Revenge of the Geek by Piper Banks

else—Tabitha, Padma, Marc, everyone—got great ones.”
    “Come on, not everyone,”Charlie said. “There are always lots of short pieces in The Ampersand . You can’t be the only one who was assigned one.”
    Typical Charlie , I thought. She had a habit of being annoyingly reasonable.
    I shrugged. “Well, maybe not everyone got a great assignment. But I definitely got the worst one,”I said grudgingly.
    Charlie ran a hand through her green hair, which caused it to stick up on end like a troll doll. Somehow, she still managed to look adorable.
    “What you have to do is spin this in your favor,”she said.
    “What does that mean?”
    “Knock your article out of the park. Make it a slam dunk. Drive it off the tee.”Charlie giggled, amused by her own sports-related metaphors. I shot her my best death-ray glare. “Seriously, Miranda. Look at this as an opportunity to impress your editor. If you ace this assignment—”She dissolved into giggles again.
    I stood up. “If you’re going to keep making sports jokes, I’m leaving.”
    “Okay, I promise I’ll stop now,”Charlie said.
    I sat back down.
    “What I’m trying to say is, if you do really well on this article, I’m sure Candace will give you a better assignment next time.”
    “How, exactly, am I supposed to impress her with a filler piece on a problem facing nonexistent student athletes? I can hardly do an exposéon steroid use in five hundred words,”I complained.
    “You’ll think of something,”Charlie said.
    “How? I’ve got nothing. Seriously, I’m drawing a complete blank.”
    “Well, when I’m in the middle of a painting and get stuck, sometimes it helps if I put it aside and don’t think about it for a while,”Charlie suggested.
    “So I’m supposed to think up a great idea by not thinking about it?”I asked doubtfully.
    “The idea is that your subconscious mind continues to engage, while you distract your conscious mind. And then when you’re feeling happy and relaxed, good ideas will start flowing in,”Charlie said.
    “I don’t know,”I said.
    “Try it. It works for me,”Charlie said.
    The bell that hung on the glass-front door jingled. Charlie, who was facing toward the door, looked up. Her expression darkened. I twisted around in my seat to see who had come in. It was Finn, who had one long arm slung awkwardly around Phoebe’s shoulders.
    “Great,”Charlie said. “Just what I need.”
    Finn’s girlfriend was tall with long legs, which she was showing off in a very short cheerleader’s outfit, and shoulder-length red hair that was pulled back in a high, bouncy ponytail secured with a blue ribbon. She was looking up at Finn and giggling at whatever he was saying.
    “Does that girl ever stop laughing?”Charlie asked, her tone caustic.
    “She does seem very happy,”I said.
    Charlie snorted. “I’ve met Barbie dolls who are more on the ball than that chick. She’s so vapid, she makes me sick. And Finn, too, for dating her. For God’s sake, she’s a cheerleader.”
    “It’s not healthy how you’re always holding in your feelings. You should let them out from time to time,”I said.
    My sarcasm was rewarded with an extremely dirty look.
    “Look, Charlie. I think you need to accept that this is happening. Even if you don’t see what the attraction is, Finn really likes her,”I said, leaning forward and keeping my voice low. Finn and Phoebe were still up at the counter, placing their order, but I didn’t want to take the chance I’d be overheard. “He seems really happy. I don’t think they’re going to break up anytime soon.”
    “Ouch,”Charlie said, her shoulders slumping.
    I nodded sympathetically. “I know. Trust me, I know.”And I did know. I’d been devastated when Hannah and Emmett first started dating. “But I think once you accept that she’s not going anywhere anytime soon, the better off you’ll be.”
    Charlie was quiet for a long time. I glanced over at Finn, who had finally realized