Kaitlyn Starling's Arc

Chapter 3 of 5

Three years had passed since the fight in math class. Kaitlyn Starling was in fifth grade now, and the harvest party filled the cafeteria hall with warm lights and paper leaves. Music teacher Miss Maple ran the music from a booth, her long syrup-blonde hair swinging as she cued the next song. Kaitlyn spun on the floor, laughing, still the girl who made every room look at her. Her best friend Anaya Sharma danced beside her. Anaya was quiet and serious, a soccer player who kept her beanie on even indoors. She never fought for attention. That was why Kaitlyn liked her. "Come on," Kaitlyn said, tugging her sleeve. "There's a game by the snacks. We have to win it." They pushed toward a booth run by a tall, kind mom from Iceland, Freyja, who handed out cider with a bright smile. Beside it hung four balloons—pink, purple, gold, and magenta—floating in a row. "Pop the gold one and you win the whole tray," Freyja said, pointing at a plate of caramel apples. Kaitlyn grinned. This was her moment. A crowd of kids gathered as she picked up a small dart. "Watch the master," she announced. Anaya laughed. Kaitlyn made a silly face, wiggled her hips, and threw. The dart missed the gold balloon and popped the pink one instead. The kids groaned, then cheered anyway, because Kaitlyn bowed like she'd meant to do it. That was when Casey Burns stepped up. Casey was a fifth grader with a sharp eye and a bob of dark blonde hair. She had spent years watching for the exact moment to take Kaitlyn's spotlight. She said little and noticed everything. "Move," Casey said. Just that. Casey took a single dart. She didn't dance or joke. She aimed, threw, and popped the gold balloon dead center. The crowd exploded. Freyja handed her the whole tray of caramel apples. Kaitlyn's smile froze. The kids swarmed Casey now, not her. Anaya squeezed her arm, but Kaitlyn barely felt it. She waited for the crowd to turn back to her. It didn't. Casey held out one caramel apple. "Here," she said flatly. "You made them laugh. I made them look." She let Kaitlyn catch her watching. "There's a difference." Kaitlyn took the apple. She wanted to fire back a joke, but nothing came. For the first time, a laugh hadn't been enough. Casey walked off with the crowd trailing her. "You okay?" Anaya asked. Kaitlyn looked at the popped pink balloon on the floor. "They still like me," she said. But she wasn't sure anymore. Making kids laugh had always won the room. Tonight someone had beaten her by making them stare instead. If she wanted everyone to adore her, jokes alone wouldn't do it now. She'd have to find something Casey couldn't take.