Free The Understorey, Book One of The Leaving Series by Fisher Amelie Page B

apart meant
that we became the people we are today and you seem to be
an amazing someone, whom I may have never noticed had
we not grown up without each other. Our ‘thing’ may have
gotten lost in the friendship.  This brings me to my
next question. What’s happening to us? I don’t know.
Your guess is as good as mine. She swallowed hard. She
knew what was happening.
I know what happened to us. Then why’d you
ask? I just wanted to confirm that you knew too, so
I don’t look like a fool again. I do an incredible job of looking foolish in front of you without even realizing
it until it’s too late. She put the back of her index
finger up to her mouth and quietly laughed at me. She was laughing.
Progress. All it took was an incredibly frightening ‘thing’.
What’s so funny? You. You’re
funny. Why? Because even with our ‘thing’,
our powerful, powerful ‘thing’, your ego is afraid of
rejection Elliott Gray. This town still has a slight hold on
you, I think. You’ve got me pegged pretty well
Jacobs. I know. What should we do about it
then? Talk after class? And why not now? As
far as I’m concerned, we’ve just gotten started. You’ve
somethin’ better to do?
    When she didn’t answer, I looked at her and
she nodded toward the front of the classroom. It was Mrs. Kitt. She
had been watching us and was headed our way. I turned over my book
and weren’t able to talk or write for the rest of the class. Jules
was definitely lowering her defenses and I was making plans to
disarm her completely by the end of the week.   
        On our way to lunch, Jules
and I walked side by side. I didn’t want to unnerve her so I stayed
pretty quiet. When I didn’t say anything, I clumsily gave her the
impression that I was no longer interested in talking.
    “See you third period,” she said and started
walking quickly toward her usual table.
I jogged to catch up with her.
    “Uh, I don’t think so Jules. I just got you to
start talking to me. Where do you think you’re going?”
    “Well, I didn’t think you’d want to be seen
eating lunch with the ‘freak’ of Bluefield High,” she
laughed.
She was being sarcastic. She knew that was her reputation and
probably reveled in it.
    “Is there a freak here? Point them out to me?
I’ve never seen one up close before.”
    She rolled her eyes.
    “You sure do make a lot of assumptions about
me,” I said. “Why don’t you just throw out whatever preconceived
notions you hold of who you think I am and consider me a blank
slate. Now come on, let’s sit at your table. It’ll be easier to
talk if we’re alone.”
    I grabbed her hand and the surge permeated my
skin and gave me the most luxurious calm pulsing through my arm and
torso. We sat down and she stared at the wall away from me.
    “So, Julia Jacobs, why do you sit here day after
day by yourself? Don’t you have any friends at Bluefield?”
    “Yikes. You’re nosy. If you must know,” she
said, placing her elbow on the table and leaning her body toward
me, “none of the girls here like me because of Taylor Williams’
noxious gossip and none of the boys like me because they’re afraid
of me.”
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t know about the girls.
Honest. I don’t listen to anything anyone says about others around
here. Gossip just doesn’t appeal to me.”
    “I find that................refreshing,” she
mused, her eyes brightened.
    She reclined again in her seat and brought
her legs to the chair next to her
    “There are lots of things you might find refreshing about me.”
    “I’ll be the judge of that.”
    “As far as the boys are concerned, I can see why
they’d be afraid of you.”
    “Ha! That was rude.”
    “Are you surprised? You sulk around here. Pay
little to no attention to anyone and sneer at the ones who even
attempt to talk to you.”
    “You don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s
a matter of