"What else?" Stacey called, bouncing on her toes. "One tattoo and one paper bag's not going to do it. Come on, our teammate needs our help."

Tish Okabe sat down next to Isabel. "I think Alex is a cutie," she said loudly.

"You think everyone is a cutie," at least three girls yelled back.

Isabel snapped open her lock, pulled it off, and swung open the metal door. It was nice of Tish to defend Alex. But Isabel knew she should be doing it herself. She just didn't know what to say. Stacey would pounce on anything that came out of her mouth and twist it around. Maybe it was better just to ignore her.

Yeah, Isabel thought. You keep telling yourself that. Or you could just grow a backbone, as Alex would say.

"I'm not surprised you can't figure out what I see in Alex, Stacey," Isabel said coolly. "It's like how some people would rather eat a burger than filet mignon. Their palates just aren't sophisticated enough to appreciate the difference."

"Aw, isn't that sweet? She's standing by her man," Stacey cooed.

Isabel felt like knocking Stacey on her butt.

"You know who I think is filet mignon?" Corrine Williams asked Isabel. "Your brother. I'm having a party on Friday. Tell Max to come. And bring that other guy you're always hanging around with-Michael Guerin."

"Yeah," Stacey jumped in. "If you get both of them there, then I guess you can bring Alex, too." She licked her finger and made a little one-point-for-me mark in the air.

Chalk one up while you can, Princess of Petty. Because you don't have a snowball's chance at Max or Michael, Isabel thought. But she couldn't help feeling a sting of shame that Alex didn't make the cool-people cut.

"I don't have a big desire to be a squid. Except maybe a squid like Squidly Diddly," Alex told his brother as they set the table. "Or was he an octopus? No. Had to be a squid. Hence the Squidly."