The next morning it's time to go back to school. I wake up, get ready and head out the door. After school we are going to look for a dress for my eighth grade fall dance. I'm pretty excited. Sophie is taking her boyfriend Bradon so if I don't get a date I guess I can go with Amber and Haley if they don't have dates already.
When we get to school we are at least an hour early so I go to the gym. Sophie isn't here this early. I sit against the wall and check my phone. One message from an unknown number.
Guess who? I'll give you a hint, I'm awesome.
How did he get my number.
How did u get this number????
The reply comes back quickly.
My loving sister ;)
RACHELLLLL
Well r u here like @ the school??
Hey he's better company than none.
Uh huh :) where r u. I'm n the office. Listening to Mrs Hamilton talk about stair safety with my dad. I'm dying helpppppp
I might as well go get him
On my wayyyy
I head to the office. I see him sitting on the office couch and he looks so frustrated and bored it's funny.
"Hey wanna hang out?" I ask "casually" so that they won't know he was texting me telling me to come get him an that he really couldn't care less about the stairs and safety.
"Yes more than anything," he grabs his bag and walks t
torward me. He sure isn't hiding it from Mrs. Hamilton.
"Thank you I owe you one," he sighs when we leave the office.
"Yeah you do. Mrs Hamilton looked like she wanted to rip my head off for interrupting her conversation," I joke.
"What do you wanna do?" He asks.
"I dunno, let's talk," I say. I need to talk to him. I like to talk to him. I want to talk to him.
"Ok what do you wanna talk about? What's going on in your life?" He asks as we sit on the sofa in the hall.
"Um.. Well I haven't gone to my dad's in three weeks so I'm going on Friday, and let's see the eighth grade fall dance. And that's all. Well besides the play." I shrug. I try to "casually" bring up the dance....
"Ugh the play!! I forgot! Let's practice lines. You got a script?" He asks.
"Upstairs in my locker," I say.
"Let's go," he orders.
We go up the stairs and to my locker.
"Locker number four, like always," he smiles.
"What's wrong with that?" I ask.
"Nothing at all. I love that you use my number. I like knowing I matter to someone," he whispers. Ugh stop talking! Your making this feeling in my stomach worse!
"Well that's good," I open my lock and grab my script. We sit down against the lockers.
"So the opening song you have lines, in 'fathoms below'."
"Ok," he says. We flip to the page where he speaks.
"Isn't this perfection, Grimsby? Out on the open sea surrounded by nothing but water and imagination," he recites.
I recite Grimsbys lines for him. And then I sing my Ahhh ahhh part. Then we look through the next few page of lines. And then we get to the part where Ariel and Eric are supposed to kiss the end. There is an awkward silence and we don't know what do to.
"Um.. let's just go over lines right now," I say.
"Yeah we have all semester to get that down," he says.
We go over some lines again and then I notice how close he is to me. His side against mine. His body heat radiates of me. Keeping me warm in the dim light hallway.
"We should probably get downstairs now" I suggest.
"Ugh I don't want to," he grunts.
"Why not?" I ask.
"Because," he answers
"You have a point there," I say sarcastically.
"You're right," he admits," Lets go." He sounds disappointed.
"We don't have to but we have gone over all these lines a few times and we have practice today anyway." I explain.
"It's not about the lines it's about the moment. Sometime You realize that you will only have this moment once before it becomes a memory. So you have to cherish it," he says.
"Wow that was deep," I joke.
"Hey, Star?" he asks after a while.
"Uh huh?"
"Why do you still hang with me if I'm such a jerk?" He asks.
"Because, it's worth it," I say. We sit there in silence for a minute. I realize it's nearly time for kids and teachers to start getting here.
"I'm afraid it's time for this to become a memory," say. I start to sit up.
"Yeah we better go, plus Jasmine wanted to see me before school started," he says. I shouldn't be surprised. Jasmine. I don't even know who she is.
"Yeah don't wanna keep her waiting," I say. I shouldn't care. He's a jerk. I mean nothing to him. I should stay away. I should just forget about it and stop getting surprised when he dates other girls. Why does he matter to me?
"Sky," he says. I run down the stairs and go into the gym. Sophie is there and she sees the look on my face.
"What did he do this time?" She asks. She pulls me into an embrace.
"Let's just go before he follows me." I say. We sneak into the girls bathroom.
I run a hand through my hair.
"Who the freaking crap is Jasmine?" I say angrily.
"New student, our grade, she's in my math class. She has black hair I think she's part Asian. Why is he with her?" Sophie says.
"Yeah, I had no idea who she was. She nice?" I ask.
"I guess. A little quiet so far," sophie shrugs," are you ok?"
"No but I will be," and then we go to the gym and he isn't there luckily.
So we sit down and she talks about Bradon and I listen. I listen to how sweet and thoughtful he is and wonder why i can't love someone like him.
