I sigh and rest my chin in my hand. “This is going to be a long two months if all you want to do is talk about school work,” I say.
“What else would you suggest we talk about?” This is the first hint of friendliness he’s had since we started the tutoring session.
“Tell me your favorite color.”
He grins, then looks back at the paper. “Get an A on your next test and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
Chapter 9
Thunder cracks outside, sending aboomdown the art hallway on Thursday. Yesterday was overcast and humid, which made it horrible walking home from school. Today, our crazy Texas weather decided to really give us the finger. It’s been thunderstorming outside since first period began.
Luckily, April and I made it to school before it started raining. Nothing sucks more than being stuck sitting in class with soaked clothes. It’s happened twice since I started high school, which isn’t bad considering how many times I’ve walked to school. The junior high is only a block away from my house, so walking there was a lot easier. If it was raining, I’d just wait five minutes until it stopped and then run to school.
April turns the corner from the main hallway. She also has art for sixth period, but she’s in ceramics class and I’m in painting. She’s got her nose stuck in a paperback book, so she doesn’t realize when she’s about to knock right into me.
“Uh, excuse you,” I say rudely—but in a playful rude voice. She must not realize who I am because she startles and looks up, her eyes big like she might pass out from fear of colliding with a senior. Then she recognizes me and her shoulders relax.
“Sorry,” she says, shoving her bookmark back in her book. “This rain better let up before school is over.”
I groan. “If it’s not, we’re just gonna sit inside until it stops. I can’t stand the idea of getting soaked on our walk home.”
“Hey there.”
April and I turn to see who just joined our little group in the hallway. I nearly crap myself when I see Caleb Brown approaching, that one-dimpled grin on his face. It’s been two days since he stopped us on the road before school, and I haven’t seen him since.
“See you later,” April says, slipping past me. She is so weirded out by guys, the poor thing. I can’t even tell her bye because she leaves so quickly.
I swallow my nerves, but it doesn’t help at all. “Hi, Caleb.”
He’s wearing dark skinny jeans and a black shirt underneath his letterman jacket. It’s not even that cold outside today, but he looks good, so who am I to complain?
“It’s really pouring out there,” he says, giving a quick glance over his shoulder to the set of glass doors at the end of the hallway. The sky has turned an angry gray, and the rain is so thick you can barely see the football field outside.
“Yeah, it sucks because rain always makes me want to fall asleep in class.”
He chuckles, then leans forward, his head lowering just inches away from mine. “So take a nap.”
I stiffen. He smells a little like cologne, but also like something leathery, like he’s just left a car wash. “I wish,” I say, trying to sound sarcastic, but the truth is so real it makes my stomach hurt. “I can’t goof off in class anymore. My grades suck.”
“Nah, I don’t believe that,” he says, standing back to his full height. “You look smart.”
I resist the urge to tell him how terribly wrong he is. I have no idea why Caleb Brown is talking to me in the hallway, but I’d like to keep it going as long as possible. “So what class do you have next?” I ask.
“Athletics,” he says. “So, Natalie…”
The way he says my name sounds like he’s been thinking it over for a while. Now that he’s clearly about to ask me something, all the sounds in the hallway fade away until it’s just me and Caleb standing here face to face. I know it’s too early to expect him to ask me on a date but…what if he does?
“Yes?” I say, my voice barely a whisper.
“Since it’s monsoon season outside, I figured I could give you a ride home today.”
Oh. My shoulders fall. So that’s all he’s asking. Of course, it’s better than nothing. But I can’t leave April to walk home in the rain and she most likely won’t want to ride with him either. I’m about to tell him that when Jonah Garza interrupts the conversation.
“Hey, Natalie,” he says, flashing me a nervous smile. He’s holding a ceramic vase in one hand and a stack of papers in the other. I’d been so caught up in staring at Caleb’s gorgeous cheekbones, that I hadn’t even noticed Jonah walk by. “We still on for today?”
All of the excitement I’d had just seconds ago bursts into flames in my mind. Dammit. I have tutoring today. How could I have forgotten that?
“We’re still on,” I say, trying not to heave the world’s largest sigh.
