Charlie

  “I can’t believe we have to present the second week of Junior year!” My friend, Emily compins loudly to me. I nod in agreement, already editing my own story. “It’s so unfair! She only gave us three days to write and edit a story! I can’t do that!”

  I sigh and look at Emily. “Girl, chill. If you had started right away like I did, you could be done by now. We know Mrs. Spencer does this every year.”

  She gres at me and pulls out her ptop, typing furiously, presumably rushing her story; like usual. “Why do you have to be so rational, Charlie?” I shrug in response. I go back to editing my story, and mentally practicing presenting it.

  ____________________________________________________________

  In css, I sit in my chair calmly, waiting for it to be my turn to present. As Mrs. Spencer goes by alphabetical first names, April is one of the first. Stupid April. No one should be that smart AND pretty. I blink, wondering where that st thought came from.

  Just then, Mrs. Spencer calls April to the front of the css to present her story. I’m surprised by how calm she looks, so put together as she walks up without her paper. Mrs. Spencer gives her a confused look when she notices April doesn’t have her paper. Instead of responding verbally, April just taps her temple, which I take to mean she memorized her story. I blink, shocked, before smirking. This is gonna be so embarrassing for her…I discreetly pull out THE crow from my backpack, the one she threw at me at the end of st year during my presentation. She’s not gonna get the st ugh…not this time.

  April starts her presentation and I zone out, not paying attention to the words. I watch her body nguage as she presents, noting how she seems to fidget, trying to remember her words. Suddenly, she says a single line, one that freezes me in my tracks.

  “It wasn’t until she smiled in THAT way –and I don’t just mean a regur smile, I mean a smile that stops you in your tracks, that gives you butterflies– that I realized. It wasn’t jealousy, it wasn’t hate, it wasn’t even admiration. It was love. Pure unbridled love for her.” I freeze as she makes eye contact with me while saying this. I swallow, my throat suddenly dryer than the desert.

  I blink, shaking off the sudden onsught of emotion pounding through me. I purposefully zone out again, focusing on her body nguage as she continues her story. Suddenly, I toss the crow at her, hitting her square in the chest. Instead of freezing or messing up as I expected her to, she instead grabs the crow, holding it behind her back as she finishes her story. I gre at her as she walks back to her seat calmly like I didn’t just throw a stuffed crow at her chest. She gres back for a split second, making my heart pound. I blink and look away, staring at my desk. What was that? Why is my heart racing? I think I need to go to the nurse…

  A few minutes go by and Mrs. Spencer calls my name, signaling that it’s time for me to present my own story. I grin confidently as I walk to the front of the css, paper in hand. “Once upon a time….” I start my story, looking into the css as I read.

  A few minutes pass, and I’m halfway through my story. At this point, I don’t even know what I’m reading. Whenever I look up from my paper after checking what I’m saying, my eyes drift immediately to April. My heart races and I can feel my cheeks flush. I think I need to go to the nurse. I clear my throat, finish my story, and turn to Mrs. Spencer. “Mrs. Spencer, may I go to the nurse?”

  She looks at me suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. “Not by yourself,” she says calmly. She turns to the css, “April, will you please accompany Charlie to the nurse's office?”

  I scoff and look away, expecting her to say no. “Mrs. Spencer, I don’t think-”

  “Of course, Mrs. Spencer,” April interrupts, silencing me with a gre. I roll my eyes but don’t protest further as I gather my things, waiting for her out in the hallway. A few minutes go by and she joins me. We start walking towards the nurse’s office in silence.

  “Can we stop by my locker real quick? Or are you gonna puke?” April finally

  speaks up, annoyance evident in her tone. I chew my lip for a second, considering saying I’m gonna puke just to cause her an inconvenience, but decide to be a little nicer.

  “I guess we can stop at your locker,” I mutter. She nods in acknowledgment, and we turn the corner toward her locker. I follow her silently, keeping my distance. I clear my throat a couple of times, my throat dry for some reason. I gre at April the whole way, leaning against a locker next to hers as we stop.

  “What was that earlier?” I ask after a few minutes, looking away.

  “What was what?” she responds.

  “You know, in your story,” I mutter, feeling my cheeks flush. I force myself to look away from her, staring at my feet. “That line.” I swallow, my throat suddenly dry. What is wrong with me? Why does my throat keep going dry every time I talk to her?

  “What line?” I hear her say. I look up at her with a suspicious look, only to see her smirking.

  “You know what I’m talking about,” I mutter, gring at her.

  She smirks and gives me innocent eyes. “No, I don’t.” She winks and stands up. “Alright, let’s get you to the nurse, huh?”

  I blink in surprise before nodding. I had completely forgotten about that. “Yeah. I’m gonna get you to admit it though,” I grin.

  “Again, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She shrugs, her smirk never wavering, almost as if she’s daring me. She really has no idea what she does to me, does she?

  I roll my eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth despite myself.

  We start walking toward the nurse’s office, and an easy silence settles between us. My mind drifts as I get lost in thought, her presence somehow calming and maddening simultaneously.

  As we walk, I keep stealing gnces at her. Unlike her usual hesitant self around the teachers, she walks confidently as if no one can touch her. It’s kind of…..cute? I shake my head. No, she’s not cute. She’s the reason my grades are slipping, why I might not be able to get that schorship. It's never gonna happen. Plus, I like guys….right?