Spark by Melissa Dereberry Read Free Book Online Page B

seemed like eons, the door opened and Zach appeared.
                  He carried nothing—not a briefcase or a gym bag or a coffee mug.  His hands were shoved in his pockets, his head slightly down.  He dug keys out of his pants pocket and got inside his car.  I sat and watched him drive away.  Don’t ask me why, but I had a feeling he’d be back.  And I knew just where to find him.
    When I got downtown, I decided to get a slush from the ice cream shop next door and hang out by the fountain in front of the theater until the show started.  It was too hot, but I had my slush and besides, I liked just watching people scurry to and fro.  I sat on the edge of the fountain, feeling the slight spray of the water, squinting my eyes at the sunlight reflecting off the surface.  I can't believe it, but I actually managed to get my mind off Zach for a minute. 
    That's why I almost gasped out loud when I saw him about a block away.  Zach, walking alone, straight toward me, dressed in a white t-shirt, jeans, and dark sunglasses, just like he was earlier, and just like in my dream.  I looked away, fiddled with my phone, wishing I had my hat and sunglasses, but realizing, just then, that I’d forgotten them.  I grabbed my purse and headed for the entrance to the theater.  Surely there was another show starting soon.
    But before I could get inside, Zach had caught up to me, practically jumping in front of me.
    “Hi.  You're uh Tess, right?  I’m—we had orientation class together, at school?”
    I could hear my heartbeat in my ears.  He looked at me and flashed a grin that gave me goosebumps.  He had an impossibly perfect mouth, a row of white teeth that could star in toothpaste commercial. 
    Oh great , I thought.  He’d seen me earlier .  Yeah,” I said, tentatively.
    “Zach Webb.  Are you gonna watch a movie?”
    “Yeah, uh, Spider-Man:  The Next Generation,” I lied.
    “Oh, me too—I mean, I’ve wanted to see it ever since it came out.  I was thinking about seeing that one, too…”
    This is just too weird , I thought.  Is he suggesting that we go inside and sit together at the same movie?  I have been obsessing about this guy since I saw him at orientation a month ago, had followed him, and now he was standing in front of me, practically asking me on a date.  I must be dreaming , I thought.  This is just an extension of the mall dream.  Or… I have gone completely insane.
    “So you just moved here?”  He asked.
    “Sort of.  I’ve been gone for a few years.  What about you?”
    “I’ve been around for a while,” he said, flashing that toothpaste grin again.
              “Well, the movie’s about to start,” I said, looking at my watch, feeling a little uncomfortable.
    Zach hesitated, but held out his hand.  “Well, it’s nice to meet you—again!”
    I reached, but before I even touched his hand, an electrical pulse zinged between our fingers, causing me to yank my hand back.
    “I’ll be darned,” Zach muttered.  “It’s true.”
    “What?”  What was he talking about?   I wondered.  What was true?  
    Zach looked confused, as if I’d caught him off guard.  “Oh—it’s nothing.  The shock.  I did the same thing the other day with my dad.  And then yesterday with my friend Mike.  Are you ok?”
    “It happens,” I replied.  “I’m fine.”
    Zach looked relieved.  He seemed to look directly at me then, his eyes concealed by the sunglasses, his mouth drawn up with determination.  It seemed like we just stood there, looking at each other for five minutes.  I stared at my reflection in his glasses, my oval face, framed with black hair.  My slightly upturned nose and broad forehead, my thin, arched brows and chiseled cheekbones. For the first time in a long time, I thought I looked pretty.  I felt a buzzing sensation rippling over my entire body.  I wanted to look at my watch again, tell him I had to get going, but at the same time