Hello, Again (Book 2)

A New Student

Erland

The bell rang before I could even close my locker, and I flinched: I was already late. And Mr. Brown wouldn't let me walk in without an excuse. How could I explain that I got caught up on the phone with my mom over the attempted murder of my grandfather?

No, I might as well just say I was goofing off.

When I entered English class, the teacher stopped in the middle of instruction. I winced as I felt the weight of twenty pairs of eyes fall to me.

"Find a seat, Erland," Mr. Brown said, then went on. Stunned, I walked slowly to my seat, and Bella had to yank me down.

"Is he going over the class rules again?" I half-groaned, hiding my conversation with Bella as I stooped to grab my books from my backpack.

Bella nodded, lips pursed. Her eyes crackled with some kind of hidden message, and when I straightened, I followed her gaze a few seats over from me. Two empty seats divided me and a short girl with mouse-brown hair and a hot-pink sweatshirt.

Recognition struck me like a slap across the back of my skull. "Is that—"

"Grace Greenfield," Mr. Brown continued. He glanced in Grace's direction, nodding, "Why don't you stand up and introduce yourself to the class?"

She stood, and one glance back at Bella confirmed what I already thought: she was way too little to be in an sophomore-level elective American Literature class. That, or she had skipped a few grades. Honestly, she couldn't be more than 13 years old.

Grace stood, chin up, but she didn't regard the rest of the class. She kept her eyes glued to Mr. Brown. "I'm Grace Greenfield. I'm from Ohio. I have three siblings—well four, actually—and I just moved to Alabama for a few months with my dad."

Light applause from the class.

Bella raised her hand. "What do you like to do. Grace?"

The girl's eyes shot to Bella and seemed to widen in recognition, but it only seemed to make a genuine smile spread across her features. "I like to read and sing."

"Well," said Mr Brown, "we have a few more singers here in the class as well." Bella raised her hand to her forehead in a causal salute, and Grace laughed. "We're in the middle of a research project on famous authors of American history. Why don't you join Bella and Erland? They were short a member and I'm sure we could find a way to squeeze you in before the deadline in the next few weeks."

Grace nodded, sober now—perhaps at the mention that she would be starting homework right away—but she gathered her things and sat to my left.

Mr. Brown went on with a few announcements and then let us divide into our groups to work. Almost immediately, Bella lowered the screen of her laptop and leaned across my desk to smile at Grace.

"I'm Bella," she said, reaching a hand forward. I leaned back in my chair so they could shake hands. "How long have you been in Alabama for?"

The look of concern that had covered her face at the library last week was gone, now replaced with a warm smile. Knowing Bella, she wouldn't just throw their first feeding out the window. She would probe.

"About a few weeks," Grace answered, her eyes shifting down to study the papers I had pulled out for the project. "What is it I have to do?"

"We're still working on selecting the author." Bella opened her computer and placed it on my desk so Grace could see it. "This is the list we have. Do you have internet at your house?"

"Apartment," Grace corrected, "and no. We're still getting it set up."

"How's it like being away from your siblings?" Bella glanced from the computer screen to study Grace's response. Maybe out of probing. Maybe because Bella was an only child herself.