Chapter 15

Suddenly, the boy I’d thought my best friend in the whole world was the popular kid and didn’t have time for me anymore. He left me behind in favor of the superficial fame of the jock world, while I watched from the sidelines. I felt betrayed.

It happened at a time when I realized something was different about me, too. I liked boys—and Wheeler especially, it turned out. I loved him, but he’d broken my heart. How could he not love me, too?

I started to care a lot less about school, became sullen and uncooperative, eventually getting kicked off all my teams. My grades suffered, and nothing my parents threatened me with made a dent in my psyche.

Relegated to the slackers and delinquents, I watched Wheeler work his way through the entire cheerleading squad and then most of the girls in his age group. He was voted prom king senior year, and was also class valedictorian, while I was in danger of not graduating.