The hallway felt more crowded than usual, which was saying something since the school had been built before lockers had been a necessity, not to mention the enormous bags everyone lugged around. Kids were shoving their way through, trying to get to their next class before the tardy bell rang. A particularly large jock pushed past Cordy, shoving her into the lockers.
“Hey, watch where you’re going, you moron!” Noelle yelled after him.
“Don’t worry about it.” Cordy squeezed through a small gap and managed to make it to her own locker. She twirled the lock, popping it open. The inside was neatly organized by class period, her jacket hanging from the hook at the back. In stark contrast, Noelle’s almost flew open from the amount of stuff crammed inside. Papers were jammed into every nook and cranny, several days worth of old gym clothes were piled in the bottom. Noelle had to dig for her English book. She was chattering on about the foreign exchange student again, recounting her plan to ask him to help her study.
The office door crashed open. Chris Malley, chess club president, walked out, gesturing wildly, a slightly manic expression on his acne scarred face. Cordy chuckled. She’d seen that look before. Looks like we’ve got a new student. She wondered if she would have any classes with whoever it was, or if they would even be in her grade. It seemed unlikely that a student would transfer into a new school partway through their senior year.
Cordy slammed her locker shut, seeing the crowd had thinned noticeably, meaning they were well on their way to being late. Noelle was still chattering about how cute Blaise was in his gym clothes. Cordy smiled at her friend’s enthusiasm. Classic Noelle, she’s like a small animal with a shiny new toy.
Chris finally moved out of the way allowing the new kid to step into the hallway. As the office door swung shut. Cordy froze, her foot halfway lifted to take the next step, in complete disbelief. Noelle kept walking several feet before she noticed Cordy was no longer next to her. She doubled back.
“Earth to Cordy. Come in Cordy,” she said, waving a hand in front of her friend’s face. Cordy’s eyes were glued to the boy who was slowly making his way down the corridor, nodding politely, as his guide pointed out the cafeteria entrance and the nearest bathrooms. Noelle followed her gaze, her own hazel eyes bulging when she realized exactly what Cordy was staring at.
“Nice! We can always use a little more eye candy around here.” Noelle tilted her head to the side in thought. “You know, he looks kind of familiar. I wonder where I’ve seen him before.” She linked her arm through Cordy’s and began moving again, forcing Cordy to keep up.
Shock coursed through her mind making it impossible to pay attention to her chemistry lecture. She reached into her bag and pulled out the charcoal drawing she’d just put the finishing touches on that morning. The same face Noelle had admired in the hall stared up at her. Of course Noelle had thought he looked familiar. Cordy had been working on the portrait since that first dream. Tweaking it until it looked so real it could have been a black and white photo. At least I thought it did. Nothing could possibly compare to the real thing…in real life.
How is this possible? Cordy’s brain was like a broken record, repeating the question over and over. He’s just a figment of my imagination. My highly overactive, novel-addicted imagination. I must have imagined the new kid looked like him. That had to be it. Maybe the hallucinations from her withdrawals had finally started.
“Cordelia?” The sound of her full name in Ms. Sims voice was enough to snap Cordy out of her reverie.
“I’m sorry. Can you repeat the question?” Cordy said, rifling through her text book to find the right chapter.
“Class is over. The bell rang a while ago.” Ms. Sims motioned to the mostly empty classroom. The few kids sitting in the seats were not from her class but the next one. Embarrassment coloring her face, Cordy moved as quickly as she could, gathering her things back into her bag, and nearly sprinting in her haste to get out.
She bolted through the door and ran face first into the new boy, who threw his arms up to catch her. Where his skin touched hers, it tingled…just like her dreams.
“Wow, is this class really that bad?” His voice was even better in real life, slightly husky with that same slight accent she had yet to place. Cordy wanted to say something witty like she did in her dreams. Maybe smile coyly and agree with him, then invite him to join her at lunch. Unfortunately all she managed was a strangled squeak and a tiny shake of her head. He smiled and stepped out of her way. Somehow Cordy managed to walk away calmly. She turned the nearest corner just to get out of his view. Leaning against the wall she shut her eyes, like she might be able to block out the mortification of the last several moments.
She glanced at her watch. She was already five minutes late to her next class. The thought of showing up late to her least favorite class, gym, would just add insult to injury since Coach Ralph made students who were tardy run an extra 10 laps and if she wasn’t sick now, she would be after that. Biting her lip, she deliberated for a minute before deciding to go to the nurse’s office. The shock of seeing the boy here in real life was too much. She needed a break.
Mentally she cursed the school rule that you had to be 18 to check yourself out. She knew if she called home, Effie would flip out, make her an appointment, and call her father, and her dad was the last one she wanted involved. The few times he had been called about an illness, he went beyond overboard.
Sighing, Cordy trudged to the nurse’s office. By the time she reached the door, a small insistent headache had begun pounding at her brain. As she walked in, the hideous overhead lighting gave everything a greenish cast, making everyone look sick whether they were or not. One bulb seemed to be on its last leg as it flickered ominously. If someone walked in and wasn’t sick, sitting in the disgusting waiting area would certainly would make them that way.
