Read Online Every Girl's Guide to Boys by Marla Miniano - Free Book Online

Rickie
screeches. “OMFG, Chrissy Legaspi, did you make out with Nico?”
    I grab her arm. “Can
you not yell?!”
    She twists her arm
away. “Can you not be violent? Get your claws off me, woman. Jeez.”
    I can feel Anna’s
disapproving stare. “Is there something you’d like to tell us, Chris?”
    “Okay,
okay,” I say. “Hold on to your horsetails.”
    “Did you just say ‘hold
on to your horsetails?’ What are you, eight?”
    “Shut
up, Ric!” Anna hisses. She closes her eyes and inhales, like she is trying to
suck in all our immaturity through her nostrils. We wait for her to wrap up her
meditation exercise. “Go on,” she tells me.
    “Alright,” I say. “Nico
and I kissed.”
    “I KNEW IT!” Rickie
shrieks. Subtlety is definitely not one of her strong points. A teacher pokes
her head out of the nearest classroom door and glares at us. “Sorry,” we all
mumble.
    The bell rings and we
run towards the laboratory, making it just in time. As we gather our materials
from the supply closet, Anna gives me a look that says, This ain’t
over yet, Missy.
     
      “Well, if you’re happy, then I’m happy
for you,” Anna says, when I finish filling her in on The Kiss. We are killing
time in the Starbucks near school—she is waiting for Miguel and I am
waiting for Nico. Rickie is off having her nails done and getting her weekly
hot oil treatment.
    “Thank you,” I say. “I am happy.”
    Miguel walks in, hugs
Anna like he hasn’t seen her in months, and tells her he missed her. Then he
turns to me and says, “Don’t worry, Chrissy, I think you are still way hotter,
and although you are my girlfriend’s best friend, this is still an unbiased
observation from a male point of view.”
    Anna looks as confused
as I feel. “Okay, first of all, you only miss me because you go to an exclusive
boys school, and you don’t see girls too often,” she tells him matter-of-factly.
“And second, what are you talking about? What do you mean, Chrissy’s hotter?
Hotter than whom?”
    Miguel’s eyes widen
when he realizes he has given away something he wasn’t supposed to give away.
“Never mind. Please ignore what I just said.” He reaches for Anna’s half-eaten
banoffee pie.
    She swats his hand
away. “Miguel,” she manages to make his name sound like a threat. “Spill.” It
is not a request.
    “Queenie Cooper.”
    “Queenie Cooper? The
model who was rumored to have dated half of last year’s batch of Candy Cuties? What about
her?”
    “She’s my classmate’s kabarkada and she’s, uh, going
out with Nathan.”
    “WHAT?!” Anna sounds
livid. “That slut!”
    I blink. “Um yeah, I
think they did a print ad together when they were kids. I didn’t know they were
still in touch.” I make it a point to sound as detached as possible. After all,
what do I care? Nathan can date whoever he wants. It’s not like I’m jealous or
anything.
    Miguel says meekly,
“I’m sorry, Chris. I figured you’d already heard.”
    “Oh, don’t apologize,”
I brush him off. I am cool, collected, and the epitome of nonchalance.
    Miguel turns to Anna
with a tentative smile, as if to say, See? She’s fine! Please don’t strangle
me.
    Nico appears at my side
at that moment, looking fresh from a shower in a clean white tee and plaid
shorts, a gym bag slung over one shoulder. He asks, “Apologize for what?”
    “Nothing,” the three of
us reply in unison.
    “Okay,” he says,
shrugging. He holds a hand out to me. “You ready to go, babe?”
    I
take it and try to ignore Anna as she makes a face at me and mouths, Babe? She knows I hate it when guys call me that.
It sounds so condescending. Miguel snorts and stuffs a forkful of pie into his
mouth.
    On the way home, Nico
says, “Guess who’s coming to town this weekend?”
    “The Jonas Brothers?” I
ask, grinning. “No, wait, don’t tell me. Christian Bale? Rodrigo Santorro?
Michael Cassidy?” I rack my brain for my celebrity crush who is least likely