in the woods everyday waiting for you. My dad would have blown a gasket. I figured this would be a good compromise.”
“Works for me. Although I’d have hated for you to disappoint al your fans.”
“Whatcha doing?”
“Sitting on my bed looking at al this stuff that goes with the phone. I just got here a few minutes ago.
“Perfect timing. You’l have to learn how to put it on vibrate when you’re at school.”
“I’ve decided to quit school so I can talk to you al day.” She wished she could.
“No you won’t. You need to study, get smart and graduate.
You’l never get to colege if you don’t finish high school.” She couldn’t stop grinning. This was almost like having him there with her. “Never fear. I’m only a few credits from graduation anyway.”
“Are you a senior?”
“No, I’m a junior, but I have enough credits to graduate at the end of the semester.”
“How’d you manage that? I just finished last spring and I swore it would kil me. I hated homework. It kept me from writing songs.”
“I spend a lot of time studying. I’ve had a lot of time on my hands, so I just loaded up on extra classes and took summer courses.” Studying had been her savior and only sanity. Losing herself in books made the rest of the world go away. You don’t notice kids snubbing you, when you’re deep into Advanced Biology or Calculus, and you don’t worry about your missing dad either.
“So you’re a brainiac?”
“Maybe,” she replied with a smile. She carried a 4.0 even through the trauma of losing her family. She clung to her studies.
“Does that bother you?” Some guys didn’t like smart girls.
“Heck no, maybe some of your smarts wil rub off on me.”
“So where are you? What are you doing?”
“We’re headed south, Texas, and I’m sitting in my bunk talking to this realy cool girl I know.”
Libby hugged herself. “Texas is far. How long til you get there?”
“I think it’s about sixteen hours to Dalas, so I have a lot of time to talk.”
“I can handle that, but you’re going to have to tel me how to plug in this phone or we’l drain the battery on the first time out.” She talked to him late into the night about anything and everything. It felt like they’d known each other forever. He gave her the basics on how to work her phone, use the internet, and text.
She cut him off three times in the process.
They talked al evening. Peter’s family interrupted off and on throughout their marathon conversation. Somewhere around 2:30 in the morning, their energy began to wane, so they agreed to hang up and begin again the next day. They would try texting throughout the day, since she had school.
Libby fel asleep with the phone snuggled up against her, a symbol of the soul mate she’d found.
# # #
“Libby, you’re wanted in the office.” Ms. Dorsett, her Math Chem teacher, held a pink slip of paper.
Libby closed the heavy text book and grabbed her papers.
As she passed Ms. Dorsett, she took the note. She’d never been caled to the office before and couldn’t imagine why it happened today. As she walked through the vacant hals, her mind searched for a reason. Then it hit her.
Dad.
He said he’d be back for her. Finaly she could escape Rockvile. She hurried the remainder of the distance. Wait until he heard about Peter. Libby burst through the office doors searching for her father’s loving face. He had been her rock and strength before the accident broke him.
The grey-haired secretary glanced up from her work. “I’l be right with you, hon.”
Libby’s heart beat in anticipation. She went around the corner and peeked into Miss Orman’s office. No Dad enjoying a nice visit with the counselor while he waited for her. Miss Orman glanced up from a cal, her smile forced.
Libby returned to the main office, disappointed.
“Principal Harried wil see you now,” the kind secretary said.
Was her dad in with the principal? Something didn’t feel right.
She moved past the counter and down the short hal to the open door of the principal’s office. She paused, unsure if she should knock or walk right in.
“Ah, Miss Sawyer, please come in and take seat. Close the door behind you.”
As Libby obeyed, dread pressed in. She shut the heavy door with a solid click and took a seat in a worn chair facing the principal’s desk, her hands in her lap.
Principal Harried closed the folder in front of him and removed