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Read Like This And Like That Online

Authors: Nia Stephens

BOOK: Like This And Like That
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“True,” Gemma conceded. “But there's something about his profile that makes me feel like he's working too hard.”
“What's wrong with trying to impress the ladies with how well he's going to treat them?” Maria argued. “Still, he could be a total bow-wow. No picture, not even a hint about who he resembles.”
“Though you did say I have to stop being swayed by the guy's looks,” Gemma pointed out.
“Dan didn't give you much to go on there, either,” Maria said. “There's a reason Picasso didn't get hired to do passport pictures. The subjects don't look anything like their portraits!”
“It might be nice to be with a guy who is into art. He doesn't come across like a thug wannabe,” Gemma mused. “But how do I act around a guy like that?”
“Confident,” Maria said. “It says so right in his profile.”
“How do I act confident with a guy who has such different interests?” Gemma worried.
Maria shrugged. “So then what about Ethan? You'd know exactly how to work that scene.”
“Maybe too well.” Gemma sighed. “Might be a matter of been there, done that. He might turn out to be another Nick Simmons.”
“But he is sooooooooo hot,” Maria said.
“Quit drooling,” Gemma said, laughing. “I'm not denying his utter, complete hotness. But you know how I feel about basketball players—they're all high on themselves. And what if it doesn't work out? We go to the same school. It could get awkward. And he did go out with Angela Rattner.”
“Oooh, you're right,” Maria said. “That doesn't speak so well of him.”
“Though it's possible they did break up,” Gemma said. “Maybe he came to his senses. Unless,” she added, “Angela dumped him.”
“So what about the surfer dude?” Maria suggested. “He doesn't go to J. Marshall, he hasn't dated anyone you know, he has a killer bod, is really athletic and is totally cute.”
“And we may have absolutely nothing in common,” Gemma said. “I've never gone out with a white guy.”
Maria raised an eyebrow. “You said you wanted someone different from the guys you've dated before.”
“True. But is Christopher too different?”
Maria grinned. “Only one way to find out!”
“This is hard,” Gemma complained. “They all have good points but they also all have strikes against them.”
“Gee. You mean like all people?” Maria said. “Nobody's one hundred percent perfect. Come on, make a decision and let's get this party started.”
 
IF GEMMA PICKS DREW THE GENTLEMAN,
read on.
IF GEMMA CHOOSES ARTSY DAN,
turn to page 83.
IF GEMMA DECIDES ON ATHLETIC ETHAN,
go to page 135.
IF GEMMA PICKS CHRISTOPHER, THE SURFER DUDE,
skip to page 193.
Chapter 4
The Gentleman Gangsta
“T
he poem is pretty romantic,” Gemma admitted. Definitely a creative approach,” Maria concurred. “A little mysterious.”
“But what about the lack of a picture?” Gemma wondered.
“You never know,” Maria told her. “This guy could look like the next top model.”
“Or he could look like Dave Chappelle on crack,” Gemma joked.
“Dave Chappelle looks like Dave Chappelle on crack,” Maria commented. “But don't forget, Drew sounds like he's looking for a sweet chica to spoil.”
Gemma sighed. “It would be nice to find a guy who actually knew how to treat a girl like a lady. Okay, Drew it is!”
Maria and Gemma spent the next half hour coming up with the perfect IM. She didn't want to sound too eager, but she didn't want to sound like she didn't care if he replied.
Cuteygirl writes: Hi Drew. Saw u on the site. Wanna c me 2? I've given u permission 2 read my profile.
It only took Drew a few minutes to respond.
DrewG writes: Greetings! Thank U 4 inviting me 2 view yr profile. U r beautiful.
Gemma smiled.
Cuteygirl writes: TU
Drew asked all about her and what she liked. Not once did he go on and on about himself. That was a definite change from what she was used to. Then she remembered to ask
him
a question.
Cuteygirl writes: What made u decide 2 sign up 4 this website?
No response.
Still no response.
“Do you think I scared him off with that question?” Gemma worried.
Maria shrugged. “Could be he's embarrassed about it. But that would make him a total wimp. And it would be kind of insulting,” she added, “since you're on it too!”
“I didn't think of that,” Gemma exclaimed. “Does this make me a loser?”
“Not at all!” Maria insisted. “It makes you a go-getting female, totally empowered and unafraid to go after what she wants.”
“Maybe ...” Gemma waited another full minute. “Forget this,” she said. She slid the cursor to the
log out
button.
A message popped up.
DrewG writes: Sorry, had 2 let the dog out. 2 answer ur ? my boy said I was moping around too much—lol. Just broke up a few weeks ago.
Gemma looked over her shoulder at Maria. “He just broke up. Is this going to be a whiner?”
Maria clapped her hands. “No, that's good news. That means there's at least one girl out there who finds him attractive.”
“Found,” Gemma corrected. “They broke up, remember?”
“Maybe he broke up with
her
.”
“That makes no sense. Then why would he be moping around?”
“We can analyze this all day long or you can IM him back and set up a date,” Maria said.
Gemma turned her attention back to the computer screen.
Cuteygirl writes: My friend told me 2 sign up 2.
There was another lapse in IMs until finally his message popped up.
DrewG writes: Glad u did.
LeBron jumped up onto Gemma's lap. He circled around a few times, getting in the way of Gemma's computer.
“LeBron, pick a spot,” she said. “I can't see the screen!”
“Oooh, you just wanna keep looking at his little smiley face,” Maria teased. “Do you think
that's
what he looks like?” She reached over LeBron's tail and tapped the emoticon with her newly painted fingertip.
“Well, it would be better than Nick's perpetual sneer,” Gemma replied.
LeBron finally curled himself into a ball. Gemma reread all of the IMs and smiled.
This could be exactly what I've been looking for
, she thought happily.
 
