Read Online Big Guy by Robin Stevenson - Free Book Online

this.”
    I shake my head. “Nah. It’s just not that hard to make you look fabulous.”
    â€œSo.” She catches her lip between her teeth.
    â€œSo.” I know it’s none of my business but I ask anyway. “Do you think you’ll say yes? You know, move in with him?”
    Her eyes meet mine in the mirror. “I think I might.”
    I feel like giving her a hug, but she’s not the huggy type. I touch her shoulder lightly, just for a second. “You’re brave, Aaliyah.”
    She nods. “What about you? What are you going to do about that boyfriend of yours?”
    I feel a weight settle inside me. “It might be too late,” I say slowly. “It might be too late to change my mind.”
    She nods. “Mmm. And it might not.”

Chapter Fifteen
    Back at Gabi’s, I stare at myself in the bathroom mirror. I splash cold water on my face, shave carefully, brush my teeth. I comb my hair and wish I’d had it cut more recently.
    There is a soft knock on the door. “You’re taking forever,” Gabi hisses impatiently. “Come on.”
    I give my reflection one last look.
Okay
, I tell myself.
This is it. This is me. This is as good as it gets
. Then I follow Gabi down the hallway to her bedroom.
    â€œStand by the door,” Gabi says.
    I lean against the wall and try to look relaxed while Gabi adjusts the settings on her digital camera.
    â€œMaybe I should check my e-mail first,” I say. “What if he got my e-mail and hates me? What if there’s a message from him saying he never wants to hear from me again?”
    Gabi shrugs. “What if there is? Would you just leave it at that?”
    I shake my head slowly. “I’d still owe him the truth.”
    â€œWell then.” She lines up the camera. “Smile.”
    I do my best to stretch my mouth in an imitation of a smile and she clicks. The flash makes me blink.
    Gabi looks at the picture. “Well, it’s not your best picture ever.”
    I look at it anxiously. My eyes are half closed and the flash makes me look like a ghost.
    â€œMaybe we should wait until the morning,” Gabi says. “Flash pictures always look bad.”
    â€œJust take another,” I say. “I’m not waiting until morning.”
    Gabi grins at me and lifts the camera again. “Okay. Try not to look like you’re in front of a firing squad.”
    I lean back against the wall again. Tomorrow I’ll quit the job. Then I’ll go to visit Aaliyah, I think. Just as a friend, to find out how her dinner went. And I have to tell her about this. For some reason, the thought makes me smile.
    The flash goes off.
    â€œGot it!” Gabi says. She is studying the picture. “This looks more like you, Derek. See?”
    I look at my own face in miniature on the tiny screen. “It’ll do.”
    Gabi sits down at her computer, plugs in her camera and downloads the picture.
    â€œOkay,” she says, getting up again. “All set.” She pats the chair, inviting me to sit down.
    I sit.
    â€œYou nervous?”
    â€œA bit. About saying it right, you know?Explaining it all so that he might understand why I did it.”
    â€œNot about how he’s going to respond?”
    I think about it. “I can’t do anything about that part.”
    â€œYeah.” She puts her hand on my shoulder. “But he’d better not be a jerk about it. That’d really piss me off.”
    I turn my head and look at her. “I’ll be okay, you know. Really. Whatever happens.” And it’s funny, but as soon as I say it, I know it’s true.
    â€œYeah. You will.” She nods, her expression both surprised and thoughtful.
    I turn back to the computer and rest my hands on the keyboard.
    Gabi is still standing behind me, watching over my shoulder.
    â€œUmm, Gabi?”
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œDo you think I could...you know, get a little