Read Online When Joss Met Matt by Ellie Cahill - Free Book Online Page A

hadn’t been for the magic of Sorbet Sex. I was no longer the girl who gave it up to her high school boyfriend and got summarily dumped. Chem Lab Guy got to be just someone I went on a date with. Turned out, I liked dating.
    By my second semester as a college student, I’d gone out with, or had study dates with, three guys. I kissed them all—even the one who had spent the evening talking about his ex-girlfriend—because I wanted to. There was a time I’d imagined myself to be one of those girls who got lucky, found love early, and made it last forever. Now that Ben had proved me wrong, I found that I didn’t want to be a girl who waited around for Mr. Right. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to find him, but I was okay with finding a few Mr. Right Nows along the way. So I kissed them all, and let one of them get me out of my pants. I didn’t sleep with him, but he got to see my polka dot panties. I also committed two party crimes of opportunity with guys I couldn’t recall the names of later. Not my proudest moments, but I didn’t regret any of it. I could live with being a kissing slut for a little while. It was fun not to be a good girl.
    Matt and I were in the same ethnic studies class second semester, and that’s where he met Her Highness. She had a name, Courtney, but I never called her that. At first, it was because I didn’t know who she was. Then, it was because I did.
    She was pretty, I’ll give her that. More like beautiful. Long dark hair, olive skin, and perfectly straight, white teeth. She was one of those people I could hardly believe existed. Especially being a member of the much more average group of humans: I had curly hair that I had not yet learned to control. At that point, I was still a frequent victim of frizz and a frequent ponytailer. Add to that a build like a fourteen-year-old boy, and a loud laugh that made me show off all of my teeth, including my fillings. Her Highness had no fillings.
    It took Matt a few weeks to get her to talk to him. I was sitting next to him at the time, with Geena to my left. Their conversation was whispered, since we were in class, but I could hear it well enough.
    â€œI’ve been trying to figure out how to get you to talk to me,” he said. “And I can’t think of anything.”
    She looked at him suspiciously. “And?”
    He shrugged. “I just think you’re beautiful, and I want to get to know you.”
    She smiled—just a little—and whispered, “I’m Courtney.”
    â€œMatt,” he said, and offered his right hand to her, just as he’d done to me the first time we met.
    She raised an eyebrow, but shook his hand.
    At the end of class, Her Highness slipped Matt a piece of paper with her number on it. We let her walk away before we spoke.
    â€œWell, well … the ice queen thaws,” Geena joked.
    â€œNicely done, Matt.” I raised my palm and he gave me a high five. It was a testament to how well we’d learned to be platonic friends that I really was excited for him.
    â€œThanks.” He grinned at us.
    â€œI can’t believe you just told her the truth and she went for it,” I said as I threaded my arms into my coat.
    â€œIt was worth a shot.” He smiled. “I guess it worked.”
    â€œHey, you guys, I gotta get to the M.E. building,” Geena said, looking at the clock on the wall. “I’ll see you later.”
    Matt and I said goodbye to her and walked out onto the crowded sidewalks.
    â€œSo what are you gonna do now that you’ve got her number?” I asked.
    â€œCall her.” He gave me a look that filled in the unspoken “obviously.”
    â€œAnd what are you going to do to impress … what’s her name again?”
    â€œCourtney.”
    â€œYeah, her.”
    He stepped back to let me precede him down a short flight of steps. “I have no idea.”
    â€œSticking with