How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend Read Online Free Page B

didn’t accidentally chuck evidence onto the principal’s desk during her interview.
    To make a long and totally unfair story short, I was charged with possession of stolen property. Besides all of the community service I have to do, I’m on probation until I’m eighteen, and I had to pay a four hundred dollar fine.
    Thank you very much, Tim.
    You’d think that somewhere along the line, one of my fortune cookies would have warned me about all this. You know, given me a little slip of paper that said, “No good will come from convicts bearing gifts of dead frogs.” But no. The fortune cookie industry has totally overlooked that message. Ditto for horoscopes.
    I was so upset about the whole thing I didn’t want to go back to school, not even after my school-imposed sentence of a month at an alternative learning center ended. But my dad kept telling me that if I didn’t go back, people would think I was guilty. So I returned to school and a life that would never really be the same again.
    Not many guys would ask out a girl who has henceforth been known at school as “The Frog Avenger,” but Jesse did. He accepted my innocence casually, as though it didn’t take any effort to believe in me. Which meant it would be that much harder for me to ask him to be Dante’s campaign manager.
    I’d never wanted to make him choose between his friends and me, and here I was about to do just that. And what if he didn’t pick me?

Chapter 3
    W hen I finished scrubbing out toilets, I pushed the cleaning cart back into the supply closet, and Earl checked off my work. Earl is the compulsively grouchy head janitor. Any other person would have shown a little cheer at the fact that I came in to do his job every Saturday, but no, he watches me like I might be secretly shoving rolls of toilet paper in my purse.
    I drove to Country Burger, and Jesse and I ate lunch in a booth with the scenic view of the parking lot. Which is one more reason why it’s nice to date a totally hot guy. Scenery becomes unimportant. We talked about school, friends, and that sort of thing. I didn’t work my courage up to discuss the campaign until we were almost done with our meal. Finally I said, “Dante is serious about running for school president. He talked with me about it this morning.”
    Across the table from me, Jesse tilted his head in surprise. “Really?”
    â€œWilson has lots of friends, you know, people who’ll help him with his campaign. Dante doesn’t have as many—but you’re his friend, aren’t you?”
    Jesse tapped his knife against his plate. He knew where I was going with this, and I could already see the hesitancy in his eyes. “Yes, I am, but I’m also Wilson’s friend.”
    I leaned forward and tried to look beguiling. “Dante needs your help more, though, and you know he’d be the first one to help you if you ever needed anything. So will you help with his campaign?”
    Jesse gazed back at me, his blue eyes softening. He didn’t answer.
    I reached out and put my hand over his. “Please?”
    Jesse let out a sigh. “Dante put you up to this, didn’t he? He knew I couldn’t tell you no.”
    I smiled. “ No is such an ugly word. You really shouldn’t say it.”
    Jesse laughed, and intertwined his fingers with mine. “All right. I’ll help Dante campaign. It will make things awkward between Wilson and me for a while, but sure, I’ll help Dante.”
    With that one sentence, my hope surged. “Can you be Dante’s campaign manager?”
    All the laughter left Jesse’s countenance. I could sense him tense up. He took his hand away from me and ran it through his shaggy brown hair. “I don’t want to make things that awkward. I’ll help, I’ll wear a button, whatever, but I can’t be campaign manager.”
    â€œBut Jesse—”
    He didn’t