She's Such A Nerd

21: The Book Secret

I flop down on my bed, intending to get more sleep than I have been recently. Just as I close my eyes, my phone starts ringing. To answer would mean that I would most likely not get as much sleep as I would like. Before I can make a decision, the ringing stops. I grab it to see who called, but my phone starts ringing again. Jake.

I sigh before answering. "Hello?"

"Finally! Took you long enough," Mark states.

I pull the phone away from my ear. Caller ID definitely says Jake. "Mark?"

"Hey! I'm here, too," Jake whines.

I roll my eyes. "What do you guys want?"

"Ouch," Mark dramatically says. "That really hurt, Em."

"Em? That's a new one."

"No, it isn't," Jake points out.

"Since when does anyone call me Em?"

"Since Jessica made it your official nickname." I freeze. He was right. Jessica had given me the nickname, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't around either of the guys.

"How'd you hear about that?" I sit up, curious.

"Instagram," Mark says.

"Hang on. I'll call you guys back." I hang up, immediately pulling up Instagram on my phone. Sure enough, Jessica had tagged me in a photo. I didn't even know she knew my username, let alone the fact that I had an account. It's a picture of me sitting next to Jessica during lunch. We were both laughing. The caption read, "So glad Em decided to join the group," followed by my username and a smiley face.

I move over to my desk as I call the guys back. As it rings, I pull up Facebook. I know that I probably shouldn't, but I'm curious.

"So," Mark says as soon as he picks up. "What do you think?"

I quickly log on. "How did she even know-"

Jake cuts me off. "She knows everything," he states sarcastically.

"According to her minions," Mark adds.

"I bet they help her gather info about everyone," Jake says. They both start laughing.

I let out a little laugh, thinking about how they follow her around wherever she goes. "You guys are so mean," I say in a serious tone that only makes them laugh harder. I scroll through my notifications. There aren't nearly as many as before, but some people are still putting up pictures and commenting.

I love her dress! Where'd she get it?

I would've loved a surprise party for my 18th! She's so lucky!

I heard Jake planned it all. Did he really?

Did you know she has a pool in her backyard? I'd love to be friends with her.

"Emmy?" Jake asks, my attention going back to the conversation.

"Yeah," I respond distractedly.

"You okay?" Mark sounds concerned. I must've really been out of it.

"You've been really quiet," Jake adds.

"Oh." Before I can come up with an excuse, I hear yelling.

"What's that?" Jake asks.

"Mark?"

"I have to go," Mark says. "I'll talk to you guys tomorrow."

"Bye," I say before he hangs up.

Jake says, "So what are you doing?"

I don't really want to tell him, so I say, "Just hanging out."