Studying Boys by Stephie Davis

be coming after me with a pickaxe.
    Blue's dad grinned at me, looking very pleased with himself. "There you go. Theo's on board. Just give him the time and date and how many friends you want, and he'll be there."
    This was exactly how I'd envisioned finally getting Theo to notice me. Not.
    * * *
    Monday night. Ten past seven. At Allie's house. Waiting for The Homework Club attendees, who were already ten minutes late.
    I looked at my friends, who were munching popcorn and watching television. How could they be so relaxed? Didn't they realize what a big deal this was?
    We'd started an hour later so Theo could come after practice. With his friends.
    But it was ten minutes after with no Theo.
    Not even George had come.
    I walked into the living room and stood in the doorway. "This isn't working."
    Allie looked up. "They'll come. Boys like Theo need to be fashionably late."
    "Late? For a homework club?" That made no sense. This wasn't a party. This was like study hall.
    "Chill, Frances," Allie said. "Have some popcorn."
    "No."
    I walked back to the front of the house, and tried not to think about lying to my parents tonight. I'd told them Allie and I were doing a research project together on the Bolshevik Revolution, so we'd be working together a lot over the next two months.
    Liar! I was a liar!!
    I felt sick.
    Then the doorbell rang.
    And I felt more sick.
    But I walked over to it and opened it. "Hi George."
    George gave me a shy sort of smile and held out a plate of brownies. "My mom thought you might want food for tonight."
    "Thanks." I peered past George. Just his mom waving at me from the front of her station wagon. I waved back, then shut the door.
    "So, just you and me?" George looked sort of pleased. "Into the living room?"
    "Um, no. My friends are watching television. How about we go to the kitchen and do math, or the den and do English?"
    "How about math?"
    "Sounds good." I sighed and led the way back to the kitchen, walking past the television set. "Maybe you guys should be studying."
    "Not without the boys," Allie said.
    I glanced at Blue. "Where's Colin? I thought he was coming tonight."
    "He'll be here."
    Right. The fashionably late thing again. What was up with boys? Why'd they have to be late for everything? What was wrong with being on time?
    At least George was here, with his red hair and glasses. George was my type.
    We sat down at the kitchen table and pulled out our books, and I soon learned that the right boy could make math interesting. He was funny, thought up cool examples for explaining things, and he loved talking math. How could I not have fun doing math when I was laughing the whole time? Plus I was learning! How awesome was that?
    It was so great to finally meet someone who was as dedicated to homework as I was. He didn't make me feel strange for being into school because he felt the same way! Made me realize how much I missed that kind of respect from everyone else in my life—except of course my parents, who were psycho, so they didn't count.
    About twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang. George's mom already?
    "I'll get it," Blue shouted.
    Right. Colin. As if he'd do any studying. He'd be mooning over Blue.
    This Homework Club was a total and utter failure.
    For everyone else. For me, at least, I had a study partner, right? So it wasn't a total loss?
    I heard a loud crash from the front of the house, and then a bunch of shouting and then loud music started cranking. What was going on?
    "Hang on a sec." I barely looked at George before I jumped up and ran to the front of the house, slamming to a stop as soon as I rounded the comer.
    There had to have been at least forty kids there. Boys, girls, all of them older. I didn't know anyone.
    Then I saw Theo in the corner. Theo! He'd come through! I would love him forever.
    Then he turned around and I saw he'd been leaning over the CD player. He was the one cranking out the music?
    "Who wants to dance?" he shouted.
    At least six giggly girls in