Page 43 of Inside Out
“Do I see cookies on the trays?” I asked.
Rome nodded. “Snickerdoodles.”
“Those are my favorite,” I said, eyeing them appreciatively. I could tell Rome was filing the information away for future use. “What are your favorite cookies?”
“Oatmeal raisin,” he replied, setting the trays on my desk then walking over to snag a chair from the closest table. “Everyone else hates them, but I love them. My aunt Astrid made the best.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“Not a fan of oatmeal raisin cookies, huh?”
“It’s one of the few times I’m in the majority,” I quipped. “Why does my portion of macaroni and cheese look so much bigger than yours?”
“I had Stella give you a little extra since you’re such a big fan.”
I chose the strawberry milk, making Rome smile. “Some things just bring out the kid in me.”
“Nuggets, macaroni and cheese, and strawberry milk do that to you, huh?”
“Snickerdoodles too. They’re my mom’s specialty. All the other kids wanted chocolate this and chocolate that, but I just wanted Mama’s snickerdoodles.”
“So, I have some news to share with you, and it’s not necessarily good news.” Rome’s words made my heart sink, and it must’ve been written all over my face. “I think everything is going to work out, but since you’re involved, it’s only fair that you hear this from me and not through the rumor mill.”
I set my fork down and forgot all about the cheesy pasta I loved so much. “Go ahead.” My voice sounded dry and brittle.
“Oh no,” Rome said, reaching across the desk to cover my hands. “This isn’t about us, Jules. Some local bigot started a petition to have our school play canceled. I think the petition is virtually bogus based on what Priscilla and Sandra have found so far when looking at the names on it.”
“Oh wow,” I said, feeling relieved his news wasn’t about us personally…this time. “You’re not that worried about it?”
“I was meeting with the entire board this morning which was why I wasn’t in my office when you stopped by. Thank you again for my flowers and breakfast, by the way. Your thoughtfulness made my day. Anyway, the board is committed to seeing the play through, but they feel like they at least need to hold a special public meeting on Friday. Cait said they’ll allow this Roy Halifax an opportunity to speak, and I suspect she’ll ask for a rebuttal from someone who supports the play. The board will then have a public vote that same night.”
“You don’t think anyone on the board will waver under pressure? How many people signed the petition?”
“Seven hundred and fifty,” Rome said. “Priscilla and Sandra have been matching the names up to the high school roster, and so far, more than seventy percent of the names they’ve checked aren’t valid. Some are even dead. Priscilla is having a field day with this one.”
“You sound pretty confident,” I said, smiling at him.
“I have to be because telling those kids we can’t produce their play isn’t a conversation I want to have with them.”
“Nor do I.” I decided to adopt Rome’s positive approach because focusing on negative energy never had a good outcome. I tucked into my lunch because my break wasn’t that long, and I’d only have time for a quick snack after school before we climbed on the bus to head to our next tennis match. “Thank you for lunch,” I finally remembered to say.
“My pleasure,” Rome said, but I could tell by his voice he was distracted. I looked up and saw that a furrowed brow marred his handsome face.
“What’s wrong?”
“What?” he asked, looking up to meet my gaze. “Nothing really. I was just thinking.”
“About?” I prompted.
“The conclusions you jumped to when I told you I had news to share. You assumed the bad news was about us. I never thought to ask if you wanted to keep our relationship a secret. I mean, I would understand if you did, but wondered what that would entail. Would you want to go out of town for all our dates, and would it mean that we never slept over at each other’s places? I would try if it made you happy, but…”
I reached across the desk and cover his hands. “I would never ask that of you, Rome. What we do off school grounds is our business. I wouldn’t have started this with you if I wasn’t brave enough to see it through. Leave town for dates,” I grumbled. I released his hand and picked up my fork again. “I have every intention of learning what color sheets you keep on your bed,” I whispered.
“I could just tell you that,” he suggested with a wry smile.
“I want to feel them against my bare skin,” I countered.
He swallowed hard, and his light blue eyes practically glowed with hunger. “Change of subject. Quick.” I loved that I could affect him so much.