AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sorry. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble.
He shrugged, then reached up with his pen.
Not your fault.
Then Beamis turned around, addressing the class, and she didn’t write anything else.
But the end of the period brought an activity, fifteen minutes for them to begin work on the semester project and design an outline.
Chris started a new page, fully expecting her to want to work exclusively on the project. But she put her hand over his to stop him from writing.
It just about stopped his heart, too. He couldn’t look at her.
“What’s up?” he said.
“I really did come to apologize yesterday,” she said softly. “Hunter shouldn’t have picked a fight with you. Especially after what you—what you and your brothers did.”
He dragged his eyes up. “It’s all right. Gabriel shouldn’t have been such an ass.”
She made a face. “I shouldn’t have hit him.” She flexed her fingers. “My hand still hurts.”
Chris smiled. “Oh, no, I loved that part.”
She didn’t smile back, so he dropped his.
Awkward silence hung there long enough that he turned back to his notebook.
Then she said, “I wish I’d been the one to punch Drew.”
“Yeah?” He looked over again, his voice angry. “Me too.”
Her eyes widened and he wished he hadn’t said anything. He almost started doodling again, just to give his hands something to do.
“You know,” she said, “like four people have walked up to me in the hall to give me a high five. For hitting your brother.”
Chris snorted. “You’re probably living a dream.”
Her voice got quiet again. “I think more people heard about that than the ... the other stuff. But Vickers made me come see her during first period.”
Chris looked up again. Ms. Vickers was the guidance counselor. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. But what’s funny is that I don’t think I need her help now. I finally feel like I can handle Drew, or pretty much anything, on my own. Does that make any sense?”
He held very still, as if sudden movement would make her realize she was confiding in the wrong guy. “Yeah, Becca. It does.”
She hesitated, then gave him the smallest of smiles. “You called me Becca.”
“Sorry.” Then he mentally kicked himself. Why the hell was he apologizing for using her actual name?
“No—I was just getting used to Becky.”
Oh.
He had to be reading this wrong. But she stared up at him until he almost couldn’t stand it; he was going to have to touch her, to take her face in his hands and share that moment of breath before—
The bell rang. She snapped back, grabbing her notebook, shoving it into her bag.
He’d lost the moment. Beamis was talking; students were clambering for the doorway. Becca was gone before he could figure out what had just happened.
