Page 143 of Popular Boys Don't Fall For Geeky Girls

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Sneak peek to Evie and Noah’s book, coming soon!

Chapter One

Evie

The last person I expect to get a text from this early in the morning ishim.

My unofficial nemesis.

Noah: Car broke down. Can I please catch a ride to school with you?

I grit my teeth as I dip my paintbrush into the magenta paint and apply a stroke to my canvas. Sure, he can be civil when he wants to be. Or when heneedsme. Which is like never. So he must be pretty desperate.

This individual I’m talking about? Noah Barrington. He’s the son of my parents’ best friends, so we basically grew up together. No, that doesn’t mean we’re best friends. Or friends at all. We never were. We’re just too different. Every time I’m in the same vicinity as him, I want to pull all my hair out. And I’ve got beautiful dark hair, so that says a lot.

But as much as he annoys me, I’m not one to leave a guy hanging. So I reach for my phone and tap a response, magenta paint staining my phone and adding to the layers of previous paint that have stained it.

Evie: The Evie Mobile is open to all.

Noah: Did you just name your car this second?

Evie: Been thinking about it for a while. Perfect, huh?

He doesn’t respond. I roll my eyes and set my phone aside, continuing to work on my painting. It’s for my college portfolio. I got accepted into a pretty good art college, and I’ve been spending every second of my free time down here in my studio in the basement, working on my portfolio. I’ll be graduating Edenbury High in two months, and honestly? I don’t think I’m good enough to go to that school. Which is why I’ll spend every second of my time getting better.

I have no idea how much time passes before Mom yells, “Evie?!”

From her tone, it’s obvious she’s been calling me for a while. When I blink and glance toward the stairs, I find her rushing down.

“Evie?” she says, exasperated. “You’re still down here? You’ll be late for school.”

I wave my hand that’s holding my paintbrush, accidentally sprinkling paint on the floor. “It’s okay. I have time.”

“No, you don’t. Your brother and sister have already left with their friends and I was just about to head out.” Her eyes widen when they settle on my face and clothes. “Look at you! You’re a mess. Evie, we talked about this many times. You can’t let your art take over your life. You need to go to school.” She glances at her phone for the time and groans. “I really wanted to get to school a little early to meet with VP Rivera.” Her eyes flick back to me. “Will you get there in time or do I need to be a police over you?”

With a reluctant sigh, I put down my paintbrush. “No, I’ll be there in time. Don’t worry.”

She keeps her eyes on me for a little bit, like she’s contemplating whether she can trust me. But she probably figures this is wasting too much time because she nods and practically flies up the stairs.

Mom, Ally Hastings, is an English teacher at Edenbury High. She’s been working there forever. It’s her dream job because she loves books—well, all of us Hastings love books. It’s ingrained in our DNA. But my mom and younger sister, Lily, are obsessed with romance, and Lily’s twin, Liam, enjoys all different genres. Me? I’m a fantasy reader.

I run up from the basement all the way to the second floor and burst into my room, glancing at my reflection. The paint on my face isn’t so bad—I don’t know what Mom was freaking out about. My shirt is pretty stained, but it’s not too terrible. I have no time or patience to change. My jeans are pretty stain-free, though.

After quickly running a brush through my hair, I grab my backpack and sprint downstairs. The house is empty because everyone already left, including Dad. He’s a social worker and helps foster kids find good homes. When he was a teenager, he lived in pretty bad foster homes. Mom’s dad—also a social worker—helped him and his younger brother, Uncle Zane, find a home together. Dad has dedicated his life to providing the best homes for kids in the system.

I don’t tell this to my parents often because I’m not the mushy type, but I’m so proud to have Zack Hastings for a dad. And my mom, too. They had a pretty epic romance story which makes even people like me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

My stomach growls. Great, I forgot to eat. I grab a granola bar and rush to the front door, ready to throw myself into my car and hightail it to school and make it there with five seconds to spare, when I remember I left my phone in the basement. Ugh, I’m tempted to leave it there. But like any kid my age, my phone is a necessity.

I race down to my “lair,” as Sibling One and Sibling Two like to refer to it, and sweep my phone off the table. That’s when I notice I have quite a few texts.

Noah: Are you here yet?

Noah: We have to be in school in twenty minutes. You plan on showing up?

Noah: Evie, where are you?

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