My life has taken a weird turn. In just forty-eight hours, things have happened that I would have never in a million years believed.

I studied chemistry so much I actually learned it.

The Magpie is now selling books and by that, I mean we’re selling books. Twenty four were sold on Saturday and at least that many more sold on Sunday. We make around seven dollars a book so that was a huge income boost.

Finally, and probably the most shocking turn of events ever—I can’t stop thinking about Jonah.

I mean, what?

Why?

He’s Jonah. He’s an uptight nerd. He has perfectly styled hair and pressed, wrinkle free preppy outfits, and he organizes everything in such a way that means he’s so unbelievably nerdy I want to die.

And of course, April had to run her stupid freshman mouth and put the idea in my head that I might have a crush on him. I don’t.

I totally don’t.

He’s just like that stupid car wash jingle they play on the radio that gets stuck in your head for days at a time. Jonah Garza is just an annoying jingle. Not a crush.

On Monday, first period math class seems to fly by. I hadn’t told Jonah this because I’d be embarrassed for him to realize just how much he’s taught me, but I spent a little time last night on the school’s math website. I studied the modules for the chapter we’re currently learning in class, so that when Mrs. Mafi begins teaching it this morning, I’m already a little ahead of her. It makes more sense this way. I take notes and I pay attention, and the whole time I’m picturing Jonah in the back of my mind, that stupid lopsided grin on his face. He’d be proud of me if he knew this.

When the bell rings, I’m anxious to get to chemistry for our big test. Although I’d had a few nightmares this weekend of flunking the thing, I’m still pretty confident. The ChemXLabs website works so much better than filling out those stupid extra credit worksheets.

My backpack feels a hundred pounds heavier as I set it on the floor by my desk, knowing I still haven’t worked on the extra credit. But I did study for this test and I think I’ll ace it.

Mr. Greenstein passes out the tests, giving us detailed reminders that there is to be no talking until every student has finished. I hold my pencil tightly in my hand as I wait for my copy to land on my desk. Then I write my name at the top, and I take a deep breath, and get to work.

 

***

 

I’m clenching my chemistry test in my hands the next day after school, trying to remain calm. Mr. Greenstein passed back all the graded papers at the end of second period, but I’ve had to wait until my tutoring session with Jonah to show him the results. Though I never see him in the hallways between classes, I could have told him at lunch. I thought about it as I watched him sitting at a circular corner table in the far back of the cafeteria. Somehow, walking up to Jonah was just as intimidating as the idea of talking to Caleb at his lunch table. And that, of course, makes no sense because Caleb is my real crush. Jonah’s just my tutor.

I shake the resulting emotions from my mind. There’s no time to think about crushes and boys right now. It’s officially Tuesday, which is tutoring day, and all I should focus on are my studies.

Yeah, right.

I stand at the entrance to the library, wanting to catch him the moment he walks in. Students rush past the library on their mad dash home, and none of the dark haired guys who pass me are Jonah. He’s always here before I am, and by the time the hallway has emptied out, I’m starting to wonder if he’s ditching me today.

And then I get tapped on the shoulder.

I whirl around and find Jonah, who is somehow already in the library.

“Wha?” My mouth falls open. “I’ve been waiting for you. How did you get here?”

“I have computer lab last period,” he says, tossing a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the adjoining classrooms. “I just come in the back way.”

“Oh.” I don’t know why, but I feel like an idiot. Standing around waiting for a guy is not something I like to do.

“My favorite color is blue,” Jonah says. “I know it sounds lame because most people expect that a guy’s favorite color is blue, but mine really is. It’s the color of the sky and the ocean, and both of those things are very different shades of blue all the time.” He reaches up and scratches his neck. “So that’s why I like the color. It’s beautiful in all of the shades.”

“Okay…” I say, giving him a weird look as we walk to our table in the back of the room. “Why did you tell me that?”

“Because you got a ninety-three on your test,” he says, giving me a lopsided smile as we walk. “I promised I’d tell you my favorite color once you passed a test.”

I grin. The graded paper is still in my hands and I almost forgot about it when Jonah startled me just now with his quirky smile and sparkling eyes. I hold it up and show it to him. “How’d you see that so quickly?”

“I didn’t,” he admits, setting his messenger bag down in the chair next to him. “I checked in with your Chem teacher today after lunch. I was dying to know.”

“And he just gave you my grades?” I say. “Just like that? I thought grades were private information.”

He shrugs. “Mr. Greenstein knows I tutor you so I guess he was happy to show off your excellent grade. Great job, by the way. You might be my fastest learning student.”

I sit at our table and rest my chin in my hand. “Does that mean I’ll get a smiley face sticker on my page in your notebook?”

He rolls his eyes. “I don’t use smiley face stickers.”

“Well, you should. You can put it right next to that note you made about me.”

