by Emily Bourne
I guess I can’t talk. I’m scrolling through Instagram.
My last class before lunch is science. Major bummer. Will is away visiting his dad, so I’ll be alone at my bench. My books smack against my thighs as I trudge into the lab.
“Miss Matthews.” I’m almost at my bench when Mrs Fields calls my name. I stop as she continues, “Sit at this station with Mr Kerry.” I follow her pointed finger to the empty space next to Bryce. “With Mr Maclean and Miss Hernandez away, you two can partner up.”
“Oh ok,” I squeak. My shoulders bunch up to my ears and I shuffle to his bench.
I place my books on the benchtop and climb atop the stool. From the corner of my eye I see him open his books.
Say hi, Brittany, just say hi.
My mouth must be sealed shut.
Bryce shifts on his stool and I flinch. I look over and he gives me a small closed-mouth smile. I meant to smile back.
I face front.
Did I smile?
Ugh, moron.
Mrs Fields starts class and I take the opportunity to open my books and find the best pens in my case. Anything to seem busy. I weirdly need to clear my throat. It’s so dry. How do I do it without being loud? I swallow a few times to see if it helps. Dammit. It’s worse. I start coughing. Dry, loud coughs.
“You ok?”
I nod and clear my throat like originally intended. Mortifying.
I stare at the words on the open page. Head low. Breaths shallow. Pulse racing. He is so close. So DAMN close.
Bryce Kerry.
Right there.
DAMN.
“I’m so glad your partner ditched too,” Bryce says. His fingers comb through his hair. Oh boy. “I’m no good in this class alone.”
I take in a sharp breath and search my textbook. “I don’t know how much help I will be. I’m not great at this subject.”
“I have something that might help,” he says and slides papers over my textbook. “Rikki left her notes.”
I skim over the handwritten notes. “She gave you these? She’s not usually that helpful.”
“I don’t know what to tell you.” He slides a palm under his cheek and continues, “She said she wouldn’t be in class because of a school council thing, and that I could have her notes to keep on track.”
“Yeah, she’s never that nice.” Seriously? She wants him bad. “She’s ruthless. Always looking for top spot in the class. Never helps anyone study.”
“She seems nice to me.”
I bite my lip. “Maybe she’s turning a new leaf.”
He lets out a breathy laugh. Cheeky. Handsome.
“Why is Will away?”
“He didn’t tell you?”
He shakes his head.
Should I tell? “You haven’t heard about his dad?”
“There is a lot to learn at this school. Maybe I have, but I’m getting everyone mixed up.”
“I don’t know if I should say.”
“Why? It’s bad?”
“I’m surprised he hasn’t told you. You two seem close.”
“We are. He talks a lot, but it’s hard to actually listen to it all.”
It’s huge telling someone the story of how Brad Maclean went to prison. I open my mouth, but he stops me. “Don’t tell me. If he wanted me to know, he would have said.”
“Wow. You don’t want gossip?”
“I hate being gossip. I don’t want to do that to someone else.”
“Being the new guy isn’t fun?”
I steal a glimpse of his crystal eyes. For a moment they’re sad. “Plenty of things aren’t fun.” A smile changes his expression and he taps Rikki’s notes. “You can copy these too. Maybe we can help each other understand them.”
I skim the first two bullet points. “It’s like deciphering code.”
He laughs like I’m funny. I look at him. He smiles at me like I’m funny. I’m smiling. No, I’m grinning. My hands shake. I grip a pen and focus on copying the code.
We are silent for most of class. Bryce comments on the paragraph entitled ‘what is the difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells’ asking if we were mistakenly in Greek class. He is so cute. His lips are a soft rose colour. I imagine kissing them and get woozy.
The bell sounds for lunch and I begin to pack up my stuff. I expect him to grab his gear and make a speedy getaway to mess like Will does. When I hop off my stool he is still by the bench.
He’s waiting for me?
I walk beside him out of the classroom. He smells so good. Like cinnamon and sandalwood. Throughout class I became addicted to that cologne.
“So, you’ve always lived in Sanford?” he asks as we walk through the bustle of the east wing corridor.
“All my life.”
“I was wondering if you were new. You seem different to your friends.”
My forehead bunches. I guess Meah and I are different.
“I don’t mean it in a bad way or anything.” He shifts to make eye contact and my heart thumps. “Just that Chloe and the other girls are really in-ya-face, and loud, and gossipy. You just seem less judgey, that’s all.”
I don’t mean to, but I laugh.
“What? Am I wrong?”
“I’ve never really been compared to Chloe before.”
He stops by his locker and dumps his books. He offers to take mine and in a panic move, I hug them tight and tell him no.
“I didn’t mean to offend you or anything.”
I’ve trashed this opportunity. “No way, you haven’t offended me. To be honest, I’m not really that close with Chloe.” Did I just say that? “Yet, anyways.”
“Oh ok, that makes sense. Just make sure she doesn’t change you.”
We walk into the mess and I find myself falling behind him. I’ve already changed my hairstyle, dance school, and ditched my old friends for a better table. What is left to change? No doubt he wouldn’t be talking to the last-year-version of me.
I find a seat at my usual table, when Bryce stops me and asks, “Are you getting food?”
I’ll go anywhere you go, blue eyes. “Yeah, sure.”
I line up behind him and he turns to face me. Goosebumps race down my limbs.
“You’re cold?”
