Sequel: Plummet ›
Status: Complete with a sequel on the way
Freefall
03
I called Chris as soon as I walked in the door, knowing he was waiting to hear from me. “Lydia! Took you long enough,” he greeted me after just two rings.
“I just walked in the door, Chris,” I said, laughing. He wasn’t the most patient person.
“Really? Well… fine. How’s our school?”
“It’s alright, I guess. The people are nice enough. It’s pretty small, so it’s not too hard to find your way.”
“Make any friends?”
I thought of Paul. What was he to me? “Not yet, though I talked to a lot of people. It would have been better if you were there.”
Chris apologized, “Sorry, Lyd. I wish I was there with you. It’s so hot here, and everyone talks funny.”
I laughed. “Remember that next time you want to leave me for the summer.”
“I will. Don’t worry, won’t happen again. Look, I’ve got to go. But I’ll see you in two days. Do me a favor and start getting to know some girls, would you?”
“Sure, and I’ll tell them all about how you suck your thumb and sleep with Claude the bear.”
“That was years ago, Lydia! Years!” I laughed as I hung up the phone. It had been a good day, I surprised myself by thinking.
When I got to school the next morning, I saw Paul leaning casually against the building, as though he was waiting for someone. He stiffened when he saw me.
“Good morning, Lydia.” I nodded and walked through the door, heading towards my locker. It took several seconds before I realized that he was walking next to me. When I looked up at him, I saw that he’d been studying me.
“I don’t understand you,” I said honestly. I have a bit of a problem- I told the truth, always, and very rarely was I able to filter it. I took saying what was on my mind to a whole new level.
Before I could even blush, he smiled a little. “I don’t understand you, either.”
“Yes, but I’m not following you, now am I?” I pointed out. We reached my locker and I spun the combination. Ignoring him, I crouched down and started picking out my books, carefully angling myself so that he couldn’t see straight down my shirt.
It didn’t end up mattering, though- when I glanced up at him, he was glaring at a picture I’d hung on my locker door with a magnet, one of me and my brother. “Who’s this?” he asked.
“That’s Christopher,” I said, distracted. From the floor, Paul looked like a giant. Maybe he was one.
“And what’s he to you?” Paul’s voice trembled with anger.
“He’s my brother. My twin brother, if you want to be specific.” I did my best not to sound amused, but I didn’t think it worked. He glanced at my face and grimaced.
“Oh,” was all he said. I started walking down the hall to my first class of the day, determined not to be late this time, and he tagged along again.
“Why are you following me?” I asked.
“I’m not,” Paul said. I shot him a look and he blushed. “Fine, I am. But I’d rather you called it ‘walking you to class’.”
“And why would you do that?” My brother says I ask too many questions. Maybe he was right, but I wouldn’t have to if people just told me what was going on.
“I told you yesterday, I want to know you,” Paul grumbled.
“Right. Why?”
Paul groaned, and seemed sort of amused. “I’m changing the subject. Why did you move here?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“Why?” it was Paul’s turn to ask, and he smiled.
“We’ve owned a house here for ages, since my parents first got married, but we were renting it out. The tenants moved out, and we needed a change of scenery, so here we are.”
“See? That wasn’t too hard, was it?” He bumped his side into mine, and I grinned.
“No, not too hard.” We stopped outside of my classroom. “Here’s my stop.”
“I’ll see you later, okay?” Paul didn’t move, and looked expectant. What, he actually expected an answer?
“Alright. Bye, Paul.”
I sat down just as the bell rang, and the teacher gave me another disapproving look. I really wasn’t putting myself into his favor.
It only got worse throughout class. I wasn’t able to concentrate, instead replaying my conversations with Paul, trying to figure out why he was talking to me. I didn’t notice the teacher was calling my name until I realized that the entire class was laughing.
“Are you with us, Miss Gallagher?” I blushed and nodded, then ducked my head. How embarrassing.
But that didn’t stop my mind from wandering back to Paul. Would he be in any of my classes? I didn’t know, since he wasn’t in school yesterday- I’d have to remember to ask him about that.
