“Nice going!” Naomi yelled.

  “McNulty? Who knew?” added Will.

  When the bell rang, Ash’s heart was still pounding from her run. Or was it bursting with pride? she wondered. She’d surprised them all, Ash thought, and maybe she’d also surprised herself. How often did her grade play kickball? she wondered. She’d never even noticed before, and now she couldn’t wait to try again.

  Chapter Eleven

  There was still one way she could be the same old Ash—she found it by accident during math time the next afternoon. Ms. Cooper had just reviewed strategies for finding the area of a triangle, and now there was a little bit of in-class practice for everyone. Ash’s practice was a set of “challenge” problems in the textbook, the kind she would have done with Jane in her old class. They were extra tricky.

  Beside her, Caden was huffing. He filled his cheeks with air and blew it all out at once in a way that sounded exactly like a whoopee cushion. People kind of laughed, because Caden was always making people laugh, but Ash could also see the mess on his paper. There were no answers there, just a heap of eraser shavings and a few gray streaks. Ash used to think of Caden as an enemy, but he was starting to be a friend. She decided to step in.

  “Do you want a little help?” Ash whispered. “I’m pretty good at this.” His questions were simpler than hers.

  “Yeah,” muttered Caden. “You’re good at everything, Ash.”

  Was he mad at her or mad at his triangles?

  Ash tried again. “No, seriously,” she said. “You just have to break it down, Caden. It’s one half the base times the height, but you can’t start there.” Ms. Cooper saw them talking, but she didn’t stop them, so Ash went on. “You have to have all your information set up ahead of time. See?”

  She showed him how to find the length of the base and the height—the units were squares, since they were using graph paper. “And then once you have it all,” she continued, “it’s just a little multiplication, like back when we were doing the times tables, with a fraction at the end.”

  Immediately, she wished she hadn’t said that. Caden had been in her third-grade class, too, and he could never get the times tables quite straight. He frowned at his paper and erased something so vigorously that he made a hole.

  “So what’s the height of this one?” Ash asked, pointing to a triangle.

  “Five squares,” he said.

  “Okay, good. Now what’s the length?”

  “Looks like … eight.” With Ash’s help, he wrote these facts down, then plugged the numbers into a formula.

  She prompted, “So, five times eight…”

  “Forty,” he said, faster than she expected. “And then you put it over two—so you divide it—so it’s twenty? Right?”

  “Right!” Ash said. She was super positive, like a coach.

  Caden scrutinized his paper. “That’s it?” he asked.

  “Seriously, that’s it,” Ash confirmed. For some reason, she thought of the kitchen at The Gate. “Think of it like cooking. If you get all the ingredients chopped up ahead of time, it’s easier. You don’t have to start and stop, or rush off someplace to find an onion. You can just, like, turn on the heat.”

  Caden pretended he was chopping an onion and mopping his eyes. “I’m crying!” he joked. But he got serious when he turned to Ash. “Thanks!” he said. “That totally makes sense. How did you get so smart, anyway?”

  Ash smiled. Who didn’t love to hear that?

  But she had told Caden exactly what Ms. Cooper had already told the class. Did that really make her smart? she wondered. Ms. Cooper couldn’t go over things with every student one-on-one. There were twenty kids in this room, not five like Mr. Lopez had. Would Caden do better in a smaller class? Had Ash? Was that why she was so far ahead of him?

  Whichever it was, helping Caden reminded Ash that she had once been a responsible, respected kid, and maybe someday she could be one again. That boosted her mood, which was helpful for a person who felt like she was walking on the edge of a cliff.

  Too bad her mood came crashing down before the end of the day.

  After math, Ms. Cooper gave the class some time to work on their Island Projects. Caden was with Will, and Ellie was with Naomi, and Ash just stayed at her desk, wondering what to do. Ms. Cooper moved from group to group, making sure kids were on task, until she came to Ash. “How is your island coming along?” she asked kindly.

  “Well, my partner is in Mr. Lopez’s class,” Ash explained. “I’m working with my friend Jane.” She left out some details, like how they weren’t speaking and how all the ideas for the project were Jane’s.

