Janice put a bowl of pasta on the table between her and Taylor, who still had her earbuds in. She reached over and pulled them off. "Not at the table, Taylor," she said, sternly.
"Yeah, right," she said, as if she'd forgotten.
"So, how was your day at school?" Janice asked.
"Kind of freaky. These guys in black suits showed up at the end of the day and..."
"Did you make any new friends?" Janice interrupted.
"Well, that girl...Karyn...showed me around. And I met this guy who seemed kinda nice," she said, trying to pretend it was nothing. "But, it's really weird, Mom. Everyone says I look like this missing Goth girl. I saw a picture. I don't see the resemblance, but I've been there one day, and they're already calling me Freak."
Janice frowned. "Well, that's unfortunate. But you can't let that stop you. I'm sure you'll have plenty of new friends soon enough. Maybe you can join a club."
Taylor rolled her eyes. Her mother was SO lame. Sure, she meant well, but...
"And your classes?"
"They're all right," she said, focusing on her food and thinking about Jay Duncan.
