First Time Read Online Free

“Wouldn’t have given you the Kleenex he blew his nose on. Number one, he was the top scorer on the basketball team. The team that finally pulled itself together and actually made it to the B.C. championships. Number two, I don’t know if you remember correctly, but he was still working his way through the female population of the senior class. Every once in a while he would indulge in an eleventh-grade girl, but he never got around to tenth.”
    “How do you know?”
    “Come on, Lynn. Look in last year’s yearbook. There’s only a million pictures of him strutting around the school, his arm flung around a multitude of girls. And last but not least, we get to number three. The salient fact that, last year, you were not quite the girl that you are today.”
    “What do you mean?” Lynn asks angrily.
    I know I’m being smug, but I can’t help it. I figured this whole thing out last night. Funny the things that fall into place when you can’t sleep. “Let’s just say you’ve gone up a few bra sizes and you’ve lost the braces, not to mention you are the brand- new owner of a pretty nice car.”
    “Chad’s not like that! He doesn’t like me because of that. You’re just jealous because he likes me better than you.”
    “I don’t care whether Chad likes me or not. It’s you that I’m worried about.” But even as I say these words, I wonder if they’re true. Why am I pissing on her parade?

Chapter Nine
    I call Lynn as soon as I get home. “I’m sorry,” I say. “I don’t know what got into me. I know how much you wanted to see him again.”
    “It’s okay,” Lynn says.
    “Oh good.”
    “But he does like me for me you know.” Her words are sure, but I can hear the doubt in her voice, and I feel bad because I was the one who put it there.
    “I’m sure he does,” I say. “I was just mad because you ditched me after school.”
    “But it was Chad!”
    “I know it was Chad. I understand. It felt a little funny is all, watching you drive off with him when we were planning to do something.”
    “But we were planning to try and find Chad. What would be the point of trying to track him down when...”
    I finish the sentence for her. “He was standing right beside your car. I understand. It’s just I felt like I suddenly became invisible or something. Like I didn’t matter.”
    “You matter,” Lynn says. “You’re my best friend.”
    “Okay,” I say, smiling into the phone. I’m relieved that we’re having this conversation and sorting things out. “You want to do something?”
    “Of course,” Lynn says. “It’s Friday night, isn’t it? Shall we go to the rink?”
    “Sounds good. I’ll meet you out front, six forty-five.”
    “No, I’ll pick you up.” Lynn’s laughing.
    I start laughing too. “Oh yeah, I forgot, you’ve got a car! That’s so cool.”
    We get off the phone and I go upstairs to figure out what to wear. My outfit comes together pretty easily, quicker than I’d thought. Which is kind of nice for a change. I’ve got music playing, good and loud, plenty of time for my makeup.
    On my way to the bathroom, my foot bangs into my old Christmas stocking, which is still half-stuffed with things I haven’t gotten around to using yet. But instead of a bar of lavender soap or a still-wrapped toothbrush, a tube of glittery body lotion shoots out.
    I’m kind of surprised. I don’t remember seeing that when I opened my stocking. It seems like a sign or something, so I open it up and rub a little bit on my arms and on the exposed part of my chest. It smells pretty. Looks nice too. Gives me a little bit of shimmer and shine. It’ll look good at the rink under those fancy lights theyhave going for Teen Skate. I especially like how the Couples Only skate portion looks. Not only do they have the special lights on, but they dim all the lights as well. It’s really romantic.
    Just thinking about it makes my belly race slightly. Maybe a cute guy will ask me to skate. “You