What happened in homeroom had so freaked me out, I found myself completely on my guard for my next class, tenth grade English. I didn’t care too much for this class. Personally, the teacher bored me half to death. Most of the time she got her allegories wrong and her ideas regarding Renaissance literature were archaic and out of touch. But that happened to be my personal opinion, which I had learned to keep to myself. So, slinking to the back of her classroom wasn’t hard at all.
I sat there while she droned on, trying to collect myself and figure out just what went down in homeroom. I replayed the whole thing about a dozen times when it hit me. Maybe he’d communicate again if I gave him a way. Thinking it might be stupid, but before I changed my mind, I fished out my notebook and opened it to the same page Shane had written on before. I folded it back and slapped it on the top of my desk and waited. And waited. Nothing happened. I almost fell asleep waiting.
Ms. Hutchins spent the better part of an hour dissecting Romeo and Juliet and mispronouncing Montague for, like, the millionth time, when the bell sounded and put us all out of our misery. I was so anxious to get out of there, I practically ran out.
“Hey, you almost forgot this.” The girl who sits next to me tapped me with her pencil.
I glanced over my shoulder and she handed me my notebook. It must have fallen as I bolted from the desk. I grabbed it and looked at it.
Written in the same handwriting as before, right under where he wrote the last line, Shane Elliott had written something new: Meet me after school in the gym and I’ll explain everything. I chose you, Juice. Please come. Shane.
My hand shook and the page blurred. OMG!
I ran down the hall. I knew if I moved quickly enough I could catch Sixx as she passed the lockers on her way to her next class. I had to talk to someone. I careened through a sea of kids until I spotted her.
“Sixx!” I hollered and jumped up, waving my arms. I could tell she heard her name. She looked around wildly but without focusing. Finally, she spotted me and started to head my way, weaving through kids, batting them aside. When she got to me, she sounded royally ticked off.
“Seriously, Juice. This better be good. You’ve got me swimming upstream with the haters here.” She glowered.
“I know, Sixx. And it is good. In fact, it’s so good you’re not gonna believe this.” I grabbed her and steered her into the nearest girl’s bathroom. We were totally going to be late for class, but I didn’t care. This qualified as an emergency. I could tell from the look on her face she wouldn’t be questioning it.
She let me drag her by the shirtsleeve into the bathroom and all the way to the back. She waited by the sinks while I checked under all the stalls and confirmed we were alone. We heard the second bell–the late bell–ring, and when the sounds of kids outside died, I dropped my backpack and slumped down the wall into a sitting position. Wordlessly, I handed the notebook to Sixx. She read it and looked down at me.
“So, who is Shane and why do I care?”
“The question may not be so much who is Shane as what is Shane.”
Sixx glanced at me with an impatient look on her face. I told her what happened, starting from my conversation with Shane in homeroom and ending with the last contact I had just received in my notebook. It pleased me when she stared at me open-mouthed in disbelief.
“I know, right? You know me as a person who doesn’t make this kind of thing up, Sixx. Horror and the supernatural, that’s Creepshow’s thing, not mine. I didn’t ask for this.” I reached into my backpack for ChapStick and started applying it over and over just for something to do with my trembling hands.
“Okay, he chose you, Juice. He said so in his note. Do you know why?”
“No, I don’t know why. Maybe because I’m not a screamer. Maybe because I sat where I did. Maybe because he has a sick sense of humor. How in the world would I know?” I waved my ChapStick in Sixx’s face.
“Don’t go postal on me, Juice. I’m only asking.”
“Sorry. This is way out of hand for me.” I went back to rummaging in my backpack as a way to calm my nerves. I knew I was out of control. Sixx’s next question threw me totally off-balance.
“I get that. But let’s get to the important part. Is he cute?”
“As a matter of fact, he is.” I straightened up and gave Sixx my full attention.
“Do you think he’s some kind of demon or ghost or something?”
“I think he’s more like a ghost than anything. You should have seen the way he just, like, vaporized in front of my eyes.”
“Sounds scary,” she said with an affected shudder.
“But it wasn’t. That’s the funny thing. When we were talking, before he faded away, he wasn’t scary at all. He acts funny and cute and maybe even kind of charming.”
“Perfect, Juice. I always knew you were the strangest one out of all of us. Now, you prove it by falling for a ghost.”
“What? Who said anything about falling for him?” How could she jump to such a radical conclusion? “It’s just nice to talk to someone who isn’t brain-dead.” I regretted it almost as soon as I said it.
“Nice choice of words, Juice.”
“What-ev.” I rolled my eyes at her, knowing she hated it. Lucky for me, she missed it.
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Not sure yet. I think I’ll just let the day play out.”
“Well, speaking of that, I think we better try and get to class or else they’ll think we cut for sure.” Sixx started gathering her things.
“You’re probably right.” I bent down and grabbed my bag, too.
