Parker's Island Read Free Page A

in case I may actually have a shot at attending the same school .
    “Everyone take out a clean sheet of paper , please , ” Mr. Phelps, one of our mo re unusual teachers said, trying to get the class started.
    “I would like each one of you to write one nice thing about the person sitting next to you.” 
    Oh no, this can’t be happening.  There is no way that this is going to end well for me.  What am I going to say that won’t make me sound like a love-sick teenager, or worse?!  I thought with impending doom.
    I took out a piece of paper and stared at it for about five minutes, trying to figure out what to say without giving anything away , yet also wanting to be really nice at the same time.
    My hand was shaking as I scratched out a few lines, crossing them out one by one as fast as I wrote them.
     
    Logan always turns his homework in on time.
    Logan is the smartest guy I know.
    Logan has a beautiful smile.
    Logan has the most beautiful eyes.
    Logan is perfect.
    Logan, I love you.
     
    I finally crunched up the paper and got out a new piece .
     
    Logan is an exceptional student.
     
    “There, that’s not only true, but it’s not too incriminating,” I thought. 
    I looked up to find him studying me from across the desk.  He probably thought I was crazy.  His paper was sitting in fro nt of him.  I could see that he’d written on it, but I couldn’t actually read it.
    “Everyone finished?” Mr. Phelps asked.
    There were murmurs and nods around the room.  I sat there frozen, wondering what he could have possibly written about me.
    “Please exchange papers with your partners , ” Mr. Phelps said. 
    I took a deep breath and slid my paper across the table to him, and he handed me his.
    I watched him while he read m y perfunctory statement.  His facial features never changed, and then he murmured a quick “thanks.”
    I looked down and my jaw dropped as I read what he wrote about me.
     
    Delaney brightens up even the cloudiest of days.
     
    “Could I possibly feel any worse?” I thought as I whispered , “Thank you.”
    “Just telling it like it is , ” h e said.
    “Logan, I…”  I didn’t get to apologize for the generic statement I wrote because Mr. Phelps interrupted me and said, “I hope everyone learned something about themselves , today” and then we were told to open our books to chapter 13.
    I knew I had learned something about myself. I was a coward.  I had the perfect opportunity to tell Logan how I felt about him and I blew it!
     
    I refused a ride home from Molly after school, feigning that I needed the exercise and that I’d see her in the morning.
    I locked myself in my room for the entire night, complaining of a headache, only to have my mother checking in on me and bringing me soup , aspirin or a cold wash cloth all night. 
              “Are you sure you’re alright , Delaney?  I’ve never seen you like this.  You never get headaches that keep you locked up all night.” 
    “I’m fi ne , Mom.  I just have a headache,” I groaned, rolling over in bed.
    “ Are you sure that’s all it is?  You’ve been very distant lately, like something is really bothering you .   Is there something you need to tell me?”
    “Like what?”
    “I don’t know.  Is there a boy involved?” s he asked, rubbing my back.
    “O h , why can’t I just have a headache?”
    “Okay, okay, but if you want to talk about anything, I’m here.”
    “Thanks, but I’m fine.”
    She turned o ff my light and shut my door , finally leaving me alone in the dark to think.  “Why didn’t I write something wonderful on that stupid piece of paper?” I berated myself for about 30 minutes before I fell into a restless sleep. 
              The next morning I walked to school thinking about what to say to Logan.  Nothing great came to mind.  I was at a loss for words, and as I sat down next to him in class, I decided I had to say something.  “Logan, um I