Page 8 of Beauty and the Nerd

“So, do you have plans with lover-boy tonight or are you free for some girl fun?” Megan asked, catching Emma at her locker the first Friday they were back after Christmas break.

Emma gave her friend a warning look, catching sight of Ben as Crystal stopped him in the hallway. “Would you hush, we haven’t decided to come out yet.”

“Well, if you don’t cool the glare it’s going to right now.

” Megan led her away as Ben sidestepped Crystal with ease moving down the hallway away from all of them.

“Okay he still might dress horribly with those baggy ass puke-colored khakis, not to mention the atrocious graphic tees topped with those ‘should only be worn at Christmas’ checkered shirt, but dang that haircut is something.”

“Yeah, I might have made a misstep with that one,” she agreed seeing the way other girls looked at him as he moved past with the tapered cut she’d convinced him to get just before Christmas.

There was still enough on top for her to run her fingers through, but it wasn’t in his face, hiding it anymore.

The lines of his face stood out more prominently now, and it made her heart race just to look at him.

She just didn’t realize it’d have other girls checking him out so much as well and how it’d feel to know they could be interested in him, especially since it was with the way he looked now, and not because of who he was inside.

“He certainly looks better from the neck up,” Megan agreed entirely with Emma about that much after pulling her out of the school and into the car.

They headed to the mall, and she pushed Emma into the nail salon to get manicures and pedicures to cheer her friend up after confirming that Ben had family plans that night.

“What is your problem? Come on Emma, that boy is completely gone over you and you’re like this nervous mess that he’s going to what? Break up with you?”

“I don’t know, okay? Ugh…fine, maybe I do,” she admitted with a sigh as Megan stared her down.

“Is this about the nutso he slept with and the fact that you’re still, you know, a virgin?

” Megan didn’t bother shying away from the question and Emma nodded.

“Emma! He’s in love with you. You don’t even see how much he doesn’t pay her a bit of attention.

You’re the one that’s only seeing her desire for your man. So, you know what you need to do?”

“What?”

“The next time that bitch is talking to him, giving him that, ‘oh please won’t you take me home and blow my mind again’ look,” Megan said earning a dark glare from Emma making her laugh lightly. “Well, isn’t that what it looks like?”

“You don’t have to say it out loud. I don’t need any more reminders that she slept with him. Don’t need that in my mind more than it already is on a daily basis.”

“Geez girl, he’s yours Emma. The past is the past. So-what if he slept with her then?

He’s yours now, which is what matters. So, the next time she gives him that look, you need to march your jealous little butt over to them and make sure that she knows it because let’s be honest. Even taking sex entirely out of the picture…

who in their right mind would want her over you?

She’s a snarky ‘it’s all about me because I’m like smart’ bitch whereas even being Queen Bee, you’ve always been soft-hearted.

You’re who he wants Emma, not that sour little tart. ”

“It doesn’t always feel like that when he stands around talking to her for ten minutes every damn day,” Emma said checking her phone for messages from him. There weren’t any and she didn’t want to appear as insanely jealous as she truly was wondering why he hadn’t texted her.

“He’s driving Emma.” Megan’s words pulled her head up and she knew Megan had seen the look that crossed her face.

“It takes him how long to get home after school? Like twenty-five minutes? You know he doesn’t text or even use his phone while he’s driving.

He’s a safe driver, wouldn’t think about doing it before, but especially wouldn’t after your accident.

He’s entirely in love with you and he’s not going to let some little ninnies’ new attention pull him away from you.

So, please stop this. I swear I never imagined you’d be this crazy when in love, girl. ”

“Neither did I. I just…I was fine until I found out that he slept with her…well that he slept with anyone before,” she admitted not quite able to believe it herself as she set her phone down trying to ignore it.

“Because you haven’t and aren’t ready for it and you’re worried that he’s going to what?

Get tired of waiting for you? Look at you all, Emma,” Megan said showing her a photo of them before turning to one she’d sneakily taken of her and Ben the day after Christmas when they were hanging out.

“Look at the way he’s looking at you. He’s madly, deeply, truly in love with you.

