Free Falling by Tonya Shepard Page B

him today, but I didn’t realize that the pain would get worse. I thought I had cried myself to the point of numbness, but I was wrong. I turn around and hurry towards the nearest restroom. I have to get away from him. I know Blake probably thinks I am a freak for walking away in mid-conversation but I can’t face Connor, not with my heart in shreds.
    I hide out in the bathroom until I hear the late bell. I will take a detention before dealing with him. I hurriedly exit the restroom and immediately feel a sense of relief when I see the hallway is empty. As I start walking towards my next class, I realize that I forgot to go to my locker in my rush to escape Connor. I would just skip going, but my homework and textbook are in there for U.S. history. I am concentrating so hard on grabbing my stuff and getting to class, I don’t notice that someone is leaning against the wall next to my locker. As I slam my locker door, I look up into the eyes of the one person I do not want to see.
    “Abby, please talk to me. I have been calling you since Friday. I looked for you all day yesterday, but you weren’t at school. I have been going crazy worrying about you." I look up into the face that I still love and the boy who owned my heart for so many years and wonder if I ever really knew him. I turn to walk away, but he steps in front of me.
    “I am not moving until you listen to me,” he threatens.
    “Fine, I guess I will find another way to get to history,” I respond as I turn around and walk in the other direction.
    “Abby, I need you to understand what you heard. Please just give me a chance to explain,” he pleads.
    “Maybe another time,” I say coldly even though my heart is bleeding with each word he says.  I walk away without looking back.
     
    ***********
     
    “I can’t believe we lost,” I complain to Leah and Miles. “What the heck happened to us?”
    “Well, none of us knew the answer to that last problem, that is what happened Abby,” Miles says with a little smile.
    “Thanks for the info, smart guy,” I reply to Miles. I smile back so he knows that I am just teasing.
    “Abby look, isn’t that your parents over there?” Leah asks with a bewildered look. I glance in the direction she pointed and sure enough, there are my parents standing by the door waiting for me.
    “Mom? Dad?“ I call to them as I walk towards the door. “What are you guys doing here?”
    “Well, we knew that you had a competition tonight. We thought we would come see our brilliant daughter in action,” my dad explains.
    “We weren’t exactly brilliant tonight. We got beat,” I frown.
    “You did great, honey. I don’t remember how to do half those problems your team was working out. I am really impressed and proud of you. It must take a lot of time and effort to study for this type of competition,” my mom says beaming at me.
    “So, your mom and I thought we could go out to dinner and celebrate,” my dad suggests.
    “We got beat, Dad. You don’t celebrate when you lose.”
    “Yes, we are going to celebrate.  We are going to celebrate that our daughter is one of the smartest students at Sutherland High,” Dad argues. I blush because my parents usually don’t make a big deal about me or my accomplishments. My dad grabs me in a hug and squeezes the breath out of me. My mom puts her arm around my shoulders.
    “So, you ready to go, honey?” she asks.
    “One second, I’ve got to grab my jacket and keys. Go ahead and start walking to the car, I will catch up. I want to say bye to everyone right quickly,” I say as I run off.  I explain to Leah that I can’t go to Charlie’s with her and Miles because of my parents. I wave to all the Mathletes as I leave the library. I begin to jog to catch up with my parents when I hear someone call my name. I turn back towards the library and notice Connor following me.
    “Didn’t we already have this discussion, Connor? I really have to go, my parents are waiting.”
    “I came