Page 53 of Bookish Boys Don't Date Social Girls
Dylan and I lock eyes across the table, and I smile. “That’s exactly right, bad boy.”
He smirks.
Someone clears their throat next to me. I turn to find Brent standing beside me. A traitorous flutter erupts in my stomach. Has he gotten cuter since I last saw him? When did I last see him? Oh, yeah. The night this all started.
“Hey,” he says. With a tight smile on his face, he greets everyone else.
“Hey Brent,” Ava says. “Welcome to senior year, where you don’t have to take your life in your hands daily having the world’s clumsiest lab partner.”
His smile is genuine now, and I silently thank Ava for breaking the ice. “My parents were relieved to drop the extra hazard insurance.”
Everybody laughs and then Brent shifts his attention to me.
“Hey, I just wanted to say that I told my dad about the stuff that’s come out of you standing up for yourself,and he wanted me to ask you if you’d be interested in doing a book about it.”
Ava and Bek gasp. I lean away from Brent. “What? I barely read books; how am I supposed to write one?”
Brent tilts his head. “I happen to know that you read a lot of books. I’m guessing you’ve switched to ebooks since the guy that works at the bookstore is such an idiot.”
My mouth flaps a couple of times while I process what he just said. Finally, I purse my lips and shake my head. “I literally haven’t had time to read.”
His whole body relaxes, making me realize he was tense. He thought I was avoiding him. And it bothered him. Huh.
“Anyway, Dad’s company would hire a ghostwriter for you. But it would be your story.” Brent shrugs. “It would be a great way to expand the reach of your message.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Great.” With a shy wave to the table, he leaves.
Ava’s gaping at me and Bek seems to be considering me.
“What?” I ask.
“You’ve been reading?” Ava asks.
I laugh. “I was just asked to write a book and that’s what you’re hung up on?”
She waves. “Oh, I was gonna get to that, but let’s take this one shocking revelation at a time.”
Bek nods. “Romantic comedies.”
Stunned, I gawk at her. “How did you know?”
“The movie we went to. You said something that seemed out of place then, but doesn’t seem out of place now.”
“That was months ago, Bek. How do you remember some random thing I said from that long back?”
“It wasn’t just the one thing. There have been several clues along the way.”
Ava gasps. “That conversation about tropes.”
Bek nods. “The volunteer gig with the…” she arches her brow, “library.”
Ava slams her palm against her forehead. “How did I not see this?”
I shake my head and look up to the ceiling. “Deliver me from overdramatization.”
“Why did you hide it?” Dylan asks.
