I settle back in my seat, heart still racing, and wait for Sal to arrive. When she does, she gives me a look. Not at all subtle. All eyebrows and side-eye as she drops into the chair beside me.
“Got here real early, didn’t you?”
I roll my eyes, but I’m smiling. “Sure did.”
She shakes her head, but there’s a flicker of concern in her eyes. “You good, though?”
“I’m great.”
I love that she asks. That she always sees right through me. I owe her a full rundown on my weekend, anyway. I’ll tell her everything. Well, almost everything.
Class is easy today. Just a pop quiz and then time for free reading. He never piles on pointless work, which I appreciate more than I probably should.
Still, I take his class seriously. I want him to see me. Not just the girl who sneaks into his classroom early, the same one who spends nights curled up in his bed, but the student who earns her place.
I won’t be a cliché. Not for him, and definitely not for myself.
When the bell rings, I glance up at him, giving him a soft smile and a small wave. Sal’s right behind me, and yeah, she definitely clocks it. After she gives me a knowing nudge, we part ways with a promise to meet for lunch.
My next two classes blur past. I couldn’t tell you a single thing the teachers said. My head’s still in that classroom, with him. By lunch, Sal and I have claimed our usual spot in the courtyard. She pulls two sandwiches from her bag, and I grin.
“These from Mama Monroe?”
She laughs. “Yep. Guess she was in a nurturing mood today.”
Sal’s family has a cook, but her mom still insists on making meals sometimes. Just to stay human, I think. Down to earth. Honestly, she deserves a Best Mom award. If onlymymother would take some notes.
I dig in. Plain chicken and cheese, but still better than anything from the cafeteria. Then I tell her about our weekend and everything with Theo.
I say his name—notMr. Hayes—and she smiles like she’s been waiting for this moment. Her eyes stay wide as I spill almost everything. I hold a few details back. Some things are just for me.
But she listens like I’m telling the juiciest secret in the world. And, I guess I am.
“I just can’t believe it,” she says when I finish. “That this is really happening. You’re falling for our teacher.”
The emphasis she puts onteachermakes me roll my eyes.
“Shhh,” I say. “Keep your voice down. And I didn’t say I’mfallingfor him...”
“You totally are. You have literal hearts in your eyes, girl.”
She’s teasing, but we both know it’s true.
Iamfalling for him. Completely and totally. The feelings Ihave for him are so much more than a crush. There’s this space in my heart, one I didn’t even know existed, and it’s been growing just for him.
I just hope he feels the same way. I don’t think I can handle getting my heart broken again.
“Actually,” she says, her voice dipping, all fake-innocence and mischief, “why don’t you go find him? I bet he’s alone in his classroom right now.”
I blink at her. “What, so I can expose us, literally, to everyone in the school?”
She shrugs. “I’m just saying… sex on a desk sounds hot.”
“Sal,” I whisper, scandalized. “You cannot justsaythat.”
“Why not? I’m living vicariously through you. Let me dream!”
I pick up a crust from my sandwich and aim it at her head. “You’re lucky I’m not violent.”
