Boy Shopping by Nia Stephens Read Free Book Online Page B

when they pulled up in front of her house. Every light was blazing—Kiki’s parents always waited up on school nights—but she couldn’t see her father’s silhouette projected on the curtains in his office or the living room.
    â€œWell, it’s been fun,” she said. She unbuckled her seatbelt with the speed of a slow-moving glacier, then fidgeted with the lock, giving Mark as much time as she possibly could.
    â€œUm, yeah.” He drummed the steering wheel with his left hand. “I’ve got a question.”
    â€œWhat?” Kiki was amazed that her voice didn’t break, but she thought she sounded pretty cool. Better than Mark, who was practically stuttering, staring out the window at her mailbox instead of at her.
    â€œI was wondering . . . is . . . uh . . . is Jasmine seeing anyone?”
    Kiki’s jaw dropped. If she’d been capable of thought, she would have been glad that Mark wasn’t looking at her, but her brain was frozen. After a pause that might have lasted forever, she said, very calmly, “No, she isn’t. Should I tell her to expect a call?”
    Mark slowly turned to look at her. His face was oddly still. “You don’t have to do that.”
    â€œI don’t mind.” She managed a smile, but she didn’t think it was very convincing, so she scrambled out of the car at top speed.
    â€œI’ll put in a good word for you,” she said, then slammed the car door hard enough to rattle every window. She raced up the walk and let herself into the house so fast that anyone watching her would have thought she was being chased. She ran upstairs to her bedroom and slammed that door too. Kicking off her shoes, she wriggled her cell phone out of her back pocket, then collapsed onto her bed.
    â€œHey, Sash,” she said as soon her call connected. Kiki’s heart was banging against her ribs arhythmically again. “I think I’m ready to try boy shopping.”
    Â 
    The next day after school, Camille, Jasmine, and Sasha went to Kiki’s house to go online and browse the available boys.
    â€œWhat are the ground rules?” Sasha asked, setting up Kiki’s account.
    â€œNo one younger than me.” Kiki was sprawled across her bed, trying to finish a physics problem set she had meant to do the night before, but after she’d got off the phone with Sasha she had cried in the shower for thirty minutes and gone to bed. Even now she wasn’t making a lot of progress. Any other day she would have just called Mark for help, but she had had a hard enough time dealing with him face-to-face all day at school. She would rather figure out the relative change in velocity of x on her own than talk to him again.
    â€œWell, obviously you don’t want to date a freshman,” Sasha said, “but would a sophomore be so bad? I’m putting sixteen and up.”
    Jasmine and Camille were squeezed into Kiki’s one armchair, supervising Sasha at the computer. “Young guys aren’t the scary part of online dating,” Jasmine commented.
    â€œOh my God, this questionnaire is endless ,” Camille said, amazed. “Kiki, what do you think are the three most important things you’re looking for in a guy?”
    â€œNot Mark, not Mark, and not Mark.” Kiki erased half of the equation she thought she had just solved, then started over.
    â€œYou sure about that?” Jasmine said doubtfully.
    â€œSure I’m sure. I’m one hundred percent over him,” Kiki lied. “Anyway, he wants to ask you out.”
    â€œI still think he was kidding,” Jasmine said, shaking her head wearily. “He knows I think he has the testicles of an earthworm.”
    Sasha rolled her eyes. “I think we can safely say that Mark isn’t looking for love online anyway,” she said, typing away.
    â€œWhat are you writing? I haven’t decided what’s most important yet.” Kiki put