“Well, when is he coming over again?”
“I don’t know, Brian. We didn’t get around to setting another one up. You called, so he went home and I called you back.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.” He didn’t sound sorry at all. In fact, he seemed to like the idea that he had made Adam go home.
I grinned, trying to keep the amusement out of my voice, “Not a problem. So are you picking me up early again in the morning?”
“You bet. It’s your turn to drive again, you know.”
“Yeah, don’t remind me,” I groaned. “Listen, I’ll see you in the morning. I think I’m going to head to bed early tonight.”
He laughed. “Okay, good night, Nikki.”
“‘Night, Brian.”
As soon as I clicked the phone off, it rang. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me again,” Brian said. “I’m sorry, but I forgot to ask you something. There’s a group of us going to hike up on the Appalachian Trail this weekend, would you like to go with me?”
That sounded like a date, I thought.
As if he had read my mind, he continued, “Just as friends, I promise.”
“Sure, it sounds like fun.”
“Okay, great.” There was a smile that came through the receiver in those words. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
The phone clicked off again. As I set it down, I wondered when the next call would come that ended up being a date. Even though he had promised to stay as friends, something told me that he wouldn’t want it to stay that way much longer.
FOUR
I HAD A plan. I’d spent half the night thinking about it. If there was a group of us hiking, who was to say I couldn’t invite more people? There was only one person that I wanted to see.
“Hi, Adam.” I smiled, as he slid in the seat beside me. English class was almost ready to start, so I had to hurry.
“Hi,” he answered. He seemed preoccupied. This could be harder than I thought.
His long black hair was pulled back into a tight braid that ran down his back, leaving his face open. The lines of his jaw and cheekbones were more pronounced. So far, he seemed to be trying to ignore me, looking around everywhere but at me.
“So, there are some of us going on a hike up the Appalachian trail this weekend,” I began. I stopped when he turned and pinned me with his piercing eyes. I took a breath and went on, “I was wondering if you were going.”
His eyes never wavered from mine as I watched different emotions well beneath their surface. Then, his face became guarded again.
“It isn’t safe,” he said and turned away.
So much for my big plan, I thought, as Ms. Barker came in and started the class.
“Okay guys. You’ve had a couple days to get in your first study date. I want to see if you know the basics. We’re going to start at the beginning. I’m going to write a sentence on the board. I want a volunteer to tell me what the pronoun is.” she walked over and wrote on the chalkboard, then turned and asked, “Who wants to volunteer?”
No one spoke up; everyone’s eyes flitted back and forth, as if they hoped they wouldn’t be called on.
“Come on, people. It’s only a sentence. It won’t hurt you.”
I almost fell over when I felt a hand come up from beside me. I turned and looked at Adam, who gave me a small grin.
Let’s see if I learned anything , a voice whispered in my head.
“Yes, Adam,” Ms. Barker said, “thank you for volunteering. What is the pronoun?” She pointed up to the black board where she had written You should have studied in bold letters.
“You,” he said quietly. “‘You’ is the pronoun.”
“Wonderful.”
As she turned back to her board, Adam whispered under his breath, “I guess I learned something yesterday evening.” His eyes sparkled with mischief.
At the end of class, he shocked me by reaching over and taking my books from me. He shrugged, smiling. “I’m heading towards the lockers, too. Let me take them.”
I walked beside him to the lockers, unsure of what to say until we reached
“I don’t know, Brian. We didn’t get around to setting another one up. You called, so he went home and I called you back.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.” He didn’t sound sorry at all. In fact, he seemed to like the idea that he had made Adam go home.
I grinned, trying to keep the amusement out of my voice, “Not a problem. So are you picking me up early again in the morning?”
“You bet. It’s your turn to drive again, you know.”
“Yeah, don’t remind me,” I groaned. “Listen, I’ll see you in the morning. I think I’m going to head to bed early tonight.”
He laughed. “Okay, good night, Nikki.”
“‘Night, Brian.”
As soon as I clicked the phone off, it rang. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me again,” Brian said. “I’m sorry, but I forgot to ask you something. There’s a group of us going to hike up on the Appalachian Trail this weekend, would you like to go with me?”
That sounded like a date, I thought.
As if he had read my mind, he continued, “Just as friends, I promise.”
“Sure, it sounds like fun.”
“Okay, great.” There was a smile that came through the receiver in those words. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
The phone clicked off again. As I set it down, I wondered when the next call would come that ended up being a date. Even though he had promised to stay as friends, something told me that he wouldn’t want it to stay that way much longer.
FOUR
I HAD A plan. I’d spent half the night thinking about it. If there was a group of us hiking, who was to say I couldn’t invite more people? There was only one person that I wanted to see.
“Hi, Adam.” I smiled, as he slid in the seat beside me. English class was almost ready to start, so I had to hurry.
“Hi,” he answered. He seemed preoccupied. This could be harder than I thought.
His long black hair was pulled back into a tight braid that ran down his back, leaving his face open. The lines of his jaw and cheekbones were more pronounced. So far, he seemed to be trying to ignore me, looking around everywhere but at me.
“So, there are some of us going on a hike up the Appalachian trail this weekend,” I began. I stopped when he turned and pinned me with his piercing eyes. I took a breath and went on, “I was wondering if you were going.”
His eyes never wavered from mine as I watched different emotions well beneath their surface. Then, his face became guarded again.
“It isn’t safe,” he said and turned away.
So much for my big plan, I thought, as Ms. Barker came in and started the class.
“Okay guys. You’ve had a couple days to get in your first study date. I want to see if you know the basics. We’re going to start at the beginning. I’m going to write a sentence on the board. I want a volunteer to tell me what the pronoun is.” she walked over and wrote on the chalkboard, then turned and asked, “Who wants to volunteer?”
No one spoke up; everyone’s eyes flitted back and forth, as if they hoped they wouldn’t be called on.
“Come on, people. It’s only a sentence. It won’t hurt you.”
I almost fell over when I felt a hand come up from beside me. I turned and looked at Adam, who gave me a small grin.
Let’s see if I learned anything , a voice whispered in my head.
“Yes, Adam,” Ms. Barker said, “thank you for volunteering. What is the pronoun?” She pointed up to the black board where she had written You should have studied in bold letters.
“You,” he said quietly. “‘You’ is the pronoun.”
“Wonderful.”
As she turned back to her board, Adam whispered under his breath, “I guess I learned something yesterday evening.” His eyes sparkled with mischief.
At the end of class, he shocked me by reaching over and taking my books from me. He shrugged, smiling. “I’m heading towards the lockers, too. Let me take them.”
I walked beside him to the lockers, unsure of what to say until we reached
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