Free The Sweetest Thing by J. Minter

back to me. “And it’d mean a lot to see you there.”
    The bell rang and all around us kids started slamming their books shut and putting their papers into their folders. I quickly grabbed my schoolbag and started throwing things inside. Adam hoisted his backpack onto his shoulders and looked at me expectantly.
    I rubbed my forehead, struggling with how to answer. Noncommittal seemed the best route. “We’re supposed to wear school colors, right?”
    He grinned. “Red and blue. I’ll keep an eye out for you.”
    I heaved a huge sigh as I finished gathering my things and stuck Bogie on a back shelf with the other tadpoles. This bio unit seemed like it could be fun, but I gave myself an F in abiding by the No Adam Rule.

CHAPTER 10
EVERYONE LIKES ADAM—AND I DO MEAN EVERYONE
    After school, I found Bennett by my locker, looking adorable as usual. He was leaning against the wall, wearing a plaid Dickies shirt and a brown corduroy jacket. His dirty blond hair fell into his eyes as he thumbed through an old comic, and his mouth was set into a funny little frown of concentration that made him look smart and a little bit silly at the same time. But as soon as he saw me out of the corner of his eye, he looked up and gave me the sweetest, nicest smile—like there was no one in the world he’d rather see. I found myself beaming right back. Okay, so yes, Adam was totally hot, but Bennett, with his chipped tooth and eager blue eyes, was totally
adorable
.
    â€œHey,” he said, shoving off the wall with his left foot. “Just thought I’d stop by and see if you wanted to go to the Bean Garden for a latte.”
    â€œI wish I could, but Feb’s been acting like acartoon version of somebody’s mother. She wants me to come home right after school now.” I sighed. “Pretty soon she’ll be putting bars on my windows.”
    â€œOr maybe she’ll hire a bouncer to keep me out of your house—isn’t that more her style?”
    I laughed. “At this point, I can almost imagine her doing that.”
    â€œAnything I can do to help?” Bennett asked me as I twisted the dial on my locker door.
    I put the books and papers I needed in my bag and slammed the metal door shut. “Yes, on second thought, you can take me out for coffee.” Bennett was so sweet and thoughtful. I grabbed his hand and gave it a friendly squeeze. “I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to you all day.”
    â€œSo, I’m thinking about sending some of my clips from the
Spectator
to this writing contest,” said Bennett, as we walked down the second-floor hallway. “It’s sort of a long shot, but the person they choose gets to write a weekly column for teens on the
Time Out New York
Web site.”
    â€œWow, Bennett, that’s so exciting.” We reached the end of the hallway, but when we turned the corner into the stairwell, I almost gasped out loud. There, coming down the stairs from the third floor, was Adam McGregor.
    For some reason, running into him when I was with Bennett made me feel slightly panicky. But Adam didn’t seem fazed at all to see me with another guy. He just smiled, and it occurred to me that maybe I’d misunderstood the way he’d acted in bio and at lunch. He seemed to be friendly with everyone, and the fact that he’d been so nice to me probably didn’t mean anything except that he was a nice guy.
Whoa
. I’d been acting just like Meredith and Judith—reading way too much into totally innocent conversations. The idea should have cheered me up—one less thing to worry about!—but for some reason it didn’t comfort me quite as much as it should have.
    â€œHey, Flan,” he said with an easy grin. “How’s it going?”
    â€œOh, hey, Adam.” I said, trying to sound as nonchalant as he did. “Have you met Bennett?”
    Adam kept smiling, but I could have sworn that