Will the Real Prince Charming Please Stand Up Read Online Free PDF Page A

guy,” Talia said, her voice laced with sarcasm. “Didn’t even vote for his own girlfriend. He probably didn’t think she could win.”
    “What?”
    “If it’s true that he voted for you,” she said in hushed tones behind me, “then he was expecting Zoe to lose. Jake and Finn did too good of a job getting your name out.”
    I turned and frowned at her. “Maybe he voted for me because he actually likes me.”
    “Maybe,” she said with a shrug. I faced forward to listen to the morning announcements, thinking this conversation was over, but Talia whispered behind me, “Or maybe he only said he voted for you to make you think he does.”

Chapter Four
    Much to Talia’s and Finn’s dismay, Dante showed up at lunch to join us. The tension was even more palpable because it was just the four of us. Ally was holed up in the student council office working on last-minute Homecoming preparations, and Jake was rehearsing with his bandmates in the music room. I had to give my friends credit, though. They may not have been hospitable, but they weren’t outright rude, either, even though I knew Talia was waiting for the chance to tell him off.
    “You don’t have to eat with us, you know,” I said to him for the third time. He was sitting across from me, his back to his friends, and I could see they were looking our way. Zoe and her friends were talking and pointing. It made me uneasy.
    “I know,” he said, reaching for my hand. “But I want to.”
    I looked down at his hand covering mine and felt my cheeks grow hot as my pulse raced. I leaned forward and whispered, “It looks like your friends are wondering why you’re here, though.”
    He glanced over his shoulder and shrugged. “Let them wonder.” He squeezed my hand and smiled at me, and I felt my insides melt.
    Dante showed up between each period to walk me to class, too, and I wanted to squeal each time I saw him waiting. I loved the attention he was giving me, especially when he held my hand as we walked through the halls and opened doors for me.
    I’d never had a boyfriend before, and this was exactly how I imagined one would behave.
    “So, what are you doing after school?” he asked as we walked to my last period Spanish class. “Your brother has football practice, right? Do you wait around for him?”
    “I’m getting a ride home with Finn,” I replied. “His mom is picking us up right after school, and Ally’s hanging out at my house. Why?”
    His frown almost looked like a pout. “I just want to see you.”
    I laughed. “I’ll be here tomorrow.”
    We paused at the door and he took my hand. “I really like you,” he said, looking down intently at me.
    My stomach tightened, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe, but I offered a shy smile. “I like you, too,” I said. Over his shoulder, I could see Señora Gutierrez, my Spanish teacher, approaching, so I quickly pulled my hand out of his grasp. “I’ll see you later. I have to go,” I whispered before I ducked into the room.
    Once in class, I couldn’t concentrate on verb tenses or vocabulary or anything else Señora Gutierrez was prattling on about. All I could think about was Dante, the way his eyes shone when he looked at me, the little dimple that appeared when he smiled, the feel of his hand holding mine. He was easily the cutest guy in the sophomore class. And he liked me!
    If I wasn’t in school, I would have hugged myself with glee.
    I was still smiling when Mrs. Marks dropped Ally and me off at my house.
    “You are in an exceptionally good mood today,” Ally noticed as we walked into the house. “What did I miss?”
    I paused and bit my lip before I gushed, “Don’t tell Talia, but Dante told me he really likes me.”
    She gasped, and her eyes were wide. “Like, likes you? Or likes you likes you?”
    “ Likes me likes me,” I replied. “I think.”
    Ally and I squealed and jumped up and down.
    “He is so cute,” she said.
    “I know, right?”
    “So, wait. Does this