I-don’t-care.
“I’m going to assume you didn’t sign your name?”
“Sign my name? What the hell are you talking about?” Please tell me there wasn’t a camera. Please tell me security doesn’t have me on tape somewhere.
Kevin leaned against my locker and rubbed his chin with his free hand as he scanned the hallway. “Okay, yeah, we’ll find out who did it.”
“Did what?” I asked. Kevin raised his hand to Justin, who was walking toward us.
“I got nothing,” Justin said. “Where’s Janna?”
Kevin laughed. “Abandoning ship.” The warning bell rang and everyone in the hallway scattered.
“What the hell?” I said. I was going to be late. Screw it. I ran down the science wing, found an open classroom where people were still milling around, not yet in their seats. The teacher was talking to someone in the hall. I pushed past a bunch of freshmen, pressed my face to the glass window, and cupped my hands around my eyes.
I could see the words glaring back: CARSON WAS HERE.
And right below it, in letters so thick it must’ve taken an hour: SO WAS DECKER.
Kevin and Justin were pissed—they kept talking about this code of pranks or what ever, but Kevin said, “It’s clever, I’ll give him that. A prank within a prank.” And Justin nodded. “We’ll find out who did it,” Kevin assured me. Someone had seen me and called me out, that was their assumption. No big deal. They’d find out who did it. They’d get revenge. Justin narrowed his eyes as he scanned the tables in the cafeteria.
Delaney walked by our table with her bagged lunch in her hand. I hadn’t seen her in the cafeteria yesterday, but if she had the same lunch period, I guessed she’d eaten in the library. She sent a quick glance in our direction, a quick glance away. Kevin put his foot on the chair next to him and pushed it out without making eye contact, in an invitation. She paused for half a second before sitting.
Janna stopped eating. I stopped eating. We both stared at Kevin.
Delaney put down her lunch and walked toward the napkin dispenser. “What?” he said. “It’s her table, too.Always has been.” He finished the rest of his lunch in one bite and talked through his chewing. “If you want me to hate her, Decker, better give me a good reason. I didn’t break up with her. And, honestly, I have no freaking clue why you did.”
Delaney returned with a stack of napkins. “What’s up, Maxwell?” Kevin asked, eyeing the food she pulled out of her bag. “Gonna eat that whole sandwich?”
She elbowed his hand away. “Hands off, Kevin. I have math next period. I need the brain power.”
“Maxwell,” Kevin said, his chin in his hand as he assessed her. “I don’t know how to say this. You’re kind of a nerd.”
Janna slammed her hand down on the table. Everyone stopped talking. “What? There was a fly.” She bit a french fry in half. “Did you see the field house, Delaney?”
Delaney shifted in her seat and shook her head. Oh yes, she had seen the field house.
Kevin grabbed for her sandwich again. “Hey,” he said as she elbowed him again. “I played a very small, but incredibly dramatic, role in saving your life. I’d say worth at least an eighth of that sandwich.”
Janna was watching me as she sipped her soda. She pulled the straw from her mouth and said, “Do you believe in ghosts, Decker?”
“Ha-ha,” I said.
“No?” She grinned at me, whispered so nobody else could hear. “How about curses, then?” She took another sip of soda, then burst out laughing. “Oh my God, you should see your face right now.”
Justin leaned over to Janna and whispered, “Boo,” in her ear. She swatted him away, and then they both started laughing.
Nobody seemed to be reading the words on the field house like I was, and with Janna sitting with us at lunch, I wasn’t about to say it either.
Carson was here, and now he’s not.
Was .
Past tense.
SO WAS DECKER.
Flood. Glass. A warning.
The vice
“I’m going to assume you didn’t sign your name?”
“Sign my name? What the hell are you talking about?” Please tell me there wasn’t a camera. Please tell me security doesn’t have me on tape somewhere.
Kevin leaned against my locker and rubbed his chin with his free hand as he scanned the hallway. “Okay, yeah, we’ll find out who did it.”
“Did what?” I asked. Kevin raised his hand to Justin, who was walking toward us.
“I got nothing,” Justin said. “Where’s Janna?”
Kevin laughed. “Abandoning ship.” The warning bell rang and everyone in the hallway scattered.
“What the hell?” I said. I was going to be late. Screw it. I ran down the science wing, found an open classroom where people were still milling around, not yet in their seats. The teacher was talking to someone in the hall. I pushed past a bunch of freshmen, pressed my face to the glass window, and cupped my hands around my eyes.
I could see the words glaring back: CARSON WAS HERE.
And right below it, in letters so thick it must’ve taken an hour: SO WAS DECKER.
Kevin and Justin were pissed—they kept talking about this code of pranks or what ever, but Kevin said, “It’s clever, I’ll give him that. A prank within a prank.” And Justin nodded. “We’ll find out who did it,” Kevin assured me. Someone had seen me and called me out, that was their assumption. No big deal. They’d find out who did it. They’d get revenge. Justin narrowed his eyes as he scanned the tables in the cafeteria.
Delaney walked by our table with her bagged lunch in her hand. I hadn’t seen her in the cafeteria yesterday, but if she had the same lunch period, I guessed she’d eaten in the library. She sent a quick glance in our direction, a quick glance away. Kevin put his foot on the chair next to him and pushed it out without making eye contact, in an invitation. She paused for half a second before sitting.
Janna stopped eating. I stopped eating. We both stared at Kevin.
Delaney put down her lunch and walked toward the napkin dispenser. “What?” he said. “It’s her table, too.Always has been.” He finished the rest of his lunch in one bite and talked through his chewing. “If you want me to hate her, Decker, better give me a good reason. I didn’t break up with her. And, honestly, I have no freaking clue why you did.”
Delaney returned with a stack of napkins. “What’s up, Maxwell?” Kevin asked, eyeing the food she pulled out of her bag. “Gonna eat that whole sandwich?”
She elbowed his hand away. “Hands off, Kevin. I have math next period. I need the brain power.”
“Maxwell,” Kevin said, his chin in his hand as he assessed her. “I don’t know how to say this. You’re kind of a nerd.”
Janna slammed her hand down on the table. Everyone stopped talking. “What? There was a fly.” She bit a french fry in half. “Did you see the field house, Delaney?”
Delaney shifted in her seat and shook her head. Oh yes, she had seen the field house.
Kevin grabbed for her sandwich again. “Hey,” he said as she elbowed him again. “I played a very small, but incredibly dramatic, role in saving your life. I’d say worth at least an eighth of that sandwich.”
Janna was watching me as she sipped her soda. She pulled the straw from her mouth and said, “Do you believe in ghosts, Decker?”
“Ha-ha,” I said.
“No?” She grinned at me, whispered so nobody else could hear. “How about curses, then?” She took another sip of soda, then burst out laughing. “Oh my God, you should see your face right now.”
Justin leaned over to Janna and whispered, “Boo,” in her ear. She swatted him away, and then they both started laughing.
Nobody seemed to be reading the words on the field house like I was, and with Janna sitting with us at lunch, I wasn’t about to say it either.
Carson was here, and now he’s not.
Was .
Past tense.
SO WAS DECKER.
Flood. Glass. A warning.
The vice
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