The Boy Project (17 page)

Logged on to FP tonight and guess what — 415 chicks and 238 dudes have taken my surveys. Awesome. And my results go right along with Bebe's tip this week. It still looks like confidence is a quality admired by both guys and girls.

To: Kara M

From: BebeTruelove

Subject: Tip #7

Dear Soul Mate Seeker,

Your confidence will send the message that you're someone great to be with!

Tip #7: Be confident!

Good Luck in Love,

Bebe

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Oh, and my crafts blog already got a few hits, too. Hello, universe!

Today in English we had to write a descriptive paragraph about someone in the room. Then Mrs. Hill collected the papers and read the paragraphs aloud so we could guess who was being described.

The problem with the assignment was that Mrs. Hill didn't
tell
us ahead of time that our paragraphs would be read aloud. So even though she kept the authors anonymous, there was a lot of giggling and a few uncomfortable moments when our words were broadcast to the entire room. One of these uncomfortable moments occurred when Mrs. Hill read a paragraph that started like this:

“This person is pretty.”

“Colleen!” yelled Maybelline.

“No interrupting!” snapped Mrs. Hill without smiling. But I think I detected a smile when she read the next sentence.

“Her hair has beautiful curls.”
(Everyone giggled except maybe Maybelline and The Sponge, because Maybelline's hair is ruler-straight.)

“She's very nice and she likes to read. She's funny and has a fantastic smile, especially when she laughs. She's also one of the most creative people I've ever known. She can make anything out of duct tape.”
(Now my face was burning.)

“Kara!” yelled practically everyone. Well, everyone but me and Maybelline. (I heard her mumble, “Kara's
not
pretty!”)

I didn't care though. Because while it
is
embarrassing to hear stuff read about yourself, I have to admit it's also flattering. I canvassed the room and noticed Chip bending over, acting like he was tying his shoe. I could see that the back of his neck was Coca-Cola-logo red, so I know he's the one who wrote it. And I know that I don't mind that he was.

Horror of horrors and pinnacle of bad timing! After school, Julie barged into my room (I don't even bother locking the door anymore) and said, “Hey! Lyle and I are setting you up with Phillip. We'll double-date!”

“No,” I said. “No way. I'm not going out with Lyle's brother.”

“Got any better offers?”

“Not yet. But I might soon,” I said, thinking of Chip. “Besides, if I
was
meant to be with Phil, I think I'd know that by now.”

“You never know,” said Julie, which kind of annoyed me because that's
my
catchphrase and it's really hard to find an argument against your own mantra. But I tried anyway.

“This is mortifying!” I yelled. “If Phillip wanted to ask me out, he'd have done it himself. It's like a sympathy date. And a sympathy date is worse than no date!”

“Look,” she said. “We're going. It's the movies, not your wedding. Get over it.”

“
You
look,” I said. “I think I like someone else. If he finds out I went out with Phillip, it might make him back off.”

“Fine,” said Julie, tossing her ponytail. “Want out of the date? Call Phillip and break it.” Julie won. She knew I'd never make that call.

And that is how I came to have my first real date ever and to gather enough information about Phillip to realize that he's not and never will be my soul mate.

The guys picked us up in Lyle's used Volvo. I sat in the back with Phillip. He said, “Hi,” and started looking out the window. Meanwhile, I was using all of my powers of concentration to will Chip to
not
be at the movies that night.

The film, which was supposed to be a comedy, was completely stupid. It was about four guys from this decade getting stuck fifty years in the past. The plot involved a lot of falling, getting stuck, and dressing like women to get out of awkward situations. It was the least romantic movie ever made, but that didn't keep Lyle and Julie from taking advantage of the darker moments to kiss!

Almost as soon as we got back in the car, Phillip got a text message. So he started texting someone while Julie carried on a fake-cheerful conversation about the movie. When we got to my house (Phillip still texting), I said thanks and ran inside because even if you're not really interested in a guy, and even if you truly find him boring, there's nothing worse than being ignored on a date.

