Read Online Ex-Rating by Natalie Standiford - Free Book Online

might never have met him. I just can’t get the timing right.”
    “Remember Romeo and Juliet?” Lina said. “They had the worst timing ever.”
    “Yeah, bad timing can actually kill you,” Ramona said. “It’s spooky. And now you and Walker—another casualty of fate. Another
     chance for happiness, missed. Two lives ruined because you couldn’t get yourself together—”
    “He’s got a new girlfriend,” Lina wailed. “I’m too late!”
    “Probably,” Ramona said. “But not necessarily. People break up, you know.”
    “But what if they don’t? Or what if they do but it’s not for years and years, when I’m an old lady?”
    “Then you and Walker will be old geezers together,” Ramona said. “Better late than never.”
    Lina didn’t find this funny. “Ramona, what am I going to do?”
    “Don’t give up so easily,” Ramona said. “You heard Flynn: Things are in the early stages. She’s not too sure of him yet. She’s
     afraid to leave him alone this summer. So you’ve still got a chance to lure him.”
    “But how?”
    “I’ll start on some love potions right away,” Ramona said. “The hard part is slipping them into his food without him knowing—that’s
     always tricky. But I can manage it. And we’ll take it from there.”
    Love potions. Was she reduced to that? Lina’s heart sank. She didn’t put much faith in Ramona’s abilities as a shaman. She
     hadn’t seen one of her spells work yet.
    “This is all my fault,” Lina said. “He liked me when we first met, and I pushed him away. And pushed and pushed. Of course
     he gave up and went for another girl.”
    “You can get him back,” Ramona said. “If he liked you once, he can like you again.”
    “I don’t know,” Lina said. “I really like him as a friend, too. Is it going to be weird between us now that I know he has
     a girlfriend? What if I just swallow my feelings and pretend nothing’s wrong? Do you think we can be friends the way we used
     to be while he’s going out with Flynn?”
    “You guys will never be friends the way you used to be,” Ramona said. “You never
were
friends the way you think you were. He had a crush on you. You were clueless. End of story. I’m beginning to think guys and
     girls can’t be friends, anyway.”
    “Yes, they can,” Lina said. “I can do it. I’ll just put my feelings aside. Be professional. He’ll see that I’m cool with whatever
     is happening, and that nothing he does can hurt me.”
    “That is a total lie.”
    “I know that. But he doesn’t have to. I’ve already humiliated myself enough. If I can’t have Walker, at least I can have my
     dignity.”
    “Dignity? Please. Love and dignity have nothing to do with each other.”
    “I will rise above,” Lina said. “You’ll see. Tomorrow is Spring Sports Saturday. That will be the ultimate test.”
    Spring Sports Saturday was like homecoming except it happened in spring instead of fall. Most of the sports teams had major
     contests, and Lina and Walker would be working together all day, covering the games for
The Seer
. If things were awkward between them, it would be a long, long day.
    “I’ll show him that I’m above jealousy. Sure, I asked him out and he said no. He has a new girlfriend. That won’t bother me.
     I’m a journalist. I’ll do my job no matter what. And nothing he does can bother me. Because I’m already over him.”
    Ramona snorted. “He won’t buy that for a second. This is going to be a disaster.” She smushed her lunch bag into a ball and
     stood up. “I’ve got to hit the office. See you.”
    The office
, Lina thought.
Ramona works in the office. There’s got to be a way to use that. But how?
    “Hey, Lina.” Sebastiano had a prime seat on the front bleacher at the softball field, right behind the home bench. Lina sat
     down next to him. “What’s happening? I logged onto the Dating Game and there was this Big Brother-ish note from Rod saying
     the school site would no longer