CHAPTER THREE
“Am I dreaming?”
The first thing Amanda did when she woke up...
was touch her lips. She smiled into her pillow- it hadn't been a dream.
She'd checked three different times before falling asleep the night before, half expecting reality to suddenly catch up with her.
It never had. Michael really had kissed her.
Not once. Twice. Amanda buried her face into the pillow, laughing quietly to herself.
"Oh, my God..."
She mumbled into the blankets.
"I actually kissed Michael Johnson."
The words still didn't sound real. She rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling she'd spent years wishing beneath.
She had imagined this moment more times than she could count.
Usually... It ended with her embarrassing herself.
Or saying something incredibly awkward. Or waking up.
Instead... Michael had admitted he'd liked her too.
For years. Amanda covered her face with both hands.
"We're idiots."
A knock sounded on her bedroom door.
"Amanda?"
Her mother's cheerful voice floated through the hallway.
"You've been smiling for ten straight minutes."
Amanda's eyes widened.
"...Have I?"
"I can hear it." Amanda laughed.
"I'll be down in a minute!"
"Hurry before your eggs get cold."
"I will!"
Footsteps disappeared down the hallway. Amanda sat up slowly. Her gaze drifted toward the nightstand. Her phone rested exactly where she'd left it. The screen remained dark.
She reached for it instinctively. One notification.
A weather alert. Nothing else. For just a second...
She found herself hoping she'd somehow missed another call.
Maybe Melissa had tried again. Maybe... She stopped herself.
No. Amanda quietly set the phone back down. Not today. She wasn't ready. Not yet.
By Monday Morning...
Westbrook High buzzed with its usual morning chaos.
Lockers slammed shut. Students hurried through the hallways carrying backpacks that seemed much heavier than necessary.
Teachers called greetings from classroom doors.
Someone sprinted past Amanda carrying an entire science project made out of cardboard.
It immediately collided with another student.
Paper flew everywhere. Amanda laughed to herself. Some things... Never changed.
She adjusted the strap of her backpack before making her way toward her locker. Her reflection flashed briefly in one of the hallway windows. She smiled again. It happened without thinking. Every time she remembered last night... The smile came back.
"Goodnight, beautiful."
Amanda covered her face for exactly two seconds.
"No." She whispered to herself.
"We're not blushing in the hallway."
Two freshmen walked past. Amanda immediately lowered her hands.
Act normal.
You are a perfectly normal human being.
Normal humans don't smile like lunatics because a boy called them beautiful.
She paused.
"...Do they?"
She laughed quietly. Probably not. As she rounded the corner... Her heart sped up. Michael's locker came into view.
Okay.
Amanda took a deep breath.
Just say hi.
You've already kissed him.
Surely saying hello isn't harder than kissing him.
She nodded confidently.
"I can do this."
Then... She stopped walking. At the far end of the hallway...
Michael stood beside a petite blonde Amanda had never seen before.
Definitely a freshman. The girl laughed at something Michael said.
He smiled politely. Amanda smiled too. Until...
The girl stepped forward. Rose onto her tiptoes.
And kissed Michael's cheek. Amanda froze.
The hallway suddenly became very, very quiet.
...No.
Her stomach dropped.
No.
No, no, no.
Please tell me I didn't actually just see that.
Every insecurity she'd fought so hard to bury the night before came rushing back all at once.
Of course. He's Michael.
He's handsome. Popular. Funny.
Every girl probably likes him. Why would I think I'd be the only one?
Amanda looked down.
Don't let him see you.
She quickly turned around. One step. Two—
"Amanda!"
She closed her eyes. Too late. She stopped walking. Slowly... Very slowly... She turned back around. Michael jogged toward her. Concern was already written across his face.
"Hey."
Amanda smiled. Or... She tried to. It came out somewhere between a smile and a grimace.
"...Hi." An awkward silence settled between them. Amanda glanced toward the freshman. Then back at Michael. She folded her arms.
"...Who's she?"
The question came out much quieter than she'd intended. Michael immediately followed her gaze. Understanding washed across his face.
"Oh..."
He sighed softly.
"Amanda..."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's not what it looked like."
Amanda raised an eyebrow.
"Then tell me..."
She looked back toward the girl.
"...what exactly did it look like?"
Michael rubbed the back of his neck.
"Her name's Zoe."
Amanda looked back toward the freshman. She was already gathering her books from her locker, chatting happily with another girl as though nothing unusual had happened.
"...Who is she?"
"A freshman."
Amanda waited. "...And?"
Michael shrugged.
"That's pretty much it."
Amanda blinked.
"...That's it?"
"That's it."
She looked at him suspiciously.
"Then why did she kiss you?"
Michael let out a small laugh.
"Because she has a crush on me."
