Almost Perfect // l.s

chapter seven

By Wednesday, our frogs were nothing more than skeletons and scraps; sad carcasses of use to no one but the sausage factory. Last cuts tomorrow, test Monday.

For the first time since the lab began, Niall wasn't in charge of surgery. He was having some kind of stomach problem and spent most of the hour slumped on his chair.

"How often does this happen?" whispered Louis as we filled out our lab report.

I watched as Niall dropped two tabs of Alka-Seltzer into his Coke. "Less often than you'd think. He must have accidentally eaten a vegetable."

Louis got up to return the animal to the lab fridge. Niall focused his bleary eyes on me.

"I shouldn't have come to school."

"Don't I tell you that every day?"

Niall give me a thin smile and looked over at Louis. "So what's going on with you two?"

"I told you, nothing. Just friends."

Niall hauled himself to a semiupright position. "How convenient."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"I think you're afraid. It just occurred to me, you haven't asked a girl out since you were fifteen."

I glanced over at Louis who was still waiting in line to store the frog. She saw me looking and gave me a wave and a smile.

I turned back to Niall. "Big talk, coming from you. You've never had a date."

I instantly regretted bringing that up. But he didn't look offended.

"I may just surprise you one of these days, Harry."

Louis sat down in her chair. Then, without warning, she swung her short legs and flopped them onto my lap. She grinned at me defiantly. Niall, who was now clutching his stomach and sweating, still managed to look at me smugly.

Louis' pants had scrunched up a bit, leaving her pale shins uncovered on my lap. Without thinking I laid my hand on her bare skin. She didn't object. She also didn't seem to mind when I rubbed my palm down her bladelike shin and tickled her ankle. In fact, she closed her eyes and wrinkled her nose in what I hoped was an expression of pleasure. As Mr. Elmer reviewed what we'd covered in the lab, Louis kicked her shoes off. I began to massage her toes.

I felt strangely guilty, like I was giving a foot rub to a friend's girlfriend. Louis had told me she wanted me as a friend. Her sister warned me off. If I was ready to start dating again, I shouldn't waste time hitting on a girl with all these issues.

And yet, here I was, kneading her feet and probably enjoying it more than she was. Maybe later, she'd like a shoulder rub. Or a back rub. Or a front rub.

I knew I needed to stop. In spite of his dysentery attack, Niall was watching us. After the cookies the other day, Niall was convinced that Louis wanted me for a boyfriend. He'd think I was lying if I tried to tell him otherwise.

Was it really time to stop pursuing Louis? What had Mom said the other night about missed opportunities? Something told me that if I gave up on Louis, I'd end up regretting it.

When Mr. Elmer finished his review, I removed my hands from Louis' foot. She shot me a fake scowl.

"Uh, Louis," I began. "We're all going to the basketball game Friday. Want to join us?"

There. Friends go to sports events together. There's nothing wrong with my asking.

She tilted her head and scratched her chin as if she was contemplating the mysteries of the universe. "Sure!" she said after a minute. "I think I can get out. I'll meet you there."