How to date a Nerd

Chapter 4

"Ha ha." Ten minutes later, it's like my face is on fire. Missy shuts off the dryer and the cold air hits me in a soothing wave of relief. "Ooo!" she squeals. "It's gonna look real pretty, Camila."

I plunge into an agonizing hour of being locked in the seat to finish off my nails. That's not even the worst part, Lauren will not leave my thoughts, no matter how hard I try to shut the door on her. She's just so... Ugh! I wish I could give her a makeover like all those movies so we could be friends in public. But, knowing Lauren, that totally wouldn't fly. Besides, she wouldn't be Lauren anymore. And that would suck. Having two personas is tough business. Worth it, but it's not for everybody.

I'm done before Dinah, but I don't have to wait long. We primp ourselves in the mirror, throwing out compliments to each other. "Looks like it'll be a club night for me too." I force a smile. "No way am I letting this day go to waste." "That's what happens when you don't use the cheap stuff." Missy grins as she rings me up. I roll my eyes and pay her, wishing I could afford to give her a bigger tip.

Dinah links elbows with me and speed walks through the parking lot."What's the rush?" I say as I try not to fall face-first on the asphalt. Heels aren't good for walking, but they are rule number three.

"You'll see." She's grinning from ear to ear, and I can't help but reciprocate. We hop in her car. Then she takes off toward my house. She's the craziest driver in the world, I swear, so I close my eyes and pretend I'm traveling by Transport Tube. "Okay, close your eyes!" Dinah says, not noticing my lids are already clamped tight. The car jerks to a stop and I hear Hope unbuckle. "Okay, you stay here and I'll be right back."

I give a fake impatient sigh but smile. I'm a sucker for surprises.

After a few minutes, my door opens and a hand wraps around my wrist, pulling me out. "You can open your eyes now!" Mom is out here in the driveway and shouts, "Ta da!"

I'm really trying to be happy about it. The car is shiny and it's silver, which isn't a bad color, but it's old. Like, 'Watch out! Old lady on the road!' old. And not good for my social status. But Dinah looks happy about it. So maybe it's not as bad as I think.

I give Mom a forced smile. "For me?"

She nods so fast I think her head might jiggle off her neck. She hands me the key and I can't hide my shaking hand.

Why am I such a brat? She bought me a car! I try to snap myself out of the bad attitude. And definitely not her fault she gave birth to the devil. AKA, my sister.

I cozy into the driver's seat as she bounces in next to me. Hope crawls in the backseat and squeals. The interior is nice, it's clean, and who can't love a new car? Now I'm squealing too. My smile isn't forced anymore as I shove the key in the ignition.

Nothing. I look down, trying to figure out what the crap I'm doing wrong. When I rest my hand on the shifter, my stomach drops. "Um, Mom?" "Yes?" She answers."You bought me a manual?" She nods. "Did it cross your mind I may not know how to drive this thing?"

"There's no better way to learn." She's still smiling, and I'm trying real hard not to break down. I'm so not talented enough for this, and I can't even imagine driving this thing to school without making a fool of myself. I blow up my cheeks and close my eyes. Mom lets out a huge sigh. "Camila, I'm sorry. I wish we could have gotten you a car you wanted, but this was the only one we could afford that wasn't on its last leg."

I stay quiet, imitating a blowfish. "We'll teach you how to drive it. It's not hard."All the air I've been holding in my cheeks explodes out. "When? You and Dad are so busy. Hardly ever home."She seems to be struggling with the answer. I raise my eyebrows exaggerating my point. "We'll try to make ourselves more available, but I'm sure some of your friends know how to drive a stick." She gazes back at Dinah who shrugs.

I guffaw which is so unattractive, but I don't care right now. She ignores my dismissive laugh. "What about Normani?" "No." Mom sits biting her lip for a minute. Then a huge gasp of revelation fills the car. "Lauren! You can ask her. She drives that truck." I think I'm going to die. In fact, I can feel the combustion starting in my gut. Fake it, Camila, fake it! "Ew. No."

"Why not?"she asks "We're not friends, Mom."

"Doesn't she take you to school?" Oh gosh. "Just that one time. I walk." "Well, it was just a suggestion," she spits. Great, now she's upset. "Be happy when your father gets home. He's really excited about this, and he's trying to say he's sorry for yelling at you." She gets out of the car, leaving me feeling like the horrible person I am. I wish I could escape my company too.

"Alright well, I'm gonna head out mom's making me take care of seth tonight so I'll talk to you later." I nod and try to push back my tears. Maybe pretending to be a bitch has made me into a real one."I'll see you later." And she's gone.

I crawl in the backseat and curl up, letting my hair fall over my face. You know what sucks? I want to talk to Lauren. I want to start spewing some nerdy crap and laugh and stuff. Dinah is my best friend with but she's not who I need to feel better right now.

Maybe I can ask her. I mean, it would make my parents happy. And Dinah saw how I initially reacted so I could come up with some excuse if she found out.

I sit up and look at his house, stomach knotting with the idea of going over there. Do I really want to risk it? I could ask around the school to see if anyone higher on the social ladder is available to teach me. But do I really want that? No. I want her.

Sexy nerd girl. My breath fogs up the car window as I huff. Why are stupid decisions like this hard? I huff again.

Because I make them that way.