can be beautiful, and I can finish this job.”
I hear a strange noise escape her mouth. If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was a sound of pain. “What if I don’t want to change?” she says in a small voice.
“Everyone wants to change.” I take the papers from her and unroll them on her nightstand. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to use a magical pen or something, so I just pull out the one I brought from Wink Hotel and hope it works. “Here. I got you a fancy pen and everything.”
Charlie’s face contorts into an unreadable expression. “You brought a pen?”
“Well, yeah.”
She takes it from me and rolls it between her fingers. “You were sure I was going to sign this, weren’t you?”
“No,” I say. “I just figured—”
“That I’d agree to anything you asked?”
Red Alert! Red Alert! Backpedal!
“Charlie, I’m doing this for your own good.”
“For my own good? Like, because I’m so pathetic?” Though she speaks in a soft voice, her words cut through me.
“That’s not what I meant. But…”
“But?”
I fumble with my belt buckle. “But you could look so different.”
“I want you to leave.”
“Charlie—”
“Leave!”
I stumble backward. Never could I have imagined Charlie yelling. It shakes me to my core. I reach toward her, but she steps back and squares her shoulders.
I tuck the contract back into my pocket and pause beside her window.
“I’m sorry, Charlie,” I whisper. I’m not sure she hears me, and I’m definitely not sure I mean it, but it feels like the right thing to say.
I climb down the trellis, slide into my car, and stare up at her room. For a moment there, I really thought it was going to happen. But I should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy.
As I drive back to the hotel, I realize just how bad I botched this. She knows who I am. She’s not going to sin if she thinks I work for Big Guy. And the contract is a no-go.
I may not be able to complete this job.
And now all I can think about are those damn consequences .
Chapter Sixteen
Angry Charlie
On Monday morning, I search everywhere for Charlie. I went by her house yesterday, but her grandmother said she was out.
My ass.
I catch up with her in first period biology. She sees me staring, I know she does, but she doesn’t acknowledge me.
“Hey, Charlie, you going to ignore me forever?” I ask from the desk next to hers.
She glares ahead at the whiteboard like I don’t even exist. This is something I never thought I’d experience, getting dissed by a girl like Charlie.
“I know you hear me. Will you just let me talk to you?”
Nothing.
“Look…” I glance around to see if anyone’s listening and lower my voice. “You know I didn’t mean anything by it. I think you’re great.” I can’t bring myself to say she’s beautiful as is. She’s not. “Come on, let’s ditch this class. I’ll take you—”
“Dante, you have something you’d like to share with the class?”
I scowl at Mr. Gordon. He has one eyebrow raised like this affects me. I shake my head and roll my wrist, motioning for him to go ahead.
“Glad I have your permission.” Mr. Gordon raises his arm to the whiteboard, and for the next sixty minutes, I alternate between watching Charlie ignore me and admiring Mr. Gordon’s yellow pit stains.
When the bell rings, I try to play it cool, like I’ve lost all interest in her. I know the drill, when girls get pissed, you gotta let ’em come to you. That’s why people compare chicks to felines.
Except my strategy fails. Charlie grabs her lime-green backpack and storms from the room before I get a chance to show her how much I don’t care. Instead, I find myself jogging to keep up with her.
“Charlie, wait.”
She keeps walking, pumping her short little legs to outpace mine. Seriously? I’ve got, like, a foot on this girl.
I grab her arm and pull her toward me. “Will you just stop? You’re acting like one of those girls.”
“You mean a
I hear a strange noise escape her mouth. If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was a sound of pain. “What if I don’t want to change?” she says in a small voice.
“Everyone wants to change.” I take the papers from her and unroll them on her nightstand. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to use a magical pen or something, so I just pull out the one I brought from Wink Hotel and hope it works. “Here. I got you a fancy pen and everything.”
Charlie’s face contorts into an unreadable expression. “You brought a pen?”
“Well, yeah.”
She takes it from me and rolls it between her fingers. “You were sure I was going to sign this, weren’t you?”
“No,” I say. “I just figured—”
“That I’d agree to anything you asked?”
Red Alert! Red Alert! Backpedal!
“Charlie, I’m doing this for your own good.”
“For my own good? Like, because I’m so pathetic?” Though she speaks in a soft voice, her words cut through me.
“That’s not what I meant. But…”
“But?”
I fumble with my belt buckle. “But you could look so different.”
“I want you to leave.”
“Charlie—”
“Leave!”
I stumble backward. Never could I have imagined Charlie yelling. It shakes me to my core. I reach toward her, but she steps back and squares her shoulders.
I tuck the contract back into my pocket and pause beside her window.
“I’m sorry, Charlie,” I whisper. I’m not sure she hears me, and I’m definitely not sure I mean it, but it feels like the right thing to say.
I climb down the trellis, slide into my car, and stare up at her room. For a moment there, I really thought it was going to happen. But I should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy.
As I drive back to the hotel, I realize just how bad I botched this. She knows who I am. She’s not going to sin if she thinks I work for Big Guy. And the contract is a no-go.
I may not be able to complete this job.
And now all I can think about are those damn consequences .
Chapter Sixteen
Angry Charlie
On Monday morning, I search everywhere for Charlie. I went by her house yesterday, but her grandmother said she was out.
My ass.
I catch up with her in first period biology. She sees me staring, I know she does, but she doesn’t acknowledge me.
“Hey, Charlie, you going to ignore me forever?” I ask from the desk next to hers.
She glares ahead at the whiteboard like I don’t even exist. This is something I never thought I’d experience, getting dissed by a girl like Charlie.
“I know you hear me. Will you just let me talk to you?”
Nothing.
“Look…” I glance around to see if anyone’s listening and lower my voice. “You know I didn’t mean anything by it. I think you’re great.” I can’t bring myself to say she’s beautiful as is. She’s not. “Come on, let’s ditch this class. I’ll take you—”
“Dante, you have something you’d like to share with the class?”
I scowl at Mr. Gordon. He has one eyebrow raised like this affects me. I shake my head and roll my wrist, motioning for him to go ahead.
“Glad I have your permission.” Mr. Gordon raises his arm to the whiteboard, and for the next sixty minutes, I alternate between watching Charlie ignore me and admiring Mr. Gordon’s yellow pit stains.
When the bell rings, I try to play it cool, like I’ve lost all interest in her. I know the drill, when girls get pissed, you gotta let ’em come to you. That’s why people compare chicks to felines.
Except my strategy fails. Charlie grabs her lime-green backpack and storms from the room before I get a chance to show her how much I don’t care. Instead, I find myself jogging to keep up with her.
“Charlie, wait.”
She keeps walking, pumping her short little legs to outpace mine. Seriously? I’ve got, like, a foot on this girl.
I grab her arm and pull her toward me. “Will you just stop? You’re acting like one of those girls.”
“You mean a
Similar Books