I was too curious for my own good, and had never been able to keep myself out of other people’s business. Call it a weakness of mine.
“I just walked in the door, Chris,” I said, laughing. He wasn’t the most patient person.
“Really? Well… fine. How’s our school?”
“It’s alright, I guess. The people are nice enough. It’s pretty small, so it’s not too hard to find your way.”
“Make any friends?”
I thought of Paul. What was he to me? “Not yet, though I talked to a lot of people. It would have been better if you were there.”
Chris apologized, “Sorry, Lyd. I wish I was there with you. It’s so hot here, and everyone talks funny.”
I laughed. “Remember that next time you want to leave me for the summer.”
“I will. Don’t worry, won’t happen again. Look, I’ve got to go. But I’ll see you in two days. Do me a favor and start getting to know some girls, would you?”
“Sure, and I’ll tell them all about how you suck your thumb and sleep with Claude the bear.”
“That was years ago, Lydia! Years!” I laughed as I hung up the phone. It had been a good day, I surprised myself by thinking.
When I got to school the next morning, I saw Paul leaning casually against the building, as though he was waiting for someone. He stiffened when he saw me.
“Good morning, Lydia.” I nodded and walked through the door, heading towards my locker. It took several seconds before I realized that he was walking next to me. When I looked up at him, I saw that he’d been studying me.
“I don’t understand you,” I said honestly. I have a bit of a problem- I told the truth, always, and very rarely was I able to filter it. I took saying what was on my mind to a whole new level.
Before I could even blush, he smiled a little. “I don’t understand you, either.”
“Yes, but I’m not following you, now am I?” I pointed out. We reached my locker and I spun the combination. Ignoring him, I crouched down and started picking out my books, carefully angling myself so that he couldn’t see straight down my shirt.
It didn’t end up mattering, though- when I glanced up at him, he was glaring at a picture I’d hung on my locker door with a magnet, one of me and my brother. “Who’s this?” he asked.
“That’s Christopher,” I said, distracted. From the floor, Paul looked like a giant. Maybe he was one.
“And what’s he to you?” Paul’s voice trembled with anger.
“He’s my brother. My twin brother, if you want to be specific.” I did my best not to sound amused, but I didn’t think it worked. He glanced at my face and grimaced.
“Oh,” was all he said. I started walking down the hall to my first class of the day, determined not to be late this time, and he tagged along again.
“Why are you following me?” I asked.
“I’m not,” Paul said. I shot him a look and he blushed. “Fine, I am. But I’d rather you called it ‘walking you to class’.”
“And why would you do that?” My brother says I ask too many questions. Maybe he was right, but I wouldn’t have to if people just told me what was going on.
“I told you yesterday, I want to know you,” Paul grumbled.
“Right. Why?”
Paul groaned, and seemed sort of amused. “I’m changing the subject. Why did you move here?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“Why?” it was Paul’s turn to ask, and he smiled.
“We’ve owned a house here for ages, since my parents first got married, but we were renting it out. The tenants moved out, and we needed a change of scenery, so here we are.”
“See? That wasn’t too hard, was it?” He bumped his side into mine, and I grinned.
“No, not too hard.” We stopped outside of my classroom. “Here’s my stop.”
“I’ll see you later, okay?” Paul didn’t move, and looked expectant. What, he actually expected an answer?
“Alright. Bye, Paul.”
I sat down just as the bell rang, and the teacher gave me another disapproving look. I really wasn’t putting myself into his favor.
It only got worse throughout class. I wasn’t able to concentrate, instead replaying my conversations with Paul, trying to figure out why he was talking to me. I didn’t notice the teacher was calling my name until I realized that the entire class was laughing.
“Are you with us, Miss Gallagher?” I blushed and nodded, then ducked my head. How embarrassing.
But that didn’t stop my mind from wandering back to Paul. Would he be in any of my classes? I didn’t know, since he wasn’t in school yesterday- I’d have to remember to ask him about that.
I was too curious for my own good, and had never been able to keep myself out of other people’s business. Call it a weakness of mine.