smiled as she passed him. Behind Seth, Ashleigh saw Jenny’s smile.
“Hey, Seth,” Ashleigh said. “Don’t catch Jenny pox.”
Normally, any joke from Ashleigh, no matter how poor, would get laughs from at least some quarter. This time, there was silence, except for a nervous attempt at laughter by Cassie. When she realized nobody else was going to join, Cassie started clearing her throat, as if she’d really meant to do that instead.
Something vague stirred in their memories, something deep and dark from long ago. Jenny could see it in their faces, and she felt it in herself. The words had not been spoken anywhere outside of Jenny’s mind in ten years. Only Seth, who’d been at Grayson, looked genuinely puzzled by Ashleigh’s comment.
“ Close the door behind you,” Mrs. Peckering said. Then she turned back and resumed writing and talking, and the students picked up their pens, and the moment was gone.
Seth closed the door behind him.
In the empty hall, he smiled at Jenny.
“ So Mrs. Langford grabbed you this time,” he said.
“ Huh?” Jenny said. She’d had all kinds of plans about what she would say at this moment, but now every single one of them vanished from her brain. She was all jittery nerves and raw, conflicted, dangerous feelings. “Oh. Yeah, yep.”
Seth turned and started walking. Jenny walked alongside him, smiling, then hiding it, then trying nervously to smile again.
He glanced around the hall, then leaned toward her.
“ How’s Rocky?” he whispered.
“ He’s really good!” The words rushed from Jenny’s mouth, and she felt relieved to have something to talk about. “Yeah. He’s so fast now. And hates any kind of road.”
“ Good for Rocky.” They walked quietly for a little bit. “How are you? Any little aches I can take care of?”
“ Oh.” Jenny didn’t dare try to stumble through an answer to that.
They were approaching the office door. Seth reached for the door handle. At the last second, Jenny realized what was happening and seized his hand in her black glove.
“Wait!” Jenny whispered. “The principal didn’t really send for you. I made the note. It’s fake.”
Seth’s eyes did one complete orbit while he processed this.
“Why?” he asked.
“ Oh. I thought you might want to, you know, skip out of school early?”
“ With you?” Seth asked.
Jenny hesitated before answering: “Yeah. With me.”
“Oh, wow.” He looked at the principal’s door. “But I have football practice after school.”
“ Oh.” Jenny said. “Okay.” Her eyes went to her shoes. She felt stupid (so said Cupid). Of course Seth had practice.
“ But that doesn’t really start until 3:30,” Seth said. “So that’s like two hours. Where are we going?”
Jenny considered his words carefully, not sure he’d heard him correctly. He sounded like he was saying yes.
“Uh,” Jenny said. “What do you think?”
“ I don’t know,” Seth said. “This is your prison break.”
“ There is this,” Jenny said. “This big rock in my woods. It’s bigger than a house. Sometimes there’s a stream, if it’s been raining. I could show you. If you want to see that. It’s just a rock, but really big. You can climb up and sit on it and everything.”
“ You want to go to your house and show me your big rock?”
“ And Rocky,” Jenny said, feeling stupid again. “So you can look at Rocky and see how he’s doing. That’s what I meant to say.”
“ I’d like to see Rocky,” Seth said.
“ And we can smoke, if you want. I have some homegrown.”
“ Sold!” Seth grinned. He looked at the office door again, and his eyes widened. “We have to go! This is worst place for us to be right now.”
They slipped out the back door of the school and went around the long, less traveled way to the parking lot. Seth tossed both their backpacks into his trunk and opened her door before
“Hey, Seth,” Ashleigh said. “Don’t catch Jenny pox.”
Normally, any joke from Ashleigh, no matter how poor, would get laughs from at least some quarter. This time, there was silence, except for a nervous attempt at laughter by Cassie. When she realized nobody else was going to join, Cassie started clearing her throat, as if she’d really meant to do that instead.
Something vague stirred in their memories, something deep and dark from long ago. Jenny could see it in their faces, and she felt it in herself. The words had not been spoken anywhere outside of Jenny’s mind in ten years. Only Seth, who’d been at Grayson, looked genuinely puzzled by Ashleigh’s comment.
“ Close the door behind you,” Mrs. Peckering said. Then she turned back and resumed writing and talking, and the students picked up their pens, and the moment was gone.
Seth closed the door behind him.
In the empty hall, he smiled at Jenny.
“ So Mrs. Langford grabbed you this time,” he said.
“ Huh?” Jenny said. She’d had all kinds of plans about what she would say at this moment, but now every single one of them vanished from her brain. She was all jittery nerves and raw, conflicted, dangerous feelings. “Oh. Yeah, yep.”
Seth turned and started walking. Jenny walked alongside him, smiling, then hiding it, then trying nervously to smile again.
He glanced around the hall, then leaned toward her.
“ How’s Rocky?” he whispered.
“ He’s really good!” The words rushed from Jenny’s mouth, and she felt relieved to have something to talk about. “Yeah. He’s so fast now. And hates any kind of road.”
“ Good for Rocky.” They walked quietly for a little bit. “How are you? Any little aches I can take care of?”
“ Oh.” Jenny didn’t dare try to stumble through an answer to that.
They were approaching the office door. Seth reached for the door handle. At the last second, Jenny realized what was happening and seized his hand in her black glove.
“Wait!” Jenny whispered. “The principal didn’t really send for you. I made the note. It’s fake.”
Seth’s eyes did one complete orbit while he processed this.
“Why?” he asked.
“ Oh. I thought you might want to, you know, skip out of school early?”
“ With you?” Seth asked.
Jenny hesitated before answering: “Yeah. With me.”
“Oh, wow.” He looked at the principal’s door. “But I have football practice after school.”
“ Oh.” Jenny said. “Okay.” Her eyes went to her shoes. She felt stupid (so said Cupid). Of course Seth had practice.
“ But that doesn’t really start until 3:30,” Seth said. “So that’s like two hours. Where are we going?”
Jenny considered his words carefully, not sure he’d heard him correctly. He sounded like he was saying yes.
“Uh,” Jenny said. “What do you think?”
“ I don’t know,” Seth said. “This is your prison break.”
“ There is this,” Jenny said. “This big rock in my woods. It’s bigger than a house. Sometimes there’s a stream, if it’s been raining. I could show you. If you want to see that. It’s just a rock, but really big. You can climb up and sit on it and everything.”
“ You want to go to your house and show me your big rock?”
“ And Rocky,” Jenny said, feeling stupid again. “So you can look at Rocky and see how he’s doing. That’s what I meant to say.”
“ I’d like to see Rocky,” Seth said.
“ And we can smoke, if you want. I have some homegrown.”
“ Sold!” Seth grinned. He looked at the office door again, and his eyes widened. “We have to go! This is worst place for us to be right now.”
They slipped out the back door of the school and went around the long, less traveled way to the parking lot. Seth tossed both their backpacks into his trunk and opened her door before
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