The following day, Tess was in passing period between SAT Prep and lunch, walking back to her locker to drop off her guidebook before she went to the cafeteria. A group of boys she did not know was coming the opposite direction; as she drew nearer and realized they weren't going to make room for her, she edged closer to the wall, trying to get out of their way.

Brushing past her, the tallest of the boys said, "Tisha's replacement. We know what she's up to after school."

Tess slowed, glancing back at the boys. She wasn't sure she'd heard them correctly, but when she caught two of them looking at her with amused grins on their faces, she knew she had.

Confused and embarrassed, Tess continued on to her locker. Jacqui was not there. She stowed her books and checked her pocket for her lunch card before making her way to the cafeteria. After the stranger's comment, she felt like everyone must be staring at her.

Clearly, something had happened between Isaac and Tisha. Tess had had her suspicions, given the way Tisha had been so quiet and withdrawn when Tess's relationship with Isaac had come up at the table, but why was this school-wide news? Who were those guys, and what had they meant about "after school?"

Tess went through the lunch line, distracted by worries about what it all could mean. She bought fries and a yogurt parfait—her trademark healthy lunch—and then went to meet Jacqui and her friends at their normal table. Tisha was there. As Tess sat down next to Jacqui, she tried to catch Tisha's eye, but one glance at Tess and the other girl was suddenly very interested in her sandwich.

"Hey, girl," said Jacqui.

"Hey. How's it going?" Tess replied.

"Good. Amy was just telling us about her new cat!"

A cell phone was immediately passed Tess's way, photos of a fluffy white cat with black patches on the screen. Tess made some polite sounds, but she wasn't terribly interested in cats at that moment.

When she saw Isaac across the lunch room, Tess wondered if she should get up and talk to him about what she'd heard. Or maybe she didn't have to mention it at all—she could just talk to him for a minute about anything, and it would set her mind at ease. Just as she was getting ready to stand up, she saw Isaac sit down...next to the three boys she'd seen earlier in the hall.

Her heart sank. Were they friends?

"Hey," Tess said, nodding toward the guys who sat a few tables away. "Who are those guys next to Isaac?"

Amy turned around, her smart phone in hand with another cute cat picture at the ready. "Who?"

"The really tall guy? Him, and the two guys next to him?"

Tisha gathered her tray. Looking at no one but Mackenzie, she said, "See you later." A chorus of farewells followed her, but she didn't respond. Tess watched her go with another sinking feeling.

Mackenzie looked sad. "Those guys are assholes, Tess. Don't talk to them."

"I didn't. They passed me in the hall and said something, and I just wondered what it meant."

"What did they say?" Jacqui held her milk carton poised halfway to her lips.

"They said I was the 'new Tisha.' Mackenzie," Tess began—because Mackenzie seemed to be the only person at the table who Tisha would engage— "did Tisha date Isaac?"

Mackenzie nodded. "Sure. A while back, yeah."

An awkward silence fell. After a moment, Tess asked, "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Tell you why? It's not like you're out to mess anything up, Tess. They broke up last year," interjected Amy. "Isaac is into you now. Tisha and Isaac are old news."

"That depends on who you ask," said Zack. Mackenzie shot him a dark look, and he shrugged, a helpless expression on his face. "I'm just sayin'. You hear what you hear."

"What do you hear?" Amy turned on her bench to look at him, frowning. "Zack? What do you hear?"

He held up his hands. "Hey, you know what? I don't choose who I have football practice with. Those guys are dicks, just like Mackenzie said."

"Are they talking about Tisha behind her back?" Tess asked.

"It all started last year when she was with Isaac. Just before he broke up with her, everyone was talking about their relationship. Their physical relationship." Zack reached out for Amy's hand; she snatched her hand away from him, thunderclouds in her expression. "Amy, come on. I'm not the one spreading rumors."

"So what, they're talking like he's still with her?" Amy asked.

"That's ridiculous," said Mackenzie. "Tisha hasn't gotten so much as a text message from Isaac since last year—and everything they said about her then was just rumor. It was really hard for her. Tess, she isn't mad at you. She just really liked him a lot, and it turned out badly. Some stupid jerk started telling stories, and then the whole school was calling her a slut. It wasn't true."

"Hey."

The sound of Tisha's voice sent a chill through Tess's body. Horrified, she looked up to see Tisha standing behind Mackenzie, her features carefully expressionless.

"I forgot my phone," said Tisha quietly.

All of them immediately searched the table, pushing aside lunch trays and books. Amy was the one who grabbed Tisha's phone, which was lying near where Mackenzie. "Here," she said, obviously embarrassed. She held it out to Tisha.

Without replying, Tisha took the phone, turned, and walked slowly away.

"Somebody please just kill me," Mackenzie said, putting her face in her hands. "I wish I hadn't reminded her of that."

"You didn't know she was there," Amy said with a sigh. "Poor Tisha."

"Poor Tisha," Tess echoed. "People are so mean." She glanced back at the table where Isaac sat with the guys, laughing at something one of them had said.

Amy raised her eyebrows. "Welcome to high school. The real news here is that they're recycling old garbage."

But maybe it wasn't old garbage. Tess recalled what the boys had said: We know what she's up to after school. What if they were talking the same way about her as they had about Tisha last year?

"It's just guys being horrible," Mackenzie said.

"Hey." Zack waved a hand at Mackenzie. "Still here?"

"Yeah, well, you're gonna be here without me if I hear about you letting those rumors fly," Amy said. "Come on, Zack. You can't let them talk like that. It's so disrespectful."

He shrugged one shoulder. "I try not to get involved. But I'll say something if I hear them talking like that again about Tisha. Or about you, Tess."

"You don't think it's Isaac spreading those rumors, do you?" Jacqui asked, looking from Zack to Tess. "That would be a terrible way to treat his girlfriends."

"It can't be Isaac," said Tess. "He's really sweet. He'd never spread lies like that, even among his friends."

"He better not. I was wondering if Tisha was just shy, but I guess I don't blame her if she's been the headline around here." Jacqui gathered up her lunch tray. "The bell is about to ring. I'll tell you one thing: if those jerks say anything about her when I'm around, they better prepare themselves for a piece of my mind."

Tess felt like she had an insight into quiet Tisha's perspective that she hadn't had before. She'd been embarrassed enough to hear one sly, rude comment in the hallway. She couldn't imagine dealing with months' worth of vicious rumors and the weight of the entire school's judgment. With everything else going on in her life, it would be too much for her to bear.