Chapter Two
"This is the Grand Hallway of the Congleant Academy," I tell Griffin as we walk through the school. Right now I'm missing Physics II. We had a big test today and I forgot to study for it so this tour guide thing is serving more than one purpose.
"Well it sure is grand. For more than one reason that is," Griffin said looking down directly at me smiling with that nice smile of his. His hand brushes against mine. Not once, but twice. So when the third time came along I grabbed his hand and our fingers intertwined. We don't say anything else that's really important. We just smile at each other. So when the third bell for the day rings, we both jump. It felt like everyone and their mother came out of those classrooms. Literally.
"Is today bring your parent to school day or something?" asked Griffin. I totally forgot about Career day!
"Um something like that. Today is career day which reminds me, my stepdad will be here soon! What's your schedule?
"Spanish II, Physics II, AP Language, Lunch, Gym, Money Management, and World History." He said.
"Okay we almost have the same schedule. I did Money Management last semester."
"So off to Language?" He asks.
In my best tour guide voice I say, "Right this way, please."
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"Class turn to page 233 in your literature text books," said Ms. Campobello. No body really knows if she's married or not. She doesn't wear a ring, but she always talks about this mystery man. She claims they have been together for a really long time, though she never says anything else about the subject. Most think she's married, but that she doesn't want to show a public display of affection. She's one of those teachers that scold you for kissing your boyfriend on school grounds. Man, she needs a life.
Griffin picked a seat right behind me, so if he had a question or something he could ask me about it without being noticed. Asher and I have the exact same schedule and I always sit behind him no matter what. No one knows what Asher's parents do, but no body will even try to mess with him. Some say that his dad is so rich that they have eyes on him all over the city. You may be wondering why don't you look him up on Google? Well, the last person who looked up his parents moved away from NYC the next week. That is NOT an exaggeration. I mean he won't even tell me what the H.H. stands for. I guess everyday to see how much closer I am to finding out his "big" secret. So far, every day I guess only it seems like the answer is even farther than the last day. Though I vowed I would never give up, I don't know so much about that now.
When something falls on my lap, I come back into focus. It's a note from........... Griffin! It said:
Hey this stuff is pretty complicated. Do you think you could tutor me?
-Gruff
My heart starts to pound, just the thought of Griffin and me together. Studying. Alone. Together. For like at least an hour! At first I couldn't think of something besides, why don't we just get married now? Or other crazy things. So that's why I thought this was suitable:
Sure. When and where?
-C
When I pass the note our fingers brush. In that brief second, my whole body feels like it just got electrocuted. I got goose bumps all over my arms. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and the tips of my fingers still tingled after we touched. The next minute the note was passed once again. This time it said:
How about at the library? After school?
-Griff
I was so excited that I didn't even see Ms. Campobello standing over me, with that scolding frown on her face. She says, "Miss Munroe, I do not allow note passing in my class. So if you don't mind I would like to take that from you." Since we didn't say anything inappropriate I give her the note with a reassuring smile. When she read the note out loud all eyes weren't on the speaker; they were on Griffin and me. Isn't it always nice for there to be someone else to help take the blame with you? I turn around to look at Griffin and he's just sitting there with a cocky smile on his face. When he sees that I'm there looking at him he raises an eyebrow and just starts to beam. I thought if he's so confident that we won't get in trouble then I will be too. So when his cockiness rubs off on me, I start to notice that everyone has stopped looking at us and now have their attention on the teacher. Ms. Campobello had a scowl on her face so deep; it looked like it could be permanent. Obviously she was angry to know that we were just making a study date. Not anything juicy to her satisfaction, apparently. When the fourth bell rang, it seemed like everyone was happy to get out of there.
As I walk out, Asher, not once but TWICE in one day grabs me by the elbow and says, "Why do you keep wanting to hang out with this guy? You don't even know him!"
That makes me stop. Is he really mad at me for messing up our routine or is it something more? So that was why I said, "Asher, I'm a big girl. I know how to take care of myself."
