Page 19 of Mafiosa
‘Eh, because he’s hot, and I’m shallow?’
‘Really?’
‘No!’ She slapped my knee. ‘Not really! Because he can’t help what his parents named him. And he’s actually really kind and sweet, and yes heishot, plus he’s perfect for this current phase in my life.’
‘Which is?’
‘Which isthe phase of needing an escort for the Halloween Masquerade Ball so I don’t look like a huge loser in front of all my peers.’
‘Oh,’ I said, suddenly remembering the dance. ‘Then I guess this loser will be going all by herself then.’
‘Cris is on the football team.’
‘Oh,thatCrispin. Cris.’ The realization dawned on me. Tall, blond, ripped Crispin. ‘Heishot. Still, terrible name.’
Millie swirled her hand in the air. ‘He sits beside me in chemistry.’
‘How convenient…’
‘We’re lab partners… I let him cheat off me sometimes.’
I feigned a gasp. ‘Millicent!’
‘Look, science isn’t his strong suit,’ she said. ‘He is, however, a very accomplished baker. He makes a mean blueberry pie.’
‘Is this… is this a euphemism?’
‘I kid you not.’
‘Huh.’
‘Anyway,anyway, I was making a point here. If you want, I can get him to set you up with one of his friends and we can all ride in the limo together.’
‘Thelimo?’
‘Yes,’ Millie said. ‘The limo. So you can just go ahead and remove that negative attitude, wrap it up in a bow and hide it away for a rainy day, because you and I are arriving at the dance in a limo.’
‘Couldn’t I just walk alongside it…?’
Millie cut her eyes at me. ‘You’re going inside the limo or I’m strapping you to the top of it. Your decision.’
‘Fine. I suppose I’ll take the luxury.’
‘Do you want me to set you up with one of Cris’s friends or not?’
The mere idea of adding one more testosterone-fuelled boy to my life was about as appealing as sawing my little finger off. ‘Oh, no thank you, I’d rather die,’ I said politely.
Millie reacted like I had just violently yanked her ponytail. ‘Sophie! Come on. Let me actually help drag you back into the real world. This could be good for you. And it would definitely be good for me.’
‘A minute ago, you were pushing me and Luca together!’
‘That was a joke,’ said Millie. ‘Obviously I’d prefer you to be with someone who doesn’t kill people for a living.’
‘What about being by myself?’ I asked her. ‘I’m a pretty cool person. I could be in a very happy relationship with myself. I could also look into acquiring an aloof-yet-stylish cat.’
‘And that,’ said Millie, with a flurry of old-world drama in her voice, ‘is precisely the problem, my dear. Let me get involved.’
I turned my whole body towards her so she would know I was totally serious when I said, ‘Millie, do not under any circumstances meddle with my dating life.’
