“Evan Lewis? You’ve got to be kidding?”
“No,” Mr. Lucas stated with surprise, “You know him? He’s new.”
“Yeah, I know him,” I said with a little too much irritation to my voice.
“His transfer grades were low in math so I figured you could work with him to get him up to speed, unless you don’t want to, of course.”
A pink piece of paper was tossed onto the teacher’s desk. I looked up and there was Evan staring at me. I wondered how much he had heard, but from the look in his eyes it was enough to hurt. “No, that’s fine,” I sighed grabbing an extra textbook. “Where do you want him to sit?”
Mr. Lucas handed back the schedule to Evan. “Welcome to Algebra II, Evan. I’m Mr. Lucas,” he held out his hand and Evan shook it in silence. “I guess you know Annalisa.”
He only nodded.
“She’s going to catch you up on what the class has been doing since January. Sit at the study table in the back of the room and after a few sessions with her, we’ll move you to a permanent seat.” He walked past me and went straight to the back of the room.
I’ve got to be all business, I kept telling myself. No more teasing, no more staring at his face or looking into his emerald eyes, and no more chit-chat, all business. I opened the book and began with factoring equations. “Do you remember how to do any of this?” I asked blankly.
“I hate math.” He sounded nothing like the guy I met yesterday. He kept looking around the room, not paying attention as I tried to show him how to work the problem. He fidgeted and leaned back away from me in his chair. Wow! I had done too good of a job of turning him off. If anything, he acted totally pissed to be sitting there beside me.
I got what I wanted, so why couldn’t I be at least semi-happy about it? A lump rose up in my throat, and audible bubbles fought to struggle through it.
He reached across me and closed the textbook.
“I wasn’t finished,” I rebutted with the half copied problem.
“I am,” he said with a threatening growl. He got up and walked to the front of the room, grabbed a green pass from Mr. Lucas and went out the door. I sat there for at least two or three minutes just trying to absorb what happened.
He must think I’m a total jerk. I wondered at that moment if he would even stay at Pensacola High? A sickening knot began to form in my stomach as I thought about him quitting high school and never getting a degree because some stupid little girl ruined it for him. I worked with two other students before the last bell, but I don’t know how much good it did them because I just couldn’t get my head back into algebra.
I was slow finishing up after the bell. I collected the scattered textbooks and stacked them neatly, put away the calculators and wiped off the board. I was stalling because I didn’t want to face him or Jewels in the parking lot, but I had to leave because I’d be late getting Kimmy if I didn’t go pretty soon.
I was right about the parking lot. Only a couple cars remained as I walked to my bug. I put down my books and fished out a tissue from my purse. Alone in my car it would be okay to let a few tears fall. Tissue in hand, I turned the key in the ignition. The most amazing thing happened: absolutely nothing. “No way,” I said out loud. “Crap!” I checked the stick and made sure it was in neutral, still nothing. I pushed in the clutch and put the car in first gear; no response from the engine. This can’t be happening. I’m going to be late getting Kimmy. I’ve got to call the elementary school. I’ve got to call Bev or Matt. “This day sucks!” I said as I slammed my forearm into the door panel.
I had just taken my cell phone out of my purse when a knock on my window made me jump. There was Evan standing outside my car. I hadn’t heard him pull in behind me.
He opened my door as I quickly dried my face. “Hey, Leese, what’s wrong?” His tone was smooth and soothing.
“I—I—don’t know. My car won’t start and I’ve got to get my little sister from school.” I got out and stared at my little blue bug like I was seeing it for the first time.
“Did you leave your lights on?”
“No, I don’t think so.” But I leaned back inside just to make sure. Nope, my lights had been off.
“When do you have to get your sister? How far is it?”
I glanced down at my cell phone. “I’ve got to be there in the next ten to fifteen minutes, but…” Frustration and emotion choked my throat and clouded my thinking.
