Carols and Crushes by Natalie Blitt

Author:Natalie Blitt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2017-11-23T05:00:00+00:00

On Friday morning, I stake out a spot in front of Renee’s locker a good fifteen minutes before she usually gets to school. I thought about calling to apologize last night, but I wanted to do it in person. After four years of never fighting, I need to do this right. I had a whole speech prepared, which all dissolves in the air when I spot her walking down the hallway, talking with Eric. Eric, who is holding her bag on one shoulder and her coat on the opposite arm.

She’s so focused on her conversation with him that I don’t think she sees me until she’s almost right in front of her locker. At first she smiles, like this is any other day, not the day after one and a half days of not talking. And then her mouth pinches, and she twists to look at Eric.

Eric is holding her stuff. Did he just see her at the front entrance and offer to help, or did they arrange to meet?

My stomach clenches and for a moment I can’t breathe.

“Hey, Charlie,” Eric says and deposits Renee’s bag beside me. He glances over at Renee and then places her coat on top of her bag. “Do you want me to stick around and …”

Renee shakes her head, though her eyes are still on me. I can’t quite figure out what’s happening, whether she’s still mad, whether I’m now mad. Is she interested in Eric? Do I still have a crush on Eric? Does he like Renee?

Eric walks off and Renee and I stand facing each other.

“Um, I kind of need to get in there,” Renee says, her voice quiet. Her head is tilted down and I follow her gaze to her cast.

“Sorry,” I mutter. “Nice cast.” The bright blue plaster covers her leg past the edge of her skirt, and I wondered if it stops there or if goes all the way up. Man, it would suck if it was a full leg cast. How would she take showers? Or exercise?

“Thanks.” She struggles at her locker, trying to put both crutches under one arm and balance that way, but the ground is slippery and it’s hard to get traction.

“Can I help?” I ask, and then take the question out of her hands by turning the lock myself. It’s a good thing that best friends know each other’s combinations.

Are we still best friends?

“I’m really sorry about Wednesday,” I say, my words falling over themselves in the rush to get out. “I shouldn’t have said all those things. I know you didn’t go out to steal Eric on purpose …”

“How could you even think that?” Renee’s voice was buried in her locker, with me on the other side. “You can’t steal a person. And I’m not interested in Eric. I like him a lot, it’s true. I never realized what a nice guy he is. But even if you weren’t interested in him, I wouldn’t be. I’m not interested in anyone. I’m not like you.

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