Free The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar

said Mo. “Although you have to admit she is a little spacey.”
    “Perfect for David,” Larry said with a laugh.
    Tori Williams
, thought David as he headed to science. And Mo didn’t just say she saw him making moon eyes at her. She said she saw
them
making moon eyes at
each other
. Tori Williams. It was a nice name. Yes, quite.
    He saw Miss Williams, Tori, at lunch. He had just gotten out of shop and was on his way to his locker. She was angling across the grass in his direction. Her arms were wrapped around her books, pressed against her chest. Her red hair hung on both sides of her shoulders.
    She hadn’t seen him yet. He wondered if he should call her Tori. He kind of hoped she wouldn’t notice him. She was nice to him this morning and that was good enough. He didn’t want to press his luck.
    “Good afternoon, Mr. Ballinger,” she said.
    “Good afternoon”—he paused—“Miss Williams” He couldn’t call her Tori.
    She remained by his side as he continued to his locker. He glanced at her, and her green eyes flashed back at him. They both smiled. He wondered if this was what Mo would call “making moon eyes.”
    He stopped at this locker. “My locker,” he told her
    She stopped, too.
    He turned the combination: 32 left, 16 right, 22 left. He pulled up on the handle but the locker didn’topen. He tried it again, 32-16-22, but it still didn’t open.
    He smiled sheepishly at Miss Williams. Tori. She shrugged.
    He wondered if it had anything to do with the curse. But how? What did they do to Mrs. Bayfield that had anything to do with a lock or a locker?
    He was about to try again when he realized his mistake. He felt himself blush as he explained, “That was the combination to my gym locker.”
    “I do that sometimes, too,” said Miss Williams. Tori.
    David tried again, this time using the correct combination. The locker still wouldn’t open. “What the …?” he muttered.
    Tori Williams bit her bottom lip and shrugged. She pushed out one side of her face with her tongue.
    He looked back at the locker, then felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was the wrong locker. His locker was the next one over. He didn’t dare tell her that. “I don’t know what’s wrong,” he said, stepping away from the locker. “I’ll have to go talk to the janitor.”
    “You can put your books in my locker if you want,” said Tori Williams.
    “No, that’s okay,” said David. “I’ll go talk to the janitor.”
    She looked around. “Well, so long, Mr. Ballinger.”
    “Bye, Miss Williams,” he said. She started to walk away. “Tori.”
    She stopped. “David,” she said without turning around, then continued on her way.
    He made sure she was gone, then went to the right locker and opened it. He put his science book and notebook away and took out his lunch.
    Then it hit him. Why
didn’t
I put my books in her locker? That would have been perfect. Damn! That would have been great.
    Yes, quite.
    “H ERE COMES Stooge number three!” announced Roger.
    David could feel everyone turn and look at him as he made his way across the lunchroom to where Larry and Mo were sitting. He just hoped he wouldn’t trip or something. Actually he did feel like a stooge for not putting his books in Tori’s locker.
    Neither Larry nor Mo said a word as he sat down across from them. Roger and his friends were at the next table.
    “Hi, Curly,” said Randy. “How ya doin’?”
    David noticed that Ginger was wearing Scott’s fringed leather jacket. That meant Scott was now going steady with one of the most popular girls in school.
    And all he had to do was hate me, thought David. If only I had put my books in Tori’s locker. That would have been just as good as her wearing my jacket. Even better!
    “I like your jacket, Ginger,” said Mo. “It looks like it’s made out of genuine
rat
skin.”
    David smiled. Mo could say anything to anybody.
    Ginger stared at Mo.
    “What’s the matter, Ginger?” asked Mo.