Boyfriend From Hell (Falling Angels Saga) Read Free Page B

while she became so frustrated, she threw up her hands and asked me to take over filling out the questionnaire.
    Perfect, I thought. For the next ten minutes I carefully crafted a sentence that, while seemingly alluring, sent a subtle yet firm message to men to stay away from my mother. Finished, I handed over the questionnaire and smiled proudly.
    She read aloud: “Unattractive mother of five seeks man with money.”
    She stared silently down at the questionnaire. A slight crease appeared in her brow. After a while, she took a few deep breaths then looked up at me with a confused expression.
    “You know, Mom, I’m getting a sense you’re not fully appreciating the important message that statement is making.”
    “You’re right, hon. I’m not. Care to explain?”
    “Certainly. By saying you’re unattractive, you’re not going to get any of those shallow types who are only interested in a woman for her looks.  And if five kids doesn’t scare him off, then you know he’s into children. What a pleasant surprise when he discovers it’s just me. And okay, maybe I went a bit too far with the money thing. I just don’t want a guy dating you for your money.”
    “I don’t have any money.”
    “Like I said, I probably went a bit far with that one.”
    All of a sudden she began laugh. “Megan, Megan, Megan. For a minute there, you had me. But now I see. It’s a joke. I mean, if I wrote something like that,
nobody
would go out with me.”
    “Really?” Okay, I guess I wasn’t subtle enough.
    “Very funny, hon, but I think I’d better fill this out on my own. Are you sure this is all right with you?” she asked for like the thirteenth time.
    I suppose that was the perfect opportunity to bring up how I was feeling about our open relationship being a bit too open for me, about how I didn’t want to hear that she admired men’s butts, or that she was going to go out on dates, and how if she ever went on a date, I did not want to hear the gory details. And then there were my darker thoughts, about how I liked that it was just the two of us and didn’t see why things needed to change.
    Had I known what was coming, I would have told her my true feelings right then and there. But I didn’t know. So I said: “It was a joke, Mom. I’m cool.”
    “Very funny,” she repeated, then she sat down and began filling out the questionnaire.
    It was the beginning of the end.
     
     

Chapter Four
     
     
     “You didn’t look like an idiot.”
     Tuesday morning, Erin and I were standing by our lockers changing out our books for first period. She was trying her best to console me about my embarrassment the day before with the new boy. But I played the incident over in my mind a dozen times and idiot was all I could see.
    “Okay, then what did I look like?”
    “Hmm. You looked like someone who’d forgotten how to smile.”
    “Perfect,” I rasped glumly.
    “Who’s perfect… besides me?” Matt walked up stinky from track practice and not caring whom he offended.
    “Not me, that’s for sure.” I explained how I had embarrassed myself in front of the new boy. “But that’s okay. Erin saw him first, anyway.”
    “Erin?” Matt’s expression soured.
    “That’s my name, don’t wear it out.”
    Matt was not amused. “Megan needs a boyfriend right now. Tell her it’s okay.”
    We were both stunned by what he’d said. I mean, I always knew Matt looked out for me, but something else was going on here.
    “Excuse me,” said Erin. “Like
I
don’t?”
    “Megan needs something to take her mind off Suze becoming man crazy.”
    Okay,
man crazy
was stretching it a bit, but I liked the sentiment.
    “Besides,” he said. “You can have a boyfriend any time you want.”
    “I
can?
I’m glad you know it because I don’t see any boys beating down my door. And for the last time, I am not dating a mathlete,” Erin fired back.
    “You make me sick!” Matt practically spat the words at her, then he stormed off.
    We