“So you don’t really want to date a girl,” Charlie said. “You want to date a girl who’s basically you—a geeky guy—only with boobs.”
“Exactly,” Finn said, pointing at her.
“Are you going to break up with Phoebe?” I asked.
“No way! She’s way too hot to break up with,” Finn said.
I saw Charlie flinch, but Finn didn’t notice.
“I just need to figure out a way to work my Jedi mind tricks on her, so I can mold her into the perfect girlfriend.”
“I need a coffee,” I said.
When I got back from fetching my frozen latte, Charlie and Finn were still arguing.
Big surprise, I thought.
“Well, I personally couldn’t date someone who hadn’t read the Harry Potter series,” Charlie said. Her arms were folded over her chest, and she had a stubborn expression on her face. “But that’s just me.”
“Has Lukey-boy read them?” Finn asked slyly.
“First of all, don’t call him that. His name is Luke,” Charlie said haughtily. “And second, although we haven’t talked about it, I’m sure he has.”
“Call and ask him,” Finn said.
“What?” Charlie looked taken aback.
“Call and ask him.” Finn pushed his cell phone across the table to her. “Here, you can use my phone.”
“No, thanks,” Charlie said.
“Why not? Scared what you might find out?” Finn asked.
“No. But I also don’t want to insult him by quizzing him about his reading habits,” Charlie said.
“Bok bok,” Finn clucked.
“Oh my God. You’ve officially regressed to the age of seven,” Charlie said, shaking her head in disbelief.
I decided it was time to break in on the lovefest, before it came to blows.
“I have some news,” I said. “My dad bought me a car!”
It worked. The magnitude of my announcement caused Finn and Charlie to stop sniping at each other and turn to stare at me.
“Are you serious?” Charlie said. “That’s so cool!”
“A new car?” Finn asked.
“Not exactly,” I admitted. “It’s a new-to-me car.”
“Can we see it?” Charlie asked.
“Sure. I parked out front. But I think I should warn you—it’s yellow,” I said.
“So?” Finn asked.
“It’s very yellow,” I said. “Very, very yellow.”
Two minutes later, the three of us were standing outside Grounded, staring at my new car.
“The color’s not that bad,” Charlie said, in a lame attempt to be supportive.
Finn didn’t even bother trying.
“This car makes my life,” he said, standing with his hands stretched out in front of him, fingers spread. “If I died this moment, I would go out a happy man.”
“It’s bad, right?” I said worriedly. “I know it’s a car, and any car is better than no car. But even so, it’s still bad, right?”
“Are you kidding? It’s awesome,” Finn said gleefully. He ran a finger down the hood. “The racing stripes are just the best. I think I have to own this car. How much do you want for it, M?”
Could I sell it? I wondered. Finn could certainly afford it. He was a self-made millionaire, after all. And it would solve my ugly car dilemma. I could use the proceeds to buy a normal-looking car. But then I quickly decided that, no, I really couldn’t do that. It would hurt my dad’s feelings.
“I can’t sell it,” I said with a sigh.
“You have to! I’ll give you ten thousand for it! No, twenty!” Finn announced.
“Really?” I asked.
“Well, no,” Finn conceded. “But I will give you five hundred. And this Pez dispenser.” He held up a Pez dispenser with a Tweety Bird on top. “It’s vintage.”
“No sale,” I said, waving away the Tweety. And a vintage candy dispenser? Gross. “Do you guys want to go for a ride?”
“Shotgun,” Finn said automatically.
Charlie gave him a withering look while he bounded around the car and hopped into the passenger side. “Does he have to be such an idiot all the time?” she remarked.
I just raised my eyebrows at her.
“I know, I know,” Charlie said with a sigh. “What can I do? I can’t help it.”
“Next year should be pretty interesting,” I said. “Come on, hop in.”