Norah
Another weekend has come and gone, and it was glorious. I started it off with a visit to the bookstore where Hannah loaded me down with three new rom-coms. I probably shouldn’t have bought all of them, but with that teacher’s discount, it was hard to resist—meaning, I didn’t resist. She’s really convincing, what can I say?
I spent most of the weekend holed up in my room with a pile of snacks, reading, only coming out for real sustenance and bathroom breaks. Saturday night, I started to miss civilization and human interaction, so I carried myself downstairs and made a huge batch of chocolate chip cookies—the kind in the plastic roll because I’m no Betty Crocker. I slightly overcooked the first batch, but the smell was enough to get Layla downstairs. I roped her into watching a movie with me. We chose the newer adaptation of Emma. It’s superb.
Other than that, it was just me, myself, and snacks, avoiding the outside world with all its questions and gossiping. But now it’s time to rejoin society and face the rumor mill once more—well, high-school society, that is. They’re the worst gossips of all, though. I didn’t have a moment’s peace last week with all the talk of me and Colby.
Do I like the idea of us dating? Potentially. I haven’t allowed myself too much time to really ponder all the pros and cons of getting involved with him yet. It’s too scary. But I haven’t nixed the idea, and that’s saying something, isn’t it?
I certainly don’t want it discussed by everyone and their mamas before I even have the chance to decide to go out with him. Way to ruin a good thing before it starts, Waverly—or should I say Shandi. I’d love to give that woman a piece of my mind.
I straighten my spine and walk into the front entrance of the school, and the first thing I see is the table set up, decorated with cute little hearts and big, bubble letters spelling out “Candy-grams $5.” I say hello to my club kids who are working the table, and they all greet me with a smile.
I’m reminded of the conversation I had with Colby at our last club meeting. He seemed so disappointed that I stole all his candy-grams back when we were in high school. He tried to hide it and act like he couldn’t care less, but I heard it in his voice. I wonder if stealing candy-grams is considered a crime. Either way, it was definitely mean of me. Poor guy thought no one cared about him when, in reality, he probably got more candy-grams than anyone.
I go to my classroom and dig out my phone to check my bank account. My car insurance has been paid, but I still have my phone bill and my medical bills to pay. I’ve decided to pitch in a hundred bucks each month for groceries, but my mom keeps slipping it back into my wallet while I’m not looking. She thinks she’s sneaky. Last month, we ended up exchanging the same hundred-dollar bill back and forth for a week before one of us finally gave up. It was me. I gave up after she scolded me. I tried again this month, but she’s still not having it. The bill is tucked into my wallet, where she left it at some point this weekend. If Mom won’t accept the money for groceries, I might as well use it for a good cause.
If I had to guess, I probably stole about fifty candy-grams from Colby over the course of four years. There’s no way I can afford to buy that many for him. Twenty is the most I can get with the “grocery money.” If only I hadn’t spent all my extra funds on books this weekend.
I grab the money from my wallet and rush back to the front entrance of the school to buy my former archnemesis twenty candy-grams that he won’t even eat due to his aversion to all things delectable. Will this fuel the rumor mill? Most definitely. But they’re already talking. Might as well make it a little juicier for them.
I hand over the cash, and Lo, the girl handling the money, asks how much change I need back. Her eyes widen when I tell her I’m buying twenty of these bad boys.
She leans closer to me and asks, “Who are they all for?”
“Let’s keep this between us, but they’re all for Mr. Stuart,” I reply with a wink. But I probably just look insane because I can barely wink. Her mouth falls open, and she nods her head. The other students working with her see her take the money without giving me any change. Their interest is piqued now as they watch me write “Coach Stuart” on half of the cards and “Colbster” on the rest. That’ll get a rise out of him.
I fill out the cards as quickly as I can, and I can already see the kids around the table, whispering amongst themselves. So much for keeping this quiet. This will be all over school before lunch. Colby’s either going to wish he’d never met me or find this hilarious. Fingers crossed for the latter.
My third-period class is just starting when I see two girls walking down the hall carrying baskets of candy-grams. I’ve already had buyer’s remorse thinking about the twenty I just bought. Think of all the coffees I could have enjoyed, the books I could have read, the new jeans that I desperately need! I’m being selfish, but I know for a fact Colby won’t even eat any of that candy. Maybe he’ll share some with me, though.
I quickly tell my class to work on their daily writing assignment, and then I slip out of the room to follow the girls down the hall. I have to know if any of those are going to Colby! I tiptoe behind them and duck behind a trash can after slipping on a rogue pencil on the floor and shrieking in terror. I just saw my life flash before my eyes. That would have been an embarrassing way to go. I survived cancer, only to be taken down by a pencil. The girls stop and look behind them but shrug their shoulders and keep going when they see no one. I creep back out from behind the trash can.
I’m straining to listen to their conversation as I follow behind them again, but it’s hard to make out everything. “Can you believe she bought him so many?” I manage to hear one girl say. I can’t hear the other’s reply, but I just know they’re talking about me. That must mean they’re going to Colby’s classroom.
A minute later, I am proved correct when they stop in front of his door and knock. From a few feet away, I see him let them inside, and I scoot closer to his door and peek inside. One girl is standing off to the side with a hand over her mouth, and judging by her shoulders shaking, I’d say she’s trying not to bust out laughing as the other hands Colby a whole armful of candy-grams.
His eyebrows are scrunched up in confusion as he asks, “Am I supposed to pass these out?”
“No, they’re all for you,” the girl says. The whole class collectively gasps.
“Me?” He sounds stunned or skeptical. Both girls nod their heads in confirmation. They’re both trying so hard not to laugh that they can’t even speak.
I watch as he looks at a few of the cards, and a wide smile spreads across his face. His neck turns bright red, and he pulls on the collar of his blue button-down shirt. It perfectly matches his eyes, and I decide it’s now my favorite shirt he owns. He should wear it every day.
His gaze shifts to the door, and I know the moment he spots me standing here watching him like a creeper because he laughs under his breath. He clears his throat and thanks the girls. They scurry out of the room, almost bumping into me.
Colby follows them out the door and stops right in front of me, still holding his armful of candy-grams. He raises them in front of my face and asks, “What is all this for?”
“Well, I figured I owed you for all the ones I stole back in the day. They’ve really upgraded on the candy since we were in high school, by the way. I practically did you a favor,” I joke.
“Is that so?” he laughs. “Well, thank you, Ms. Sullivan. But you know the gossips are going to have a field day with this, don’t you?” We both look into his classroom to see every student craning their neck to see us. Oh yes, they’re going to go nuts with this story.
“Of course!” I say as I turn to walk away. I add a little pep in my step, hoping he’s watching me the whole way down the hall.