“Have you heard from Mr. Wonderful today?” Maria asked a few days later as they walked down the hall to calculus class.
Gemma grinned. “Only about ten texts already.” She waggled her Sidekick under Maria's nose.
“Oooh, girl, lemme see!” Maria reached for Gemma's Sidekick, but Gemma held it easily out of her reach.
Maria crossed her arms over her ample chest and pouted. “No fair using your height to my disadvantage.”
Before Gemma could respond, Taylor Collins, the six-foot center of their basketball team, walked up. Taylor was the only player in the county with a better record than Gemma's. Like Gemma she had been accepted to USC on a full scholarship. “Good game the other night,” Taylor said. “Give me a call if you ever want to practice at the Y sometime.”
Gemma nodded. “Thanks. I will.” After Taylor disappeared down the hall, Gemma turned back to her friend. “
She's
the one with the height,” she told Maria. “And she always uses it to my disadvantage.” Although Taylor and Gemma were on the same team, they could get competitive when they weren't playing against another school. With their well-matched skills, they kept each other on their toes.
“So you know my pain,” Maria said with a laugh. “Now let me see your love notes!”
“Okay, check these out.” She handed Maria her Sidekick. For the last few days, Drew had been texting and IMing her short messages like,
just thinking about u
and
wish u were here
. He sent her longer e-mails at home.
“That's cute, right?” Gemma asked, beaming.
“That's adorable,” Maria confirmed. “But when are you two going to actually have a face-to-face?”
Gemma shrugged. She wondered that herself. Between the lack of a photo and the lack of a date, Gemma couldn't help thinking that maybe Drew was hiding something. Or wasn't as into her as his messages implied. It didn't make sense.
After a stop at Maria's locker, they headed to Gemma's. As they rounded a corner they spotted Nick with a few of his teammates, throwing a football back and forth. “Oh great,” Gemma mumbled.
“Pay that idiot no mind,” Maria said.
As Gemma fumbled with her locker, one of the guys threw the football in her direction. It bounced once and landed at her feet. Nick ran up to retrieve it.
“How ya doin'?” he asked.
Gemma sighed and said, “Fine, Nick. You?” She decided to take the high road on this one.
“Cool,” Nick said and shrugged.
Gemma should have been furious with him because of that party fiasco. In fact, she should send him a bill for one ripped T-shirt. Instead she decided to just let it go. After all, she had Nick to thank for sending her to the website where she'd found Drew.
Just then a guy in a brown uniform, carrying a huge bouquet of roses in a glass vase, rounded the corner. He stopped and stared down at the piece of paper in one of his hands.
“Can you tell me where the office is?” he asked Nick. “I'm supposed to deliver these to someone named Gemma Williams, and I think the office is the only way—”
“I'm Gemma Williams,” Gemma interrupted, confused. She stepped forward.
The guy handed her the bouquet. “Then these are for you.”
“Wow, they're gorgeous!” Maria exclaimed.
“They are beautiful,” her locker neighbor, Cindy Schull, said. “Now there's a guy who knows how to treat a girl right.”
As Gemma and other girls in the area gushed over her roses, Nick slumped back to his buds.
“Who are they from?” Laura Keener asked, joining the circle of girls admiring the flowers.
