How to date a Nerd

Chapter 1

Okay, Geek Camila, it's been fun, but Austin can't know you exist.

I take another deep breath and get ready for my act. "What are you doing here?" I ask, letting my phony anger soak into my voice. He turns around, and his eyes widen at my ensemble. See? There's nothing wrong with me. It's Lauren who has a problem.

"Uh..." he stutters as he clears his head. "I thought maybe since you were too sick to go out, we'd stay in." He holds up a movie, which I'm surprised to see is a total chick flick. Gross. But popular Camila likes that crap.

"Do you feel guilty about something?" I've been through this stuff before. He's totally trying to make up for something he did that he shouldn't have done. Oh well, time for a new boyfriend anyway.

His eyes lower to the floor, and I take a deep breath and wait for it. The inevitable "I cheated on you" or "I found someone else."

"I'm sorry about that text. I didn't mean to make you upset. I was only kidding, really." I stare at him, not able to erase the shock from my face. "Huh?"

"I know you haven't had the best luck when it comes to your exes. I was being stupid. Forgive me?" He tosses me a puppy-dog face. Now I'm really thrown and I'm not sure how to respond. So I just mumble incoherencies.

"Um... I guess... sure... uh-huh..."

"So," he says, furrowing his brow and crossing over to me, "we're cool?" I give him a nod, but then remember I have a part to play. I fold my arms across my waist and gaze up into his handsome face. His dark hair has been tousled across his forehead and frames his eyes perfectly. He's getting five o'clock shadow on his cheeks and chin. Yeah... definitely a status thing with him.

"Don't treat me like that. I deserve better." I don't really mean that. In fact, right now I deserve a lot worse.

"I promise it won't happen again." He takes me into his arms, but I keep mine folded, not responding to his hug. I do let out a fake sigh of defeat and say into his chest, "Okay."

He pulls back and tilts my face to slap a kiss on me. As usual, I remove myself from the embrace—metaphorically—and think about the more pleasant company. Maybe Obi-Wan, but not like old fart Obi-Wan. Hell, I'd take Neville Longbottom before I made out with an old guy, even if he did have The Force. Though, Neville's gotten pretty hot over the years. Guess we all have to go through the awkward phase. Except for Lauren. She's always been hot—graphing calculator and all. Right when I'm about to imagine another awesome kissing candidate, a different kind of urgency pushes from behind Austin's lips, and I'm snapped back into reality. I pull away, afraid of what he's thinking. "I'm sick, remember," I say, wiping my soggy lips with the tips of my fingers.

"I don't care," he says as he tries to pull me in again. I put my hands on his chest and push back, leaning my head away from his face.

I do." I use my stern and controlling voice, but it's not fake this time. He better keep those pervy lips away from me. He looks like he wants to argue, but he lets go. I almost let out the huge sigh of relief I'd been holding in my chest, but I catch it before I do. I mean, for all he knows, I'm a girl who lets just about anyone between her legs. He entwines his fingers with mine and mumbles, "So... do you want me to go?"

"Yeah. I don't want you to catch it."

"You don't sound sick." His voice is barely audible. "Well, I am."

He pauses a moment and looks behind me, into the hallway. I crane my neck to see what he's looking at, but I'm forced back into an awkward embrace, his mouth trying to swallow me whole. I can't move. His fingers latch onto my upper back and yank some of my hair. What the hell is he doing? I start clawing at his body, trying to break free from his strong arms.