Read Online Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Tamara Ireland Stone
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disbelief. “I don’t want to figure it out, Caroline. I want you to tell me.” That might have sounded bitchy. I didn’t mean it to, but I can’t
believe she’s holding out on me.
She checks her watch. “I have to go.” She hops off the bed and starts walking toward the door.
“What about the movie?”
“Maybe another time,” she says as she reaches for the doorknob.
My mind is leaping around from thought to thought, like it can’t settle on one.
I hurt him. And Caroline’s leaving. But she likes my poem. I like talking to her. I don’t want her to leave.
“It’s okay,” I say. “You don’t have to tell me. Please…stay.”
It’s killing me not to know what I did, but there are plenty of other things I want to talk to her about. I want to ask her about all the poets. I want to know about that room and how it
got there and how it works, and I want her to read me some of
her
poems. I want to be her friend.
She turns around and looks at me. I hurry over to my nightstand, grab the blue notebook from the pile, and hold it up in the air. “I want to get back to Poet’s Corner, but I
don’t know how to. Will you help me?”
M om’s buttering toast for Paige, drinking her coffee, and replying to a message on her cell phone, when she says, “Do you want
to talk about what happened yesterday?”
“Nah. I’m good.” I down my orange juice. “I talked to my friend Caroline last night.”
Mom’s typing again. “Who’s Caroline?” she asks without looking up.
“Just someone I met at school. She’s nice. She came over after I got home from the spa.”
Now I have her attention.
“Really?” Her eyes grow wide.
I try to act nonchalant about the whole thing, like this happens all the time, but then I picture Caroline sitting on the floor in my room, helping me with my poetry, and I feel a little bit
giddy. “Yeah, I would have introduced you, but she had to leave before you guys got home.”
“Have you told Sue about her?”
“Yep.” I grab the toast with one hand and punch Paige lightly on the arm with the other. “I’m going to the pool.”
The next day, Olivia and I are walking to Trigonometry when I see AJ heading right for us. I almost didn’t notice him—I probably wouldn’t have if the dark ski
hat hadn’t caught my eye—because he’s looking down at the ground and keeping pace with everyone else. He walks right by me.
Caroline’s words have haunted me since Saturday night: “He doesn’t hate you, but you hurt him.” I can’t figure out what I did, and somewhere around two thirty this
morning, I decided I was going to find out the first chance I got.
“I left my trig book in my locker,” I say to Olivia. “I’ll meet you at class.”
She waves me off and I do a 180 and start following the ski cap heading in the opposite direction. AJ turns the corner and stops at a locker. Keeping my distance, I watch as he rests his
backpack on one knee and swaps out his books.
When he sees me, he tilts his chin in my direction. “Hey.” No smile. No wave. Just the chin tilt. He swings his locker door closed.
“Hi.” I gesture toward the main corridor. “I saw you in the hall, but…I guess you didn’t see me.”
He shakes his head.
“I wanted to say hello.” I dig my fingernails into the back of my neck.
One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three
. “And, you know, say thank you…for
letting me join you guys last week.”
AJ checks the area around us and steps in closer. He’s a full head taller than me, and when he tucks his chin to his chest and stares down at me, I feel guilty, even though I haven’t
done anything wrong. His eyebrows lift accusingly. “You haven’t told anyone, have you?”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t do that.”
He’s still close. He’s still staring at me like he’s trying to decide if I’m telling the truth. I square my shoulders and straighten my spine. “I told you I
wouldn’t, and I
believe she’s holding out on me.
She checks her watch. “I have to go.” She hops off the bed and starts walking toward the door.
“What about the movie?”
“Maybe another time,” she says as she reaches for the doorknob.
My mind is leaping around from thought to thought, like it can’t settle on one.
I hurt him. And Caroline’s leaving. But she likes my poem. I like talking to her. I don’t want her to leave.
“It’s okay,” I say. “You don’t have to tell me. Please…stay.”
It’s killing me not to know what I did, but there are plenty of other things I want to talk to her about. I want to ask her about all the poets. I want to know about that room and how it
got there and how it works, and I want her to read me some of
her
poems. I want to be her friend.
She turns around and looks at me. I hurry over to my nightstand, grab the blue notebook from the pile, and hold it up in the air. “I want to get back to Poet’s Corner, but I
don’t know how to. Will you help me?”
M om’s buttering toast for Paige, drinking her coffee, and replying to a message on her cell phone, when she says, “Do you want
to talk about what happened yesterday?”
“Nah. I’m good.” I down my orange juice. “I talked to my friend Caroline last night.”
Mom’s typing again. “Who’s Caroline?” she asks without looking up.
“Just someone I met at school. She’s nice. She came over after I got home from the spa.”
Now I have her attention.
“Really?” Her eyes grow wide.
I try to act nonchalant about the whole thing, like this happens all the time, but then I picture Caroline sitting on the floor in my room, helping me with my poetry, and I feel a little bit
giddy. “Yeah, I would have introduced you, but she had to leave before you guys got home.”
“Have you told Sue about her?”
“Yep.” I grab the toast with one hand and punch Paige lightly on the arm with the other. “I’m going to the pool.”
The next day, Olivia and I are walking to Trigonometry when I see AJ heading right for us. I almost didn’t notice him—I probably wouldn’t have if the dark ski
hat hadn’t caught my eye—because he’s looking down at the ground and keeping pace with everyone else. He walks right by me.
Caroline’s words have haunted me since Saturday night: “He doesn’t hate you, but you hurt him.” I can’t figure out what I did, and somewhere around two thirty this
morning, I decided I was going to find out the first chance I got.
“I left my trig book in my locker,” I say to Olivia. “I’ll meet you at class.”
She waves me off and I do a 180 and start following the ski cap heading in the opposite direction. AJ turns the corner and stops at a locker. Keeping my distance, I watch as he rests his
backpack on one knee and swaps out his books.
When he sees me, he tilts his chin in my direction. “Hey.” No smile. No wave. Just the chin tilt. He swings his locker door closed.
“Hi.” I gesture toward the main corridor. “I saw you in the hall, but…I guess you didn’t see me.”
He shakes his head.
“I wanted to say hello.” I dig my fingernails into the back of my neck.
One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three
. “And, you know, say thank you…for
letting me join you guys last week.”
AJ checks the area around us and steps in closer. He’s a full head taller than me, and when he tucks his chin to his chest and stares down at me, I feel guilty, even though I haven’t
done anything wrong. His eyebrows lift accusingly. “You haven’t told anyone, have you?”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t do that.”
He’s still close. He’s still staring at me like he’s trying to decide if I’m telling the truth. I square my shoulders and straighten my spine. “I told you I
wouldn’t, and I
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