Read Online The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green - Free Book Online

But I still think one of the others we choose should be a religious painting. You know, just to have a more traditional take on it too.”
    â€œYeah,” he sighs. “I figured you would choose something traditional.”
    I glare at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    â€œNothing. Just forget it.”
    â€œNo, I am not going to forget it. You can’t say something like that and then not tell me what you mean.”
    He looks down at the floor. Again. “It’s just that, you know, you never were someone to think outside the box much.”
    I raise my eyebrows, offended. Could he be any ruder? “That is not true,” I huff. “Just because I don’t have a tattoo or, or,” or cleavage, or pouty lips, or swingy red hair , “or a nose ring doesn’t make me ‘in the box.’ I think outside the box plenty.” But I can feel my face turning red, the way it always does when I’m embarrassed, or when I lie. Or both. I mean, come on, who am I kidding? I’ve never thought outside the box in my life.
    I look at Jesse, and I can tell that he’s trying not to laugh. I keep forgetting how well he knows me.
    I smile—I can’t help it—and then I roll my eyes and cross my arms in front of my chest in mock defiance. “Okay, fine. I don’t think outside the box. But it’s not my fault. Both of my parents are doctors. How am I supposed to be creative with that kind of genetic hard-wiring?”
    Jesse chuckles and gives me a sympathetic look. “Look, I’m sorry,” he says. “I wasn’t trying to make fun of you. It’s just that this project is really important to me. I am dying to go on that trip to Italy, so we have to get an A on our presentation.”
    â€œ You want to go on the trip?” I blurt out, not meaning to sound quite so shocked. It hadn’t even crossed my mind that he might want to go to Italy too. Suddenly, my stomach feels all queasy and anxious inside. What if he gets picked and I don’t? I can just picture myself sitting on my bed, rationalizing it to Lindsay and Samantha. I didn’t really want to go, anyway. I mean, could you imagine having to travel for two whole weeks with Jesse Cooper? But then again, what if we both get picked? There goes my stomach again, but this time it’s a different kind of queasy. An excited queasy. I mean, could you imagine, traveling for two whole weeks with Jesse Cooper?
    Jesse’s face is lit up like a sky full of fireworks. “I want to go on this trip more than anything I have ever wanted,” he answers. His openness about it surprises me, and for a second, it’s almost like we’re back in middle school again. Just Erin and Jesse, hanging out. Except I don’t remember his eyes being so blue when we were in middle school. Or maybe they just stand out more against his hair, now that he’s dyed it jet black.
    â€œWow,” I remark. “How come?”
    He blushes a little when I ask him, and his face immediately changes back to the way it was before, as if he realized that he’d let his guard down, and he needed to put it back up again.
    â€œOh, I don’t know,” he says, trying to sound ambivalent about it. “Lots of reasons.” Aaaaand now we’re back to high school, which is good, because I was really starting to miss those vague, short answers of his. “What about you?” he asks, obviously trying to change the subject. “Do you want to go?”
    â€œYeah,” I admit. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since Mr. Wallace handed out those flyers.”
    Jesse puts his hands in his pockets and nods. I search his face for a clue as to how he feels about this. Is he happy that I want to go? Or does he see me as competition? As usual, he’s completely unreadable.
    â€œThere’s just one problem,” I tell him. His eyes snap to