“Dude. They’re all going to be over eighteen.” Lydia looked to me for confirmation.
I felt bad about dashing Arden’s hopes, which must have been why I added, “Except for Neill.”
“Neill,” Arden repeated, eyes gleaming. “Tell me more.”
“Technically he’s a junior, but he skipped two grades in elementary school, so he’s only seventeen.” As he would happily inform anyone within hearing range. Unlike Neill himself, I refused to use the wordprodigy.
“And?” Arden prompted. “What does he look like?”
“Dark hair, kind of stocky—”
“So he’s built,” she translated.
I shrugged, never having paid much attention to his physique. “Supposedly he does martial arts. He volunteered to choreograph the fights forOthello.” I didn’t add that Jasper and I suspected he’d made up his own style of fighting in order to be the undisputed expert.
“Think how impressive it would be to go to Winter Formal with a college student,” Arden mused. “Everyone would be talking about it.”
Anjuli’s face danced across my thoughts.
“We could shop for dresses together! Definitely a different store this time. You might even inspire these two”—Arden swept a finger between Lydia and Terry—“to step outside their comfort zones and live a little. And then we’d all be there together, and it would be the Best Night Ever.”
For a moment, I could see it: the flowing gowns and sparkling jewels, couples spinning gracefully around the dance floor. If I squinted at it sideways, the picture didn’t even include Neill. “I guess I couldtry. He’ll definitely be at Trivia Night.”
Arden picked up her phone, swiping until she reached the calendar. “When and where does this trivia business go down?”
“Third Wednesday of the month, at Mung the Merciless,” I said. “It’s a vegetarian restaurant. Kind of a sci-fi theme.”
“Drat.” Arden clucked her tongue. “I have my Malaysian cooking class.” She looked hopefully at Terry.
“I do Jazzercise with Mami on Wednesdays.”
“And my mom is addressing her Rotary Club that night,” Lydia informed us, setting down her phone. “She wants the whole family there.”
Arden’s lips pursed. “Lady Mary will just have to get the ball rolling on her own.”
“Right.” I took a deep breath. “How would I do that exactly?”
“First, you strike up a conversation,” Arden began, counting off the points on her fingers. “Then you find out if he’s single. If he is, ask if he wants to hang out sometime. Simple, right?” She smiled at me.
I nodded uncertainly.
“Think about it this way. Even if we can’t get him to the dance, it’s still a great chance to practice your social skills—which is totally on my list for your season.” Arden waved her phone at me.
A chime sounded, and the screen lit up. “It’s Miles,” she announced, jumping to her feet. She clutched the phone to her chest. “Everything’s coming together!”
I forced a smile, wishing I shared her confidence.
Dear Diary,
My cousin Meg said something once about how at school you have to downplay how much you know, so no one gets annoyed. That’s when I realized there are still people in the world who would think less of a young woman for being a so-called bluestocking, whose nose is always in a book.
You never have to worry about being called a know-it-all among the Porter-Malcolms—especially at Trivia Night.
M.P.M.
Chapter 21
When the appointed evening arrived,I ran back upstairs at the last minute, rethinking my ponytail. It had never occurred to me to take pains with my appearance for Trivia Night, but maybe a less girlish coiffure would help Neill see me as a peer, as opposed to his usual habit of treating me like a semiliterate child.
