All Planned Out

Four (Charlotte)

It is a chilly, damp, windy, miserable day. No one looks happy to be back in the halls after a three-day holiday weekend, myself included.

On the outside.

Inside has been nothing but electricity since I woke up. Waiting on my phone was a text from Montana, sent just before midnight. It was only four words.

"See you at lunch."

I deleted it immediately. I did not want to take the chance that Alex might grab my phone as we drove to school. He almost never does it, but almost never is not never never, and I didn't want to take that chance. There is no way I could play off his cousin texting me out of nowhere, especially because he knows that we haven't seen each other since Friday afternoon before is little episode in front of her driveway.

I usually see her at least once during the morning. I don't know her schedule, but our paths definitely cross between second and third period. Today, though, I don't see her at all. While trying to keep myself awake during History, I tell myself that I just missed her, but I know it's not true. My radar was at full strength out there. She could have been turned literally invisible by a witch's curse or a jackass genie and I still would have felt her presence if she was near me.

I do see Stuart, just after History, coming out of the boy's bathroom. Alex is with me, and he gives us both a conspiratorial nod that I know Alex saw because I feel his pace quicken and stay that way until we are around the next corner.

"Did he get taller over the weekend?" Alex whispered.

"Don't think that's how that works."

"You should be glad I like you so much." His words are still soft. "Because I don't know how I'm going to deal with him."

"Deal with him? Deal with him how?"

"I haven't figured that part out yet." He wheezed a little. "I've never been crushed on. It's...weird."

"Then do something about it." I said, thinking back to the phone conversation I had with Montana. "Make it not weird."

"You got any tips for that?"

"He doesn't know you know, so don't act like you know. Or do. I don't think it matters. If what he's feeling is anything like what I'm feeling, I'm not sure he's going to stop unless you specifically tell him to stop." I could not believe I just said those words out loud. "It's not like he's going to start humping your leg in the middle of the hallway. If he was going to do that he probably would have tried it by now."

"Excuse me?" Alex choked the words out and stared me down. His eyes were about as wide as the windows at the end of the hall. "Is that how you think boys are? They just see something they want to hump and they do it?"

"I've heard enough stories floating around the restrooms to believe that is exactly how they are." I said.

Alex shook his head. "I would never."

"Maybe you just haven't found something you want." I gave him a sly grin and slipped into my classroom, leaving him alone and looking more than a little perplexed behind me. Just before the door closed I gave him a wave. "See you at lunch."

I am halfway to the cafeteria when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I slip it free to take a peek and see a message from Alex.

"We have company."

The electricity in my footsteps is replaced with a heat in my chest as I casually trail behind a wall of band kids instead of powering through them like a bulldozer to get to my lunch table in record time. As much as I want to run, I can't. I knew this was coming, but I'm still not prepared.