Free Prince Charming by Sara Celi

movie.”
    “Um, yeah,” he struggled. “I really wanted to see this, too.”
    Liar.
    “I’ve read all the books,” she said to all of us. “They’re really good. Sooooooo awesome.”
    “Went on ahead and bought your ticket this afternoon online,” Josh said, handing her a small slip. He sounded proud to be able to do this for her.
    And that’s when I saw the opportunity. “Speaking of books, I need to check out something at Barnes and Noble.” I gestured my thumb at the store, like this was an important mission. “Yeah. I need to do that, like, right now.”
    “I should probably go with him,” Mark added.
    “What?” Josh frowned at me. “But you can’t—”
    “Barnes and Noble. Yep, I heard you say something about that earlier.”
    “It’s about my debit card,” I said, fumbling to come up with some kind of reasonable excuse. It sounded lame, but whatever. I went with it anyway. “Yeah. I should check this out right away.”
    “Really?” Now Josh sounded pissed.
    “Yeah, I don’t want to get into trouble with David and Mom.”
    “Me too,” Mark said. “I should go with him. You know, for moral support.”
    “I’m sorry I can’t make the movie,” I said. “You guys have fun.”
    “Okay . . .”Allison trailed off, a suspicious look on her face.
    “I hate you guys,” Josh said, clearly nervous and embarrassed.
    “No you don’t,” I replied taking one quick step backward, and then another. “Have fun at the movie.” Mark followed me when I gestured to him.
    “Are we going to meet up with them after?” Mark asked as I pushed opened the wide doors of the Levee building and walked into the courtyard that led to Barnes and Noble.
    “Probably not,” I replied. “I mean, isn’t this their date, or whatever?”
    “I guess it’s a date. He likes her a lot.” Mark stopped and frowned, deep in thought. “You didn’t have any problems with your debit card at Barnes and Noble, right?”
    I frowned, and shook my head. “No way. I know that was stupid, but I just said that because I wanted to give them some excuse to be alone.”
    “Never thought he’d have a crush on Allison Nichols.”
    I shrugged. “Well, she is kinda hot, if you like that artsy type.” I nodded in the direction of the two-story bookstore. “I still want to go there and check it out.”
    “Yeah, okay,” Mark said, and we walked toward the store again. “I wanted to look for a couple of new books.”
    I chuckled. “What the hell else are we going to do on a Friday night in Cincinnati?”
    “I know. God, I wish I was twenty-one. Life doesn’t start until you’re twenty-one.”
    “Three more years,” I replied, as I flung open the door of the store. “Three more years and we’ll dominate this town.”

    I liked to read. A lot. History. Politics. The modern classics. F. Scott Fitzgerald. John Grisham. I had a rewards card at Barnes and Noble, and for me, going there was like going to a buffet for a really fat person. I gorged myself on books. Plus, that store was always quiet, so I liked to go there and just think.
    These days, I had a lot to think about. What did I really want do with my life? What did I want to major in? Who did I want to be? And what the fuck was going on with me?
    I walked straight to the escalator, destined for the political science section. Mark separated from me with a small wave before he disappeared into the music section. I didn’t know if I’d see him later or not. Maybe I didn’t really care, anyway. I decided not to stress over it, and stopped in front of a long row of books about Republicans vs. Democrats. Books on either side called out the other—shouting, angry titles that always attracted me. I liked books with crazy covers, too
    I selected a couple of new books, sat down in an overstuffed chair in the corner, and pulled my phone out of my pocket. I didn’t make it through a reading of the first chapter before I decided to check it. Well, “check it” meant I