You Go First: Parts IV–VI

Although wolves tend to travel together, one member is occasionally ostracized and becomes a “lone wolf.”

Ben had once read that up to 93 percent of communication is nonverbal, so he wanted to make sure he caught every nuance of her response.

There were boxes covertly tucked in corners with some of his things inside.

Charlotte had the sudden urge to cry. It was stronger than any force she’d ever felt before, and it seemed inevitable that she would succumb in front of everyone.

Her mother had given her a big speech about the struggles of middle school and she didn’t want to end her first day in the principal’s office.
“You’re such a prude sometimes,” Bridget had said.

The heat materialized quickly so she moved to the long rectangle of shade cast by the air conditioner and stretched out on the roof.

A sheen of sweat covered her face.

Magda leaned forward, picked up a wayward leaf, and held it up to her phone to take a picture.

It was such a cliché getting tripped by a bully.

“There’s the sign-out sheet. If someone needs to leave school early, they sign the sheet and then use that phone to call their parents. They have to use the phone next to the sign-out sheet. They can’t use their cell phones. That’s how we prevent truancy. Truancy means—”
“The action of staying out of school for no valid reason, also known as ‘absenteeism,’” said Ben.

Mrs. Carlile sighed thoughtfully. Ben raised his eyebrows. Her resolve was breaking; he could feel it.
“I guess it couldn’t hurt,” she said.

Starfish can interact with their environment, look for food, and respond to danger. They may appear to be insentient, but they can actually influence the world around them.

He had no idea why his parents were splitting up, hadn’t asked, didn’t want to know, preferred not to talk about it; but something niggled inside his brain and told him it was his father’s fault.

Stalagmites are formed from calcium salts that are deposited by dripping cave water. The drippings collect on a cave floor and grow taller and taller, sometimes reaching the top of the cave itself. Stalagmites grow slowly, collecting a drip at a time, and eventually become true wonders.

We can still eat together as a family. Your mother and I are very amicable, Ben.

He had that look on his face, the one that used to make her and Bridget fake- swoon onto Charlotte’s bedroom floor. It was that squinty-eyed look—the brooding secret he was dying to tell.

aberration n: an unwelcome departure from what is expected or, in astronomy, the displacement of an object from its true position

Should she embellish her story to explain her nervousness?

Everyone huddled toward the sliding doors. They gravitated toward the same ones, even though several others opened at once.

She was breathless, but why? Was she scared? Elated? Nervous? Surprised? Anxious?

He secretly resented Mrs. Carlile for letting him register late. Why did she have to do that? Why couldn’t she just follow the rules?

He had a speech to conquer and a larynx to hydrate.

When the train pulled into the station, people moved like one massive beast and they took her along with them. She could be swallowed whole and spit out, but there was something exhilarating about it, too.

Maybe she was a curator at the Academy of Natural Sciences, a tour guide at Independence Hall, or director of the Franklin Institute.

Art has been proven to improve emotional well-being. It can also spark innovation and provide healing.

She understood that sedimentary rocks were formed by the deposition and cementation of material at the earth’s surface.

If Ben was feeling more like himself, he would ask about the photos on her bookshelf and the accolades on her wall, but instead he sat and stared at a nick in her desk that reminded him of the dark mark from Harry Potter.

You weren’t supposed to have cell phones at school. If you did, they had to be turned off and stowed away. Ben never bothered with that because no one ever called or texted him during the day anyway. He wondered if he would get a reprimand.

“Where did you go? What could possibly be more riveting than middle school?”

reciprocal adj: a mutual relationship—one that is equal, matching, and complementary

Natural light was better for neural synapses.

He’d been so excited to see Wyatt that he’d forgotten about his social status, which had gone from nonexistent to pariah.

He knew how middle school worked. Some people were liabilities. You don’t want to be seen with the kid who...

Researchers have studied the science of friendship and found that having a healthy and reciprocal relationship with a friend can alleviate emotional pain and improve physical health. One of the most important aspects of a healthy relationship is an equal amount of give-and-take.

Maybe I would have noticed if I’d paid better attention, Charlotte thought.
Or maybe it’s subtle. Something you can barely feel. Like a slow slip.