Like Jazz Read Online Free PDF Page B

she was pushing, but I wasn’t proud of my reply.
    Sarah jumped off the table, crossed her arms, and glared at me. “What is your fucking problem? Are you annoyed because someone finds you attractive? Or because, God forbid, I—your friend—am asking you something somewhat personal? Or are you pissy because no one’s asked you?”
    Fuck. None of the above. I was jealous of Dirk and frustrated I couldn’t tell Sarah how I felt about her or how uneasy I was with the whole dating subject. “I don’t have hordes of admirers, like you, and wish you wouldn’t tease me by pretending I do.” I returned her glare and crossed my arms defensively, as she had done.
    Sarah’s eyes burned into me almost as if she stood in the sun and held a magnifying glass to my face. “You’re a piece of work, Warner.” She dropped her hands and stalked away.
    Once Wilcox called our team, Sarah strode to the front of the classroom while I claimed the stool to the left of her podium, at the ready with our flip charts. We didn’t acknowledge each other. She presented our material flawlessly and effortlessly, smiling and engaging the class throughout. Dang, I could use such a gift. No doubt about it after that performance: we’d win. And we did. Sarah charmed Wilcox and the rest of the students with her knowledge of Othello , natural poise and intellect, and we got the high score. At least we knew who Homecoming Queen would be. The thought gave me comfort, as I hated to think of iron-willed Sarah holding fast to her word and dropping out of contention over a grade on a stupid project with me.
    After class, I went to the locker room to change for our team’s tennis match against our cross-town rivals. This was our only Friday match of the semester, which seemed to heighten its importance. Relieved yet disappointed not to see Sarah, I made my way to the awaiting bus that would take us to our opponent’s tennis courts. I sat in my usual seat in the far-right rear, donned earphones, stared outside, and lost myself in music. The engine roared to life, and soon after the bus lurched forward, the bench seat I occupied dipped slightly as someone sat to my left. I looked over and removed my earphones, unexpectedly finding myself gazing into Sarah’s light-blue eyes, which seemed to be searching mine for something, though I didn’t know what.
    We must have stared at each other for twenty seconds or more. It was weird. Some part of me felt such a strong connection to this girl that I wondered, as I looked at her, whether she could read my thoughts. Whether with her eyes she was somehow reaching into my soul. Whether she could tell she was making me feel like I wanted to tell her things I’d never told anyone. Whether she knew how much it tore up my insides when we argued. Whether she could sense that some part of me physically ached with awe and longing to simply be near her. Of course, mind reading was impossible; yet I was anxious in a way I didn’t understand.
    “Hey,” Sarah finally said.
    “Hey.” I swallowed hard, quickly returning to the view outside. “Nice job today,” I said to the window.
    “You, too.”
    “Glad you won’t be dropping out of Homecoming court.”
    A hand lightly squeezed my left thigh and rested there. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable this morning.”
    “No worries.” I was trying to will away the heat searing my leg. Her touch made me feel I was being branded like cattle, and part of me wanted to be similarly marked by her as hers.
    “If you do decide to go to Homecoming, I’d like you and your date to join me and Dirk for the night. We’ll be with a bunch of friends, and we’ve rented a huge limo so it should make for some seriously good times.”
    “Thanks, but I don’t intend to go. Please…” I wanted to finish my statement with authority, but it came out more as a whisper. “Please respect that,” I said softly. I continued to stare out the window, and the weight on my thigh