  Ms. Cooper nodded. “I see,” she said. “I’ll need to discuss with Mr. Lopez, but I’m sure he’ll agree it doesn’t make sense to have partners in two different rooms. I think it would be much better for you to find a new partner and get a fresh start. We’ll be spending a good deal of class time on our islands now, in order to prepare for Island Night.”

  “But everyone is paired up already,” Ash said. “So … should I join one of the other groups?” That would be so awkward! she thought with alarm. And how could she guarantee she’d make a great island if she couldn’t even pick her own partner?

  Ms. Cooper gave her a reassuring look. “Oh no, don’t worry! I have a better idea. Someone else in the class could use a partner, and I know the two of you are friends already.”

  She stepped out of the way to reveal a student who was waiting behind her, wearing patched overalls and a short-sleeved shirt that used to be white. “It’s a perfect solution, a win all around,” Ms. Cooper said, clasping her hands together. “I was thinking you could work with Tilly.”

  Ash briefly wondered if she was going to die. People did die of embarrassment, right? How could she go through with this? Tilly had seen her at the lowest moment of her entire life, snapping those pictures in desperation, and then told the whole world. Or Ash’s best friend, at least. If she could still call Jane her best friend.

  But it was hard to say no to Ms. Cooper, so Ash trudged with Tilly to the other side of the classroom. They sat down at side-by-side desks, both staring straight ahead in silence, until Ash pulled her desk around to face Tilly’s. “I guess we need a theme for the island,” she muttered. One of them was going to have to take the lead.

  Tilly acted like she’d never heard of this project, even though she wasn’t that new by now.

  “What kind of theme?” she said.

  “Like … something we’re really interested in,” Ash replied.

  “Such as?”

  “I think Caden is doing a Fortnite Island. So every feature on his island—rivers, mountains, whatever—will have something to do with Fortnite.”

  “The video game?” Tilly said in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

  “It’s what he’s into,” Ash said. Why was Tilly mocking Caden? She barely knew him.

  “So what are you into?” Tilly asked.

  Ash didn’t want to give Tilly too much information. “I don’t know…”

  “School, obviously,” Tilly said. “So … we do School Island?” Her voice was soaked in sarcasm.

  “I have other interests,” Ash said defensively.

  “Oh yeah? Like what?”

  She was impossible. Ash was not going to sit here and tell Tilly, of all people, the things she liked to do when her homework was finished. She liked to draw, she liked to run fast, she liked to reread all the books she’d loved when she was little …

  All she could do was turn the question around. “What are you into, Tilly?” Ash asked.

  The new girl shrugged. “Sea turtles,” she said. “Solitaire.”

  Maybe they could work with that. “Sea Turtle Island?” Ash suggested.

  “I guess,” said Tilly. She opened her notebook and drew a turtle shape. “Like this?” Slowly, they sketched in a few geographical elements, as if it were a real island—Shell Beach, Seaweed Road. But the project required a long list of features, from roads to rivers, plus they also needed to develop a legend for their map or model. Other kids had been working step by step for a while now, so Ash and Tilly were behind.

  Suddenly Ash had the same feeling she’d had before the Quiz Bowl, like she was struggling to catch up. And now a new weight was settling on her shoulders, because she knew she had to get a top grade on this project if she had any hope of getting back to Mr. Lopez like her parents wanted. How was it even graded? she wondered. Well, Ash knew you got points for turning in various pieces of the project on time—not good news, since she and Tilly were getting a late start. But what else? How could Ash make sure her island was the best it could be … and maybe the best overall?

  There would be prizes at Island Night—that was when all the fifth-grade parents came in to see their kids’ projects hung in the school’s hallways as if in an art gallery. Ash would love to get another prize, the honest way this time. But how would she know what was right?

  Ash had nothing against sea turtles, but she didn’t love this idea.

  And she began to despair that she and Tilly would ever make progress, because Tilly never seemed to be in school. On Monday she was late, on Tuesday she left early. When she was there, she sometimes looked like she was falling asleep. Ash did her best to create the legend when there was class time for it, but one of the things they were getting graded on was teamwork. Days raced by with no progress.

