believe me, I wasn’t insulted. She’s a very pretty girl and isn’t beauty in the eye of the beholder but…”
“According to the standards of humans, physically, she is the prettiest human girl in this institution. But you’re not human, Zill.”
“Yeah,” I say sharply. “You mentioned that yesterday but refused to expound on it. Do you feel like elaborating this morning?”
The first bell buzzes. After it’s quiet again, I keep my eyes pinned to his face, waiting for an answer.
“You’ll know soon enough. I heard things are already in motion.”
I shake my head at how vague his response was. “What does that mean, Derek?” I sound peeved.
“Could I walk you to your class?” he asks, changing the subject.
I just shake my head, giving up. “I wish, but if we walk out of here together, someone may see us and report that I’m parking over here.”
“They already see us.”
I follow his eyes across the woody mound of land that separates the student parking lot from the faculty side and there’s Riley, Morgan and two other girls glaring at us past the spiny trees.
“Dang it,” I curse under my breath. “After you,” I say to him. It sucks that the fate of my parking bliss is in jeopardy.
He steps off, and I walk off beside him pretty sure I’ll being seeing Mrs. Lowenstein at some point during the day.
People are eyeing us as we make our way down the hallway. I feel self-conscious because for the first time, I can blame myself for this reaction since I purposely wore the jeans, soft cashmere sweater and black shiny boots. I can also blame myself for agreeing to walk the halls with Mr. Popularity himself, who’s greeting just about every one we pass, students, teachers and even the little maintenance man in the gray jacket. I’m just the sour puss walking beside him, keeping my eyes forward until…
“Oh, Miss Decker, you’re making friends!”
It’s Mrs. Lowenstein sounding like Derek and I walking together makes her the humble winner of what’s behind door number three, while she’s standing in the doorway of the main office, peering at us.
“Good morning, Mrs. Lowenstein,” Derek says nice and cheery enough to cover the both of us. If anyone else were to have said it like that, then it would’ve sounded creepy, but he sounds so charming.
“Well good morning, Mr. Firth,” Mrs. Lowenstein replies, matching his enthusiasm. She cranes her neck to see me on the opposite side of him. Her eyes are expectant.
I lift a heavy hand, and barely say, “Morning.”
“Three o’clock in my office,” she manages to sing to me through that tight-lipped smile.
“Of course,” I call back to her after we pass her.
Derek touches my shoulder. “It’ll be okay. She’s just worried about you. She cares.”
I look at him with a confused frown, and then I turn around to see Mrs. Lowenstein watching us with a proud smile on her mouth. It’s clear she thinks her putting us together to serve punch the other night worked. I don’t say it loud, but I guess he’s right.
When we get to my first class, which happens to be homeroom, we stop in the middle of the doorway and face each other.
“Are you eating lunch today?” he asks.
Two girls entering the classroom hear him and their eyes expand.
“No, because I usually go home for lunch,” I answer embarrassed because the entire class is looking at us, even the boys.
“How about you stay here today and we can grab something together?” he persists.
There’s something about Derek Firth that’s extremely attractive. He can be whatever I need him to be and not only for me but for people like Riley Simms too. That’s why she likes him so much. That’s why I’m liking him just the same. But he’s a Wek. He’s a beautiful Wek, charming, and I don’t know, stirs up a feminine side in me that I thought never existed. However, unlike Riley, I’m not going to get sucked into the hole of what can never be because he doesn’t get that
“According to the standards of humans, physically, she is the prettiest human girl in this institution. But you’re not human, Zill.”
“Yeah,” I say sharply. “You mentioned that yesterday but refused to expound on it. Do you feel like elaborating this morning?”
The first bell buzzes. After it’s quiet again, I keep my eyes pinned to his face, waiting for an answer.
“You’ll know soon enough. I heard things are already in motion.”
I shake my head at how vague his response was. “What does that mean, Derek?” I sound peeved.
“Could I walk you to your class?” he asks, changing the subject.
I just shake my head, giving up. “I wish, but if we walk out of here together, someone may see us and report that I’m parking over here.”
“They already see us.”
I follow his eyes across the woody mound of land that separates the student parking lot from the faculty side and there’s Riley, Morgan and two other girls glaring at us past the spiny trees.
“Dang it,” I curse under my breath. “After you,” I say to him. It sucks that the fate of my parking bliss is in jeopardy.
He steps off, and I walk off beside him pretty sure I’ll being seeing Mrs. Lowenstein at some point during the day.
People are eyeing us as we make our way down the hallway. I feel self-conscious because for the first time, I can blame myself for this reaction since I purposely wore the jeans, soft cashmere sweater and black shiny boots. I can also blame myself for agreeing to walk the halls with Mr. Popularity himself, who’s greeting just about every one we pass, students, teachers and even the little maintenance man in the gray jacket. I’m just the sour puss walking beside him, keeping my eyes forward until…
“Oh, Miss Decker, you’re making friends!”
It’s Mrs. Lowenstein sounding like Derek and I walking together makes her the humble winner of what’s behind door number three, while she’s standing in the doorway of the main office, peering at us.
“Good morning, Mrs. Lowenstein,” Derek says nice and cheery enough to cover the both of us. If anyone else were to have said it like that, then it would’ve sounded creepy, but he sounds so charming.
“Well good morning, Mr. Firth,” Mrs. Lowenstein replies, matching his enthusiasm. She cranes her neck to see me on the opposite side of him. Her eyes are expectant.
I lift a heavy hand, and barely say, “Morning.”
“Three o’clock in my office,” she manages to sing to me through that tight-lipped smile.
“Of course,” I call back to her after we pass her.
Derek touches my shoulder. “It’ll be okay. She’s just worried about you. She cares.”
I look at him with a confused frown, and then I turn around to see Mrs. Lowenstein watching us with a proud smile on her mouth. It’s clear she thinks her putting us together to serve punch the other night worked. I don’t say it loud, but I guess he’s right.
When we get to my first class, which happens to be homeroom, we stop in the middle of the doorway and face each other.
“Are you eating lunch today?” he asks.
Two girls entering the classroom hear him and their eyes expand.
“No, because I usually go home for lunch,” I answer embarrassed because the entire class is looking at us, even the boys.
“How about you stay here today and we can grab something together?” he persists.
There’s something about Derek Firth that’s extremely attractive. He can be whatever I need him to be and not only for me but for people like Riley Simms too. That’s why she likes him so much. That’s why I’m liking him just the same. But he’s a Wek. He’s a beautiful Wek, charming, and I don’t know, stirs up a feminine side in me that I thought never existed. However, unlike Riley, I’m not going to get sucked into the hole of what can never be because he doesn’t get that
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