I shook my head. “I’m trying to stay away from him, if truth be told… when I’m around him, I feel…” I couldn’t quite finish my sentence. It was hard to explain.
But no way was she letting it go. “What?! You feel like what?”
“Like I have no control,” I confessed, “like he could make me do anything in the world.”
“So… you fancy the bloke,” she said in a really bad British accent.
We broke out in laughter. “Was that supposed to be your impression of him?”
She laughed. “So, you don’t like him?”
I thought of Leo, and bit my lip, eager to tell her all about him. I trusted her. She was my best friend at RAMS, after all. “Promise you won’t tell anyone this…”
Her pretty dark eyes grew round. “Yes.”
“I kinda like Leo,” I whispered, making sure no one was behind us.
She smiled. “Yes… he’s pretty hot. I totally get it.”
“We actually spent--”
I was speechless when we arrived at the main hall. The place was transformed. “When did this happen?”
“Last few days. Halloween at RAMS is abigdeal,” she told me. “It’s a blast.”
My feet were frozen to the ground as I stared up at the giant spider on the ceiling. It was the size of a small car, no joke. The walls were covered in spider web and gauze. Black crows and candle pillars hung from the ceiling. “That looks like a fire hazard.”
“They’re fake candles, silly,” she pointed out. “C’mon, we should get going before we’re late. You know how Mr. Morris hates tardies.”
Luckily, Alicia and I were in the same class on Fridays, first period; Realms and Channels Studies. It was a Friday but it felt like a Monday, not your typical crummy Monday, but a good Monday, if such a thing exists. Ace was also in that class, which probably made Alicia a little giddy.
I walked to our lockers, completely awestruck.The spooky theme continued; black feather garlands, skulls, and bats. There was even a wreath made out of snakes at the end of the hall, close to my locker.
“Like this place wasn’t creepy enough already,” Alicia joked. “I need to grab some stuff from my locker, too. I’ll see you in class.” She waved bye, and was gone in a flash.
I was reaching for my R&C textbook when I spotted it, at the bottom of my locker. An origami swan. It was a little rudimentary in its execution, nowhere near as perfect as the ones I make. It was speckled with a few words scribbled in black ink. I knew that I was already running late, but I was dying of curiosity, and there was no way I wasn’t checking this out. The words ‘open me’ were scribbled on one of the wings.
I unfolded the swan, careful not to rip the paper.
I had so much fun with you, and I want to spend the day with you.
Would you like to spend the day with me on Sunday?
I promise to be on my best behavior, this time.
What? Who was this? Leo or Ace? So cryptic. Was he asking me out on a date? I had no clue. I had no experience with this kind of thing. I’d never even been on a date.
Why wouldn’t he leave his name? Or she? Could it have been Kendra or Brianna? My best guess was Leo, but I couldn’t quite be sure.
I folded the paper in two and stuck it back in my locker, grabbed all my stuff and bounded down the hall, giddy.
When I rounded the corner to room 202, I saw Ace turning the other corner.He was late, too. I let him do the honors and barge in the classroom in front of me.
Mr. Morris scowled at the both of us. “Nice of you to join us, Mr. Rogers and Miss Jenkins,” he said, his words drenched in sarcasm. “Welcome back.”
I settled in my seat next to Alicia, and she shot me a tight smile.
“Now, if you’ll open your book at chapter four, we can all resume our reading.”
