"Hi," Philip said. "How's it going?"
"Stinks," Jimmy said. "Just got bawled out for putting my feet on the rung of the seat ahead of me. I thought she would keep me there right through lunch."
"Gotta watch that around here. If Mrs. Turnbell comes by and sees a student doing something like that, she bawls out the teacher first, and that makes the teacher get even madder," Philip explained.
"This is Philip Cutler," said Dawn. "Philip, my brother, Jimmy."
"Hi," Philip said, extending his hand. Jimmy looked at it suspiciously a moment and then shook quickly.
"What do they think this place is, gold?" Jimmy said, getting back to his problem.
"Did you make any friends yet, Jimmy?" I asked hopefully.
He shook his head.
"I gotta get my milk." He got up quickly and went to the lunch line. The boys in front of him looked nervous when he approached.
"Jimmy's not overjoyed about being here, I gather," Philip said, looking his way.
"No, he's not. Maybe he's right," I added. Philip smiled.
"You've got the clearest, prettiest eyes I've ever seen. The only one whose eyes come close is my mother."
I felt myself blush from my neck to my feet. I was absolutely beguiled by his flattering words, by the admiring look in his eyes. For a moment I couldn't speak. I had to shift my eyes away while I took another bite of my sandwich. I chewed quickly and swallowed, then turned back to him.
Some boys passing by said hello to him and then looked at me curiously. Finally two of his friends flopped down beside him.
"Aren't you going to introduce us to your famous new friend, Philip?" asked a tall thin boy with peach-colored hair and brown eyes. He had a crooked smile that brought the corner of his mouth up.
"Not if I can help it," Philip said.
"Aw, come on. Philip likes to keep everything to himself," the tall boy told me. "Very selfish guy."
"My name's Dawn," I said quickly.
"Dawn. You mean like 'it dawned on me'?" He and his companion laughed hard.
"I'm Brandon," the tall boy finally said. "And this idiot beside me is Marshall." The shorter boy beside him only nodded. His eyes were very close together and he had his dark brown hair cut very short. He wore a smirk, rather than a smile. I recalled Momma once telling me never to trust anyone whose eyes were too close together. She said their mommas, just before giving birth, must have been surprised by snakes.
Jimmy returned and Philip introduced him to the other boys, but he sat quietly eating his sandwich. Philip was the only one who would talk to him, but Jimmy obviously didn't care. I saw from the way he looked at Marshall from time to time that he didn't like him much, either.
The bell rang to end the lunch period.
"Going to gym class?" Brandon asked Philip. "Or do you have other plans?" he added, gazing at me and smiling. I knew what he meant, but I tried to look like I didn't understand.
"I'll meet you," Philip said.
"Don't be late," Marshall quipped, speaking out of the corner of his mouth. The two boys went off, laughing.
"Where are you heading, Dawn?" Philip asked.
"Music."
"Good. I'll walk along with you. It's on the way to my gym class," he said. We started away from the table. When I looked to the side, I saw how Clara Sue and her friends were staring at us and whispering. They looked so hateful. Why? I wondered. Why did they have to be this way?
"Where's your next class, Jimmy?" I asked.
"I gotta go the other way," he said and scurried off before I could say a word. He elbowed his way through the crowd of students heading out the doors to the corridors and disappea