excitement he felt. It was not working.
Jennifer laughed. She placed both her hands on his shirt. "Alright, but you're driving." She released her grip and left the room.
Am I in the right dimension?
It only took a few minutes for them to get to school. When they arrived in Dhiraj's parking space, he clicked the unlock button. Jennifer immediately countered by locking the doors with the button on her side. She leaned over, and Dhiraj could feel her breath blowing into his ear.
Dhiraj felt ecstasy and anxiety in equal measure. When he tried to speak, the words lodged themselves in his throat.
"Thanks for the ride." Jennifer kissed him on the cheek. For some reason, his mind went back to several months earlier when Erica had done exactly the same thing.
He remained frozen.
Say something!
"You're welcome." Dhiraj tried to keep still and calm.
"Why do you still like me, Dhiraj?"
Dhiraj wasn't sure he got the gist of the question right away. He'd been trying to face forward, but one look to the side put him two inches from Jennifer's eyes.
"I've... I've always liked the kind of person you are. Beautiful inside and out."
Jennifer remained there for a moment, fixed on Dhiraj's eyes. Then she sat back in her seat.
"I'm not sure who I am inside anymore."
As Jennifer relaxed into the passenger side, Dhiraj recognized the familiar posture and tone of voice he'd admired for nearly half a decade. He let out a long breath and rotated to face her.
"Even if you don't know, I know who you are. And that person is amazing."
She turned toward him and forced a smile before unlocking the car doors. She grabbed her backpack, pulled the handle and began walking to the school.
Dhiraj let a minute of silence pass.
Would she have let me kiss her?
By the time Dhiraj had pulled himself together, he was already a few minutes late for homeroom. The hallways were empty, aside from a few stragglers, and his sneakers echoed against the hard floors. When he stepped into the bathroom to prepare his reasoning for the principal's office, he didn't notice three guys slip in behind him all at once. Dhiraj reached down into the sink to splash some water on his face. When he looked back up into the mirror, the three upperclassmen had surrounded him. Dhiraj stood still.
"Need to borrow a comb, gentlemen?"
Dhiraj recognized one of the teens as Travis, the pal of the deceased Torellos and one of the main GHAers at school. He was the one who reached out and pushed Dhiraj into the gray marble wall.
"Where's your alien friend when you need him?" Travis cracked his knuckles as close to Dhiraj's face as he could.
The other two moved into position on either side of Dhiraj.
"If you mean Ted, he's getting ready for a day of first-class education. Something you three seem to have ignored for the last 12 years or so."
Travis grinned. The bully's teeth were whiter than Dhiraj expected.
"I probably have a higher GPA than you, moneybags. Plus, I know how to break a bone." Travis put his hand on Dhiraj's chest and pressed him against the unforgiving wall. "Wanna see?"
Dhiraj reached into his wallet pocket and opened up the change container. His fingers sought out the only way he could think to escape.
"How can you call Ted an alien?" Dhiraj did his best to stall and feel for his escape tactic at the same time. "Ted was in the same class as you when you wet your pants in second grade, Travis."
One of the other GHAers laughed until Travis gave him a violent glance.
"I had a bladder infection." Travis' voice echoed in the confined space. "Besides, who's to say Ted hasn't been replaced by an alien?"
Dhiraj leaned in toward the bullies. "Me. You. Everyone. If we stop all this nonsense–"
As Travis pushed Dhiraj backward once again, Dhiraj found what he was looking for in his pocket.
"You know, I think you'd look better without a few teeth." Travis popped his knuckles again.
"I hear differently." Dhiraj clapped his ears over his hands as he triggered
Jennifer laughed. She placed both her hands on his shirt. "Alright, but you're driving." She released her grip and left the room.
Am I in the right dimension?
It only took a few minutes for them to get to school. When they arrived in Dhiraj's parking space, he clicked the unlock button. Jennifer immediately countered by locking the doors with the button on her side. She leaned over, and Dhiraj could feel her breath blowing into his ear.
Dhiraj felt ecstasy and anxiety in equal measure. When he tried to speak, the words lodged themselves in his throat.
"Thanks for the ride." Jennifer kissed him on the cheek. For some reason, his mind went back to several months earlier when Erica had done exactly the same thing.
He remained frozen.
Say something!
"You're welcome." Dhiraj tried to keep still and calm.
"Why do you still like me, Dhiraj?"
Dhiraj wasn't sure he got the gist of the question right away. He'd been trying to face forward, but one look to the side put him two inches from Jennifer's eyes.
"I've... I've always liked the kind of person you are. Beautiful inside and out."
Jennifer remained there for a moment, fixed on Dhiraj's eyes. Then she sat back in her seat.
"I'm not sure who I am inside anymore."
As Jennifer relaxed into the passenger side, Dhiraj recognized the familiar posture and tone of voice he'd admired for nearly half a decade. He let out a long breath and rotated to face her.
"Even if you don't know, I know who you are. And that person is amazing."
She turned toward him and forced a smile before unlocking the car doors. She grabbed her backpack, pulled the handle and began walking to the school.
Dhiraj let a minute of silence pass.
Would she have let me kiss her?
By the time Dhiraj had pulled himself together, he was already a few minutes late for homeroom. The hallways were empty, aside from a few stragglers, and his sneakers echoed against the hard floors. When he stepped into the bathroom to prepare his reasoning for the principal's office, he didn't notice three guys slip in behind him all at once. Dhiraj reached down into the sink to splash some water on his face. When he looked back up into the mirror, the three upperclassmen had surrounded him. Dhiraj stood still.
"Need to borrow a comb, gentlemen?"
Dhiraj recognized one of the teens as Travis, the pal of the deceased Torellos and one of the main GHAers at school. He was the one who reached out and pushed Dhiraj into the gray marble wall.
"Where's your alien friend when you need him?" Travis cracked his knuckles as close to Dhiraj's face as he could.
The other two moved into position on either side of Dhiraj.
"If you mean Ted, he's getting ready for a day of first-class education. Something you three seem to have ignored for the last 12 years or so."
Travis grinned. The bully's teeth were whiter than Dhiraj expected.
"I probably have a higher GPA than you, moneybags. Plus, I know how to break a bone." Travis put his hand on Dhiraj's chest and pressed him against the unforgiving wall. "Wanna see?"
Dhiraj reached into his wallet pocket and opened up the change container. His fingers sought out the only way he could think to escape.
"How can you call Ted an alien?" Dhiraj did his best to stall and feel for his escape tactic at the same time. "Ted was in the same class as you when you wet your pants in second grade, Travis."
One of the other GHAers laughed until Travis gave him a violent glance.
"I had a bladder infection." Travis' voice echoed in the confined space. "Besides, who's to say Ted hasn't been replaced by an alien?"
Dhiraj leaned in toward the bullies. "Me. You. Everyone. If we stop all this nonsense–"
As Travis pushed Dhiraj backward once again, Dhiraj found what he was looking for in his pocket.
"You know, I think you'd look better without a few teeth." Travis popped his knuckles again.
"I hear differently." Dhiraj clapped his ears over his hands as he triggered
Similar Books
