Crush Alert by Annie Bryant Page A

pointed at Avery, a suspicious hint of tears in her eyes.
    Suddenly the table went silent.
    Avery felt a hand on her shoulder.
    “Dude!” Dillon said. “Pete Wexler was dissing the Brady Man, and I need someone with solid Patriots knowledge on my side. Come on.”
    Avery gratefully let him drag her over to the boys’ table. She’d rather talk about football than deal with Maeve’s sudden attack of weirdness.
    Maeve stared after them in silent outrage. Finally she jumped up from her seat. “That’s it! I’m out of here.” She flounced out of the cafeteria.
    “Oh. My. Gosh,” Isabel said in a hushed voice. “It’s a love triangle.”
    Charlotte momentarily forgot about her own problems and nodded. “I think you’re right. This is terrible. Maeve likes Dillon, Dillon likes Avery, and Avery likes…who?”
    “Avery’s in love with fun,” Katani said, wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin.
    “Maybe Avery is secretly crushing on Dillon?” asked Charlotte.
    “Well, she is always hanging around the boy,” Isabel said. “And they’re always goofing around a lot, punching each other and stuff. Isn’t that one of the signals?” She took a bite of her sandwich and slowly chewed as she mulled the whole thing over.
    “Poor Maeve,” said Charlotte. “I totally know how she feels. When you think your crush has been stolen away from you by a girl you thought was your friend…it really hurts.”
    “Charlotte?”
    She looked up from her sandwich, her body stiffening. Nick. “Yes?” she said, trying to keep her voice from trembling.
    Nick looked down at his shoes. “Uh…could I talk to you for a minute?”
    “I’m kind of busy now,” Charlotte said abruptly.
    Nick looked at Katani, who looked at Isabel, who looked at Charlotte, who looked down at her hands. Nick turned and walked away.
    “Charlotte!” her friends gasped.
    “What?” She shrugged.
     
    To: Sophie
    From: Charlotte
    Subject: Crying myself to sleep

    Sophie I can’t believe it…I waited at the bakery for half an hour this morning and Nick never came. He forgot about me. He was at school with Chelsea the whole time! I almost ran back home to hide under the covers all day. He tried to talk to me at lunch and I ruined everything…. I think he hates me now.
    Can I please escape to Paris with you??? We can hop on a boat and make our way around the world together.

    Charlotte

Part Two
Dance to the Music
    CHAPTER 11
Matchup Mayhem
    I zzy, are you sure you don’t want to come play basketball? We really need another player for four on four,” pleaded Avery. “Besides…we could totally use the famous Isabel Martinez jump shot!” She laughed.
    “I can’t, Ave,” answered Isabel, sorry to disappoint her friend. “I really wish I could play, but I’m on the decorating committee, remember? We’re going to turn the basketball court into a Valentine wonderland!”
    The last bell of school had just rung, and Avery and Isabel were standing at their lockers. Kids streamed all around them, opening lockers, shouting to friends, and pointing to Isabel’s pink posters advertising the dance.
    “Friday night—dance fever, dude!” an eighth-grader shouted to his friend across the hall. “You coming?”
    The friend nodded. “Sure thing!”
    Isabel smiled. This was going to be such an awesome dance. Everyone was getting really excited! She couldn’t wait to go shopping with her sister.
    She and Avery walked down the hall together, and Isabel stopped at the door to the art room. When she opened the door, the scent of watercolors mixed with white glue and paper wafted through the air. “This smell always gets my creativity flowing,” she told her friend.
    Avery peeked around the door, too. All the long, wooden tables were cleared off except one, which was full of bags from the local craft shop. Betsy was dumping them out, frantically looking for something.
    “I’m sure I bought a ruler!” the head of the decorating committee exclaimed,