"Ms. Morrison."

Tess looked up at the sound of her name. Mrs. Eldon was weaving her way through the desks, handing final essays back to the students who'd had the misfortune of attending her U.S. Government course during the months of July and August.

Summer school: a synonym for "misery."

"Let's get to know one another," Mrs. Eldon had said on their first day in the sweltering downstairs room of the public library. "Why don't you start by telling us your name and what interests you in government?"

Tess had wanted to say, "Hi, my name's Tess Morrison. I'm not interested in government. I just need this course to graduate next year." But she hadn't said that. She'd made up something about her commitment to civic duties and responsible citizenship, which she couldn't remember now because it had been patently untrue.

She really had learned a thing or two in this class that would be useful someday, but Tess wasn't even old enough to vote yet. Why didn't they teach this stuff in college? If Tess ever made it to college, that would be the time to learn.

Stupid requirement. Stupid course. If Tess failed this class, she didn't know what she'd do.

She looked down at the paper lying face-down on her desk. In that moment, it felt like her future hinged on the grade. Drawing a slow, steadying breath and holding it, Tess turned the paper over.

At the top of the page was a red C+. She let out the breath in a sigh of relief.

Thank God. I passed. Tess stuffed her essay into her bag without even flipping through the pages to read Mrs. Eldon's comments. As she glanced toward the clock, she caught the eye of Rebecca, a fellow prisoner. Tess smiled at Rebecca, and Rebecca smiled back.

Thank God. She passed, too, thought Tess.

Tess and Rebecca had met in the class and had become acquaintances, if not friends. Their circumstances were different; Rebecca had failed the required Government course the previous year, while Tess simply hadn't had the chance to take it because she had missed the second semester of her junior year of high school entirely.

Nevertheless, their shared goal—to pass the course—had made it easy for them to commiserate.

"Alright!" Mrs. Eldon said with a bright smile as she finished passing out her stack of graded essays. "That brings us to the end of our final class. Wonderful work, everyone. It has been a pleasure to have you. Best of luck in your academic year."

A few of the students responded with "Thank you!" or a "Bye, Mrs. Eldon!" as they began to gather their things. Tess kept her head down. She dumped her book into her backpack, crushing her essay, and swung her bag onto her back as she stood up. She met Rebecca on the way out the door.

"How'd you do?" Rebecca asked in an undertone.

"I passed. That's good enough for me."

"I got a B." Rebecca's smile conveyed her triumph. "My mom is gonna lose it!"

"Rebecca, that's awesome!" Tess said. "You deserve it! You studied like crazy."

"Mrs. Eldon's a good teacher," Rebecca said. "She took the time to help me, you know? I wish I had her for school school. You ready to start senior year?"

Tess's heart sank. She was not ready at all. "As ready as I can be. I wish we were going to the same school."

Rebecca shrugged. "I have your number. Besides, I hear Eagle Point is a good school. Someone told me they bring in Pizza Guys every Friday."

"What?"

"Pizza Guys?" As they exited the classroom, Rebecca turned to walk backward for a few paces, fixing Tess with an incredulous look. "They're the best pizza chain in town. Get your parents to order in. Their crust is the best."

Tess frowned. "One: we don't have that chain in Minnesota. And two: my mom is addicted to cooking. I barely ever get pizza, unless it's some kind of gourmet sun-ripened tomato flatbread tragedy."

Rebecca grinned. "Well, you will now! It probably costs extra, but your mom won't even notice. Send me pictures when you eat it so I can pretend I'm you. Most of the food they serve at my high school can't even be identified."

Laughing, the girls made their way down the musty basement hall of the old library. They passed a drinking fountain that hadn't worked all summer and yellowing posters that appeared to date from the '80s.

Tess wouldn't miss this place.

Upstairs and outside, it was painfully bright. Tess squinted as they stepped into the sun.

"That's my brother. He's on time for once," Rebecca said. She headed toward a beat-up gray car idling out front, calling, "'Bye! Text me!"

"'Bye! Tell your brother he should buy you Pizza Guys to celebrate your grade!" Tess called back. She smiled, but as Rebecca drove away, her smile faded.

She was already lonely. And this year, at a new school halfway across the country from her old one, she'd be lonelier still.

"Hey."

Startled, Tess turned to see a boy from class standing a few paces behind her, just outside the library door. He had sandy brown hair and brown eyes, which were squinted slightly against the bright sunlight. Tess thought his name was Isaac, but they had never spoken. "Hi."

"Theresa, right?"

"Tess." She was used to correcting people; it wasn't that she didn't like her full name. She just didn't feel like a Theresa.

"I'm Isaac." He extended a hand. Tess took it and they shook briefly as he continued, "Congrats on making it through the worst summer ever."

"Right?" Tess laughed. "Thanks. You too."

"What were you in for?"

Tess could feel a blush creeping across her face. She hoped Isaac didn't notice, but with her pale, freckled skin, her blushes were never subtle. "Just needed the credit. I didn't get it last year, and I won't have time in my course schedule this year."

"I know, stupid question. That's why we're all here, I guess. I flunked it last year. Barely. I missed, like, one assignment and the teacher gave me an F." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I've been wanting to introduce myself. I realized today's our last day. That means it's my last chance to introduce myself to the cute redhead."

It took Tess a moment to realize that he'd called her cute. At a complete loss for words, she fumbled for a response.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you," he said, but his grin implied that he wasn't sorry. He had dimples. "What school do you go to?"

Tess stammered, "Eagle Point."

He cocked his head. "Oh. I've never seen you there."

Oh, no. It was his school, too? Tess didn't know what to say. "I'm new. I mean, this is my first year. My first year there. I'm a senior." She winced. "What I mean is...I moved into town a couple months ago."

Isaac was still grinning, and Tess couldn't tell if he was being friendly or if he was laughing at how he had flustered her. He said, "Wow. Senior year in a new school? That's harsh. But I'm an Eagle myself, so it's not like you won't know anyone. Maybe I'll see you around?"

"Yeah," Tess said. "Yeah, that's great."

"Great. 'Bye, Tess." He turned and headed toward the parking lot of the library, dipping a hand into each pocket. The left came out with a set of car keys, which he spun on his index finger, and the right came out with a cell phone, which he bent his head to check.

Tess had noticed Isaac, of course; he was cute—it would have been hard not to notice. But she had never considered for a moment that he might also have noticed her. Besides, she'd been focused on simply getting through the class, and she was shy, to boot. Making friends hadn't been much of a priority.

The beep of a horn broke into Tess's moment of reflection. She turned to see her mother's red Camry pulling up in front of the library.