Missing Pieces of My Forever-Heart Read Online Free Page B

Maddie was there waiting for me.  I was so happy to see her!
     
    “Save me, Maddie.  Walk this way.” I grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hall in the direction of the lockers.
     
    “Hey, I don’t need to go to my locker.  My class is the other waaaay….OH MY GOD is that Jame Patterson? Cath, he looks GORGEOUS! I’m going to talk with him.  You don’t care do you?” Maddie, the traitor, turned right around, rolled her skirt up a little shorter and called out to Jame.  He turned to her with a big smile on his face.
     
    That was it! Maybe being friends with Maddie again wasn’t such a good idea if I couldn’t count on her to choose sides.  Oh wait- there were no sides.  I wasn’t interested in Jame like that anymore.  She could have him if she wants.  I could care less.
     
    I slunk behind two freshmen as I slipped past Jame and Maddie laughing it up about something.  Second period was my dreaded class- Chemistry Honors with the witch Mrs. Burns. She scared the heck out of every student in her many years at OLOS and was wringing her hands in anticipation of the ones she would shred into little pieces this year because they didn’t get their chem formulas right.
     
    This time we all waited in the back of the class because the word was out- Mrs. Burns sits you alphabetically and you stayed in that seat the entire year.  Your lab partner is alphabetical too and heaven help the kid who complained about any of it.  We had been warned to keep our mouths shut.  OK, that fit with my Excellence Plan.
     
    “Catherine Monahan,” Mrs. Burns pointed for me to sit in the fourth seat, fifth row by the window.  All right, not too bad.  I wasn’t right in front of her for random pick-ons but I wasn’t too far back where I couldn’t see the board. So far so good.
     
    “James Patterson, stop flirting with the girl in the hall and sit right there.” Mrs. Burns pointed to the seat behind mine. What? No way! How could this be?  Why, why, why, God????
     
    Jame took one look at his designated seat behind me and cleared his throat. “Mrs. Burns, could I sit in the last desk in the row? It has more room for my legs.”
     
    Mrs. Burns looked at Jame like he had asked her to jump out the window.
     
    “I beg your pardon, Mr. Patterson. Did you refuse to sit in your seat in my class?”
     
    “Um, no Mrs. Burns, I didn’t.” Jame walked over and sat down behind me
     
    Everyone in the class was watching this drama play out.  Jame had dared to confront the witch and ask for a different seat.  Unheard of!  I buried my face in my chem book and tried to be very small.
     
    I heard Jame sigh as he sat behind me, and continued to hear him breathe for the next 45 minutes.  I couldn’t concentrate on anything else.  Chemistry was now more dreaded than ever.  How would I survive it?
     
    Gym class came next, which is usually a free and easy class with Mr. Hoffman. He showed us our lockers, and he handed out the rules and regulations of the class and his grading system.  Just as we were getting ready to play a little badminton, in walks Jame with a class change sheet in his hand.  
     
    Marymotherofbabyjesus can’t I get a break here?  How can I follow my Excellence Plan this year when HE was all around me? I didn’t want to be reminded daily of how much I had messed up my life because of this boy.  I needed to get my grades up high…to get into the best journalism college…to get out of here and get famous!
     
    He walked over to Mr. Hoffman who seemed to gloat over the fact that Jame, the super jammer basketball star of OLOS was going to be in his gym class.  He spent the rest of the period talking to Jame about his summer basketball games and the varsity’s chance to get to the playoffs.  Mr. Hoffman ignored the rest of us, which was fine by me because I hated badminton and I cut out early. 
     
    I caught up with Maddie in the cafeteria after a wonderful French 3 class without Jame Patterson