Rumor Has It (Rumor Has It #1)(22)

The night is restless, and I don't know how much sleep I get. It isn't much. Getting up in the morning, I throw on a pair of pants, my Chucks, and my Star Wars shirt. I can't contain the bounce in my step as I make my way out to Jen when she picks me up.

“Holy crap.” Jen looks at me grinning. “You look like it’s Christmas morning.”

“It’s gonna be a good day.”

“And why is that?” she asks, starting to drive.

“Oh, you know, the sun’s out. I think I know what I’m painting for the art show. And …” I pause to glance over at her and wait till she looks back at me.

“Yeah, and?”

“I’m meeting him today!” I let out a high-pitched scream, and Jen’s mouth drops open for a second before she starts screaming with me.

“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!”

“I know!” We can’t contain the laughter that starts between us.

“When?”

“Today at lunch.”

“Oh, I’m so gonna be spying on you!”

“No, Jen,” I say, but can’t keep the smile off my face. “I want to meet him privately first.”

“But I want to know who it is!” She pouts.

"You will, but I want to meet him alone first. This is … I don't know. This is special."

“What if he takes a friend?”

“He won’t.”

“How do you know? Did you ask him?”

“No, but I know he won’t. I know him. I’m sure he wants it to be just as special.”

“Oh, God.” She rolls her eyes. “Fine. But you better text me as soon as you two are done swooning into each other’s eyes.”

I nod to her but keep smiling as I look out through the window.

The entire day seems to drag. First period, second period, and so on. By fourth period, the class right before lunch, I seriously think time is standing still. I don't even remember what my teacher is talking about, as every two minutes my eyes jump to the clock on the wall, doing everything I can to will the time to move faster.

When the bell rings for lunch, every butterfly in the world seems to be residing in my stomach. My fingers tighten around the straps of my backpack as I make my way to the oak tree. Not many students eat their lunch in the courtyard, and as I get there, I'm relieved to see only a few kids sitting in the area.

Sitting under the tree, I begin to over-think how I should be sitting. Legs crossed? Legs under me? Maybe I shouldn't be sitting, and just be standing up waiting for him. Trying to calm myself down, I pull out my sketchbook and aimlessly start drawing.





Chapter 15





Carter





"I can't believe you're doing this," Matt mutters next to me as we walk down the hall.

I told him about it this morning when I saw him, and he seemed just as nervous as me.

“I know.” I glance around as we stop at the end of the hall. “Okay, bro. This is where I leave you.”

"Man." He curls his lip. "I can't believe you're not even telling me where you're meeting her."

“Dude, if this girl is even a tenth of a percent as real as she’s been acting, I don’t want to screw this up. Besides, you’re gonna see me right after lunch.”

"All right, fine." He raises a fist, and I hit his knuckles. "Good luck."

“Thanks.”

Looking behind me to double check and make sure he's leaving, I watch him turn a corner, then I turn around and head towards the courtyard of the school. As I get there, I peek around. There are a few people eating lunch, a couple off to the side, but for the most part, it's pretty empty. Over to the left sits the large oak tree. A bowling ball of nerves abruptly drops in my stomach. My feet freeze. I mentally roll up my sleeves and force them to move. This is happening.

As I get closer, I can see someone sitting behind the tree. An arm moves, and it looks like a girl’s. Then she flips over a piece of paper.

Instead of going straight towards the tree, I walk to the side. I have to see this girl first to see if I know her. As I take a few more steps, she comes into focus, and my mouth drops open. I can't believe it. Sketching in a notebook, wearing a black Star Wars shirt, is Emma Sanchez. The same Star Wars shirt she was wearing when she bumped into me last week.

I do a double take. Then a triple take. No way. No-freaking-way. My mystery girl is Emma Sanchez. How in the world is this happening? I stay off in the distance a few more minutes, just watching her and trying to piece everything together, but there's nothing to piece together. It isn't some grand scheme. I texted the wrong number, which evidently was hers. She looks as pretty as she always does and it seems like she curled her hair a little. She's wearing some short pants again, only these are black. I watch her as she studies her sketchbook, her fingers waving over the paper with a pencil.

Of course, she doesn’t have a care in the world. She’s real. She’s probably the realest person I’ve ever known. And there she is waiting for a guy, me, but still enjoying her life.

I turn around and start to walk away, but I can't. Facing away from her, I peer over my shoulder just as she pulls out her cell phone. A small frown crosses her lips. She's waiting for him. For me. Damn it, what the hell did I do?