I was still pretty shaky when I left Chemistry forty minutes later. As I walked toward the door, someone bumped me from behind, hard enough to make me stumble.
“Sorry!” The voice was low and intense and sounded everything but apologetic. Watch where you’re going was what I heard, and the thought was accompanied by a nasty tone as the girl who sat in front of me stared me down.
“I was—I mean, no problem.” I concentrated on answering only what Nell said aloud and tried to get out of her way.
Unfortunately, she followed me through the door and into the open-air walkway. I was more used to a traditional school building with hallways linking classrooms, but apparently in Florida, the classroom doors opened directly to the outside. Covered sidewalks took the place of the tiled hallways, and lockers were against the stucco building between the brightly colored doors.
I fumbled with my bag, trying to find the paper that told me where I was supposed to go next and hating first days at new schools with a renewed passion. I knew Nell was still standing behind me—I could hear the low rumble of her mind—but I pretended that she wasn’t there.
“Where did you come from?” Her question was clipped and abrupt. I decided to pretend that she was asking it in friendly interest.
“Uh—well, the last place I lived was Wisconsin. We just moved down here. I really like Florida—”
“Why are you taking Chemistry?” Nell demanded. There was another flare of animosity in her thoughts.
“Because the guidance counselor said so?” I didn’t mean it to sound like a question, but it did.
“I think you’d be happier in another class,” Nell announced. She glanced around us, as though she didn’t want anyone to overhear what she was saying. I didn’t blame her. I wouldn’t want anyone to hear me being a bitch, either.
“Um-Nell? That’s your name, right? Did I do something to offend you just now? Did I kick your chair or breathe too heavily? Because I can’t think of any other reason for you to say that.”
She raised one perfectly groomed eyebrow and pinned me with a stare that I assume brought other people to their knees. I could hear the fury churning in her mind; it kept me from making out any particular thought.
“We’re very selective about who joins this class. Ms. Lacusta isn’t a typical teacher, and it’s—it’s a very demanding course. I think if you go to the office and tell them you want to transfer to botany or astronomy or whatever, they’ll take care of it.”
“What if I don’t want to transfer?” I countered. I wasn’t usually able to stand up for myself like this, but something about this girl just got under my skin.
“I think you’ll live to regret it.” Nell all but hissed this last line. She sounded like the villain in a bad melodrama, and I stifled a completely inappropriate giggle.
“Hey—what’s going on?” Nell and I tore our eyes away from each other to glare at the boy who had interrupted our conversation. Nell looked away again quickly, but I didn’t. In fact, I didn’t look away at all.
He was taller than me by a good half a foot, and he had light brown hair that hung just a little long over his ears and forehead. But the eyes that held mine were what made breathing tough. They were huge, deep green and framed by the most improbable lashes I’d ever seen on a boy. And they were fastened on me, filled with an expression I couldn’t quite read.
Impulsively I pulled the focus of my mind away from Nell’s and aimed it toward the boy. I only picked up a few stray phrases over the buzz of the people pushing around us.
…the girl… beautiful… wonder what… her name… Nell up to her…
“Michael, this has nothing to do with you,” Nell said smoothly. “Leave us alone.” She gave him the same stare she’d given me a few moments before. He only rolled his eyes.
“It sounds like you’re giving her a hard time.” Michael jerked his head in my direction. “Wouldn’t it be nice to let the new girl settle in before you begin the torture?”
The temperature around us seemed to suddenly drop several degrees. Nell took a step closer to Michael. “It’s none of your business. Leave us alone.”
“Not going to happen.” Michael stood relaxed in front of Nell, but I sensed the subtle alertness lying just beneath the surface. Nell might have realized it, too, because she gave a slight shrug.
“Whatever.” She flicked her eyes across my face. “We’ll talk again later. You might want to give some thought to my advice.” She walked away from us without looking back.
I watched her go, still more than a little mystified by the hostility. A sudden tingle jolted my attention back to Michael; he was touching my shoulder, looking down at me with concern.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Don’t worry about Nell. She’s that way to pretty much everyone. It’s not just you.”
“I guess that’s a relief,” I said. “She’s a little intense, isn’t she?”
Michael laughed, and my heart flipped over about ten times. “Just a little. What happened to set her off?”
I liked that he didn’t assume it was something I did. “I don’t know. She wants me to drop Chemistry class. She said it was—exclusive or something. No, she said the teacher was selective. That’s kind of weird, isn’t it?”
He shrugged. “Typical Nell.” He waited a beat, as though to let that subject drop completely. “By the way, I’m Michael Sawyer. This is your first day here, isn’t it?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Tasmyn Vaughn. I just moved here. Thanks for stepping in with Nell. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. Try to stay out of her way, and she probably won’t bother you again. She’s kind of a bully.” He hesitated again. “You’re a junior, right? You have lunch sixth period?”
“I am a junior. I have no idea about lunch—I’m just taking it class by class.” I waved the paper schedule that was my lifeline for the day.
“Well, all the juniors and seniors have sixth period lunch. If you want someone to eat with, look for my friends and me. There’s room at our table.” He glanced over his shoulder, and I realized that the walkway was almost empty. I was going to be late for my next class, and I didn’t even know where it was.
“Thanks. Um, I have a class called speech and debate next.” I scanned my schedule quickly. “Room 32? Can you point me in the right direction?”
Michael grinned. “Sure. Go to the corner of this building and make a left. Should be just a little way down.” His eyes lingered on me just a moment longer. “I hope I’ll see you at lunch.” He turned and jogged away from me.