It was first lunch, and Zoe was nervous as Sarah lead her over to the older girl’s usual lunch table. It was full of seniors, and all of them were athletes.
“Hey, who’s the new royalty?”
Zoe wasn’t sure precisely which football player had made the comment, but it made her face turn red.
“This is Zoe,” Sarah gave a Vanna White flourish. “She’s a little shy, but you guys will like her.” As the two sat down, Sarah whispered so that only Zoe could hear: “I mean that. Don’t worry, they will like you.”
It took a few minutes for Zoe to get comfortable, but whenever things looked like they might get a little awkward, Sarah would diffuse the stress and just make everything easier. And sitting next to her, Zoe felt everything becoming easier.
“Oh, I know where I recognize you from!” Tiffany Sanders exclaimed out of nowhere. “You hang out with Athena DeVries! Didn’t you used to be goth?”
Zoe froze. It was like an accusation aimed straight at her heart. What was the right answer here? Was there a right answer? Had her Sarah McMillan costume fallen apart? But she didn’t need to worry.
“She still is goth,” Sarah answered before Zoe could speak. “We’re just doing a little project together.”
“Oh, that’s cool,” Tiffany replied. “My sister got really into cottage core last year. I know it’s not the same thing, but I just love seeing someone find an aesthetic that they bond with.”
Zoe was not expecting to hear something like that come from the mouth of a cheerleader.
“Hey,” Tiffany continued, “when you start dressing goth again, I definitely want to see how you look.”
Zoe’s stress formed itself into a small laugh as her face broke into a smile. “Why wait?” She took out her phone and pulled up an album of mirror selfies, then passed it around to a chorus of excited shrieks from every girl at the table. Compliments rained down on Zoe like rice at a wedding.
“See?” Sarah whispered. “I told you they’d like you.” A pause. “Remember, it’s not important how you express yourself, it’s just important that you express yourself.”
It was the kind of advice, Zoe mused, that an older sibling was supposed to give to a younger sibling.
