Crushing On The Wrong Joshua (Crushing on You 3)

“You should though, Amber,” Tamara sighed, “He's cute and he's looking at you.”

“You don't even know him!” Amber said.

“You don't really know Joshua Nelson, either, do you?” Tamara asked.

“Whatever,” Amber sighed and left the table, dumping her untouched lunch into the trash.

By the time the last bell rang Amber regretted tossing her lunch away. Her stomach growled as she dropped her books off at her locker and headed outside to wait for her dad. Tamara was standing in their usual spot and Amber stood a few feet away. Close enough for an apology, but too far away for normal conversation. She wasn't about to let Tamara off the hook if she didn't apologize. What was it to Tamara who she liked or who liked her?

Amber knew it was her bad mood brought on by the spell not working making her crabby. She wasn't ready to admit it out loud yet, though. Tamara would never let her live it down. For the rest of their lives she would tease and torment her over the fact she had actually tried to use a love spell to get Joshua Nelson's attention. She had also expected it to work. Amber wanted to bang her head into the pillar she was leaning against. Maybe a few hard knocks to the noggin would make her forget about the guy who had haunted her since fifth grade.

Tuesday wasn't much better than Monday. The day blurred by and Amber's classes blurred together. At lunch she sat across from Tamara and ate silently. Amber longed to have the spell book back in her possession, but the librarian had refused to allow her to renew it.

“Four days with the book is long enough,” the librarian had told her.

“What if I need to try it again?” Amber asked before she could stop herself.

“I assure you the spell worked,” the older woman promised.

“How do you know that?” Amber asked, but the librarian disappeared into the staff section of the library where Amber wasn't allowed to follow her.

“Are you still mad at me?” Tamara asked, startling Amber.

Amber took a bite out of a chicken nugget, trying to slow her racing heart.

“Act like she's not there. I don't hear you, Tam, I don't hear you,” Amber thought over and over.

“I guess you are,” Tamara sighed.

Amber ate a fry.

“Damn straight, I'm mad at you,” Amber said silently to herself.

“I'm just trying to help you, Amber,” Tamara said, “Please talk to me.”

She ate another fry. One of the cooks had been very generous with the salt today and Amber was going to enjoy every last salty bite.

“Okay, look, I'm sorry, I just wanted to help!” Tamara said.

“About time you apologize,” Amber sighed to herself.

“Fine,” Amber sighed. Tamara had finally said the magic words. “I forgive you.”

“He's watching you again,” Tamara grinned.

“Most likely wondering why I keep licking all the salt from my fingers,” Amber laughed.

“Yeah, why are you doing that?” Tamara asked.

“We don't eat salt at home anymore. Ever since Dad's doctor put him on a new low sodium diet he makes me suffer with him,” Amber said.

Amber felt slightly better after making up with Tamara, but every second that passed made her doubt the existence of magic more and more. If magic was real wou

ldn't the spell have worked by now? It had been almost four whole days! Amber was beginning to believe the old woman was some sort of con. Who gave spell books to teenage girls and then refused to answer questions about it?

Chapter Five

Wednesday and Thursday came and passed, but Joshua Nelson still hadn't noticed Amber. He hadn't even glanced in her direction! Friday morning found Amber sitting in her usual seat on the back of the bus alone. The bus came to a stop, that wasn't part of its normal route. Amber shivered as a chill traveled up her spine and the light hair on her arms stood up. Her heart skipped a beat and the air around her became thicker than normal.