  Meanwhile, no matter how much school Tilly missed, she would get to go to Funtown. On Friday, the parents who were chaperoning came in to review the rules and split the class into small groups. “Each group will have its own T-shirt color,” Ms. Cooper explained. “That way it will be easy for us to find each other at the amusement park.” She read from a list of names—the blues, the reds, the yellows, the greens—and each group went to stand with its leader.

  This was agony for Ash. Once all the colors were called, she’d be the only kid left sitting in her seat. And yes, at some point, she was going to have to tell people why she was staying behind, but she didn’t have her story straight yet. So, when the greens stood, Ash stood with them. She walked over and joined the knot of kids around Charlie’s mom, smiling as if she belonged there.

  Tilly was a green, too. “I didn’t hear your name, Ash,” she said. “Are you sure you’re in the right group?”

  Ash wasn’t sure if Tilly was being helpful or sly. But she had hit on a question that was consuming Ash: What group was she in? Was she regular or special? Was she smart or sporty? And would there ever be a place with no groups, where Ash could just be, away from expectations, blending into the crowd?

  Chapter Twelve

  Ash had never looked forward to a weekend so fervently. She didn’t care if her parents worked all weekend, so long as she didn’t have to go to Quigley. This was the Saturday, she decided, that she would use some birthday money to buy herself some fancy chocolates at the farmers’ market. She would reread a fun book, maybe Matilda. Somehow, she would relax.

  And then Gracie caused a crisis by accident, when she mentioned the Island Project at home.

  “Hey, how’s your island?” she asked on Saturday morning. “I can’t wait to see it!” Just like Ash had been last year, Gracie was excited about all the fifth-grade rites of passage that she’d get to be a part of someday—from the Island Project and the Funtown trip to Step-Up Day and the Manners Banquet. She didn’t know that she’d hit on a sensitive subject.

  “Good,” said Ash, taking a big bite of toast. Her eyes darted over to their mom, who was tidying the kitchen before she left for The Gate. Had she heard?

  Yes, she’d heard. “Jane’s mom mentioned you were making models,” she commented. “All the moons in the solar system, or something?”

  Ash swallowed. “Well, I’m not working with Jane anymore. Since I switched classes and all.” The two of them still weren’t speaking, and Ash had no idea how to break the silence. They might not be friends right now, but Ash didn’t want to be enemies.

  “Who’s your partner now?” Gracie asked.

  “Tilly,” said Ash.

  “Does she even go to Quigley anymore? I never see her at recess.”

  Ash bulged her eyes out at Gracie, hoping she’d recognize that was a signal to shut up. “Yeah, she’s still at Quigley. She’s just absent a lot.”

  Now their mom was extra attentive. “That must make it hard to get anything done. Would you want to have Tilly over to our house?”

  “Not really,” Ash said in horror. “I’ve got it, Mom, okay?”

  Her mom put a tea bag in a travel mug, poured boiling water over it, and gathered her things to leave. Today she was wearing a light jacket, not her winter coat, and Ash could actually hear birds outside the kitchen window. “Just remember that you need to do your best work, Ash,” her mom said on her way out. Like Ash didn’t know that already.

  She bristled at the idea that her mom thought this was helpful. But when her mom said something even a little bit critical of Ash, it echoed for a long time in her brain, as if her mom had shouted into a cave. She kept thinking of her mom’s suggestion. There was no way she was having Tilly over. But Ash did have Tilly’s phone number, because Ms. Cooper had made sure that all sets of partners knew how to get in touch. Maybe they could get together someplace else?

  Ash really didn’t want to see Tilly at all. Even a sleepover with Jane would be better. On the other hand, she had a lot riding on this island. While Gracie got ready for soccer practice, Ash went into her bedroom and closed the door. Her phone was in her backpack, and Tilly’s number was written on the back of a worksheet. Did Tilly have a cell phone? Ash wondered. Could she just send a text? She sighed and knew she couldn’t risk it. Slowly, Ash punched in the digits.

