Billionaires Don’t Fall For Awkward Girls by Emma Dalton

Chapter Two

Present Day

My psychology teacher places my test on my desk before heading off to the next student. I flip it over and take in the large D scribbled at the top.

My heart sinks. A D? I’ve never gotten a D before in my life!

“Shoot,” I mutter under my breath as I stare at it, wishing and hoping it’ll magically turn into an A. No such luck. Darn it. What’s the point of psychology anyway? How am I supposed to understand how people work when I don’t even understand how I work?

Sighing, I dump the paper in my bag and hear a slight tear. My eyes widen. Crap. Most kids purchase a new backpack every year, but for someone like Danielle Wood who doesn’t have that luxury, I get to use last year’s. Not that I’m complaining—the thing is in tiptop shape. Or well, it was. I should be more careful next time.

Assessing the damage, I decide it’s not that bad. Just a needle and thread and it’ll be as good as new.

The bell rings and everyone rushes off to lunch. Finally! My stomach’s been yelling for hours. And seeing my friends’ faces will brighten my mood.

It’s like a stampede as everyone rushes into the cafeteria. I wait in line with the others, getting pushed and shoved to and fro because I’m a nobody. Whatever. That’s my life.

“So fat,” a senior girl behind me mutters to her friend. Turning around, I find their eyes locked on the lunch lady, disgusted expressions on their faces.

I look at the woman in question, who’s placing sesame chicken on a guy’s plate, a bright smile on her face. My heart stings like someone’s poking it with a knife.

“I know,” her friend answers. “It’s not that hard to stay away from carbs. Some people are just so…”

I whirl around to give them a piece of my mind, but my tongue freezes in my mouth as the first girl, this pretty brunette with highlights and way too much makeup, gives me a hard stare.

“Got a problem?” she demands.

Yes! You bet your butt I have a problem. That’s what I want to say to her, but what comes out of my mouth? This pathetic squeak that makes me sound like an injured baby bird.

Shaking my head with my lips pressed together, I turn away from her. Why do I get so weird and awkward in front of girls like that? Why can’t I defend my mom like she deserves?

I try not to think about it as the lunch line moves. The important thing is that she didn’t hear them.

“Hello, Danielle,” the lunch lady, AKA the most amazing mom in the world, says with a wide smile. “What would you like?”

I point to various dishes and she gladly places them on my tray, giving me extra like she usually does. Then she winks. I wink back with a grin that makes my stomach drop. Why couldn’t I defend her?

Mom doesn’t want anyone knowing I’m her daughter. She thinks it’ll ruin my high school experience if the kids found out the truth. Her being the lunch lady doesn’t bother me, but it’s important to my mom. So I don’t argue.

“Have a good day, hun,” she wishes before taking the next kid’s order.

Scanning the many tables, I spot the one at the back of the room, practically invisible. Ally raises her head and waves me over. Kara and Charlie turn around and smile, gesturing for me to get my butt there. Forcing myself to forget what happened at the lunch line, I make my way to them and plop down across from Kara. Her boyfriend Brayden sits beside her, fingers interlocked with hers.

“Hey,” I say, my eyes flitting to where Mom is chatting up some kids, that perpetual smile on her face. I wish I could be as happy as her.

Kara follows my gaze, her eyebrow lifted. “Everything okay?”

“Yep. Totally.” My eyes drop to her and Brayden’s hands. “Aren’t you so darn cute? I’m swooning.”

Kara smiles, her cheeks a bit red as she glances at her boyfriend like he’s the light at the end of her tunnel. He returns the smile, looking so handsome it’s a crime.

I’m happy for Kara. Truly, truly happy. But I’m not going to lie and say I don’t want a boyfriend. It’s just that between dance and work and school, I barely have time to breathe. Not to mention no one ever notices me because I’m invisible.

Charlie whacks away at her computer as she takes a bite of her pizza. “Doesn’t seem like you’re okay,” she observes.

I have no idea how the girl can multitask like that. Do other kids’ homework while eating and chatting with the rest of us? She’s a freakin’ genius.

I force down some string beans. “No, I’m fine. Just got a D in psychology.”

Charlie’s eyes widen from behind the computer. “What? A D?”

“Yep.” I groan. “I don’t even understand psychology. Like, what’s the point of learning it? Do I look like I’ll be a shrink or something?”

Ally gives me a sad smile. “The important thing is that you tried, right?”

“I guess,” I mutter as I play around with the string beans.

We talk about other things, then two of Brayden’s friends, DeAngelo and Jerry, slap his hands on the way to their table, telling him they’ll catch up later. I still can’t believe that the most popular guy at school is sitting at the invisible table. And he looks totally comfortable and at ease.

Ally sighs as she pushes some peas around on her plate.

“You okay?” I ask her.

