d asked if I’d started dating yet, which I hadn’t. I didn’t know many boys, and the few I did know still thought fart jokes were funny and soap was optional.

Rhonda had laughed when I’d told her that. She’d smiled broadly and said, “Well, that’s because you don’t know the right boys, Eve. I know a few guys that would love to go out with you.”

I’d gasped. “Really?”

She’d nodded. “I’m having a small party at my house once the school year is over. Nothing big, just a ‘thank-freaking-God-seventh-grade-is-finally-over’ thing. There’ll be cute guys there. If you come, I can introduce you to them. You’ll be my special guest.”

Emily and Susan are not going to believe this, I remember thinking. I was ecstatic.

“But of course, you’d have to officially accept my invitation.”

“What invitation?” I’d asked in disbelief.

“To come hang out with me every day,” she’d said, winking. “What do you say?”

I couldn’t believe it. This was like a dream come true. “Are you kidding? Yes!”

“Excellent,” she’d said. “We’ll use the summer break to get you ready. There’s a lot for you to learn, but by the time we start eighth grade, you’ll be a whole new person. I’ll see to that.”

I’d wanted to hug her. “I don’t know what to say, Rhonda … Thank you so much!” It didn’t seem like enough, but it was all I could think of to say. We exchanged phone numbers, and then she’d said goodbye and walked away.

When I’d told Emily and Susan I was going to be spending more time with Rhonda than with them, they’d been disappointed, but they hadn’t objected to the opportunity Rhonda had given me. Emily said that she and Susan would probably have made the same decision, given all the times we’d talked about Rhonda.

The party at Rhonda’s house went pretty well. I’d worn the prettiest, hippest outfit I owned, and Rhonda had been all smiles as she introduced me to some of her friends, all of whom were in the popular clique. Most of them were curious as to why I was even there, so I just stuck close to Rhonda. I got to meet a few of the cutest guys in school, and a couple of them had even promised to ask me out.

For the last three months, Rhonda had groomed me for this day. I biked over to her house many times over summer break, and I could never get over just how huge the place was. I mean, the house I lived in wasn’t small, but hers was ginormous. Her closet alone was half the size of my entire room, and it was filled with designer clothes. I won’t even go into the contents of her jewelry box. Must be nice, I often thought.