Free Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Planet Girl by Tommy Greenwald

finally admit it,” he said, his voice just above a whisper. “Even if it was George who actually said it.”
    â€œOh, dang it,” George said. He was finally realizing that this might be a sensitive subject for Nareem, considering that Katie had broken up with him a few months earlier. Definitely scratch that whole George-is-a-genius thing.
    â€œYeah,” I said. Which I think was an answer to both George and Nareem. “I’m—I’m sorry about that, Nareem.”
    Nareem got up and stared out the window, at the lit-up city. “Have you said anything to Katie? Have you been very clear with her? Instead of avoiding it, like you have been doing practically since I’ve known you?”
    â€œWhat do you mean by that?” I asked.
    â€œIt was very obvious to me that you liked Katie!” Nareem said. He wasn’t whispering anymore, not by a long shot.
    George coughed nervously. “Hey, does anyone want to order cheesecake?” he asked. “My mom said it would be cool if we wanted to order cheesecake.” He waited for someone to answer him, but no one did. “Or not.”
    â€œYou’re right,” I said to Nareem. “I think I liked Katie longer than I realized. I don’t know, we were just regular friends for so long, and I had this crush on Hannah Spivero for like forever. Then suddenly it seemed like everything changed, and I didn’t know how to deal with it. Especially since you were kind of going out with her at the time.”
    â€œThat’s true, I was,” Nareem said, his voice soft again as he remembered.
    â€œUm, I have a crazy idea,” Jack said.
    We all looked at him.
    â€œWhy don’t you just tell her the truth?”
    George nodded his head in agreement.
    â€œI’ve been trying!” I said. “It’s not that easy!”
    Nareem took off his glasses and started cleaning them with his shirt. I think he just needed something to do. “Love is never easy,” he said. “It is hard work. Which is also what makes it so rewarding.”
    Sometimes it was hard to believe he was only in middle school.
    â€œYou should tell her before we all leave tomorrow morning,” George said to me. “That way, we can be there for moral support.”
    â€œYou should,” Jack said.
    â€œIndeed you should,” Nareem said.
    I stared at my three friends, knowing they were right. Ugh! Couldn’t I just stay up here in George’s room forever, where it was safe and we had ice cream and satellite television, and there was no danger of rejection?
    Love is never easy.
    â€œLet’s order that cheesecake,” I said.

 
    22
    Sunday morning breakfast was everyone’s last chance to hang around together before heading back home, so it was completely mobbed by the time I made it downstairs to the restaurant. I saw Katie in the distance, out of the corner of my eye, sitting at a table with a bunch of our friends. I started to walk over, but then I had a better idea.
    The better idea involved doing anything else.
    I went up to the buffet and got some eggs, poured myself a glass of juice, and started looking for a place to sit. The first person I saw was Ms. Domerca.
    â€œCharlie Joe!” she exclaimed. “Come eat with us!”
    It wasn’t until I sat down that I realized she was sitting with Dr. Mal and a bunch of adults and kids I’d never seen before.
    Dr. Mal didn’t look all that thrilled to see me, to be honest.
    â€œGood morning, Mr. Jackson,” he said.
    â€œMorning, Dr. Mal,” I said back.
    â€œCharlie Joe,” Ms. D. said, “this is perfect timing. I’m not sure if you know this, but we also use these reunion breakfasts to meet with families who are not yet part of the Camp Rituhbukkee community, so that we might give them a sense of who we are and what we’re about.”
    I introduced myself to the three kids. They smiled awkwardly.