door swing shut behind her. Dalia, Bruchy, and Leah stood in silence for a moment, reeling from the less-than-warm welcome. “Welcome to the next three years of our lives, I guess,” Bruchy muttered. Dalia couldn’t help but agree with her. “Welcome, everyone, to the beginning of a brand new year at Bais Yaakov Boarding High School!” The principal, Mrs. Hirsch, beamed at the girls from the stage at the front of the audi- torium. “We’re delighted to have you at our school. As you know, BYBHS takes only the most talented girls, which makes each of you unique in your own way. For our new students, I’d like to extend a special welcome. We’re so excited to bring you into our family, and we can’t wait to see what you’ll do.” Bruchy hugged her shoulders. Mrs. Hirsch might mean the ninth graders, but her words still applied. Bruchy was a new student, and the greeting was for her, too. She desperately wanted this school to be everything she dreamed of and more. “Can I hear a warm BYBHS welcome for our new students?” Mrs. Hirsch waited while the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders’ cheers echoed off the walls. “There we go. Now, let’s go over a few rules…” Bruchy’s attention wandered as Mrs. Hirsch reviewed the school rules. She’d read them all in the handbook. In fact, she’d practically memorized the handbook. Instead, she checked out her new classmates sitting around her. At a glance, Bruchy could see exactly who roomed with whom. Clusters of four girls dotted the tenth-grade section of the auditorium. She spotted Adina by herself at the end of the row, staring into space. Bruchy jumped as someone in the row behind her poked her in the back. “Hey!” “Sorry! Just wanted to say hi.” A girl with red hair and a freckled face grinned at her, showing a mouthful of braces. “I’m Chaviva. Are you one of the new girls in Room 104?” “Yes, I’m Bruchy.” Finally, someone who wasn’t pushing her away. She glanced at the front of the room to make sure Mrs. Hirsch hadn’t noticed them whispering. “Did you know the girls who left last year?” Chaviva’s lips pressed into a narrow line. “I knew them, sure.” “Why did they leave?” Seeing Chaviva draw back, Bruchy quickly added, “No one leaves BYBHS. That’s why it’s so hard to get in! I’m just wondering why they left.” “Sorry, I don’t know. It’s really none of my business.” Chaviva sat back in her chair and turned away. Bruchy frowned at the strange exchange but pushed it away as a one-off. There were other girls, and she could get the information she needed from one of them. She was going to get to the bottom of this. Reaching forward, Bruchy tapped the girl in front of her, who shifted. “Hi! I’m Bruchy, I’m—” “One of the new girls, I know.” The other girl watched her carefully. “Nice to meet you.”
“I was wondering…do you know the girls who left last year? The ones who used to be in Room 104?” The girl’s face went blank. “Not really. And I’d better pay at- tention, I don’t want to get in trouble on the first day.” “Oh, sure. Makes sense.” Bruchy’s brow furrowed. Something was going on here, and she had to figure out what it was. Finally, after five minutes discussing school rules and another five minutes introducing the teachers, Mrs. Hirsch dismissed the girls to the dining room. Bruchy found herself carried along with the crowd and made sure either Dalia or Leah was always in sight. “I heard you’re asking about my old roommates.” Adina popped up beside Bruchy, causing her to let out a tiny shriek. “Oh, grow up.” “Are you going to tell me what happened?” Bruchy asked. Dalia came up beside Bruchy. “No one is willing to tell us what happened last year. I asked like three people.” “Same here,” Leah agreed. Adina rolled her eyes. “Look, it’s not a big deal, and you shouldn’t try to find out more information about them. Sometimes girls get what they deserve, and there’s no reason to give them any more attention than they’ve already gotten. No one will tell you what you want to know, so just give up and enjoy all the fun Mrs. Hirsch promised you, okay?” Not waiting for a response, Adina stormed away, cutting a path through the swarm of girls heading for the dining room. “Well, that was enlightening,” Dalia commented. “It’s so odd.” Leah twisted her hair around her finger. “She really doesn’t seem to like us.” “There’s something going on here.” Bruchy tapped her chin. “And we’re going to find out what it is.” To be continued...
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