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“Yeah, we can’t survive with one Junior Musketeer down,” Liam says.
She nods. “Will do. ‘Night, guys.”
“‘Night, Willow.”
Chapter Twenty
Chloe
I arrive at school early to…confront my secret admirer.
Blowing air out of my mouth as I wait outside the school building, I scan around. Lots of kids are here, but I haven’t spotted Derek anywhere.
Every time a guy with dark hair appears in the distance, my blood begins to race. But none of them are Derek.
To placate my mind, I play around with some dessert recipes in my head for the Young Chefs of Tomorrow. I really, really want Liam to win.
My heart freezes when I spot Derek Chen being dropped off by his mom before the school building. I squint, taking him in to make sure he really is my guy. Oh my gosh, he is.
My heart hammers in my chest. My palms grow sweaty. I think I’m going to throw up.
Every part of me urges me to flee. Run far, far away. But no. Ineedto do this.
He climbs up the school steps with a pretty large backpack on his back. Is he the one I’m meant to spend the rest of my life with? Just from looking at his face, I can tell he’s a sweet guy. Maybe wearemeant to be.
He’s only a few feet away from me now. But my legs are cemented to the ground.
Move, Chloe, my mind orders.Move your feet and speak to your secret admirer.
But I’m just frozen in place with my blood surging throughout my body. I’m going to puke and then faint, and then wake up, and puke again.
I shake my head. No. I’m strong. I can do this.
By the time I gather my bearings, I notice that Derek has already entered the school building and is talking to another kid.
Shoot!
Taking a deep breath and giving myself a quick pep talk, I straighten my shoulders and march into school, heading straight for Derek. He doesn’t notice me as he continues to chat with his friend.
I clear my throat as I step closer. “Um, Derek?”
He glances at me. “Yeah?”
The words get stuck in my throat. I just stand there staring at him.
He watches me for a few seconds like he has no idea who I am or what I want from him. Then his eyes get super big. “Oh. Um. Hi.”
He looks beyond confused. And a little panicked.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” I ask, my voice shaking so much I can barely talk coherently.
Swallowing hard, he nods and follows me into an empty classroom. We stand there facing each other, both of us not knowing what to say.
I wish he would say something. But then again, we’re in this situation because he was too shy to speak to me face to face. So putting on a brave smile, I say, “I…um…I figured it out.”
His eyes get huge again. “You did?”
“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “My friend…I mean, I was able to, um…figure it out.”
