The Boy Project
Page 15
Besides, I found that some of her tips could be improved by changing just a few little words. Take Tip #1: Be yourself. This is not the greatest advice. But if you add just two words, it fixes everything. If I were sending out advice, my first tip would be: Be true to yourself.
In other words, it’s important to stick to your values. But maybe there are things about yourself that you can improve without changing your values. Things that might change your life! Or at least your social life . . .
Anyway, I am not going to sign up to keep getting advice from Bebe. Why would I? I’m no longer looking for love!
Have to go. My parents are actually letting me go out on my first real date tonight! By real, I mean a date where the boy isn’t forced by his older brother to go out with me. Chip and I are double-dating with Tabs and James. . . .
Past bedtime (According to my parents). But I am too excited to sleep. Again.
Going to the movies with someone who actually likes me is a whole new experience, let me tell you. After the movie, we went out for pizza. It was a blast! I think Tabbi is warming up to Chip, and James isn’t so bad.
The guys want to go out again on Wednesday. Right. The only way my parents will let that happen is if I finish Mrs. Hill’s magazine project before then, and that’s pretty unlikely. Tabs, Anna, and I have tons of work to do, since we basically goofed off the whole time at Anna’s house. Homework doesn’t go away, even when you finally get a boyfriend.
BTW, I finally got up the nerve to ask Chip why he didn’t kiss me that time we played spin the bottle. His answer surprised me. He said he was scared I wouldn’t kiss him back! I totally would have, since I was so curious about kissing. But it wouldn’t have been as good because I didn’t feel the same way about him back then.
While I’m on the subject of kissing, let me just say that kissing a boy who might be your soul mate (you never know) beneath the stars on a cool spring night is a whole lot better than kissing a boy who’s your best friend’s ex beneath a ringing bell in a stinky restroom. Pretty much every kiss I’ve shared with Chip (all three of them) is so much better than the one I had with Evan that it’s like comparing a piece of chocolate cake with fudge icing to asparagus soup. I don’t know . . . kissing him just feels right.
All in all, I’d say my Hidden Agenda Boyfriend Research Project has been a huge success. It is time for the final step of the scientific method!
Ahhhhhh. It feels great to be done with the project!
Wait. I’m just checking over my notes here. Aaarrrrgh! There’s one more step to the scientific method.
Retest? Are you KIDDING me? I’ve spent months compiling this very private data. I am NOT going through that again. Especially since I’m busier than ever. Now that I have a boyfriend, I don’t expect to have every single weekend free, for one thing.
Also, I can tell that my blog is going to take a lot of time. It’s worth it, though. I posted pictures of my Teen Vogue duct tape dress with flowery straps this morning and I’ve had over eighty hits. Not to mention tons of comments, some with questions that needed responses!
So instead of retesting my original hypothesis, I think I’ll go back to step one.
Now there’s a topic I can throw myself into researching!
Yours in Luck and Love,
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank my parents for providing me with a childhood full of books, and all of the other important things in life. And thank you, too, to those who live with me now – my husband, son, and daughter – for never complaining about the crazy kind of household kept by one who uses every free minute for writing instead of vacuuming, folding clothes, or any of the other unimportant things in life. Thank you to my wonderful friend Joy Purcell, for reading the first draft when I needed it in a hurry. And thanks to the fabulous Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, whose phone calls, advice, and laughter kept me writing through the tough times. I owe a huge thanks to my agent, Rosemary Stimola, who “saw a spark” and then waited over a year for it to flame. It takes many talented people to create a book, so I’d like to thank the entire team at Scholastic, especially Whitney Lyle, Cheryl Weisman, and Kevin Callahan. Tremendous gratitude goes to my brilliant editor, Aimee Friedman, whose keen vision for THE BOY PROJECT helped me take Kara’s story from good to überfuntastic.
About the Author
Kami Kinard enjoys writing about the boyfriend quest more than she enjoyed experiencing it. She is currently a teaching artist on the South Carolina Arts Commission’s Roster of Approved Artists to serve in arts education programs across the state. Kami writes from Beaufort, South Carolina, where she lives with her husband and two children. Please visit her online at www.kamikinard.com.
Copyright © 2012 by Kami Kinard
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First printing, January 2012
Illustration of the McAllister Family © Kami Kinard
Illustration of Kara © Erin Maguire
Illustration of cars © iStockphoto
Illustrations for Chic Chick Crafts © iStockPhoto
Cover design by Whitney Lyle
e-ISBN 978-0-545-39225-9
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