Page 141 of How to Win the Girl

“They’re lucky they’re not sitting anywhere near us,” I grumble, irritated.

“Oh yeah? What would you do if they were?”

I shrug, popping kernels into my mouth. “Say somethin’.”

Daisy laughs. “Ooo, you’d say something. What a tough guy.”

“Teenage boys are morons,” I inform her.

“Wereyoua moron when you were younger?”

“Me?” I scoff. “Hellno.”

“Of course not.” She’s laughing, digging her fingers into the small box of chocolate Snowcaps she’s peeled the wrapper off as soon as we got here, holding it up and trying to peer inside. “I still can’t believe you ate most of these. When I offered you some, I didn’t mean ‘put the box to your mouth and dump half of them in.’”

“If I’d known you were gonna be mad about it, I wouldn’t have.” Which is a lie—I most certainly would have. I love chocolate but usually don’t buy it. I’ll steal a piece if I find it in Coach’s office or I’m at a friend’s house.

So her chocolate is a treat, and I’m not sorry I scarfed most of it down.

Barely tasted it, if I’m being honest, not that I’d admit that to her.

Better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.

Daisy lets the matter drop, searching for the button on our chairs that reclines the seat, moving it back so her feet lift higher.

I do the same.

On the screen, the zombie’s chasing some dude down the middle of a city street, bearing down on him. Three seconds later, the dude is on the ground getting his fucking neck gnawed off.

In the cupholder to my right, my phone lights up.

I glance at it.

Shannon.

Seriously?

She rarely texts me, and all of the damn sudden, she’s decided to come at me hard in an attempt to get me to take her out? I told her I was seeing someone, so this isn’t fucking cool.

We were fuck buddies. We were not and never will be dating.

Period.

End of story.

I ignore the message. Don’t even touch my phone, hoping it doesn’t light up again ’cause if Daisy sees it, she’s gonna feel a certain kind of way about it, and I’m not in the mood to get my ass chewed out for something I have no control over.

On second thought.

I do.

While the zombies on the screen chase their next victims, I swipe on Shannon’s profile in my phone. Scroll down, thumb hovering over BLOCK THIS CONTACT.

thirty-nine

daisy

Date Two

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