I ride near the white line on the right edge, mostly. And I "claim the lane" as they say.
That's a must. They'll squeeze you, if you let them. Where there is a decent shoulder, I'll get on that if traffic is at all heavy. Means I need to slow down a bit, but I figure I should try to be helpful. Where things are crowded I get right out in the middle of the lane and go as fast as possible. I'm not all that slow compared to the autos when there are redlights stopping and starting us. when the road widens out a bit, then I allow myself to be just a little bit slow. As long as the cars have other lanes to work with.
Considering that you are a youngster, I think you'd be wise to show a very co-operative attitude toward traffic. Otherwise the police will view you as a wild teen-ager and hassle you.