All through breakfast

and my whole walk to school the next morning,

I hoped, hoped, hoped

that everyone had forgotten

the K-I-S-S-I-N-G.

But of course they hadn’t.

As soon as I walked into my classroom,

not long before the first bell,

Katie and Ben ran over to me.

“You were so embarrassed yesterday,” Katie said.

“It was hilarious!” Ben said.

Which was so mean!

He was laughing at me!

I didn’t think things could possibly get worse.

But then Katie,

who is supposed to be my friend, said,

“Why did you get so embarrassed?

It’s just a play.”

She thought for a second and said,

“Unless you do have a crush on Nicholas,

in real life.”

“I don’t!” I said.

“You do keep all his pictures in your desk,”

Katie said. “You’ve shown me.”

“I keep them because they’re good!” I said.

“That doesn’t mean anything!”

“Maybe it means you have a crush on him,

deep down,” Katie said.

“I do not

have a deep-down crush

on Nicholas!” I practically shouted.

I wanted to cry.

If Katie didn’t believe me,

maybe no one would!

And why did she have to say that in front of Ben?

Right away, he started chanting,

“Eleanor has a crush on Nich-o-las!

Eleanor has a crush on Nich-o-las!”

In that horrible moment,

Ainsley and Pearl walked through the door.

I saw Ainsley

and I heard “crush”

and I put the two together.

I wanted to stop Ben’s chanting.

I needed to stop Ben’s chanting!

Because everyone was listening

and everyone was staring—

and so I did something very stupid

and very mean.

I said, “I don’t have a crush on Nicholas,

but Ainsley has a crush on Adam!”

Everyone turned and stared at Ainsley.

“You have a crush on Adam?” Katie said.

Ainsley’s face flushed pink

and her mouth dropped open.

Then she said, “What?”

“Eleanor said you have a crush on Adam,” Ben said.

I wanted to cry out, “No, I didn’t!”

But everyone had heard me!

“How did Eleanor—” Ainsley said.

“I never—” Ainsley said.

Then she narrowed her eyes

and turned and glared at Pearl

and said, “You told her? That was a secret!”

“I’m so sorry!” Pearl said.

Then Pearl turned to me

and gave me a look she’d never, ever

given me before.

That look said,

How could you?

and

I was wrong to ever trust you.

My heart ripped in pieces.

“I didn’t mean—” I started to say.

“I was just joking!” I tried to tell everyone.

But nobody listened.

Because Adam and Nicholas were

walking into the room.

“What happened?” Adam asked,

when everyone stared at him.

And that’s when Ainsley started crying

and ran from the room.

Pearl ran after her.

And I covered my face with my hands.

I hated that I hadn’t kept that secret.

My whole body felt sweaty.

And I kept thinking,

over and over,

I am going to throw up.

I really am.