Page 103 of Popular Boys Don't Fall For Geeky Girls

“How are you? How was your day?”

He finally glances up at me, his eyes devoid of any emotion except for pain. “Colt, I’m busy.”

A part of me wants to leave, but I hold my ground. “My day was good,” I tell him as I sit down on the second desk chair. “Had a bio test that I aced.”

He blinks at me like he has no idea what’s going on.

I tell him more about my day, about my friends, and interesting things that happened at school. He continues to stare at me with hollow eyes.

I get to my feet. “Maybe we can eat dinner together and you can tell me about your day.”

He focuses back on his papers. “I’m not hungry. Order for yourself.”

I nod slowly. Then I give him a small smile and leave the office. I know I didn’t accomplish much, but I feel like I’m starting to break the wall he built around himself. I got his attention, and hopefully the more I talk to him, the more responsive he’ll be.

As I’m eating my Chinese food, I video call Willow. She answers with a sweet smile, her hair pulled into a high ponytail, with some loose strands hanging down her face.

“Hey. What are you up to?” I ask her.

“Is that Chinese food?” she says. “Yum. We had leftovers from the restaurant for dinner. Bigger yum.” She laughs, and it’s so cute it makes me smile. “My family and I just watched one of my dad’s old movies.” She bends close. “It’s my mom’s favorite, but she’d never admit it. They watched it together when they were in high school, and before my dad left her house, he told her he loved her in Korean. It was so romantic—” Her mouth snaps shut and her cheeks redden. “Why am I telling you this?”

I grin. “Because I’m easy to talk to?”

“You are. Guess that’s another thing we have in common.”

“Yeah. Your parents seem like they get along great. You’re lucky.” I hold up my hands. “And this isn’t me feeling sorry for myself. I’m very happy for you.”

She smiles again. “Thanks.

I bend close to my phone screen. “I talked to my dad tonight.”

“Really? How did it go?”

I puff up my cheeks. “He didn’t say much, which I expected. I told him about my day and tried to have a conversation with him. He was very surprised. But I’m taking it as a good sign. I used to be insecure when I tried to talk to him, but you’ve helped me realize that I need to push. I need to do my part, and if he doesn’t want me in his life, then there’s not much I can do.”

Her eyes soften. “Of course he wants you in his life. He loves you.”

I want to believe he does, it’s just hard when he treats me like I’m wallpaper.

“I don’t want him to down my mood,” I tell her. “I’m feeling good tonight.” And my night has just gotten better because I’m chatting with Willow.

We talk about different things, and when it’s starting to get late, I know I should end the call and get ready for bed. But I don’t want to. I can talk to her for hours, which is why I keep bringing up different discussions.

As we’re laughing about something funny WillowBot did a few weeks ago, footsteps sound in the distance. When I lift my head, I find Dad walking into the kitchen. I finished eating a while ago, but haven’t moved from the table.

When he sees me, he nods and continues to the fridge. My heart lifts a little because he actually acknowledged my existence.

“Hey, Dad,” I say. “If you want food, I put the leftovers in there.”

“Thanks, but I’m not hungry.” He turns to face me. “Who are you talking to?”

“My friend Willow.” I face my phone to him. Willow waves at him with a kind smile.

Dad looks at me. “Is she the girl who was over here the other night?”

“Yeah.”

He doesn’t say anything as he grabs a drink from the fridge and walks out of the kitchen. My shoulders fall forward. At least he spoke more than a few words.

---