Free Crush Alert by Annie Bryant

tablets and stared at it intently. “You’re pretty intelligent yourself.”
    Katani looked up from her calculator, completely missing his awkward blush. “Well, my grandma is the principal. She’d be so disappointed in me if she saw I wasn’t trying my best. Anyway, if you want to be successful in life, you’ve gotto study hard. I mean, Reggie, how else am I going to start my own business if I don’t learn everything I can while I’m in school? And I have to start my own business,” she said, an urgent tone in her voice. “I just have to.”
    “You will. You’ve got it all going for you, Katani. You’re organized, smart, pretty…” Reggie looked down at the Tums again.
    Katani leaned over the beaker and whispered, “That’s about the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.” Reggie squirmed under her gaze and accidentally dropped the Tums into the beaker.
    Green froth splashed out, spattering on Katani’s perfect notes and speckling her smile with flakes of foam.
    “Oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry! I’ll get you a paper towel.” Reggie, his face red, jumped up, but Katani touched his shoulder and took a yellow handkerchief out of her school bag.
    “Reggie DeWitt, do you want to go to the Valentine’s Day Dance with me?”
    “Sure!” He shrugged, trying to be a little cool. Katani smiled, and caught Charlotte’s gaze. Katani just asked a boy to the dance! Just like that! And it didn’t even matter that she had green foam on her nose!
    CHAPTER 8
Secret Notebooks and Girl Talk
    W hen the bell rang, Charlotte tripped over Riley’s backpack in her hurry to talk to Katani. One well-worn notebook dropped out and spun across the floor. Charlotte bent to pick it up, then looked around for Riley. He was ducking out the door, his open backpack slung over one shoulder. Maybe he hadn’t noticed? She opened the cover and saw the handwritten lyrics of a new song, underneath a doodle of the logo of his band, Mustard Monkey.
    Furniture Boy
by Riley Lee
    The girl I love thinks I’m a piece of furniture.
    She can’t see me even though I look at her.
    Help me, help me, find a way to win her heart.
    Keep her close and never ever ever part.
    My life’s crazy ’cause she’ll never ever see.
    Furniture boy—that’s me.
    The Furniture Boy—that’s me….
    Charlotte quickly closed the cover. This was private. She shouldn’t be reading it at all!
    Katani walked over, her bag slung casually over one shoulder.
    “What was that look for, girl? And what’s that you’re holding?” Katani made a face at the scuffed, stained, and torn state of Riley’s notebook.
    “Oh, nothing,” Charlotte held the notebook behind her back. “Did you really ask Reggie to the dance?”
    “Of course! Girl power. We need to take control.” Katani frowned at Charlotte’s expression. “When are you asking Nick?”
    Charlotte shrugged and looked at the floor.
    “We need to have a talk.” Katani put an arm around Charlotte and led her out of the room. “Just you and me. After school in the Tower?”
    Charlotte nodded okay and looked around for Riley. “See you in math class?” She forced a smile, and Katani reluctantly let her go.
    Riley was kneeling next to his locker, frantically searching through piles of notebooks and papers. Charlotte held out his collection of lyrics. “Umm, is this yours?”
    Riley snatched the notebook. He said nothing, but first his ears and then his cheeks flushed red.
    “I didn’t read it,” Charlotte whispered. As she walkedaway, she wondered if a boy would ever write song lyrics about her.
     
    After about a million years, the last bell of the day rang and Charlotte joined the crowd of students flooding into the hallways. When she reached her locker, she rummaged inside it, looking for her social studies book. She checked her hair in the mirror, her spirits sinking. Maybe it was time for a makeover. She’d been wearing her hair the same way forever. Katani could give her some tips this