My cheeks burn. His stare is intense. He’ll see something wrong with me in seconds. Mascara dots under my eyes? Uneven layer of lipgloss? “No, just a weird shiver.”
I breathe in his cologne again and my knees weaken. I should say something. I should ask him about his old school. I open my mouth but am overshadowed by…
“Hi guys!” Chloe jumps between Bryce and me. Kimberley squeezes beside Chloe.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Bryce asks the girls.
“So glad to be out of class,” Kimberley says. “Dying for a cheeseburger.”
“How was class?” Chloe asks Bryce, running her hand down the length of his arm. My stomach swirls.
“Well,” Bryce says, glancing in my direction, but Chloe cuts him off.
“You were probably just as bored as us.”
Bryce smiles at Chloe. “Biology isn’t very thrilling.”
“Well, maybe you’re doing it wrong,” Chloe says, adding a cheeky giggle.
Kimberley steps back enough times that I have to take a wide step back. Just like that, I’m far away. Basically in another galaxy.
Fidgeting, awkward and alone, I scan the mess hall for Meah.
“No, it was kinda fun. Brittany and I spent class trying to work out what Rikki’s notes were on about,” Bryce tells the girls and I spin to face them.
“Oh, hey Brittany,” Chloe says, smiling like she didn’t see me before. Kimberley glares at me like it’s the part of the movie when they throw dog food on me.
“Hi.”
We work our way through the line of cold food to hot food and take our trays to the table.
Chloe walks beside me and asks, “So, you trying out for cheerleading?”
Colour drains from my face. “Who, me?”<
br />
Chloe puffs out a laugh. “I’m lookin at ya, aren’t I?”
I put the tray down on her table because my hands are shaking. “No, right, yeah. Um, hadn’t really thought about it.”
“Well, you should.”
“Really?” I grip the seat beside her with fear I might faint.
“What’s this?” Naveen asks from across the table.
Chloe points at me and tells Naveen and Sean, “You have to see this girl dance. She’s freaking amazing.”
I bite my lip, blushing.
Naveen nods, eyeing me. “If you move like Chloe, you have to be on our cheer squad. Plus, we need more pretty things to stare at from the field.”
Naveen and Sean laugh together and now I’m sure I will faint. I can’t tell where Bryce is and I’m not sure whether I want him in on this.
Chloe pats the seat beside her. Ohmigawd. I’ve never sat faster.
“Try-outs are real soon,” Chloe continues. “You should try to work in a routine from dance class.”
“Yeah, I’ll try that.”
Someone taps my shoulder. Meah stands over me with an ear-to-ear grin.
“Meah.” There’s a sly smile on Chloe’s face. “You should try out for the cheer squad too.”
“I should?”
“Why not?” Chloe says and laughs. “The chubby girls never get in. It’d be fun to see how far you get.”
My jaw drops and I swiftly turn to Meah. Meah’s face sours and she hunches like she was punched in the gut.
Kimberley rocks on her chair and sets sights on Meah with a wicked grin. “Hey Chubba. Finished my math homework yet?”
Meah opens her mouth to respond, but she’s pushed backwards when Jace Wilson targets Chloe. They attack each other, all hands and lips. I avert my eyes, but not all the way. I’ve never been so close to Jace before. He’s an Adonis. He has this silky, toffee skin, and sexy big build, courtesy of his Fijian heritage.
“Hey, you guys get the party invite?” Madison calls out, waving her phone as she and Fiona approach the table.
Everyone starts picking up their phones, saying, “Got it.”
A phone slides in front of me. Chloe’s. And she’s smiling at me.
I check the details of the text message. “Sweet, I’ll be there.”
When Chloe sends her attention back to Jace, Meah crouches beside me to escape the firing line and for an explanation on my seating arrangement. All I can give her is a shrug and my best no-flipping-clue expression. I can’t wait until the end of school so I can gush about science. I was one-on-one with Bryce Gorgeous Kerry.
My mind floods with ‘where is Bryce.’ One giant inhale, and I search the table. He sits next to Naveen who is whispering something. Bryce nods and looks in my direction.
My eyes plummet to my food. All bravery tapped out.
Chloe’s arm brushes against me and my head spins. Am I really sitting at this table?
After school, Meah and I race to her house to find her the perfect party outfit. It didn’t take her long to fall into crisis mode. All her clothes are out of the wardrobe and in a nest on the floor.
“I have nothing to wear,” she yelps, pulling her stash from under her bed.
“Meah. Seriously?”
“What?” She pulls out the largest chocolate bar and begins unwrapping.
“Do you really need to go on a binge right now?”
“Nothing will fit, so why not?”
I reef out a black sequinned, spaghetti-strapped dress. “Wear this. This one’s cute.”
“Pa-ha.” She snatches the dress and tosses it across the room. “I look like a fat cow in it.”
“You’re not fat!”
She blows a raspberry and throws herself backwards.
“Would ya stop?” I pull her up. “You’re gonna wrinkle all your dresses.”
Meah breaks apart the candy bar. “No boys gonna get with me.”
“Sure they will.”
Meah laughs into her chocolate.
I sigh. “Give me one then, would ya.”
She tosses me something filled with caramel.
Meah shrugs. “At least we are getting invited to parties.”
I whack her arm. “Exactly.”
She stands up with a dress pressed against her in front of the mirror.
“Go with that one,” I say, nodding at the dress. “The magenta really suits you.”
END OF SAMPLE
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