Secret Admirer (15 page)

“I will dance with you, Oliver,” she proclaimed.

He grinned.

“Maybe some other time,” she said casually to Tyler. Then she walked onto the dance floor with a guy she had previously categorized as the “geekiest” boy in school. But now she realized that she had been wrong. Oliver was actually okay. And she even danced two dances with him. And, as it turned out, they were the last two dances.

“Thanks,” he told her when the second dance ended. “You’re a good sport, Second Chair.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

“And, just so you know …” He winked at her as he jerked his thumb to his chest. “Y.S.A.”

She blinked in surprise. “You?”

“Now you girls have fun tearing this all down.” And then he took off and didn’t even stick around to help.

Soon the cafeteria was emptied — except for the five girls and all the valentine decorations.

“Hey, where did Oliver go?” demanded Morgan. “I thought he was supposed to help tear down.”

“He, uh, I think he had to leave,” said Amy quickly. “Besides we should have this done in no time.” Then she grabbed a plastic fork from the picked-clean refreshment table and stabbed a balloon, resulting in a loud POP. “See, it’s easy.” She giggled, and before long they were all stabbing balloons. And then they were ripping down crepe paper and tearing into the hearts, stuffing them into the big black trash bags. And before long, the whole cafeteria was back to normal.

“Too bad the refreshments are all gone,” said Carlie. “I’m hungry now.”

“Hey,” said Amy as she picked up her backpack. “I have a valentine to share with you guys.” So she flopped down on the floor, and her friends sat around her, waiting as she opened up the heart-shaped box of chocolates and passed it around.

“The dance was fun,” said Emily as she took a bite of a chocolate.

“Yeah,” said Morgan. “Can you guys believe I actually danced with Derrick Smith?”

They all laughed.

“I was so glad you didn’t say no to him,” admitted
Amy. “Especially after you told us about how he acted when he got his valentine.”

“Yeah. That would’ve been pretty harsh,” said Morgan.

“And
you
dancing with Oliver?” said Chelsea. “What was up with that, Amy?”

“Oliver is a good guy.” No way was Amy going to tell them, or anyone else for that matter, what Oliver had confessed to her on the dance floor. That would be her secret.

“Yeah, so maybe all guys aren’t dogs after all,” said Carlie quietly.

“Even so,” said Amy as she held up the heart-shaped lid of the chocolate box in one hand and a chocolate in the other. “I hereby vow that only God —
not a guy
— is going to rule
my
heart!”

“Here-here!” echoed Morgan. She held up a chocolate too.

And so they all took another chocolate, holding them up like Amy was doing — sort of like making a toast — and they all repeated the exact same thing that Amy had just said.

“Only God rules our hearts!” said Amy happily.

“Rainbow Rules!” yelled Morgan. They all echoed her. And Amy knew that what she and her friends shared — a love for God and a love for each other — would take them through whatever lay ahead.

MELODY CARLSON
has written more than 200 books for teens, women, and children. Before publishing, Melody traveled around the world, volunteered in teen ministry, taught preschool, raised two sons, and worked briefly in interior design and later in international adoption. “I think real-life experiences inspire the best fiction,” she says. Her wide variety of books seems to prove this theory.

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Ski Trip
Copyright © 2008, 2012 by Melody Carlson

Secret Admirer
Copyright © 2008, 2012 by Melody Carlson

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