A Girl of the Paper Sky Read Online Free PDF Page A

another student out of the way to sit on Brian’s other side.
    “Hi, Brian,” she said in a flirtatious way, batting her eyelids in case he didn’t get the message.
    I was grateful when he ignored her, but not so much when he gave me the same treatment. What do you do with a boy who sits next to you in a class with many empty desks, and then fails to acknowledge your presence? If you’re me, you become a relentless force of nature in your quest to get his attention.
    “We need to talk about your bird,” I whispered out of the side of my mouth.
    Brian shot me a quizzical look. “Excuse me,” he said.
    I leaned in closer. “The paper bird you made yesterday. We need to talk about it.”
    “Oh,” he said. “We’ll talk after class.” Then he went back to ignoring me again.
    I pouted and stewed through the next forty minutes, thinking more of dreams than the history lesson being taught. When the hall bell signaled the change of class, he beat me to the punch.
    He stood and faced me. “So, you wanted to talk?”
    “In private,” I said.
    He nodded, and then turned to Shirley. “Would you be kind enough to save me a seat at lunchtime?”
    “Gladly,” she replied before Barb pushed her through the classroom door.
    Students were still filing into the crowded hallway as I got right to it. “Why the silent treatment?”
    Brian sat down next to me. “Sorry, rough night.”
    He placed his hand on mine as he said this. It was only for a second or two, but his touch wiped away what little anger I had inside of me and left me at a loss for words.
    “You said something about a bird?”
    I paused for a moment to collect my thoughts. “The bird you made for me yesterday, out of paper.”
    “Oh, right, the origami bird. Sorry, it slipped my mind. I do remember making one for you now.” He shook his head. “It’s like a nervous habit. Sometimes I put one together without even realizing it.”
    He moved in his chair until he faced me. “I was in my backyard writing one afternoon, a couple of weeks ago. I like to write to pass the time. Anyhow, my mind drifted off. I can’t recall why or what I was thinking of, but when I snapped out of it, five origami birds littered the yard.”
    “You told me they fly away in a stiff wind,” I said.
    “I did?” Something beyond the classroom windows seemed to draw his attention and he moved his head ever so slightly. He blinked rapidly several times. Were there colors in his eyes? I thought there might be.
    “When you gave it to me you said welcome to the neighborhood .”
    If he had gone away, he came back with a jolt. “I don’t remember saying that.”
    Brian jumped from his chair as if it were on fire. “I need to get to class. We’ll talk later.”
    He took off like a shot and disappeared from sight before I could stop him.

11
    The lunch period didn’t go any better than the morning’s history class. Brian had already finished off one of the two hot dogs on his tray before I sat down opposite him. Barb and Shirley, on either side of him, did their best to charm him into a conversation, but to no avail. He was as sullen today as he had been jovial the day before.
    Barb and Shirley had been my friends long enough for me to know that good looks only bought a teenage boy only so much time. They both required significant attention, with some dedicated fawning mixed in for good measure. To them, being ignored showed a bad attitude.
    I could tell shortly after I sat down that Barb had given up. Her eyes wandered the cafeteria searching for laughing faces of both sexes. Shirley, on the other hand, had more persistence. She teased and coaxed Brian with words and gestures, not quite believing she had somehow lost the power to seduce.
    Me? I just lay low, waiting. Sure enough, before too long, I had Brian to myself. Still, I kept my mouth shut. It wasn’t easy, but I held my tongue. I was close to the breaking point when he broke the ice.
    “I needed you alone. I’m sorry