. On our way to school the following day, Wade was quieter than usual. I tried to start a conversation about my book assignment for the newspaper. He listened politely, but he lacked the enthusiasm he had shown before whenever I talked about books and my studies and work. He seemed very distracted. I thought he might be worrying about Ami's headaches. When I asked, he said only that she would be all right, but he said it with an underlying tone of bitterness sharper than I had heard before in his voice. I pretended to be involved in studying notes for a firstperiod quiz.
Trevor was at school, just as he had promised. His cast went over his shoulder and the upper part of his arm so that his arm had to remain somewhat extended. It was quite impressive, and he was the object of everyone's attention. Many of his friends signed it and wrote silly things on it. He showed them to me at lunch. He had smeared over what Waverly had written.
"Too disgusting," he said when I asked him why he had rubbed it out. "When are you signing?" "I haven't thought of anything yet," I told him. He looked disappointed.
The chatter about us went up ten octaves every time we spoke or walked the halls together, and especially when we sat next to each other in the cafeteria. I was torn between keeping my distance and being with him, helping him. I did copy over notes for him, but I knew our closeness was increasing the gossip, and that gossip would reach Ami.
"I've got to talk to you about the math tonight," he said. "I'm still taking some pain medication, and I wasn't paying good attention."
"You're only going to talk about math?"
"Maybe just about multiplication," he joked.
I laughed too. I couldn't help liking him, no matter what ideas Ami had planted in my mind. He was handsome and funny. Maybe all this will pass over, I dared think. Maybe in time we would be like any other young couple. However, it was apparent that even the faculty had heard and talked about our incident. I could feel the way our teachers looked at us walking in the hallway together or sitting near each other in classes. It made me even more self-conscious. Mrs. Brentwood glared at me with obvious
disapproval, and later, before the day ended, she saw me coming out of the girls' room and crossed the hallway to speak to me.
"I see you've already made yourself the center of attention here, Celeste," she said. "I wouldn't advise you to get into any trouble in school."
"Why would I do that, Mrs. Brentwood? I'm so grateful I'm here," I said drily. I held my eyes on her the way I used to hold my eyes on Madame Annjill years and years ago when I was just a child.
Mrs. Brentwood pulled herself back.
"Just be sure you obey our rules and
regulations."
"Thank you for the reminder," I said, and I smiled at her so coolly she simply turned and walked back toward her office.
I'm a stranger in a strange land, I thought. It made me pensive all the remainder of the day. At the end of the day, Waverly was to drive Trevor home. He asked me if I wanted to come along for the ride.
"Some other time," I said.
Of course, I expected Ami to be right there waiting for me as I emerged from the building anyway.
But I was surprised when I stepped out. Instead of her waiting for me, there was Basil, leaning against his beautiful Mercedes sports car, waving and smiling at me.
"Whoa," Waverly teased. "She's going home in style."
"Talk to you later," I told Trevor, and quickly walked toward Basil. "Why are you here instead of Ami?" I asked, wondering if she had gotten more ill.
"I thought, why waste an opportunity?" he said. "Get in the driver's seat."
I looked back and saw both Trevor and Waverly and some of the other kids watching. I heard Waverly's whistle as I got into the automobile. Basil smiled their way and got in.
"That's the Foley kid with that monster, cast on him, huh?" he asked, gesturing back with his head.
"Yes."
"I'd say he's really fallen for you," he said, and laughed.
I couldn't help smiling.
"I guess so," I said.
"Let's go," he said. "Show me yesterday wasn't just a fluke."
It was truly exciting driving his car, and once again he told me he was considering getting a new one and leaving this one at the house for me. "It's all broken in. Why waste it?" he said.