Page 21 of Jacob

I slowly make my way up the aisle between the desks as a sea of curious stares follows my every move to my seat.

Palms sweaty, I remove my backpack from my shoulder and chuck it on the floor, before parking my backside on the wooden chair, pushing myself down to avoid eye contact with anyone.

“Hey.”

I snap my head to the side when a gentle voice startles me and I’m greeted with a beaming smile from a cute skinny guy.His green eyes shine back at me when I smile and mouth a soft, “Hi” in return.

“Are you okay?”

Don’t cry, don’t cry.

A minute passes before he says, “You can sit with me and my friends at lunch if you want. That way, you’ll know some friendly faces and you won’t have to eat by yourself.”

“That would be nice, thank you,” I whisper.

“I’m Jacob. But my friends call me Jay.” When I look up again, his smile quickly grows wider, instantly making me feel better.

“I’m Skye,” I murmur then drag my attention back to my teacher and listen intently as she starts the lesson.

“You have a really pretty name,” Jacob whispers again. “It matches your blue eyes. Sky blue.”

I glance sideways, being careful not to get caught talking. I don’t want to get into trouble on my first day. “Thanks.”

Mrs. Clark taps the electronic whiteboard behind her. “What do we learn about Dill’s character in chapter one? Pay attention. This question appeared in last year’s examination paper.” She lifts her brows knowingly. “Discuss this with your table partner.”

My new classmate taps his book cover. “Want to share my book?”

“I have a copy.” I reach down, unzip my floral backpack and pull out my dog-eared copy ofTo Kill a Mockingbird.

“Wow, how many times have you read that?” he laughs.

“A few.” I smile. “I love reading.”

He considers my reply. “What’s your favorite book?”

It takes less than a heartbeat to reply. “The Princess Bride.”

“The film?” His mouth drops open as he looks confused by my answer.

I roll my eyes. “It was adapted into a film in 1987. It’s a book, and it was written in 1973.”

“Smarty pants.”

“That’s mean,” I reply, nudging my elbow against his.

“Hey, I was kidding. I didn’t mean to offend you, Ms. Sassypants.” He smirks. “I love that film.”

Oh, I like this guy. He’s got the kindest of eyes. “The book is better. It’s the greatest love story ever told.”

“Isn’t it a comedy?”

“It is. But it’s also a fantasy book with heaps of adventure and, of course, there’s a huge dollop of romance. It’s the best type of fairy tale.” The tone of my voice goes all swoony. I love that book and have read it like fifty times. “It gets me every time… loving someone from afar because the hero was too afraid to tell her. The way Westley uses his own code words to tell Buttercup he loves her…”

“He loves her whatever, however, forever.”

“Look at you, making up your own secret code words.” I tease him then pull my hands to my swollen heart. “Can you imagine meeting someone and falling in love with them at first sight, but never thinking you are good enough for them, so you never tell them?”

“Do you believe in all of that?” His cheeks pink up. “The love at first sight thing?”

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