The school bell shrilled through the whitewashed walls of Tressing High School. Gathering his books, Andrew stuffed his notes and pens into the front pocket of his book bag. Darting into the hall, he headed towards Room 116 where Lacey was just finishing up Biology class.
Shrugging his book bag to the left and right, he adjusted the straps so he didn’t appear so disheveled. Lacey stepped out and immediately smiled when she saw him. “Hey you! How are you?’’
Andrew started to nod and responded. “Good. Algebra was same old same old. Mr. Jenners got sidetracked when Pete started bringing up the politics. Another day of no math checked off in the books.”
Andrew made a check mark in the air with his hand and emphasized it with a click in the mouth. Lacey shook her head and laughed. She understood exactly what he was talking about.
They turned from the lockers and started heading toward the bus. Both stepped up on the bus landing to say hi to Rodger, their bus driver. Seat 15 was their designated spot since first grade. Lacey loved the window seat and Andrew preferred the aisle. Holding their book bags on their laps, they started to engage in conversation about what they were going to do for the summer. It was only a month away.
Lacey pushed the hair that kept flying in front of her face to tell Andrew her exciting news. “Andrew, you will never guess what I am doing this summer.” Andrew was taken by surprise. The only thing that Lacey ever did in the summer was volleyball camp. He raised one eyebrow, “And what would that be?”
Lacey almost didn’t want to tell him, but she knew he would find out sooner or later. “Well, I applied for a scholastic program this past fall to study the history of Italy, Scotland and England for the summer. They accepted me last month. So, I will be leaving two days after school lets out and then I won’t be back until the start of the new school year.”
Andrew’s heart sank. His plans were slowly crumbling to the ground. What if she met a hot Italian guy over the summer and totally forgot about him? What if she decided to stay over there and complete school? This couldn’t be happening.
Trying to hide the disappoint that was climbing all the way from his heart to display on his face, he quickly shot a smile in her direction. “Lacey, that is an AWESOME opportunity. I am so happy for you.” He gave her a side hug and asked her what kind of things she would be doing and what was required for the class.
Lacey launched into the specifics of the syllabus she had been given and the different trips they would be taking in order to understand the multi-faceted aspects of the various countries' history. As soon as she started talking about art and how that was organized as a section of the trip, she became more animated, using hand gestures and sighing when thinking about moth-dusted church architecture and bumpy, cobblestone streets. Andrew knew that Lacey could spend hours talking about art alone.
Andrew tried to maintain a smile, but it was starting to prove more and more difficult as she explained the adventures awaiting her in Europe. He wanted to go with her. Well, maybe he just wanted her to stay here.
After listening to Lacey’s upcoming adventure for half an hour, their stop finally came. Andrew stepped off first and reached out his hand to help Lacey down. She reached out to grab his hand, but her ankle gave way, causing her to fully fall into Andrew’s arms. Lacey’s curly, blonde hair bounced in his face, thwarting his sight. Lacey hit right into Andrew’s chest. It was strong, muscled from the various disciplines for sports. She had never noticed that before.
Pushing her back, Lacey looked at Andrew with frightened eyes. Looking up at his face, she inhaled sharply, “That was close.”
Andrew helped her stand up straight and patted her shoulders, calming her nerves her from the initial scare. In a soft voice Andrew reassured her,“I had you, I’ve always got you.”
Lacey pushed her hair back behind her ears. What did that mean? Her heart did a little jump. He couldn’t... no it wasn’t possible. “Thanks for breaking my fall, Andrew. Would you want to come over later for some left over ice cream and brownies from my party as a big thank you for not letting me look like an idiot?”
Andrew felt his face get warm. Did he say something wrong? What was his problem? He couldn’t keep it together.
He watched as she shifted her purse and book bag onto her left shoulder. It took him a while to gather his thoughts, but suddenly he heard his voice come from seemingly nowhere. “Sure, what time do you want me over?”
Lacey’s eyes scanned Andrew’s face. It took him a long time to answer her. Did she do something wrong? “If you come around seven that would be great.” Andrew nodded, confirming that he would see her then.
They both walked toward their houses, but Lacey looked back before she headed in to talk to her parents about how their days went and vice versa talking about her day went.
She touched the hair tucked behind her ear. Her cheeks started to get a little rosy. The memory of resting on his chest, even if it was a mistake, made her stomach do weird things. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, in fact, it was comforting. She trusted Andrew with her life. He was her best friend. He was handsome and she always wondered when some girl was going to notice him and ask him out. But no one had and for that she was glad.
Was it possible that she was falling for Andrew? He knew her story, her pain. He had stuck with her through thick and thin. He was always willing to help and he was kind to all. Andrew didn’t have a mean bone in his body.
She shook her head. It was pipe dream. Andrew and her were too close to be thinking of such things. She needed a nap or something to shake of the thoughts and possibilities. Then she could concentrate on homework before Andrew came over for some ice cream and brownies.
