AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gabriel shook his head. “Nick my brother he’s tried. It’s a waste of time.”
“So you’re just going to keep switching?” She frowned up at him. “Ms. Anderson isn’t an idiot like Riley. I think she’ll catch on.”
“No one has caught on for four years,” he said, brushing past her to get his backpack. His feet crunched on broken glass. “I’m a senior. People like to look the other way. “
“I’d still like to try. Maybe at lunch ”
“We don’t have lunch at the same time.”
“Oh,” she said, thrown. Then she seemed to realize he was brushing her off. “Okay. Sorry. Forget it.” She turned away.
Gabriel sighed. “Wait.”
His free period was right after lunch. It was supposed to be for study hall, but they weren’t required to study. Most kids went to the library or the computer center; he usually went to the weight room.
Why was he even considering this?
Because he hated hearing Hulster heckle him.
Even more, he hated that Hulster was right.
“I do have a free period,” he said. “Fifth period. Your lunch hour, right?”
Layne looked up at him. “Meet you in the library?”
He hefted his backpack onto his shoulder. “Can’t wait.”
Gabriel broke off half a protein bar inside his backpack.
They weren’t allowed to eat in here, but he was bored and Layne hadn’t shown up yet.
Some kids at the next table glared at him, and he glared back.
He checked the time on his phone. Her lunch period had started ten minutes ago.
Maybe she was grabbing a quick bite to eat.
He fidgeted and ate the second half of his protein bar.
Now she was fifteen minutes late. The period was only forty-five minutes long.
Gabriel slammed his trig book back into his backpack. He was being stood up for a study date? To study something he hated?
Maybe this had been a joke. Like Hulster’s heckling, only meaner.
He imagined Taylor’s voice. OMG, you really thought I would help an idiot like you?
But Layne wasn’t anything like Taylor. She wouldn’t do that.
Would she?
He should have gone to the gym.
He still had time. He even had to walk down the freshman/sophomore wing to get there, so if he passed Layne in the hall, he could brush her off and make it seem like he was the one ditching her.
The halls in this half of the school were empty. He could hear some sort of squeaking or scuffling up around the next corner, and he hoped two kids weren’t trying to get it on right in the middle of the hallway.
No, but he found Layne. And three boys. Half her hair had come loose from the braid, and her face was red and tear streaked. The shortest of the boys stood by her side, also red-faced, but with fury, not tears.
