How I Fall (10 page)

Laura raises her brows like I’ve startled her and says, “In Limerick, some of our school bells are still made out of metal hitting against metal. The schools are only now getting proper technology budgets. I’m really into micro-tech. The smaller the better.”

“Wait till you see the computers we get to use here, and the sound stage set-up is something else!”

“I can’t wait.” She peels my arm off her shoulder and backs away from me like I’ve just hit on her, but she’s trying to be all nice and let me down easy. In the same clinical voice she goes on, “The nurse already let me mess around with your PA system. Simply marvelous that it was made only a few years ago. Ours was after World War II. Maybe it’s not going to be so bad spending a year here! Even without my
boyfriend
.” She shoots me a look. “Canada’s just…awesome. So friendly—for friends.” She wraps her arms around herself and does a little spin, grinning at the crowd.

I’m trying not to crack up when I catch the eye of Patrick, Ellen’s friend, watching us. He’s easy to spot thanks to his height and size. He’s stopped dead in his tracks along with everyone else to watch Laura doing her whacked self-hug dance. But unlike the others, he’s staring at Laura like he’s not surprised at all by her antics, rather he’s mesmerized and can’t wait for her to do more!

Like she’s the first girl he’s ever seen.

He raises his brows high and holds up his thumb as if he approves of her somehow. Since he seems to be the only non-hostile or dangerous person in this hallway, I shoot him a little shrug and a smile that I hope says,
help me!

I stop Laura from spinning by putting my hands on her upper arms as one of her spins turns her in my direction. “It’s going to be awesome. You’ll see. Fate wouldn’t have it any other way. You’re about to become a tiger trendsetter. You and me…go
tigers
!”

She’s trying to focus her dizzy-spinning eyes on my face. “It’s all lining up right now. Isn’t it—the universe and fate—just so grand that you understood me right away. Isn’t friendship the most curious thing?”

“Heck, yes,” I agree, even though I’ve got no idea what she’s talking about and I think I never will. I’m terrified she’s going to jet off somewhere and do something even crazier so I quickly loop her tiger scarf around both of our necks. Then I drag her under my arm again to make sure no one misses that this new girl and I are
definitely
friends, close friends. As soon as Laura’s secured, I quickly look up to check Ellen’s progress toward the classroom.

As if Patrick can read my thoughts, he turns just as I do to track Ellen’s slow progress across the hall. She’d paused, I think to watch and make sure Laura was okay, and from the looks of things has moved on now that things seem fine.

Patrick tenses for a minute as I do when Ellen releases her hold on the lockers and moves away from the wall. He seems to be holding his breath—as am I—until Ellen crosses through the widest part of the hallway where there’s nothing for her to grip. When she disappears inside the classroom without any problems, his gaze meets mine again. This time, he’s swapped his smile with a threatening glare.

It’s pretty obvious that he and half of the crowd—heck even I had to stare at it— just noted, that while I’m here snuggled up with our new girl, Ellen’s entire back, thanks to my zip jacket, now reads:
CAMPBELL!

And I couldn’t be happier about that fact!

Evading Patrick’s gaze, I try to urge Laura through the crowd and into the classroom, but she’s squirming and trying to get away from me. “Don’t want to be late to class, Miss Laura.” I’m almost pleading.

As usual, Laura is not listening. Instead of working her way free of the scarf logically, she’s tangled us both up even worse.

“Hold still, would you?” I ask, working the knot she’s made in the center of the scarf that now has us
tied
together!

She freezes and shoots me this look that says she feels sorry for me. Well she should. I feel really darn sorry for myself right now. I hate being stared at, and because of this girl it’s happened twice!

“Cam, I know what you’re feeling,” she whispers.

“You do?” A surge of panic goes through me as I wonder if she’s read my mind about Ellen.

“I’m driving you crazy?”

“Yes?” I blink down at her.

Her face gets all dramatic, and her eyes go from round saucers to giant plates of eye-water sadness.

My head starts throbbing again. Is she going to cry or something even more bizarre right now? “No! Wait. That came out all wrong. I mean
of course
you aren’t driving me crazy.” I try to distract her from any more public displays of insanity. “See—I—kind of like—”

“I
know
!” She leans closer so only I can hear while she pulls my cap down lower on my forehead, making my head bend toward her face so she can reach my ear to whisper, “I don’t know why but I have this affect over some guys that makes them act crazy--in-love with me. But, I’m not a cheater. No matter that I’m flattered by your attentions. And no matter how beautiful you might be with the wicked gorgeous eyes and all, your tall handsomeness. You’re sadly just too clean cut to be my type. So don’t be depressed about it, okay? No sonnets. No songs. Please. I can tell that you and I are really only meant to be best friends so try to get used to the idea quickly, okay? Destiny is destiny. Friends are better than those long term relationships anyhow because friends last longer than relationships. Think of it—of us—for the long term. Okay?”

I nod and bite my lower lip to clamp my mouth into a solid, serious line as I glance around wildly, finally getting us both free of the scarf, wondering if anyone around us overheard the madness she just spit out.

“Don’t be embarrassed. You’re not the first to insta-love me, and you won’t be the last. We shall show this crowd a united, trendsetting tiger-friend front, just like you suggested, yeah? And it won’t be awkward between us. I won’t let it.”

“Good. Thanks.” I shake my head, wishing I could follow her train of thought let alone her funny, word-stretching accent, but there’s no way I can, so I just work to repeat whatever she says so I can get her out of this hallway. I struggle for anything to get her moving and say, “Because that’s what we are. You and I…tiger trendsetters, best friends and all that. Now, let’s go.” I tug on her arm, but she’s still going on.

“
And you’re going to hear us ROAR!”

I gulp because this girl has just sung the Katy Perry roar song in front of half the school and she’s beaming at me like it was the right thing to do.

