Taking Chances Read Free Page B

Jacqueline was just as pretty, if not more beautiful than Annie with long, light brown hair and hazel eyes. Both girls had small figures, but Annie’s was not much smaller than mine.
    “Hi,” Jacqueline said to me. They all went back to talking and Spencer turned to me.
    “Sorry about that,” he said. “They use this time to gossip, and they don’t like to waste time.”
    I smiled. “That’s okay.”
    “So, how is your first day so far?”
    I shrugged. “It’s okay.”
    “Tomorrow will be better, I bet,” he said. “But it must be hard being in a new place and barely knowing anyone.”
    I nodded, agreeing with that fact. If I didn’t know Spencer, I’d be completely lost.
    “Well, you’ve got us now,” he said with a smile. I smiled back at the thought that our friendship would continue. He seemed like a great friend.
    The conversation continued to flow easily as we ate lunch.
    “Hey Spence,” Dean asked Spencer. “Do you think you’ll do better at the poetry slam this year?”
    “I hope so. I’m going to start writing early this year. Last year really sucked because I didn’t have much time to write anything.”
    “Poetry slam? Like when you all read poetry?” I asked.
    “Yeah.” Dean said. “During the middle of the year, around January, all of the kids in Creative Writing compete in a poetry competition. Sometimes, a professor from NIU will come and if you do really well, he or she will invite you to the state contest.” NIU was the university in DeKalb, a city about thirty minutes from Shabbona.
    “Cool. That sounds fun. I didn’t know you wrote, Spencer.”
    “I do,” Spencer said. “It’s fun, and it gets me away from everything. You’ll be able to participate in the slam if you are in Creative Writing.”
    “I actually have that class tomorrow,” I told him as I pulled out my schedule from my pocket and looked at it.
    “Really? What hour?”
    “Um…second,” I replied. He asked to see my schedule and I handed it to him. He glanced over it and smiled. “Yep, second hour. Well, I’ll see you in class then,” he said.
    “Cool,” I said happily. I looked forward to having another class with Spencer. Maybe I wouldn’t embarrass myself like in P.E. Apart from being super sweet, Spencer was also a very good looking boy. It was hard for me not to think about not trying to impress him.
    “I think Spence will need to start writing now,” the boy named Jeremy chuckled. “Otherwise he’s never going to beat his girlfriend.”
    The rest of them laughed, but I sighed and looked down at my tray. I didn’t know that Spencer had someone already. I felt bad for being even slightly interested in him. Well, it wasn’t like I’d ever have a chance with him anyway…he seemed too perfect to be with someone like me with such a messed up life.
    “You have a girlfriend? That’s cool,” I said, trying to act like it didn’t bother me. “Does she go to this school, too?” They all laughed, and Spencer hit Jeremy’s arm.
    “Aren’t you his girlfriend?” Annie asked me. My eyes widened the tiniest bit in surprise. Girlfriend? Is that who they think I am?
    “First of all, she’s not my girlfriend.” Spencer snuck a quick look at me.
    “She looks like it.” Dean cut him off. “I’ve never really seen you talk to new kids.”
    That’s what people think? I’ve only been here for a day and I’m already being talked about…?
    “Well, she’s not,” Spencer said. Though this statement was true, it crushed me a little to hear him say it so quickly. Does that mean I don’t appeal to him at all? I wondered.
    “I know her because she’s Maggie George’s granddaughter,” he continued. “And she lives on her family farm that my uncle farms his corn at.”
    “Oh, okay,” Dean said. Then, they all started laughing for no apparent reason. It was fun hanging around Spencer’s friends. They were always laughing. That was something I hadn’t done in a while.
    Fourth hour, I