Hopelessly Imperfect (Imperfect #1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

too.
    He blinked at me, completely bewildered. “Why?”
    Because she’s not broken like I am. “I’m just not good for you right now.” And I’m not worth it. I swallowed hard as I looked down. I exhaled one more time before closing my locker door.
    “Sorry,” I said to Tom as I found myself gazing at Nathan’s scrutinizing eyes. The bell finally rang, and I walked away, leaving them both dumbfounded.
    During lunch, Farah caught up with me as I walked out of the cafeteria to sit against a wall. Apparently, neither her nor Nathan could take a hint.
    “Hi, Cassie!” she chirped as resignation washed over me. She was persistent, I’d give her that. Despite the fact I’d been pretty much ignoring her, she had managed to track me down at lunch period. Every. Single. Day.
    Knowing well that she would find me anyway, today I waited for her at the entrance of the cafeteria. It would be less hassle for everyone. Plus, she was nice. She talked a lot, which meant I didn’t have to say much. It was refreshing to be around someone like her.
    She pulled out her fruit salad as I opened my granola bar. Cheery as she was, she started to talk about what she had done over the weekend.
    In such a short span of time, I already knew so much about her. That she loved reading anything, that she was a lousy singer, and that she couldn’t boil an egg. Her favorite band was Coldplay, and her favorite TV show was How I Met Your Mother . She complained endlessly about her two younger sisters, but you could tell she loved them. Both her parents worked. Her father was a construction engineer while her mother was a nurse. She loved them deeply too. Her favorite color was blue, and she preferred cold weather. She hadn’t asked me questions, and I appreciated that. I wasn’t ready to talk about myself yet.
    “Cass, are you busy tonight? My mom told me that we could get pizza and watch a movie.” She grinned at me. “We could hang out and paint each other’s nails. What do you say?”
    After everything she’d gone through to hang out with me, I felt like an awful person. Shaking my head, I murmured while creasing my brows, “I’m sorry. I already have plans.”
    She looked down, clearly disappointed. “Oh. Okay. Next week maybe?” She eyed me hopefully.
    “Maybe,” I trailed off, unsure. Hesitantly, I added, “Thank you, though.”
    Farah’s blue eyes watched me for a moment. “Don’t mention it. We’re friends, aren’t we?”
    Why would she want to be my friend, though? I wasn’t even fun to be around. Then again, I couldn’t deny it. She was my friend. Even if I was a lousy one. “Yeah.”
    A warm smile crossed her face. Her eyes sparkled triumphantly. “We can hang out some other time, right?”
    A pang of guilt played in my chest at how excited she was. “Right.”
    Farah was truly a great friend, and I needed her. I knew better than to push her away. Plus, she’d been adamant about becoming my friend.
    Nonetheless, it was true. I did have plans. I had an appointment with the therapist Dr. Simmons had set me up with. She hadn’t been able to see me over the last few days because she was supposedly the best therapist in town and was quite busy. I think Dad was more excited about her than I was. He had googled her and she had great reviews. To be honest, I couldn’t care less. But I had to go. Going to therapy was part of the commitment with my previous doctor. Plus, I would let down my father if I didn’t try. I couldn’t live with that.
    Playing with the granola bar’s wrapping, I took a deep breath. “Thank you, Farah.” She had been looking elsewhere when I spoke. Her head snapped my way, and a heartwarming smile drew across her face. “For putting up with me.” I shrugged shyly.
    “Don’t mention it, Cass.”
    Biting my lip for a moment, I added in a soft murmur, “I’m not the best friend. Sorry.”
    “Hey.” A crumpled napkin landed on my arm. “You’re going through something.” Her eyes