Meet Me After Class

Chapter 40: Heart V Brain

As we pulled into Marcy's parking lot, I made a decision. I decided to zip my lips. Penny deserved the chance to come out in her own time—to Adam and to me. I would wait for her to open up.

This opened my eyes, though: Adam wasn't into dudes, and Penny was playing for the ladies' team. Major curveballs.

And then the guilt hit. Here I was, locking lips with BOTH Adam and Mr. Scott behind their backs. What a tangled web! Somehow, I had stumbled into my very own love triangle. The rom-com gods were laughing.

So we finally made it to Marcy's, this family joint that had been around forever, as ancient as Adam's grandpa's bookshop—the ultimate spot for family celebrations in our town, like, generations.

They had this huge table set up for eight, two small ones mashed together to make this long table. I kind of hesitated, not sure where to sit down after Mr. Scott laid one on me earlier. My emotions were all over the place. I needed a sec to process, but I was also steering clear of Adam because he'd totally catch on that something was off.

I decided to slip into a seat between Belle and Audrey, thinking they'd be like my shield from any questions or chitchat. They both shot me these curious looks as I settled in, but no words were exchanged.

Our parents took over the chat during most of the meal. Belle and Audrey were deep into talking about school and friends. Me? I just pushed my food around, stealing glances at Adam. He was kind of quiet too, laser-focused on dissecting his steak into tiny bits.

I worried that Adam might have seen Mr. Scott kissing me, but his serious expression didn't align with someone who witnessed something somewhat shocking, like a teacher kissing a student. If he did see it, he'd likely confront me, not silently stab his dinner.

And what if he saw Penny and Melissa kissing? Again, he wouldn't keep it to himself; he'd urgently tell me, not sit in silence. I sighed with relief; it seemed my secrets were safe for now. Whatever occupied Adam, it didn't involve knowledge of any kisses tonight.

Finally, the chatter and clinking of silverware died down as everyone finished eating. Chairs scraped back from the tables as families started their goodbyes. Mrs. Brown enveloped me in another quick hug before following my parents out to the parking lot, still immersed in conversation. Our cars were parked side-by-side.

Gathering my stuff, Audrey sidled up with a playful grin. "Lover's quarrel?" she teased, giving me a wink. Belle mirrored her grin.

I quickly caught on to their teasing about me not sitting next to Adam during dinner. "No, Audrey," I said, shaking my head.

"I overheard a bunch of girls back there swooning over your boyfriend," Audrey continued.

"He's not my boyfriend," I told her again for the hundredth time.

She just shrugged, her smile unfazed. "Whatever you say..."

The girls exchanged one last amused glance as Adam approached us. They sauntered away, Audrey tossing a breezy "See you tomorrow!" over her shoulder.

I smiled up at Adam, brushing off their teasing. "I'm really proud of you tonight," I told him warmly.

"Just tonight?" he quipped, his eyes glinting playfully.

I hesitated, then asked, "Are you okay, though? You seemed lost in thought during dinner."

He nodded. "Are you? You were pretty focused on your plate back there."

"Yeah, just thinking," I replied.

"Me too," he echoed.

"See you tomorrow at Brown's?" I asked.