Gettin' Hooked Read Free Page A

That’s whack and does us no good finding prom dates. What if there was a way to keep this local? Just our two high schools.”
    â€œLike our own locals-only MySpace?”
    â€œYeah.” Logging out of MySpace, I went to GoDaddy and typed in GettinHooked. The name was available.
    â€œYou wanna run a Web site?”
    â€œNo, not really. But I do wanna go to the prom with the right guy. Running our own hook-up system will let us check out boys first, and will let your friends meet mine. I know I have hella girls that are tired of the dudes at our school. And are still prom-dateless. You do, too.”
    â€œTrue.”
    â€œIf we set up GettinHooked.com, we can have pictures and profiles. Our friends will be able to see what they like—and don’t like—about each other, then can send us a message and asked to be hooked up.”
    â€œWe’d set up the dates?”
    â€œYep.” Glancing over my shoulder, I winked at her. She was still shaking the nail-polish bottle—the tap-tap-tap on beat with “Yo,” which was still playing low in the background. “And we could even sit in on some of the first meetings, ya know, so no one gets freaked.”
    Kayla plopped back onto her bed, her blond hair flung out around her, and laughed. “I love it, Imani. I’ve got tons of friends that’ll be game.”
    â€œMe, too. So?”
    â€œSo?”
    â€œShould I buy the domain?”
    â€œHell, yeah, girl. Buy it.”
    â€œWe’ll still need a server.”
    â€œWe can use my dad’s and a basic template. It should be pretty easy to set up.”
    â€œFa sheezy.”
    Reaching for my backpack, I retrieved the prepaid Visa my dad gave me. Since I was on my own a lot, he figured I needed to be able to take care of my own needs. Mostly, I think, he just didn’t know how to deal with the girlie issues—things a momma shoulda handled. It was cool with me. Aside from food, I’d been shopping for clothes, makeup and girlie things on my own for years.
    So long as I’m responsible about spending my scratch, he kept a nice-size balance available for me. Ten bucks wouldn’t be a problem.
    Closing my eyes, I took a steadying breath and ended up inhaling the sharp scent of nail-polish. I glanced at Kayla, who now sat on the floor with her back to the bed and her knees bent.
    She painted her toenails.
    I moved through the pages of GoDaddy, finding my way to the purchase page.
    There was this crazy sizzle of energy creeping through my body as I typed in the info to secure the domain. A wound-up sensation of accomplishment and excitement that had my heart beating fast and my hands trembling—enough so that I had to think about the letters my fingers were striking and wipe my hands on my jeans a couple of times.
    There was this feeling—this stupid feeling—twisting and turning in my gut, like something big was going to come of this. Like this idea was going to blow up .
    And maybe—just maybe—this was the step needed to wind up with the guy I wanted.
    Whatever it was, it felt good. Damned good. My lip, which I’d been worrying between my teeth, popped free, a smile taking over as the confirmation page slid into place on the monitor.
    GettinHooked.com belonged to me.
    Grinning, I forced myself to keep from looking out the window again, to keep my secret, secret. With my back to my cousin, I lowered my lids and focused on the sound of the mower humming in the background. That was my man out there. He just didn’t know it yet. After a few minutes the sound of the engine sputtered, then stopped, but I kept my eyes closed hoping to hear what he’d be doing next.
    â€œWe all set?”
    Startled, I gasped and turned toward Kayla.
    â€œWhat’s up with you today?”
    â€œNot a thing,” I lied, putting my Visa card back in pack. Something was definitely freaking me today, I just wasn’t sure exactly why I