I can't sleep. Maybe it's because — in a way — things have gotten more exciting for me. I mean, I've had my first date. (Even if it was a bummer.) I've had my first kiss. (Even if it was a bummer.) And I've even been written about! So despite the fact that I'm still just as boyfriendless as always, it seems like I'm getting closer to my goal. I decided to pull out my list again and see how the guys who gave me my first date, my first kiss, and my first descriptive paragraph rated.

I rewrote “The Perfect Soul Mate: A List (Revised)” as a list of questions so I'd have a clear picture of positive and negative responses.

Just to get a clear visual of how these guys stack up (and because I still wasn't tired), I created a bar graph.

I ended up having to eliminate question number nine completely. Because how can I tell if any of these guys are going to “be there no matter what”? Most guys my age can't even tell you what their plans for the weekend are, never mind the rest of their lives. It seems like you'd have to know someone an awfully long time to be able to answer that question.

I guess I'd like to know that someday I'll find that “one person in the world who understands me completely and shares my hopes and dreams.” Who wouldn't want that? And when I find him, I definitely want to be assured that he'll be there no matter what. That seems like a quality you'd just have to have in a soul mate.

So I looked at the bar graph again and asked myself two questions.

Q #1: After evaluating the data collected, can I tell who will be my soul mate?

A: No!

Q #2: After evaluating the data collected, can I tell who I would like to go out with?

A: Yes!

This led me to the following conclusion: I am too young to try to find my one and only soul mate! Does that mean I'm giving up this experiment?

No. Just going back to where I started.

Sooooooo . . . one evening with me, and Phillip Bernard asked someone else out. It makes me feel somewhat better to know that I'd already decided he wasn't a good candidate for the title of Kara's First Boyfriend. But still. It's like I drove him into her arms. Rumor has it that he and Anna Johnstone are now an item. I believe that rumor because Anna and Phillip were obviously holding hands under the table at lunch, even though Anna was looking down the whole time like she was embarrassed.

I like Anna. She's pretty but also very shy. As far as I know, she's only had one other boyfriend, Alex L, for a few days last year. It's easy not to notice her. But I guess Phillip did. It makes sense for two attractive, nice, and quiet (translation: boring) people to be together. Still, I can't help being embarrassed, because Anna and I have always been kind of
level two
friends. Not like me and Tabbi, but we do things together once in a while.

My brain is full of questions: Was it Anna who sent Phillip that post-movie text? Will her opinion of me change if she finds out about my “date” with her new boyfriend? Did Phillip ask out Anna the minute he finished his date with me? Maybe he even did it during the date. Maybe that's what the texting was about. Can anything be more humiliating than that?????!!!!

Part of me is happy that someone as nice as Anna found someone like Phillip to be with . . . but part of me wonders . . .
why can't I?????

My cell rang as soon as I flopped down on my fluffy white rug. It was Tabs. That girl has perfect timing. We had a wild conversation.

Tabs:
I hope Evan will ask me to the spring dance.

Me:
(
Gulp! Deep breath
) EVAN!!!???

Tabs:
I just really believe that he's “the one.” I know he's done some rotten things, but you're supposed to forgive people you truly love and I'm ready to forgive Evan.

Me:
You're too good for him, Tabs.

Tabs:
Just because he made some mistakes doesn't mean he's not a great person. I think he's sorry, I really do. That's why he tried to kiss you.

Me:
Tabs —

Tabs:
He had to know you'd tell me and he knew it'd make me jealous.

Me:
Yeah. But you have a boyfriend. Evan won't ask you to the dance as long as you're dating James.

Tabs:
Evan had a girlfriend when Maybelline asked him to the dance and he said yes.

Me:
Point taken. But why not make yourself more available by breaking up with James?

Tabs:
Because
(Tabbi sounded exasperated), I don't want to be
alone
.

I got off of the phone ASAP after that comment! Being alone isn't that bad!

P.S. Okay, I guess having a boyfriend you really like is better than being alone. Then again, how would
I
know?