The Romeo Club

“The first thing I’m gonna teach you is how to approach girls and talk to them. You can’t just throw yourself at them.” My gaze flickered to C.C.

“Why did you look at me when you said that?”

Trey snickered. “Dude, you seriously have to ask?”

My lips twitched. “Here’s the thing. You need to start small. You know, offer them a piece of gum in class. See if they’re reading a book and get them to talk about it. Comment on a new hairstyle. Something that lets them know you’ve taken notice of what they’re doing or interested in.” I twirled a piece of hair around my finger. “Heck, if you don’t know what to say, you can even ask if they have notes for class you can borrow. That’ll lead to at least two potential conversations.”

The boys stared at me, waiting for me to continue.

“Guys, this is the part you should be writing down.”

They opened their notebooks and jotted down a few things. But I wondered how much they’d actually take away from this or if it was a waste of time.

“So I’m gonna pretend to be the girl you like. Each of you will have the chance to approach me and start a conversation,” I said.

Trey’s cheeks reddened. “We have to do this in front of each other?”

“Yes. More than likely you’re not going to be alone the first time the two of you talk. So it’ll be good practice to have others around. Kevin, why don’t you go first?”

He set his notebook down, wiped his hands on his jeans and moved across from me.

“Pretend I’m working at the ice cream shop and we’re in between customers,” I said.

He stared at the floor, scuffing his shoe on the carpet. He slid his hands into his pockets. “Hey, Me-Melanie. I, um, I like your hair. Di-did you color it?” His voice cracked.

“Kevin. Look at me.” I tapped his arm. “Don’t be nervous. You have to own the conversation. And try to maintain some kind of eye contact. You’re not having a conversation with the carpet.”

He nodded, cleared his throat, then glanced at me. “Hey, Mel. Like the new hairdo.”

I clapped my hands. “Yay. See? You got this. Just go with it. More than likely she’ll make a comment about just getting it done, or thank you. But you’re starting off with a compliment, which will let her know you noticed the change.”

He smiled then took his spot in the recliner, where he wrote a few notes down.

“Okay, C.C. you’re next.”

He sauntered across the room, while I acted like I was opening my locker. He leaned against the wall, waggled his eyebrows up and down then said, “Liza, your bra-strap is showing.”

My gaze drifted to my shoulder, where one of my light blue straps was visible. I fixed my shirt then rolled my eyes. “Are you trying to get slapped? Seriously, don’t go up to a girl and talk about her bra. You sound like a creeper.”

“Well, it was showing. Would you rather I let her walk around looking like a hooker?” He crossed his arms at his chest.

Trey busted up laughing. “Dude, I want to take bets now on how long it’ll take him to get his butt kicked by someone.”

C.C. held up his middle finger. “Really, douchebag? Let’s see how you do.”

Trey pushed his tall frame up from the couch, adjusted his square-framed glasses and walked toward me.

In true Portia fashion, I batted my eyelashes, then tossed my hair over my shoulder. I sat down and pretended I was at my school desk. When he stood over me, I glanced up.

“Hey, Delyla—er, Portia. Have you seen that new romantic comedy Roses for Blue yet?”

“No. I had a beauty pageant last weekend and haven’t gotten to go yet.”

Trey’s lip twitched and I knew he bit back a smile. “Dang—I’ve been wanting to go, but wasn’t sure if it was any good. If you know anyone who’s seen it, let me know. Or maybe if you’re not doing anything Saturday, you’d like to go?”

Blue eyes met mine and I stared at him. My pulse thundered in my ears. I smiled. “I’d love to go.”

“So, it’s a date?”

“Yes.”

C.C. and Kevin clapped. Trey’s ears turned pink as he glanced at them then back at me. “How did I do?”

“Perfect. You kept eye contact, and you didn’t stumble when I told you I hadn’t seen it. You kept the conversation going.” Maybe Trey didn’t need as much help as he thought he did. He had me believing he wanted to take me to see a movie, and I was just the stand-in Portia.

“So we passed our first test?” Kevin said, clutching his notebook. “Well, other than C.C.”

C.C. threw his hands over his head. “Sure, everyone pick on me. You’re just jealous that you didn’t come up with the bra-strap line.”

I snorted. “Anyway, either this weekend or Monday, I want you to try out some sort of exchange with the girl you like. Report back to me at our next meeting to let me know how things went. If you need to talk to me before then, just text or stop in.”

The Nerd Herd grabbed their things and headed out. We were off to a good start, but they definitely needed a lot more work.

***

I’d just sat at my desk to start my homework when my cell went off. Rex.

“Hey,” I said.

“Double-D, what’re you up to?”

I groaned. “I’m hanging out with my Trig book, what about you?”

“Watching the Tigers’ game with my dad.”