Calli by Jessica Anderson Read Free Book Online

something to write with.”
    Gunner groans, but getting out of the classroom is welcome news, especially since French was beyond boring.
    Outside the air is chilly damp and the clouds are thick. Off to the right the sky looks fuzzy, like it’s raining in the distance. Mr. Hatley would probably say Mother Earth is crying tears of joy.
    “Let’s head to an environmental hot spot—the cafeteria.” He leads us through Building B to the only place worse than Mardi Gras Buffet. If the cafeteria would start cooking tastier food, then we’d eat more instead of wasting it.
    “Calli, wait!” someone shouts in the hallway. I stop breathing. It sounds like Dub.
    I turn around, and so does the entire class, including Mr. Hatley.
    French toast! It is Dub.
    Gunner glares at him.
    “Please don’t ignore me,” Dub says, rushing up to me. Several people in my class crack up. I’d like to ignore Dub more than ever. He’s holding a carved miniature wooden toilet with the words “bathroom pass” written on it. I turn away from him, but he presses something against the back of my arm.

    Just when I think it’s the tiny toilet, Dub tells me it’s a note.
    I feel like I’m starring in the reality TV show Mom, Liz, and Cherish watch together. The longer I don’t take his note, the longer he’ll stand here pleading with me, and the longer the class will keep gawking at us.
    I snatch Dub’s note, bury it in my pocket, and march forward. A few girls whisper behind my back.
    Mr. Hatley clears his throat and announces, “Thanks, Calli, for our first example of how to reduce waste. If you’d all pass fewer notes in the hallway, fewer trees would be depleted.”
    My face burns hot, but I manage to say, “You’re welcome.”
     
    Delia meets me at my locker after school. It’s covered in a coat of fresh paint. “I heard Dub gave you something.”
    Word spreads fast at Calcasieu High. “He did—a note.” I set my backpack on the ground to make it easier to switch out my books.
    “You should’ve heard the rumors. Torey overheard someone say that Dub gave you a ring, but you refused it because you have a new girlfriend.”
    I laugh out loud. Delia cracks up too. “So what did he tell you?”
    “I don’t know. I plan on reading the note alone in my room.” Once I grab the last book, I zip my backpack up and put it on. It’s so heavy that the straps dig into my shoulders.
    “Want me to come over so you don’t have to be alone?”
Delia asks, readjusting her backpack after watching me struggle.
    “Sure, but promise me you won’t trash talk him. It won’t help things.”
    She reluctantly agrees.
    Once we get to my house, I wish we would’ve gone to Delia’s instead. Her home is much more peaceful and the air always smells like fresh-cut flowers. Sassy barks at Delia for several minutes before calming down, and Cherish turns on the TV to some celebrity news program. The television blares so loud we can hear the latest gossip in my room, even with the door closed. If that isn’t enough, the whole house reeks of vinegar because Mom’s been cleaning. Harsh chemicals in some cleaners make my mother sick, but vinegar doesn’t bother her.
    I crack the window open, even though it’s a waste of energy with the air-conditioning on. I don’t waste time though and pull the note from my pocket. The paper is folded four times.
    My handwriting looks like my letters have bad posture and fall forward, but Dub’s words lean back like they’re chilling.
    I read the note aloud: “Calli, this space is killing me.”
    “Good,” Delia says, and then she slaps a hand over her mouth since she clearly forgot her bad-mouthing promise.
    “I’m sorry. Cherish planted one on me and my body reacted before my brain. The kiss didn’t mean anything.”
    I stop reading. The room seems thick like the clouds
in the sky earlier. Delia grabs the note from me and finishes reading. “I pushed her away, but it was too late. You’d already run off. I