If I'd felt insensitive earlier, it wasn't long before I was feeling downright callous. Everyone kept telling me they'd heard what had happened and how horrible it must have been. But inside, I was still buzzing, my pulse racing, as giddy as the time Serena and I sneaked champagne at her cousin's wedding.
Rafe didn't make it easy, either. During first period, he found an excuse to walk past my desk and drop off a note. It read, "Not dating classmates means you've missed out on an important part of fifth grade. Time to catch up." Below that, he'd drawn a heart with our initials in it. I'd laughed, added "2 be + 2-gether = 4-ever" and passed it back.
And so it went, all morning, the page getting filled up with doodles as it went back and forth. It was completely fifth grade and completely silly and I loved it, because he wasn't to be silly. It was like kissing him first--I could do whatever I wanted, and not have to worry what he'd think of me.
Five minutes before lunch, he dropped off another note marked "Open at the bell," then excused himself to use the washroom…and didn't return. When the bell went, I unfolded it to find a rough sketch of the school, with a dotted line from our class to an X by the principal's office. I stuffed the note in my pocket and took off. At the office, I found an X in marker on the floor beside the trash can. I moved it and found another note. Another dotted line, this one leading outside to another X. That one ended just inside the forest, where I found a third note under a pebble…It was blank.
I looked up.
Rafe's laugh floated down from the trees. "Can't fool you, huh?
Rafe didn't make it easy, either. During first period, he found an excuse to walk past my desk and drop off a note. It read, "Not dating classmates means you've missed out on an important part of fifth grade. Time to catch up." Below that, he'd drawn a heart with our initials in it. I'd laughed, added "2 be + 2-gether = 4-ever" and passed it back.
And so it went, all morning, the page getting filled up with doodles as it went back and forth. It was completely fifth grade and completely silly and I loved it, because he wasn't to be silly. It was like kissing him first--I could do whatever I wanted, and not have to worry what he'd think of me.
Five minutes before lunch, he dropped off another note marked "Open at the bell," then excused himself to use the washroom…and didn't return. When the bell went, I unfolded it to find a rough sketch of the school, with a dotted line from our class to an X by the principal's office. I stuffed the note in my pocket and took off. At the office, I found an X in marker on the floor beside the trash can. I moved it and found another note. Another dotted line, this one leading outside to another X. That one ended just inside the forest, where I found a third note under a pebble…It was blank.
I looked up.
Rafe's laugh floated down from the trees. "Can't fool you, huh?
( Kelley Armstrong )
[ The Gathering ]
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