The Songs in Our Hearts: A Young Adult Romance(11)

How did I know it would come to this?

“Josh.” I sighed. I wasn’t about to confess to anything. Not that I liked Micah. Not that Samantha had started rumors about me having a crush on him. Not even about the stupid project and the possibility that I might have to give up my first kiss to him in the movie. I was lame. Though, Josh already knew that.

“Never mind. Forget it.” I grabbed a soda can from the pantry and stormed away, doing the best I could to hold in my tears.

“Don’t just walk away,” Josh called after me, but I ignored him.

I stomped to my room and slammed the door. I darted to my iHome and scanned through my playlist until I settled on The Chainsmokers. After cranking it as loud as I could, I opened my book bag and took out my textbooks. The last book was Micah’s borrowed copy of Frankenstein. Staring at the horrifying cover, I sat down on my bed, opened it to the first page, and began reading.

The story of Victor and Elizabeth drove my desire to keep reading page after page of the novel. I found myself snuggled deeply under layers of blankets, with a nearby lamp illuminating the pages as the hours passed. I only stopped when Mom opened my door to peer inside. She tapped the watch on her wrist.

“Dinner, Charlie. We thought you heard us calling for you.”

I looked up from my book, still processing what had just happened to Victor and his experiment. “Huh?” I pushed my fingers in between the pages as I looked at her.

“Dinner. Come eat. Put the book down.”

Oh, right. Food. I folded the top corner of the page and put the book face down on my comforter.

The lights above the dining table were bright and everyone had already dished a plate up for themselves. David was still there, too.

I took a seat and avoided eye contact with Josh. I dumped a spoonful of chicken flavored Rice-A-Roni onto my plate and started to eat as I listened to my dad and mom discuss their work day with each other.

“So, how was school today?” Dad turned his attention to me. He was a large man, and when I say large, I mean that his muscles reminded me of Popeye the Sailor Man after eating a can of spinach. My own tan complexion was nothing compared to his, since he was often out in the sun. His job as a diesel mechanic meant he used his hands all day, fixing paving trucks for a local construction company. He came home describing his day, sometimes including stories about the “idiots” he encountered, who ‘had no idea what they were doing.’ He worked hard at his job and was respected by his co-workers. At least Josh always knew if he ever needed anything for his Jeep, our dad was the man to see.

“School was all right,” I replied.

“What did you learn?” Dad lifted a biscuit to his mouth.

I snatched the biscuit Josh was about to grab. “I have to read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, write a screenplay, and film a movie with Micah Jacobs.”

“Micah Jacobs?” Josh asked, but I ignored him. My dad’s wrinkled brow reflected the question: Who’s that? Should I know who that is?

“Micah Jacobs? As in…the guy from Georgia? I’ve heard some pretty shitty things about him,” Josh commented. I wrinkled my nose as I bit into the flaky biscuit. What exactly had Josh heard?

“Language,” Mom reprimanded him.

Josh went on, ignoring her. “I feel bad for you.”

“As you should,” I glared at him, “since he’s on my bus, too.”

Have you ever seen the light bulb go off over someone’s head?

“So that’s why…?” Josh lowered his fork, our eyes locking.

I bit the inside of my cheek. Of course, dummy. I wouldn’t ask you for a ride just because I enjoy your company!

“Who is Micah Jacobs?” Dad interjected.

David took a sip from his cup. “He’s a new student, Mr. Blake. I heard my brother Daan talking about him. I guess Micah hangs out with a rough crowd.”

My dad sighed. Mom touched my arm. “Do you want me to talk to your teacher?”

“No, Mom. It’s not a big deal. I can handle it,” I reassured her. “Either way, I’m reading Frankenstein and it’s been interesting.

“Thank goodness I never had to read that in school.” My mom was a smart woman. She was a secretary at the community college and active in our local town. She was the leader of a few book clubs, a bell ringer in the church bell choir, and every Wednesday, she held bible studies in our kitchen. Josh, my dad and I all loved Wednesdays because she baked her coveted M&M cookies. The downside was sharing them with members of the church.

“You could always just watch the movie,” Josh grinned. He preferred movies over reading. I have an ongoing bet with Jennifer and Rachel that Josh really doesn’t know how to read.

“I’d rather read the book first.” I took another bite of my dinner.

“Maybe you should plan watching the film. This is for Mrs. Tenner, right?” David asked.

I nodded.

David made his way to the sink and slipped his plate into the awaiting soapy water. “Yeah, just watch the movie. It might inspire you both in figuring out what you want to do with your own screenplay.”

I shrugged at the idea. As thrilled as Micah would be about seeing the Robert Di Niro version again, I was not, in fact, ecstatic to watch anyone get cut up, sewn up and then slaughtered again.

“I guess.” I glanced at Josh, who was pushing a few vegetables around his plate.