She sighs again. “It’s nothing. Just the usual Shy Girl problems.”

I lift a brow. “Can’t be any worse than Awkward Girl’s problems. Want to talk about it?”

She slumps forward. Kara, Charlie, and Brayden stop what they’re doing and we all give her our full attention.

Ally’s eyes widen a little as she realizes her audience. Public speaking isn’t really her thing. Considering we added a new person to our lunch table, I know she’s freaking out inside. But Brayden’s cool. He’s one of us now—sort of.

“Um…” She yanks at her dirty blonde hair. “My teacher’s picking on me because she thinks I don’t participate in class.”

“Like how?” Kara asks.

She shrugs. “Like she calls me to answer all the questions during an oral quiz. Or she tells me to read out loud from the textbook. And then she complains that she doesn’t hear me. So I say it louder and louder and louder and she still doesn’t hear me.” She slumps forward even more. “And it’s not the first time. This kind of thing has been happening all my life.”

I rub her arm. “That really sucks. I’m sorry. Teachers are so clueless sometimes.”

“And they don’t give enough homework,” Charlie grumbles as she shuts her computer.

Brayden chuckles. “Actually, I could do with less of it. Football’s been taking up most of my time.”

Kara bends close to nuzzle his nose, then quickly pulls away before a teacher will see her. “What about me?” she teases. “Do I take up your time too?”

He gives her such a sweet smile I can see it melting her into a puddle on the floor. “Not at all. Never.”

Charlie stands. “Got to hand the jocks their assignments and collect more homework for tonight!” She dashes to the popular table.

I laugh as I watch her practically salivating as she collects their homework. Head cheerleader Teagyn Myers and her friends make faces as they pass her their assignments. But Charlie either doesn’t see or care. She’s just glad to be busy tonight.

Brayden pops a small but sweet kiss on Kara’s face before telling her he’ll see her later. Then he and his friends leave the cafeteria. Charlie is still collecting homework, ignoring the strange looks other kids give her.

“Any plans after school?” Kara asks us.

Ally shakes her head while I tell Kara I have dance practice. “What about you and Brayden?” I say. “Any plans for a romantic date?”

Kara frowns. “I wish. I’m going to watch Bray practice after school and then my Dad and I are having dinner at his house.”

“Ooh, dinner. Sounds like fun.”

Kara’s face goes white for a second. “Fun? Well, I don’t know about that. It’s our first meal with both families.”

Ally looks up. “You’re nervous?”

She swallows. “That’s an understatement. What if his parents don’t like me? I mean, it’s not my first time meeting them, but it feels different. Like I’ll be scrutinized or something. What if I’m not good enough?”

Ally pats her arm. “Of course you’re good enough. His parents will love you.”

“And you already have Bailey wrapped around your finger,” I add. “That kid’s adorable. You know Jasmine told me she’s the best dancer in her class?”

Kara smiles. “She’s not a quitter. She’s so determined.”

I give her a wide smile. “Like her sexy older brother?”

Kara playfully slugs my arm.

“You’ll be okay,” Ally tells her. “Just remember to smile, have fun, and be yourself.”

“What are you talking about?” Charlie asks as she drops down in her seat.

We inform her of Kara’s dinner date with Brayden’s parents, then talk about other things until the bell rings. We gather our garbage, toss it away, then head for our next classes.

As I lead my friends out of the cafeteria, I smack into something hard. Glancing up, I stare into brown eyes. Eyes that belong to none other than Easton Knight Jr.

I flinch away like I got burned. Out of all the people Awkward Girl could bang into, it has to be him?

He frowns. “Can’t you watch where you’re going?” He shakes his head like he’s talking to the biggest loser in the world before marching out of the cafeteria, head raised high like he’s above the rest of us.

Jerk. I still haven’t forgotten how he behaved when I gave him that tour two months ago.

A hand rests on my shoulder. “You okay?” Ally asks me. She glances to where Easton disappears down the hallway with the rest of the kids.

“Yeah.” I flick some invisible dirt off my sleeve. “Fine.”

She has a weird look on her face as she studies me, but I don’t have a chance to ask her what that’s about because she waves at us and enters her classroom. Charlie and Kara go to their rooms too.

I catch Easton chatting with a few kids, leaning on the lockers with his arms crossed like he owns the place. His parents are so rich I wouldn’t be surprised if they did. Okay, an exaggeration, but whatever.

He laughs like an elephant at something a guy says, his chocolate brown hair falling into his eyes. It’s not right that a jerk like him was blessed with such good looks.

I’m so tempted to march over to him and demand an apology, tell him just because he has more money than I’ll ever see in my lifetime, it doesn’t give him the right to treat others like garbage. But nope. I just stand there watching him.

His head turns and those pretty eyes meet mine. His smile drops.

I whisk away to class.