Read Online King 02 - Breathless by Tawdra Kandle - Free Book Online
Authors: Tawdra Kandle
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but there’s nothing wrong with that. You mustn’t allow the lies Nell told you to color your thinking.”
I was silent. There really was nothing I could say to change this woman’s mind. I could feel the firm set of it.
“I had been thinking more of history or English,” I explained. “Those really are my strengths. I didn’t like chemistry, and I barely made it through the class.” In more ways than one, I thought grimly.
Ms. Ross was impatient now. She had thought that her news would excite and flatter me, and my manner of receiving it annoyed her.
“There aren’t any teachers in those subjects available to facilitate,” she informed me briskly. “So you can either accept Ms. Lacusta’s kind offer or you can take an elective during fourth period.”
I was at a loss. The idea of purposefully putting myself into the hands of the chemistry teacher made my skin crawl. I guessed that even an elective would be a better option, and I opened my mouth to say that.
But just then something occurred to me. It was clear that Ms. Lacusta was not going to give up her pursuit of me. If I refused this option, she’d simply try another direction.
What if I didn’t refuse? What if I agreed to accept her as my facilitator? It would give me the opportunity to find out exactly what she planned to do, to listen to her mind and perhaps to catch her thinking in English once in a while. I could keep one step ahead of her, bolster my own defenses.
Who was it that said keep your friends close, and your enemies closer?
I took a deep breath. “All right. I’ll take the chemistry study.”
Ms. Ross beamed. “Wonderful. You’re making the right choice. I’ll get it all set up, and you can report to Ms. Lacusta tomorrow during fourth period.”
As I stood and left the small office, I wondered what on earth I’d just agreed to do.
I walked to the cafeteria, still preoccupied with the questionable decision that I’d just made. Fourth period lunch was nearly at an end, but I didn’t want to be near the doors when the bells rang, as I expected a mass exodus of freshmen who would trample me without a second thought if it meant they’d make it to the next class on time.
Thinking of that, I made a brief detour to my locker. The weight of my cell phone in the pocket of my sweater bounced lightly against my hip, and fleetingly I wondered if Michael would answer if I called him now. It was against school rules for me to have my telephone turned on during class hours, let alone to make an actual call. But I’d risk it if I thought he might be able to talk to me.
On the other hand, telling Michael that I was going to be spending lots of one-on-one time with the teacher who bore much of the responsibility for our attempted murders last year might not be the best idea. Oh, I knew I’d have to tell him eventually, but it occurred to me that both he and my parents were going to raise a major fuss over this situation. It might be wise to handle them one at a time, and my parents were the more immediate problem.
The bell rang as I slammed the door to my locker. The walkway flooded with the juniors and my own classmates fighting their way through the underclassmen. I slipped through the crowds and made it to the cafeteria.
There weren’t many people there yet, but I was immensely relieved to find that I wasn’t alone in the room either. The lunch ladies chatted behind the counter, and the usual aromas filled the air. All was as it should be.
Or nearly so. I made my way over to my normal lunch table and dropped my bag on the bench, but it was empty. I wondered if anyone would join Cara, Amber and me today. I missed Anne, Brea and the others all over again.
And of course I missed Michael the most. I hadn’t had to get my own lunch since the first day I’d arrived in King, as Michael always had an overflowing tray waiting for me, either at our lunch table or outside when the weather permitted and we wanted some privacy. I
I was silent. There really was nothing I could say to change this woman’s mind. I could feel the firm set of it.
“I had been thinking more of history or English,” I explained. “Those really are my strengths. I didn’t like chemistry, and I barely made it through the class.” In more ways than one, I thought grimly.
Ms. Ross was impatient now. She had thought that her news would excite and flatter me, and my manner of receiving it annoyed her.
“There aren’t any teachers in those subjects available to facilitate,” she informed me briskly. “So you can either accept Ms. Lacusta’s kind offer or you can take an elective during fourth period.”
I was at a loss. The idea of purposefully putting myself into the hands of the chemistry teacher made my skin crawl. I guessed that even an elective would be a better option, and I opened my mouth to say that.
But just then something occurred to me. It was clear that Ms. Lacusta was not going to give up her pursuit of me. If I refused this option, she’d simply try another direction.
What if I didn’t refuse? What if I agreed to accept her as my facilitator? It would give me the opportunity to find out exactly what she planned to do, to listen to her mind and perhaps to catch her thinking in English once in a while. I could keep one step ahead of her, bolster my own defenses.
Who was it that said keep your friends close, and your enemies closer?
I took a deep breath. “All right. I’ll take the chemistry study.”
Ms. Ross beamed. “Wonderful. You’re making the right choice. I’ll get it all set up, and you can report to Ms. Lacusta tomorrow during fourth period.”
As I stood and left the small office, I wondered what on earth I’d just agreed to do.
I walked to the cafeteria, still preoccupied with the questionable decision that I’d just made. Fourth period lunch was nearly at an end, but I didn’t want to be near the doors when the bells rang, as I expected a mass exodus of freshmen who would trample me without a second thought if it meant they’d make it to the next class on time.
Thinking of that, I made a brief detour to my locker. The weight of my cell phone in the pocket of my sweater bounced lightly against my hip, and fleetingly I wondered if Michael would answer if I called him now. It was against school rules for me to have my telephone turned on during class hours, let alone to make an actual call. But I’d risk it if I thought he might be able to talk to me.
On the other hand, telling Michael that I was going to be spending lots of one-on-one time with the teacher who bore much of the responsibility for our attempted murders last year might not be the best idea. Oh, I knew I’d have to tell him eventually, but it occurred to me that both he and my parents were going to raise a major fuss over this situation. It might be wise to handle them one at a time, and my parents were the more immediate problem.
The bell rang as I slammed the door to my locker. The walkway flooded with the juniors and my own classmates fighting their way through the underclassmen. I slipped through the crowds and made it to the cafeteria.
There weren’t many people there yet, but I was immensely relieved to find that I wasn’t alone in the room either. The lunch ladies chatted behind the counter, and the usual aromas filled the air. All was as it should be.
Or nearly so. I made my way over to my normal lunch table and dropped my bag on the bench, but it was empty. I wondered if anyone would join Cara, Amber and me today. I missed Anne, Brea and the others all over again.
And of course I missed Michael the most. I hadn’t had to get my own lunch since the first day I’d arrived in King, as Michael always had an overflowing tray waiting for me, either at our lunch table or outside when the weather permitted and we wanted some privacy. I
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