Bri’s alphabetical order buddy!” Stephanie said as she spotted Adam, who again was doing his open-mouthed act. For just a second, Brianna felt like she could look through Adam’s eyes and into his brain, but his gross fantasies didn’t interest her.
“Good afternoon,” Adam said, bowing slightly.
“Hey, Adam, maybe you could do slope of a line with Stephanie while I do cosines over here,” Brianna suggested.
“Happy to help,” he said, obviously not quite able to keep his eyes away from Stephanie’s chest.
Stephanie pulled a chair up just a little too close to Adam. Why did she do stuff like this? It’s not like she was really trying to flirt with him—to say he wasn’t her type was like saying Brianna was occasionally a little bit under the weather—but it was like she just couldn’t help it.
“I mean,” Adam said, “I don’t think Kiki will mind. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her, right?”
“Who’s Kiki?” Stephanie asked. “Is she like your girlfriend?”
“Well, she
thinks
so,” Adam said, “But, you know, she’s gettin’ a little clingy. I’m thinkin’ I might have to cut her loose.”
Melissa and Brianna cracked up.
Ten minutes later, Stephanie and Melissa were ready to face their respective math challenges, and not long after that, Brianna felt like she knew enough about spreadsheets to help Dad put his together.
“Well, thanks,” Brianna said.
“Hey, any time,” Adam said. He did not add that this was the closest he’d ever gotten to girls this hot, but then again, he didn’t have to.
a chance in hell
Brianna had gotten the spreadsheet set up for Dad, but he still had questions, so over the next few weeks, Brianna kept having to ask Adam stuff. He was always nice about it and explained everything really clearly. “Maybe I’ll get myself a custom bike,” he said on Wednesday. “I’m learning a lot about the nuts and bolts of the business, so to speak, and I think the bike might really match my bad boy image. Not to mention the tattoo.”
“You have a tattoo?” Brianna asked flatly.
“Well, not yet. I’m still in talks with the artist. I can’t decide between a flaming skull on my chest or else just the permanent mascara so I can get that Captain Jack Sparrow look.”
Brianna thought it would take a lot more than eyeliner to get Adam to look like Johnny Depp, but she didn’t say anything.
On Thursday morning, Brianna bit Stephanie’s head off about nothing while they were having munchkins, and when Adam walked into homeroom she actually felt her fists clenching. “Ready for that MIT info session?” Adam asked.
No wonder she was so tense. She had forgotten about it, but obviously she’d remembered it on some level because it was making her grumpy.
“Yeah,” Brianna sighed. “I’ll be there.”
“Cool,” Adam said.
“Isn’t the session happening right when Kiki usually calls?”
Adam smiled. “Kiki’s so last week. Now I got Jessica Alba stalking me. I wouldn’t be surprised if she shows up just to keep an eye on me.”
“I don’t know, Adam, you and these possessive girls.”
“They know a good thing when they see it,” he said, and just for a second, Brianna thought she could see his smile turning into a grimace, as though the pain of all his dateless years was trying to leak out.
After school, Brianna hopped in the Sunfire and began the drive to Cambridge. It wasn’t until she got to the tollbooths at the end of the bridge that she realized she’d been too busy thinking about the info session to even think about driving off the edge.
She sat in traffic for what seemed like forever, and when she got to the campus, she drove around for fifteen minutes looking at the little map they’d sent her and trying to find a place to park. She seriously thought about bailing—between the traffic and the lack of parking in the whole godforsaken city of
“Good afternoon,” Adam said, bowing slightly.
“Hey, Adam, maybe you could do slope of a line with Stephanie while I do cosines over here,” Brianna suggested.
“Happy to help,” he said, obviously not quite able to keep his eyes away from Stephanie’s chest.
Stephanie pulled a chair up just a little too close to Adam. Why did she do stuff like this? It’s not like she was really trying to flirt with him—to say he wasn’t her type was like saying Brianna was occasionally a little bit under the weather—but it was like she just couldn’t help it.
“I mean,” Adam said, “I don’t think Kiki will mind. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her, right?”
“Who’s Kiki?” Stephanie asked. “Is she like your girlfriend?”
“Well, she
thinks
so,” Adam said, “But, you know, she’s gettin’ a little clingy. I’m thinkin’ I might have to cut her loose.”
Melissa and Brianna cracked up.
Ten minutes later, Stephanie and Melissa were ready to face their respective math challenges, and not long after that, Brianna felt like she knew enough about spreadsheets to help Dad put his together.
“Well, thanks,” Brianna said.
“Hey, any time,” Adam said. He did not add that this was the closest he’d ever gotten to girls this hot, but then again, he didn’t have to.
a chance in hell
Brianna had gotten the spreadsheet set up for Dad, but he still had questions, so over the next few weeks, Brianna kept having to ask Adam stuff. He was always nice about it and explained everything really clearly. “Maybe I’ll get myself a custom bike,” he said on Wednesday. “I’m learning a lot about the nuts and bolts of the business, so to speak, and I think the bike might really match my bad boy image. Not to mention the tattoo.”
“You have a tattoo?” Brianna asked flatly.
“Well, not yet. I’m still in talks with the artist. I can’t decide between a flaming skull on my chest or else just the permanent mascara so I can get that Captain Jack Sparrow look.”
Brianna thought it would take a lot more than eyeliner to get Adam to look like Johnny Depp, but she didn’t say anything.
On Thursday morning, Brianna bit Stephanie’s head off about nothing while they were having munchkins, and when Adam walked into homeroom she actually felt her fists clenching. “Ready for that MIT info session?” Adam asked.
No wonder she was so tense. She had forgotten about it, but obviously she’d remembered it on some level because it was making her grumpy.
“Yeah,” Brianna sighed. “I’ll be there.”
“Cool,” Adam said.
“Isn’t the session happening right when Kiki usually calls?”
Adam smiled. “Kiki’s so last week. Now I got Jessica Alba stalking me. I wouldn’t be surprised if she shows up just to keep an eye on me.”
“I don’t know, Adam, you and these possessive girls.”
“They know a good thing when they see it,” he said, and just for a second, Brianna thought she could see his smile turning into a grimace, as though the pain of all his dateless years was trying to leak out.
After school, Brianna hopped in the Sunfire and began the drive to Cambridge. It wasn’t until she got to the tollbooths at the end of the bridge that she realized she’d been too busy thinking about the info session to even think about driving off the edge.
She sat in traffic for what seemed like forever, and when she got to the campus, she drove around for fifteen minutes looking at the little map they’d sent her and trying to find a place to park. She seriously thought about bailing—between the traffic and the lack of parking in the whole godforsaken city of
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