The Songs in Our Hearts: A Young Adult Romance(4)

A sigh escaped out of my mouth as I fell back onto my bed. I glanced down at my cellphone in my hand and noticed it was only 3:45 P.M. In no way, shape, or form was I going to text that boy. I wasn’t even sure if I had a crush on him anymore. He was cute—nothing more.

I heard my brother, Josh, open the front door, laughing with his friends. He was a senior and did everything he could to avoid me at school, which meant subjecting me to the yellow bus. I was not “cool” enough to catch a ride with him and his buddies.

“Charlie? You home?” Josh called. A splay of other voices echoed my name. Indeed, my brother’s posse was visiting for the afternoon.

“Charlie,” he shouted out again. I rolled off of my bed.

“What do you want?” I made my way out of my room and into the hallway. The familiar faces of my brother’s friends—David, Ben and J—greeted me as I approached the kitchen. Ben and J were on the football team and, in my opinion, were pretty lousy. David was Daan’s older brother and shared a similar passion for art. David was probably the quieter of the two. And then there was my brother. Josh was into football, basketball, baseball—really, anything that entailed a ball.

“Do we still have pizza rolls in the freezer?” Josh jabbed his thumb toward the kitchen.

“Needy. Go check for yourself!”

“I didn’t know if you and your girlfriends ate them all the other night,” he huffed. Ben and J followed and helped themselves to the cans of coke stacked in the fridge. David lingered in the hallway and waved at me with a small, shy smile.

“Hey, Charlie, did you have a good day?”

My cheeks burned slightly and I became a little tongue-tied as I tried to manage a reply. David was handsome, in a boyish way. He had dimples when he smiled and was always so polite to my parents and me.

“It was all right.” I shrugged.

David grinned. “Want me to save you some pizza rolls?”

“Nah, that’s okay. Josh might kill you if you share any with me.”

David laughed and made his way into the kitchen. I stood there in the empty hallway, glancing down at my phone again. Maybe I should text Micah; see what he wants, get it over with. I turned and headed back into my room, pausing only to close my door. Carefully, I pulled the piece of notebook paper from my pocket and started to type the phone number into the text box.





CHARLIE: Hey, Micah. It’s Charlie.





I stared at the glowing screen and then hit the SEND button. I sat down on my bed.

Here went nothing.





MICAH: Sup?



CHARLIE: Nothing much, I’m just…texting you!



MICAH: So…I was really surprised to hear from Sam today that u like me…



CHARLIE: It’s not true.



MICAH: Uh-huh…



MICAH: I think it’s cute, you know.



MICAH: So, how long have u been going to Grand Lakes HS?



CHARLIE: Since…forever, honestly.



MICAH: Really?



CHARLIE: Why did your parents move back here?



MICAH: Jobs.



CHARLIE: You must miss Georgia.



MICAH: A bit, yeah. I liked going to the beach all the time.



CHARLIE: If you remember, we have some nice lakes and rivers.



MICAH: Right. I loved going to the lake when I was a kid.



CHARLIE: Yeah? I like going there too.



MICAH: Cool.



MICAH: So u were asking about me? :)



CHARLIE: I wouldn’t say that. I was just asking who you were.



MICAH: U could have asked me, u know.



CHARLIE: That would have been even more embarrassing than this is.



MICAH: Aw! Don’t be embarrassed.



MICAH: I know u think I’m hott ;)



CHARLIE: I never said that...?



MICAH: U didn’t have to.



CHARLIE: Are you always this way with girls?



MICAH: What way?



CHARLIE: Nothing, never mind.



MICAH: Ur the one with a crush. ;)



CHARLIE: I’m not really sure why Sam told you that.



MICAH: Probably b/c it’s true, right?



MICAH: It’s all right to have a crush on me, C. Most girls do!



MICAH: So, how old r u anyway?



CHARLIE: 16



CHARLIE: You?



MICAH: 17.



CHARLIE: What bus stop do you get off at?



MICAH: Just 2 after u. I live pretty close to u.



CHARLIE: Really? Where?



MICAH: Can’t tell u that. I might find u at my front door.



CHARLIE: That’s not going to happen. :|



MICAH: U sure? ;) Not even tempted?



CHARLIE: Not really.



MICAH: Weird. A girl who has a crush on me doesn’t want to come visit?