"I know who you are; I just don't want you to get hurt, okay?" He said after some hesitation. I just can't get the feeling that it's something more than that, but after that he storms off into to the cafeteria before I got to ask what’s really bothering him.
After Asher ran away Griffin came up behind me and said, "You never confirmed our date, you know."
So I say with a nice little smile, "Of course, Griffin, I would love to do that. Hey do you know why Asher is acting so weird lately? It's like ever since you got here he's been acting really strange."
"Well do you really want to know?"
"Of course I do!" I say, because I hate it when people are mad at me. I like to get to the bottom of it so we can straighten things out. "Asher is my best friend. He's been so ever since we were eight."
"Well, I think, he wants to be more than friends, Cam."
"Oh, well, that’s impossible. He would never like me in that way. I mean we used to have little sleepovers and play dates. I mean they weren't like real sleepovers. We would just get in our pajamas and watch a movie on the floor. It was totally harmless, I swear!"
"I believe you, I do. I just don't think he likes it that someone else has come and has shown interest in his 'girl’,” When Griffin said 'girl' I stopped in mid track, seriously, one foot in the air. I mean why would Asher like me that way? I have never given him signals, ever! I haven't even thought of him in that way. I have never pictured us together forever, like I have Griffin. I felt sick.
Really irritated now I say,” Come on let's go to lunch." I start to walk off and Griffin is right by my side the whole time. When we walk into the cafeteria I hear Griffin swallow hard and I look over fast enough to see his mouth open wide, but as quick as it was there it was gone. I mean I can understand why. The cafeteria is more like a ball room. There are chandeliers hanging over every table (and there are like 50 tables), all of them on. There isn't any lunch line. What happens is you find the table you want, sit down, and people come to serve you. Every day there are hundreds of options to have. At this school there is no "pizza day" or "meatloaf Monday" or anything like that. No at my school you may only have what billionaires feed their children, which apparently consists of steak, ribs, vegetarian steak, and fruit and vegetables freshly picked from the school's "garden" just a few hours away. When I say garden, I mean plantation that stretches for many acres. When you're in fourth and fifth grade, the school takes those classes to the plantation for a field trip.
"This is the cafeteria?" Griffin asked.
"Yeah, big huh?" I say in response. I was to busy trying to look for Asher, to see if he was okay. If he was, I would go and take him to talk in private. I just had to ask him myself. When I saw him I made a beeline for it. Griffin left eating my dust realizes I left and came running after me.
"Hey, Asher," I say. "Um are you okay, because it didn't really look like it back there in the, um, hallway."
"Why don't you ask your new boyfriend?," He said starting to stand.
"Well first of all, he is not my boyfriend and second I think I deserve an explanation for your weird behavior today."
"Oh you want an explanation for my behavior? Cammie, what about you? Ever since you've laid eyes on him you've been acting like a love sick puppy."
When he said that, I started to feel worse than I had before when Griffin called me Asher's 'girl'. So when I say,"I think I'm gonna be sick." Asher says, "Stop the act Cammie."
"Asher, I don't think she's lying, man." Griffin said.
"How would you know, huh? You've only known Cammie for nine years. Oh wait! That's me!"
"Asher, I'm not kidding. Will you guys take me to the nurse, please?" I say practically on the verge of tears, for more than one reason too.
Griffin says," Sure, Cam, let's go." When he turns around to scowl at Asher, I think that's when it clicked that I was so not kidding and that I was about to throw up on my new Uugs I got for my birthday. So Asher ran off after us, picked me up, and carried me to the nurse’s office, which was conveniently just across the hall. I got there just in time over the trash can to barf up my double shot soy latte and blueberry muffin. Griffin and Asher were there the whole time to keep my hair back and to talk to me in a soothing voice. Well, mostly Asher pulled my hair back and Griffin gave me encouraging words. I guess you could call it a team effort.
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