The Real Me Read Online Free PDF Page B

turned around, expecting to see Walt.
    "Hi." It was Kevin. He set his gym bag on the floor and rested his hands against the lockers, with me between his arms.
    "Hi, Kevin." I peeked up at him, trying to stand completely still. I couldn't move without touching him.
    "I really like the front page of the Reporter this week."
    "Oh?" I stared at the second button on Kevin's shirt. Three dark hairs curled above it.
    "At least one newspaper gave our game some coverage."
    I glanced up briefly to see Kevin's gray eyes focused intently on me. I felt his warm breath on my face. "I'm glad you liked the article." I stared at the shirt button again. "I wish there had been more pictures." More pictures of you!
    "Are you going to the tournament game?"
    "I bought my ticket today."
    "Great. I expect to hear you cheering for Waterside." Kevin put his hand under my chin and tilted my head up.
    I closed my eyes and held my breath.
    "Kevin. There you are." Nicole beamed down out of nowhere.
    My eyes flew open.
    Nicole flashed her dazzling smile. "Hi, Mattie," she said without looking at me. "Kevin, you don't want to be late for practice, do you?"
    "I was just on my way." Kevin leaned down and picked up his gym bag. "See you, Mattie."
    As Kevin and Nicole walked away, she turned around and gave me a condescending half smile.
    I slumped against my locker, waiting for my heartbeat to return to normal. I took a deep breath.
    "Oh, good. You waited for me." Walt trotted up to his locker. "I was helping Laura finish her chemistry experiment." Laura Arsenault was Walt's lab partner.
    I stepped away from Walt's locker as he jumped to find a book.
    "You didn't mind waiting, did you?" Walt asked as he landed, book in hand. "I tried to hurry."
    "No, I didn't mind waiting," I said. "I didn't mind at all."

     
    Chapter Five

     
    I stepped off the bus in front of the gym at Wesleyan University . "Fresh air at last."
    "And not one chorus of 'Ninety nine Bottles of Beer on the Shelf' too soon," said Erwina with a sigh of relief.
    Four buses from Waterside made the dark, winding, twenty five mile trip to Middletown . One for the team and cheerleaders, one for the Pep Band, and two packed to capacity with restless, enthusiastic students.
    Erwina and I followed the crowd snaking its way through the row of doors leading into the gymnasium. We were funneled through gates, had our tickets taken and hands stamped, and were herded into the gym. I felt so much like a steer in a corral that I had to suppress an urge to bellow.
    The gym looked humungous compared to the one at Waterside. A low wall with signs proclaiming "Official Personnel Only" surrounded the floor. Uniformed guards patrolled the gates. That meant no fans would be able to congratulate the team after the game. We'd have wait until everybody got back to Waterside.
    The seats seemed to rise several stories high. I checked my ticket stub, hoping my seat would not be too far up. Heights made me dizzy. The openings between rows of seats looked big enough for a person to slip through and fall to the floor. I followed Erwina up the steps.
    "Here's our row," Erwina said.
    We were ten rows up. I looked down. I decided I could probably survive a fall from there. I clutched the back of Erwina's jacket with one hand and my tote bag with another as we stumbled over dozens of feet on our way to our seats.
    "Excuse me. 'Scuse me," I mumbled as I stepped on toes and banged against knees.
    A cheer went up from the other side of the gym as the Springfield players came in to warm up. The Waterside cheerleaders lined up at another gate. Nicole pranced up and down, shaking her pom poms--and her other charms as well. A TV camera focused on her. She tossed her silver blonde hair. A guard opened the gate and the Tigers ran onto the court past the line of cheerleaders.
    Waterside fans stood and cheered. I trembled as the seats swayed. I saw Walt run out on the court with a bag of basketballs. I sat down and clutched the edge of my