Down the hall , Carey Denison was reaching into his locker . I swear he shot me a beady glare when he thought I wasn ’ t looking .
That ’ s the kind of day it was .
The minutes ticked by slowly during my final class . The way I figured it — if Carey and I got out at the same time , I ’ d be able to get to her house first , what with those gawky legs and all . I started to psych myself up , and when the bell rang , I took off from school running at a full clip . I was flying for about a hundred yards or so , and then I started to get kind of tired , and then a cramp set in . Pretty soon all I could do was walk , but that cramp really started to get to me , and I had to bend over and hold my side while I kept moving . As I made my way down the streets of Beaufort , I looked like a wheezing version of the Hunchback of Notre Dame .
Behind me I thought I heard Carey ’ s high-pitched laughter . I turned around , digging my fingers into my gut to stifle the pain , but I couldn ’ t see him . Maybe he was cutting through someone ’ s backyard ! He was a sneaky bastard , that guy . You couldn ’ t trust him even for a minute .
I started to stumble along even faster , and pretty soon I reached Jamie ’ s street . By then I was sweating all over — my shirt was soaked right through — and I was still wheezing something fierce . Well , I reached her front door , took a second to catch my breath , and finally knocked . Despite my fevered rush to her house , my pessimistic side assumed that Carey would be the one who opened the door for me . I imagined him smiling at me with a victorious look in his eye , one that essentially meant “ Sorry , partner , you ’ re too late .”
But it wasn ’ t Carey who answered , it was Jamie , and for the first time in my life I saw what she ’ d look like if she were an ordinary person . She was wearing jeans and a red blouse , and though her hair was still pulled up into a bun , she looked more casual than she usually did . I realized she could actually be cute if she gave herself the opportunity .
“ Landon ,” she said as she held open the door , “ this is a surprise !” Jamie was always glad to see everyone , including me , though I think my appearance startled her . “ You look like you ’ ve been exercising ,” she said .
“ Not really ,” I lied , wiping my brow . Luckily the cramp was fading fast . “ You ’ ve sweat clean through your shirt .” “ Oh , that ?” I looked at my shirt . “ That ’ s nothing . I just sweat a lot sometimes .” “ Maybe you should have it checked by a doctor .” “ I ’ ll be okay , I ’ m sure .”
“ I ’ ll say a prayer for you anyway ,” she offered as she smiled . Jamie was always praying for someone . I might as well join the club .
“ Thanks ,” I said . She looked down and sort of shuffled her feet for a moment . “ Well , I ’ d invite you in ,