CHAPTER THREE

Michael had already given me a very thorough tour of the school earlier, so I already knew where the cafeteria was. I knew he wouldn't come and get me- I'm pretty sure that's why he showed me where everything was earlier so that I don't ask him to take me anywhere- so I go alone. I'm usually horrible at following directions, but he was very precise on where everything was, so I probably won't get lost.

No one paid any attention to me the last few hours, and, thankfully, none of the teachers asked me to introduce myself, as I had seen in movies. Today was actually off to a not-that-bad-start.

Just as I am thinking this, I look up to see a tall guy with white-blond hair running towards me at full speed. Well, maybe not at me but in my general direction. I panic suddenly and I feel my eyes widen. I try to turn sideways so as to avoid him but I just press in to even more people.

There were too many people! I couldn't move. I turn back to the other way but the shoelaces I had been too lazy to tie earlier tangle around my feet, making me trip. I close my eyes, anticipating the pain that would inevitably come with the hard landing. I have fallen down too many times throughout my childhood to underestimate how much it would hurt.

Except there is no pain because I don't land on the floor. And a hand on my arm is what stops me from landing on my butt. My breath catches and I open my eyes slightly, peeking at the person to whom the arm belongs from beneath my lashes.

He is skinny. That's the first thing I notice. Plus, I'm pretty sure he is in one of my classes though I can't be sure which one it is. He's wearing horn-rimmed glasses that make his blue-gray eyes look big and wide. In fact, his eyes were so wide and he looked so surprised that I briefly wondered if he would drop me. But no. His grip was quite strong despite the fact that he looked as if he would break in half at any given moment. I blink, feeling moronic for thinking all of this while he was practically carrying me; I was not exactly light.

I quickly straighten. "Thank-" my voice comes out all scratchy so I clear my throat. "Thank you," I try again but he is not paying attention to me. Well, not my face at least. "Thank you," I repeat, thinking that maybe he didn't hear me the first time. But then it hits me.

My arm. He was holding my arm. My burned arm. His hand was on it. Under the damn oversized sweater!

I blink and immediately wrench my arm from his grip, which causes me to stumble again. He moves to steady me but I hold my arms up, "No!" I wince. That came out a lot sharper than I had intended and it made people look over at us in confusion, probably wondering what the commotion was about. I look around to see that the gigantic idiot that had been running was nowhere to be seen. Of course.

I internally curse him.

"S-sorry," the guy with the glasses stammers as he starts backing away from me. He isn't looking where he is going and before I can say anything to warn him, he slams into one of the lockers and winces when the noise reverberates through the hallway.

Now, almost everyone was looking over at us and, if possible, Glasses Guy's face was turning even redder. Furthermore, he was shaking. His wide eyes looked even wider with the glasses on and

they were flicking around from one face to another as if looking for help. Or looking to escape. His skin had taken on an odd ashen pallor and he looked like he was going to faint.

"I'm sorry," I breathe, feeling sad and confused and guilty, though I did not know what exactly I was feeling guilty of.

All of a sudden, the boy turns around and, keeping his head down, walks quickly away. Thankfully, the crowd that had gathered around us parts giving him a clear path and he walks away without any more mishaps and after a while, he turns the corner, so that he is out of sight.

I look around to see that a few people were still looking at me as if I had lost my mind. I could feel my face getting hot as well, so I keep my head down and hurry off in the direction of the cafeteria, thinking of all the ways that this disaster could have been avoided.

All of this happened in barely a few minutes but it felt like it lasted a lifetime.

I wish I had stayed longer in class. Or gotten out earlier. I wish something had happened to make the guy with the glasses stay home today because the guilt all this caused me was just too much.

I keep thinking of his face as he was backing away, and when he slammed into the locker and everyone was staring. He had looked as if he was having a panic attack with his crazy eyes and his heaving breaths.

I think of the guy with the white-blond hair, the one who had come tumbling toward me. I wonder what had had him in such a hurry. What must have been so important that he didn't even turn back?

I sigh. It didn't even matter. What was done was done and there was nothing I could do to change it. I knew that better than anybody but that thought did nothing to lessen the guilt that was eating me up inside.

I take a deep breath, hoping no one will notice how distraught I am, and just keep moving forward. Maybe the rest of the day will turn out to be okay.