Jennifer and Rocket (The Princesses of Silicon Valley Book 6) Read Free Page B

she comments, I nod.
    She has a beautiful face and gorgeous smooth skin.
    “Where in LA did you grow up?” she asks.
    I take a deep breath. I really don’t like talking about myself. But I’ve learned that girls like this kind of information. If you want to date them, you better give some details or they never stop prying.
    “I lived with my dad in high school, though I consider Venice my home. My mom still lives in the bungalow where I grew up. Going back to Venice now, it’s different than when I was a kid. Back then, it was edgy, filled with artists, an alternative place to live. Now it’s all high tech workers.”
    “How old were you when your parents got divorced?”
    Not wanting to touch my parents’ complicated relationship, I vaguely answer, “My parents have always been good friends. I never was in the middle of any disputes.” In an effort to divert the conversation to her, I ask, “Do you have siblings?”
    “Two brothers, one’s two years older, the other is two years younger. My younger brother is at Johns Hopkins. He hates living back east, the weather’s too cold, the people are too stiff, and the lifestyle is too brisk. He misses the island life. He tells me he’s moving back to Hawaii when he’s done with school. My older brother got a master’s degree in logistics; he works for Amazon in Seattle. And you? Any siblings?” she asks.
    “I’m an only child.”
    I’m glad that her family doesn’t live close. My family is complicated enough; I’m not interested in getting involved in anyone else’s family dynamics.
    She pulls out her phone to check the time.
    “Do you have someplace to be?”
    With an uncomfortable look, she bites her lower lip before grimacing. “This is my first year teaching. I’ve only had my own classroom for two months. As Sunday progresses, I get more and more anxious. I already worked on this week’s lesson plan. But I have all this built up anxiety for the coming week.” She rubs her fingers down the length of her esophagus. “There’s so much going on in my classroom. So much for me to remember, so much to do. By Sunday night, I’m a bundle of nerves. It’s not like I have anything I’m supposed to be doing tonight, but I feel like I should be doing something to prepare for tomorrow.”
    Peering at me like she’s going to tell me the biggest secret, she says, “Sundays are my worst night for sleeping. I’ve been waking up at three in the morning. You know the dream you get in college. The one where you show up and there’s a test you never studied for?”
    I nod.
    “I have a variation of that dream. I show up to class without a lesson plan.” Now her eyes get big as she continues to tell me her story, “I’m standing in front of thirty thirteen-year-olds with no idea what to do.” She shakes her head and winces. “I need to be in my classroom by seven thirty-five. First period starts at seven fifty. On Monday morning, the fifteen minutes between when I arrive and class starts are totally nerve-racking. Once class starts, I’m fine. But Sunday nights, they’re the worst.”
    “Do you want me to take you home, or would you like to stop and get a burger with me, then I’ll take you home?”
    She bites her lip. Finally she says, “A hamburger would be great.”

Chapter 4 – Fun Fun Fun
Jennifer
     
    After our initial stilted conversation, the rest of the afternoon has been great. Surprisingly, Rocket’s easy to be around. All my concerns about what to talk about leave me as we casually talk about family, work, and hobbies. Being with him is different than what I expected.
    As we drive to dinner, I mull over our conversation. In high school, we had our jocks, surfers, and skateboarders. The surfers and skateboarders were the sketchiest—always cutting classes, smoking weed, and getting in trouble. Rocket fits the skateboarder stereotype; then again, he’s polite and surprisingly deep. My friends from high school would be shocked if they