“Can I help you dear?” The nurse sat at a tiny desk crammed behind a half-wall. She was older, silver hair unnaturally curly. Her face was kind enough and the id that hung around her neck declared her to be Jackie Abbot, RN.
“I have a terrible headache and I was wondering if I could have something for it and rest for the remainder of this period.” She said, squinting against the lights that were starting to make her eyes hurt as well.
The nurse glanced at her watch, presumably checking how much of the period there was left. “What’s your name and which class did you come from?” She turned to her computer, fingers poised above the keys, waiting for a reply.
“Cordelia Jameson, P.E.”
Ms. Abbot narrowed her eyes briefly when she heard P.E. Cordy guessed it was a common class people tried to cut. After typing in the info, the nurse ushered Cordy to the small table. She shoved a thermometer in Cordy’s mouth then proceeded to dig out a pill bottle.
The thermometer beeped loudly and Cordy prayed it would register enough higher that she wouldn’t come off as a faker.
“Hmm…Well you have a very small temp and you do look a little green. Take these and lay down. If you aren’t feeling better by next period I probably should call your parents.”
Cordy threw the pills in her mouth and swallowed them down with the tepid, slightly stale, water the nurse handed her, shuddering at the acrid taste. She spent the next 35 minutes staring at the ceiling tile directly above her as she lay on the hard table. One corner was crumbled and it was slightly greyer than the surrounding ones. When the nurse came back, the meds had killed the worst of the headache and tiny temp. She was all too happy to leave the dismal room when the nurse gave her the okay.
It was lunch and by the time Cordy made it back to the cafeteria it was swarming with students. She took one look at the line and walked over to the vending machine, selecting a bottle of orange pineapple juice. She wasn’t sure if she felt up to eating anything more substantial anyway. Winding her way through the crowded tables she spotted Noelle sitting at their normal table. She was sitting next to someone, though Cordy couldn’t tell who it was since he had his back to her. Cordy smiled assuming it was Blaise. Guess Noelle started in on project prom date already.
Noelle looked up and waved at Cordy, her eyes sparkling. “Cordy, this is Reid.” The boy turned to face her, an all too familiar smile on his face, aqua eyes crinkled and hair perfectly tousled. It was slightly longer than she remembered. Reid, not Luke…
“Hi Cordy. It’s nice to meet you.” He put out a hand but Cordy didn’t notice till it was too late and he had dropped it. Cordy was still frozen. Noelle laughed and pulled Cordy into the seat next to her. Reid picked up the sandwich sitting on his tray and eyed it suspiciously. “So, Cordy huh? Is that short for something?”
“Cordelia,” Noelle said before turning on Cordy. “Where were you anyway? We missed you in PE. We played kickball…can you believe that? Coach Ralph acts like we’re still in elementary school. Anyway, Reid here just transferred from Chicago. Isn’t that right?” Not giving anyone a chance to answer, Noelle kept talking. “I’m completely bummed he doesn’t have a single class with me. He’s taking calculus too though. I thought maybe he should join our little study group, you know, just to catch him up.” She flashed a dazzling smile in Reid’s direction. Study group? Oh you mean when you come over to my house and hang out while I do our calculus…
Reid smiled back, “That sounds nice, if that’s okay with Cordy. I wouldn’t want to ruffle any feathers.” He looked at Cordy and she felt faint again. There was no way she had imagined the similarity to her dreams. Here he was, sitting right in front of her, completely unaware of the fact that some girl he’d never met was head over heels for him, and had fantasized an entire relationship with him.
“Cordy?” Noelle’s voice broke into her reverie. “You don’t mind if Reid studies with us do you?” She opened her eyes as wide as they could go as she said it, signaling Cordy that even if it was a problem that was just too bad.
Cordy shook her head, “Nuh uh.”
“Perfect. We usually get together on Thursday nights at Cordy’s house, mine is way too loud to get anything done, though we can’t this week because I have to babysit.” Noelle made a face as she slid her hand closer to Reid’s until their pinkies were barely touching.
Cordy’s stomach dropped not only from the sight of her best friend flirting with Reid but from the thought of him in her house. She had begun to hope that since she hadn’t had any classes with him yet that she might escape any real interaction with him. She could only imagine how awkward that would be. Though the idea that Noelle was trying to stake a claim on the only boy Cordy had ever kissed was infuriating…not that she had any idea what she was doing. To her Reid was just a cute new kid.
The bell screeched the end of lunch. Noelle pouted as Reid grabbed his backpack. “Guess I’ll see you later.”
“Of course.” He turned to Cordy again. “I’m headed to physics. Could you possibly point me in the right direction?”
Numb, Cordy nodded grabbing her bag and unopened juice and headed toward the exit. So much for not having a class with him. Neither one said a word until they reached the physics lab.
