Rosa was waiting in the kitchen, a bowl of cereal I couldn’t even begin to touch sitting on the counter. She didn’t say anything as I grabbed a glass of milk from the fridge. She didn’t push it when I was unable to touch the cereal. All she did, before I left for school, was hug me close and say, “You are going to do an amazing job, Mallory.”
I held those words close to my heart all day.
Clutching my notebook, I made my way down the hall toward speech, ignoring the way my heart pounded. I rounded the corner and drew up short.
Rider pushed away from the wall when he spotted me. A half grin formed as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Hey, Mouse.”
“What...are you doing here?” I asked. “You have class.”
That lopsided grin spread and the dimple appeared. “And that matters because...?”
I stopped in front of him, raising a brow.
He tipped his head to the side. “I had to be here. I had to let you know that you got this.”
My heart swelled in my chest so fast and quickly that I thought I’d float right to the ceiling. He had to be here for me. That wasn’t out of some need to protect. It was because he was my friend and he cared. I wanted to hug him.
My gaze dropped to those full lips.
How would they feel— I cut those thoughts off. I needed to focus. Those three words were a reminder that dropped steel down my spine. He was right. I got this.
I smiled at him and then turned, opening the door. Mr. Santos was at his desk. A paper bag was open. The scent of tomato soup was strong. Brushing his hands, he rose as I closed the door behind me.
“Excuse me, I was sneaking in some lunch.” He smiled as he pushed his chair back. “I’m sure you’re hungry yourself, so get started whenever you’re ready.”
Placing my bag on the seat of an empty chair, I walked to the podium with my notebook. My stomach churned. There would be no lunch for me.
Mr. Santos sat in one of the seats, folding his hands on the desk. “Take as much time as you like.”
Could I take forever?
Hands shaking, I opened my notebook to where I’d shoved the printed-out speech. The paper was crisp and pristine. All the words blurred. My knees shook. It was just one person I was standing in front of. Not an entire class. Should’ve been an entire class, but it wasn’t.
You got this.
My shoulders tensed as I drew in a breath that got stuck. This wasn’t hard. I could do this. I had to do this. The paper was rattling softly, like dry bones.
I can do this. I can do this.
The words blurred again, as if I was experiencing yet another weird lapse in vision. My heart started pounding in my chest so fast that my knees felt weak. My hands trembled.
I can do this. I can do this.
“The United States of America...has three branches of government. The first being...the...” I stopped, realizing I’d gone too far and skipped a line. Panicked, I looked up and saw Mr. Santos waiting.
He nodded at me, expression patient.
I started again. “The U-United States of America has three branches of government—the legislative, executive and judicial,” I forced out and then forced myself to keep going. “The l-legislative branch oversees...”
It sucked.
God, the speech sucked so badly.
Like there were thousands of professional speakers turning over in their graves, it sucked that bad, but I did it. I finished my speech a few seconds before Mr. Santos would’ve called time. I finished the speech, my first ever speech.
I did it.
And I didn’t throw up.
Keira would be happy to hear that.
Mr. Santos smiled as he rose from his seat. “You did good, Mallory. You got a little hung up in the beginning, but you started over and then moved on. The speech sounds very well researched.”
Hands still shaking, I turned in my paper to him. “Thank...you.”
“You’ll get your grade along with everyone else,” he explained, and I nodded. “Congratulations. You’ve completed your first speech.”
I walked to my bag, shoving my notebook into it. My first speech. I’d done it. Granted, it had only been in front of Mr. Santos, but I’d still done it.
Rider was waiting outside the class. He was looking down at his phone, but he put it in his pocket and angled his body toward mine. “So?”
My lips tipped up at the corners. “I did it.”
His answering smile brightened the entire hallway. “I knew you could.”
“You did.”
Our gazes connected and the look on his face was soft. The swelling motion was back, and this time I let it lift me to the ceiling.
I’d done something I never thought I could do.
Chapter 19
“Want to grab something real quick to eat?” Rider offered as we walked down the hall, away from speech. “You have time.”
My stomach was still in knots, but since the speech was done, I knew I could eat a slice of pizza. I nodded.
“Awesome.”