The Songs in Our Hearts: A Young Adult Romance(10)

“He doesn’t have any power over you, Charlie, unless you allow him to. Trust me. ”

“Yeah, I know,” I replied softly.

“I think it’ll be fun,” Rachel assured me. “Wait and see. You might surprise yourself!”

“I’m not looking forward to being the woman who dies a bloody death.” I wasn’t thrilled about blood, even if it was fake. Plus, Helena Bonham Carter’s character died on the night of her wedding. Would our project entail a horrific wedding night for me to endure as well? (Rated PG, of course.) What if Micah found out I’d never been kissed before?

I decided that, if I had any say in the screenplay, there would be no kissing. Period.





MICAH WAS ALREADY ON THE bus by the time I wove through the students in the front lobby.

“Don’t worry, I won’t bite,” Micah greeted me, motioning for me to take the seat next to him again.

A guy behind us snickered, “At least, not in a way you won’t enjoy.”

Micah turned in his seat, glaring at him.

I was still trying to decide whether I should sit next to him, or claim an open seat for myself. I decided to go with it. I tugged my backpack up to sit on my knees, trying to look distracted by an invisible stain on the strap.

“I went to the library during my free period,” Micah said, pulling a paperback from his bag. “I thought reading Frankenstein might help us in the screenwriting process.”

You think? “Oh! Great,” I managed. Nothing like reading Frankenstein to bring two people closer together.

He offered me the book. “I already have a copy at home,” he said. “I thought I’d pick it up for you. Consider it a peace offering.”

“Frankenstein as a peace offering?” I took the book and leafed through the pages. I wasn’t into horror films, let alone horror books. You know how Jekyll and Hyde is a Broadway show? Yeah, never bothered listening or looking into it, simply because I knew it was based on a horror story.

“Do you want to meet up tonight and start planning?” Micah asked. “Maybe we can grab something to eat, too.”

I slipped the book into my backpack. “Actually, I have a few things I need to do. I can’t meet up tonight.”

“Aw, really? Not even for an hour or so?” He lifted his arm up onto the back of the seat. I could tell Micah was trying to use his charm card, and soften me up. His brown eyes were a smooth, liquefied brown, while the corners of his mouth were tilted upward in a small smile. His jaw was chiseled, and his bangs fell over his forehead—just so. I found myself holding my breath as I quickly jerked my stare away. I should have mentally prepared myself for his version of “the smolder.” If I had ogled him any longer, it might have worked. Might being the key word.

“Can’t even tempt you for a bit of your time?”

“Not tonight.” I trained my eyes on the exit light above the bus door.

“All right, suit yourself.” Micah lowered his arm back to his side while he let out a sigh. “I’ll come up with some ideas tonight and have them for you tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

The bus driver turned onto my street. I jumped up from my seat, already to the front by the time the bus came to a stop.





“PLEASE, JOSH. PLEASE,” I WHINED as I followed Josh around the kitchen. David sat at the dining table, working on his math homework.

“Please! Let me catch a ride with you. I can’t stand riding that bus anymore.”

“Why don’t you get your driver’s license?” Josh retorted. “And then save up some money and buy yourself a used car.”

“Be realistic, Josh! I promise you won’t even notice I’m there.” I pressed my hands down onto the counter as I watched him fumble around inside the fridge. Mom always complained that he ate too much after school, so she’d started hiding the Tastykakes away. Little did Josh know, I knew where all of it was.

“I promise. Please!”

“Come on, man.” David vouched for me, “Your sister is cool. I’m sure we can manage the space in the Jeep.”

“Don’t take her side! Jesus,” Josh exclaimed. “It’s my Jeep and I make the rules.”

“Technically,” I pointed out, “it’s Mom and Dad’s Jeep. You just get to drive it.”

“Whatever! I put the gas in it. I clean it. I use it.”

“And they pay for it,” I added. “Come on! I can’t ride the bus anymore.”

“Why? Are you suddenly too cool for it?” He shut the fridge door. “Why could you ride it today, but can’t anymore?”

“Isn’t it enough to know that I just can’t? Don’t you remember when you were a junior last year? You started driving the Jeep because you hated the bus.”

“Barely,” David blurted. “Some days, we all took bets on if we’d make it to school alive.”

“Shut it,” Josh said, trying to hold back his own grin. “I wasn’t that bad.”

“Uh, yeah you were. We figured you must have hit on the Driver’s Ed instructor and she enjoyed it. Who else would be crazy enough to give you a license?”

“You’re not helping!” Josh clicked his tongue. “What’s the real reason, Charlie? Tell me and maybe, just maybe, I’ll consider it.”