Virtually in Love by A. Destiny Read Free Book Online

poke in the arm, courtesy of Vanessa.
    â€œDid you hear that?” she whispered.
    â€œHear what?” I glared at her, rubbing the sore spot on my arm.
    She tilted her head toward the speaker. The secretary was still droning on. But I blinked as I heard her say the word dance.
    â€œWas that about the dance marathon?” I asked.
    â€œNo. There’s going to be a school dance,” Vanessa whispered, shooting a glance toward Mr. Ortiz to make sure he didn’t notice us talking. “In two weeks!”
    â€œReally?” That was huge news. Our school isn’t big on dances. Normally we have the prom for juniors and seniors, homecoming for everybody, and maybe one more dance around Valentine’s Day. So this was new.
    â€œA dance, huh?” Kaz whispered. “Great, I’ll be able to get myself all warmed up for it at the dance marathon!” He shimmied in his seat, his long arms and legs all going in different directions.
    Finally the announcements ended, which meant we were allowed to talk out loud again. Vanessa immediately spun to face me. “This is huge,” she said, her blue eyes glowing. “A dance! Fun, right?”
    I grinned. She’s such a romantic! She’s the one who always drags us to all the new chick flicks, even though Kaz and I prefer a good comedy or action movie. Or pretty much anything but a chick flick, for that matter.
    â€œTotally fun,” I agreed. “Not to mention potentially romantic.” I waggled my eyebrows at her. “We’ll have to get right to work landing you a hot date, hmm?”
    She looked alarmed. “Oh, I don’t know. I was thinking the three of us could all go together like we usually do.”
    â€œNot if we can hook you up with Mr. Right by then.” My smile faded as I realized something. “Too bad we won’t be able to double-date. Not with my own Mr. Right a zillion miles away.”
    Kaz rolled his eyes. “Yeah, bummer.”
    â€œIt is a bummer,” I said. “But I’ll just have to throw all my energy into living vicariously through Vanessa’s big romantic evening.”
    She giggled, her cheeks going pink. “Stop,” she said. “Still, it’s going to be fun, right? Too bad Trevor can’t come here for the big night, though.”
    â€œI know, right?” For half a second I allowed myself to daydream. But then I shook my head. “Maybe next year when he has his license . . .” My smile crept back, and as the bell rang I allowed myself to sink into another daydream. Okay, this one was set far in the future—a whole year away. But true romance was worth waiting for, right? That was what the song said, anyway.
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    That afternoon Vanessa’s mom picked us up from school and dropped all three of us at Kaz’s house. It was quiet and deserted when we walked in—his dad was at the office, as usual.
    â€œOkay.” Vanessa rubbed her hands together, surveying the spotless living room. “What should we do first?”
    I looked around too. The entire first floor of Kaz’s house has looked pretty much exactly the same for as long as I can remember. He told me once his mom had decorated it, and his dad didn’t want to change anything. At least that’s what his other relatives think. It should have been cozy, with lots of overstuffed furniture and a stack of magazines on the coffee table, but it always felt a little sterile to me. Maybe because that was all there was—furniture and magazines. No dog lying around on the rug. No family pictures on the walls or the big stone mantel. Not even a houseplant. The piano in the corner looked as if nobody ever touched it, even though I knew Kaz played it sometimes.
    â€œFirst of all, let’s liven up the place a little,” I suggested. “Otherwise, nobody’s going to know this is a party. Where’s the decoration