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“I know,” Mike said, waving a hand at him dismissively. “I keep hoping.”
My eyes shot across the courtyard. Luke’s hand shot into the air, holding up three fingers as he kept score. North popped him in the back of the head, a sour frown on his face. Luke dismissed it, saying something to North.
“You don’t even know her name,” the dark haired guy said. He looked at me and held out a hand. “I’m Jer,” he said.
I sucked in a breath, unsure of how to handle this. It wasn’t like Greg, I told myself. They were trying to be nice. Maybe North was somewhat correct. The other students might have been more intimidated to approach since they hovered over me so much. I reached out to grasp Jer’s hand, shaking. “I’m Sang.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Sang?”
I nodded.
“I like her name,” Mike said. He held out a hand for me to shake. “I’m Mike.”
I smiled, rolling my eyes. I reached out to shake his hand, too. “I know.”
In a quick motion, Mike gripped my hand and tucked his shoulder into my stomach. He lifted me off the ground and held me in the air, an arm going around my waist to hold me in place.
I choked back a screech. “Hey,” I called out. “Mike, put me down.” I wriggled, trying to get off of his shoulder. My heart leapt into my throat.
He popped me on the thigh with a palm. “Don’t wriggle or I’ll drop you.” He turned slightly and started walking.
His friends were laughing. Jer chuckled. “Be careful.”
I was dizzy being upside down and disoriented. I clenched my hands and started hitting him in the back. “Mike!” I lifted part of myself until I could look up. I caught North and Silas heading over, I saw Kota standing and walking this way, too. The others were standing, appearing unsure if they should approach.
In a desperate attempt, I put a hand out in a stop motion toward them. North and Silas halted, fists clenched and glaring but obeying. If they came after me now, I knew they might end up in a fight with Mike. I had to handle this alone.
“Mike,” I cried out, trying to sound playful even though I was very embarrassed at hanging off of his shoulder. “I’m getting dizzy.”
Mike laughed. He was parading me around the courtyard with his friends walking next to him. I wondered if Mr. McCoy was watching. Would he stop and give me a detention this time? Wasn’t this inappropriate?
“Hey Mike,” someone called out. Mike turned and I was unable to see who it was. “That’s enough, dude. Come on, you’ll hurt her.”
“Aw,” Mike said. He carefully grabbed me by the waist.
“Here,” said the voice. I felt another pair of hands going around my legs and back and collecting me as Mike hefted me off of his shoulder. I tumbled into a pair of arms. My hands moved to the guy’s shoulders to balance myself. A wash of colors swept over my eyes as the blood drained from my head. When it cleared, I was looking into a pair of blue-gray eyes.
“Hi,” the guy said. He had soft brown hair cut cleanly around his ears. He was broad shouldered and had a handsome smile. While he was good looking, the way he looked at me left my insides feeling like I was still hanging upside down.
I swallowed, blushing. “Um... thank you,” I said.
He dropped the arm under my thighs, holding on to me with the other until I was on my feet. He kept his hand on my back as he stepped toward Mike. “You can’t pick up Rocky’s girl like that, okay Mike?”
“Oh I didn’t hurt her,” Mike said.
The guy -- Rocky? -- shot Mike a warning look. “Just don’t.” His voice was deep but raspy, as if he had been talking a lot lately. I had the feeling that was simply the way his voice sounded.
Mike frowned. He waved to me. “See you later, Sang.” He marched off in the other direction, heading toward the cafeteria doors. Jer and his friends followed.
“Sorry about that,” Rocky said to me after Mike and his friends left. His hand was still on my back and I was uncomfortable. I was facing the wrong way to see if the guys were coming over. “You’re okay, right?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Rocky,” someone said behind him.
Rocky let go of me and we both turned to see a tall guy behind him. His head was shaved clean and he was as broad as Silas. There was a wide scar on his left cheek and thick, dark eyebrows. Except for the scar, he reminded me of a younger Vin Diesel.
“We need to go,” he said. “Coach wants to see us.”
