Are You Going to Kiss Me Now? by Sloane Tanen Read Free Book Online Page B

of the crowd impressive. He seemed older than eighteen. In a good way.
    “One statement,” he said. It was so quiet I could hear Chaz blowing smoke rings behind me. Cisco took a sip of his Red Bull and started talking.
    “For GLEA, girls’ education is a top priority. Our objective in taking this trip is to raise awareness for quality education for all children, and we believe that a focus on girls is the best way to reach that goal. It is also the key to reducing adult illiteracy in future generations. All children and young people have a right to literacy, and it is important that governments provide for children’s and young people’s literacy development in the context of supportive schooling. As public personalities, or ‘celebrities,’” he air quoted, “it’s our responsibility to bring attention to these issues and to use whatever influence we have toward the greater good.”
    I was kind of speechless. He was good. I’d always comforted myself that it didn’t matter that a guy like CP would never like me by telling myself that he was most assuredly a big swinging idiot. But he didn’t sound like an idiot. His speech was articulate without seeming practiced and sincere without seeming like a PR stunt. He was fantastic. He picked up his bag, and the guys started crowding him and shouting questions at him.
    “Is it true you and Georgina are over?” one guy shouted. I cringed. Poor Cisco. After his incredible speech, all the reporters wanted to know about was his supermodel girlfriend, Georgina Malubay. No wonder he hated the press so much. That said, I wanted to know if he was still with her too. I really did. She was one of those models it’s hard to hate because she seems so happy and grateful for her success. She was part Hawaiian and only sixteen, like me. And let’s just say that our ages, and maybe our height, were the only things we had in common. I knew it was hugely pathetic that I knew so much about him and his gigantic girlfriend. Cisco ignored the question, but his face looked pinched. And then there was an onslaught of lame questions that had nothing to do with Africa or literacy programs.
    “How does Georgina feel about Milan Amberson going on the tour with you?”
    “Are you concerned about Milan’s reported drug abuse and her latest DUI?”
    “Is Georgina concerned about you being in such close quarters with Eve Larkin?”
    I was reeling from the names Milan Amberson and Eve Larkin but cognizant enough to hear Cisco’s response.
    “Am I concerned?” he barked in the face of one camera guy who was standing too close for his own good. “Am I concerned? What I’m concerned about is that our polar ice caps are melting. What I’m concerned about is the continued violence in war-torn Afghanistan. What I’m concerned about is the fact that you’re poisoning the environment with your filthy cigarettes and that you’re wearing leather fucking shoes, man.” With this, Cisco yanked the cigarette out of one reporter’s slack-jawed mouth and poured his Red Bull all over another guy’s brown tassel loafers. He pushed the paps aside and made his way through the stunned crowd of reporters. Honestly, the moment trumped the classic scene in Good Will Hunting when Matt Damon asks his rival how he likes them apples. It was a movie moment, and, if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it. Maybe it was a little self-righteous, but trust me, it worked.
    Cisco walked by Chaz and me without a word. I was sure he wasn’t being rude. He was upset. I was flooded with maternal instincts I didn’t even know I possessed. Come lay your head upon my breast, Cisco, and together we can heal the world. Chaz looked at my lovelorn face and sneered.
    “Get it together, honey. It ain’t never gonna happen—especially with that hair.”
    How rude. I’d even had it professionally blown out. True, but so rude nonetheless. “I know,” I said. “I just, he’s just, he’s