SECOND
SEMESTER

Chapter Thirty-Three: Luke

I was actually glad to come back to school on Monday after Christmas break—well, I was glad to come back to first period and Ms. Hawk's class. I wasn't looking forward to math class or renewing acquaintances with old Mrs. Burkhead or health class, or a whole heck of a lot of things. Over the break, I rode my bike three times to the library to meet Mia, and I have to confess I was excited to see her every time. I had missed talking to her. The first time we met there, I got to the library about 15 minutes earlier than we had planned I was so excited. I had missed our lunchtime talks and hanging out in the library.

I was waiting outside for her to get there, and when she got off her bike, I was so excited that I walked over and patted her on the back. I had never touched a girl with, with...I don't know what the right word is...with affection? As soon as I touched her, I got nervous that she wouldn't like that, but she grinned at me and leaned in a little and squeezed my hand, and I thought about holding her hand when we walked into the building, but I didn't. A girl, a beautiful sweet girl who is so smart...she squeezed my hand and was glad to see me...me of all people! Can you believe that.

Am I starting to have feelings for her? I don't know, maybe I am. But I do know for sure that I really enjoy being with her, and she must feel the same. We had so much to talk about. In our book club, we've read Walden, 1984, and Brave New World all the way through. Right before break, we decided to start White Fang because Mia thought I would like it. So we spent part of our visits talking about that book. Then we would go online and read and discuss current events for a while. Last, we would work on our PowerPoints together and practice presenting whatever part we had finished that day.

Mia has opened up this whole other world of literature to me. I still prefer reading about sports in magazines and online, but I have to admit that there are some pretty good books out there. I mean who knew. And because she has confidence in me, I have more confidence in myself to raise my hand in English and history classes especially. I'm so very, very grateful, to her about that and for her tutoring me in math. I had a high D average for the semester, and that's really good for me.

After we had met for the third time at the library, Mia asked if I was hungry, that she had made two chicken sandwiches, one for her and one for me. And I said I had already eaten, but I would like one of her sandwiches, and she said she never saw me eat in school, and what did I eat for lunch. I said apricot energy bars, that Mom bought them for me for a school snack but that was all I ate at school because I was secretly putting all the money Mom gave me for school lunches in my bank account. I also put in my account all the money I earned from mowing people's lawns.

Mia asked what I was saving for, and I told her that one day I wanted to have money enough to buy some land out in the country where I could fish and hunt and live. That I knew it would take years and years but if I started saving now, that at least it would be a start. I told her that I had told my granddaddy about my dream, and he said it had been his dream too and he had never done it, and we talk about that land a lot. And he encourages me to go for it.

Mia said it was an awesome dream, and it would be so romantic to live out in the country and have a place to put down roots. And she talked about her dreams of going to college and doing something meaningful with her life and helping others, and maybe one day being able to help out her parents when they were old. She is so awesome and sweet.

Then Mia asked if it would be all right if she volunteered for us to be Romeo and Juliet when second semester started in Ms. Hawk's class. At first when she said that, I got nervous at the thought of having to do all that reading in Shakespeare-style English, and I think she could tell that I was nervous, and she said with one of those smiles of hers that she was confident that we would make a good team, and I would do great. I smiled back and said okay, and she squeezed my hand again.

I tell you when she smiles at me...and those times when she has squeezed my hand...I think I can do things...that I am somebody.