Chapter 34
He caught me ot of the corner of his eye. Turning seeing me. His eyes changing as he took me in. I looked at him lifting my hand in a wave. He opened his mouth to say something. But I walked right by Dave Mandeville. And Seniors all turned watching me.
He had his face buried in his locker. His shoulders were sagging and he looked depressed. He slammed his locker shut. Because it wouldn't close because it barely stuck where it shut. Then he turned in my direction. Just seeing me for the first time in two days. Sean had gone to Carol's yesterday alone. And when his car left my driveway Saturday it was the last time I had seen him.
I should have been shaking a lot harder but my stomach was shaking so hard inside of me. And it was full of butterflies. I walked up to him. I felt all of those eyes starign at me. And him. Girls glaring. The hallway wasn't silent but the sound was registering in my head. I moved my hands into his hair his lips moving softly agaisnt mine. And all of the pain was gone. My heart bursting to life in my chest. Healthy and not stopping if my life depended on it. I felt warm. And I could feel his heart racing at the same rate as mine.
That's how we fought them.
The day went by slowly. In English we looked at each other quietly smiling across the room. In the halls we walked together. I tried my best but I still hated all of the people starign talking. When it was too much and I had to face them alone. He would lean down and kiss me sweetly on the lips. I never felt this before.
Like I could do anything when I was with someone.
Especially after everything. But this is what I wanted. I wanted to be with Bennett. I wanted to kiss him in the halls and I wanted him to help me fight off the crowds of them that were going crazy with stories about me and Bennett. Cass saw how happy I was. And I don't think I stopped smiling on the inside. I felt so warm and happy.
In my locker I found another book. It was The Great Gatsby which we started in English that day with notes in the margins. But when I shut my locker he came out of nowhere. Wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing me. In the halls. The girls and kids in my grade watching confused and talking about it.
But I just closed my eyes and kissed him back.
I dropped my car off at home and we went to Carol's and sat and drank coffee and talked.
"Did Dave ask you to be his girlfriend?" Bennett asked looking at me.
I shook my head. "He jsut started calling me his girlfriend and that was it." I said.
He smield a little. "Did you want him to?"
"Yeah," I said looking down at my coffee.
"You're not my girlfriend." Bennett said. "But we're together. I'm jsut puttign that on the record now." He was msiling when I looked up at him. He was planning something I knew it. I sighed. And he sipped his coffee. Still smiling. And I smiled back. My heart was racing still. And his was probably too. We left an hour later, his arm around my waist as we walked out. I felt invincible standing next to him.
Cass came up to my room loudly. I opened the door so she could come in. She smield as she walked in. "Hey," She said, the door shut securly behind her. "All I've heard abotu for twelve hours straight is you and that boyfriend of yours."
I shook my head. "He's not my boyfriend." I said. "But he's planning something."
"Like what?" She sat on my bed. I turned in the chair at my computer to face her. She was smiley and happy for me it was clear and I smiled a little too shrugging. "I heard about how you went up and kissed him right in front of Dave."
I laughed. "It wasn't planned." I said.
"You guys weren't tlaking at all yesterday huh?" She asked. I told her about our conversation in his car.
I shook my head. "But now we're perfect." I said.
She msiled happily for me. "Elisa, you like him a ton I can tell."
"I know." I knew better than anyone how much I liked Bennett. And it was more than I've ever liked a boy in my life.