“Come on, I’ll give you a ride,” he said softly. There was no hint that we’d just had a blowup in math class an hour ago. I started to take a step toward his car, but I knew that neither Bev, nor Mom would be pleased to know I’d accepted his offer.
“I—I can’t.”
“What?” he smiled. “Come on, it will only take us a few minutes and then you and your sister will be home. I’ll come back and see what I can do to get your car started.”
I wanted to say yes, but I was here in Pensacola because my parents were worried about my safety. I didn’t know Evan. I wanted to think I knew him, but, to be real with myself, I’d barely just met him. It would be like stepping out on the main drag and sticking out my thumb.
I opened my phone and started dialing.
“What are you doing?” he asked, stunned that I was turning down his offer. He reached for my phone and I pulled away and backed up to my car.
“I have to call Kimmy’s school,” I said without looking into his stare. And that was what he was doing; he was staring at me so hard it was giving me goose bumps. I was relieved to hear someone’s voice on the other end of the line. “Hi, this is Kimmy McKinneses’ sister. I’m having car trouble. Could you have Kimmy wait for me in the office? Thank you. Yes, I’ll call if I’m going to be much later. Thanks again.” I hit the end button and began dialing the next number when Evan reached out and took the phone from my trembling hand.
“Give me that back,” I demanded, trying to sound authoritative instead of afraid.
“The only thing I’ll give you is a ride. Come on,” he said, grabbing my wrist.
My martial arts training was not forgotten as I twisted his arm and jerked myself free. And then I saw it; anger written all over his face. His eyes had narrowed and his mouth was not much more than a tight line. His chest seemed to heave and every muscle and vein looked as if they had doubled in size, suddenly he looked like a giant.
As scared as I was at that moment, I heard the sound of something familiar. We both looked up to see the custodian heading toward us on his golf cart. Evan took a deep breath and some of the angry red that had filled his face disappeared.
“I just wanted to help, Leese.” He tossed back my phone, got in his car and was gone.
My knees were trembling as Mr. Garvey pulled up beside my car. “Are you having some trouble?” He questioned, but he kept looking toward where Evan’s car was speeding from the lot.
“Yeah, actually my car won’t start. It’s completely dead and I’ve got to get to the elementary.”
“Let me take a look,” he offered with a knowing smile. “I’ve got jumper cables in my cart, if we need them.” He lifted the hood and peered inside. “Here’s your problem,” he showed me, as he lifted a cable in the air. “Your positive terminal cable popped off.” He wiggled it back down on the post and told me to try cranking the car. I slid the key into the ignition. My hands were still trembling as I turned it and my car cranked.
He slammed the hood, “There you go, young lady.”
“Thank you, Mr. Garvey. You don’t know how much I appreciate your help.” I was angry at myself for forgetting everything Tony Dix had taught me about what to look for when your car was… I swallowed hard. Cables don’t just pop off. Someone had tampered with my car! The face that came immediately to mind was Evan. But why? No, it just couldn’t have been him. I rolled up my windows and locked my doors as I gathered my thoughts. There was no one else around but I was terrified. “Stupid girl,” I chided myself. “You’re going to flip-out like Mom if you don’t watch
it!” I slammed my car into first gear and took off.
I didn’t sleep well that night. I kept waking up about every hour and thinking about the events of my day. I wondered what would have happened if I had accepted Evan’s ride? Would we have sat outside on the porch swing and enjoyed the evening together? Would Bev and Matt have said they liked him? Would I have made it home at all? I closed my eyes and could see myself as a lifeless corpse lying in a field somewhere. When I finally did sleep, I dreamed that Kimmy was crying over a coffin. I expected to see Mom lying inside it, but when I got next to her and looked down, the body was my own.
CHAPTER THREE
Jewels’ car was in the lot as always, but she wasn’t there. Evan’s car was there, and I could see that someone was in the driver’s seat. I parked a little further away than necessary and did something that I hadn’t done since moving to Pensacola. I locked my car doors. My hood was locked down, but, as I recalled Tony’s words, I knew there was plenty that could be done to a vehicle from the exterior.
