with any more conversation。
〃I'll make plans with Jessica；〃 I called over my shoulder as I strapped on my
school bag； not meeting his
eyes。 〃Maybe I won't be home for dinner。 We'll go to Port Angeles and watch a
movie。〃
I was out the front door before he could react。
In my haste to get away from Charlie； I ended up being one of the first ones
to school。 The plus side was
that I got a really good parking spot。 The downside was that I had free time
on my hands； and I tried to
avoid free time at all costs。
Quickly； before I could start thinking about Charlie's accusations； I pulled
out my Calculus book。 I
flipped it open to the section we should be starting today； and tried to make
sense of it。 Reading math
was even worse than listening to it； but I was getting better at it。 In the
last several months； I'd spent ten
times the amount of time on Calculus than I'd ever spent on math before。 As a
result； I was managing to
keep in the range of a low A。 I knew Mr。 Varner felt my improvement was all
due to his superior
teaching methods。 And if that made him happy； I wasn't going to burst his
bubble。
I forced myself to keep at it until the parking lot was full； and I ended up
rushing to English。 We were
working on Animal Farm； an easy subject matter。 I didn't mind munism； it
was a wele change
from the exhausting romances that made up most of the curriculum。 I settled
into my seat； pleased by the
distraction of Mr。 Berty's lecture。
Time moved easily while I was in school。 The bell rang all too soon。 I started
repacking my bag。
〃Bella？〃
I recognized Mi