God is in the Pancakes Read Online Free Page B

“Practice doesn’t start till tomorrow.”
    â€œEric, that’s awesome, congrats!” The moment calls for a hug, but Eric and I are not the hugging types. Instead I just give him an arm squeeze, and I feel a surprisingly firm muscle spontaneously flex under my fingers. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner, you jerk?”
    â€œJust wanted to maximize your suspense.”
    â€œNice work.” I shake my fist at him, but I’m the opposite of mad. This is huge and we both know it.
    â€œPleasure.” He smiles. “And okay, here’s something else that might be of interest you too.”
    â€œI won the lottery!”
    â€œIt’s not that interesting.”
    â€œI won the school raffle?”
    â€œCloser.”
    â€œDo not tell me that the creepy janitor has a crush on me,” I say, narrowing my eyes at him.
    Eric shakes his head, then leans in. “Four o’clock.”
    â€œFour o’clock?” I look at my watch. “What happened at four o’clock?”
    â€œNot that four o’clock.” He cocks his head back and to the side. “Just thought you’d be interested in seeing what’s going on at four o’clock from where we’re sitting. But don’t turn arou—”
    By the time he gives me the instruction not to look, my body has already boomeranged in such an incredibly unsubtle movement that my coffee cup skids and its contents again go sloshing over the lip, splashing the table.
    â€œSmooth,” Eric laughs as I stare at Natalie Talbot, the teen dream of Harriton High School, who is seated behind me to my left. Natalie’s in my art class at school, but she’s one of those people who seem to float above, possessing that combination of beauty and charm that bewitches both students and teachers alike. But right now Natalie’s leaning forward and talking rapidly to her equally hot boyfriend, Rich Wilder. Rich is the center of the soccer team, and the kid who will almost certainly be voted “Most Likely to Do Anything He Wants.” He’s leaning back in his chair, his legs stretched out underneath the table, his right forearm resting across the brim of his off-center baseball cap. Natalie looks upset. Rich looks like he’s asleep with his eyes open. It seems we’re witnessing the breakup of the century.
    â€œWow,” I say, “I didn’t think people in that crowd were allowed to look so unhappy in public places. They’re supposed to look beautiful, content, and above it all.”
    â€œLike beautiful people are contractually obligated to be perfect?” Eric takes the last piece of my RK treat.
    â€œPrecisely.” I nod. “And from personal experience I can tell you it’s a real grind. That’s why when it came time to renew my own Beautiful Person Contract with America, I walked away. Decided showing my flaws to the world was the better choice.”
    â€œGood call.”
    â€œHey, you were supposed to reply, ‘Flaws? But you don’t have any flaws, Grace!’”
    â€œDammit!” Eric says, smacking the table. “Guess that’s why I’ll never be perfect myself.”
    â€œThat’s okay, I like that you’re a screwup. Gives you character.”
    â€œYou know what else gives me character?” He smiles and cocks an eyebrow at me. “Being one of the only sophomore guys on the varsity basketball team.”
    â€œThat’s true,” I say. “Although part of me was hoping to see you shake your pom-poms on the cheerleading squad.”
    Eric picks up one of the gummi bears that had landed on the ground and then chucks it at me.
    â€œI probably deserved that.”
    â€œOh, you definitely deserved that,” he laughs. I smile at him as I watch Natalie and Rich get up and leave the coffee shop, the two of them looking a lot less perfectly happy together than the two of us.

Chapter Four
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