I hadn’t taken ten steps when Evan opened his door and got out. “Leese,” he called my name softly, but I just kept walking. He caught up to me but kept his distance. “I’m sorry,” he said as he jammed his hands down into his pockets. “I was a real jerk toward you yesterday.”
My heart was crumbling at the sincerity of his words. I looked over at him and realized that he looked about as rough as I felt. “Tough night last night?” I questioned.
“Yeah,” he responded. “I almost went home.”
That stopped me in my tracks. I suddenly felt very foolish for believing he could have damaged my car. “Evan, I’ve got a problem with you.” I watched his eyebrows go up. “I—I like you, but I don’t want to.”
“Any particular reason why you don’t want to like me?” he shrugged.
“Yeah—because—I’m—I’m a liar and I absolutely hate it.”
“You’re a liar? About what?” His voice sounded strained.
“I wish I could tell you, but I can’t. All I can say is that I hope we can still be friends when this is over with because I really do like you.”
His hand slipped out of his pocket and wrapped around my shoulder in one fluid movement. He gave me a warm squeeze, saying it was okay. That was all it took for the tears to pour down my cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered as I fished for a tissue. His other arm wrapped around me and I suddenly found myself with my face buried against his warm chest. I felt his hand reach up and stroke my hair over and over. I liked being in his arms, it felt safe. “I was such a jerk to you. I don’t know how you can forgive me.”
He pushed me back a little and looked at me. “I was just as much of a jerk as you were. I guess I can forgive you because I really like you, too,” he smiled.
We resumed walking and he kept one arm draped over my shoulders. It felt like heaven, but once again I figured this was taking a step closer to what I’d been trying to avoid from the beginning. I stopped and stepped away from him, turning back toward Jewels’ car. “Hey, have you seen Jewels this morning? She almost always waits for me.”
His face spread into a wide grin. “I have bad news for you.”
My heart skipped a beat, yet I was puzzled by the smile.
“I’m not the FOTM anymore.”
It took a second for it to click in my head. “A new guy?”
“Yeah, he climbed out of that ‘78 Trans Am Firebird. She totally lost it. It was like she didn’t even hear me.”
I started laughing as I told him she had done the same thing when he appeared a few days ago. “She almost ripped my arm out of the socket,” I said, faking a still sore shoulder.
“Me too,” he chuckled, rubbing his arm.
I made a point to stay out of arms reach. Not that I wanted to, but I knew I had to.
I walked into English class and found, to my surprise, a new guy standing at Mr. Shultz’s desk. Well, I could certainly see what set Jewels off, besides his cool car. This guy must have been at least 6’3” with a thin but muscled build. His hair was jet-black, which left me wondering if it could possibly be dyed because I’d never seen hair truly that black. He was wearing an equally black tee-shirt and blue jeans. His left arm had a barb-wire tattoo around his bicep, a smaller tattoo at his wrist and, as far as I could see, his right arm had a large colorful tattoo. My first thought was that when he turned around he would have piercings all over his face, but to my shock when he turned around all he had was a diamond stud in one ear and the most electrifying blue eyes on the planet. Once again, I figured they couldn’t be natural, they had to be contacts, but they were gorgeous. I was expecting to see a leather jacket slung over one arm, because he had this whole tough-guy, James Dean thing going on.
He looked right at me and flashed an impressive white smile. I blushed and looked away trying to remember that it isn’t polite to stare.
Kevin gave a little groan beside me, “Not you too,” he whispered.
I wondered what he meant until I looked over at Carlie. She was all googly-eyed and flushed with color as she stared at the new guy. Poor, Kev.
The new guy walked to the seat behind me and slid in quietly.
“Hi,” he said leaning forward, “I’m Ryan.”
