Bobby, Runt, and Samâas well as two girls I hadnât met before, Heather and Wendy.
Mr. Owens rubs his hands together like heâs standing in front of a campfire. âAre you ready to get this show on the road? And when I say road I mean ROAD MOVIE!â He holds up the DVD to a movie Matt and I hate, and I suddenly realize Matt was right to worry about Mr. Owens being overly involved.
âActually, Mr. Owens, weâre not doing that movie today,â Matt says.
assertive
Iâm proud Mattâs being assertive instead of just going along with Mr. Owens because heâs a teacher.
Mr. Owens waves the DVD box in the air. âNo problem. This is your show. Iâll be back at my desk grading papers. Let me know if you need someone to bail you out.â
Matt leans against a desk in the front row and addresses the kids whoâve come today. âOkay, letâs start with buddy movies.â
suppress
He takes a marker and makes a list of buddy comedies on the Smart Board behind him. Itâs funny to see Matt acting so teacher-y. I have to suppress my initial reaction to heckle him and sit quietly instead, especially since our positions will be reversed for my class in a few days.
heckle
âYou left out a few classics,â Mr. Owens pipes up from the back of the room.
I watch as Matt decides whether to include Mr. Owens in the conversation or keep going. To my surprise, he plows straight ahead, ignoring him. âLetâs talk about the two main characters in a buddy movie and how theyâre usually opposites.â
âNot always,â Mr. Owens says. âBut it makes for better conflict if they are.â
Matt leans his head against the Smart Board. I know he wants to tell Mr. Owens to shut up but, of course, he canât. I try to help by asking about one of the movies on the list.
âDo you have a clip from that one?â I ask, knowing full well he does.
âGood idea. Letâs go to a clip.â Matt plays a few scenes from the buddy movie on his laptop, which heâs connected to the projector. Soon everyoneâs laughing and back on track.
Mr. Owens focuses on his work for the rest of the hour and itâs obvious when everyone gets up to leave they enjoyed Mattâs club.
brainstorming
âNext week, holiday comedies.â As Matt gathers up his notes, I can tell heâs happy with his accomplishment, already brainstorming ideas for future meetings.
We rush out of the room before Mr. Owens finishes with his papers so we donât have to listen to his suggestions.
âHeâs just supposed to be in the room,â Matt says as we head to our lockers. âHeâs not supposed to contribute .â
intrusive
Ms. Ramirez, the art teacher, is monitoring my club on Thursday; Ms. McCoddle offered to do it but the principal decided to appoint her as head of the English Committee, basically canceling all her free time. I pray Ms. Ramirez is less intrusive than Mr. Owens. But what makes me come to a grinding halt isnât the thought of Ms. Ramirez ruining my club but what I see at the end of the hallway. Matt also stops, both of us frozen in front of the science lab.
âIs that ⦠Carly?â Matt whispers.
I nod, too surprised to form words.
âKissing Crash?!â
We silently back up the hall before Carly sees us.
Carly Has a Boyfriend?!
âItâs inconceivable!â I say when we get outside.
inconceivable
âYou mean itâs inconceivable that Carly has a boyfriend and it isnât YOU?â Matt adds.
âWhat are you talking about? I didnât say that.â
Matt shoves his index cards into his backpack. âNo, IâM saying that. Youâve had a crush on her from Day One.â
âAre you kidding?â I yell. âWe HATED her in the beginning!â
âI mean after we became friends with her, whatever day that was.â He zips up his pack. âIf you