He clears his throat, but he doesn’t blush this time. It kind of annoys me that I can’t get to him like I used to. “So what are we studying today, boss?”

Jonah leans back in his chair. “Anything you’d like.”

I lift an eyebrow. “Really?”

He shrugs one shoulder. “You don’t have any major tests coming up soon so we have some leeway on what to study. Is there any subject you’re feeling the most behind in?”

“Yes,” I say, reaching into my backpack. I pull out the folder with the stack of extra credit papers. “I’m very behind in the subject of Extra Credit.” To prove my point, I let the folder drop onto the table with a thud.

Jonah chuckles. “Want to see how many you can knock out in the next two hours?”

My stomach twists into something that very much resembles butterflies as I watch Jonah. His little grin is pretty cute, not that I’d admit that to April. Or to myself. And there is something appealing about a clean cut guy who always smells nice. There’s no caked on dirt underneath Jonah’s fingernails, unlike just about every other guy ever. I have to resist the urge to lean in and close my eyes and inhale the nice scent of him.

I bite down hard on my tongue, trying to make the thoughts in my head go away. “I have a better idea,” I say, putting my hand on top of the papers. “How about we split them and race and see who can do the most in two hours?”

I wink as I slide half of the papers toward him. “I have a feeling it’ll be you.”

“Nice try,” he says, sliding them back. “How about you do your own extra credit work and I’ll supervise and help as needed?”

I drop my lips into a pout. “That’s no fun.”

“I never said it would be,” he says, meeting my gaze with a sultry one of his own.

I clear my throat. What am I thinking? Jonah isn’t being sultry. He’s being nice, that’s all. Get it together, Natalie!

I swallow the lump in my throat and look down at the papers in front of me. “How about a compromise?” I say, trying to summon up that flirty energy I’ve had in the other times we’ve been together. Now, it’s like it’s all been taken away from me, and my body has been overrun with conflicting emotions. I exhale and try to act like I’m not battling thoughts of Jonah being cute.

“How about I do the worksheets, but after each one, you have to answer a fun question?”

He considers it for a moment. “Okay, but I have the right to veto a question.”

“In which case I’d ask another one.”

“Deal.”

I can’t hide my grin as I take the first worksheet and write my name at the top of it. The idea of learning more things about Jonah has me motivated to answer these stupid questions, some of which are pretty easy because they’re from old lessons that I learned at the start of the school year when I was still attending class regularly. As I work, Jonah walks me through some of the harder problems, and I think about what question I’ll ask him when this sheet is done. Finally, I place it at the bottom of the stack and look at him.

“Do you drive?” I ask.

“Yes,” he says. His eyes meet mine and it sends a weird flurry of butteries through my stomach.

“What kind of car?” I ask.

He taps the paper in front of me. “If you want an answer, you have to do another worksheet.”

I groan and shoot him a dirty look. “So mean to me…” I mutter under my breath.

“I am not mean to you,” he says, sounding frustrated, but when I look over at him, he’s smiling.

We do another worksheet and I get my answer. He drives a charcoal gray Lexus IS 250, which he says is not as cool as it sounds because it’s seven years old and it used to be his dad’s car before he upgraded.

I still think it sounds pretty cool. A Lexus? Mom’s car is so old and crappy we don’t even park next to a Lexus at the store because it’s embarrassing by comparison.

We go on like this for the next hour, me blowing through the worksheet questions as fast as possible to get another answer out of him.

I learn that he has one dog named Rex, who is a German Shephard they rescued from a shelter. He lives with his parents who are still married, and also his grandfather who moved in with them after having a stroke two years ago. His mother is from Mexico and his dad is from Washington. He has one little sister named Lola, and fourteen cousins who he grew up seeing almost every day.

I keep my questions light, never asking if he has a girlfriend even though I’m dying to know the answer. After each worksheet, the question dances around my tongue, but I refuse to say it out loud. Because if I do, that’ll mean I might maybe care a little bit about Jonah’s dating life, and I have to keep reminding myself that I don’t. I don’t care at all.

I like Caleb.

I like guys who aren’t nerds.

Jonah is both a nerd and also not Caleb so I can’t like him.

I finish another worksheet just before our two hours is up. Jonah grabs his bag and slings it over his shoulder as I pack up my stuff, shoving it into my backpack.

I quickly shove the thought away.

“You have one last question,” Jonah says. “What’ll it be?”

I can’t help myself. I have to know.

“Was that pretty comment in your notebook about me?”

His eyes widen for a split second. “Yes,” he says after a moment. “But I veto any follow up questions from now until forever.”

He starts walking toward the door and I stand here a minute, watching him walk away. My chest aches in the weirdest way. It took a lot for him to admit that just now, even though we both already knew the answer from the moment I first saw his dog-eared comment on my appearance. And it takes even more for me to admit something to myself now.

I think I have a crush on him.