Read Online The Big Picture by Jenny B Jones - Free Book Online Page B

thought I’d be so lucky that God would bring me together with someone like her.”
    “ Ohh , Brian. I am so sorry.” You have no idea how sorry.
    He wipes a lone tear from his cheek. “We only met last year, but she became my best friend. She loved me for who I am.”
    Maxine sniffles. “You dear boy.” Her gaze latches onto mine, a look that says, Only the lowest life form would cancel this date .
    “So you see . . . when Papa Diamatti called me, it was like a ray of hope. I put down my advanced soduku puzzle and said, ‘Brian, Superfly Math Stud — that’s what I call myself.’
    “Of course.” I nod.
    “Brian, this is like a sign. A sign from Felicity that it’s okay to move on.”
    He steps closer. “Tonight I have hope. Tonight . . . I return to life and living — and I want to thank you for that.”
    Somewhere in my head violins play. Oh, the drama. How can I tell him it’s off? I am so stuck with this. My life — ruined. I will never recover from this.
    “This is for you.” He holds up a corsage the size of a small shrub.
    “How . . . nice.” Okay, God — lesson learned. Now let’s rewind to last Sunday. I won’t choose this path. This social-life-imploding path.
    I feel like Jonah in the whale — full of ick and desperate to get out.
    Brian’s voice squawks. “The carnations match your skin.”
    They’re pee yellow.
    He stands on tiptoe, and his hands aim straight for my —
    “Okay!” I grab the corsage before he commits his first date foul. “I’ll just put this on in the car.” I smile through clenched teeth.
    “Actually I brought my dad’s van tonight.” His fingers run under the collar of his starched, short-sleeve button-down. “It has a rockin’ bass.”
    “Grrreat.” And the last nail in the coffin of my reputation hammers home. “Nash and Frances should be here any second.”
    The back door creaks open, and I hear my foster parents’ voices.
    Maxine flings open the front door. “You kids have fun. Out you go. Scoot!”
    “Katie?” Millie calls from the kitchen, and the sound of her sandals follows.
    She walks into the entryway, a smudge of potting soil on her cheek and a confused expression on her face. My foster mom adjusts the scarf covering her head and offers Brian her hand.
    “Hello. I’m Millie Scott.” James appears behind her. “This is my husband, James. You must be Katie’s new friend.”
    “Yes, I’m . . . Brian, er, I mean Joey Diamatti . . . No, I’m definitely Joey Farmer.”
    Oh, here we go.
    Millie quirks an eyebrow and turns to me and Maxine. “Why do I smell trouble?”
    My date flushes a shade of purple. You can tell he’s a total novice at mayhem.
    “This is Brian Diamatti.” I shrug and laugh lightly. “It’s a long story, but believe me” — I pin Maxine with a heavy stare — “this is Brian.” Every nerdy inch of him.
    James zeroes in on his mother-in-law. “I’d like to hear this story.”
    “Uh . . . you see . . .” Maxine is saved by the bell as Frances and Nash knock on the door right on time.
    “I’ll have her home by eleven, Mr. Scott.” Brian pushes his grandpa glasses up his nose.
    “James would prefer I come by ten. He’s strict like that.”
    “Actually, your curfew is — ”
    “See ya!” I silence James and push Brian toward the door, opening it to greet Frances and Nash.
    “Let’s go,” I growl at my best friend. “No time for chitchat. Keep moving, keep moving.”
    We’ve reached the porch when James calls me back to the door. I leave my friends openly gawking at my “hot Italian” date.
    “I know you and Maxine are up to something.” He hands me some blankets for the drive-in.
    I sigh. “You can trust me on this. Frances . . .” I stop myself from blaming it on someone else. “No, I wasn’t exactly honest last Sunday with Charlie about my date for this evening. It’s a huge mess. It was dishonest.” I watch the trio load into the ugliest brown van the 1970s ever