NerdCrush by Alisha Emrich

Author:Alisha Emrich [Emrich, Alisha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Running Press
Published: 2023-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

FIFTEEN

“WELL, TODAY WAS A BUST,” CALEB SAID, COUNTING OUT his paltry tips. “Yesterday was a lot busier.”

It was near the end of their shift, and he had come to stand next to her in the server station while she finished wiping down the counters.

“Yeah? I’m sorry I missed it. I had a family thing I had to go to.”

“Ah,” Caleb said. “I asked Linda where you were. Did you have fun?”

Ramona snorted. “I wouldn’t say it was fun exactly… but it’s always great seeing my aunt Simone. It was her birthday party we went to.”

He nodded. “That’s cool. So y’all are pretty close?”

Ramona shook her head as she wiped. “Not really, but she’s one of those cool aunts, you know? I admire her a lot.” Ramona paused, and then added, “She’s the type who doesn’t care what anyone else thinks about her, as long as what she does makes her happy. I wish I could be more like that.”

Realizing she’d said more than she meant to, Ramona glanced quickly at Caleb. He stood there quietly watching her for a moment as if she were a puzzle he was trying to figure out.

“What is it?” Ramona asked quickly, her heart pounding in her chest.

He shook his head and leaned back against the counter. “It’s just,” he began, taking a deep breath. “This is going to sound weird, I guess, but I need to ask someone about it, and I feel like I can talk to you.”

There was that penetrating look again, and all Ramona could do was nod.

He paused for a moment, as if deciding how to proceed, then continued. “So, about a month ago, this girl leaves a note in my locker. Well, it was a drawing and a poem she’d written. She left her email address on the note and when I typed it in, her profile picture popped up. She’s dressed in costume, so I have no idea what she really looks like or who she is. Which is cool, I guess, the sense of mystery and everything. In the poem she tells me how much she likes me. So, I email her, because how often does that happen? And we’ve been emailing each other for, like, weeks now. And everything should be great, right?”

Ramona made herself nod, trying to maintain the look of calm nonchalance; meanwhile, her insides were churning.

“The only problem is, I can’t help but feeling that something is off. I mean, this girl won’t agree to letting me do anything beyond email her. If I suggest meeting, or talking on the phone, or even texting, she always shoots me down. Or doesn’t respond. And I’m wondering, what’s going on? Like, is this normal? I know that she wanted to be anonymous, I guess because she didn’t want me to know who she is, but if we’re talking, you’d think that at some point, she’d be okay with me knowing who she is, right?”

Caleb started to pace back and forth while he talked. He was

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