Amanda stared. He said it so casually that for a second she wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly.
"...Excuse me?"
He smiled apologetically.
"She's liked me since the beginning of the school year."
Amanda slowly unfolded her arms.
"...And she just..."
She gestured vaguely toward the hallway.
"...does that?"
Michael sighed.
"Unfortunately." Amanda looked back toward Zoe. The girl couldn't have been older than fourteen. She looked sweet. Harmless. More nervous than confident.
"I've told her I'm not interested."
Michael's voice remained gentle. "More than once."
Amanda looked back at him.
"You have?"
He nodded.
"I don't like leading people on."
Amanda smiled faintly.
"That's good."
Michael leaned against the lockers.
"She usually says she'll wait until she's older."
Amanda couldn't help laughing.
"...Seriously?"
"I'm serious."
"What did she say today?"
Michael chuckled quietly. He looked toward the ceiling as if replaying the conversation.
"'Fine.'"
He smiled. "'I'll try again when I'm seventeen.'"
Amanda burst into laughter.
"No."
"I swear."
"She actually said that?"
Michael nodded.
"I wished her good luck."
Amanda laughed even harder.
"What?"
"I figured by then..."
He shrugged.
"...maybe she'd have forgotten about me."
Amanda wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
"That's actually kind of adorable."
"It would be..."
Michael smiled.
"...if it wasn't so awkward."
Amanda looked at him for a moment. Then the smile slowly faded.
"So..."
She hesitated. "...you really turned her down?"
Michael looked almost offended.
"Of course I did."
Amanda studied him.
"You didn't seem..."
She searched for the right words.
"...tempted."
Michael blinked.
"Amanda."
His voice softened.
"I kissed you last night."
Her heart skipped.
"I know."
"I meant it."
Amanda looked down at the floor.
"I know."
"I wasn't looking for someone else yesterday."
He smiled gently.
"I was looking for you."
Amanda felt every nervous thought she'd had over the past thirty seconds quietly melt away. She looked back up at him. "...Really?"
Michael laughed softly.
"I've spent weeks trying to convince myself to talk to you."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Do you really think I'd ruin that over a freshman?"
Amanda couldn't help smiling.
"When you say it like that..."
He smiled back.
"I'm saying it exactly like that."
Amanda laughed.
"I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"I got jealous."
Michael's grin widened.
"I noticed."
She covered her face.
"I wasn't exactly subtle, was I?"
He laughed.
"You've never been subtle."
Amanda groaned dramatically. "I hate that you're right."
Michael stepped a little closer.
"I don't."
She lowered her hands.
"You don't?"
He smiled.
"I kind of like knowing you care."
Amanda looked at him for a long moment. Then, before she could overthink it... She reached over and lightly bumped his shoulder.
"Don't get used to it."
Michael laughed.
"I'll try."
He paused.
"...No promises."
Amanda rolled her eyes, unable to stop smiling.
"You're impossible."
"And yet..."
He offered her his hand.
"...you're still standing here."
Amanda looked down at it. Then slipped her fingers into his.
"I guess I am." Michael glanced toward the classroom doors. The second warning bell echoed through the hallway.
"We should probably start walking."
Amanda smiled.
"Probably."
Neither of them moved. Michael looked at her hand still resting comfortably in his.
"I guess we really are going to make people talk."
Amanda laughed softly.
"I think they already started."
Almost on cue... Two seniors walked past. One nudged the other.
"Weren't they just at Maria's party?"
"I think so."
"I thought she liked somebody else."
Amanda immediately felt her cheeks warm. Michael gently squeezed her hand.
"Ignore them."
"I'm trying."
"They'll get bored eventually."
Amanda raised an eyebrow.
"You seem awfully confident."
Michael smiled. "They always do."
Together, they started down the hallway. Students moved around them in every direction. Some smiled. Some whispered. A few openly stared.
Amanda had never attracted this much attention before. Normally, she blended into the background. Today... People noticed her. It was strangely overwhelming.
"You okay?"
Michael's voice pulled her from her thoughts. She looked over. "Hm?"
"You've been awfully quiet."
Amanda smiled apologetically.
"I'm just not used to this."
"To what?"
She gestured subtly toward the hallway.
"...People looking."
Michael glanced around. A couple of football players waved. He waved back absentmindedly. Then looked at Amanda again.
"I guess I stopped noticing."
Amanda laughed.
"I definitely haven't."
He frowned slightly.
"Does it bother you?" She thought about it.
"...Not if they're looking because I'm with you."
Michael smiled.
"What if they're looking because they're jealous?"
Amanda blinked.
"...Jealous?"
He nodded matter-of-factly.
"I'd be jealous too."
Amanda laughed.
"You are unbelievable."
"No."
He looked at her with a grin.