Read The Suburban Strange for Free Online

Celia tucked the paper inside her sketchbook. “How long have you guys been together?”
    “The five of us, or the two of us?” Brenden smiled. “Ivo and Liz and Regine and I have been friends since we were sophomores and Regine was a first year. Marco transferred here last year, and we’ve been dating since last fall. It’ll be a year in October.” He grinned at Marco, who winked at him.
    “Do you not say freshman?” Celia said.
    “Were you a man last year?” Marco asked.
    “No, of course not,” Celia said.
    “There wasn’t any doubt in my mind,” Marco said. “You’re gorgeous. You have such an elegant neck.”
    “Thank you,” Celia said, blushing again. She couldn’t remember a boy saying anything like that to her before. It didn’t even matter that this one was gay. She pushed her hair back on her shoulder, relieved it was smooth and shiny now that Regine had steered her to some products and a good brush.
    “Regine’s going to be really protective of you. Just make sure she’s not doing it because you’re getting more attention than she is,” Marco said.
    “Hey!” Brenden said. “What’s with the snide comments about Regine?” He turned back to Celia. “I don’t think she cares how much attention you get.”
    “But she’s dating Ivo, right?” Celia asked. “She told me almost nothing about all of you, but she must have told me she was going to homecoming with Ivo a dozen times.”
    “They are going to homecoming,” Marco said carefully, “and Brenden and I are going with them, but I think it means something very different to Regine than it does to Ivo.”
    “Oh,” Celia said. She wanted to know more, but she didn’t feel comfortable asking.
     
    LATER CELIA SEARCHED OUT the chemistry lab and discovered that the man who had tried to help Elsie in the parking lot that morning would be her chemistry teacher. He wasted no time distributing books and a permission slip for a field trip to the water purification plant. Then he asked them to choose lab partners. There was a flurry of movement, and as the class sorted itself from oxygen atoms into oxygen molecules Celia's timidity reared up, and she was rooted in place. Across from her a girl was looking at her with an expression she couldn't interpret. She didn't think anyone ever had looked at her this way before — as though Celia might be the answer to someone else's question. The other girl had made no attempt to find a partner, either, and by then they were the only two left. Celia crossed her fingers and went over to her.
    “Hi! You’re new, right? I’m Mariette!” the girl said brightly. “Mariette Ann, but I just go by Mariette. Lots of people think my name’s Mary Ann, but it’s Mariette.”
    Celia introduced herself and they looked each other over. Mariette was the kind of girl Celia would have been if Regine hadn’t intervened. She had on nondescript clothes that didn’t quite go together. Her curly strawberry blond hair made an unruly halo around her face. Celia thought with a little attention it might be very pretty; then she smiled for a moment, amused to note she barely had emerged from her own makeover and already she had ideas to make over someone else. Socially, however, Mariette was her opposite. Rather than being intimidated by Celia, who was nearly a foot taller than she, Mariette chatted easily as they went over to an open lab table, and Celia wondered if she was like that all the time or if it was just nerves.
    “What school did you go to last year? Suburban’s pretty cool. I went to Mount Rose for middle school, but not a lot of kids from there come here. The teacher looks so young! He probably just got out of college. He’s supposed to be really tough, though. Is he serious with those crocodile loafers?” The teacher’s shiny, wavy hair lay close to his head, reminding Celia of tortoiseshell. He had written Mr. Sumeletso on the board, and she wondered what country the name came from. His chinos