BAE BOY

15

Kendall's world is a far cry from Colton's in more ways than just the one you know. Here's a glimpse, a "spark" that ignites another pretty radical idea in Colton's head as his concern for her well being increases. If you're with them so far, consider a "vote" in their favor.

Rick and the girls decided to go pay up and get me packed up and ready to go. As if there was anything to pack. A couple of pairs of yoga pants and two more baggy t-shirts, a quilt and two pillows from home.

I hadn't even had them bring my laptop or tablet or anything. Which I had obviously regretted when I tried to watch TV, but I never find anything on Netflix or Hulu, either, actually. Unless I spend and hour just going through all the little lists and whatnot. Which gets on my nerves.

Tough life, huh? That my only real burning issue is not having something to watch on TV. Yeah, let's move on...

I knew they really wanted to talk amongst themselves, so to speak. Sort out this Kendall thing. So I nodded to the door and we hit the hallway, the hot topic of conversation and I.

I got hold of her hand halfway down to the elevators and it struck me how light and fragile her hand felt. Like if I squeezed just a little bit the bones might just crumble.

But she gave my hand a squeeze as if to let me know that she could handle me and anything else that came along. She'd conquered fucking cancer, for Chrissake. For now, at least.

So I smiled over at her and she said, "You're definitely asking for trouble today. Just want you to know that."

"I love trouble," I told her. "I eat trouble for breakfast. I bathe in trouble."

She gave me a little laugh and said, "You are trouble, too."

"Damned right I am. So bring it on, bebe!"

I let go so I could do a few air "jabs," and she got a kick out of that, too. I think she was just relieved to have an ally, you know? Somebody to tell these things to.

So I threw an arm around her shoulders and we sauntered on.

And ran right into Wyatt, which blew my mind. Except that she looked worried.

So I said, "You're early!"

And she looked past me to Kendall and said, "Hello," in that really warm voice she uses when a new kid walks into our classroom.

So I said, "This is Kendall. Kendall, Wyatt."

Kendall said, "Hey, there!" Very chipper. No distress at all.

So I said, "Half day or something?"

Wyatt said, "You didn't hear?"

"Uh, oh..."

"Full scale riot," she said. "Absolute pandemonium."

"Okay, I'm not blown away or anything, since they're always right on the edge of goin' nuts over there, but what started it?"

She sighed and said, "Rumors. About DeGrazia closing at the end of the school year."

"Whoa—are we?"

"Well, it turns out that they really are considering it. It was in the newspapers and on the news this morning, apparently."

"But it's, like...the only high school over there right now."