Free Studying Boys by Stephie Davis Page A

real date? I almost fell off my chair.
    George's cheeks were bright red and he looked like he'd rather be anywhere but in that kitchen with me.
    For an instant, I thought of Theo. And there was nothing. No yearning. No crush. It was over. He'd cured me of my obsession by showing me the selfish, arrogant side he'd showed everyone else for so long. Which meant I was free. For George.
    George was perfect for me. Studious, serious, and a dedicated student. He was my type of boy. So I nodded. "Sure. I'll go." My first date.

Chapter Six
     
     
    George grinned and I smiled back, my heart racing. My first date. My first date. My first--
    Then the front door slammed and I heard loud voices. George's face fell, and our moment was broken. "They're back?"
    Oy! Theo and his friends! Could they have timed it any worse? "Don't worry. They'll study this time." I jumped up from the table and walked to the front hall. All of the same people from last time were there, carrying pizza and soda, CDs and even a Nerf hoop.
    Allie jumped in with a couple lacrosse players who were heading off to the living room, while Blue and Natalie sat down on the foot of the stairs.
    I folded my arms across my chest and waited.
    Theo was the last one in the door, and when he saw me, he stopped.
    Dammit. For someone who was totally over Theo, my heart was really pounding right now.
    But I lifted my chin and met his gaze. "What's up with all the food and the music?" Which was already blasting through the house.
    He narrowed his eyes. "Get off my case. I'm here, aren't I?"
    "That wasn't the whole deal."
    He walked in, threw his backpack on the ground, grabbed my arm and pulled me into the living room. "Look."
    I looked. The Nerf hoop was set up and some people were dancing. The pizza was open on the table and people were eating. "Looks like last time."
    "Look closer."
    I realized that Theo's hand was still around my arm. Not that I cared.
    "Are you looking?" he said again.
    I forced myself not to think about his hand, and I looked. Interestingly enough, just about everyone had textbooks open. Most of them weren't being read, but they were open. I did hear one couple discussing a paragraph in their physics book.
    Progress, but hardly enough to make The Homework Club a success. I turned to Theo. "Is that it?"
    He frowned. "What do you mean? They're working."
    "You call that working?"
    "Yes." He met my gaze.
    "I have different rooms assigned for each of the subjects. You can't have things combined like this. It's too confusing!"
    "For who?"
    "Everyone!"
    Theo rolled his eyes. "Listen, Frances, I'm helping you out here, but you need to take a chill."
    I needed to what?
    "You want this thing to succeed?" he asked.
    "Of course I do. That's the whole point of blackmailing you!"
    "At least you acknowledge it."
    "What?"
    "The blackmail."
    Well, of course I acknowledged it. "I'm not stupid enough to think you'd actually help me out because you liked me, if that's what you're talking about." Oh, I knew the score now. My heart might still throb at the sight of him, but there were no more delusions. He cared only about himself, and not about me, or anything else.
    Something crossed Theo's face, but he didn't respond to my statement. Instead he said, "If you want this homework thing to succeed, then you have to relax."
    "No, I have to push harder." I fisted my hands. "You guys have no idea how to study."
    He ran his hand through his hair in a move that I used to think was cute. Now it made me wonder whether he had dandruff. Well, not really, but it was a good try. "No," he said. "You're the one who has no idea about how anyone else in this world actually thinks. You're the only one like you."
    "Like me in what way?" This was not sounding like he was about to shower me with compliments. I glanced back over my shoulder, but George hadn't emerged from the kitchen to leave yet. So, I still had time to get this settled before I lost the one attendee who actually valued it, and me, for