Spiraling by H. Karhoff Read Free Book Online Page A

well for you.” I laughed, gesturing to the room we were in.
    He raised his left eyebrow and smirked. “I blew off a test and I get to spend forty-five minutes with you. Seems like it worked out pretty well to me.”
    I bit the side of my lower lip and blushed.
    “You do that a lot, don’t you?” he asked.
    I released my lip. “Yeah. Sorry.”
    “Don’t apologize. It’s cute.”
    My heart turned somersaults. Oh, my God! He thinks I’m cute!
    From the way Chad treated me, I’d started to think I wasn’t pretty or cute or anything boys liked. I wasn’t tall or super-thin like Camber Flotsam or Miranda Schutt, the two girls all the guys agreed were sexy. I didn’t even have their perfect hair. Instead, I was short, still had what my mom called ‘baby fat’ around my midsection, and my hair did whatever it pleased most of the time. But Devon wasn’t talking to Camber or Miranda and he hadn’t even acknowledged the stoner girls in the back; he purposefully sat next to me even though there were at least a dozen other empty chairs in the room. My ego got a huge boost.
    I leaned over, resting my elbow on the side of my desk. “Do you mind if I ask you something?”
    “Sure.” He nodded. “What do you want to know?”
    “My cousin, Joy, said something the other day and I was just wondering if it was true.”
    “Ok.”
    “Well…” I forced a nervous smile. The idea of asking the question was much easier than actually asking it. “It’s just… Well, she said she heard that…that you’re on probation for stealing a car or something. I told her it was probably just a stupid rumor, but you know how people are. She didn’t believe me. So, anyway, I thought I’d ask you. Are you on probation?”
    “Yeah.” He nodded.
    Not the answer I expected. “Seriously?”
    “Uh-huh. I got busted a little over a month ago for possession.”
    I shifted my weight in my desk. His confession made me uncomfortable, but I didn’t want to look like a total loser, so I pretended that it didn’t bother me. “That’s cool.”
    “No, it’s not.” He laughed. “It sucks ass.”
    “Hey!” Mr. Milton shouted from the desk at the front of the room. “Watch the language, Sharpe, or you’ll be seeing me again tomorrow.”
    “Yes, sir,” Devon said with a mischievous grin.
    I covered my mouth to stifle a giggle, but Mr. Milton heard me anyway. He shot me a warning glare and I looked down at my desk, pretending to read the algebra book in front of me. As soon as he looked away, I turned back to Devon.
    “Your last name is Sharpe?” I asked.
    He nodded.
    “Devon Sharpe.” I contemplated how it sounded. “What’s your middle name?”
    “Uh-uh.” He shook his head and smiled.
    “Please.” I bat my blue-green eyes at him. “I’ll tell you mine.”
    He looked at me, squinting slightly before he leaned across the aisle. His breath on my neck was warm and smelled like cinnamon. Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! I struggled to keep my composure. My heartbeat thundered in my ears and I wondered if he could hear it, too.
    His lips brushed my ear as he whispered, “Not telling,” causing goosebumps to erupt on my arms. Then he settled back in his chair with a grin.
    “Not fair.” I pouted.
    He only chuckled in response. It was as if he delighted in toying with me, but to be honest, I enjoyed every minute of it. For the duration of detention, we continued our banter. It was nice to get attention from a boy. Aside from parading me around at social events, Chad was more interested in hanging out with his friend, Andy, than he was in spending time with me. Devon treated me like I was the only other person in the room. For forty-five minutes, I was the center of somebody’s world and it was the coolest thing ever.
    As I walked home, I looked forward to the next day. I couldn’t wait to see Devon again. It concerned me that he was on probation, but he hadn’t hurt anyone or broken any major laws so I didn’t think it