Just as Ivy slipped into her seat, she saw Penny come to a halt in front of her own. The other girl paused, taking a deep breath. Then she unbuttoned her coat, and took it off.
Ivy’s jaw almost hit her desk.
Beneath the coat, Penny wore a sky-blue dress that Olivia would die for! And as the black trench coat slipped away, Ivy saw the tension drain from Penny’s expression.
As Penny sat down she looked pretty, confident and more relaxed than ever before. No wonder, Ivy thought. For the first time ever, she isn’t pretending to be someone she’s not! As everyone watched, Penny clasped her hands together and smiled.
Admiring whispers broke out all around them.
‘She looks fabulous!’ a bunny girl whispered to her friend, near the windows. ‘Where do you think she found that dress?’
At the same time, on the other side of the classroom, a goth-girl murmured, ‘I didn’t know Penny was so cool!’
‘Well,’ the girl’s friend said authoritatively, ‘it’s always cool when someone is real. Don’t you think?’
Absolutely, Ivy thought. Beaming, she sat back in her seat. Mission accomplished . . . in every way!
Not only had she learned how to handle her own popularity, but she had successfully offloaded some of it on to Penny – without forcing Penny to pretend to be someone she wasn’t.
Ivy looked at Olivia sitting beside her – exactly where she belonged – and smiled.
Maybe I can cope with high school after all!
Ivy was still beaming hours later, as she wandered towards the school bus with Olivia, Brendan and Sophia.
‘Ohhh!’ Bouncing with excitement, Olivia tugged on Ivy’s arm. ‘Just look at that!’ She pointed across the field to where Amelia and Finn sat with their heads close together, studying a timetable. ‘Isn’t that sweet? They’re planning their classes together!’
Ivy grinned and rolled her eyes. ‘I’m just glad they’re in a higher grade than us, so I won’t have to avert my eyes five times a day!’
‘Oh, hush,’ Olivia said, giving Ivy a nudge. ‘You know you’re a romantic at heart!’
Ivy was still laughing as she stepped on to the bus . . . then stopped. Wait a minute.
No one was making space for her! Every seat in front of her was full – and no one was leaping up to give up their seat, the way they had every day so far. What’s going on? she wondered.
Brendan snickered and nudged her shoulder. ‘Doesn’t it feel great to be invisible again?’
Ivy blinked. She looked around with a new perspective. ‘You know what, it really does!’
She grabbed a handrail and held on as the bus pulled away from Franklin Grove High. All around, other students were shouting and throwing things at each other. A screwed-up ball of paper accidentally hit Ivy on the cheek. She froze, waiting . . .
. . . And no one apologised!
As the bus drove down the road, Ivy touched the spot on her cheek where the ball of paper had hit her, and she smiled.
She’d never been happier in her life.