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“What?” I asked with wide eyes. How could she not be happy about this? “At this rate, I’ll be done with it in no time.”
My happy announcement was interrupted by a group of boys rushing into the food court. They shoved each other and tossed a nerf football back and forth, their noise attracting everyone’s attention. One boy split away from the pack and headed our direction. He was tall, with dark brown hair and equally brown eyes. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his black leather jacket and when he made eye contact with Audrey, his face lit up with a brilliant smile.
“Just in time, Collin,” Audrey said, scooting over on her bench to make room for her boyfriend. “We need you to settle an argument.”
Collin slid in and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his nose into her neck. She giggled and squirmed, her face turning bright red. I couldn’t help but smile at their adorableness. Audrey and Collin both deserved to be happy.
“What argument am I settling?” he asked, sitting back to give Mandy and me a warm smile in greeting.
“Does a teenage guy usually offer to help a girl he barely knows, on a project that has nothing to do with him?”
He scrunched his nose up. “No.”
Mandy leaned across the table and pinned him with a stare. “Why in the world would a guy do that for a girl?”
I looked back and forth between them, wondering what they were up to.
“It’s pretty simple,” Collin said with a shrug. “He likes the girl. That’s the only reason I can think of.”
Mandy and Audrey both made loud noises of agreement as I shook my head. There was no way Mason liked me. We were like fire and water, so completely opposite that there was not a chance we could attract each other. Not really. The things I’d felt for Mason had been silly, surface-level things.
There was no way he preferred me over someone like Polly. She was amazing. The girl was a cheerleader, part-time ninja, and not to mention, incredibly gorgeous. Not to mention, they totally had that fated-to-be-together kind of vibe after meeting at cancer camp. Mason wouldn’t pass that up. Not when he could get her back, with my help.
“You guys are barking up the wrong tree,” I stated boldly, getting up from my seat to toss my empty Icee container.
“Is this about Mason?” Collin looked expectantly up at me. Apparently, Audrey had been sharing her theories with him. “He’s a descent dude. Keeps his teammates out of trouble. Not to mention, he’s awesome on the court.”
I laughed. As if his skills with a basketball were going to change anything. Even if he were the best point guard in the world, it wouldn’t matter.
“Believe me,” I said, glancing pointedly at my friends, “it’s not going to happen. He doesn’t like me like that.”
Audrey intertwined her fingers with Collin’s and leaned into his shoulder. “Whatever you say. But what about you? Do you like him like that? Be real.”
“Doesn’t even matter.” I lifted my chin, feeling a rare sense of stubbornness streak through me. “Now that he’s my research subject, it would be completely unethical to date him. That’s basically the first thing you learn in Research Methods 101.”
I didn’t miss Audrey and Mandy exchanging exasperated looks. Even though I knew they loved me and wanted the best for me, I was ready to put some
distance between myself and this conversation. If they had their way, we’d talk about this all night long. So before anyone could open their mouth, I made a quick beeline for the trashcan across the food court with my empty Icee cup in hand.
“Mason and me? Together?” I covered my mouth with my fingers, trapping in a giggle. Even saying the words aloud to myself, it sounded ridiculous. “We’re just friends. That’s all.”
The moment Mason had agreed to my project, any possible future my friends could imagine between us had gone up in smoke. Audrey and Mandy would just have to find something else to obsess about. If I wanted to ace this class, I had to abide by the rules of science.
And that meant, no flirting with the research subject.
Period.
Chapter Ten
One of the perks of being a perky person was my ability to pop out of bed early on a Saturday morning, ready to tackle the day. And since the school was closed, my statue unreachable until Monday, my research project was at the top of the list for the day.
Mason’s address wasn’t hard to find. The school sent out an address book every year with everyone’s contact information. I hopped in my old Cavalier and arrived on the doorstep to his tiny brick townhome on the north side of town at nine a.m. sharp, coffee and donuts in hand.
“Good morning, Mrs. Finnick,” I chirped as Mason’s mom answered the door, wearing her dark blue scrubs. “I’m Trina Frye. I have a class with your son. Is Mason home?”
“Trina?” She shielded her eyes from the brightness of the sun. “You’re the girl in his Research Methods class?”
I nodded. It warmed me to think that Mason had mentioned me to his mom. She was even prettier up close. Dark, thick, brown hair with a slight wave. Her skin was tanned, as if she’d spent a summer on the beach. Her blue eyes lit up with surprise as I handed her a cup of steaming hot coffee.