“Hang on, Jay,” he said. Rocky turned to me again, flicking on a smile to show clean teeth. “You’re a cheerleader right?”
I blinked at his question but shook my head, “I don’t think so.”
“You should be,” he said. “Rocky’s girl is always a cheerleader.” He smirked. “And you’re going to marry me instead of Mike?”
I didn’t know how to answer him so I didn’t. I shifted on my feet, feeling the incredible sense of aggressiveness from him, even though he’d done hardly anything to me. This was different than the playful way Mike kept asking me. Rocky’s eyes were intense. It was almost like he wasn’t asking me at all. He expected it.
“Call me,” he said. He winked at me and stepped away, following Jay through the doors.
I watched after him, knowing my mouth was open. How did he expect me to call him if I didn’t have his number? Not that I was going to, but the assuming nature ground on me. What did he mean claiming me as his girl? I blew out a slow breath, perplexed.
I turned, catching seven pairs of eyes bearing down at me from across the courtyard, each one asking a different question.
I slowly lifted my hand into the air, holding up four fingers. I blushed as I did it, turned and went back to my seat on the bench.
When I dared another glance back at the guys from over my book, none of them were laughing.
F riday F all
While walking to my next class, I overheard more whispers about the Friday Fall. It was too much to keep to myself any more. I slipped a hand into my bra while everyone around me seemed distracted and sent a quick text to Kota.
Sang: “Friday Fall.”
Kota: “What’s that?”
They haven’t heard. I felt better that I took the time to text him.
Sang: “I don’t know. But it’s bad. Other students are talking about it. It’s happening this afternoon. Second floor.”
Kota: “I’ll tell the others. Keep your head down. If you hear anything else, text me. If you see trouble, head straight to Blackbourne’s office.”
The next few classes seemed to take eons. Silas sat next to me in class instead of behind me. He seemed unwilling to move any further but minded to not talk to me at all. Victor only sat two chairs away and I felt his fire eyes on me the entire time. Dr. Green shot looks at me, too, wordlessly asking what was going on but there was no way to explain it. I felt like I had failed at keeping myself indiscreet at lunch. I couldn’t go one day without something happening.
Still, no McCoy. That was something.
Victor followed me to gym. I caught him watching and waiting at the end of the hall as I turned into the girls’ locker room. I ached to run back to him and hug him or at least tell him it wouldn’t be long and we’d hang out all weekend. His fire eyes were disturbingly subdued, and as lonely as I felt.
One more class, I kept telling myself, and we’ll all go home. I touched the phone at my bra. I dressed in the red t-shirt and the short black shorts and my tennis shoes. I tucked the phone in my bra, wondering if it’ll survive jumping jacks. I didn’t want to let it go.
Inside the gym, however, the bleachers were pulled out and there were chairs and a podium in the middle of the basketball court.
“Sit on the bleachers,” the girls’ coach, Coach French, said. She waved to the seats and turned, walking off to talk with the other coaches.
I glanced at Karen, the tall girl who had played basketball with me the day before. It felt like a million years ago. She caught my eye and slid over to sit next to m
e. My heart raced and I swallowed back my fears. I needed to make friends, I reminded myself. I had to make an effort, like Kota said.
“What’s going on?” I asked her, nodding to the podium.
Karen shrugged. “I don’t know. Looks like an assembly. I heard there were some school board members here today.”
An assembly? “Is this what the Friday Fall thing is about?” It didn’t seem like an assembly was something to dramatize and avoid.
Karen’s eyebrows lifted. “What? No. Friday Fall’s a rumor.”
“What is it, though?”
Karen shrugged, pushing her slim fingers through her brown pixie hair. “I think they push a bunch of students around until they fall over. I don’t know. I heard about it last year as a freshman but didn’t see it then either. I don’t really pay attention to that kind of stuff.”
I slid a glance over to Nathan and Gabriel. Their eyes locked on me. I didn’t know how to reach to them. It wasn’t likely they had their phones on them. Did they get word about the Friday thing?
