The Boy Project

by Kami Kinard

  She was talking about the running shoes. Okay, I admit it. I did think she hadn’t noticed. I got tired of wearing them to school every day trying to wear them out, and Julie never came up with a better plan that allowed us to stop running together, like she was supposed to, so I just tried to make the shoes disappear.

  This meant I was stuck with no date AND no cute dress to sport! Until I came up with a great idea . . .

  I remembered seeing those prom dresses made out of duct tape when I was researching bag styles! So I figured if you can make a prom dress from duct tape, why not a party dress? I did a little more online research and found that you can make duct tape clothes in four easy steps:

  Cover big sheets of paper with duct tape.

  Lay pieces of selected pattern on top of duct tape sheets.

  Cut out pattern.

  Following pattern directions, tape pieces together instead of sewing.

  I went back to Mom and asked her if she could take me to the hardware store instead of the mall. Then I told her my plan. She LOVED it.

  Mom always goes for us experimenting with creative expression. Really, the woman’s never met a craft she didn’t like. She even helped me search online for a pattern. (We chose a simple sleeveless dress from Teen Vogue.) Tomorrow we shop for duct tape!

  Friday, March 9

  After dinner

  Mom and I’ve been working on the duct tape dress for two days. I bought three rolls of black tape, one pink, and one green. My idea was to make the dress all black but to add some pink and green flowers to the shoulders. It is spring, after all.

  We’d almost finished the dress when Julie decided to barge into the room with Lyle and Phillip in tow. Apparently, Lyle is Phillip’s ride to baseball practice. The good news is that they went nuts over the dress. They thought it was the coolest, especially the zigzag pattern I’d cut along the hemline.

  The bad news is that now someone at my school knows. And I wanted it to be a surprise. I told Phillip NOT to tell anyone about it. He said, “Who’d I tell?”

  I resisted the urge to mention Anna, who I know would tell Tabbi, who would then know I was up to something. BUT I tried to play it cool, so I just shrugged. (I used the I can’t be bothered with such trivial details variety.)

  I have to confess that Phillip’s and Lyle’s reactions made me feel pretty good about my latest creation. I think the dress will “show my style” in a big way! (I hope Bebe’s right about that last tip.) I’m a little worried, though, because my mimi always says, “There’s a fine line between an outfit and a costume.” And in the back of my mind, I’ve been wondering: Does duct tape clothing cross that line?

  Sunday, March 11

  Is 4:45 afternoon or evening? ’Cause that’s what time it is.

  It seems like Bebe is giving me a little nudge in the direction of a certain Chip Tyler. Right in time for the dance, too.

  To: Kara M

  From: BebeTruelove

  Subject: Tip #10

  Dear Soul Mate Seeker,

  Afraid of rejection? Don’t be. Everyone faces it from time to time. But the more times you try, the greater your chances of success. Don’t let fear keep you from approaching a possible soul mate.

  Tip #10: Banish fear!

  Good Luck in Love,

  Bebe

  Try Fear-Catchers!

  Modeled after Native American dream catchers, these Fear-Catchers will hang from your key ring and keep fear at bay.

  An ancient spell is spoken over each Fear-Catcher

  before it leaves the factory!

  Click here to order now!

  ♥ Fear-Catchers ♥

  (Must be 18 years of age to order.)

  Monday, March 12

  Lunch

  Chip asked me if I am going to the dance!

  Okay, it isn’t as good as if he’d actually asked me to the dance. But it does mean he cares whether I go or not. Doesn’t it?

  After dinner

  At least there is still hope that maybe there’s a boyfriend for me somewhere out there even if things don’t work out with Chip. Because today I discovered an important fact that will help me with my research: There are quiet, inconspicuous guys just waiting to be noticed. I found this out after school because Anna, Tabs, and I ended up being partners for Mrs. Hill’s “magazine project.”

  Luckily, Anna invited us over to her house to work on it. I quickly accepted. (I did NOT want to have them do it at my house, in case Lyle and Julie were there. If Lyle said something about my “date” with Phillip, I’d die.)

  Anyway . . . we got to Anna’s and it turns out she has an older brother named Paul. I asked her why she hadn’t told us her brother was so cute. She said, “You wouldn’t think about him that way if you ever saw him play those online battle games with his friends. Total geek fleet.”

  But Paul was really nice. Quiet, like Anna. He has a cleft chin that makes him look movie-star-ish. And he’s in ninth grade, which means he was at my school last year and I never noticed him. This made me wonder if there are a lot of other quiet, cute guys out there that I haven’t even considered yet.

  When I got home, Mom asked me how the project was going. Since Anna, Tabs, and I ended up chatting the whole time instead of actually working on it, I tried to distract Mom — for some reason — by bringing up Anna’s cute but geeky older brother.

  Mom’s comment was: “Don’t count out the geeks! They usually have better earning potential than your run-of-the-mill jock.” She smiled. “Dad was a geek and look at him now.”

  I looked. Yeah. I think this is the last time I’ll be writing about Paul.

