Nice Guys Finish Last

Chapter 3

My hand brushed against something silky and smooth that probably smelled like grapefruits too. Maria Gonzalez's hair. The teacher had asked us to pass back an algebra quiz that no one wanted to take, and apparently Maria was turned around. Or at least I thought it was her. It would be really embarrassing if it weren't because my hand kind of stayed on her hair for a moment longer than it should. 

I sat there like an idiot with my hand stretched behind my back for a half-minute before she kind of got a clue and grabbed it. It was totally worth it, though. Maybe she saw how awesome the back of my head was and decided that she wanted to date me. 

Oh, crap, I sound like a desperate teen girl. I wish I were a girl. If I were a girl and Maria were a boy, then we would totally be together. Because we'd get paired together for a project or I'd trip and all of my books would fall and we'd magically fall in love. But that's not how things work for me.

Unless...

~~~

"Dude." Rohan was sitting on my couch, not kissing a random girl for once. It looked like he was talking to her.

"Dude." He didn't even look at me.

"Dude! What are you doing?"

"I'm "engaging in an interesting conversation". Duh." I took a look at the girl he was talking to. I didn't think she was the girl from this morning. In fact, I was sure of it. The girl from this morning was Caucasian, and this girl was obviously Asian. She looked pretty smart. Not like someone Rohan would hang out with. Definitely not someone who Rohan would sacrifice his precious football practice to "engage in interesting conversation" with.

"Who's she?"

"I'm Jay," she responded. "Don't ask about the name. It actually is a name in Sanskrit."

"But you're-"

"Korean. I know. My parents have a thing for languages."

"Are you, um, you know, with Rohan?"

"No. I'm trying to help him study for his English midterm. But he keeps trying to get me to make out with him. Is that weird?"

"We're totally together," Rohan mouthed at me over the back of the couch.

"Not for Rohan," I said. He grinned.

"So, whaddaya need, Tyler? Or should I say 'What do you desire?'"

"Desire? That was one of our vocabulary words?"

"No," she replied nonchalantly. "I just decided that I should get him caught up with the 6th grade before I started with the junior-level stuff. So. What do you need? Rohan tells me you usually have newspaper club after school."

"Cancelled. I came home because I need help. Rohan's help."

"Um... I don't know if you should... I mean, maybe a tutor would be better? I could maybe help you? Um, it's just..." She gestured to Rohan. "He's kinda behind in the school department..."

"Oh, no, not school stuff." I've known better than to ask Rohan for help since 5th grade when he told me that a snail was a type of fish. "Help with... girls."

"Girls? I'm totally on it, dude. Which girl?"

"Maria Gonzalez." 

Author's Note: And so the cycle begins again! That was (well it still is) Sahela, and next time it'll be... Mihael!! :D Woot woot. :) Please vote and/or comment. :)

Mihael had to correct Sahela's spelling on the word "cancelled" TWO L'S! :) lol or should i say... loll?