Jamie cleared his throat and motioned to the other boy, whom I’d never been introduced to, and the pair of them moved off, leaving me still holding on to Spence’s hand.
I let out another nervous laugh and attempted to pull away, but he held on to my fingers for an extra second, and in that moment it felt like fireworks in the air between us.
“Are you a sophomore?” he asked.
I nodded.
“Me, too,” he said.
From a distance I heard my name called and turned to wave to Britt. She and Sara were waiting for me with eager smiles. I knew they couldn’t wait to hear about my conversation with the gorgeous boy in front of me.
Spence looked over at them, too. “I should let you get back to your friends.”
I wanted to protest, to keep him there longer, to gaze on his beautiful face and stand in the light of his smile, but I couldn’t think of a single thing to say.
“Maybe I’ll see you around?” I said to him.
His smile broadened. “Around? How about right here?” Pointing to the ground he added, “I’ll be right in this spot at three o’clock.”
My breath quickened. “You will?”
“Yep,” he said confidently. “I’ll be waiting to see if you’ll let me to walk you home.”
“Is that so?” I said, thrilled with the little spark that seemed to light up between us.
“Think you’ll let me?” he asked. “Walk you home?”
I couldn’t stop smiling, but I didn’t think it was smart to appear too willing. “Guess we’ll find out at three.”
He let out a low, throaty chuckle. “Guess we will.”
With that, he tipped an imaginary hat at me but made no move to turn away. I felt his gaze on my back, like a warm ray of sunshine, all the way until Britt, Sara, and I walked into school.
THE FIRST RAYS OF THE SUN were just peeking over the horizon when Mom drove me to school. My stomach fluttered with nerves and there was an empty hollowness in my chest. I suddenly felt very homesick for my old high school in Richmond. Sophie would probably be meeting our other two friends, Michelle and Quinn, at the bench next to the bike racks. And Tanner would be pulling into the parking lot in his parents’ old BMW. He’d park in the spot third from the left in the last row, next to Dylan and Grant, and he’d walk all the way around the building to find Sophie….
“You okay?” Mom asked, pulling me from my thoughts, as she eased her car into the line of vehicles slowly making their way up to the front of Chamberlain High School.
“Yeah,” I said, sitting up a little straighter in the seat. Unwilling to confess how much I missed my friends, especially Sophie, which was really messing with my head, I added, “I’m just nervous. I’ve never been the new kid before.”
And it was true. Even in kindergarten I’d had my neighbor Carrie to accompany me to the first day of school. And I’d known other kids from the neighborhood back then, too. This was the first time I’d ever faced the first day of school knowing absolutely no one, and it made me feel super-vulnerable and alone.
Mom moved us over to the curb and put the car in park. Placing a hand on the back of my head, she looked me in the eyes and said, “I know this is really scary, lovey, but you can do this. The kids might be a little standoffish at first, or they might welcome you with open arms, but either way I know what an amazing person you are, and before long you’ll fit right in.”
I gripped her free hand, trying to draw on her strength. Mom had just started her new job, where she didn’t know anybody, either. If she could do it, I could, too.
“Thanks, Mom.”
I wanted to say more, but I was aware of the long line of cars behind us, and the fact that we were holding things up. Taking a deep breath, I reached for the door handle.
“Your grandmother is sending a car for you this afternoon,” Mom said as I got out and turned to shut the door.
I winced. “I can walk home, you know.”
“Lily, it’s nearly three miles.”
“I can walk it,” I told her, putting a little more steel in my voice. No way did I want my grandmother’s town car pulling up to the curb after school.
Mom sighed. “We’ll have to see about getting you some transportation.”
I closed the door, but kept my hands on the open window. “A car?” I asked hopefully.
She smiled. “I was thinking about a Vespa.”
“A car would be better,” I said. Dad had promised me one for my sixteenth birthday and then he’d reneged on the deal when he found out I was going to live with Mom in his mother’s guesthouse.
“Maybe your grandmother will cosign for a loan,” Mom said.