RIVER

By the time I was about to leave school, I thought I'd be able to go without Arlin, but he was waiting in front of the department in his car. He saw me and smiled, walking down to me.

"Don't allow me to chase you down the school; just get in, and we can be on our way," he says, still smiling, and now I hate how people have their eyes on us. It was almost as if they were waiting to see what the popular kid was going to do with the first-year nerd.

"I guess we can leave you both," Elise ...