“I'm pretty sure I know,” Gemma said, unable to stop her grin. She reached into the flower arrangement and pulled out the card. “They're from Drew.”
“This guy has perfect timing,” Maria said, winking.
Gemma glanced over at Nick, and had to admit she was enjoying the peeved expression on his face.
“What does the card say?” Maria asked.
“ 'Just a little something to brighten your day',” she read aloud. “‘I would love to go out with you tonight if you are free. Sincerely, Drew.' ”
Gemma gazed around the circle of envious girls and noticed Maria furiously texting something on Gemma's Sidekick.
“Hey!” Gemma exclaimed. “What are you doing?”
“Texting Drew a big fat yes,” Maria said, handing back the Sidekick.
“How do you know I was going to say yes?” Gemma demanded.
“Girl, please. If you didn't say yes after all this, I would kick your ass myself.”
The crowd of girls around her buzzed with excitement. Gemma felt like a princess with all her royal subjects standing around trying to figure out who this guy was and how she became so lucky.
“Girl,” Maria said, handing the Sidekick back to Gemma, “You're finally going to meet your Prince Charming.”
The bell rang and the girls scattered. Gemma carefully placed the vase into her locker and gently closed it.
“It's about time he asked you,” Maria said. “I was beginning to think Drew was just a figment of our imaginations.”
“I know,” Gemma said as they hurried to class. “Do you think I should have told him I was busy tonight though? Isn't it kind of last minute?”
“Maybe ...” Maria said, considering. “But the flowers go a long way in making up for any dating faux pas.” She squeezed Gemma's arm. “So what are we, I mean
you
, going to wear?”
Gemma's heart began to beat faster and harder. It was happening. She was going to meet Drew, and a lot sooner than she had expected. That was good, she reminded herself. Ever since texting him that very first time, she couldn't wait to put a face to all those sweet messages.
“You
are
excited, right?” Maria asked, misreading her friend's silence for hesitation.
“I
am
,” Gemma replied. “Really.” Maria's question about her outfit sent Gemma into a panic. What
was
she going to wear? And what about her hair? She wanted to look perfect for tonight.
As if reading her mind, Maria said, “I'll come over after school and we'll decide what you should wear.”
Gemma gave her friend a quick hug. “What would I do without you?”
“My thoughts exactly!”
 
“Word around school is that you're dating a dude who likes to send flowers,” Seth said to Gemma when she arrived in her bio class.
“Really?” Gemma asked.
Good news travels fast,
she thought.
Or maybe just gossip.
“Well, for once the rumors are true.”
“That's great,” Seth said. “Just last week you sounded as if there were no good guys around, and now you seem like you're floating on air.”
“Do I?”
“So who's your mystery man?” he asked.
Gemma pretended to be looking for something in her backpack. “Um,” she mumbled into her pack. “His name is Drew.”
“You okay down there?”
Gemma sat back up, giving herself a head rush. “Sure, fine.”
Seth looked at her quizzically, his pale eyebrows coming together.
“To tell you the truth, I am a little nervous,” she confessed.
“About what?”
She didn't want to admit that she had never actually met Drew—or even seen him. Instead she said, “I'm not sure what to wear.” As soon as the words escaped her lips, she cringed. Like guys cared about things like that.

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