He glides his hand along my cheek, pushing my hair behind my ear. There’s this energy zapping between us this morning. He leans down to kiss me, but someone coughs from behind Ford. I glance around him, and June is standing there, trying to look anywhere but at us. “Hey, you,” I say, moving around Ford to stand in front of my friend.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” June glances from me to Ford, looking sorry.
“You didn’t.” Ford squeezes my shoulder. “I’m going to go talk to the guys. I’ll be back.” He kisses me on the cheek, then walks down to the end of the hall where Tyler and Jack are.
“How was the theater club last night? Did you find out about the fall musical?”
June gets the biggest smile on her face and bounces on the balls of her feet. “Yes, we’re doing The Sound of Music. I’m so excited.”
“Wow,” I say, because I don’t know what else to say.
June grabs my arm. “It’s an old musical, but I’m so excited about it. It has a huge cast with lots of parts, so hopefully, I’ll get one.”
“Uh—no—you’ll get the lead. You’ve been doing musical theater since middle school, and you have an amazing voice. You deserve to get the lead this year. It’s been a long time since I’ve watched that movie, but it has so many great songs.”
“Thanks for saying that. I do want the lead, but I don’t want to jinx myself.”
“You won’t. When are tryouts?” I ask just as the five-minute warning bell rings.
“They’re next week.”
Ford walks up to us, taking my hand. “I’ll see you at lunch.”
“Hey,” June grabs my arm again. “Can we talk at lunch, just you and me?”
“Yeah, of course.” I glance at Tyler, who’s still talking to Jack at the end of the hall. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything’s great. I just want some girl time.” June shrugs.
“Okay, see you then.”
“What was that about?” Ford asks.
“I’m not sure?” I glance back as June and Tyler turn the corner, and it looks like they’re holding hands. Ford shrugs when I look at him. I can tell he knows something, but I don’t want to put him in the middle. That’s not fair to him. Hopefully, June will fill me in on what’s going on later.
The day drags on. Ford and Jack get called out of history to talk to recruiters. Jack comes back halfway through economics, and Ford barely makes the tardy bell for chemistry, only to be called out again halfway through class. He’s so sweet to me. He leaves a little note in my locker whenever he gets called out of class. Sometimes they’re cute, and sometimes they’re sarcastic. He sends me a text message at lunch telling me he’s going to lunch with his dad and that he’ll see me in PE. June and I get our usual and sit outside. “So, what did you want to talk about?” I ask, trying to get the conversation moving.
June bites her lip, twisting the cap on and off her water bottle over and over again. “Nothing, really. I just feel like we haven’t had much time to hang out this week.”
“It has been a busy week, that’s for sure.” We talk about school, her theater class, dance, and family, but whenever I bring up Tyler or Ford, she changes the subject, and then the warning bell rings.
“Have fun in art,” June says.
“Thanks. Good luck in theater class.” When I walk out of art design, I hope to see Ford leaning against the wall waiting for me, but he’s not there. In PE, I look around for Tyler and Jack, but I don’t see them, so I decide just to run around the upper gym. Most people have found other things to do, and only a handful of students are running today. I put my headphones on and find a groove. I’m not sure how long I’ve been running. It’s long enough that I’ve worked up a decent sweat. Someone comes up beside me, bumping into me, and it causes me to stumble. I bump back into the stranger, tripping over their feet, and falling. I duck my head, expecting to hit the ground any second, but strong hands wrap around my shoulders, and I land with a thud on top of someone.
“Are you okay?” Ford pulls a headphone out of my ear and brushes his hands down my arms and torso, looking for injuries. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’m fine. I’m a bit winded, but I’m okay.”
Ford wraps his hands around my face. “You’re sure?”
“Yes. Are you okay?” I kneel between his legs, looking him over, my anxiety spiking. “You’re not hurt, are you? Is you’re throwing arm okay? You didn’t twist an ankle, did you? You should have let me breakyourfall, not the other way around.”
“Hannah.” Ford cups a hand around my cheek, tilting my head so I’m looking at him. “I’m fine. Nothing’s broken, sprained, or even strained. I promise.”
I blow out a breath, relieved. “That’s good.”
Ford stands and then helps me up. “It was my fault for startling you. I’m sorry.”
