ola bar and a full-blown emotional breakdow

escal

ked. "

plan. It's

d to myself. "Do I loo

-com side character who just r

the desk. "I think I like him m

er like she was organizing a military operation. "He talks to

kno

hy we need

we were on

Phase Two was mop slap.

don't want to humil

then you practically invented

. The crush. Let it destroy me

r that. You'll write poetry about hi

ady did

we fight fi

hat, setting m

grin

t like t

– Fourth Period

front of the classroom like a man who lived for correcting teen delusions. "He wrote i

Three days and boom! De

red, "You think Ethan would

e to fake my d

as. His handwriting looked like it belonged on the cover of a calligraphy maga

e you're clearly so focused, what lesson can we

ani

ys with great hair an

ass sn

ed around

to emotionally r

er

existence," I said, shov

Maya replied. "We need to preserv

're

effic

hide in my usual spot-the bench behind

y,

smiling casually like he didn't just sha

Yea

ading t

, sit outside... with the vending m

"You wanna s

s

nd group of popular, intimida

red a

h.

'd ask," he sai

soft and tilted, like he was

ah. Okay. Cool. Totally chil

ll in step beside him. I did. Sti

t always like t

e wh

. Full of glute

gain. "You'r

e. Not charmin

ea

ia Tabl

approached. "Look wh

new member of our group or is she

lanner. "As long as she doesn't

Ethan, clutching my tray lik

asually, "you l

plied. "Like, 'Oh wow, tragedy, big sur

ain. My heart

eteria, watching with b

hed: H

thed ba

on m

inute

ed to:Choke

e water on Lu

ference a meme

r energy" when de

Et

kept s

how he couldn'

er

ere Maya was waiting like a wa

FAI

vited to si

ed on a

ke words

lirty murd

kind of hot

so failing. This is worse than havin

you think

vited me to lunch. He called me funny.

"You know wh

't you dare sa

SE.

in

ything except how Ethan's laugh made my

d I zombied my wa

assed m

ght nod. "See yo

mbered

in shu

to the wron

That

from

fficially become Operation: Cr

what? H

just talk to hi

ounds... r

e can fake

uch b

wasn't

't ove

, I was fal

e wors

nted

a l

l something that w