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And this time, I laugh. Quietly. But, still…
He’s a mess for the rest of the class, as if the intense concentration he exerted during the twenty-minute quiz drained him of all his reserves, and he can’t sit still or focus for another second. His thumb keeps doing that tapping thing, and his knee bobs, then the other one, then both. He slumps back in his seat, tries crossing his legs, slides back up, constantly shifting, eyes continually distracted by any slight movement around him.
When the bell finally rings, he bolts out of his seat. The girl next to him, obviously a cheerleader since she’s wearing her uniform—a thing they do on game days because, well… actually, I’m not sure why—anyway, she leans right into him, palm splayed against his broad chest as she looks up to ask him something. And I use the fact that he’s distracted to make my way to the far wall, over to the doorway as quickly and stealthily as possible. I do not want anyone to see us interacting again.
Just when I think I’m going to make it out undetected.
“Caroline, hey! Wait up!”
My footsteps falter enough that he’ll know I heard him. Not that it matters anyway, because a second later he’s beside me, his large frame practically dwarfing mine as he steps aside to let me through the doorway. Then he corrals me over to the side, against the wall just outside the door.
“That cue card thing totally worked! I remembered all five points.”
“Awesome.” I give him a thin-lipped smile, scanning the hallway nervously to gauge how many people are noticing him talking to me. So far, everyone seems preoccupied with their own post-class conversations, though.
“Seriously, Caroline. You’re fucking awesome.”
I shrug. “You’re the one who did the work.”
“Please. You think I would have thought to write the main points from a stupid article on a bunch of cards? And then hide them around my dining room to remember what each one was?”
“Okay, now you’re making it sound totally weird.”
“Itwastotally weird.” He laughs. “But it worked!”
“Well, maybe wait until you get your grade back before you say that.”
Suddenly my whole left side gets a hard jolt, and a tall guy with a shaved head jostles me as he knocks into Sebastian. “Murdoch, my man! You ready for the big game?”
They do one of those guy handshake things. “You bet.” Sebastian grins, his teeth pearly white again. No trace of the red sucker from earlier.
“Right on.” The guy gives me a curious glance, then jogs off to join a large group of seniors down the hall.
Sebastian turns back to me and continues as if we weren’t interrupted. “I’m telling you, man. I totally aced that test.”
“Cool. Well, um, anyway, I should get to my next class…” I say, because I really, really don’t want anyone else approaching us when we’re together. Someone like Madison Jarvik. Or like those friends he was hanging out with who were so rude to me that evening at Helicina Cove.
Sebastian laughs. “Dude. It’s lunch.”
I swallow. “Oh, yeah. Right.”
He starts walking again, then looks back over his shoulder. “You coming?”
Now I’m the one whose eyes go wide. Is he serious right now? Does he really figure it would be totally fine for us to keep wandering the halls together? Go into the Dining Hall and, what? Sit side by side at a table with all his cool friends? Make casual conversation… chitchat. And everyone would just be totally fine with it? Suddenly start being nice to me?
I mean, it never occurred to me Sebastian Murdoch would be this nice. But it also never occurred to me he would be this clueless.
“You go ahead,” I tell him. “I have something I have to go do in the library.”
Which isn’t totally a lie. I am going to eat my lunch in the library. And I’m going to read.
He gives me a funny look. “Really?”
“Yeah. I’ll um… I’ll see you Sunday afternoon. At two o’clock,” I say. “Good luck at the game tonight.”
“Yeah, thanks. Cheer extra loud, alright?”
“Oh, uh. I’m not going to the game.”
