How Olive Hendrix Broke Her Leg It is a hot day, but I’m not that hot. In fact, Iam able to pull a sweatshirt over my head and I am fine. Anna’s complaining about the sun makingher hair get all frazzled, so I explain to her that the only one frazzling anyone’s hair is Annaherself. She rolls her eyes at me and pulls out her sketchbook as we wait for the chipped yellowbus to roll up with its paint sizzling off like the skin of a sausage. Anna likes anime, which I hate,so I ignore her asking me ifPonyoorLu over the Wallis better. Instead I focus on the beesthat are buzzing beside Anna’s ear, which I think are having a fight but are also very politeand don’t want to sting her. I wish they would. That would shut her up. I hate Anna. But she is mybest friend, so I guess I shouldn’t hate her. But Olive at soccer practice is a lot better thanher, which is unfortunate because Olive is in the hospital and probably dying. Well, no, Olive brokeher leg and can’t do soccer and I don’t know where she lives and I am now stuck with Anna in thesidelines talking to Trini Deboever and ignoring me in midfield. I jam my earbuds into myear and play a blasting rock and roll song that my dad would probably like. I don’t know why I amlistening to this. All of a sudden the school bus pulls up on the side of the road and I springup and claim my seat by the window. I glare at the shrubs in Mrs. Porter’s yard as Anna walks rightby me and sits next to Trini, who is staring at her phone. She looks up when Anna comes over, andher face glows like a lantern. I’m not kidding. It turns yellow and full of light. Okay,maybe she just smiles and acts all surprised, butI can see through it. I bet her mom is a murderer orsomething, and she has a knife in her backpack. I want Anna to get away from her as soonas possible but I also hate Anna and wish she didn’t exist. The school bus begins its journeydown the road. I wish I had a T-shirt under my purple sweatshirt with skeletons on it becausenow I am slightly-sort-of-kind-of-maybe-a-teensy-bit hot andI will probably die in a few minutes. Well, no I won’t, but if I did then maybe Anna would miss me.I pull my earbuds out of my ears as a shadow falls over me. Olive Hendrix is standing overme, balancing on silver crutches which are jammed in her armpits. Her curly brown hair is clippedback in a ponytail, and I can’t help but envy the soccer ball hair clip she has in her hair.“Hey, can I sit here?” she asks. “Sure.” I manage to reply, painfully aware that my voice isquivering like a feather in the wind. She plops down beside me and smiles. “Are you okay? You lookkind of. . .” her voice trails off. “Yeah, just hot.” I try to ignore the fact that my face is probablyred as a beet.I have millions of friends and Anna still wants to be one of them, and Trini Deboeveris dead,I think to myself. “Well, good. Want a piece of gum?” She slips a piece of mint guminto my hand. I pop it into my mouth and chew down on it. “Thanks!” “You're welcome.” “So,did you see the game last night?” I ask. “Oh, yeah. Did you see Megan Rapinoe? She was awesome!”Olive’s face lights up, kind of like Trini’s did when she saw Anna. As Olive and I starttalking soccer, I see Anna glance over at me. She slightly-sort-of-kind-of-maybe-a-teensy-bitsmiles at me, and I slightly-sort-of-kind-of-maybe-a-teensy-bit smileback at her.