Smart Boys & Fast Girls (A Girlfriend's Guide to Boys)

  Smart Boys & Fast Girls

  STEPHANIE ROWE

  Copyright Information

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Copyright © 2011 by Stephanie Rowe

  First published in 2005 by Stephanie Rowe

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  eISBN: 978-1-937776-03-9

  Stephanie Rowe’s A Girlfriend’s Guide to Boys Series:

  Putting Boys on the Ledge

  Studying Boys

  Who Needs Boys?

  Smart Boys & Fast Girls

  Find Stephanie Online:

  www.StephanieRowe.com

  http://twitter.com/stephanierowe2

  https://www.facebook.com/StephanieRoweAuthor

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Teaser for Putting Boys on the Ledge

  Teaser for Studying Boys

  Teaser for Who Needs Boys?

  Author Bio

  Dedication and Acknowledgement

  CHAPTER ONE

  The first thing I noticed about the varsity cross-country team was that the boys were way cuter than they were on junior varsity. And taller. And had deeper voices. And they were way more interested in girls than the JV boys.

  Unfortunately, I wasn't one of the girls earning all the attention.

  Nope. I was sitting on the bottom bench of the metal bleachers stretching my hamstrings, watching the older girls laugh and flirt with the very cute older guys. We'd been having practice for almost six weeks already, and I still couldn't get the guys to look my way when the urge to flirt came across them.

  Story of my life.

  My name is Natalie Page and there are several things you should know about me.

  First, I'm a sophomore at Mapleville High. Running is my life, and I made varsity this year. I'm so excited! Too bad I don't know anyone on the team and I feel like I have the plague or something when I'm at practice. Why aren't the girls more friendly?

  Second, I have three awesome best friends named Blue Waller, Allie Morrison and Frances Spinelli. Unfortunately, all three of them have boyfriends, leaving me the odd one out. A major problem when it comes to Friday and Saturday nights, and it makes the lack of bonding with the varsity girls even more of a problem. I miss my JV friends—not that I'd trade varsity for some Friday night plans.

  Third, it's time for me to have a boyfriend. Unfortunately, I'm one of those girls that has tons of guy pals (mostly runners from my team—and that was last year on JV; the varsity boys haven't even noticed me as a human being yet!) and no boyfriends. Boys love me as a buddy, a pal, someone to push into a mud puddle on a rainy run, knowing they'll get it right back. I know more guys than any of my friends, but I'm the only one going solo to the first school dance of the year—if I go. I mean, do I really want to go alone?

  Fourth, the boy I have fallen madly in love with is Zach Fulton. He has this really dark hair that curls at the back of his neck the tiniest little bit. It's always a little messy-looking, and soooo cute! His eyes are a deep brown that make my stomach go all wiggly, and he has this truly gorgeous smile. He's the captain of the boys' cross country team, and every other girl on the squad is in love with him, too. Which means he's never going to notice me.

  So anyway, that's me. Nothing too exciting, huh? Just Natalie the loser.

  "Nat. We need to talk." I looked up as Allie dropped to the bench next to me. She was wearing a cropped shirt and a black mini that looked awesome on her.

  For a moment, I felt totally ugly next to her. I hated it when I let her do that to me. It wasn't like she did it on purpose. "What's up, Allie?"

  "About Friday night..."

  "I'm totally pumped!" Friday was going to be girls' night. It was down to only once a month since my friends all had boyfriends, but they'd all agreed to forego their dudes for me this Friday, and I was psyched! We were going to the mall for dinner and shopping, then a late movie. "We're going to have the best time, and I got this new shirt and—"

  "We're going to have to bag on you."

  My gut sank. "What? Why?"

  "Well, I'm not going to see Tad all week, so I'll be totally missing him, and Blue got tickets to a play that Colin's been wanting to see and Frances wants to go down to Harvard Square and hang out with Theo. You don't mind, do you?"

  I bit my lip and tried to ignore the tightening of my throat. "No, that's fine." Sure, I didn't mind sitting at home again while they were all out with the boyfriends. So what if the four of us had been best friends since we could walk? Obviously that didn't matter once boys got into the picture. I sighed. This sucked.

  "You sure you're not mad?" Allie peered at me, like she was really concerned, and I knew she probably was. I mean, she was my friend, even if she didn't have time for me.

  Which is why I wasn't going to guilt her for the fact she finally had a boyfriend. Plus, I had too much pride to admit how awful I felt. It was one thing to feel like a loser. It was something else to point it out so that everyone else noticed it, too. "It's fine." I blinked harder. Totally stupid to cry just because my friends didn't need me in their lives anymore.

  She smiled with relief. "I knew you'd understand."

  "Yeah, sure." I understood. Why would she want to hang with her single friend when she could go hang with her boyfriend? If only I had some other life to live when they weren't hanging with me. Unfortunately, there was nada.

  Allie elbowed me. "So, now that we got that out of the way, I have to ask: Who's the guy in the red T-shirt? He's delish."

