The Amanda Project: Book One

The Amanda Project: Chapter Twenty-Nine

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Friday morning Heidi made a big show of turning her back to me and talking to Lexa Booker as soon as I walked into history class. I wondered if they were talking about me. I wondered if soon Lexa was going to be Lexi.

I was on my way from science to English when I looked up and saw Lee, walking with Keith and Jake. We made eye contact, and I remembered how he'd kissed my head at Liz's party Saturday night, how he'd said I looked cute washing Thornhill's car. Could someone so nice really care what someone as mean as Heidi thought about his girlfriend?

"Hey," I said, and it wasn't until the word was out of my mouth that I realized he hadn't slowed down when he saw me.

He hesitated for a second, then brushed his hand through his hair and said, "Hey" without looking me in the eyes.

"Later," said Keith and Jake, and they kept walking, neither of them acknowledging me.

Lee and I stood in the crowded hallway while students headed to class swarmed around us. It was weird how a space could be so noisy yet feel so silent.

"I'm not an I-Girl anymore," I blurted out.

"Yeah," he said. "That's what they tell me."

I waited to see if he was going to say anything else. Who cares if you're an I-Girl-you're my girl.

"I've been hanging out with Nia Rivera," I said.

"Her brother's a pretty cool guy," said Lee. He still wasn't really looking at me.

"Right," I said. My eyes burned.

Lee shifted his backpack uneasily on his shoulder.

I took a deep breath. "So are we still-"

The warning bell rang. "I should get going." He edged away. "Don't want to be late for Monster Masterson."

"Sure," I agreed. "Don't let me keep you."

"I won't," said Lee, and I knew I wasn't imagining the look of relief on his face when he turned to go. "See you around," he called over his shoulder.

"Yeah." I brushed quickly at the traitorous tear that was slipping down my cheek. "See you around."

I was so glad to see Nia and Hal at lunch that I could have seriously bawled.

The second I joined them, Hal started up. "I've got a plan. Amanda wants us to search for her, so let's search. I want each of us to come up with a list of places Amanda could possibly be on a Friday night. We'll all pick . . . let's say three places. And then tonight, we'll hit all of them and try and find her."

"You think she's still in Orion?" Nia asked, passing me a bite of another one of her mom's amazing sandwiches, Genoa salami and provolone this time.