The Songs in Our Hearts: A Young Adult Romance(64)

“Wow, you two! Wow!” Mrs. Tenner looked delighted. “That was an excellent interpretation of the story! Does anyone have questions about the film?” She turned her attention to the class. I saw Samantha fling her arm up in the air.

Oh, God.

“Samantha?” Mrs. Tenner seemed tickled pink that someone was actually participating in the Q&A portion.

“Are you two dating?” Samantha asked, a cruel smile growing on her glossed lips as her eyes drifted between the two of us. Micah rolled his eyes. I looked down at my hands, hating her.

“That’s not appropriate, Samantha.” Mrs. Tenner frowned and glanced around the room. “Anyone else?”

“I think it’s a very valid question, Mrs. Tenner,” Samantha retorted with a careless shrug. “The chemistry we saw on screen felt very real. It piqued my interest.”

“It’s called acting,” Micah snapped at her.

“Wow, well, you’re really good at acting like you care about each other,” Samantha said with a grin. “For a hot minute, I really thought you two were a couple. Guess I was wrong! Too bad, Charlie!”

The entire classroom’s eyes fell on me. Once again, Samantha Walters was trying to humiliate me in front of everyone.

But I wouldn’t let her this time.

I shook my head. “You’re the one I feel bad for. You’re either so bored or so miserable that the only enjoyment you can find is through hurting the people around you. My life was never any of your business. And you know what?”

Samantha tilted her chin, appearing amused by the whole thing. I ignored the gasps emerging from my classmates.

“I don’t care what you say or think about me,” I continued. “It doesn’t matter. And I realize now, it never did.”

I didn’t bother to take any more questions after that. I found my desk and sat down silently. I was done allowing Samantha to intimidate me. I was done allowing her the power to make me believe that I was worth nothing.

As I glanced at Micah, I felt proud of myself. In all the times we were together, Micah had always encouraged me to be confident. To him, I was worthwhile. Mrs. Tenner clapped her hands as the classroom erupted into murmurs.

“Class! Focus. The next presentation will be…” She pulled the attention back to the front of the room. Another group stood from their seats and began to present their project. Keeping my eyes down on my desk, I ignored the whispering coming from Samantha’s direction. I let out a puff of air just as the bell finally rang.

“You don’t have to be such a bitch,” Micah hissed to Samantha as she walked by. She pushed against his shoulder and glared.

“Whatever, Micah. Shut up,” she snapped, flicking her hair over her shoulder. There was a flush of color on her cheeks. Was she embarrassed?

“Look at you, Ms. Living-A-Little.” Micah held out his hand to me for a high-five. “Good for you.”

I slapped his hand but didn’t feel like celebrating on the inside.

“Don’t let her get to you, Charlie,” Micah told me sternly.

“Micah, I—” My heart pounded against my chest as I tried to say what I had been thinking about the night before. “I—”

“Charlie!” Jennifer’s voice rang from down the hall, breaking my concentration and courage. I turned to see her waving at me.

“I’ll leave you to your friends. See you later.” Micah left for his next class as Jennifer ran to catch up with me.

“So?! Tell me! How did it go?” she gushed.

“The project?” I asked. Nice going, Jennifer….

“Well, duh! What else would I be talking about?” Jennifer tugged on the straps of her backpack.

“I think we did a good job with the movie.”

“Phew! Good! I bet you’re glad it’s over.”

“I guess.”

We stood there in the hallway, allowing others to push past us in their rush to get to class. I adjusted my backpack and let out a hesitant sigh.

“Hey, Jen, if I tell you something, will you not say anything to anyone?”

“Yeah!” Her face turned a little more serious. “What is it?”

“I like Micah,” I whispered. “I do, and I don’t know how to tell him. Josh and his friends suggested I write him a letter. But I don’t…I don’t want to ruin our friendship. We just figured out the whole kissing thing and—”

“Stop right there,” Jennifer said. “You two kissed?”

I nodded shyly, and her grin spread.

“Well, at least you’re finally admitting it! Congratulations!”

I blushed.

“They’re right!” Jennifer squealed. “You have to tell him!”

“How?” I urged her. “How do I? I don’t want to lose him as my friend.”

“What makes you think you’re going to lose him? You guys kissed, remember?”

“By mistake!” I blurted. “He basically said it was a mistake.”

“That was his ego talking, Charlie. Trust me. Micah Jacobs is crazy about you.”

The bell rang again, indicating we both needed to get to class. Jennifer grabbed my hand and yanked me down the hall to the girl’s bathroom, and we snuck inside.