Ack! Sorry for the late update yet again, been a little busy as of late, but I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter!

Note: Thank you to everyone who's either reviewed this book or left comments on it with constructive criticism. It's highly appreciated. However, I don't plan to edit the book until I've finished it <3

Amethyst didn't dare follow Natasha in. Instead, she headed to the bathroom further away, knowing she would probably get in trouble for taking so long but not really caring. Amethyst quickly used the bathroom, then stood at the sink, washing her hands for what felt like hours. She finally realized what she was doing when her hands started turning red and walked over to the pile of paper towels to wipe her hands. By the time she returned to class, over ten minutes had passed and Amethyst received another hall slip, this time to head to Mr. Smith's office. Amethyst sighed as she trudged down the hall. This was all Natasha's fault, wasn't it?

After school that day, Amethyst met up with Natasha and, after getting permission from Principal Carh, was shown around to nearly every extra curricular that Natasha knew of.

"So when are auditions?" Amethyst asked Natasha as she introduced her to the tall, lanky captain of the volleyball team. Natasha pulled out her phone, hit a few buttons, then said, "Next week."
"Ooh, really?" Amethyst asked excitedly. Natasha shook her head.

"Keep that thought for now, you still need to pick some other activities. Let's go," she ordered, giving a curt nod to the volleyball team captain. Next stop: the basketball court.

"Naya, meet Amethys-"

"Natasha?" a tall raven-haired girl ran over and grabbed Natasha's arm. "Emergency meeting. We need you now!"
"I-" Natasha glanced at Amethyst, then asked, "Will you be able to manage on your own?"

Amethyst gulped, then nodded.

"Sure. Have fun."

"Thanks!" Natasha called as she chased after the pale eighth-grader, calling out numbers as she punched them into a calculator the girl handed her. Amethyst stood, stunned, for a moment. Then-

"Amethyst Wishbone?"

Amethyst turned around, her face breaking into a smile.

"Remy!" she cried, running over. "Why are you still here?"

Remy jabbed her thumb behind her.

"Book club."

Sure enough, a group of five or so other girls were sitting in a circle on the ground, laughing while pointing to their book. Seeing Amethyst watching them, Remy asked, "Do you want to join us?"
"I-um, I probably haven't read it yet," Amethyst said regretfully.

"No problem, we're starting a new book today," Remy told her. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

Amethyst smiled and hesitantly walked over with Remy.

"Hi, I'm Amethyst," she said quietly.

"Yeah, Remy told us about you," one of the girls said, patting the spot beside her. "Come sit."

Amethyst sat down and was immediately handed a book.

"This was supposed to be Jade's copy, but she's not here, and besides, she can just get it from the library," the girl told her. Amethyst started to protest, but the girl simply waved her away. "I'm Jordan," she added.

"Sisi," a girl on the other side of the circle chimed in. Remy smiled as they all introduced themselves to Amethyst.

"Now let's continue," Jordan, who seemed to be the leader, instructed once they were all finished. "Who wants to read the summary?"
The next hour flew by in a blur of read alouds, chapter analyzation, and word searching, of which Amethyst enjoyed every second of. Eventually, the girls started packing up their books and saying their goodbyes.

"Don't forget to read three chapters before next time," Jordan called out as Remy, who'd offered to give Amethyst a ride, pulled Amethyst up.

"Amethyst?"

Amethyst jumped at the sound of her name and turned to face Natasha.

"Hey Natasha, how was the meeting?" she asked, still smiling brightly as she slid her book into her backpack. Natasha didn't answer. Amethyst looked up and saw her narrowing her eyes at Remy instead.

"Amethyst, what are you doing with Cashlen?" Natasha asked, a little rudely in Amethyst's opinion.

"Wait, you're being hosted by Wishbone?" Remy asked in return. "I thought you were staying with Natasha A."

"What?" Amethyst asked, her head turning back and forth, not understanding what was happening.

"You'd better go," Remy said with a sigh, glaring at Natasha as she handed Amethyst her stack of notes.

"Let's go," Natasha agreed, taking hold of Amethyst's arm harshly and pulling her towards the parking lot. Amethyst hesitated, then gave a quick wave to Remy before hurrying after Natasha.

What do you think is up with Natasha and Remy? Why are they so cold? Do you think Amethyst will fit in with her fellow book club members?

~ writesthetic