Dancing in Circles (Circles Trilogy) (38 page)

With his brow creased in confusion and thought, Robert settled down to work. He brainstormed how to solve the first problem and had just finished it as the bell rang. Walking to the teacher's desk with his paper in one hand, he tapped Julie's arm. "We got a free period next, right?"

She nodded.

"Sir, can I stay here and work? I only got the first one done." He waved his test.

Mr. Ross pointed to the back of the room. "Sure, pull a desk to the back and keep working."

Julie placed a hand on Robert's arm. "See you at lunch?"

He shrugged.

Julie wandered over to the library and sat next to Trish. "What are you doing here? You don't have this free period."

"Skipping Spanish." Trish slipped her cellphone into her purse.

"Didn't do your homework?" She placed her books and purse on the table next to her chair.

Trish leaned closer. "Heather and I went shopping Saturday. Heather's dad is out of town again and her mom got drunk Friday night, so Heather asked her for her charge card. She bought three new outfits. You're so going to die when you see them. What about you? How was the wedding?"

"We had a very nice time."

"We? As in you and Robert? Details!" Trish waggled her eyebrows up and down.

Julie bit her bottom lip and felt the heat of the blush warm her cheeks.

"You aren't going to talk are you? Did you two...you know? Tell me you at least kissed him. His kisses are so hot."

"Don't want to talk about this here." Julie glanced around the library. "Idea. We haven't had a girl's night in a long time. Friday night. My place."

Trish pulled out her cellphone. "I am so on it! I'll text Jenn and Heather. You tell Francine, And what was up with her this morning? Being all pompous and queenly at Robert."

The librarian hissed as he walked past. "Patricia Ann! Cellphone."

Trish sighed and lowered the phone into her purse; until the librarian was out of view then she dashed off two texts while keeping an eye out for danger.

***

Throughout spare and lunch Julie looked for Robert, but he didn't appear. She walked to English class alone.

Mrs. Wolmsley had finished taking the attendance when Robert entered and placed an admit slip on her desk. She proceeded with a class discussion of the novel they were studying. "Mr. Holiday." Her brow wrinkled. "Are you sleeping or paying attention?"

Robert didn't open his eyes. "Payin' attention, ma'am. Just tryin' to get rid of a headache."

"Do you find my class painful?"

"No, ma'am. The three-hour calculus quiz I just wrote was. None of it made any sense to me, but now I'm sittin' here listenin' to you and tryin' to make my headache go away."

"Did you read the book?"

Robert opened one eye and glanced at Julie.

She nodded.

"Oh yea. I remember. Gawd, it was borin'."
Shit. Shouldn't have said that.

"You found Young Men/Lost Nights/No Dreams boring?"

"Yea. The guy don't know what he's talkin' 'bout. I'd love to live where he lives. Shore ain't half as nice."

"What's so tough about Shore?" A voice floated over from the other side of the room.

Robert forced his eyes open. The harsh glare from the lights irritated the throb in his head. "It's called basic survival. In the book, the school was a nice place to go. It had lockers. North Shore Secondary don't got any. Well it's got lockers, just none got any doors on 'em. The teachers ain't as good as here. Mrs. Wolmsley, you're too nice. You wouldn't survive a day."

"And why not? I've handled enough rowdy students in my day?" She stood a bit taller.

"Rowdy?" He snorted. "Try violent. Let me explain it this way, English was givin' bro a harsh go so I whipped my switch past his brains."

The teacher blinked.

Robert chuckled. "Translation, the English teacher was giving a Shoresmen a rough time, so I threw my knife past his head." A small grin crossed Robert's face. "He didn't bother my buddy no more. Ya see, I'm tryin' to be good while I'm here. I'm gettin' treated like shit but I'm tryin'."

"You don't seem to be getting the hint and leaving." Derek yelled across the room.

"Ya have no idea how much I'd like to, but I'm stuck here."

"How is your life different than ours?" Jaclyn tilted her head as she spoke.

Robert rubbed his face. He didn't want to become entangled in this conversation. "How many here know who their father is?"

Everyone raised their hand.

"I don't have a clue and I doubt my hooker mother knows either." He glanced around the room. "Anybody ever had to sleep on the streets 'cause you had no place to go? Anybody spend a cold Saturday night under a street light defending your right to exist?"

He paused, waiting for a comment, but the class remained silent. "I'm not proud of my life, but I am proud that I survived. I know you'se guys got problems, but none of your problems are based on survival."

"Trying to make us feel sorry for you?" Derek sneered at Robert.

"No, Jaclyn asked a question and I answered it."

Derek stood. His fists were clenched by his thighs. "You're not one of us. You're Shore."

"Flash the news bulletin."

"You invade our territory. You beat me up. You knocked out Chris and sent Stephan to the hospital." Derek flung out his arm and pointed at Julie. "You stole Chris's girl. Picked a fight in the library—"

"Chris's girl!" Julie's eyebrows rose. "I have a name. And he did not steal me from Chris."

Robert peered down at his desk trying to stifle a smile.

"Chris got what he deserved." Julie slammed her palms on her desk.

"I was using Robert to make Stephan jealous." Trish's confession was low, but the class heard it.

The girl sitting across from Robert asked, "Is it true you killed someone?"

"What does it matter? I'm condemned just because I'm Shore."

"But some of them are trying to understand you." Julie released an exasperated sigh. "Sometimes your reluctance to talk annoys the heck out of me."

"You said you used to live on the streets?" The girl beside him asked.

He turned to face her. "Yea. So?"

"How? How did you survive? How did you eat? Sleep? What about school?"

"What's your name?"

She smiled. "Claire. Claire Caison."

"Hi, Claire. I did the same as everyone else. If I didn't have the money for what I needed I stole it. I slept wherever I could, in an alley or an abandoned building. I spent a lot of time bein' cold, tired and hungry."

Claire gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Some street kids make it. Some don't. I'm gonna be one of the survivors." He glanced at the clock.
Is this stupid class ever gonna end?

Mrs. Wolmsley cleared her throat. The students focused on her. "I propose a visit with the senior English class at North Shore. I'll have the papers ready by day after tomorrow."

"Stupid idea, ma'am." Robert shook his head. "These guys are gonna be like guppies to the sharks."

"It's one day under school supervision. What could possibly go wrong?"

The bell rang.

"Robert, may I see you before you go?"

The class filed out of the room. Julie waited in the hall. Robert stood by the teacher's desk. "I would like to compliment you on your behavior today." She smiled. "You were in a tough position and you handled it well."

"Thanks, but I still think your idea's got problems."

"I have noted your concern, but I plan to carry out this idea." She folded her hands and rested them on top of her desk. Robert understood he was dismissed.

A smile crossed his face when he saw Julie. He snuck into a corner by the stairs and pulled her close. Scurrying past them, their biology teacher, Mr. Parks coughed and called back, "And I thought I was going to be late for class."

Julie blushed as she and Robert followed their teacher. He held the door open for them and entered. Robert crossed the room, tossed his books on his desk and sat.

"Please excuse the interruption," said the voice over the intercom. "But would Robert Holiday please report to Student Services."