she looked
in the door. Sometimes, if I didn’t have to work, we’d go out to the spillway after school, and he’d play his guitar while
I threw rocks down into the water.
But today Cole didn’t seem to be in as playful a mood as usual. He slouched in and immediately started griping about Mr. Heldorf,
his world history teacher.
“The guy’s an idiot,” he growled. “He’s giving me a Cbecause I was absent on the day they took some stupid reading quiz and he wouldn’t let me make it up. Moron.”
I tried reaching over and holding his hands across the desk like always, but he slipped his hands down into his lap moodily.
“That guy couldn’t teach lessons on how to wipe your ass,” he continued.
After a while his phone buzzed, and he dug in his jacket pocket for it. He looked at the screen, rolled his eyes, and put
it to his ear. “What?” he barked into the phone. There was a pause, during which his face slowly got redder and redder. “I
don’t care what you do with it. It’s not my problem. No. No. Listen, don’t call me with this shit, okay? I don’t care what
you do with it, just leave me the hell alone about it. Call someone who cares.”
He snapped the phone shut and put it back in his jacket pocket. Immediately, it buzzed again, but he ignored it.
I sat up straight in my chair. I’d never seen Cole like this. His mood was so dark you could almost see it radiating off him.
Usually he was happy and just excited to be around me. But not today. I didn’t really know what to do with this Cole. I tried
smiling, hoping it would help.
He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “That was my mom. She’s always got some sort of problem that needs to be worked out.
Always calling me or making me take her somewhere or some other shit. Never ends with her.”
“She wanted you to take her somewhere?” I asked, trying again to trap his hands with mine. When I touched him,he seemed to snap out of a daze and see me for the first time.
He grabbed my hands with his and squeezed. “Nah. Just some bullshit. Listen, you don’t want to hear about it.” He stood up.
“I’m gonna see if Mr. Heldorf has a second. I’ll catch up with you later.” He bent over and kissed my ear.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll be home a little later, though. Bethany and Zack and I are going to Shubb’s after school. Planning the
trip, of course.”
He stopped, wiping his forehead with three fingers. “Of course,” he answered sarcastically. And he left.
I looked at the clock. Seventh period wasn’t over for another twenty minutes. I gathered my things and slipped into Mrs. Moody’s
office. “Cole’s mom called. He had to go,” I said. “Is it okay if I go to the library?”
She checked her watch and nodded. “See you tomorrow.”
But I didn’t go to the library. Instead, I headed to Bethany’s locker, where I waited until the bell rang, wondering what
Cole’s mom had wanted and why it had made him so angry. And why it had felt like he was angry with me.
We decided to ride to Shubb’s in Zack’s crapmobile. Zack was in rare form, telling us about his date with Hannah, and how
the refs at the soccer game kept threatening to toss Hannah and Zack out if she didn’t stop yelling. And how she’d almost
gotten Zack in a fight with some big, burly college guy in the parking lot at El Manuel’s afterward.
“And then, get this,” he said, laughing. “She told her mom that she didn’t feel any chemistry and didn’t want togo out with me again. Can you believe that? I got dumped by Hannah Loudmouth!
That
is a new low. Even for me.”
We got to Shubb’s and slid into a curved corner booth. “Two orders of cheese breadsticks,” Zack told the waitress, “and a
pitcher of Coke.” He patted his chest. “On me, ladies.”
“Thanks,” Bethany mumbled, rummaging through her giganto-purse and pulling out the Obsessive Files. “Okay, you guys…”
“No,” Zack said, grabbing
in the door. Sometimes, if I didn’t have to work, we’d go out to the spillway after school, and he’d play his guitar while
I threw rocks down into the water.
But today Cole didn’t seem to be in as playful a mood as usual. He slouched in and immediately started griping about Mr. Heldorf,
his world history teacher.
“The guy’s an idiot,” he growled. “He’s giving me a Cbecause I was absent on the day they took some stupid reading quiz and he wouldn’t let me make it up. Moron.”
I tried reaching over and holding his hands across the desk like always, but he slipped his hands down into his lap moodily.
“That guy couldn’t teach lessons on how to wipe your ass,” he continued.
After a while his phone buzzed, and he dug in his jacket pocket for it. He looked at the screen, rolled his eyes, and put
it to his ear. “What?” he barked into the phone. There was a pause, during which his face slowly got redder and redder. “I
don’t care what you do with it. It’s not my problem. No. No. Listen, don’t call me with this shit, okay? I don’t care what
you do with it, just leave me the hell alone about it. Call someone who cares.”
He snapped the phone shut and put it back in his jacket pocket. Immediately, it buzzed again, but he ignored it.
I sat up straight in my chair. I’d never seen Cole like this. His mood was so dark you could almost see it radiating off him.
Usually he was happy and just excited to be around me. But not today. I didn’t really know what to do with this Cole. I tried
smiling, hoping it would help.
He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “That was my mom. She’s always got some sort of problem that needs to be worked out.
Always calling me or making me take her somewhere or some other shit. Never ends with her.”
“She wanted you to take her somewhere?” I asked, trying again to trap his hands with mine. When I touched him,he seemed to snap out of a daze and see me for the first time.
He grabbed my hands with his and squeezed. “Nah. Just some bullshit. Listen, you don’t want to hear about it.” He stood up.
“I’m gonna see if Mr. Heldorf has a second. I’ll catch up with you later.” He bent over and kissed my ear.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll be home a little later, though. Bethany and Zack and I are going to Shubb’s after school. Planning the
trip, of course.”
He stopped, wiping his forehead with three fingers. “Of course,” he answered sarcastically. And he left.
I looked at the clock. Seventh period wasn’t over for another twenty minutes. I gathered my things and slipped into Mrs. Moody’s
office. “Cole’s mom called. He had to go,” I said. “Is it okay if I go to the library?”
She checked her watch and nodded. “See you tomorrow.”
But I didn’t go to the library. Instead, I headed to Bethany’s locker, where I waited until the bell rang, wondering what
Cole’s mom had wanted and why it had made him so angry. And why it had felt like he was angry with me.
We decided to ride to Shubb’s in Zack’s crapmobile. Zack was in rare form, telling us about his date with Hannah, and how
the refs at the soccer game kept threatening to toss Hannah and Zack out if she didn’t stop yelling. And how she’d almost
gotten Zack in a fight with some big, burly college guy in the parking lot at El Manuel’s afterward.
“And then, get this,” he said, laughing. “She told her mom that she didn’t feel any chemistry and didn’t want togo out with me again. Can you believe that? I got dumped by Hannah Loudmouth!
That
is a new low. Even for me.”
We got to Shubb’s and slid into a curved corner booth. “Two orders of cheese breadsticks,” Zack told the waitress, “and a
pitcher of Coke.” He patted his chest. “On me, ladies.”
“Thanks,” Bethany mumbled, rummaging through her giganto-purse and pulling out the Obsessive Files. “Okay, you guys…”
“No,” Zack said, grabbing
Similar Books
