Page 18 of Heartthrobs Don't Date Wallflowers
“What?” I glanced over my shoulder at the apparently traitorous staircase. The bright yellow stairs just sat there as if they were taunting me. How could it not go up all the way? Wasn’t the point of staircases to take you to all the floors of a building? “But why…”
“I have no idea,” Sloane said. “It’s stupid. But I can show you the way upstairs. Which science class are you in?”
“Uh…” I had to pull my schedule out again. I’d stuffed it in my pocket while I was wandering around, solike the map, it was a mess and I grinned awkwardly at them.
“Look Jude,” Sloane said. She winked at me as she said, “We found someone more disorganized than you.”
“Hey!” Jude said. He knocked his shoulder into her and she laughed. “I am not disorganized!”
“Yeah. Right.”
He crossed his arms and pouted playfully. “You’re so mean to me.”
“Says the guy who lost his student card on his first week of school and made me leave class early to help him back inside.”
“And I haven’t lost it again since!”
“Only because Finn takes it from you at the end of every day and gives it back to you in the mornings.”
“Stop making fun of me in front of my new friend.”
I glanced up from where I was trying to smooth out my map. Was he talking about me when he said his new friend? Again, seemed strange since we only met a couple of minutes ago, but I guess hugging made us friends? Or was that something he just called everyone? Maybe it was a PR move to make people feel more trusting and like him. That was what celebrities did, right?
“Hey, I saw to her first,” Sloane said. “Make your own friends.”
“No, you didn’t!”
“We were talking in the hallwaywhile you were off…” She threw her hand around in the air. “Doing something over there.”
“I was signing autographs, thank you very much. And youdidn’tsee her first because she was in my class this morning.” He whipped his head around to face me and raised an eyebrow. “Right?”
“Uh…” They were both looking at me now and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say, since I’d already established with each of them before this that he was, so I cleared my throat and went, “Yeah.”
“Ha!” Jude said, poking Sloane in the chest. She rolled her eyes but she was grinning. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Ivy, give me your twitter handle.”
“What?” I asked.
I’d been the new girl at many schools before this and I’d never had somebody just decide that we were friends like this. I wasn’t really sure what to do with it. Were they making fun of me somehow? I wasn’t sure if what the right move was here, but Jude was holding his phone out to me expectantly and I didn’t want to seem weird, so I took it from him and typed in my username.
“I don’t use it much,” I said as I handed it back to him. I didn’t press the follow button for him, since I wasn’t sure what his intention with asking and I didn’t want to assume. But I guess my first assumption wasn’t wrong because he immediately pressed it then grinned at me.
“You’ll have to forgive his overeagerness,” Sloane said flatly. “He doesn’t have many friends.”
“Hey!” Jude whined. “I told you I’m sensitive about that!”
I couldn’t help the small laugh that came out of my mouth, though I regretted that as they both turned their gaze back on me. The smile dropped off my face and I dropped my gaze. “Sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for,” Sloane said cheerfully. “So, what was the science class you’re in?”
“Oh, uh…” I looked at my crumpled schedule again. It was hard to read, but I could make out enough words to tell her, “Bio. Grade eleven.”
“That’s my class!” Sloane said. “I’ll walk you there.”
She grabbed my hand and started tugging me down the hall, back the way they’d come. I was so surprised by the movement that I didn’t even get the chance to pull my hand back or try to stand in place.
“I’ll see you later, Jude?” She called over her shoulder while we were walking. He was still standing in place, looking amused.
“I’ll pick you up at seven,” he replied. As Sloane pulled me around the corner, a girl appeared beside him and asked for a selfie, taking his attention away.
