Read Online One of the Guys by Lisa Aldin - Free Book Online

“Your problem is fixable.”
    Just when I think I’ve done something good here, Emma starts crying again.
    Advice. I suck at it .
    â€œI’m sorry!” I stand. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’ve never had a boyfriend.”
    Why do my confessions keep spilling out around this girl?
    â€œIt’s not that. It’s just that I don’t have anyone to pretend with.” She wipes a gloop of mascara from the corner of her eye.
    â€œUse a guy friend,” I suggest, breathing a little easier. “Bribe him with, I don’t know, food or something.”
    Emma crosses her ankles. “I never meet any boys. Kevin’s an exception.”
    I pick at my thumbnail and lean against the banister, thinking. I should run before she starts bawling again. I look at her wide, bright eyes brimming with tears.
    â€œI guess you’ll just have to borrow one of my friends then,” I say. It’s a promise that I’m not sure that I can keep.
    Emma sniffles, and I think she’s going to start wailing again. Instead, she squeals so loud that the windows might shatter. She hugs me and skips down the stone steps in gleeful little spurts.
    â€œTHANK YOU, TONYA VALENTINE!” she shrieks. “YOU ARE MY NEW BEST FRIEND!”
    I smile, blushing, and sling my book bag over my shoulder. For the first time at Winston, I feel like I might make a friend. “My mother would be so happy to hear you say that. And, hey, call me Toni.”

eight

    E MMA E LIZABETH S WANSON IS cleaning my room while dressed like a black cat. Well, sort of dressed like one. The only indication that she intended to be a feline for Halloween lies in the set of black furry ears on top of her head. The remaining parts of her cat costume consist of a strapless black dress, fishnet stockings, and black knee-high boots.
    Tom Brady lies in the middle of my bed, watching her with disdain. I think he’s insulted. He would never wear knee-high boots.
    After Emma dumps the army of Mountain Dew cans lining my desk into a trash bag, she kicks my dirty clothes with her heels until my various sweatshirts rest in a neat pile in the corner. The embarrassingly girlie pale pink carpet shows underneath. Emma arrived five minutes ago, but she’s made more progress than I would in a week.
    â€œI’m sorry,” she says, out of breath. Her cat ears are crooked. “I hope you don’t mind. I love organizing things.”
    â€œNo problem,” I reply. “We’ve all got our thing.”
    Emma’s influence on my room is another reason for my mother to love her. Mom nearly fainted from happiness when I asked if Emma (a real live GIRL!) could come over before we headed off to Ollie’s Halloween party.
    â€œTime to put on my costume,” I announce, heading to the bathroom.
    When Ollie sent the text inviting me to the party at his house, I thought it was a joke. Ollie’s never thrown a party before. None of us had, unless I count the brief hangouts before monster-hunting expeditions. Which I don’t.
    At least the four of us will be in the same place at the same time again. That’s what matters right now.
    The party’s also the perfect setting for Emma to win her boyfriend back. I chose Loch as her fake date because he’s the most reliable. We haven’t seen much of each other over the last few weeks—he’s been so busy with work—so I’m looking forward to seeing him tonight.
    I inspect my costume in the bathroom mirror, pleased with my choice this year. There’s no way the guys can beat this. It’s simple. It’s classic. It’s comfortable. It’s stereotypical Vermont. I skip down the hall and burst into my bedroom with a giant, “MOOOOOO!”
    Emma stares at me, a tube of lip gloss in her right hand, a compact mirror in the other. She snaps the mirror shut, tucks it away, and