Mer Tales 01 - Everblue by Brenda Pandos

too.

13
ASH

    I sat in English, heart pounding as I slyly watched each person walk through the doorway, anticipating Callahan’s entrance. Georgia entered with a grin, looking like the top of her head was going to zip right off, and plopped in the chair in front of me.
    “ Where is he?” she whispered, gawking at his empty seat.
    “ How would I know and stop being so obvious.” I ran my hand through my bangs, trying to keep cool as I inconspicuously hid my searching eyes behind my wrist.
    Then he walked in. A moment passed before his spine-tingling gaze landed on mine and held it. My breath froze. The warmth behind his mouth-watering chocolaty eyes made my stomach do cartwheels.
    He mouthed a “Hi”. I evaporated into nothingness for a quick minute before I whispered one back. He kept a flirtatious eye on me as he sauntered over to his chair, a beautiful smile upon his tantalizing lips. I rested my chin inside the palm of my hand to hide my enjoyment of our silent interaction.
    “ Oh. My. Gosh,” Georgia mumbled.
    I hit her with my book and turned to watch Mrs. Keifer get up from her desk to begin the discussion on The Scarlet Letter . Callahan’s golden smile continued to skip rope across my heart, breaking all my concentration and taking over my thoughts.
    I did listen somewhat about Hester Prynne’s unwillingness to divulge the identity of her baby’s father, as I watched Callahan joke with Evan through the curtain of my hair. Inside, my excitement and anxiety grew, wondering if I’d still be able to find a dress in time. Could this really be happening?
    Behind me, harsh whispers interrupted my dream world. I nonchalantly glanced back to see the source, meeting Brooke’s glare head on, then gulped and turned away. She knows.
    “ Who’d you tell?” I wrote on a paper and passed it to Georgia.
    “ No one, yet. Why?”
    “ Brooke is staring at me.”
    She smirked. “Let her.”
    Georgia was thrilled I’d been elevated above the pecking order, unaware of the cold front blasting me from behind. My heart beat hard thinking about what Brooke might do to me later—a sundry of options playing through my head. Luckily girls didn’t throw girls into dumpsters like boys did.
    When the bell rang, I was the first one out of the classroom, unprepared to talk to anyone face-to-face yet. With a mad dash, I plunged through the double doors and sloshed through the soupy slush to the History modular across campus. Neither Callahan nor Brooke were in this class, which would give me enough time to figure out what to say once I did get the chance.
    “ Wait up,” Georgia called behind me, out of breath. “What’s with you?”
    She grabbed my arm to slow me down.
    “ I’m not sure I want to go with Callahan after all.”
    “ What?! Are you insane?” Georgia’s shrieking voice made me want to put my hand over her mouth.
    “ Shhh, geez. I’m just confused why he wants to take me. Brooke’s friends are going to kick my ass for ruining Brooke’s life, you know?”
    “ Forget them. She’s all bark, no bite. Besides, they fight all the freaking time over everything. It’s a good thing for both of them,” Georgia said with raised eyebrows.
    “ But still—” I took a deep breath. Icy air stung my nostrils. “They’ll find a way to punish me. I know it.”
    Georgia put her hand on my shoulder. “He likes you. Just accept it. And have fun. You deserve this.”
    I want to.
    We stepped inside the warm classroom and I appreciated the time to think. But lunch came quicker than I wanted and the new blanket of snow made the outside picnic benches a no-go. I surfed into the cafeteria amongst the sea of bodies looking for shelter. I didn’t intend to avoid Callahan for as long as I had, but at this point—shy or not—I needed to get over my insecurities and talk to him in person. Worried his presence would make me a bumbling mess, I quickly ate my turkey sandwich.
    “ Nervous?” Georgia asked, while chewing on her