  Tilly picked up right away, but her hello slid from friendly to frigid as soon as she heard Ash’s voice.

  “Can I help you?” Tilly asked.

  “Do you want to meet me at the library?” Ash said bravely. “I thought we should do some work on our island.”

  “I can’t,” said Tilly. “My mom’s at work.” Did she need a ride? Ash wondered. Couldn’t she bike there or something? Ash didn’t know anything about Tilly’s family. She didn’t know much about Tilly, either, if she thought about it. Just that she was from Florida and that she’d been either brilliant or very lucky in the Quiz Bowl.

  “Okay,” said Ash.

  She was about to hang up when Tilly said, reluctantly, “Maybe you could come here?”

  It turned out Tilly lived right on the way to the Dome, so Ash’s dad could drop her off. And while Ash’s mom might have asked a lot of questions about adult supervision at a stranger’s house, her dad didn’t dig too deep. Once he knew Ash was going to Tilly’s for schoolwork, it was fine. He pulled into Tilly’s driveway and said, “I’ll pick you up on the way back, right?”

  “I’ll text you if anything changes,” Ash said.

  “Good luck,” Gracie whispered as Ash climbed out of the car.

  Ash stood in front of the house for a moment, wondering how to get to Tilly. The downstairs was not a house at all, but some kind of a bakery. There was a row of windows above the storefront. Did Tilly live up there? Everyone Ash knew lived in a house. She had never been in an apartment before.

  Ash was looking for a doorbell when a woman stepped out and said, “You must be Ash.” She looked like Tilly, with blond hair and bleary eyes. She had come downstairs, and now she was heading toward the bakery door. Was she getting them something to eat? She smiled and held the door open for Ash. “Tilly’s waiting for you,” the woman said. “Thank you for coming.”

  The thank-you put Ash more at ease. She climbed a narrow set of steps and, when she came to the door at the top, she could hear Tilly calling “I’m in here!” from inside. Ash let herself in.

  Tilly was sitting on a striped rug in the middle of a small room jammed with boxes. They’d just moved here, after all. She left Ash standing there, looking for a place to sit, for an uncomfortably long time. There were art supplies strewn across the room, as far as Ash could see. Finally, Tilly cleared some pens and paper out of the way.

  “So … the island,” she said. She wasn’t exactly friendly, but she wasn’t openly hostile. “I hope you don’t mind, but I redrew it.”

  Ash did mind—until she saw that Tilly had drawn a much larger sea turtle on a piece of posterboard. It looked a lot better, almost lifelike, and they’d have to use posterboard for Island Night anyway if they were doing a map instead of a model.

  “Nice,” Ash said. She took the assignment sheet out of her pocket. “So we have to add some mountains, a capital city…”

  They worked on it for a while, but it felt like just that: work. This wasn’t the way Ash had imagined the Island Project would go, back when she was Gracie’s age. It wasn’t fun, even if Tilly had markers in every color and a great set of stencils. Mostly, they just colored things in without talking. Ash wondered about the woman she’d seen downstairs and when she was coming back with the treats.

  She inhaled deeply. “It smells so good in here,” she said. Like apples and cinnamon, or maybe brown sugar. Ash had food on her mind, for sure.

  Tilly smiled a little. “I think they’re making pies downstairs.” When Ash didn’t reply, Tilly filled her in. “My mom works there. It’s a new place, and she’s the head baker. Didn’t you meet her? She’s here but not here, if you know what I mean. She pretty much works all the time.”

  Ash knew what Tilly was getting at. Not everyone’s parents were always around. “My parents work a lot, too,” Ash said. “They have a pub. Or they had a pub. It’s turning into a restaurant. Like, it’s fancier now.”

  “Oh,” said Tilly, nodding. “Okay.” She was a little less prickly outside of school. She was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, still a bit optimistic for the end of April, but otherwise normal. For the first time, Ash wondered if Tilly wore weird clothes because she’d been unprepared for Maine weather when she moved.