Present Perfect by Alison G. Bailey Read Free Book Online

him.”
    “I don’t have dibs on him.” Beth glanced over at me, annoyance written all over her face.
    “Good.”
    “What about me?” I asked.
    “What about you?” TI narrowed her eyes at me. A smug smile plastered across her face.
    “Maybe I have dibs on him.”
    “You just said you didn’t think of him that way. It wouldn’t matter even if you did.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked. She and Beth exchanged a knowing glance.
    “Noah’s pretty much out of your league, don’t you think?”
    “Brittani, don’t,” Beth begged.
    “She asked.” TI turned her attention back on me. “I don’t know you at all, but it’s pretty obvious there’s nothing much to you. You’re not ugly, but you’re not very attractive either. You really should try to fix yourself up.”
    “Brittani, stop it.” I could tell Beth was getting mad.
    “I’m doing her a favor. I mean, look at her- brown blah hair, pale skin, and her eyes are weird. They’re kind of freaking me out. Dull and boring. Maybe if she got some highlights and some sun that might help, but it’s only going to help her so much. It’s not a miracle worker.”
    She was talking about me like I wasn’t there.
    “On the hotness scale, Noah is a solid ten. He needs to hook up with at least an eight or nine, if not another ten. If I’m being honest, which I always am, you are barely a two, and that’s being generous.”
    “Alright, that’s enough. Come one Amanda, we need to get to English.”
    I watched as Beth and TI got up and grabbed their things. I just sat there, frozen. I knew I wasn’t anything special and not good enough for Noah. What shocked me was that a girl, who only met me ten minutes ago, knew it too. My eyes started to water .
    I would not cry in the middle of the cafeteria.
    I jumped up, quickly grabbed my things, and hurriedly walked out. I headed straight to the bathroom, getting there right before the tears started.

 
    When my mother gets an idea or thought in her head it’s there for life. It’s cemented in place, never to be removed. I’ve recently realized that I am one step closer to turning into my mother, because I couldn’t get the thoughts of dreamy light blue eyes, soft dark brown hair, and amazing muscular arms out of my head.
     

     
    Noah and I were at his house, hanging out in his room, listening to music. After the conversation with Beth and Brittani earlier today, it’s been hard to look directly at him without thinking about, and looking at his perfect ass. Thank god he was sitting at his desk right now, concealing that perfect ass. It was completely out of my field of vision. For added protection I opted to lie on my back on the bed. My feet rested on the headboard. My eyes aimed straight up at the ceiling.
    I heard the wheels of Noah’s chair roll in my direction across the hardwood floor. The noise stopped and the music got low. Shutting my eyes tight, I swallowed hard. My body heat shot up at the same time I felt tremors ripple through my stomach. My head began to spin.
    I continued tapping my foot in the air to the rhythm of the music, pretending that, that was my focus. Did he want to talk? Am I going to have to look into his dreamy light blue eyes and look at his perfect ass?
    Damn Beth and Brittani. I have got to get these thoughts out of my head. Focus, Amanda.
    Aunt Agnes in a bathing suit. Aunt Agnes in a bathing suit. Aunt Agnes in a bathing suit. Noah in a bathing suit that hung low on his hips, right above his perfect ass. Shit.
    I heard him clear his throat. “Tweet,” he said, the sound of his voice causing my pulse to rev up.
    “Yep.”
    “You know that girl who sat at lunch with us today, Brittani Monroe?”
    “Yep.”
    “What do you think about her?”
    “She’s a slut with a stripper name.”
    The sound of him chuckling made me smile. “Tell me how you really feel. Don’t hold back.”
    Lowering my legs, I swung them over the side of the bed, and faced him, trying