Free Betrayed by Melinda Metz - Fingerprints - 5

cried right here, Rae realized. Or screamed.
    Or had convulsions, even. It'd keep him going for weeks.
    Rae shifted her backpack from one shoulder to the other, using the maneuver to move a little bit away from Mr.
    Jesperson without drawing attention to how uncomfortable he made her. From her new position, she could see Marcus signaling to her. "Oh, look, there's one of my friends now," Rae said. "I better go see what he wants. See you in class, Mr. J." "Bye," he called after her.
    Rae didn't glance back. She walked straight over to Marcus. "What's up?"
    Marcus ran his fingers through his pretty-boy blond hair. "Look, I know I should be giving you time," he started. "I know that's the smart thing to do. And I will. I am. But I have something I want to give you. It's in my car. Can you-can we-go out there for a minute? Only a minute."
    "This thing you have to give me-is it under ten dollars?" Rae asked, struggling to keep her tone teasing. She really didn't need to go through another heavy-duty scenario with Marcus right now. She already felt like a sponge that had been rung out so many times, it was dry as a rock. "It's free," Marcus assured her. "Well, almostfree. How much do you think three pages of binder paper and some ink cost?"
    Rae laughed, and she didn't even have to force it. "I hope you didn't write me a three-page poem. That four-liner one you did that time was bad enough."
    "No, there is no rhyming involved." Marcus crossed his heart like a little boy. An adorable little boy. "Come on. We have about ten minutes before class."
    Rae followed him out to the parking lot and over to his car. She wasn't sure it was the smartest thing to do, but it was easier than getting out of it. And she had to admit, she was curious. When Marcus climbed into the Range Rover, she got in beside him.
    "Okay, well, here it is. My masterpiece." Marcus reached across her, popped the glove compartment, and pulled out sheets of paper. "For you." He thrust the pages into her hands. Rae wondered what she would have picked up if her fingertips weren't coated with wax.
    "So, should I read it now?" she asked. She kind of hoped he'd say no. It would probably be easier if she could read it by herself and then plan out what she wanted to say. Yet she was still curious.
    "Are you kidding? If you don't read it now, I'll probably go insane." A moment after the wordinsane came out of his mouth, his face flushed a deep, painful-looking red. "I didn't mean to-"
    "It's just some sounds," Rae told him. But her curiosity seeped away. She couldn't help remembering how Marcus had been when she was in the hospital. Or how he hadn't been. He'd barely come to see her. Yet he'd found time to hook up with Dori.
    "Read it, okay?" Marcus smoothed out the papers. Rae hadn't realized she'd crumpled them.
    "Okay," Rae said. She raised the first page up in front of her so it would hide her expression from Marcus. "Things I-" She pulled in a deep breath. "Things I love about Rae," she finished in a clear voice.
    Her eyes ran down the list, picking up random words and phrases. That was all she could take right now.
    Cheesecake monster, earlobes, March 9, 11:14, Raemondo, nuggle bunny, the drawing of me, butterfly kiss, mispronounce middle name, cries watching Frosty the Snowman, bubble gum lips.
    Rae couldn't turn this page over. And there was no way she could move on to the second page. "Marcus, this is so sweet," she said, her voice trembling with emotion.
    Marcus gently took the list away from her. He leaned close, and she knew he wanted to kiss her. She didn't try to stop him. She closed her eyes, waited, andthen felt his lips lightly brush against hers. It felt… nice.
    Rae opened her eyes and got busy picking up the list and folding it. "This was, is, was, so sweet," she said again.
    The kiss was sweet, too. But she felt not even a spark of what she'd felt when Anthony kissed her. She realized that even during their wildest make-out sessions, when Marcus's hands