“Thanks,” he said as he headed towards the teacher. Cordy moved to her seat, wishing vainly that she could hide. Physics was an advanced class and had fewer students than normal. Reid had finished talking to Mr. Cooke and seemed pleased to see Cordy still there.
“Couldn’t bear to leave me, huh?” He grinned at his own joke and sat in the empty seat next to Cordy. Before he could continue the conversation Mr. Cooke snapped on the projector. Cordy had never concentrated so hard on a lecture in her life, making sure her eyes never deviated from her paper and screen. Reid’s pencil squealed a few times as he too copied the notes. Out of the corner of her eye, Cordy could see his head bent over his paper. She felt that same sick feeling she had when she woke up, her heart squeezing painfully.
When the bell rang, she bolted out of the classroom before he could ask her for directions again. Settling into her favorite seat in English, right next to the window, she let out the breath she’d been holding as the tardy bell rang. Maybe she had lucked out and only gotten the one class with him.
Mrs. Woods had already begun expounding the wonders of William Shakespeare when the door opened and Reid walked in, a sheepish look on his face. Mrs. Woods greeted him, asking him to briefly tell a little about himself.
“My name is Reid Jones. I just moved here from Chicago.” He recited, moving to sit down but Mrs. King would have none of that.
“So what brought you to Garden City, Reid?”
“Employment.” The class tittered and Reid grinned. “My parents got new jobs here.”
“Naturally,” Mrs. Woods said, glaring at the class. “And what do they do?”
Reid cleared his throat and glanced around the room. Cordy couldn’t understand why she got the feeling he was reciting rather than answering. “They’re in the medical field. They work in the city.” Once again he made a move towards an empty seat. This time Mrs. Woods didn’t stop him but continued to question him.
“Fascinating! What field of medicine are they in?”
Cordy watched the back of Reid’s neck turn crimson as he stammered. “Um…my father is a neuro-surgeon and my mother is a nurse.”
Mrs. Woods beamed at him. “Well welcome to our little community. I’m sure you’ll find everyone very friendly here.” She swept the class with a look that said they had better be.
“Thank you,” Reid said.
As class continued, Cordy spent the entire time terrified that Reid would turn around and spot her while at the same time praying that he would do exactly that.
“Cordelia,” Mrs. Woods said. Cordy jumped in her seat, pulling her eyes from the back of Reid’s head to Mrs. Woods’s questioning face. Cordy tried to recall what they had been discussing.
“Umm…” she stalled still searching for something to say. She glanced at Reid, who was staring back at her.
“Hero,” he mouthed at her.
“Hero,” Cordy said.
“That’s correct, at the end the cousin is unmasked as Hero herself,” Mrs. King continued. Cordy sighed in relief. Reid winked at her and she mouthed “Thanks.”
It turned out those were the only classes she had with him. Somehow she managed to avoid him as much as possible. Lunch was the worst. Noelle insisted he sit with them every day and she was impossible to say no to. He obliged but was often seen flirting with several other girls in their grade.
“Honestly, I don’t know what he sees in her.” Noelle stabbed her food viciously, as though it had been the one to offend her. “She’s not even pretty.” Cordy glanced across the cafeteria, to where Reid was sitting on a table talking to Maryanne Withers. Cordy shrugged and Noelle huffed as Reid moved on to another group of girls.
Cordy tried to keep her eyes on her plate of the day’s special. She stirred the sauce covered whatever aimlessly, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. It physically hurt every time she watched Reid smile at another girl. How was she supposed to get over this and she seriously needed to. She reminded herself for what felt like the 1000th time that he was not the same boy in her dreams and that he wasn’t actually cheating on her. He didn’t even know her.
The last week had been pure torture. Not only had she watched Reid flirt with every female in the school but Luke had stopped showing up in her dreams. She was desperate for him to come back but seemed to have no control over it. She thought if she went to bed thinking about him that would do it. When it hadn’t, she pulled out her portrait and fell asleep staring at it. The next morning when she’d woken up to see the inanimate picture gazing at her she’d burst into tears. She knew it was irrational but didn’t know what to do about it. She was considering making an extra appointment with Dr. Barnes and confessing all of it. Anything to get the boy out of her mind. It would have been so much easier if Reid and his parents had stayed in Chicago.
“Hi Reid!” Noelle purred causing Cordy to freeze.
“Hi Noelle, Cordy.” He sat down in the chair Noelle pulled out for him. She leaned over casually brushing shoulders with him. Cordy couldn’t take anymore. Standing, she grabbed her bag and headed to dump her tray.
“Cordy you’re still giving me a ride, right,” Noelle asked.
Rolling her eyes and not bothering to turn around (she didn’t think she’d be able to keep it together if she did) she said, “Of course Noelle, don’t I always?” She knew she sounded snippy but she couldn’t help it, Noelle asked her that every day. She stalked out of the cafeteria, praying again that she would get over this soon.
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Stay tuned to find out what happens next!!