Free Perchance by Lila Felix Page B

turquoise Karmann Ghia pulled into the lot and parked towards the back of the parking lot.  I watched it like a hawk.  The girls both brushed their hair before getting out of the car.  I guess the convertible had messed with it though I saw nothing wrong. 
     
                  As they got out and grabbed their bags, I got up and got my bag and other stuff out of the back seat and waited for my chance.  They got closer and I stepped into their path and smiled at Remi. Her lip was still a little swollen, but not much. She turned her head to the side and looked at me like I was a cock-eyed clown.
     
                  “Good morning.” I started.
     
                  “Morning Cooper. What’s up?”  She sounded annoyed. 
     
                  “I brought you breakfast.  You know, you can’t do well in school without breakfast.” I sounded like one of those health shows. She almost smiled but then she turned it down .  Josie was giggling but tried to keep it covered with her hand.  Remi elbowed her in t he side and she stopped and cleared her throat .
     
                  “Um…thanks?” S he took the bag from my hand and walked off towards the school. 
     
                  “Dang man, that didn’t work.  What’s n ext?” Troy was next to me as he tried to control his laughter at my fail.
     
                  “Oh, it worked.  She almost s miled.  Just give it a minute.”
     
                  “Man, you haven’t even walked in school yet.  What if there’s a hottie in there that you can’t resist and you’re putting all of this effort into one girl?”
     
                  I didn’t even look at him when I answered.  My eyes were still on her.
     
                  “Troy, there is no other girl.”
     
                  And ju st when I began to think that maybe she didn’t like my gift, she looked over her shoulder and smiled at me.
     
                 
     
                  Remi left the office with her schedule as I entered and she d idn’t even look at me.  She focu sed on her schedule and studied the map like her life depended on it.  I got my schedule and headed towards my locker.  I saw her down the hall and she was having trouble getting into her locker.  I walked down and she looked at me in relief.
     
                  “Give me your combination so I can help you.” I said and wasn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer.
     
                  She handed it to me wordlessly and took a drink of her orange juice as she went back to studying her schedule.  I opened her locker for her and smiled at her.  She smiled back this time and then I went back to my locker, leaving her to think about it a little.
     
                  The first th ree classes went by and then it was lunch time. It sucked that I had no classes with her, so I would have to make lunch count. I waited until she got into the cafeteria line and saw her making faces at the choices we had to make about eating garbage or eating cardboard.  I tapped her on the shoulder and showed her the bag that I was carrying.
     
                  “What?” She laughed. “You brought lunch too?”
     
                  “Yeah, I did.  Can’t do well in school eating this crap.”  I tried to be as serious as I could.
     
                  She shr ugged and we started to walk outside and someone was yelling my name.  I turned around and there was a girl with the blondest hair I had ever seen coming towards me. She also had the shortest skirt I had ever seen.  How did her mother let her leave the house like that?   I’m sure most guys like that, but jeez, leave something to the imagination for crying out loud.
     
                  When her voice came out my teeth ground together. It was like fingernails on a