Sixx handed me back the notebook, which I tucked in my backpack. I had one more class before lunch. We agreed not to mention this to the guys. Not being sure what Jett or Creepshow would think, I didn’t want to share Shane anymore than I already had. For now, my cute new ghost belonged only to me.
****
Before lunch, I had biology. I usually didn’t mind it, but right now I questioned registering to take it before eating. Especially now, when we were dissecting frogs. Sliced-open amphibians seriously made me gag. Thank heaven that at the beginning of the semester one of the Glasses Geeks had taken a shine to me and we had partnered up. I had coasted through the first half of the year on his very impressive coattails with very little input. But now that the real frogs were out and pinned into their little trays, I’m sure he expected me to contribute something.
I walked into the classroom and did a double take. Quentin, my geekazoid science partner was nowhere to be found. Instead, Shane stood lounging at my work station, poking around at my frog. I walked over to the station and slid onto my stool.
“Hey.” Casual, breezy. Not like I know I’m talking to a ghost or anything.
“Hey, yourself.”
“What are you doing here? I thought we weren’t meeting till after school.” I dropped my backpack near my feet and pulled out the notebook and pen.
Shane spun to look at me and I found myself looking into those denim blue eyes. Steady, girl. Remember, you’re not falling for him, right?
“Wasn’t sure you’d show up, if I’m being honest.”
“Honest. Hmm. That’s an interesting choice of words.”
“You are referring, I guess, to the fact that I didn’t tell you who I am?” He pressed closer to me, folding both arms on the science station table and kind of leaning over them. He was dangerously close to both me and the frog.
“You mean what you are.”
“Okay, good point. I mean what I am.”
“And what does this mean, exactly?” I ignored him and opened my notebook over the frog to the last message he wrote, about choosing me, and stood it up so he could see it. “I don’t know whether to be flattered by this or terrified.”
“Funny. You don’t look ‘terrified’.” He tossed my own word back at me, narrowing his eyes as he spoke. “And I wasn’t trying to do either. I told you the truth. I did choose you. I’ve been checking people out here for a little while and I chose you. On purpose.” He stunned me with another of those heart-melting smiles.
I forced myself to keep talking before I became hypnotized. “Chose me for what?”
“Well, to help me, actually. I chose you because I thought you were the one.” Shane looked down and the moment his blue eyes weren’t visible, I felt as if the sun’s rays had been taken away from me, from the whole world. When he looked up again, I felt the heat of his smile and I could breathe again. “I thought you might help me become human.” And then the breath left my body.
****
When I came to, I lay on the floor next to my stool and a whole crowd of kids stood around me. From miles away, I heard Mr. Sabbitch, the science teacher, telling everyone to stand back, that I needed air, and the crowd parted. I looked around, but Shane wasn’t among them. Arms from somewhere lifted me to a sitting position and another arm offered me a paper cup of water. I grabbed it and drank thirstily, draining it in one gulp. Another arm offered a second cup and I drained that one too.
“Lucy, are you okay?” Mr. Sabbitch’s deep voice boomed next to me and I nodded in response. “You sure took us by surprise. Usually, you’re so quiet. I do think you should go to the nurse’s office. Jenny? Can you walk with her?” He indicated one of the cheerleaders Sixx and I barely tolerated.
“Okay, Mr. Sabbitch. I’m feeling okay. I’ll walk there on my own.” I stood and started to gather my backpack and notebook.
“Well, normally I wouldn’t allow that. But I know I can trust you, Lucy.” Mr. Sabbitch scrawled something on his notepad and tore it off. Handing it to me, he said, “Now, straight to the nurse’s office, Lucy. And have her let me know if they want to send you home.”
I opened the door into the empty hallway and started toward the nurse’s office. I couldn’t believe what just happened. I had never fainted in my whole life. I wasn’t squeamish, not really. About frog guts, yes, but fainting? Never. Yet, the words Shane had said sent me slithering to the floor like a doped up snake. How freakin’ embarrassing. And just where did he even go? And what could all this noise be about making him human? I had some even better questions than that. How could I help him? Why did he choose me? And the million dollar question: What could be so special about me?
I realized as I thought about it, I just got madder. I wasn’t just walking to the nurse’s office now, I stalked toward it. Taking a deep breath, I slowed my pace and tried to get a hold of myself. Frankly, the idea of Shane being human wasn’t all that unappealing. What would it be like to hold his hand or tousle that mop of blond hair? I couldn’t deny the fact that he was super cute, and those eyes of his were the most amazing shade of blue I had ever seen.
I reached the nurse’s office and pulled open the door. There wasn’t anyone else inside, but then, without provocation, the door closed in front of me. I whirled around and found myself looking at Shane.
“Seriously, you have to stop doing that! If you keep sneaking up on me, I’m going to have a freaking heart attack. You already made me faint, for crying out loud!”
“I’m sorry. I came to see if you were okay. I didn’t mean to scare you. I guess I may have been too honest too fast.”
“No, it’s okay. It just took me by surprise, I guess.”
“Wanna get out of here?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”