Tempest

Tempest by Julie Cross Page B

Book: Tempest by Julie Cross Read Free Book Online
Authors: Julie Cross
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asked Holly.
    “We just finished A Tale of Two Cities .”
    Aha, a door just swung open.
    Toby and Adam both groaned.
    “Couldn’t stand Dickens,” Adam said.
    David threw his cards into the pile. “Really? Mr. Perfect GPA? I’m surprised.”
    “Literature is very different from math and science,” Adam said.
    “So, you didn’t like it either?” I asked Holly.
    “I did, but I’m not having any luck writing the paper. I started, then I got stuck.”
    “All you need to say is, ‘ It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, ’ the end,” Toby said with a very bad British accent. “Who’s in this round?”
    “I got nothing,” Jana said, throwing down her cards.
    David did the same.
    “Toby, I’m starting to see why you have so much trouble with women,” Holly teased. “Obviously you can’t see the romance in a story like that. Unrequited love and personal sacrifice with nothing in return.”
    He turned his eyes on her. “You’re incredibly sexy when you speak ze language of literature.”
    Holly shook her head and looked at me. “See what I mean? He has no clue.”
    I threw another chip onto the pile. “Enlighten us, then, since you’re such a wise woman. Save some other poor girls from our unromantic ways.”
    She fumbled the cards in her hands and nearly dropped one. “Um … I’m probably not the best person to ask. Jana, what do you think?”
    Jana perked up in her chair. “Okay, I’ll take a stab. Well, Toby’s not sharing common interests. Maybe that’s the problem. Holly loves to read, so her future man should, too. Personally, I’m into punk and ska music, so I’m going to look for someone who shares my love of bands nobody’s heard of.”
    “All right, you haven’t tripped me up so far. That can’t be everything,” I said.
    “I couldn’t date a guy who didn’t at least appreciate sports. Gymnastics takes up more than half my life, so that’s a given.”
    “Well, what about Toby? He’s a gymnast.”
    Jana raised her eyebrows at me. “He’s also my cousin.”
    How did I not know that? “Okay, that won’t work.”
    “Ya think?” Toby said, shaking his head. “Come on, Holly, give us a little peek inside your head.”
    Yes, please do. The truth was … I didn’t know seventeen-year-old Holly very well at all.
    “I don’t know what I want. Maybe I’ll figure it out someday, but for now I’ll settle for school, work, and saving money for college,” Holly said.
    “Borrrrr-ing,” Jana sang.
    Holly threw a handful of popcorn across the table at her. “Fine, Jana, I want a guy who has read beyond the first few words of a Charles Dickens novel and can quote beautiful lines of prose while ballroom dancing to … hmm…”
    Jana rested her chin on her hands and sighed. “What about ‘Come Away with Me’ by Norah Jones? It would have to be a waltz.”
    “This is a dude, right?” David asked.
    Toby snorted back laughter. “You’ve got to be kidding, Flynn. You are the last girl who I’d guess would fall for that shit.”
    “It’s not shit if it’s genuine,” Jana said.
    “Exactly,” Holly answered. Then she tossed her cards down on the table. “Full house.”
    “Damn,” Adam muttered.
    Everyone folded and I turned my eyes on Jana. “Do you think she’s bluffing?”
    Jana looked bewildered. “Bluffing? She’s already shown her cards.”
    “No, I mean about the perfect guy. Mr. Shakespeare-quoting, tango-dancing lover.”
    Holly leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “Waltz, not tango, and I’m not bluffing. But he has to be straight.”
    “Yeah, have fun finding that guy,” David said.
    “Maybe he’s sitting right across from you,” I said.
    A flicker of nerves crossed her face, but she replaced it quickly with a confident smirk. “No way.”
    I grabbed the deck and started shuffling. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Besides, it’s not like I want such a high-maintenance girl.”
    “I am not high-maintenance.”
    David

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