Unwritten Books 2 - Fathom Five by James Bow Read Free Book Online Page A

and plucked him from the stream. “Peter!”
    Behind her, Joe said to Benson, “Sirens would be cool. You think they raised the fog?”
    Rosemary pulled Peter out of the others’ earshot. He glared at her. “What do you want?”
    “I’ve been trying to talk to you!”
    “What about?”
    “We have to talk, Peter. About the letter —”
    “That letter made things perfectly clear, Rosemary.”
    “I wasn’t going to send it. I was going to talk to you.”
    “Yeah, well, I appreciate the personal touch.”
    “What is wrong with you?” she whispered. “Do you want me to say ‘I love you’? Well, I can’t!” She cast a quick glance to make sure the others weren’t eavesdropping. They weren’t. She turned back to Peter. “Not yet. I’ve never felt this way before. I don’t know how I should feel. But I want to find out, if you do.”
    She gave Peter what she hoped was an encouraging smile. That changed to a look of astonishment as Peter stared at her, wide-eyed and on the verge of tears.
    He turned and walked away with the stride that tried very hard not to be a run. Rosemary backed into her locker door.
    Behind her, Veronica had opened her locker again, and was sorting around for a missing textbook. The bell rang.
    “C’mon, B,” said Joe. “We’ll be late for practice.”
    “Yeah,” said Benson. “See you, Rosemary!” He gave her a wave. Then he tiptoed behind Veronica and whispered in her ear. “See you, Veronica!”
    Veronica jerked up with a shriek. The back of her head caught Benson square on the nose.
    “Benson!” she yelled. “Don’t do that to me again!”
    “Sorry,” he mumbled, clutching his nose.
    Veronica gathered up her books and stormed off to class.
***
    The afternoon just got worse. Everybody was whispering behind his back.
    “ His marks are dropping ,” Hunter replied. “ He’s showing less and less interest in class. He’s isolating himself from others .”
    They all think I’m a failure.
    “ Do you want me to say ‘I love you’? Well, I can’t! ”
    Then, several decibels lower:
    “ I’ve never felt this way before. I don’t know how I should feel. But I want to find out. ”
    Peter shook his head, trying to clear it. Rosemary didn’t say that. I wouldn’t be nearly this angry if she had.
    “Peter? Look alive, there! You’re up!”
    Peter dribbled his basketball. He ran for his lay-up, jumped, missed.
    “Good hustle, Peter,” shouted Coach Beckett.
    “More focus, next time. Try again.”
    Peter faced the basket.
    “ I don’t want you to change from my friend to my boyfriend, only to have us break up and lose everything. ”
    The ball hit his toe and skittered to the wall. Where had that thought come from?
    “Keep trying, Peter,” shouted Joe. “You’ll get it!”
    Peter grabbed the ball, picked up his pace, rounding on the basket …
    Rosemary, kissing, tensing, then pushing him away …
    The basketball bounced off the rim. Peter swore loudly.
    His classmates stared. Coach Beckett scowled.
    “Only losers swear, Peter.”
    Peter threw down the basketball and stormed off.
    “Peter?” Joe started after him.
    “Peter? What’s wrong?” Coach Beckett put a hand on Peter’s shoulder, but Peter shook it off and quickened his pace towards the outer doors.
    “Peter!”
    Fiona was right. Nobody cares about me. I want to go home.
    The doors smashed open and he ran into the back field. The fog wrapped him, and he stood in the centre of a white void. Only then did he allow himself to cry.
    “ Now do you understand? ” Fiona’s voice came from everywhere and nowhere. He smelled it like the fog.
    His gaze hardened. He wiped his face dry and cleared his nose with a sniff. He spoke to the air. “Where do I go from here?”
    Fiona stepped into view and took his hands. “Follow me.”
    Holding hands, they walked out of the back field. Then they walked briskly across the road and strode down the sidewalk towards downtown Clarksbury. Nobody passed them. By