The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride Read Free Book Online Page B

way I would have if he had been anyone else in that building.
    Two weeks later, I had a new routine. Every day after fourth period, Max stood next to my locker, waiting for me to spin the dial and exchange my books, all the while talking me into eating with him. Each time, I found myself protesting less and less. Today, I had barely even complained as we’d made our way through the crowd, toward the table that had somehow become ours.
    â€œCreate and destroy,” Max said from his seat next to me.
    â€œOh, that’s a good one,” I said, comfortable now with our game of listing opposites. It had started as a brainstorming session for our photography project, but it quickly became a way for us to talk without really talking. “But how would you photograph it?”
    â€œI dunno.” He took a bite of his shiny green apple. “But I like it enough to think about it.” Max squinted. I could tell he was trying to figure a way to make his idea work, like he always did when I challenged him.
    The bell rang, and a mass of people stood from the tables around us. Chairs scraped the floor, books were clutched tightly, and bodies funneled toward the exit.
    Max and I stood and sidestepped into the slow-moving crowd. He threw his apple core into a nearby trash can, and when his shoulder bumped mine, I was tempted to turn my face toward him and take a deep breath. I was close enough to catch his scent without being too obvious.
    During the last month, since I no longer had to wonder about the location of Noelle, two new obsessions had taken over my life. Number one, which I spent most of my time on, was figuring out how to get to see Noelle. I was anxious to know if she had found my gift and I was trying hard not to be offended that she hadn’t called me yet. Number two, a secret that I would certainly die before sharing with anyone, ever, was how to get good whiffs of Max’s clean scent without his noticing. The effect had started to make me a little crazy.
    I gave in to temptation and was turning, ready for one sweet inhalation, when I felt a hand on my shoulder.
    â€œCheck me,” a familiar voice said.
    Max chuckled, his brown eyes moving past me and settling on something just beyond my shoulder. “There’s something wrong with you, Darcy.”
    â€œI know,” she said, flipping her straight brown hair over her shoulder. “Check me.” When I looked at her, her lips were pulled back, revealing a mouthful of perfectly straight, perfectly white teeth, with nothing stuck in the crevices.
    â€œYou’re fine,” I said. “I’m going to get you a little mirror for your purse.”
    â€œHave one,” she said. “It’s not as trustworthy as a friend.”
    â€œSo … you have a thing?” Max asked, pointing a long finger at his mouth, his parted lips, making me wonder what it would be like to kiss him. “With your teeth? A…preoccupation.”
    â€œYeah.” Darcy crinkled her nose at him. “And my breath. If I’m not chewing gum, I don’t get too close to anyone.”
    â€œYup.” Max nodded. “That’s a thing.”
    Darcy shrugged. “We all have things .”
    â€œI don’t,” I said, shaking my head.
    â€œPuh-lease,” Darcy said, choking a little.
    Max just laughed, his head tipping back in an easy way, those soft curls spilling and dipping into new places. I wanted to reach out and touch them. Instead, I shoved my hands in the pockets of my jeans.
    We made our way into the main hall and started passing a bank of senior lockers. Darcy, with one hand in her purse, was searching for an open pack of Strawberry Splash, definitely not watching where she was going.
    I’m not sure what happened, if there was something on the floor that tripped her up, or if she stubbed the pointy toe of her black boot, but Darcy stumbled into me. Hard. Which was okay, because I was pitched sideways