Picking the Poppies {on hold}

Chapter 2

Picking the Poppies, Ch. 2

"You got Tom Felton's number?" Elecktra said disbelievingly as I braked at a red light. "You are KIDDING me."

"Nope," I laughed, and threw her the piece of paper.

"Just let me copy this down," she said, reaching for a pen and paper in her bag.

"No!" I said, and snatched it off her. "I mean - it's classified. You - you can't have it."

She gaped at me for a moment. I slid the paper with Tom's address and number on out of her hands. I kind of wanted Tom to be my thing. I know that wasn't very good friendship skills or anything, but I'd met Tom because Elecktra wouldn't drive me home. I had met Tom. Not Lecks, me.

I knew I'd have to introduce Lecks to Tom at some point, but for now he was all mine. I sighed as the green light flashed on and I pulled away into another lane. I groaned as I saw the traffic.

"Why do you work so far away, anyway?" I asked Lecks, annoyed.

"Because it's amazing there," she said lovingly.

I rolled my eyes. "Its a hairdressers."

"Presicely," Lecks said happily, looking at the holdup.

An hour later, I was standing in my classroom with my guitar in my hands. I strummed a few chords and my fingers found their place, and 'Lego House' was ringing through the corridor.

"Wow, miss," Claire said admiringly, sitting down on a stool. "That's amazing."

I blushed. "Aren't you meant to be lining up outside like the others?"

"I came in to give you this letter, but wow!" she cried, tossing me the letter. "You're so good at guitar!"

"You can come in now," I shouted and the class came running in.

The students loved music. You could tell. Even the more 'bimbo' girls like Laine and the 'jock' boys like Aiden. They came running into the classroom every day, laughing, and settled down in seconds.

We ran through the register and I assigned everyone a guitar. I handed them sheet music and they started strumming the chords uneasily. I went round the room, listening to the music and humming along.

My phone's ring tune sounded, and every student went silent. I laughed and went over to my phone. I froze with delight when I saw the caller ID.

Tom.

I picked up the phone eagerly and spoke into it. "Tom?" I asked happily.

He laughed. "Hi. How are you?"

"Less cold than I last saw you," I said happily.

His laugh fuzzed up in the phone. "So you're ok."

"Yeah," I said honestly. "And the kids are desperate to know who I'm speaking to."

"You have kids?" he asked ludicrously. "I thought you were single?"

"I am," I laughed. "The students," I explained.

"Oh!" he said, kind of sheepishly. "Bad time to ring. I'll call you back."

"Sure, talk to you later," I said, a smug grin on my face as I hung up.

"Who was that, miss?" Claire asked from her stool.

"Er -" I said slowly. "A friend."

"No, really," Laine said. "I'm with Claire on this one."

"Fine," I said. "It was Tom Felton."