Page 14 of The Rebel
“What? No. I’m going with Gabby after school.” I gathered my backpack and got out of the car, leaning back in to say, “And I’m staying for dinner.”
“Oh,” she said, “You could have—”
But whatever she was going to say, I didn’t hear it, slamming the door with unnecessary force. I unzipped my bag to check that I had the gifts for my friends. It was something I’d started after going away on so many trips with Paris and his tennis—the least I could do was bring them back little souvenirs and treats.
The number of kids around my general locker area was unusually sparse, so I guessed first bell had already gone. I opened my locker, unloaded my bag of gifts into it and sorted my books for my first few periods. I’d have to endure forty five painful minutes of Algebra before art class, the one bright spark in my morning schedule. I pulled out my art pad, tucking it under my arm while hooking my backpack over my shoulder. The locker door swung shut with a loud clank.
“Oh, hey. Locker rage?” Jade Sinclair stood right in front of me, blocking my way.
I was kinda shocked—and speechless—because the senior lockers were far away from here, so it was a weird coincidence that I saw him yesterday and now today, when I hadn’t seen him in months or years even.
The only thing that came out of my mouth was a weak, “Ahhh.” Because I was momentarily fazed by Jade’s eyes, looking straight at me, pale green, fresh like a grass court, mintice cream, a forest. Like my dream. Was I delirious, making comparisons to the color of his eyes?
“Wanted to check on you,” he said, and as his gaze roamed across my face, my heart rate inexplicably raced and a strange flush came over me, like I was suddenly back in the Florida sun. “No more nosebleeds?”
My hand automatically went up and covered my nose and mouth, my voice muffled as I said, “Uh, yeah, no, it’s good.” And I realized he hadn’t been lookingat meso much as being worried about my nose. Or more likely a lawsuit.
“Sweet,” he said. He poked at my art pad. “You off to create a masterpiece?”
I wasn’t sure if he was being funny or insulting—Paris would have made fun of my extra large art pad, called me a nerd because I liked to draw—so I shrugged and sneered and muttered, “Maybe.”
The bell rang but Jade didn’t move and the longer he stood there, I detected a waft of boy perfume, a sweet piney-forest type of smell that Paris could definitely use. I had a sudden thought I should ask Jade what brand it was and buy it for Paris’s birthday. But I bit down on my lower lip. Asking Jade what cologne he was wearing would definitely label me as odd.
“Well, I’m glad you’re all good,” Jade said, smiling as he moved off down the hallway.
I should have gone off too, the piercing bell meaning there was about ninety seconds to get to class. But strangely, my feet were planted and my chest heaved, like it was in desperate need of air.
“Hey, Valencia!” Jazmyn came scooting up alongside me, and thank goodness for that. “Ahh, I’m running so late,” she cried and linking her arm through mine, she basically dragged me to class.
Chapter 5
VALENCIA
At lunch break, I waited at my locker, grabbing the bag of candy and souvenirs to share with my friends. Gabby rushed up to me, squeezing me in a tight embrace. She squealed about her mug and keychain and she immediately put the bracelet on—next to Scott’s, tucking it under her blazer sleeve.
“I love it, and when you come over later, I’ll bake some of our favorite brownies,” Gabby said.
My heart surged, memories of my bedtime sobs forgotten. Gabby and I were still best friends and hopefully everything was back to normal. Scott wasn’t going to come between us, and already my crush was fading, so everything would be fine.
As expected, Gabby was nervous and very particular with me as a passenger in her car. She watched me buckle my seat belt and double checked the rear view mirror before turning on the car. She never quite reached the speed limit of thirty mph and came to a full stop at every intersection. There were a few parking spaces close to the cafe, but Gabby drove around the block to find one with easy access and with no chance of anyone scratching her car. After she locked it with her remote, she pulled on the handle to make sure that it was indeed locked.
We stopped in the bookshop before going to The Kitch, Gabby looking for a study guide, while I checked out the pencil section. I needed a few new pencils for my art class as we would be putting together a portfolio this semester.
“You good?” I asked Gabby when I found her in the greeting cards department.
“Uh, yep.” She was looking at cards with hearts on them. “Is it cheesy to get a one month anniversary card?”
“You guys have been together a month?” I yelped in confusion.
“No,” Gabby said, shaking her head. “Twelve days. But...I’m just looking ahead.”
My lips twitched. Gabby was really smitten by Scott. She was planning a one month anniversary, meaning this was a big deal for her. My heart twisted, half of it feeling happy for her, the other half...not so much. What sort of friend did that make me?
“Uh...no...it’s not cheesy, it’s cute,” I said with a cough.
“Are you sure?” Gabby asked.
I picked up a couple of cards and flicked through them. They were blank inside, so I guessed Gabby would write her own love lines.
