“Hi,” she managed. She wanted to leave.
“I was wondering what you’re doing this weekend,” Evan said. “I thought if you weren’t busy, maybe we could go for frozen yogurt or something. That seems to be the thing right now—yogurt. Fancy yogurt. I don’t know. Those frozen yogurt bars with all the flavors and toppings and everything?” He suddenly felt nervous. She wasn’t saying anything but instead looking at him like he was an idiot. “You know what I’m talking about?”
“I don’t eat fancy yogurt.” Her heart tightened as the words came out. She didn’t mean to be nasty about it, but she was sure she came across that way.
Evan knew what she meant. He also decided that he wouldn’t be deterred.
“I know you don’t eat fancy yogurt,” he said. “I’m asking if you’d like to.”
He held her gaze, unwilling to allow her to make him feel foolish for his offer.
“Why?” she asked. She started getting angry.
Evan thought that any boy in his situation would have simply said, “Whatever,” and left, but he also understood her resistance. He knew where it was coming from. He knew she was angry that he saw where she lived, but it wasn’t intentional. He did charity runs all the time. How was he to know that he would be delivering food to her house over the weekend?
“I thought it would be fun,” he said.
“I have to babysit my sister,” Clara answered. She wished he would tell her to piss off and then walk away.
“Well, Beatrice can come too,” Evan offered.
Jesus with this guy, Clara thought. Why can’t he just leave me alone?
“I’m not sure,” Clara said. She shifted her book bag to the other shoulder.
“I can come and pick you up,” Evan offered. He saw the abrupt change on her face. It went from uncertainty to deep embarrassment in a second.
“I’d rather you not,” Clara said quietly. “I’m going to be busy. I don’t think I can go.”
She turned to leave and he caught her arm. It surprised her, and she jumped. He’d never touched her before—not deliberately—not like when he accidentally ran into her at Beatrice’s open house. She felt trapped between wanting desperately for him to let go and hold on to her at the same time.
“I’d really like you to go, Clara,” Evan said. “You can bring along your little sister. It’s okay.”
Clara wouldn’t look at him as she said it. “I don’t need you to feel sorry for me. Please let me go.” But she didn’t think she meant it. She thought she wanted him to go on holding her.
Evan tightened his grip on her arm and forced her to turn around and look at him. Now she did want him to let go. She felt the deep red stain on her cheeks, a tingling burning, and she knew he saw it.
“I don’t feel sorry for you,” he said.
“Oh really? I saw that smile you gave me the other day outside of my house. It was full of pity. You felt sorry for me,” she replied hotly.
“I smiled at you to be friendly,” Evan replied releasing her arm. She breathed relief.
“Friendly? You don’t even know me. You’ve talked to me a handful of times,” Clara snapped.
“I don’t think it’s fair to say I don’t know you,” Evan said. “I do know some things about you.”
“Yeah. Like the fact that I’m poor,” she spat.
Evan took a deep breath. “I was going to say that I know you love to read.”
“Uh huh,” Clara replied. “And where’s my bookmark, by the way?” she asked angrily.
Evan ignored the question. “But I’d like to learn more things about you, Clara. I want to talk to you more, but you won’t even give me the chance.”
“Because it’s weird, okay?”
“What’s weird?”
Clara didn’t want to say it out loud—that she felt inferior and would always feel inferior around him because he had money and she could barely afford soap. She felt she shouldn’t have to explain it to him, that he should understand intuitively and be a gentleman and leave her alone.
“Just forget it,” she mumbled. “I have to go to work.”
“Okay,” Evan said. “I’ll come over to your house Saturday around two.”
Clara was already walking away when she froze.
“No,” she said not looking behind her. “I’ll be busy.”
“You can take a frozen yogurt break,” Evan said. “It doesn’t take long to eat frozen yogurt.”
She turned around and looked at him. She heard the sound of his cell phone buzzing in his pants pocket.
“Someone’s calling you,” she said.
“It’s unimportant,” he replied smiling. “Right now I’m talking with you.”
As much as she tried to push it down, the overwhelming rush of giddiness filled her heart to bursting. How? How could her emotions change so abruptly—that she could go from feeling ashamed and angry to exhilarated in an instant? She knew she shouldn’t let him in. She still couldn’t understand why he was so insistent. But she couldn’t deny the way her heart felt in that moment, like her mother had come home and her sister had cute clothes to wear to school.
“Okay,” she said.
“Okay?” He beamed. “You’ll let me take you?”
She nodded. “I really do have to go now. I can’t be late for work.”
“I’ll walk you to your car,” Evan offered.
“All right,” Clara said. She didn’t have the strength to fight him. The giddiness in her heart also made her weak, and she thought that if he asked to pick her up and carry her to her car she wouldn’t resist.
They walked together out of the school building. They passed by several students who stood staring, a few waving at Evan once he addressed them.
“People think it’s weird that you talk to me,” Clara said. She couldn’t believe her boldness.
“I can’t imagine why,” Evan replied. He waved to his friend Chris who was sitting at a picnic table with some girls.
“I can,” Clara said.
“Well, I really don’t care about those other people, Clara,” Evan said once they reached her car. “And neither should you.”
“Brittany started a nasty rumor,” Clara blurted. She wanted it out in the open.
“I know,” Evan replied. “And no one cares.”