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It’s a little disappointing, I have to admit. To think I can find out who my secret admirer is…that he’sjustwithin my grasp. But I know it’s the right thing. I don’t want to hurt the guy who—I hope—has such strong feelings for me.
“For now, I’ll just hug this until I can hug him for real,” I say as I squish the poem to my chest.
The bell rings and we head to English, with me still clutching the poem tightly.
“By the way,” Lily says as she lowers herself in her desk. “My parents said yes to the convention.”
“Mine, too!” I tell her with a huge grin. “It’s going to be so much fun. I already know who I’m going to cosplay.”
“What are you talking about?” Willow asks as she takes out her school laptop.
“Ooh, I didn’t have a chance to tell you guys.”
When Lily’s done informing them about theSwords and Legendsconvention, Willow smiles. “Nice. Hope you guys have a great time.”
“Come with us!” Lily urges. “You too, Ava and Aidan.”
Willow waves her hand. “It’s okay. It’s your guys’ thing. Besides, I can’t afford to lose a weekend. I need to fix my app before the coding competition.”
“And Aidan and I have a dinner,” Ava says. “It’s okay. You guys have fun.”
When Ally comes in and starts discussing the book we’re reading in class, I try to concentrate, but the only thing I can focus on are the lovely words my secret admirer wrote to me. I wish I at least knew his name so I could stop referring to him as the “Secret Admirer.”
Hiding behind the kid in front of me, I unfold the letter and read the poem. My heart expands so much I think it might pop like a balloon.
“Chloe, does that paper pertain to class?” Ally asks.
I gasp and shove it under my notebook. “No.”
“Please concentrate on the lesson. I don’t want you to miss anything for the test next week.”
I can’t lose myself like this. Daydreaming about my secret admirer will have to wait until I’m at home.
***
As my friends and I enjoy delicious ravioli for lunch, a kid comes over to me. “Principal Nakamura wants to see you.”
I finish my last bite of ravioli and stand. “I’ll see you guys later.”
When I get to her office, the secretary asks me to wait outside on one of the chairs. I wring my hands in my lap, not sure what this is about. Am I in trouble? I don’t think I broke any school rules. I hope this isn’t about Topher…maybe his parents have somehow convinced the school to take him back? That would suck.
“You can go in now, Chloe,” the secretary tells me.
Taking a deep breath, I let it out and make my way into the principal’s office. She smiles. “Hello, Chloe. I hope I’m not taking you away from your lunch.”
“That’s okay. I finished eating.”
She gestures to the chair before her desk, and I sit down.
She leans forward and offers me another smile. “I’ve thought about this a great deal, but the truth is, there wasn’t much to consider. I’d like to offer you the position of editor-in-chief for the Edenbury High Times.”
I just sit there staring at her, completely dumbfounded.
When I finally blink, snapping myself out of it, I stammer, “A-are you sure? There are so many more qualified people than me…”
She locks her fingers together. “Chloe, you’re one of the most dedicated and hardworking journalists on the paper. You always hand in your work on time and your articles are always intelligent, straight to the point, and they evoke a strong feeling in your readers. I believe the paper will thrive with you as its editor-in-chief.”
I drop my gaze to my lap. “But some of the kids at school will be upset with that.”
