When class ended and the bell for second period rang, Tally lurched to her feet, swinging her bag onto her shoulders and hurrying to English with fanatic speed. By then, the power of under-the-desk texting had already stretched wide and far—the girl in the seat next to her kept being anuisance by leaning over to ask questions. Not about the teaching value ofAs You Like It. About Nate.
The thing was, this probably wouldn’t be such nefarious gossip if Nathaniel Zhou didn’t look likethat. Six feet tall, wickedly dark brown eyes narrowed in constant mischief, a jaw that might slice someone into pieces upon contact. Half the cafeteria was presently sending sneaky sidelong glances her way because they were instantly interested in him, and he had signaled an incomprehensible interest in her.
Why would he think that I knew him?she wondered, biting into her apple with aggravation.
A drizzle of rain had started outside, snaking down the building windows. At Tally’s appearance, Tracy suddenly slid to their table, too, squeezing herself between Ophelia and Racquel.
“Are we talking about Tally’s boyfriend?” Tracy asked excitedly.
“Weare,” Ophelia returned. “Tally is not.”
“Oh my God.” With her other hand, Tally stabbed a fork into her potato mush. More than anything, she wasconfused. She had a healthy amount of self-confidence. Growing up, if it wasn’t people telling her that she was smart, it was that she was pretty. She knew she was. Boys at Glenfield had come forward with crushes on her before; she always turned them down nicely, with the usual refrain that she was focusing on school. So it wasn’t that she didn’t know how to deal with interest, or that she was fanning herself wondering if little ole her deserved it. Shejust wasn’t sure what this whole “love of my life, we’ve met before” thing was. “I don’t know who he is. I’m not lying; I swear on my life.”
Racquel feigned a faint over the table. Seeing her theatrics, Ilene immediately joined in, the two splayed on top of each other.
“I can’t believe Tally would keep secrets from us,” Racquel cried.
“Hiding a whole hot boyfriend!” Ilene added. “Howcouldyou—”
Ilene suddenly cut herself off. When she and Racquel both sat up straight on their side of the table—and the whole cafeteria fell a decibel quieter—Tally could take a guess who had walked in. Slowly, very slowly, she turned around.
Nate was strolling in their direction with his hands in his pockets. The uniform looked wildly different on him, as if the top button was supposed to be worn undone, as if every line and seam had been tailored to fit his body. Outside, the rain heightened to a pummel, beating down on the roof with a hollow echo.
Nate stopped at the front of their table. Tally forked another bit of potato.
“Hello,” he said. “Walk with me?”
Tally bit down hard on the metal of her fork. Considered the request. Swallowed the potato and apple bits.
Nate waited patiently.
With a sigh, Tally set down her apple and shot her friends a severe glance.
“I’ll be right back,” she warned, standing. “Don’t steal my seat.”
“Oh, you’regoing?” Ilene was visibly holding back a smile. Her words said one thing but her tone said,Oh, you’re about to go bang him in the hallway?
“My presence has been requested, soyes, I am going,” Tally said levelly.
Ilene cupped her hands around her mouth. Just as Tally inclined her head toward the exit and started to walk with Nate, her best friend boomed: “Have fun! But not too much fun!”
Tally outright reached forward and pushed Nate until they were over the threshold into the hallway, hurrying them out of view before Ilene could embarrass her more. With everyone else at lunch, the corridors had completely emptied. Nate was grinning when Tally halted, leaning up against one of the windowsills.
“You can stop pretending now,” he said cheerfully. “I know you’ve remembered.”
“You’re definitely going to have to be more specific,” Tally replied. Maybe he had the wrong person. “When did we meet? Preschool?”
Nate’s grin wavered. He looked at her a beat longer, as if anticipating a punch line to follow, but Tally was asking a genuine question.
“You... truly don’t remember?” he asked, the first note of confusion entering his tone.
Should she?If he expected her to remember everypassing acquaintance, there was only so much room up in her brain—
“We’re soul mates.”
Tally choked on her spit. “I beg your pardon?”
“There’s just a delay right now, I’m sure,” Nate went on. “I’m always born with the whole catalog of memories, and you’re born without them. Give it a minute. They come back as soon as I find you.”