In Which Zac and Whinny are Left to Their Own Devices
Chapter 6
In which Zac and Whinny are left to their own devices
While I’m freaking out about trying to pull one over an algebra teacher (art teachers and algebra teachers are totally different species), Summer does a head count. “Zac, check. Whinny... check. Grey.... Hey guys, where’d Grey run off to?”
Whinny and I turn around and find that Grey really isn’t there. “Lucky... he must’ve run off after Whinny’s exclamation,” I say enviously.
“He can’t be far, then. I’ll catch up with him. Zac, Whinny, you stay here.” She gives us a look that contains an implied “or else” and runs back in the direction we came from. That leaves Whinny and me, still strangers to each other, standing outside the door to algebra.
“So...” I start awkwardly, not quite sure what I’m saying. “Where’d you meet Summer?”
“Although I’m still not sure why she was there, she caught me drawing during lunch a day or two ago. She sat down and we talked about stupid things like the best way to sculpt eyes, and then the bell rang and we left.” Whinny finishes with that thoughtful look on her face again.
I think about this, and about what could possibly make Summer interested in Whinny enough to single her out from the crowd. At first glance, Whinny’s quiet, small, and mousy, nothing discernible. Not that I’m one to talk...
Before Grey and Summer can make it back, the bell rings. Whinny and I are pushed aside as the door beside us opens and sophomores start pouring out, anxious to get out of algebra. The halls are suddenly filled with loud voices and the sound of lockers slamming.
“That’s her!” Whinny shouts, pointing to a flock of girls leaving the classroom. I assume that Deirdre’s the redhead in the center, talking with everybody at once.
“What do we do?” I yell back.
“Grab her, of course! Didn’t Summer say she wanted her with us?”
“But Summer’s not here!”
“So? She’ll just come back and drag us to Deirdre’s next class anyway, and this way we can avoid being humiliated again.” She has a point there.
“So, how do we get her over here?”
“Um...” Whinny chews her lips nervously as the hall starts to empty. “Uh, we’ll think quicker under pressure, go!” Then she shoves me right at Deirdre.
Deirdre’s posse quickly cease their friendly chatter and turn to stare at Whinny and me. We’re both blank. I suppose this is what happens when two introverts are suddenly forced to be social and convincing.
“Did you want something?” Deirdre asks nicely, giving us a shallow smile. She impatiently flicks her curly red hair off her shoulder.
“Um...” Whinnie begins in a high, nervous voice. “We’re here because...”
I pick up where she left off. “We were told to bring you with us...”
“By Summer Kielsh, for club purposes,” Whinnie finishes, looking satisfied. Well, now I know Summer’s last name.
Deirdre laughs airily and turns to her friends. “I don’t remember signing up for a club,” she tells them, making sure they don’t make the mistake of associating us with her. She turns back to us, expecting us to say something more.
I laugh pensively and say, “We didn’t sign up for it either. Whinny here was dragged out of art class after just one conversation with Summer a couple days ago, and my half-eaten lunch is still sitting in the cafeteria because on the first day of school Summer found my eyes interesting.” I decide that honesty is the best policy in this situation, since it doesn’t seem like Whinny and I are up to lying.
“Well, let’s see them!” Deirdre says, and turns to the other girls. They start agreeing immediately.
“My eyes?” I ask incredulously. They nod.
Whinny grabs the opportunity and says, “Will you come with us if he does?”
“Sure, why not?” Deirdre says after a moment of consideration.
“You’re going to follow us just to see my eyes?” I ask, still unbelieving. I mean, come on, that’s just... weird. It’s not like they’re miracles from God or something like that. They’re eyes.
“I already said yes.” Whinny starts waving at me to get on with it before Deirdre changes her mind.
“Okay, um, how do I do this...” I start mumbling to myself, unsure what to do with my hair. It keeps falling back in front of my eyes since it’s not quite long enough to tuck behind my ears.
“Here, let me try.” Suddenly Deirdre is right in front of me, brushing away my hair with her long fingers. I can feel heat spreading to my cheeks, but without the usual cover my hair gave me, I have nothing to hide under.
“Aw, c’mon, look up!” Deirdre implores, and her friends giggle in agreement. Her fingers are still pinning up the hair on my forehead. Some falls loose as I turn to Whinny with a silent plea for help, only to realize she’s almost as interested in my eyes as Deirdre. I sigh and look up.
“Ooh!” Deirdre and some of her friends start clapping, looking amused. Luckily, this allows her to let go of my hair just in time to hide my renewed blush. God, these girls are playing me like an instrument!
“So,” Whinny says, “you’ll come with us now?”
“Yep,” Deirdre replies cheerily, “Take me away! Girls, see you later!” and waves them away.
As we turn to exit the hall, I finally notice that everyone has stopped and turned to look at us during some point in our grand performance. “C’mon,” I tell Whinny and Deirdre. Absolutely red, I turn and walk down the hall as quickly as I can.
