Paper Walls (Excerpt)

Chapter Two

The green was a sprawling stretch of grass directly behind the science building. The last traces of day had faded into the black sky as friends and couples spread out along the hill. A projector flickered to life, casting a large square of light onto the backside of the white building, and the movie began. It was the 1989 classic, Say Anything..., starring John Cusack.

"Oh man, no way," Wesley said, his face animated by his approval. He removed his cardigan and laid it out in the grass.

He motioned for Leighton to sit, and she obliged, smoothing out her dress and carefully tucking her feet beneath her. Wesley sat in the grass beside her.

"This is one of my favorite films of all time," he whispered. "Have you seen this one?"

"No, I haven't," Leighton answered.

"What? How have I allowed this for so long? It's so good. You're going to love it." He leaned back onto his hands and crossed his ankles out in front of him.

Leighton shifted her attention to the movie, but she couldn't silence her mind. "Thank you for rescuing me, by the way. You didn't have to do that." Wesley smiled at her. "You don't have to thank me."

"Well, you could've brought a real date instead. I'm sure there are a lot of other girls you would've enjoyed being here with."

He cast his eyes to the ground and began picking at a blade of grass. "Who says I'm interested in any of those other girls?"

Leighton shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well, for the record, I enjoy being here with you."

"Okay, good." She crossed her arms tightly over her chest as the early September breeze blew between them.

"Are you cold?" Wesley asked.

"Yeah, a little."

"I'd offer you my sweater, but you're sitting on it," he said with a chuckle.

He scooted closer and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his warmth. Leighton decided not to resist, and leaned into him. It was a foreign thing to be this close to Wesley in more than a friendly hug, to feel his body against her, to inhale his scent, to feel the rise and fall of his breaths. In all their years as friends, she'd never experienced him this way. But she found it surprisingly...pleasant?

Leighton glanced across the green and caught sight of Quinn, who had apparently joined in on the movie with Marcus.

"What are you doing?" Quinn mouthed to her.

"Quinn is here. And she's looking at us," Leighton said to Wesley, amused.

"Oh, is she?"

"Yup."

"She thinks this is weird?"

"Uh-huh."

"Okay." Wesley slid his arm tighter around Leighton's shoulders and guided her head to his chest. His heart beat rapidly beneath her ear as he stroked her arm with his fingertips. "Then she prob- ably thinks it's really weird now."

Leighton let out a nonchalant chuckle, but her thoughts ran wild. It should have been really weird to be wrapped in Wesley's arms, so close to him. So why wasn't it? This was the boy she grew up with, the boy who'd always been the brother she never had. Leighton pulled away from him.

"You okay?" Wesley asked.
"Yeah, I think I just need some water."
He stood and helped her to her feet before

shaking out his cardigan and draping it around her shoulders. They made their way across the green to the bonfire, Wesley's hand on Leighton's back to guide her over the uneven terrain. He reached into a large metal tub of melting ice and fished out a bottle of water for her.