Circle of Silence WiHi Book 2 Carol M. Tanzman

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.“How about a Spotlight on Alicia Ruffino? I heard her talking in Trig.She’s choreographing the musical.Or starring in it.Something like that.”“Ali won’t be interviewed,” I tell him smugly.“I tried last year.She turned me down flat.”“Maybe you should have used a little more charm.”Marci scoffs.“Like you? Puh-leeze.”Henry, however, lights up.“I’ll go with you.Ali’s pretty.” He shoots a sidewise glance at Marci.I bite my lip to keep from laughing.Is the kid trying to make her jealous?“Sure.” Jagger pats Henry on the shoulder.“I’ll show you how it’s done.”Marci rolls her eyes and turns to me.“I haven’t directed yet and Omar’s only anchored once, so we’ll team.That leaves you with Raul.”I give her the look.“You have it all worked out.”“Don’t you want to be with me?” Raul asks with a mock-hurt expression.At least, I hope he’s faking it.“Of course I do,” I say hastily.“I love working with you.Seriously.”“Oooh….” Jagger mimics my voice fairly accurately.“Love working with you.”“Child! Can you be more annoying?” Honestly, the minute I think Jagger’s serious about Campus News, he proves me wrong.Unless that’s his reaction to Raul and me working together.Jagger won’t have me—but Raul can’t, either?Not fair, Jags.Not fair at all.Across the room, Mr.Carleton calls out, “Everything okay?”Jagger waves him off.“We’re oh so excited to get to work.”Mr.Carleton peers over his glasses.“Glad to hear it! Too many of you just sitting around…”Raul starts to toss out ideas.Henry and Jagger begin to fill out a fresh Question Sheet.They’ll probably get that interview with Ali and make it kick-ass just to prove me wrong.Raul nudges my arm.“Which story do you like better?”Startled, I turn.I haven’t heard a single thing he said.* * *It takes another couple of days before the storm pushes past Brooklyn.Rain-slicked streets, bare branches and a bitter wind are all that remain.The official start of winter is more than a month away, but the weather is an unruly toddler who can’t read a calendar.I stay late to work on a piece about Academic Decathlon.Passing Tony’s Pizzeria on the way home, I notice Jagger and Henry sitting at a window table.Henry sees me at the same time and waves me in.Curious, I stop at the counter to get the special before making my way over to them.Jagger’s got his legs sprawled across his side of the booth.I couldn’t sit beside him even if I wanted to.I slide next to Henry.“How’s it going?”“We’re celebrating.We got an interview with Ali.Plus, she let us shoot rehearsal.”“Really?”“Really!”Jagger watches us quietly.“Good for you,” I say.“Did you remember to return the camera?”Henry pats his backpack.“Tomorrow.”Jagger glances out the window.“Maybe you should get home before it’s too late.You don’t want to be walking in the dark with expensive equipment in your backpack.”For someone so smart, Henry’s eating out of Jagger’s hand.“Good thinking, Jags.See you guys tomorrow.”I wait until he’s out the door.“I’m asking nicely, Voorham.Don’t corrupt the kid.”Jagger grabs Henry’s leftover crust.“I’m not.But he’s a senior like the rest of us.You all treat him like a Chia Pet.”I keep a straight face.“If he were a Chia Pet, he’d get a haircut once in a while.”Jagger laughs.“You stay late to edit?”“No ESP points.I’m predictable.It’s you that’s the shock.You actually hung around after the bell to work on a class project?”He shrugs.“Ali invited me to rehearsal.And—”“She’s soooo pretty,” I say.His eyes crinkle.“Do I detect a bit of jealousy?”I take a bite of my pizza.“None whatsoever.”He gets a satisfied I don’t believe you look.All I can think is Please don’t do this.I can’t go through it again.The way my insides melted whenever you looked at me.Waiting on pins and needles for your call.Insane happiness when it happened.Horrible numb feeling if it didn’t….Jagger slurps my lemonade.“Hey!”“I left you some.” Jagger gives me the cup and his hand brushes mine.“I— Damn.” He glances at the tacky Leaning Tower of Pisa clock on the wall.“Gotta go.Talk to you tomorrow.”He’s out the door in less than twenty seconds.Without glancing over his shoulder, Jagger waves, arrogantly certain I’m watching.Disgusted with myself, I sink into the booth, staring out the window.The gray day has morphed into a surprisingly soft evening.Colors splash across the still-wet asphalt: stoplight-red, neon purple, fruity-orange.People exit the subway wearing slickers with a rubbery sheen.Brooklyn Heights, now a watercolor painting, pulls me deep into thought.Why can’t I figure him out? Every time it seems like Jagger’s about to apologize, or explain or maybe beg forgiveness, he cuts it off.He was the one who pushed me away—but lately it’s like he’s not sure that’s what he wants.Except I can’t go back.I never, ever want to feel so hurt again….The insistent wail of an ambulance jolts me into the present.The emergency vehicle flies down Montague, heading urgently toward the Promenade [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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