Carter.

2.

After a good 5 minutes my classmates finally stop sneaking glances at me. Ms. Black is talking about something, but I can't stop thinking about what just happened.

THE popular boy talked to me, apologized, stood up for me, then got me detention?

I now have after school detention until 5. Fuck. That will be cutting it close to be home and ready by 6. I have to find Emma and tell her. I don't have a cell phone, Emma does. But I don't have a need for one and my mother doesn't have money for three cell phones. Well, more like she doesn't want to waste her money on me. It was a struggle to convince her to let Emma keep hers.

I hate to be the center of attention. I can't be the center of attention. Grayson looked at me at least three times by the end of class. It's like I have "stare at me" written on my forehead.

Class is finally over and its lunch now. I didn't pay any attention which will mess up my system of staying ahead in class. I normally eat my lunch in the bleachers outside, no one is ever there. But I need to find Emma. Our school is small, so everyone has lunch at the same time. But I know Emma sits at the "popular table".

I walk into the lunch room and look for her. The lunch room is overcrowded and I already hate being in here. I just need to find Emma and tell her to wait for me in the library. I don't want her going home alone, my mother might try to take her if she thinks I'm not coming home.

I look around the circular lunch room and finally spot her. She is sitting at the biggest circle table with all the populars from every grade. Great.

I just need her to see me and follow me. She doesn't look at me so I approach the table. I'm about to tap her shoulder when Grayson shouts my name.

"Carter! I've been looking for you!" He booms from around the table. He stands up, fuck. Emma looks back at me in confusion.

"Emma, I need to talk to you real fast." I say as soon as she looks at me. She stands up, Grayson is rounding the table as I walk away. I'll just meet her in the hallway.

I try to basically run from Grayson. I don't want to talk to him. I don't want to talk to anyone, well besides Em.

"Carter, wait up!" His legs are twice the length of mine so he quickly catches up. Fuck me.

Luckily, I make it to the lunchroom door and push it open as he reaches me. I don't need to be a spectacle.

"Were you running away from me?" He asks as soon as the door closes and we are met with the silence of the hall.

"Nope. I just needed to talk to Em." Where is she? She can't be too far behind us.

"Oh well, I wanted to talk to you." He scrunches his eyebrows together.

"About?" My stomach is growling pretty loud at this point. Hurry up Emma!

"I wanted to apologize for getting you detention. I was just mesmerized by your eyes I couldn't not learn your name." Was that flirting???

I snort. "Okay, yeah sure." Come on, Emma.

"That was pretty bad, huh?" He rubs the back of neck.

"Not the best pickup line I've heard." I jab.

"Who said it was a pickup line?" Grayson shoots back.

"It's even sadder if it wasn't." I shrug. I'm going to kill Emma and her short legs.

Grayson opens his mouth to say something else but Emma walks through the door finally.

"Well, this has been oh so wonderful but I've got to talk to my sister now." I say grabbing Emma's hand, dragging her away. Emma starts to say something to him but I pull her too fast.