some reason, even that shirt seems slightly endearing today.
“When do you want to work on our project?” he asks, leaning against the wall of lockers.
“Um, I don’t know.”
Really, I don’t. The thought of trying to schedule something in this new life, with no memory of anything before today, is scary. Plus, the last thing on my mind is an art project.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” I say again, offering my best smile. “Let me think about it, okay?”
He raises his eyebrows, not about to let me get away with vague. “Well, don’t think too long. Tabish said we needed to start brainstorming ASAP.”
“I know,” I say, hoping tomorrow will work out, hoping he won’t hold me to it if it doesn’t.
“Look, I have a cool idea. Have you ever seen that place down by the yogurt shop—” He keeps talking but I can’t focus on what he’s saying. And he’s still standing there like he isn’t planning on leaving anytime soon. I don’t know what to do because I don’t know what I usually do at lunch. And I want to find Aly too, but I’m not sure where she fits in with James and everybody else. It’s like an impossible word problem that has no answer.
And I suck at math, anyway.
Cale has stopped talking. I look up at him, wondering why he’s so quiet now.
“What?” I say.
“Nothing.”
I pull out of my pocket his crumpled sketch I rescued off the floor. “Hey, thanks for the note by the way. You’re really a good artist, you know.”
“You seem surprised,” he says, grabbing the paper and wadding it back up.
“Hey!” I snatch it back from him. “I was going to keep that.”
His arm is somehow around me, pulling me into his torso while he squeezes my wrist and shakes it, trying to get me torelease the paper. But my grip is too tight. He forgets (or maybe doesn’t know) I’m a pianist plus I’m also pro at Mario Kart (fine motor skills). “Give it back,” he hisses in my ear.
“Never!”
“Whoa. Did I miss something?” says a voice from behind us.
Cale’s elbow locks around my neck and my hand freezes on his chest. We both jerk upright to find James staring at us, his dark eyes drawn together in either irritation or surprise; I can’t really tell.
I immediately pull away from Cale and shove the ball of paper into my pocket.
Cale straightens up. “What up?” he says to James like holding his girlfriend in a headlock is a totally normal thing to do.
“What are you doing, K?” James asks me while ignoring Cale.
Cale chuckles. “Kenzie couldn’t resist me,” he says with a wide, mocking smile as he swoops his backpack over his shoulder in one easy move.
“I’m starving,” I say, trying to break up the tension.
“I’ll catch you later,” Cale says to me, still smiling at James like he just heard the funniest joke ever.
“Nice shirt,” James says, clenching his jaw as if challenging Cale to a duel.
Cale ignores him and disappears around the corner, leaving us alone.
James tilts his head toward me until his face eclipses mine. “K, you’re acting trippy today. You okay?”
“Yes.” I nod.
His fingers briefly touch my arm before sliding away from me.
We walk toward the quad in silence. I don’t know what to say or how to act right now, even though this is something I always dreamed about—James Odera digging me. But, for some reason, it feels like we’re on a first date in the middle of the school hallway. And my stomach is all twisty and raw.
James opens the door for me. I exit first into the breezysunlight rife with the scent of redwoods and pines. A group of kids block our way and we stop to let them pass. When we start up again, I nearly plow straight into Aly. She stops too, and sunlight dapples her hair, catching in the whites of her eyes.
“Aly!” I yell, nearly throwing my arms around her. It is so good to see her familiar face.
James stiffens beside me. “Whoa, K. What are you doing?”
“What?” I
“When do you want to work on our project?” he asks, leaning against the wall of lockers.
“Um, I don’t know.”
Really, I don’t. The thought of trying to schedule something in this new life, with no memory of anything before today, is scary. Plus, the last thing on my mind is an art project.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” I say again, offering my best smile. “Let me think about it, okay?”
He raises his eyebrows, not about to let me get away with vague. “Well, don’t think too long. Tabish said we needed to start brainstorming ASAP.”
“I know,” I say, hoping tomorrow will work out, hoping he won’t hold me to it if it doesn’t.
“Look, I have a cool idea. Have you ever seen that place down by the yogurt shop—” He keeps talking but I can’t focus on what he’s saying. And he’s still standing there like he isn’t planning on leaving anytime soon. I don’t know what to do because I don’t know what I usually do at lunch. And I want to find Aly too, but I’m not sure where she fits in with James and everybody else. It’s like an impossible word problem that has no answer.
And I suck at math, anyway.
Cale has stopped talking. I look up at him, wondering why he’s so quiet now.
“What?” I say.
“Nothing.”
I pull out of my pocket his crumpled sketch I rescued off the floor. “Hey, thanks for the note by the way. You’re really a good artist, you know.”
“You seem surprised,” he says, grabbing the paper and wadding it back up.
“Hey!” I snatch it back from him. “I was going to keep that.”
His arm is somehow around me, pulling me into his torso while he squeezes my wrist and shakes it, trying to get me torelease the paper. But my grip is too tight. He forgets (or maybe doesn’t know) I’m a pianist plus I’m also pro at Mario Kart (fine motor skills). “Give it back,” he hisses in my ear.
“Never!”
“Whoa. Did I miss something?” says a voice from behind us.
Cale’s elbow locks around my neck and my hand freezes on his chest. We both jerk upright to find James staring at us, his dark eyes drawn together in either irritation or surprise; I can’t really tell.
I immediately pull away from Cale and shove the ball of paper into my pocket.
Cale straightens up. “What up?” he says to James like holding his girlfriend in a headlock is a totally normal thing to do.
“What are you doing, K?” James asks me while ignoring Cale.
Cale chuckles. “Kenzie couldn’t resist me,” he says with a wide, mocking smile as he swoops his backpack over his shoulder in one easy move.
“I’m starving,” I say, trying to break up the tension.
“I’ll catch you later,” Cale says to me, still smiling at James like he just heard the funniest joke ever.
“Nice shirt,” James says, clenching his jaw as if challenging Cale to a duel.
Cale ignores him and disappears around the corner, leaving us alone.
James tilts his head toward me until his face eclipses mine. “K, you’re acting trippy today. You okay?”
“Yes.” I nod.
His fingers briefly touch my arm before sliding away from me.
We walk toward the quad in silence. I don’t know what to say or how to act right now, even though this is something I always dreamed about—James Odera digging me. But, for some reason, it feels like we’re on a first date in the middle of the school hallway. And my stomach is all twisty and raw.
James opens the door for me. I exit first into the breezysunlight rife with the scent of redwoods and pines. A group of kids block our way and we stop to let them pass. When we start up again, I nearly plow straight into Aly. She stops too, and sunlight dapples her hair, catching in the whites of her eyes.
“Aly!” I yell, nearly throwing my arms around her. It is so good to see her familiar face.
James stiffens beside me. “Whoa, K. What are you doing?”
“What?” I
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