  Thursday, March 15

  Sixth period

  Okay, it’s too bad that my redo science fair project was due after the actual science fair because it totally would have beaten The Sponge’s lame-but-first-place project involving strawberry smoothies! Oh well. The important thing is that Ms. Sabatino loved my new science project! She erased the F+ from the grade book and replaced it with a B. Which, of course, isn’t as good as the A I might have made if not for Mr. DeLacey, but still. Here’s what I presented to the class:

  I felt pretty good about it, even though right in the middle of my presentation Maybelline sneered, “That survey is bogus. What does Kara know about love?”

  “A lot more than I used to,” I said. I wished I hadn’t. Everyone started making those “wooooooooo” singsongy sounds that aren’t actually words but can be translated as I’ve just found out some great big secret about you.

  “That’s not what I mean!” I said, blushing. “But if you look at the data collected from 2,188 teens, you’ll see that even though guys and girls are attracted to each other, they are basically looking for different things in relationships.”

  The room got pretty quiet while I explained the results. (Told you, Mrs. Willis, that we were more interested in relationships than the Civil War!)

  The most important thing I learned is that most guys aren’t even looking for a soul mate yet. And that seventy-five percent of guys really do like girls with confidence! I need to work on that.

  After class, a lot of people stood around asking questions, like I’m suddenly some kind of authority on love. Move over, Bebe Truelove!

  Friday, March 16

  After school

  Well, my science fair project is finally over! The research is done. The hypothesis is supported. The results are published. That’s one research project down and one to go.

  It is time to compile my data and attempt to come up with a hypothesis for my more important Hidden Agenda Boyfriend Project. Here is a review of some of the most significant data I collected:

  1. Unobtrusive Observations: Boy Subjects

  After observing a varie
ty of subjects, I’ve deduced that Subject #5 is interested in me.

  2. Unobtrusive Observations: Girl Subjects

  I observed the methods used by three girls when approaching their crushes. They all did it differently, but they had two things in common.

  • Each girl had the confidence to approach her crush even if she had to realize (Gina the Vine) that some approaches would end in rejection.

  • Each girl was successful at least some of the time.

  3. Interview (Primary Source)

  The interview I conducted revealed that it is important for a girl to approach her crush when he is alone.

  4. Expert Advice (Primary Source)

  Bebe Truelove says that a girl should show her style and her confidence. (She says a lot of other stuff, too!)

  5. Faceplace Surveys

  The data collected from the surveys supports Bebe’s advice about confidence. It also supports my earlier conclusion that I’m too young to be looking for a soul mate.

  So. I’ve found a guy who is interested in me. And I’ve found an awesome way to show my style!

  I think I’ve also found that invisible part of me that needs improving: The fact is, I’m a big chicken! Like I’ve said before, I like myself just fine. I do! But I’m not confident that boys are going to like me. I’m afraid of rejection.

  But after analyzing the data, I think if I can find the courage to face possible rejection, my hypothesis will be supported.

  Saturday, March 17

  After the dance

  At first I thought my custom-designed duct tape dress plan had backfired on me in a big way. Tabbi promised she’d be at the dance when I arrived so I wouldn’t be alone, but when I walked through the gym doors, my BFF was nowhere. Well, I guess she was somewhere, but since she wasn’t where I needed her to be, she may as well have been nowhere. Here’s who was there: Maybelline.

  She took one look at my dress and burst out laughing. “What’d you do, Kara, make your own dress? Puh-lease tell me you’re posting directions on your blog, because I’m gonna need them if I ever want to make something that hideous.” When she said the word “blog,” she used air quotes. I hate air quotes!

  Despite the fact that I rode all the way to the dance reminding myself that seventy-five percent of guys like girls who are self-confident, this scientific knowledge evaporated under the heat of Maybelline’s burning comments. I couldn’t think of anything to say. So when she turned to laugh with The Sponge, I backed into the shadows, where no one would notice me. No one did. When I thought about how successful I was at going unnoticed, it was pretty depressing. . . .

  Eventually, Tabs entered with James. She took, like, fifteen seconds to glance around before hitting the dance floor. Thanks, BFF!

  A little later, Chip came in alone. He was dressed like the other guys, but I thought he looked particularly nice in his khaki pants, button-down shirt, and tie. I watched him walk over to the refreshment table and get a soda. Then he stood across the room and looked around. I held my breath, hoping he would notice me and then run toward me, arms outstretched, asking me to dance. Then I would know for sure that he liked me. But I am never that lucky. When Chip’s eyes reached me in the shadows they slid right over me. Was I just successfully blending in, or had he seen me and decided that he’d rather not notice a girl in a homemade duct tape dress?

  One thing was for sure. If I stayed in the shadows all night, I’d never know. It was time for:

  “Wow.” That’s what Chip said when I got close enough for him to really see my Teen Vogue duct tape dress with roses on the strap. He reached out and touched the roses, and when he did, his hand brushed my shoulder and it gave me that tingly feeling!