In which Zac and Whinny are left to their own devices
While I’m freaking out about trying to pull one over an algebra teacher (art teachers and algebra teachers are totally different species), Summer does a head count. “Zac, check. Whinny... check. Grey.... Hey guys, where’d Grey run off to?”
Whinny and I turn around and find that Grey really isn’t there. “Lucky... he must’ve run off after Whinny’s exclamation,” I say enviously.
“He can’t be far, then. I’ll catch up with him. Zac, Whinny, you stay here.” She gives us a look that contains an implied “or else” and runs back in the direction we came from. That leaves Whinny and me, still strangers to each other, standing outside the door to algebra.
“So...” I start awkwardly, not quite sure what I’m saying. “Where’d you meet Summer?”
“Although I’m still not sure why she was there, she caught me drawing during lunch a day or two ago. She sat down and we talked about stupid things like the best way to sculpt eyes, and then the bell rang and we left.” Whinny finishes with that thoughtful look on her face again.
I think about this, and about what could possibly make Summer interested in Whinny enough to single her out from the crowd. At first glance, Whinny’s quiet, small, and mousy, nothing discernible. Not that I’m one to talk...
Before Grey and Summer can make it back, the bell rings. Whinny and I are pushed aside as the door beside us opens and sophomores start pouring out, anxious to get out of algebra. The halls are suddenly filled with loud voices and the sound of lockers slamming.
“That’s her!” Whinny shouts, pointing to a flock of girls leaving the classroom. I assume that Deirdre’s the redhead in the center, talking with everybody at once.
“What do we do?” I yell back.
“Grab her, of course! Didn’t Summer say she wanted her with us?”
“But Summer’s not here!”
“So? She’ll just come back and drag us to Deirdre’s next class anyway, and this way we can avoid being humiliated again.” She has a point there.
“So, how do we get her over here?”
“Um...” Whinny chews her lips nervously as the hall starts to empty. “Uh, we’ll think quicker under pressure, go!” Then she shoves me right at Deirdre.
Deirdre’s posse quickly cease their friendly chatter and turn to stare at Whinny and me. We’re both blank. I suppose this is what happens when two introverts are suddenly forced to be social and convincing.
“Did you want something?” Deirdre asks nicely, giving us a shallow smile. She impatiently flicks her curly red hair off her shoulder.
“Um...” Whinnie begins in a high, nervous voice. “We’re here because...”
I pick up where she left off. “We were told to bring you with us...”
“By Summer Kielsh, for club purposes,” Whinnie finishes, looking satisfied. Well, now I know Summer’s last name.
Deirdre laughs airily and turns to her friends. “I don’t remember signing up for a club,” she tells them, making sure they don’t make the mistake of associating us with her. She turns back to us, expecting us to say something more.
I laugh pensively and say, “We didn’t sign up for it either. Whinny here was dragged out of art class after just one conversation with Summer a couple days ago, and my half-eaten lunch is still sitting in the cafeteria because on the first day of school Summer found my eyes interesting.” I decide that honesty is the best policy in this situation, since it doesn’t seem like Whinny and I are up to lying.
“Well, let’s see them!” Deirdre says, and turns to the other girls. They start agreeing immediately.
“My eyes?” I ask incredulously. They nod.
Whinny grabs the opportunity and says, “Will you come with us if he does?”
“Sure, why not?” Deirdre says after a moment of consideration.
“You’re going to follow us just to see my eyes?” I ask, still unbelieving. I mean, come on, that’s just... weird. It’s not like they’re miracles from God or something like that. They’re eyes.
“I already said yes.” Whinny starts waving at me to get on with it before Deirdre changes her mind.
“Okay, um, how do I do this...” I start mumbling to myself, unsure what to do with my hair. It keeps falling back in front of my eyes since it’s not quite long enough to tuck behind my ears.
“Here, let me try.” Suddenly Deirdre is right in front of me, brushing away my hair with her long fingers. I can feel heat spreading to my cheeks, but without the usual cover my hair gave me, I have nothing to hide under.
“Aw, c’mon, look up!” Deirdre implores, and her friends giggle in agreement. Her fingers are still pinning up the hair on my forehead. Some falls loose as I turn to Whinny with a silent plea for help, only to realize she’s almost as interested in my eyes as Deirdre. I sigh and look up.
“Ooh!” Deirdre and some of her friends start clapping, looking amused. Luckily, this allows her to let go of my hair just in time to hide my renewed blush. God, these girls are playing me like an instrument!
“So,” Whinny says, “you’ll come with us now?”
“Yep,” Deirdre replies cheerily, “Take me away! Girls, see you later!” and waves them away.
As we turn to exit the hall, I finally notice that everyone has stopped and turned to look at us during some point in our grand performance. “C’mon,” I tell Whinny and Deirdre. Absolutely red, I turn and walk down the hall as quickly as I can.