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Bobby, Runt, and Sam—as well as two girls I hadn’t met before, Heather and Wendy.
    Mr. Owens rubs his hands together like he’s standing in front of a campfire. “Are you ready to get this show on the road? And when I say road I mean ROAD MOVIE!” 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.
    â€œActually, Mr. Owens, we’re not doing that movie today,” Matt says.
    assertive
    I’m proud Matt’s being assertive instead of just going along with Mr. Owens because he’s a teacher.
    Mr. Owens waves the DVD box in the air. “No problem. This is your show. I’ll be back at my desk grading papers. Let me know if you need someone to bail you out.”
    Matt leans against a desk in the front row and addresses the kids who’ve come today. “Okay, let’s start with buddy movies.”
    suppress
    He takes a marker and makes a list of buddy comedies on the Smart Board behind him. It’s 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
    â€œYou left out a few classics,” 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. “Let’s talk about the two main characters in a buddy movie and how they’re usually opposites.”
    â€œNot always,” Mr. Owens says. “But it makes for better conflict if they are.”
    Matt leans his head against the Smart Board. I know he wants to tell Mr. Owens to shut up but, of course, he can’t. I try to help by asking about one of the movies on the list.
    â€œDo you have a clip from that one?” I ask, knowing full well he does.
    â€œGood idea. Let’s go to a clip.” Matt plays a few scenes from the buddy movie on his laptop, which he’s connected to the projector. Soon everyone’s laughing and back on track.
    Mr. Owens focuses on his work for the rest of the hour and it’s obvious when everyone gets up to leave they enjoyed Matt’s club.
    brainstorming
    â€œNext week, holiday comedies.” As Matt gathers up his notes, I can tell he’s 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 don’t have to listen to his suggestions.
    â€œHe’s just supposed to be in the room,” Matt says as we head to our lockers. “He’s not supposed to contribute .”
    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 isn’t 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.
    â€œIs that … Carly?” Matt whispers.
    I nod, too surprised to form words.
    â€œKissing Crash?!”
    We silently back up the hall before Carly sees us.

Carly Has a Boyfriend?!
    â€œIt’s inconceivable!” I say when we get outside.
    inconceivable
    â€œYou mean it’s inconceivable that Carly has a boyfriend and it isn’t YOU?” Matt adds.
    â€œWhat are you talking about? I didn’t say that.”
    Matt shoves his index cards into his backpack. “No, I’M saying that. You’ve had a crush on her from Day One.”
    â€œAre you kidding?” I yell. “We HATED her in the beginning!”
    â€œI mean after we became friends with her, whatever day that was.” He zips up his pack. “If you