you’re ready for your next lesson.”
Krystal offers the pebble to me, and I slip it into my pocket. I remember that Nick doesn’t have a cell phone, and ask, “How am I supposed to stay in contact with you?”
“I’ll add you on Facebook,” he answers.
“Aren’t you a little old for Facebook?”
“That hurts, you know. I’m still technically nineteen.” Nick smiles at me though, and asks, “What’s your last name?”
“Santos.”
“Alright, Heather Santos. I’ll add you when I get the chance.”
“You’d better.”
“And if I don’t?”
“I haven’t decided yet, but when I do… sleep with one eye open.”
Krystal seems annoyed by the way Nick and I interact, but she doesn’t comment on it, instead telling me that I’m free to go. When we all head back down the stairs, she elects to walk the rest of the way down to her floor, instead of waiting for the elevator with us. Nick and I wave to her as she continues down the steps, then he presses the call button, and offers to escort me anywhere I want to go. Surprisingly, I don’t feel like going home; I have too much energy now to sit around doing nothing. Instead, I ask if he can get us to my school. Nick nods, and steps aside to let me into the elevator when the doors slide open.
I couldn’t tell from high above the street, but now that I can see the signs near the condo, I notice that Nick lives almost right along my route to school. In fact, we live close enough together that I could walk home from his place in little more than ten minutes. We need to cut through Central Park in order to reach my school, so we walk along one of the paths that we hope will lead us straight across.
Along the way, Nick starts asking questions about me. I suppose it’s only fair; I did much the same thing while we were sitting on his couch earlier. I find it hard to believe that he’s actually interested in what my favorite color is, or where I grew up, or if I have any pets. I find it even harder to believe that he’ll actually remember everything I tell him, but he hangs onto my every word as if it’s useful information.
We make it to my school right as the last class before lunch is ending, and as we walk towards the stone steps, I turn to Nick for our inevitably awkward goodbye. He looks like he might want to hug me, or kiss me, or something, and as great of a guy as he seems to be, the fact remains that he’s technically no longer human, and I’m still not sure how close I want us to be. I give him a look that I hope clearly says “This wasn’t even a date, don’t push your luck.” Nick seems to get the message, but as we say our goodbyes, he reaches for my hand, and plants a gentle kiss on it. My face turns hot enough to melt through ice as he turns and walks away.
***
I find Rachel sitting alone at a table near the middle of the cafeteria, and take a seat across from her after buying my lunch. She looks a lot healthier than she did yesterday, or at least less tired. While we wait for Jenna to join us, she gives me a quick review of what I missed in Ancient History (Spoiler alert: the Trojans lost the Trojan War), which I’m barely listening to. All I can think about is the pebble weighing down my pocket, and how I can hardly wait to get home and try moving it again. Rachel snaps her fingers by my face, and says, “I know history is boring, but you need to stop spacing out.”
“Shit, sorry. Just… thinking.”
I look up, and notice the girl with the purple hair from yesterday watching me again. Except this time, her curious golden eyes don’t dart away when she realizes she’s been caught. Instead, they’re glued to me, as if she’s trying to figure me out. No, more like… she knows exactly what I am, and what I can do. And I’ve suddenly become much more interesting. It’s possible that I’m imagining things, but… if I didn’t know any better, I’d think this girl might be on to me. I watch her as intensely as she’s