Animate Me Read Online Free Page A

shirt that my Mom says matches my eyes. I even cleaned the dust off my Chucks before I left the house, all with the hope of impressing Brooke.
    This time her assistant rolls her eyes as I approach, but she doesn’t stop me from going right into Brooke’s office.
    “Special delivery!” I say cheerfully since she’s looking tense.
    Brooke glances up. “Oh, hey, thanks so much for the coffee. I can really use it. It’s been a crazy day, and I’m worn out. Please, at least let me pay for it.”
    “No” I insist, feigning offense at the suggestion. “I’ve been taking a class on chivalry, so this is coursework. You’re helping me out actually.”
    “Really? And where does one take such a course?”
    “Chivalry University. It’s up in the attic of this building. They do it for the artists because we are typically so bad at this stuff.” I’m impressed with the crap I can make up on the fly like this.
    “Really? What other classes are you taking up there?”
    “Conversation skills,” I offer, hoping she will never know exactly how much I could use such a class. “Here, can I practice with you? I’m trying to learn to talk to someone besides animators.”
    “Sure, I’ve got a minute. I’m all yours,” she says encouragingly.
    I think for a moment about how she talks to Nick, and I realize that she’s being gentle with me…as if I needed another reason to love her. My mind reels over the previous night’s list, but I’m flustered so I say the first thing that pops into my head.
    “What’s your favorite ride at Disneyland?”
    “Okay, that’s a little random, but let me see…I’d have to say Haunted Mansion. What’s yours?”
    “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride,” I reply without a pause. “The imagery and color is trippy…that ride always freaks me out. In a good way…I mean.”
    “Well, that’s an unusual choice.”
    “Yeah, I guess I’m not your typical kinda guy.”
    She smiles and tips her head, waiting to see if I’ll ask anything else.
    The next question slips out of my mouth before I can stop it. “So, is Arnauld really your boyfriend?”
    She looks slightly amused. “Well, have you been listening to the rumor mill or was that a question this University gave you as part of their coursework?”
    “Maybe a little of both, why?”
    “Just curious. Yes, Arnauld and I are involved. I must warn you: typically you would wait until we are closer friends before you ask those kinds of personal questions.”
    “Okay, that’s good to know,” I stammer, trying to recover from my faux pas.
Damn, and I was doing so well.
I mentally flog myself.
    She waits, sensing my anxiety and kindly tries to help me recover by teasing me to get the conversation going again. “So, since we are all over the place with the questions, do you also want to know what I had for breakfast, or the name of my childhood pet?”
    “My technique’s that bad, huh?” I smile, embarrassed. All I can hope for at this point is that she thinks my goofiness is charming.
    “Well, let’s just say you could use some tutoring in that class.”
    I shrug my shoulders and nod. “Thanks for letting me practice on you.”
    She leans in closer to me and gently squeezes my arm. “You know, you shouldn’t be nervous to talk to me. I’m not going to bite you. I’m just a girl—an ordinary girl who happens to love cartoons.”
    Does she have any idea what those words do to me?
There’s nothing ordinary about you, Brooke
.
    She smiles at me as she reaches for her pad and the coffee. “It’s been fun chatting, but I’ve got a pitch to go hear. Thanks again for the coffee.”
    “Sure, see you later,” I manage to say evenly before wandering out of her office. I start to panic on the way back to production so I stop in the bathroom to try to gather myself.
    Damn, why did I ask about Arnauld? What the hell is wrong with me? Why did I have to act like such a loser?
    As I splash water on my face and take several deep breaths, something