The Fine Art of Pretending Read Online Free PDF Page A

in my truck is definitely the Aly I know.
    My amusement dies when I yank open the door and Aly nails me with a glare. “People could find me sexy, y’know. Obviously no one we know, but it’s not that outrageous a concept.” Crossing her arms, she sinks lower in her seat, and I cough into my fist to keep from laughing again. She’s so damn cute. The scowl on her face is so out of place that it’s like being annoyed with a grumpy kitten. I like hanging out with Aly for a lot of reasons, but her laid-back attitude is definitely at the top of the list. She’s fun and drama-free. When I’m not accidently offending her, that is.
    Revving the engine, I glance over and say, “Aly, of course you can be sexy.” Exhibit A: those legs . “That’s not what I meant. I just don’t think of you like that.”
    Or at least I didn’t until you wore that skirt .
    She makes a sound that’s a cross between a groan and a sigh and shakes her head. “Exactly, and that’s why I’m doing this.”
    I stop with my hand on the shifter.
    Seeing the look on my face, Aly throws her head back against the seat. “That came out wrong. It’s not because you don’t think of me that way. It’s that none of the guys at school do.”
    I reverse out of the driveway, hoping she’ll elaborate, and she twists toward me, tucking her legs under herself. “See, once I had my epiphany about the Wall of Shame, I got this idea. You’re probably going to say it’s stupid, but whatever. I’m just tired of being invisible, Brandon. Of guys always seeing me as a friend. This is senior year. My last shot. If I want the male species to finally find me dateable, I have to do something drastic.”
    “Drastic?” I ask, waving my hand in her direction. “As in letting Kara turn you into her own life-size Barbie doll?”
    Aly playfully bats my arm but nods. “Yeah. I’m calling it Operation Sex Appeal.”
    I cough and look over.
    Oh, she’s serious. Okay .
    “And you telling me about that chauvinistic ranking system sealed the deal,” she continues. “Guys see me as a Commitment . I’m too much work, too serious. For once, I want to see what it’s like to be a Casual .”
    Aly bites her lip in excitement, and I groan. Yep, she totally missed the point. She was supposed to see that her lack of exes isn’t a bad thing. It boils down to respect. Some guys know she deserves more effort than they are willing to give.
    But clearly, my confession in her room only made things worse.
    Time for damage control. “So does this mission of yours have an end goal?” I have a feeling that it involves more than just a wardrobe change, and I tighten my grip on the wheel. I can’t help feeling protective of Aly. We practically grew up together. And with a name like Operation Sex Appeal, I can imagine the kind of guys she’ll attract. But Aly’s smart. I’m sure she’s not planning anything too crazy to become this other person.
    “Well,” she says, scrunching her nose. “Before, it was getting a new look and a new guy by Homecoming. But now, I’m thinking the only way to show I’ve really changed is for that guy to be Justin.”
    My foot hits the brake, and I swerve to avoid hitting the curb. Waving a hand at the pissed-off driver behind me, I shake my head and clutch the wheel with both fists. “Aly, you can do a hell of a lot better than Justin.”
    Her voice pitches in confusion. “But I thought Justin was your friend.”
    “He is.” I take a breath and change lanes. “Which is how I know you can do a lot better.”
    For some reason, Aly seems surprised, but I have no idea why. She’s seen the girls Justin usually dates. There’s not a chance in hell she can get involved with him and not get her heart broken. And then I’ll have to break something on him .
    No way. I have to get her focused on someone else.
    “It doesn’t matter anyway,” she says, trying to pull down her skirt. With all her fidgeting, it’s ridden up even higher on her