Read Online Me and Miranda Mullaly by Jake Gerhardt - Free Book Online Page B

the library anyway.
    Miranda took a chair at the table next to mine. But Chollie just stood in front of me, a stupid smile on his stupid face.
    And since Nikki Shepherd had decided she wanted to do her science report alone and I was already finished with my newspaper article, I had no choice but to pack up my things and go home.
    It’s hard to describe how upsetting it was to have my little place of peace disturbed by the likes of Chollie Muller and Sam Dolan.
    I tried to sneak up to my room to avoid the seminar. Unfortunately, a student caught me in the hallway when I wasn’t looking and tousled my hair and called me cute. Too bad I’m too old to kick sociology majors in the shins. I would have enjoyed that.
    After I finally escaped, I locked the door to my room, sat down at my desk, looked up at my poster of the Bard, 19 and got to work on writing a note for the candy-gram I would send to Miranda on Valentine’s Day.
    I wrote out about fifty different cards but couldn’t settle on exactly what I wanted to say. At some point I ran out of gas and slept at my desk until Cassandra and Neal rudely woke me and carried me to bed.

CHOLLIE
    I’m especially excited to see Miranda at the library tonight because I’m going to talk to her about the Valentine’s Day dance. Billy thinks it’s a good idea to strike up a conversation about the dance so she won’t be surprised when I ask her to go with me. I know it’s still weeks away, but Billy says a girl like Miranda will have lots of guys lining up to ask her.
    But here’s what actually happens at the library.
    I get there early before Miranda shows up, and I have all my stuff out because I know Miranda likes to get right to work. Then I wait for Miranda at the door so I can be a gentleman and hold it open and all that stuff.
    Miranda’s dad drops her off and I make small talk, which is not one of my strongest points. And of course I really can’t remember what I said, because I was nervous. But I know I didn’t say anything stupid because I always remember when I say something dumb.
    Miranda leads the way (the librarian knows her name and says hello to her, which I think is awesome) and we take our seats at the table I saved for us. Duke Samagura is at the next table, and I say hi to him to be polite and show good manners, but Duke scurries away like there’s a fire. He’s a weird dude sometimes.
    Then Miranda gets right to work. It’s amazing. She’s got the whole report on her computer and a rough draft with handwritten notes, and it sort of makes me feel like I haven’t done a lot of work. So as Miranda’s typing away, I pretend I have notes to read through and something to add, but I really just wait to mention the Valentine’s Day dance.
    I have no idea how much time passes as I sit there just trying to get the guts to even talk about the dance. It’s much worse than standing at the free throw line. Finally I look up from my papers.
    â€œMiranda,” a voice says.
    But it’s not my voice. It’s Erica Dickerson’s voice. And before I know it, Erica is standing right beside me talking to Miranda about who knows what.
    And then they’re laughing, but I don’t know what they’re laughing about, so I just go along and laugh with them and I really feel stupid. I don’t know what’s going on.
    When it’s all said and done, I don’t say anything to Miranda about the dance, and the report is all finished, and there’s nothing to do but say good night and go home. This really bums me out because now that the report is finished, we won’t have any reason to go to the library, and I didn’t say anything about the Valentine’s dance.
    What a terrible end to a terrible day.

SAM
    Erica Dickerson is late meeting me at the library to work on our science report. Miranda is never late, so I end up having to watch her walk by with Chollie Muller and