This cannot just be about the fact that he’s had sex before and you haven’t. ”

“Fine maybe it’s not just that.” Emma gave her friend that much as the girl doing her nails sent her a smile putting a blush into her cheeks.

“So, what is it?” Megan questioned as Emma’s phone buzzed. Emma knew Megan had seen the message on the screen from Ben when she lifted a brow her way. “Twenty-eight minutes, what does that tell you?”

Emma sighed to herself as she read Ben’s message again with a smile despite her worries.

“That I’m a crazy, jealous, neurotic girlfriend that’s dreading graduation coming because I don’t want to lose him.

So maybe I’m unknowingly attempting to sabotage us before then, before we even tell everyone about us, so I don’t entirely fall apart when it comes, and he goes off to some incredible Ivy League college, and I’m stuck here at State. ”

“Oh brother,” Megan said shooting a text to Ben to let him know what Emma told her.

She wasn’t about to let her friend sabotage the best thing that’d ever happened to her.

She’d never imagined being on board with her best friend dating the nerd-boy, but it was incredibly obvious that he wasn’t close to being just that and the way he treated Emma settled all her confusion as to how the two of them fit together.

His instant reply of ‘thanks’ left her confident that he would show Emma what she meant to him.

“You’re not going to be stuck here going to State, Emma.

You got into one of the most prestigious summer programs last year on your merit, not because of some family name or money, on your work alone.

Your grades are awesome, and your other activities are enough that anywhere would be happy to take you.

You can’t hang your relationship before you know what’s going to happen in the future.

So, calm down, talk to him, and let him show you that he adores you, alright?

For tonight, we’re going to enjoy ourselves and you’re going to stop obsessing over things that haven’t and aren’t going to happen. ”

Emma nodded, agreeing to let things go for now. She had to admit that she enjoyed her time with Megan, just them without the other girls from the squad or their social group butting in with some stupid remark about her and Carter breaking up yet again.

She woke to a knock on her door the next morning and slipped downstairs with a yawn, home alone again as her parents were out of town celebrating their anniversary. She pulled it open and stopped, covering her face with her hands finding Ben behind it. “Go away, I look awful.”

“You look gorgeous; you always look gorgeous to me, baby.” He moved into the house, giving her a hug and soft kiss. “Did you enjoy the movie with Megan last night?”

“I did, I missed you though. I feel like I haven’t seen you in days.” She happily slid over to the couch with him, slipping her legs over his lap leaning into the cushions.

“I know and that’s why I wanted to spend the whole day with you. No family obligations, no committee meetings, no homework, just us Em.”

“And to do that you decided to wake me at six-twenty on a Saturday morning?” she asked meeting his gaze with a soft smile.

“Yes, because I wanted to spend as many hours as possible with you along with taking you out to breakfast somewhere incredible. It’s up to you what you want to wear but you don’t have to change out of that on my account.”

“Mmm, alright, but just know that I’m a girl who likes her beauty sleep.” She made him laugh but it was true, she liked sleeping in when she could manage it.

“You don’t need beauty sleep baby; you’re gorgeous all the time.”

Emma took in his cargo pants and boots wondering what she should wear even as she smiled. “Thank you, so what else is on plan for the day so I know how to dress?”

“A hike somewhere I think you’ll love.” Ben only gave her that much before letting her head upstairs to change.

He let out a low groan when she came down in a pair of legging style workout pants, a pair of hiking shoes in her hands and a pair of fuzzy boots on her feet.

She’d added an extra-large sweatshirt over the top of her outfit, and he pulled her into his hold kissing her softly.

“That was nice,” she said giving him a full smile as he pulled back, a light blush in her cheeks from the evidence of his desire for her.

“Cheeky, you’re just too damn beautiful sometimes,” he said before ushering her to the car and heading out of town.

Emma was amazed when he stopped the car, taking out a picnic basket from the back seat. She shook her head at him but settled in for the walk up the path.

Once at the top, he spread out a blanket for them to sit on before taking out another covering her with it as he readied the food. She was touched to almost tears watching him, and she snuggled into his hold as they ate.

Emma sighed resting her head against his chin. “This is amazing Ben. I don’t know why you did it but I’m really glad you did.”