Read For Ever for Free Online

you okay?” she asks, eyes wide.
    I nod, wincing when I see the look of
uncertainty in her eyes. Swallowing, I try to search her thoughts.
My stomach sinks as I catch a blurry image of myself in her
memory.
    I’m screaming and falling forward into
someone, just like my mom said. Ashley’s memory flashes to the
paramedics and a stretcher—with me on it. I turn away from her and
see other students whispering and casting sideways glances in my
direction.
    “Do they know what happened to you?” Ashley
whispers, following me to the supply closet.
    I shake my head.
    “Not really, but I feel fine now.”
    That much is true, but my voice still sounds
uncertain.
    “You’re coming to lunch with us, right?” she
asks.
    “If you’re okay having lunch with a crazy
person.”
    Ashley smiles, but her brow is still pinched.
I smile back, but it feels forced.
    I hope she’s okay .
    On the way back to my easel, I contemplate
how long it’s going to take for people to forget my little episode.
Forever? So much for first impressions. The bell rings, and I
glance at the empty seat to my left.
    During lunch, our table suddenly includes
several faces I don’t recognize. And people are asking me about
what happened, like I have some kind of explanation. Um ,
hello, I was unconscious! I want to scream. But I guess I
can’t blame them. Some new kid shows up and does a demonic improv
scene out of The Exorcist ? I would be curious, too.
    “So what’d you do to Ever?”
    I stare blankly at the guy across the table
from me, waiting for him to finish his sentence. His name is Matt,
I think. He’s in Mr. Gideon’s class with me.
    “Sorry, I don’t get it. … Do to ever
what?”
    “The dude you crashed into,” he prompts.
    I see a flash of a tall form. The image is
indistinct and marred by Matt’s nervous excitement, but the person
doesn’t look like a student.
    “That was a student?”
    A meaningful laughter ripples through the
group like I’ve missed the joke.
    “He flunked like five grades, I’m sure,” Josh
mutters.
    I turn to Josh and find his eyes hard with
resentment.
    God! Another one falls for Space
Boy .
    Okay, that’s creepy. I turn my attention back
to Matt, trying to piece things together.
    “Ever?” Just saying the name makes goose
bumps appear on my arms. “He’s the one who sits next to me in Mr.
Gideon’s?”
    “The dude sat next to you. He hasn’t
come back since you lost it.”
    My cheeks redden at his word choice.
    “I have low blood sugar,” I mumble.
    This is true. I don’t do well without food,
and I did skip breakfast on Tuesday. But I’m pretty sure that’s not
why I lost it . Either way, Matt doesn’t seem to have heard
me. While he looked amused a second ago, his expression has faded
into a look of uneasiness.
    Looked down at her like he killed
her .
    Trying not to be too obvious about it, I
stare into Matt’s eyes as his pupils dilate and try to follow his
thoughts for a closer look at Ever. Then I search my own memory,
trying to remember the person who walked into class late. But as
hard as I try to conjure the memory, it’s just not there. And no
matter how hard I concentrate, the image in Matt’s mind remains
distorted, like it’s being blurred by rushing water. Finally, I
give up.
    In English, Mrs. Rose gives me a weeklong
extension on my first paper. We’re supposed to analyze the use of
the pastoral mode in Shakespeare’s As You Like It . Luckily
I’ve already read parts of the play. My freshman year English
teacher used it as an example of one of Shakespeare’s less
significant works compared to Romeo and Juliet . Happily ever
after, she said, was the classic mark of a fairy tale, and there
are no happy endings in real life.
    I just found her theory depressing.
    At the end of the week, I help my mom finish
fixing up the house. I’m fully aware that any time she thinks I’m
not looking, she watches me for signs of a relapse. By Saturday
night I get around to setting up