Looking the Wrong Way

Chapter 5: This is Real

The next day started off pretty ok, surprisingly. Henry was told that Carina would get out of the hospital, even though it had only been a day, because she hadn't been injured or severely sick. He woke up on time, so he didnt have to rush to the bus, for once.
And school was really great. He had aced his math and English pop quizzes, and Biology- well, it wasn't as bad as he had initially thought.
It turns out that Carina was a whiz at science, and she wasn't annoying, or overpowering. He felt a few uneasy stares from across the room as he and Carina joked around, but he didnt really care.
He was sure that, if they got to know her, they wouldnt think she was such a freak as the rumors said.
It was after biology class that he realized sonething had changed.
He was at his locker, busily attempting at opening his jammed locker, when Alina strutted over to him and leaned against the locker next to him.
"Hey Henry." She whispered, smiling sweeter than honey- which was actually kind of gross.
Henry turned his head, smiled, a fake one, he realized, and said,
"Oh, hey Alina." He finally opened his locker and retrieved his binder.
Alina frowned, just for a split second, and stared, confused, at him. Why wasn't he stuttering? What happened to her control over him?
She tried again. "So, I'm having another party this weekend. I mean, if you want to come, that would be great." She twirled her hair around her fingers, but Henry didnt notice.
He shut his locker, and said, "Nah, not this time. I'm working on the biology project with Carina."
She shrugged, pretending not to care. But for some reason, she felt rage burning up inside of her. No, not rage.
Jealousy?
Ha. That was actually funny. No way. Alina Gray, the most popular girl in echo, liking a guy who was not even as good looking as the jocks, not as fit as the football players, not as confident as the school's finest? That could not, would not, be true. Henry Turner wasn't good enough. He wasn't up to her standards.
Right?
Henry started to walk away, and he heard Alina hiss and stomp away. He turned around, partially bewildered and partially confused. He shrugged, began to walk away, and-
He stopped in his tracks.
Where was his stupid stutter? And his bright red blush that always appeared whenever Alina was around?
This was too confusing. What happened to him? The flutter in his stomach was gone, her blonde hair didnt seem as pretty as it ised to be, her light brown eyes seemed so dull and boring now.
He shook his head as he ran into Band class, thankfully making it on time.
He rubbed his temples as he took out his percussion equipment, and he realized that he was making a huge deal about something that probably didnt even matter.
But somehow it did.
If Henry had suddenly stopped liking Alina, then didnt that mean that he liked someone else? No one just lost their feelings for someone in a day without a reason.
He set up his piano and his snare drum, and groaned. Man, this sucked. He was better off when his only friend was Alex.
Speaking of which, Alex, who was also a percussionist, walked up to him.
"Dude," he asked, his eyebrows creasing, "are you ok? Your face is literally a tomato."
Henry muttered something under his breath, and nodded his head.
"Im fine. Thanks though."
He turned his head to Carina running into the band room right before the bell rang, clutching her flute in her left hand.
Her eyes were bright yet frantic, her black curls wild and somehow contained at the same time.
He turned away.
Now, back to the Alina situation.
What, or who, had made his feelings suddenly swerve?