Page 39 of Follow My Voice
I tried to convince Kamila that I should stay home, but she insisted that I should try to keep my momentum going. She promised to come for me if anything happened, and I agreed, despite the fact that her hospital is on the other side of town and so is Andy’s office. So now I’m one of the many students stuck on campus and—more proof of fate’s cruelty—Diego is here, across from me in the hallway where we’re clustered since the wind gusts are so strong we can’t sit near any windows or doors.
“I told my mom we should’ve stayed home today,” Perla grumbles beside me.
“I said the same thing to my sister.” I sigh.
“Hey, Hoodie,” Diego says.
Perla shoots him a murderous look. “Leave her alone, Diego.”
He rolls his eyes. “I’m not talking to you.”
We hear the sound of voices, and I glance down the hall. Ms. Romes, Perla’s mother, is leading a group of students toward us and asks them to sit down along the wall.
“Everything good?” asks Ms. Romes, looking at her daughter.
“Yeah, good and boring. When can we go home?”
Everyone in the hallway is listening attentively.
Perla’s mother sighs. “We can’t leave until they lift the extreme wind and tornado warnings; it’s too dangerous. If anyone has asked a family member to come get them, I’d recommend you cancel the ride. No one should be out in these conditions. We’ll keep you safe here, don’t worry.”
But the grim expression on Ms. Romes’s face awakens my latent fear. How have I been so calm up till now? My breathing quickens, but I try to relax, glancing around at the other students. We’re all here together and no one else is panicking. We’ll be fine. Won’t we? I look to the end of the hallway as I see more students filing in and sitting down.
I frown. “What are they all doing here?” I ask as the hallway quickly fills up.
Perla glances down the hall. “This is a designated ‘safe corridor’ in the event of a tornado warning.”
“Does that mean all the students are going to be crammed into this tiny space?”
Perla nods. “The ones who have class in this building, yes.”
Please don’t let Kang have class in this building, or at least let him have been smart enough to stay home today.
I scan each new group of students as they arrive, examining them carefully, hidden beneath my hood with my heart in my throat. Somehow, the prospect of sharing physical space with Kang terrifies me more than the fury of the storm outside. I must be totally insane.
After a while, students stop trickling in and I lean back against the wall, relieved.
Thank you, fate.
But I called it too soon.
As always, I hear him before I see him. His laughter echoes down the hall as he says hello to several people sitting against the walls. It’s that voice that haunts my dreams, that makes my heart race and my brain run wild. And it’s coming from mere feet away. I’m dying to get a look at him.
“Hey, Kang!” a guy calls out to him. “You really think there’s a storm coming? Last time you talked about one on your show, it barely drizzled.”
Kang laughs. “I don’t know, dude. Can’t trust the meteorologists after that.”
I feel eyes on me, and when I look up, I see that Diego is watching me with curiosity. Oh, no, the last thing I need is for him to notice my weakness for Kang.
“Let’s find a place to sit down.” Erick’s voice sounds very close.
I look away from Diego and fix my eyes on the ground in frontof me. Two pairs of shoes walk past, and I shrink into my hood to hide my face. Erick and Kang sit down along the opposite wall, diagonally across from me; if I turned my head, I would be able to see them. They are close, too close.
It wouldn’t hurt to take a peek at him, Klara.
Cautiously, I glance up and try to get a look at him out of the corner of my eye, but Erick is blocking Kang, animatedly telling some story. I’m about to give up when Kang leans forward, past Erick, and I see his face.
I feel as if the wind is knocked out of me. He’s good-looking, much more handsome than I expected—not in a conventional way, but in a different, unique way. His black hair falls across his forehead over his deep black eyes. His skin is smooth and his cheeks are slightly flushed from the hustle and bustle of this whole affair. What strikes me most, however, are his smile and the two dimples that appear in his cheeks as he laughs; they’re adorable. I stare at him, awestruck, until his black eyes meet mine. Immediately, I turn away from him, hiding behind my hood.What was I thinking? Did he see me? No, no; I was quick enough,I think.
