Violet as often as you might think. The only class we have together is U.S.
Geography. I’m in the basement when she’s on the third floor, I’m in the gym
when she’s all the way across the school in Orchestra Hall, I’m in the science
wing when she’s in Spanish.
On Tuesday, I say to hell with it and meet her outside every one of her
classes so I can walk her to the next. This sometimes means running from one
end of the building to the other, but it’s worth every step. My legs are long, so
I can cover a lot of ground, even if I have to dodge people left and right and
sometimes leap over their heads. This is easy to do because they move in slow
motion, like a herd of zombies or slugs.
“Hello, all of you!” I shout as I run. “It’s a beautiful day! A perfect day! A
day of possibility!” They’re so listless, they barely look up to see me.
The first time I find Violet, she’s walking with her friend Shelby Padgett.
The second time, she says, “Finch, again?” It’s hard to tell if she’s happy to
see
me or embarrassed, or a combination. The third time, she says, “Aren’t
you going to be late?”
“What’s the worst they can do?” I grab her hand and drag her bumping
along. “Coming through, people! Clear the way!” After seeing her to Russian
literature, I jog back down the stairs and down
more stairs and through the
main hall, where I run directly into Principal Wertz, who wants to know what
I think I’m doing out of class, young man, and why I’m running as if the
enemy is on my heels.
“Just patrolling, sir. You can’t be too safe these days. I’m sure you’ve read
about the security breaches over at Rushville and New Castle.
Computer
equipment stolen, library books destroyed, money taken from the front office,
and all in the light of day, right under their noses.”
I’m making this up, but it’s clear he doesn’t know that. “Get to class,” he
tells me. “And don’t let me catch you again. Do I need to remind you you’re
on probation?”
“No, sir.” I make a show of walking calmly in the other direction, but when
the next bell rings, I take off down the hall and up the stairs like I’m on fire.
The first people I see are Amanda, Roamer, and Ryan, and I make the
mistake of accidentally ramming into Roamer, which sends him into Amanda.
The contents of her purse go spiraling across the hallway floor, and she starts
screaming. Before Ryan and Roamer can beat
me to a six-foot-three-inch
bloody pulp, I sprint away, putting as much distance between them and me as
I can. I’ll pay for this later, but right now I don’t care.
This time Violet is waiting. As I double over, catching my breath, she says,
“Why are you doing this?” And I can tell she isn’t happy or embarrassed,
she’s pissed.
“Let’s run so you’re not late to class.”
“I’m not running anywhere.”
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“I can’t help you then.”
“Oh my God. You are driving me crazy, Finch.”
I lean in, and she backs up into a locker. Her eyes are darting everywhere
like she’s terrified someone might see Violet Markey and Theodore Finch
together. God forbid Ryan Cross walks by and gets the wrong idea. I wonder
what she’d say to him—
It’s not what it looks like. Theodore Freak is
harassing me. He won’t leave me alone
.
“Glad I can return the favor.” Now
I’m
pissed. I rest one hand against the
locker behind her. “You know, you’re a lot friendlier when we’re by ourselves
and no one’s around to see us together.”
“Maybe if you didn’t run through the halls and shout at everyone. I can’t
tell if you do all this because it’s expected or because it’s just the way you
are.”
“What do you think?” My mouth is an inch from hers, and I wait for her to
slap
me or push me away, but then she closes her eyes, and that’s when I
know—I’m in.
Okay
, I think.
Interesting turn of events
.
But before I can make a move,
someone yanks me by the collar and jerks me back. Mr. Kappel, baseball
coach, says, “Get to class, Finch. You too.” He nods at Violet. “And that’s
detention for the both of you.”
After school, she walks into Mr. Stohler’s room and doesn’t even look at me.
Mr. Stohler says, “I guess there really is a first time for everything. We’re
honored
to have your company, Miss Markey. To what do we owe the
pleasure?”
“To him,” she says, nodding in my direction. She takes a seat at the front of
the room, as far away from me as she can get.
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