That Girl, Darcy — James Ramos

IT IS A TRUTH UNIVERSALLY ACKNOWLEDGED that geeky guys never get to date the pretty girls with permanent scowls.

To Elliott Bennett, life is simple. It's all parties, skateboarding, and arguing over who would win in a fight between Hulk and Superman with his friends. It's his senior year, and he wants nothing more than to soak up his final year of freedom before real life begins.

That is, until Darcy Fitzwilliam and her best friend Bridget move in to the only mansion in the neighborhood. When Elliott meets Darcy at a party, he finds out that she isn't into skateboarding (which he lives for), she hates science fiction (which he loves), and she thinks his friends are a pack of morons (which, honestly, might be half true) -- and yet, there's something irritatingly intriguing about her.

When Elliott's cousin Jake starts to date her friend Bridget, it complicates Elliott's plans to ignore the scowling Darcy for the rest of the year. Why is Darcy so . . . ugh? Elliott doesn't know, but for some reason, is determined to find out -- even if she doesn't know the difference between Star Trek and Star Wars.

---- I felt a light tap on my shoulder and turned around. It was Darcy, wearing a black strapless dress that showed off her lithe figure. She'd done her hair in an intricate updo, with a few wispy strands dangling across her brow. I stared at her like a moron with a mouthful of food until she cleared her throat. “Would you care to dance?” she asked curtly. I nodded. “Okay,” she said. She hesitated, then, “I'll let you finish here.” She left in a hurry. I swallowed and gasped. “What the heck did I just agree to?” Lucas chuckled. “I think you just agreed to dance with Darcy. I'm sure that'll be fun. She's cute, after all.” I didn't care to agree with him aloud. But he was right. She was cute. Actually, cute didn't quite cover it. She was beautiful in a why-aren't-you-a-model way. But she was also evil. And she was waiting for me.