A Book Nerd's Guide to Falling in Love

Chapter 16: Face-Times were the Best

Apart from being a book addict, I was also a hypocrite.

I'd been annoyed when Finn told me he was an internet guy, and yet here I was, using that same global network to help me with the biggest problem of my life.

"How to fall in love with books," I said as I typed on the Google Chrome search bar. There was really nothing wrong with the internet. I was only annoyed because Finn expressed no interest in signing my petition. But yesterday, it was weird when he promised to check it out.

I counted the number of signatures on the online petition, and they had grown by three counts in the last twenty-four hours. Wondering if one could be Finn, I smiled even though the total was only forty-seven. It was a long way to go to get to one hundred and fifty thousand.

I already lost hope with that first solution and am now looking for a new endeavor--the infographic Finn had suggested. I didn't get to ask if he would help hand them out. He would probably say he was more of a text-messaging type of guy and didn't do handouts.

Shaking the negative thought from my head, I wanted to believe he was genuinely trying to help. And once I printed out the infographics, he'd be willing to pass them around so people could learn about what was happening to Littleton's Public Library.

Before I hit enter on my search, my phone rang, distracting me with Beyonce's beat of Who Run the World (Girls). I glanced at it beside my keyboard, seeing Finn's name. I quickly reached for the phone, frantic and knocking it off the table.

"Snap!" I hoped he wouldn't hang up yet as I picked it up from the floor, but he dropped it as soon as I pressed the green phone icon. "Snap it!"

A missed call was registered on my screen, and the option to call back was right below it. All I had to do was press it. Then I'd be calling Finn.

I'd be calling Finn! I realized, pulling my thumb away from the call-back button. When was the last time we talked over the phone? Never. I had his number because--I tried to recall--maybe he asked for it to get help with homework. And that was two years ago.

Did Finn need help with homework?

My phone started ringing, and I jumped in surprise, tossing it in the air but catching it before it slipped to the floor again. I answered the call and pressed it to my ear.

"Hello?" My voice came breathy and shaking.

"Hey!" He sounded relieved on the other end. "You busy?"

"Uhm, not so much. What's up?" I was trying my best to be cool. When did I get so nervous talking to Finn?

I think it was since I noticed he was cute. I mean, I knew he was cute. The whole school knew he was cute and hot and everything all the other guys wanted to be. But it was only a few days ago that I noticed, like noticed noticed he was cute... and hot.

That was why I'm nervous now. I was crushing on him when I wasn't supposed to be.

"I didn't catch you after school," he said, like we had always hung out after classes.

"Oh, did you need something?" I asked, wondering why he was calling me.

"No, we just didn't finish our talk about the infographic," he answered.

"Oh," I said again. "I was just about to do my research about infographics."

"Cool. Is this an okay time to Facetime you?"

Snap! I stood up to look at myself in the mirror behind my door. I hadn't changed yet since I got home from school, so I looked the same wearing my purple sweater, but I could use a lip gloss. I grabbed the one on standby at my desk and swiped it over my lips.