  I didn't even need to look. I knew exactly who was wearing the red T-shirt today. "That's Zach Fulton. Team captain."

  "Yum. If I wasn't already taken, I'd be following him back to the locker room."

  Oh, so she needed two boyfriends to my none?

  "Tell me about it." I switched legs and leaned forward to stretch the left side.

  "Aha. Do I detect a little interest from Natalie, Miss I Never Date Runners?"

  "Just because I noticed he's cute doesn't mean I want to date him." I watched him flip the ponytail of a tall blonde. Valerie is a senior, the best runner on the girls' team, and our captain. "Though for him, I might make an exception."

  "I guess that means practice is going better?"

  I sighed. My friends didn't love me, and I was ostracized at practice. Life was grand. "Not really. The team is like a really tight clique with no room for anyone else. The girls won't talk to me, and Zach doesn't know I'm alive." With my friends all drooling over their boyfriends, I was in dire need of some other people to hang out with. Either that or I was going to become the biggest loser in the school. We're talking zero social life.

  "Hey, Natalie!"

  I turned around so fast I lost my balance and almost fell off the bench and onto my face. Valerie was smiling at me. "Great job in the race on Sunday."

  Oh, w
ow. "Thanks."

  "Who was that?" Allie nudged me.

  "Oh my God. She's the number-one girl on our team, and she's the captain. Do you realize she just spoke to me?"

  Another girl named Marcie nodded at me as she walked onto the field. "Nice race, Nat."

  I managed to stutter out another thanks and I grabbed the bench to steady myself. "Oh my God. Did you see that? They know my name!"

  "How'd you do in the race?" Allie asked. "Must have been good."

  "I scored second for our team. We won the meet by two points." Was that it? Because I'd helped them win, I was in? It was the first race I'd run well in this year. All the others I'd been too nervous, but last weekend, I'd been particularly cranky because my friends had all ditched me again, so I'd just gone out and run hard, not worrying about anything else. And it had worked.

  Zach leaned over and whispered something to Valerie, and then nodded at me.

  I clutched Allie's leg. "Zach noticed me!"

  "I saw." She peeled my fingers off of her thigh.

  "Why don't you get off this bench and go stretch with the rest of the team?" she said. "Find a spot next to Zach."

  "I couldn't do that." My hand went to my hair to make sure my ponytail wasn't lumpy. "I tried to stretch with them the first day, and they all got up and moved. It was so embarrassing."

  Valerie waved at me again. "Come down here, Natalie. Stretch with us."

  I nearly squealed, but Allie smacked me in the side with her elbow. "Be cool," she hissed.

  Right. Be cool. I let my breath out, shook out my shoulders, and rose casually to my feet. "Sure." And then I sauntered slowly across the field, waiting for someone to yell "April Fool's" and have everyone jump up and take off across the grass.

  But no one moved, and Valerie patted the ground next to her.

  Next to Valerie? I could get a spot next to Valerie? That was totally the sign that I'd been accepted. She ruled the team, and if she said people were in or out, then they were.

  I sat down next to her and held my breath.

  "You know, if you keep running like you did this weekend, we have a chance to win state," Valerie said. "We needed a good fifth runner, and instead, we got a second runner. Keep it up, Natalie."

  Oh my gosh. This was incredible. Valerie thought I was cool! "I'll do my best," I said.

  Valerie's gaze narrowed slightly. "As long as your best is good enough."

  Crud. "It will be."

  "Good." She nodded at the other girls sitting around with us. "Natalie will run with us today."

  With them? I was going to run with them? I mean, we all ran together, but the team always ended up spread out in bunches. I'd tried to run with Valerie's group the first week, but they'd literally stopped running every time I came near. Well, that wasn't totally true. The first couple times they sped up and tried to lose me. When they couldn't, they just stopped.

  So I ran with the slower girls in the back.

  But now I could run with Valerie? And her friends?

  I bent my face over my knee and tried not to look too pathetically grateful. I was a sophomore. Totally worthy of hanging with seniors, right?

  What if she invited me to a party? A party with Zach?

  My breath caught in my throat and I started coughing.

  The real number-two girl, who had come in behind me this weekend, pounded on my back. "You okay, sophomore girl? Can't have you hacking up your lungs until the season's over."

  Oh my gosh. I was in. I was in!

  All I had to do was keep running fast. Not a problem if I was going to be allowed to train with them. They'd make me faster. And then they'd like me more. And then maybe Zach would notice me. And then I'd have a social life, and it wouldn't matter that my friends all had boyfriends. I'd have one too, and I'd go to parties and I'd be cool. No more Natalie with three friends who had all abandoned her. No more Natalie who no boys ever noticed except as a buddy.

  Thanks to my legs, my life had just changed. My sophomore year had gone from Friday nights with the television and runs all by myself to "in" with Valerie and her friends, one of whom was Zach. Sure, it was a perk that would probably disappear if I started blowing up at meets, but I wasn't about to let that happen.

  No way.

  My running shoes and I were going to kick butt for the rest of the season, and my social life was going to be the benefactor.