I’m now dragging her across the hall when she adds in, “Roar! Roar! Go Tigers! Roar!” I wince because she did that last part with some epic tiger-claw hand motions!

“Did I sound like one of your cheerleaders? We haven’t got them where I’m from so you’ll have to be my judge if you think I should try to go out for cheerleading.”

“Mhmm. Yeah. Maybe.”

Glancing back, it’s not hard to see that Tanner and Bella-Jane’s mouths have dropped so wide open you could drive dump trucks down their throats. Some of the crowd is starting to laugh and point, while my only possible allies—Patrick and the teachers—have cracked up and are grinning as they head off to classes totally unaware that the rest of the staring, pit vipers still lurking around look as though they mean to squash Laura London like a bug.

I kind of want to cry because I already know what I’ve got to do next to save the kid. Whatever. I don’t care. I’ll do anything it takes. Ellen’s counting on me.

I grin like it doesn’t hurt to do so, and using my own over-loud voice I shout out, “You said it!” Then, just to make sure no one mocks Laura for the public tiger roar thing, I copy her voice and go for it.
“Roar! Tigers, roar!”
I realize the entire hallway’s gone quiet, watching me as I finish my cheer-off with some epic tiger-claw hand motions of my very own. The whole thing’s so ridiculous I don’t even have to fake my burst of insane laughter.

And then to turn the whole thing upside down, Laura is dragging
me
into the digi-photo classroom like she’s the one on the rescue mission.

“That was just a bit too much there,” she scolds, pausing outside the classroom door and gives me this concerned once over. “You’ve got to tone yourself down some, laddie. Or are you always the type of person who creates spectacles?”

“
Me?
You roared first!”

“Yeah…but yours was completely unrealistic. So awkward.” She shrugs. “I spent my childhood reading about warrior cats and various shape-shifting wolves, all of which inspired me to practice hours and hours of animal mimicry. It’s obvious you are not as connected as I am to pack or any of the clan mentalities.”

“What?”

She sighs solemnly. “I hardly know you but I think your childhood was utterly lacking.”

I’m trying to sort the words she’s said underneath that impossible accent, but as usual with her, I already know I can’t relate. I actually wonder if I need to save my whole town from this person, but I squelch my urge to strangle her when I peer over her tiger-beanie and into the classroom.

Ellen’s managed to secure a table with three seats. Better, Ellen seems to be
waiting
for the two of us to sit with her! A feat I could never have achieved this quickly on my own.

My heart swells with gratitude. Instead of murder and prison time, I decide I will have to be friends with Laura London forever.

ellen

Miss Brown calls out to the class without looking up from her desk, “I’m giving you the first twenty minutes of class to finish and
turn in
the Light and Shapes photo assignment. If they aren’t in my drop box by the time my lecture begins, you will automatically lose one letter grade for the project. Everyone who’s already finished can relax. Quietly.”

Miss Brown is my favorite teacher and normally I would relax in here because to me, she’s more of a friend than a teacher, but I’m wound so tight my jaw hurts from clenching it. Everyone knows she’s the coolest teacher, and that she would never drop anyone’s grade without giving them a third, fourth—even fifth chance—if needed. Because my Light and Shapes assignment was turned in a week early, I drag out my phone and tuck it under the table so I can read the latest barrage of texts firing in from Patrick.

Patrick:
You should have seen what just went down.

  And I’M IN LOVE.

  Laura London is all that you mentioned, but so much more. Why didn’t you say she was also beautiful?

  Is Cam into her? They were pretty whisper-close in the hallway.

  Don’t let it happen. Put in a good word for me.

  PLEASE. She’s THE ONE.

  Mine.

  Mine.

  Mine.

  Did she really go into the principal’s office in her underwear?

Me:
Yes.

Patrick:
I love her. Love. And why were you wearing Cam’s jacket? The name CAMPBELL looked huge on your scrawny back. It was like a flashing sign. Anything I should know?

I reach my hand over my shoulders to feel the screen printed name and my cheeks go fire-hot.

Me:
NO. He lent it to me so no one would see the outfit your crazy Laura London made me wear. Under this jacket hides butterfly wings and flying pixies covered in glitter. It’s over-the-top. And yes, she’s very cute.

Patrick:
Pixies. Confirmed. So extra cute. Introduce me. Today. Now. Girl roared like a tiger out here and somehow convinced that Campbell dude to do the same. You’ve got no idea what that did to my heart.

I swallow a laugh, imagining Laura and Cam roaring in the hallway, feeling slightly sad that I didn’t get to see it.

Patrick’s going on:
Should I come in there now before another guy makes his move? That girl is going to be snapped up by someone before the end of the day, and I want it to be me!

Me:
Don’t you dare, freak. I think she’s got a boyfriend back home.

Patrick:
I don’t care about any boyfriend. I’m going to be her new boyfriend.

Me:
Shut. Up. You’re everyone’s boyfriend until you’re NOT.

Patrick:
I’m sure you can see that she’s different.

I shake my head at his last text and answer:
But you’re still the same. Insta-love never works, you know that.

Patrick:
Offended. I’m completely changed as of this moment and because of this girl.

Frustrated, I refuse to answer. When Patrick’s like this, he can go on forever. The guy falls in love with a new girl at least once a week, sometimes once a day. Each girl is always ‘different’ and Patrick is always instantly changed—
blah
. I turn the phone over so Patrick’s next wave of texts can’t draw me in to his drama, and hook up my USB cable, clicking ‘yes’ to download my newest shots. Thanks to this morning, I’ll have some amazing stuff to work on today.

I turn to eye the door, watching as Cam and Laura enter as the final bell rings in the hall. Laura’s whispering furiously at Cam who looks preoccupied until his gaze lands on…me and smiles.