How to Date a Nerd

Chapter 16 - I Signed Up for the Personal Slave Department

“Dad took off for business and Nathan,” I gulped. “…is busy destroying the basement as we speak. So technically, we’re not alone. Don’t worry. I won’t try anything on you,” I said sporting a wide smile that said I don’t like you that much to try that shameless kind of thing. I’d like to live longer, if you know what I mean.

She just narrowed her eyes, breathing out angrily. I just loved it whenever she got angry. “Can we just go straight to business?”

I sat across her, folding my elbows on my lap. Then I stared intently at her. “Okay. I’m listening.”

She drew a deep breath and shook her head after gaping at me for like half a minute. “First of all, I have no idea how I won this bet… but…” She dropped her gaze and flushed, rubbing the side of her head before raving on. “I’m… I’m really sorry about last night. About your shoes and about my unacceptable behavior. The truth is… I can’t really remember everything that happened. I was so drunk. I shouldn’t have acted that way, whatever that was and I’m sorry that I’m being so hard-headed and insecure and complicated—“

“Okay. Sarah. It’s cool,” I told her firmly. She looked so nervous I thought she’d pass out. “Wait. You… heard that?” I gulped trying to meet her eyes. I remembered saying those to Jer last night.

Weakly, she nodded, still hyperventilating. “S-something like that,” she stuttered.

I wanted to take her hand and pull her to me. Tell her that everything was going to be alright. But all I could do was smile. “It’s alright, Sarah. You might not remember it but I made a promise to be here—“

“As long as I want you to be…” she mumbled mindlessly in a thin papery voice. Like she was reciting a bookish definition that was forcefully recorded in her brain. “And I don’t know why… b-but I… I do.”

My heart just did a backflip. For a while, I couldn’t say a word. “You do,” I repeated like a moron. Stared out the window. Looked at the floor. The ceiling. Then I looked at her again with a surprised chuckle. “You do?”

She cringed. Then stared. Her eyes darted to seven different directions. At last, she nodded. I sighed, loosening my clutch on my knees.

“Are your memories coming back?” I asked, a tad too pessimistic.

As expected, she shook her head. “And that being said,” she began. “I would like you to be my contractual best friend.”

Before I could ask whatever that meant, she fumbled for a folded piece of paper from her jeans pocket. She cleared her throat and handed it to me.

I read it silently. “A contract.” I grinned at her shaking my head. This was exactly what Sarah would do.

“Y-yes. Just so we are clear about my terms and conditions,” she mumbled, looking straight at me in a very lawyer-ish way. “You have to help me remember the last two years. Or at least, try. You have to be there when I need you. You’ll accompany me anywhere I want and when I want it. You’ll act like my best friend when I need one and you’ll help me review for my validation exams. You can do that, right?”

I stared at the piece of paper. It was way scarier than I thought it’d be. Well, being her personal gopher wasn’t actually that bad. Plus, tutoring and studying had always been my two favorite things. Not! What d’you expect? The glasses were for show. I didn’t actually use them to read volumes of whatever stuff they stack up in the school library. I graduated a C student. Don’t judge.

“Yeaaahhh… that—“ I started to say while chuckling but Sarah cut me off.

“All of your other obligations are stated in there.” She pulled a pen from her back pocket. She really thought this through. “Now if you agree, sign below.”