Page 48 of True to You

“Or maybe something more?” He gives me a lopsided grin.

“Carter.” I press my lips together.

“Wait, you like Isabel Jacobs?” Emma looks up at me.

I give her a side look before looking away. “Maybe.”

“Then why would you let them put her on the list?”

“As I said, I didn’t want to get into it with them. I’d already gone to bat for Micah, and if I fought to get Izzy off the list, then they’d want to know why. Yvette’s already hounding me, wanting me as her date. If she even suspected I liked her, she’d make this joke vote so much worse.”

“Whoa, back up a second.” Jen waves her hand. “You went to bat for Micah? What does that mean?”

Shit. I wrinkle my nose, looking at all three of them. Sinking my teeth into my top lip, I know I have to explain now. “Micah was the first guy named to be the joke vote.”

“What?” Emma scoffs.

“Okay.” I hold up my hands, defensively. “Look, Oscar heard some stuff, and I know it’s not true, but—”

“What stuff?” Jen asks.

Tilting my head back, I let out a long sigh. “Remember how I asked you if he was gay last week? Well, rumor has it Micah got dumped by Lana because he’s gay.”

“First of all, that’s completely false.” Emma crosses her arms. “And secondly, who cares if he’s gay or not. How in the hell does that make him a joke vote candidate?”

Her scowling look shoots right through me, and I know she’s seriously pissed off.

“Emma, I didn’t nominate him. And I kind of had the same argument. I even brought up the last two prom courts, where we actually had seniors on there that weren’t the joke votes and were gay. But Oscar is an asshat.”

“That sucks.” Jen shoots me a dirty look, before looking over at Emma. “Em, we need to get him a date stat.”

“He doesn’t want to date anyone. I don’t even think he’s going to prom.”

“What?” Jen frowns. “That’s horrible. God, I’m so glad I don’t have any classes with Lana. I’d strangle her. Or gouge her eyes out with pencils. Micah’s the sweetest, and he really loved her.”

“Yeah.” Emma nods with an absent stare. “She hasn’t said a word to me since it happened. She’s completely ignored me in the class we have.”

“Bitch.”

Emma and Jen commiserate with each other. Carter looks over at me, unsure what to do or say and I haven’t the faintest idea either. We sit there for a minute, silence brewing among us until Carter finally breaks the silence.

“All right then, Matt. Back to the news of the day.”

“Oh, God.” I drop my head.

“I knew you were into her. When was it, after you came back from New York? I saw you go over and talk to her.”

Yeah. New York. Right after the comic convention that I went to and cosplayed as Iron Man. Something none of my friends know about. How the hell am I going to spin this?

“I’ve seen some of her videos,” Emma says as she opens a bag of chips. “She’s cute, Matt.”

“Yeah.” I nod.

“So, what’s the issue then?” Jen asks.

Letting out another sigh, I look at Jen and Emma. They’re friends, albeit new friends, so I shouldn’t feel uncomfortable at least saying something. But what can I say? Yeah, she likes me, guys, but only if I’m comfortable being the mega nerd I am around everyone else that she knows I am. Yeah, that wouldn’t go over too great. Or would it? I look over at Carter, as he waits for my explanation. I only have one way out of this.

“She’s not into me.”

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