Less Than Three

Chapter 13: Sure. Fine. Whatever.

Author Note: A bunch of readers want to know if this story is complete. It is! There are a lot more parts to it that are already written ... all the way to the end where Summer and ... Ha ha, you'll have to read that far to find out ;) 

BUT. I wrote this story a loooong time ago, and it was the first novel I'd ever finished. That means it needs a LOT of work. I'm fixing it as I publish, updating things like technology advances. (When I wrote this hardly anybody texted and social media was just starting to be popular.)The story needs even more work than that though. 

I've learned a ton of stuff about writing since I first wrote Less Than Three, so now I'm working hard to make this story better -- the best that it can be. I'm planning to publish new chapters twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, but sometimes I might post more. 

Also, for all of you writers out there, if you like this story I hope you will see it as inspiration. You CAN get better as a writer. All it takes is time and work (and blood, and sweat, and tears). Keep going!

~Darcy

I'd just taken a gulp of chai and I fought to swallow it without choking. "When did you get here?" I asked Dave.

"Somewhere around the time you decided I was not an evil menace. What are you guys talking about?"

It was a little uncomfortable explaining the whole deal without straying into goo-goo eyes territory. I managed it by emphasizing the negative effect Jacob had shown on Madison, on Brady and, apparently, on Craig. "If we could just get Madison to like some other boy."

I looked at Craig, who looked at Dave, who looked at me. "How are you going to do that? " he said.

"Well ..." I said.

"A fix up?" Craig asked.

"Exactly," I answered.

"But who?" That was Dave.

"You know," Craig said, "it just might work."

"With who?" Dave asked again.

I winked at Craig. He winked back. We turned to Dave.

"You."

Dave needed a little persuading. "It's not that simple," he said.

"Sure it is."

"You think you can pick out two people, throw them together for the greater common good, and expect everything else to fall into place?"

"Is it that unreasonable?" I tried looking to Craig for support but he conveniently excused himself to order a refill.

"It's not like that, Summer. You can't always help who you like."

He had a point. The fix up is, in fact, not a very reliable method. But like the dorkdad says: Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures. And these were desperate times indeed.

Besides, I told him, "Sometimes it works."

"Oh yeah? Like when?"

"Like last year." He looked doubtful so I went on. "Remember when Madison and I took up skateboarding?" (If I was completely honest I would have given him the reason for our interest -- that every cute boy we knew was a skater. That sounds so shallow now.) "We started watching the guys. We'd analyze the tricks, then we'd go home and try to ollie. I thought I'd never get it."