How I Fall by Anne Eliot Page A

and we had to live one thousand years right here, I actually think I might be okay with it.
    But time doesn’t stop.
    It never does, not for me.
    Instead, Laura startles me out of my dream-state when she shifts down into the aisle to try to work the embedded snow and icy slush out of my frozen-stiff jeans! Unfortunately, her dedication is flinging glitter-coated ice bits all over the bus. Her antics are causing the giggling to start up all over again.
    I liked her much better frozen in time.
    I try to pull my bad leg away from her. For once it responds by bending at the knee how I want. “Laura. Please. Stop. It’s not going to make a difference,” I whisper.
    “You’re probably right.” She gives up and slinks back into her seat. Her big blue eyes look so dejected as she whispers, “I just wish I could fix it. Make it up to you somehow, my poor, wee-Thumbelina…”
    I grit my teeth to stop the last of the chattering and answer her in my lowest, most threatening voice. “Call me that again, Luna Lovegood , and as soon as I can make fists out of my frozen hands, you and I will have to throw down a few.”
    “Aww. That’s my lassie.” Laura beams and a small chuckle escapes out of Cam as Laura goes on, “Do you know how cute you are all bundled up and acting sassy even though you’re wetter than the lone dolphin that hangs out in Dingle Bay? Have you heard of either one? Amazing place county Kerry and the Dolphin’s called Fungie!”
    I shake my head and bite back a reluctant smile. “You are so lucky you have that adorable accent and words like dolphin and Dingle saving your life right now.”
    Cam laughs louder and says, “Right? I have no idea what you’re blabbing on about but it is charming. Not going to lie.”
    Laura wrinkles up her small, ginger-freckled nose in a way that makes all thoughts of killing her go instantly away because she’s beaming at both of us again. “You both seem to already get me, and we’ve only just become friends!” She grins over at Cam. “Obvious this is all fate, yeah?”
    “Again. I think my point is that I don’t get you. But yeah…fate is cool, I suppose.”
    I look up in time to catch him nodding over at Laura like he’s somehow in some sort of secret conspiracy with her now.
    “What does any of this have to do with fate ?” I challenge. “Please explain.”
    “Well…” Laura blinks. “Luna’s my favorite character and you knew that already, so what do you think that might be then, if it’s not fate?”
    “But anyone could guess you’d be into Luna just looking at you.” I roll my eyes. “This is not fate. Cam…d-do-do you believe in it, really?”
    “I don’t know what I believe right now,” he answers, smoothing the sleeves of his jacket to lie flat around my neck like a scarf. “But…she could be on to something because…here we are, right? And we weren’t here ever before and so…I don’t know. Maybe. Fate.”
    I shake my head. “You’re both nuts.”
    I feel him slightly relax next to me and I think it’s because I’m not shivering so hard anymore. He keeps tilting his face to the side to check on me, all while tightening his arms around me every time the bus turns or speeds up so I don’t wobble. That, plus the constant on-off eye contact is making it really hard to maintain a straight face. It’s also causing my stomach to flip each time. So much so, that I’m getting dizzy.
    But this is mostly because I’ve just solved the eye color game—and for good this time!
    Cam’s eyes aren’t solid gray at all! His irises are ringed with this thick line of navy blue. It creates this perfect contrast between the light, almost white-gray around his pupils, not to mention the contrast against the whites of his eyes. That’s what makes them pop out of his head like he just fell out of the Teen Wolf makeup trailer wearing glowing contacts!
    Dark. Flipping. Navy-who-knew— blue ! Gorgeous.
    *Stares. Makes navy blue her new favorite