doing so because he’d seen me talking to another guy? Scared about why he was approaching me in the first place?
“ Nellie, I was just wondering if we could meet after school. And work on our Sociology paper," he said, staring at me with his intense green eyes.
“ Um, yeah. Sure," I stuttered, unsure of what to do.
“ Because I’d really like to talk. About our paper. You know? I think it’s important if we…uh, talk about the paper," he stuttered, and I nodded. It was kind of unnerving to see Channing acting so nervously, when he was usually so reserved. Especially about a non-existent paper.
“ We can talk about the paper," I said, and gave him a hesitant smile. “ You got my message about it, right?”
“ Yeah, I got your message. And that’s why I want to talk. About it. The paper. OK. So, I’ll see you later”. He nodded at all of my friends and walked away.
“What was that about?" asked Emanuela, her eyes wide with curiosity.
“ Did you not hear?" Ro said, coming to my rescue. “ They have a paper they’re working on”.
“ He seemed kind of nervous," Ana Beatriz commented, watching Channing as he exited the cafeteria.
“ Probably not used to coming over to the Cove side of the cafeteria," Ro said, with a snort.
“ Does he still go out with red headed girl? Samantha St. John?”, Emanuela asked no one in particular.
“ I think so," I replied, looking down at the tray I still had in my hands.
“ Funny he didn’t even bother to go and talk to her. She has the same lunch period as we do," Emanuela said, and she looked around the cafeteria. “ See? There she is”.
I glanced over to where Emanuela was staring. I’d temporarily forgotten Samantha had the same lunch hour as I did. It was during lunch break that I managed to watch her, and take inventory of how her makeup looked and what she was wearing.
I felt my heart sink to my knees when I realized Samantha was staring back at me as well. I could tell by the expression on her face she’d seen Channing talking to me. I looked away, but there was no mistaking the hostility coming from her, even though she was sitting all the way across the cafeteria.
I could guess what she was thinking. Why was her guy talking to a Cove girl, and why hadn’t he bothered to say hello to her?
Chapter 4
I couldn’t get out of the cafeteria fast enough after I noticed Samantha St. John glaring at me. It probably would have been better if I’d stayed at the lunch table with my friends, and acted as if Channing’s surprise visit meant nothing. Running out of the lunchroom most likely made her suspicious, but I don’t handle pressure very well. At that moment, I just wanted to be far away from Samantha, and even further away from my curious friends.
There was still thirty minutes left to my lunch hour, still enough time to go to the nurse's office. I could feel a tension headache coming on. So I excused myself from my friends and hurried out of the lunchroom.
Ro followed me out of the cafeteria, and grabbed me by the arm.
“ Nellie! What the heck was about?" she asked me, incredulously.
“ What?" I asked, even though I knew she meant Channing.
“ Your guy!" she whispered. “ How could he just walk up to our table like that, acting like a complete weirdo?”
“ I guess he was really bothered by Joaquim," I said. “ I told you, Joaquim was leaning over me like he was my man or something”.
“ Well, Emanuela and Ana couldn’t stop talking about it. Trust it’ll be all over school by the end of the day”. Ro sighed.
“ What can they say? Chan wanted to work on a paper for a class we have together? What’s so crazy about that?”
“ Hello, you two aren’t the only ones in Sociology class. I’m in it too, remember? And so are a bunch of other kids. We don’t have a paper due!" Ro pointed out.
I groaned, and rubbed my temples. “ Ro. I feel a major headache coming on. I hope the nurse has some pain medicine”.
“
“ Nellie, I was just wondering if we could meet after school. And work on our Sociology paper," he said, staring at me with his intense green eyes.
“ Um, yeah. Sure," I stuttered, unsure of what to do.
“ Because I’d really like to talk. About our paper. You know? I think it’s important if we…uh, talk about the paper," he stuttered, and I nodded. It was kind of unnerving to see Channing acting so nervously, when he was usually so reserved. Especially about a non-existent paper.
“ We can talk about the paper," I said, and gave him a hesitant smile. “ You got my message about it, right?”
“ Yeah, I got your message. And that’s why I want to talk. About it. The paper. OK. So, I’ll see you later”. He nodded at all of my friends and walked away.
“What was that about?" asked Emanuela, her eyes wide with curiosity.
“ Did you not hear?" Ro said, coming to my rescue. “ They have a paper they’re working on”.
“ He seemed kind of nervous," Ana Beatriz commented, watching Channing as he exited the cafeteria.
“ Probably not used to coming over to the Cove side of the cafeteria," Ro said, with a snort.
“ Does he still go out with red headed girl? Samantha St. John?”, Emanuela asked no one in particular.
“ I think so," I replied, looking down at the tray I still had in my hands.
“ Funny he didn’t even bother to go and talk to her. She has the same lunch period as we do," Emanuela said, and she looked around the cafeteria. “ See? There she is”.
I glanced over to where Emanuela was staring. I’d temporarily forgotten Samantha had the same lunch hour as I did. It was during lunch break that I managed to watch her, and take inventory of how her makeup looked and what she was wearing.
I felt my heart sink to my knees when I realized Samantha was staring back at me as well. I could tell by the expression on her face she’d seen Channing talking to me. I looked away, but there was no mistaking the hostility coming from her, even though she was sitting all the way across the cafeteria.
I could guess what she was thinking. Why was her guy talking to a Cove girl, and why hadn’t he bothered to say hello to her?
Chapter 4
I couldn’t get out of the cafeteria fast enough after I noticed Samantha St. John glaring at me. It probably would have been better if I’d stayed at the lunch table with my friends, and acted as if Channing’s surprise visit meant nothing. Running out of the lunchroom most likely made her suspicious, but I don’t handle pressure very well. At that moment, I just wanted to be far away from Samantha, and even further away from my curious friends.
There was still thirty minutes left to my lunch hour, still enough time to go to the nurse's office. I could feel a tension headache coming on. So I excused myself from my friends and hurried out of the lunchroom.
Ro followed me out of the cafeteria, and grabbed me by the arm.
“ Nellie! What the heck was about?" she asked me, incredulously.
“ What?" I asked, even though I knew she meant Channing.
“ Your guy!" she whispered. “ How could he just walk up to our table like that, acting like a complete weirdo?”
“ I guess he was really bothered by Joaquim," I said. “ I told you, Joaquim was leaning over me like he was my man or something”.
“ Well, Emanuela and Ana couldn’t stop talking about it. Trust it’ll be all over school by the end of the day”. Ro sighed.
“ What can they say? Chan wanted to work on a paper for a class we have together? What’s so crazy about that?”
“ Hello, you two aren’t the only ones in Sociology class. I’m in it too, remember? And so are a bunch of other kids. We don’t have a paper due!" Ro pointed out.
I groaned, and rubbed my temples. “ Ro. I feel a major headache coming on. I hope the nurse has some pain medicine”.
“
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