Hey there!
So, there’s this book I read a while back about two girls living in some strange society, possibly on an island. They attended separate schools – one at an all girls school, the other at an all boys school. At first, they weren’t friends. The story switched between their perspectives; one was a heavy smoker with a boyfriend, while the other was a super nice ‘nerd’ who may have had an older brother.
The plot built up to an important exam at the end of the year that determined which high school they would attend – the ‘good’ or ‘bad’ one. Everyone wanted to get into the good school, but the two girls ended up becoming friends. In the end, the nerd purposely failed her exams so she could attend the bad school with the smoker girl.
I remember they were around 13-15 years old. Some random details stuck with me, like the smoker borrowing the nerd’s white jeans and starting her period on a date (maybe with the nerd’s brother?). They also skipped school to go swimming in a lake, and there was this sad moment when one of their classmates’ pet or mother passed away, and it was a big topic of discussion.
I know this is a long post, but I’m really eager to find this book. Any ideas?
Thanks a bunch! Retired and Happy.