I know I won’t have long before the big guy comes for me, but I make the most of the time I have, and when big hands lock around my upper arms and pull me off Lono, I’ve still got plenty of fight left in me. I spin to show Mountain Boy what I’ve got for him and come way too close to hitting a man in the stomach.
A man in a flowered shirt and khaki shorts with a teacher I.D. hanging around his neck…
I stumble and lift my hands into the air by my head. I still step on the guy’s foot, but it could have been so much worse. I know I’m headed to the office for fighting and might get suspended, but hopefully the fact that I stopped as soon as I saw a teacher will keep me from getting expelled.
“Both of you.” The man snaps his fingers at the kid on the ground. “Get up. Come with me.”
“Mr. Sanderson, wait!” Boot Girl appears at my side. “It’s not his fault. Lono started it. I saw the whole thing. And he didn’t hit anyone until after Lono hit me.”
Mr. Sanderson sighs and rolls his eyes toward the roof of the giant metal overhang, looking more irritated by the information than outraged, which pisses me off even more.
“Where I come from, we don’t let guys hit girls,” I say, not bothering to hide my contempt.
“Yeah, we don’t care for that, either.” Mr. Sanderson’s gaze slides to Lono, who’s picked himself up off the floor, before flicking back to me. “But I read your file. You’re no hero, Mr. Cooney, far from it, and you’re going to learn really quick that we don’t put up with violence at this school.”
He turns to Boot Girl. “Head in to the nurse Sam, I’ll come talk to you after I’m done with these two. And from now on, try to stay out of the middle of things, okay? No need to go looking for trouble.”
“Okay,” Boot Girl—Sam—says as she moves around Mr. Sanderson and starts toward the office.
But she only takes a few steps before she looks back over her shoulder. Our eyes meet and she smiles again, a just-between-us smile that makes me feel amazing, even though all the places Lono got his punches in are starting to hurt.
Right then, I know she’s not going to stay out of trouble. She’s going to come looking for trouble…for me.
The moment of connection only lasts a couple of seconds before she turns and walks away, but I know this isn’t the end with this girl. Insanely enough, I think she might like me—like really like me, not just as a friend. If I don’t screw things up, I might have a chance with her, even though I’m small for my age, my face isn’t anything to brag about, and she’s obviously one of the pretty, good girls who wouldn’t have sat next to me on the bus for a thousand dollars back home.
As I follow Mr. Sanderson to the office, I make a decision that’s nothing like me. I decide to suck up, play nice, and do whatever it takes to keep from getting sent home. I should want to smooth this over so I don’t upset Caitlin, but Sam is the real reason I want to stay.
I’m not too proud to play the victim if it means I’ll get another chance to see her smile today.
I’ve got tears in my eyes by the time Lono and I sit down across from the principal’s desk and I play the poor new kid who got beat up trying to defend a girl so perfectly Mrs. Nakayama has tears in her eyes by the time I’m done. I get off with a warning, Lono gets three days suspension, and I’m back in first period only a few minutes after the tardy bell rings feeling damned proud of myself. Even the fact that Mountain Boy didn’t get in trouble, and is still going to be around to glare at me during lunch can’t bring me down. I’m in school, and I’m going to see Sam again today.
I think about her all morning, and when fourth period English finally comes around, I’m so nervous I feel like I’m going to be sick.
I’ve never had a crush before—at least not a serious one—but this one is hitting me hard. When I step into Mr. Fiore’s room and see Sam’s fuzzy hair in the second to the last row, my stomach turns over. When I sit down next to her and she turns to me and smiles, it’s better than the time I found a giant stash of fireworks hidden in Caitlin’s closet.
“Hey, you okay?” I ask. “Your stomach and…stuff?”
“Yeah, thanks.” She studies my face for a second before she asks, “Did you really get in fights a lot at your old school?”