Read Lovely for Free Online Page B

hide a smile, albeit a small one. “Okay, well, again, I like to do my own thing after school.”
    I lace my hands together on top of my head. “So here’s the thing, Cara. If you’re going to help me discover my inner poet and I’m going to bare my soul to you, don’t you think we should get to know each other a little better?”
    She shakes her head, her eyes unmoving, but I know she’s fighting back a grin. “No … the answer is still no .”
    I start to walk away, but turn back. “Okay, have it your way … for now. But if you ask around, you’ll discover I’m pretty persistent.” I flip her a wink and grab my backpack to get ready for class. I can be slightly irresistible when I want to be, although I have to admit she seems completely immune to whatever charms I thought I had.
    I’ll just have to try harder.
     

     
    After classes are over, I march back to the library and give it one more shot for the day. When I walk in and the glass doors close, Cara turns in my direction. The moment she sees me, she shakes her head again. At least I’m getting some sort of a reaction now. It’s an improvement.
    I strut right up to her with my usual air of confidence. “Hey, Cara. What are you doing after you’re done in here? Feel like hanging out?”
    She bends down and reaches underneath the counter for something. When she pushes back up, she has a small 8½ x 11” whiteboard in her hand and is writing something in black marker. She turns the board around and the word “NO” is written in bold letters. I’m making headway—it’s obvious she’s been thinking about me if she’s so prepared.
    I quirk an eyebrow and grin. “So, that’s a no, then?”
    She lifts one of her fingernails and points to each letter. “N-O. Yes, that’s a no.”
    Two can play this game. “Okay. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Cara.”
    She holds the board tight against her chest. “Goodbye, Ash.”
    This is the hardest I’ve ever had to work to get a girl to spend time with me. Usually, they just fall at my feet. She’s both frustrating and intriguing. If I’m honest, it’s more of the latter.
    I don’t know what it is about Cara, but I’m determined to get to know her even though those four little words, “she’s not your type,” are rocketing through my brain. Hell, I’m sure I’m not her type either. I don’t know. Maybe it’s her eyes. It’s almost like they’re calling to me. Professor Travinski would be impressed. That sounds damn near poetic.

 
     
    Every day for an entire week I go to the library and ask Cara to hang out, and every day for an entire week she says no. It’s like we’re doing this dance together, this back and forth waltz around possibility, and from what I can see, I think she’s starting to enjoy it. I know I am. I have to give her credit, too. She’s trying to be somewhat creative even though she sucks at it. On Monday, she sky-wrote the word “NO” in the air with her finger after I yelled to her across the parking lot. On Tuesday, she had a piece of posterboard sitting on an easel behind the counter with the word “NO” in giant red letters. On Wednesday, she left a book sitting in plain sight on the circulation desk entitled Not a Chance , which I’ll admit did make me chuckle. On Thursday, I found a note in my backpack with the word “NO” written in rainbow colors over a hundred times. That made me smile, too.
    Little does she know, I’ve got my own streak of creativity, which is exactly the reason why I’m pulling out all the stops today. I’m going to serenade her. Jason and I once went to an open mic night at a local café and the moment I started singing, all the women looked like they were ready to chuck their panties at me. If I recall, one actually did. I’m not expecting Cara to throw her panties, although I will admit I’ve fantasized about her in lace.
    It’s odd, because it’s been a long time since I’ve used my voice to sing … four years to be