In Search of Tomorrow ✓

Fifteen

When I walked into English class on Thursday morning, the first thing I did was stride over to Ms. Fuller's desk and hand her my neatly organized packet with my Great Gatsby essay. Ms. Fuller raised her eyebrows in surprise, a common reaction I was beginning to get used to when my teachers noticed my increased effort, but made no comment. She just gave me a small smile and placed my essay face-down in the thick stack with all of the others.

"All right!" she called out once a girl with long black hair-Alex, I thought-handed her essay in and then retreated to her seat, "Since we've finished with The Great Gatsby, we're going to spend today talking about our next book."

I crossed my ankles underneath my desk so that I didn't jiggle my legs with impatience and waited. After Cameron had carefully edited my Great Gatsby essay during tutoring the previous night, he had read aloud my English syllabus, which stated that we'd be starting on To Kill a Mockingbird next.

It was hard not to smile as I remembered how he had gone on about the book for what felt like hours, grinning as he told me just how much I'd enjoy it and just how amazing it was. I pulled out my copy and flipped to chapter two-I'd already read the first chapter before going to bed the previous night.

"For now, your only homework is to read the book," said Ms. Fuller, tucking a piece of her shoulder-length brown hair behind one ear. "That's due in one week. After that, we'll start discussing projects and assignments."

We spent the rest of the period working on going through our portfolios and reading essays we had written earlier in the year to see how we had improved. I noticed that my folder was about three times as thin as everyone else's.

Half an hour later, Ms. Fuller dismissed the class. I hurried to pack up my things and was one of the first out the door, pulling my hair out from under my backpack straps and around my shoulder as I walked.

When I reached my locker, I quickly unlocked it and tossed my books inside, then began figuring out what I'd need for homework that night. I was just contemplating whether or not to take home my obnoxiously heavy pre-calc textbook when I knew Cameron was practically a textbook himself, when someone grabbed my arm and whirled me around.

"Hello, Evelyn," said Cameron. He was holding a single red rose in one hand and was smiling his most cheekily adorable grin.

"Hello, Cameron," I replied in similar fashion, clutching my math textbook giddily in my arms. "Who's the lucky girl getting the rose?"

Cameron extended the flower with an air of a king knighting someone, declaring with a straight face, "There is no girl finer than you and thus no girl more worthy of receiving this token."

I took the rose, wrinkling my nose. "What were you trying to quote from? Is that an early lesson on what I have to expect in To Kill a Mockingbird or something?" Still, I couldn't help smiling as I felt the soft petals on the rose and inhaled deeply.

"To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the 1930's," explained Cameron as I set down my math textbook and tried to hold the rose delicately in one hand while packing my backpack with the other. "I was going more for the King Arthur style."

"I wasn't able to tell."

Cameron scratched the tip of his nose, frowning. "Clearly not."

Tossing my pencil bag and Spanish textbook in my backpack, I said sweetly, "It's okay. I forgive you. And thank you for the rose, by the way."