I have no idea how, but I make it through PE, science, lunch, and finally math when the dismissal bell rings. Even with mobs of students racing to their buses, William manages to find me. “Hi, River,” he says. “Remember me from English?” “Sure, I remember. I may be new, but I don’t have memory issues.” William’s carrying a massive stack of books in his left arm, so I think my English partner is not only a dork, but a bookworm too (which can be helpful when it comes to school projects). Then I notice his right arm is dangling at his side like a dead trout on a fishing rope, just hanging there without an ounce of life. He looks up at me through thick, smudged lenses, using my shadow to block the sun. “Would you like to go to the library with me? We only have three weeks to get our project done, and I’d really like to get an A.” Now, hanging out at a library on a Friday afternoon isn’t normally on my list of things to do, but I shrug my shoulders. “Sure, I suppose it won’t hurt.”