I turned and noticed he had offered his hand. I took it awkwardly and smiled, “Annalisa,” I tried to say it quietly enough not to cause Mr. Schultz to look our way. I turned back around and grabbed my book, hoping to lose myself in a little Poe.
“All right,” Mr. Schultz began, “We left off yesterday with Annalisa’s beautiful reading of The Raven…”
I slid down slightly in my seat.
“Today we are going to break into groups of two or three. I want you to discuss symbolism in the poem. Don’t be afraid to be daring. I need at least five paragraphs by the end of class.”
I looked to Kevin and he had already grabbed Carlie and, even though she was looking toward Ryan, she settled in beside Kevin. Before I could say, “I’ll work with you two,” I felt a tap on my shoulder.
“So Annalisa, you do a beautiful reading of Poe?” He was looking up at me through some wisps of black hair that had fallen forward.
I rolled my eyes and shrugged, “I was in a strange mood yesterday; strange works for Poe.”
He swept the hair back with his hand and gave a little grin, “Really? How’s the mood this morning? If it’s still strange, you could give me a reading before we start.”
“No,” I refused a little too quickly. “Maybe I’m a little depressed, but nothing strange today.” All I could think was that there was no way I was going to read poetry to this guy, especially not with everyone listening to a personal performance.
“I think Poe wrote most of his best works while depressed. Are you sure you don’t want to read?”
“Symbolism,” I stated, ignoring his question. “What did the raven symbolize?”
“So why are you depressed? Did you break up with your boyfriend?”
“Evan’s not my boyfriend,” I retorted.
“Who’s Evan?”
“Ah! That is none of your business.”
“You’re the one who mentioned his name,” he said, clearly enjoying my frustration.
“I think the Raven symbolized his broken heart for Lenore,” answering my own question.
He didn’t say anything at first; he just leaned closer to me. I responded by leaning the other way.
“One more thing and then we can study. It’s a simple yes or no question.”
“Fine.” I crossed my arms and waited.
He gave me that ‘come closer’ signal with his index finger as he lowered his head and leaned forward.
I knew whatever was going to come out of his mouth would be quiet, so (like an idiot) I bent forward to hear him.
He spoke so quietly that I couldn’t understand. “What,” I whispered back. Our faces were now inches apart.
“Do—you—have—a—boyfriend?
The partial smile
fell off my face.
“It’s just a yes or no question,” he reminded me.
“Why?” I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of providing an answer.
“You have a sexy voice, a beautiful face, I love long hair and—well, you’re kinda funny. Do you want to go out with me?”
That hit me like a bomb. I wondered if he could possibly know my financial status, because that sounded like a Palm Beach pickup line. He was going to make it impossible to do the Poe assignment. “What are your plans after high school graduation?”
He seemed to like my odd response. “I’ll be in the air force academy.”
“Can you flunk high school and still get into the academy?”
His mouth closed and opened again. “Huh?”
“This is an AP class and we have an assignment. Got it?”
“It represents his hopes and dreams for the future being destroyed.” He caved.
I grabbed my pen and finally found my smile.
After thirty minutes of intensely scrutinizing The Raven, I felt we’d done a good job. He had different opinions about the poem than I did, but that was okay because Mr. Schultz said he wanted uniqueness not a consensus. The only problem was that I was mentally exhausted, because keeping Ryan at bay and on task was like a tough game of chess.
I was looking forward to going to psych class just so I could relax. The only good thing was that it had been challenging enough to keep me from thinking about my problems at home, Evan, or even the mystery of what had happened to my car yesterday.
The bell rang and I wearily rose from my seat.
“Hey,” Ryan said, catching my arm. “Can you tell me how to get to 3-101?”
I snatched the schedule from his hands and looked at it in disbelief; he had Psych II next.
I survived psych, but only due to the fact that the two available seats were nowhere near mine. He had the nerve to ask a couple people if they would trade seats so he could sit beside me, but Doctor Moss overheard and informed Ryan that the seats in her class were assigned; no one would be moving.
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