How to Date a Nerd by Cassie Mae Read Free Book Online Page A

jeans when I hear Zak’s voice carry through the living room window.
    “I invited her.”
    “Why the hell would you do that?”
    Yikes! I haven’t heard someone use that type of tone when they were talking about me since… well, since Geek Zoe roamed the halls.
    Ariana’s a girl in our grade, way below the status of chess club player. She usually has lipstick on her teeth, and her blonde hair is rarely done in anything but a ragged ponytail. She’s got the most annoying laugh; it’s more of a hardy har har . Like she’s heckling you every time you say something funny. She’s got about a million zits on her nose alone, and right now, she’s ready to talk shit about me.
    I feel sick.
    “Because she’s into that stuff. She just played four hours of Lord of the Rings with me.”
    “Did she need something from you?”
    It’s quiet long enough for me to panic over what Zak’s face looks like. I’m almost willing to peek around the corner so I can see, but then I remember his blinds are shut.
    Zak mumbles something I don’t catch, and Ariana starts laughing.
    “Okay, okay. I’ll be nice. But if she does anything bitchy, I swear, I’m socking her in her overstuffed boob.”
    I wait for more conversation, more gossip really, but they start comparing notes on how difficult the different levels are on the game I just beat. I’m pretty sure Zak has taken out his notebook filled with all the theories we put in there about if Gimli had the speed of Legolas then his stats would be higher.
    If Ariana wasn’t in there—totally wrong in her theories, by the way—I’d be sitting next to Zak talking nerd. I guess she’s saving me from going full-out Geek Zoe.
    Still, I’m a wee bit jealous.
    Okay, a lot jealous.
    Before I can cause any more social damage, I sprint back home.

Chapter 6
    Why can’t my bad decisions only affect me?
    The cafeteria is like the houses in Harry Potter , I swear. Where you sit is uber important. Because I’m part of the popular group, we don’t have a designated spot. We pick and choose depending on the day and if we’ve decided to eat off campus or not. Everyone revolves around us.
    Except for one table.
    The Dungeons and Dragons table.
    Zak’s table.
    If this was middle school, it would be my table too.
    Lunch is split in two. I’m in the later lunch with a few of my friends, but Hope is in the earlier lunch. So I park my butt next to Keira for some girl talk before all the guys get here.
    “Where were you on Friday?” Keira gives me that you-totally-hooked-up-and-ditched-your-friends look. I take a deep breath and put on my fake smile. It’s like I have to triple act around her so she likes me. She’s a jealous one. Not saying I’m hotter or anything, but the boys tend to flock toward me and Hope more than her, and she seems a little bitter about it.
     “Got my butt grounded.” Excuse number two is what I decide to go with.
    “How’d you pull that one off?” Keira takes a sip of her diet soda and strokes the top of her cleavage with her fingertips. I think it’s out of habit now. A guy from third period walks by not even pretending he doesn’t notice her doing this.
    “Being a bitch to my nosey parents.” I roll my eyes to keep up with the act. My parents are anything but nosey, but according to Popular Zoe, parents are evil people who want to take control of every aspect of their child’s life.
    “That sucks.” Though she sounds like she doesn’t care. Her eyes flick toward Cody across the cafeteria and mine follow. He’s got his arm around his next victim and when he catches me staring, he rams his tongue in her mouth.
    “Sexy.” Keira laughs. “I take it you two aren’t… you two anymore?”
    I’m so not talking about the freaky attack with her. I mean, if I wouldn’t even tell Hope…
    “Well, it’s been a month.”
    “Oh wow. I didn’t realize you two had been together that long. You’re right. Time for fresh meat.”
    She gazes around the