Girl Mans Up Read Online Free Page B

she says.
    â€œYou think it’s my job to get in my best friend’s way and mess up his game?”
    â€œMaybe,” she says, all weak. Then louder: “Yes, I do.”
    â€œWhy—because I’m a girl, too?” I scoff, because she wouldn’t be saying this stuff to me if I was a guy. She wouldn’t expect me to owe her anything. “I have my own stuff to worry about. And you just admitted you knew better, but you still went for it.” I’m looking at the top of her head. “I don’t even know you. I was just trying to be nice.”
    Her head whips up. “Nice? That was you being nice?”
    â€œIt was supposed to be.”
    No sign of Johnny yet. I sit cross-legged next to Olivia.
    â€œFine. Here’s some advice,” I start. “Stay away from him.”
    â€œYes, well,” she says, while rising and dusting off her butt, “it’s a little late for that. I already learned that lesson.” She stares at the street and her face goes sad. “I have to call a taxi.”
    â€œWhere are you going?”
    â€œI’ll figure it out.”
    Johnny’s truck rumbles as it pulls into the lot. I watch it for a second, then go back to watching Olivia dragging her feet, her shoulders hanging low. The truck stops by me and I hop in. Johnny stares at Olivia as we drive by her, then he goes, “Who’s that?”
    â€œJust some girl.”
    â€œNice.”
    â€œIt’s not like that. She’s one of Colby’s.”
    â€œWell, if you play your cards right,” he says with a wink, “maybe she can be one of yours.”
    â€œYeah, right.”
    I pull my phone out and text Colby: don’t think u’ll have 2 worry about Olivia anymore—took care of it

FOUR
    LATER ON THAT WEEK, ON SATURDAY NIGHT, I slide the basement door open and step into Colby’s room. I can tell something’s off. For one, he’s smoking weed right in his house, and the door’s only slid open by a crack. There’s music blaring, and there’s a mess of papers and clothes all over the floor like he got into some kind of fight with random stuff. Although it’s not like he has a pissy mom nagging him to clean his room all the time. His mom doesn’t even come down here, so what does it matter that his big basement room’s a mess.
    He spots me finally, rolls off his bed and goes for the stereo, turning down the volume.
    â€œYour parents are out?” I ask.
    â€œYeah. They had some concert in Toronto tonight, so they got a hotel room downtown,” he says. “Tristan’s on his way. Let’s go sit outside.”
    â€œAre you all right, dude?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œYou seem pissed or something.”
    â€œI’m fine. Just drop it, Pen.”
    He sweeps by me and goes out the way I came. I take another glance at his messy room, just in case I’ll find some clue for why he’s on edge, but there’s nothing. So I head out, too.
    If my parents had a balcony off the kitchen and they were standing on it, they could probably just see my head from Colby’s backyard. But we don’t have a balcony, and my parents are both asleep. My mom thinks I’m crashing downstairs with Johnny but I don’t even think he’s home yet. I haven’t heard his truck. He’s not answering my texts, so he must be with Jenna, this girl he’s sort of dating when they’re both in the mood.
    Tristan shows up with his bag clanging like there’s a Portuguese wedding reception dinner going on in there. He sets it down on the patio table where Colby and I are seated.
    â€œWhat’d you bring?” Colby asks.
    â€œCheck it out.” Tristan wags his eyebrows, digs into his backpack, and yells, “Whiskey!”
    â€œNice.”
    Tristan pulls out another skinnier bottle. It’s got some stuff that looks pink.
    Colby plucks the bottle from his hand. “What is