Starcrossed

away with it if Matt didn’t back her up by explaining how sick Helen had been the day before. It didn’t help that Zach kept making scoffing noises as Helen tried to put Claire off. Helen ignored him, as she usually did, but she could still feel him watching her with a sneer plastered on his face.
    Helen kept her head down all day and did her work. She found now that she simply didn’t care anymore if she did well in class, drew attention to herself, and potentially got the cramps. As she walked to lunch she considered faking the stomach pain if it could get her farther away from Lucas. She didn’t want to go into the cafeteria and face everyone, but she still had to go somewhere, and the auditorium door was right next to her. It had been left ajar, so Helen pushed it open and went in. Helen knew she wasn’t allowed in there. Any room that was unsupervised by a teacher was off-limits to students, but that didn’t stop her. She really didn’t care if she got caught—she just needed a moment alone.
    There was only a dim light onstage, and it was very quiet, exactly what Helen was looking for. She sat down on the apron of the stage and unpacked her lunch box. Chewing, Helen glanced around, taking note of all the new sets that were just beginning to be built. The drama club put on two shows a year—a winter play and a spring musical.
    She wondered what play the drama club was going to put on, and saw a spare script lying in the wings. A Midsummer Night’s Dream . Helen opened to the first page and read, SCENE 1. ATHENS. THE PALACE OF THESEUS. She rolled her eyes and dropped the script, feeling set up. Maybe the Fates really did pull all the strings.
    Helen zombied her way through the last three periods, but her luck couldn’t hold out all day. When the bell signaling the end of school rang, she rushed to her locker to get to track as quickly as she could, but Lucas was anticipating her.
    “Hey!” he shouted from halfway down the hall. He looked big and dangerous as he walked toward her, every step sending underclassmen scurrying to get out of his way. “Where have you been all day?”
    “Busy. I can’t be late for track again,” she replied tersely, not looking at him as she dug her stuff out of her locker.
    “I’ll walk you,” he said. He tried to get a look at her face.
    She kept her head down and her face covered with her hair and didn’t reply. They walked down the hall next to each other at the same pace, but today Helen felt even more lonely with Lucas beside her than she had when she was by herself.
    “Why didn’t you call me this morning? I could have picked you up earlier if you needed to stop somewhere,” he said when the silence became intolerable.
    “Look, Lucas. The whole ride to school thing is sweet, but I think it’s easier for me to just take my bike. So maybe we should just forget it.”
    “You don’t want me to pick you up anymore?” he asked in a cold voice.
    “No, I don’t,” she said. They neared the end of the hallway that led down to the locker rooms. She finally turned to look at him, which she shouldn’t have. He looked hurt.
    “Okay,” he said, barely above a whisper. “Are you going to tell me what I did wrong or am I supposed to guess?”
    “You didn’t do anything wrong,” Helen answered listlessly. He looked at her, waiting to feel the lie, but there wasn’t one. The light scattered momentarily around his face, hiding his expression.
    “You’ll be able to get yourself to my house after track?” he asked as he glanced around, so confused he didn’t know where to look or what to say.
    “About that,” Helen started, trying to think up a believable excuse.
    “You’re coming. We still haven’t found those two women and now Creon is out there. Learning to defend yourself is more important than what I did or didn’t do to piss you off,” he said, suddenly angry.
    She nodded, knowing it was stupid of her to even suggest giving up her training. She could barely see him through the confusing images he was creating as he bent the light around him. It was as if there were three of him for a moment, whirling around like she was looking at him through a kaleidoscope. She kept her head down and her eyes behind her hair until his image stilled and she could look at him without getting dizzy.
    “Do you want me to stay away from you for the rest of the day?” he asked in a carefully controlled voice.
    No , she thought. And yes. Both answers were