  "Natalie! Can you come over here?" Coach Thompson was standing away from the group, his clipboard in his hand. He was wearing the same navy sweats he wore every day, and the white and black baseball hat. New sneakers, though. He always ran with us, which was amazing. He was old, but he was still faster than all of us. I'd heard he once ran in the Olympics, and I believed it.

  I jumped to my feet and sprinted over. Gotta look fast all the time so they don't change their minds. "What's up, Coach?"

  He rested his clipboard against his hip. "I got a call from Ms. Olsen just now."

  My math teacher? "What did she want?"

  He sighed. "To remove you from the team."

  I blinked. "What?"

  "Natalie, you've failed all three geometry tests this year." He said it like it was this big secret I'd been hiding from him. In fact, he sounded almost like my dad, which was really bad. I mean, Coach was the one person who'd been giving me time over the last six weeks, and he'd kept telling me I was fast. He was the one person I wanted to still think I was cool!

  And instead, he now knew I was stupid, thanks to my teacher. My heart started racing and I felt sweat between my shoulder blades. "I did fail them," I said carefully, "but—"

  "No buts, Natalie. You have to get that grade up or you're off the team for rest of the season."

  Off the team? But the team was my life. It was everything, and I'd just made it over the hump. I couldn't walk away now! Tears burned in the back of my eyes, and I bit my lip to keep from crying. I would not cry in front of Coach. "I'll do better, I promise."

  He nodded, then seemed to hesitate. After a moment, he said, "Listen, Natalie, you have the talent to be number one on this team."

  No way? Really? My heart did a triple flip and I wanted to scream. Not only would I be in Valerie's inner circle, but I'd also be the best runner? Oh my gosh!

  "But if you end up sitting for this entire season," he continued, "it's really going to affect your chances."

  If I had to miss the season, I'd be out. Out before I was even in. "I'm not going to sit." No way. "I'll get my geometry grade up. I'll turn it into an A." I couldn't lose this opportunity because of geometry!

  "Good." He slapped my shoulder. "That's what I wanted to hear. We're going to need you this season. I told Ms. Olsen you'd be right over to meet your new tutor."

  "My tutor?" Was he kidding? "I don't need a tutor."

  He gave me a hard look. "It's the tutor or no team. Are you going to let us down?"

  "Let you down?" If my parents found out I'd been assigned a tutor, they'd make me drop running in a heartbeat. Running was fine only if it didn't interfere with my grades. I had to pass geometry on my own. I was going to get an A. I had to! But a tutor was out of the question. That was like advertising to the world that I was failing! "Can't I just promise to study? I have a smart friend who goes to another school. She can help me."

  He shook his head. "Tutor or no team. Your pick."

  This sucked. I mean, it really sucked. Everyone made fun of the kids who needed tutors, because you had to be pretty stupid to need a tutor. Imagine if the team found out? It didn't matter how fast I ran, I'd be out. No Valerie, no Zach, no friends. No way!

  So what if I was having a little trouble with geometry? Who wouldn't? With all those dumb proofs and angles and whatever. It made no sense. It didn't mean I was stupid!

  "Aren't there any other options besides a tutor?" There had to be.

  He shook his head. "Meet with Ms. Olsen now and convince her that you'll work harder in geometry. If you don't, she'll file a recommendation with the principal to
take you off the team for at least this semester."

  Which would be for the entire cross-country season. I'd miss the whole season, and I'd be labeled stupid and everything would suck. Tears surged again, and this time I couldn't stop them. So I turned away from Coach and pretended to tie my shoe.

  Coach Thompson pointed toward the school. "If you hustle, maybe you can make it back for the end of practice."

  "Now? I have to go now?" But I was going to get to run in Valerie's group.

  "Maybe missing practice today will help you to realize the seriousness of the situation, what you stand to lose."

  "I know what I'll lose." What kind of stupid remark was that? As if I needed a lesson on the importance of cross country.

  "Then go."

  I was going. But not to sign up with a tutor. I had to talk Ms. Olsen out of this ridiculous idea. Maybe I could convince her to let me drop her class. Yes, that's what I'd do. Blue said her sister had already dropped a class in college because it was too hard. Why couldn't I do it here? I'd drop the class, keep my grades up and I'd be able to run.

  "Where are you going?" Allie grabbed my arm as I ran past her. "Aren't you going to practice?"

  "I have to do an errand for Coach." I pulled my arm free and sprinted away before she could question me. See why I had to change Ms. Olsen's mind? Because people were going to notice something was up.

  No way could I lose running, and no way was I stupid enough to need a tutor. I had to solve this problem now. And I had to solve it fast so I could get back before practice was over. I couldn't miss my chance to become friends with Valerie, to actually be accepted by the other girls on the team.

  I ran all the way to Ms. Olsen's classroom, taking the stairs three at a time, courtesy of my abnormally long legs. I know long legs sound good, but mine are at least two feet longer than my upper body. Good for running, but bad for everything else, like trying to look normal or find clothes that fit.