room felt like it was closing in on her and Shelby found it hard to breathe. She scrunched up what was left of her sandwich and stuffed it into the paper bag. “I’m done and out of here,” she said standing. She waited for Maddie to reply but the girl just stared up at her. After a few awkward moments, Shelby turned to leave. “I guess I’ll see you later.” She couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
Nick’s smile dawdled in her memory as she stood in the hall by her next class letting herself cool off. The way his silky hair fell across his forehead, his soft-looking lips. If only. Shelby stepped inside the classroom. Her favorite teacher, Mrs. Warren, was at her desk and waved for Shelby to come in and join her. It always surprised Shelby how short the teacher was in stature, because her presence in class was bold and brilliant.
“You’re here early,” Mrs. Warren said as Shelby approached her desk.
“I guess so.”
“How have all your finals gone?”
“So far, so good. I think.” Shelby let her shoulders drop as the safety of being in this room with her philosophy teacher relaxed her.
“I’m sure you aced them as usual. With that sharp mind of yours, you’ll be able to accomplish anything you set out to.”
Shelby let those words sink in. “Do you really think so?”
Mrs. Warren’s steel blue eyes seemed to look right through her. “I know so.”
And when she said it, Shelby believed it. But then she remembered her mother’s surprise. “I think we’re moving again,” she said.
“I see. And you’re not happy about that?”
What could Shelby say? She was devastated. She wanted to spend her junior year at this school and take every class Mrs. Warren taught. And maybe this summer in lifeguard training she would finally have her first boyfriend. Her mind wandered to Nick. He was a year ahead of her and might ask her to his senior prom, and in a few years she’d get a scholarship to college, she’d move into her own place, and her life would not be controlled by her mother’s whims.
Mrs. Warren was still waiting for an answer. Shelby could feel her throat constricting. “I don’t want to leave, but I don’t have a choice.”
Mrs. Warren’s voice softened. “You always have a choice, Shelby. Sometimes they are just not great ones. But you need to remember, you deserve to be happy. We all do.”
Before Shelby could comment, a couple of giggling girls piled into the classroom.
She wanted to tell Mrs. Warren just how much she meant to her, how she had opened Shelby’s eyes to see her own potential. But the classroom was filling up and the bell had just rung. She had to take her seat.
“Thank you, Mrs. Warren,” Shelby said.
Mrs. Warren looked straight at her. “Don’t forget what I said.”
Shelby met those piercing blue eyes she would never forget. “I won’t. Or you.”
After school, some of Shelby’s classmates were going out for ice cream, and for once they asked her to join. She really wanted to. To be happy, to be normal with the other kids. But her mother, who was usually not home until after 4:00 p.m., had insisted Shelby come right home from school today. She took the bus and got off close to the apartment. Walking the last two blocks was sweltering, even in the shade. When she reached her apartment complex, Shelby saw her mother’s latest boyfriend, Gus, getting out of his silver Ford pickup. A shiny camper was fitted over the back of the truck bed. Her mother had mentioned what he did for a living, but Shelby couldn't remember. She never listened that closely, since he probably wouldn't be around for long. Maybe he was on his way out, too.
Shelby hesitated long enough to watch Gus walk up the steps and knock on their door. Dana opened it and threw her arms around him, before pulling him inside the apartment. Usually her mother was at work this time of day. Shelby looked around the parking lot for their faded old ‘97 Toyota. The car Shelby had hoped would be hers for her sixteenth birthday, that had passed uneventfully last week, was not to be seen. A familiar sense of panic washed over her as she thought about what the real surprise might be.
All Shelby wanted was to go home, take a cool shower, and a long nap in her own room. But that was not possible now. She walked