Read Online Studying Boys by Stephie Davis - Free Book Online

Mr. Walker.
    I got as far as typing his name and then stopped. How could I write that I was a failure? That wasn't me. I didn't fail at things. Was I giving up so soon?
    The cursor sat there blinking at me, waiting for me to put in writing that I was going to let down two student bodies.
    But I couldn't do it. I couldn't type those words.
    Instead I wrote a hate e-mail to Theo and sent it to myself.
    And then I went to bed, none of my problems solved.
     

Chapter Five
     
     
    I stayed home sick from school the next day. It was either that or face Allie in homeroom. I couldn't bear to listen to her go on about some cute boy she'd met, or how much fun everyone had had after I left.
    No one understood how important this whole thing was to me. Maybe George, but he was more interested in studying than worrying about my newspaper article.
    I couldn't face my failure, so I spent the day on the couch. The house was quiet. All my little sisters and brothers were off at school and day care. I had the whole place to myself. No one to bug me or intrude upon my misery.
    And when I took one of the pictures of Theo from my nightstand and burned it in the candle that was on the kitchen table, no one was around to tell me to stop.
    Sort of made me wonder exactly how evil and bad I would become if there was never anyone around to tell me to shape up. What would I be like if I didn't have all these responsibilities? Maybe I'd turn into some biker chick who pierced her nipples and had a tattoo on the inside of her thigh.
    I almost laughed, picturing myself like that. Maybe throw in a micromini, some fishnet stockings and an overdose of makeup. Can you even imagine what the world would do if I emerged from my bedroom like that one morning?
    That would be cool.
    Imagine the sense of freedom. I wouldn't care what anyone thought. I wouldn't worry about homework or rotten newspaper articles or anything. I'd just do whatever I wanted to do.
    Then I saw my book bag in the corner, and reality reared its ugly head.
    I was on scholarship. Good grades weren't optional. And I didn't want to fail at this Homework Club!
    I sat up. Why did I have to fail? I was smart, wasn't I? Just because I was a freshman girl with no social influence whatsoever didn't mean I should give up, did it? I had other weapons I could use. I simply had to make a choice: make Theo happy so he might like me someday, or forget about the jerk and focus on what was important to me.
    After his stupidity at The Homework Club last night, I wasn't feeling particularly altruistic toward Theo.
    So forget him.
    This was about me.
    I had weapons, and I wasn't afraid to use them.
    * * *
    I was going to make his parents do the dirty work. I really was. That was my plan the whole way over to the Waller house: tell his mom and dad how he'd screwed everything up and let them deal with making him shape up.
    But when I walked into the house, the first thing I saw was Theo stretched out on the couch, watching television. He looked so cool and arrogant—not a care in the world.
    Of course he wasn't stressed out. It wasn't his life he was screwing up.
    He glanced up and saw me standing in the doorway. He lifted his brows, probably at the sight of the smoke coming out of my ears and the flames bursting from my nose. "Hey, Frances."
    Hey, Frances? No apology? Not even an acknowledgement of how he'd messed everything up for me? Nothing?
    Suddenly, I didn't care about him anymore. Not as a guy. Not as some cute boy who I'd had a crush on ever since I could remember. He was just a total scumbag! "Theo!"
    His gaze flicked from the television back to me. "Yeah?"
    "What's your problem?"
    He looked a little surprised by my hostile tone. Probably because every time I ever spoke to him I'd been worshipping him and wiping drool off my chin. Until now. "What's up, Frances?"
    "You." I marched into the room, grabbed a pillow and flung it at his chest. Nice chest. Too bad it belonged to a jerk.
    He caught the pillow