Rachel's Valentine Crush by Angela Darling Read Free Book Online Page B

didn’t completely believe her. She wanted to, though.
    â€œYou really think so?” Rachel asked.
    â€œDefinitely,” Taylor said firmly.
    She must have kicked Shane under the table, because he jumped and quickly said, “Yeah, I mean, I wasn’t that loud. Besides, practically every girl in this school is in love with Brody. Nobody’s going to care about your crush, you know? It would probably be a bigger deal if you didn’t like him!”
    â€œI hope you’re right,” Rachel said as the bell rang, feeling a little better. She had never been so glad about the end of lunch period before. As Rachel threw away her trash, she thought about what Shane had said. It was true that all the girls were acting kind of crazy about Brody right now. If anything, Rachel figured, Shane’s big announcement would make her fit right in.
    Then, as she and Taylor walked into the hallway, Colin Mercer looked right at Rachel, grinned, and belted out a line from “Secret Crush.” Everyone around them cracked up, like they usually did when Colin started messing around. Stunned, Rachel blinked back tears of embarrassment.
    â€œAw, Rach, don’t,” Taylor said softly. “Everybody’s laughing at Colin , not you. I really don’t think anyone will care about your crush. Shane’s right. A year ago, it might have been gossip-worthy, but not when so many other girls are crushing on Brody too.”
    â€œI just—I didn’t want anybody to know,” Rachelreplied. “And now the whole school does. What if somebody tells Brody?”
    â€œWhat would they say?” Taylor asked. “ ‘Hey, Brody, every single girl at school is crazy about you, especially that Rachel Wilson!’ ” Taylor shook her head. “Not gonna happen. Besides, it seems like Brody’s not really in touch with anybody these days. He’s too busy. So it could be worse.”
    Rachel nodded slowly. “You’re right. Thanks, Taylor,” she said.
    â€œNo problem,” said Taylor. “Trust me, by seventh period no one is even going to care—or remember.”
    For a few hours, Rachel almost believed her. But when she went to her locker after school, Rachel found a huge surprise.
    Tammy Hemmings was waiting for her.
    Oh man, Rachel thought as she automatically slowed down. Why is Tammy standing at my locker?
    Even as the question formed in Rachel’s mind, she figured out the answer. Tammy must have heard about her crush, just like everybody else at school. What am I even going to say to her? Rachel wondered wildly. She’s probably going to tell me to stay away from Brody or—
    â€œHey,” Tammy said. She shifted her weight from one leg to the other. “You’re Rachel, right?”
    Rachel hesitated for a moment before she spoke. “Yeah,” she finally replied. “Um, hi.”
    â€œHey,” Tammy said again. She smiled a little and glanced, briefly, at the floor. Suddenly, Rachel realized that Tammy felt about as awkward as she did. “So . . . about Brody . . .”
    â€œSo you heard about that,” Rachel said.
    Tammy nodded. “Listen, I don’t blame you. He is so cute. But there was—well—there was something I was kind of curious about. Can I ask you a question?”
    â€œI guess,” Rachel replied. “I mean, sure.”
    â€œI was just wondering . . . what makes you think that ‘Secret Crush’ is about you?” Tammy asked.
    â€œOh,” Rachel said. “Well, it was that line about making music together. You know the one?”
    Tammy nodded.
    â€œBrody and I sang together in our church choir,” Rachel explained. She shrugged. “That’s all. It probably doesn’t mean anything.”
    â€œI didn’t know that Brody was in a church choir, too,” Tammy said. “I thought he was just in glee club.