Free Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renée Russell

me one promise…”
     
    “Anything!!” Zoey gushed. “Let me guess! We have to ditch our plans to run away and live at the NYC library?”
     
    “Okay, then it’s officially CANCELED!” Chloe announced, and did jazz hands, like the show was over.
     
    “Actually, that’s not what I meant,” I said, hiding my smile and trying to look all scary-serious. “I want you both to promise me you won’t bring RATS to my wedding!”
     
    “HUH?!” They both looked at me like I was crazy.
     
    “Never mind!” I giggled. “It’s a long story.”

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
    Before biology class started, I noticed Brandon was kind of staring at me, but I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination or not. Lately, it seemed like whenever I looked at HIM , he was looking at ME .
     
    But then we both would look away and pretend like we WEREN’T really looking at each other.
     
    Well, today he actually smiled at me and said, “So, which cell cycle would you rather study? Mitosis or meiosis?”
     
    I smiled back and kind of shrugged my shoulders because actually, I HATED both of them EQUALLY. And I was afraid that anything I said would probably make me look like a BIGGER idiot than he already thought I was.
     
    But the main reason I couldn’t talk to Brandon was because I was suffering from a very severe and debilitating case of RCS, or Roller-Coaster Syndrome. Studies show that it mainly attacks
     
    girls between the ages of eight and sixteen.
     
    The symptoms are difficult to describe, but whenever Brandon talks to me, my stomach feels like I’m dropping nine hundred feet at eighty miles per hour. Simply calling it “butterflies” is a common and dangerous misdiagnosis.
     
    Suddenly, and without warning, I feel compelled to throw my hands up in the air (like I just don’t care) and scream…
     
    “WHEEEEEE!”

    Then my day got even BETTER! While I was working in the library, Brandon came in to return a book called Photography and You . I was just sitting there, doodling a few tattoo designs for Chloe and Zoey, when he leaned across the counter and peeked at my notebook.
     
    “Now that is good! I didn’t know you were an artist!”
     
    I looked around to see who he was talking to. Then, I totally freaked out when I realized he was actually talking to ME! I could hardly BREATHE.
     
    “Thanks, but it’s no big deal. I’ve been going to art camp like forever. And last summer, I got practically a million mosquito bites and wow, did they ever itch!!” I babbled like an idiot.
     
    “Well, one thing is for sure, you definitely got skillz!”
     
    Brandon’s hair was hanging in his eyes again as he smiled and kind of leaned in even closer to lookat my sketches. I thought I was going to DIE! He smelled like Snuggle fabric softener, Axe body spray, and…red licorice?!
     
    I couldn’t stop blushing, and there was no way I could draw with him watching me like that. I started feeling that roller-coaster thing all over again…WHEEEEE!
     
    Suddenly Brandon’s eyes seemed to twinkle with excitement.
     
    “Hey! Are you entering the avant-garde art competition? I’ll be covering it for the newspaper.”
     
    “Yeah, I’m thinking about it. But everyone is saying MacKenzie’s fashion illustrations are going to win this year. So I dunno…”
     
    “MacKenzie?! Are you kidding? You have more talent in your smallest burp than she has in her entire body. I’m serious! You know that, right?”
     
    I could NOT believe Brandon actually said that! Itwas so rude. So wickedly funny. So…TRUE!
     
    We both laughed really hard. I didn’t know he had such a wacky sense of humor.
     
    Soon, Chloe and Zoey came staggering up to the front desk, each loaded down with a stack of books that needed to be put away.
     
    When they saw us, their mouths dropped open.
     
    They looked at me, then at Brandon, then at me again. Then at Brandon. Then back at me. Then Brandon. Then me. Then Brandon again.
     
    This went on like