  “That dress is amazing.”

  “Thanks,” I said. I could feel my face heating up, but it wasn’t the Mouth of Hades chili type of hot. More like the snuggled-under-a-blanket-drinking-cocoa kind of hot.

  “Kara, you can do anything.” Chip smiled.

  “No I can’t,” I said, but I smiled back.

  “Well, can you dance?” he asked.

  I nodded and we headed to the dance floor, which was really the gym floor. But the gym was decorated with lots of balloons, glittery golden streamers, and colorful lights, so it really didn’t seem like an athletic facility. We danced for, like, five songs in a row. It was great! But let me just say that if you go to a dance in a dress made of strips of plastic, be sure to create a short hemline and make it sleeveless, like I did. Man, did I sweat! So I didn’t really mind when Tabs pulled me aside to “freshen up” even though what she actually intended to do was accost me in the girls’ room.

  Tabbi waved her finger at me and said, “Kara, you look like you’re really enjoying dancing with Chip! Please tell me it’s an act. Please do not say that you have a crush on that goof.”

  “I’m just doing research, but you’re right. I’m enjoying it,” I said. “Remember, James was pretty goofy, too, at the beginning of the year.”

  Tabbi changed the subject. “Why didn’t you tell me you were making something cool to wear? I could have made one too!” Which might have been a teeny tiny part of the reason I didn’t tell her, now that I think about it. But I was glad she liked it.

  Tabs and James danced near us for the rest of the night. The tiny, swirling lights bouncing off the disco ball made it seem like we were being sprinkled with fairy dust as they passed over our skin and dressy clothes. Everyone looked better that night than they do at school, and everyone looked happier! It was überfuntastic! And I was glad I had a chance to see Tabs pretend to gag when Evan boogied by, clinging to Monique. I think she’s finally over him!

  When the dance was almost over Chip offered to walk me home, so I called Mom. She said it’d be okay as long as I got to the house in fifteen minutes. She also mentioned that she’d be looking out the window, watching for me to come down the street. That’s a bit overprotective, don’t you think?

  I gave her message to Chip and he gave a little frown before flipping open his cell to check the time. “Well, we’d better get going.”

  As soon as we got outside, Chip held out his hand and I took it. His palm was warm and he squeezed my fingers. I’d never held hands with a boy before — well, not in that way — and it felt really, really good.

  We were about five houses from mine when Chip stopped to check his phone again. “We have five whole minutes.”

  He took my other hand and pulled me closer. I pulled back.

  “What?” he said.

  “I don’t know . . . it’s just . . . I’m not sure I can like a guy who let Gina Johns crawl all over him.” (It still bothered me. I couldn’t push it out of my mind.)

  “Come on, Kara,” he said, putting his arms around my waist. “You should thank her. ’Cause if it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t know how to do this.”

  Then he touched my face, leaned down, and kissed me. Which feels a whole lot better than holding hands.

  When I opened my eyes, Chip was smiling at me. Talk about a fantastic smile! I smiled back . . . until I saw our front porch light blink on like a warning beacon.

  “I need to go,” I said.

  Chip nodded and slid his hand into mine again. Then, holding hands, we walked to the door.

  Sunday, March 18

  Early. Too early. But I’m too excited to sleep. Too too excited.

  I have asked a question. I have researched. I have formed a hypothesis. I have performed an experiment. I am now ready for:

  After analyzing the data above and adding it to the fact that Chip has sent me fourteen texts since the dance, one of which asked if I could go to the movies tonight, I have a pretty good idea of what my conclusion is going to be. (I have got to figure out another way to get Mom and Dad to spring for unlimited texting since my plan for making an A in science didn
’t work out! Maybe it’s time to sell more duct tape creations. . . .)

  After lunch at the McAllister Café, where the food is free but not exciting

  This afternoon I got another message from Bebe Truelove, along with an ad for a Romantic Atlantic Singles Cruise.

  To: Kara M

  From: BebeTruelove

  Subject: You can keep receiving Bebe’s great advice!

  Dear Soul Mate Seeker,

  Have you found your soul mate yet? If so, let me know! I’ll add your name to the growing list of souls who have found mates by following my advice. That list is currently over 950 names strong! If you haven’t, don’t give up hope! You can continue getting advice from me, Bebe Truelove, once a week for the next year for only $19.95. Just go to the subscribe page at my web address and enter your credit card number. You must be 18 years or older to subscribe.

  Yours in Luck and Love,

  Bebe

  Take a Singles Cruise!

  What better place to meet your soul mate than on the romantic Atlantic? Don’t miss the voyage of a lifetime!

  Click here to book your trip!

  ♥ Romantic Atlantic ♥

  (Must be 18 years of age to order.)

  I’m starting to feel like Bebe might be a scam artist. I guess there’s a chance that her advice helps some people find soul mates. But maybe it’s just that covering yourself with Love-Mist body spray while wearing a red velvet bikini on a singles cruise brings luck in love.