Page 68 of You Float My Boat

10. Charlie:

(Because of course I had to go and open my big mouth)

Charlie:

I’ll be done at training by 7pm. Meet you in the library at 8?

Violet:

Stella and I rehearsed earlier, I have an essay I have to write instead. So, you’re off the hook tonight. You can do your own work instead of mine

‘Who are you texting?’

I ignored the question and dropped down on the bench by my locker. My fingers hovered over the letters on my screen, trying to figure out how to reply and whether telling her I’d still meet her in the library was a good idea. I rarely went to the library, I usually preferred to work alone.

But … I wanted to be working with Violet.

I didn’t want to be off the hook, I’d prefer to be very much on it. Especially as I was becoming somewhat of a Shakespeare expert. Sort of.

As much as a couple of weeks of reading would allow, anyway. I mean, reading Shakespeare was what you’d find Oz doing outside of training.

But since that day we’d walked to the library, or rather the first day I’d rehearsed with her, I’d spent every evening reading up. I’d also memorized every lineinTwelfth Night, because after the first time of watching Violet recite her lines, I realized if I knewmylines I wouldn’t have to keep looking at the page.

I could simply look at her, and once I did it was almost impossible to look away.

I was beginning to wonder if Violet could capture my attention away from even the most complex equations.

There was a uniqueness about her I’d never noticed before. Never had the opportunity to notice before because, I realized, there had always been something in the way. Whether that was Brooks refusing to let her join in with anything we did, because he said,‘her enthusiasm is far too annoying’.

Or, worse, Evie.

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