The Way She Smiles: Nice Guys Always Finish Last

By Jamie Guy Germain

Nice guys never get the girl. Ever. Percy is the biggest nerd in High School and even he knows that. He understands how computers work, likes to prove mathematical conjectures and is even a chess champion. He's also a nice guy. So when Rebecca moves to his small town, he knows not to expect anything. Especially when she starts dating his best friend Logan, the most popular guy in school. What he doesnt expect though is how quickly he becomes popular, how quickly him and Rebecca become friends, or how quickly he falls deeply in love with her. Now while riding the tides of new found popularity he has to choose between Logan, the sole reason why he survived the last four years of high school and Rebecca, the girl of his dreams.

Growing up I was a "nice guy' . I always waited for the "right time" that never came. I let her walk all over me because we were "just friends". I couldnt get the girl. This book is for every guy out there who is secretly in love with their best friend, and too "nice" to do something about it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781491843741

Jamie Guy Germain

About the Author Jamie Germain is the younger in a set of identical twins, both Firefighters working in Fort Murray, Alberta. While working for different Fire Departments, both him and his brother find time to be super competitive and engage in a variety of activities. This first time author wrote his entire book with the hopes of impressing a girl he was in love with back in High School. Jamie loves to read, play sports and is a die-hard Edmonton Oilers fan.

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© 2013 Jamie Guy Germain. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/13/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4918-4372-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-4371-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-4374-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013922928

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

For every guy out there who is secretly

in love with their best friend,

but too nice to do anything about it.

Prologue

How the hell did I let this happen? Six months ago, if someone had told me I would end up here, I would have laughed. This kind of thing should never happen to a guy like me. I never even knew people could feel this much agony.

It’s my own fault. This wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t tell her how I felt. Or maybe if I go back farther—maybe if I hadn’t invited her on that hike. For sure none of this would have happened at all if I would have waited even an hour to talk to her. All I had to do was wait one hour and I wouldn’t have lost her. Damn him for doing what he did.

Chapter 1

P ERCY’S ALARM WENT OFF, A strange mixture of beeping, honking, and radio noise. He designed the alarm clock himself, combining his radio with an old car horn he found at the junkyard. He wished he’d set the volume lower, but, admittedly, he hadn’t considered that. Melanie had almost killed him when it went off one Saturday morning, well before six o’clock. She had stormed into his room with a wicked hammer and completely destroyed it, right on his nightstand. He could still see scratch marks where the massacre occurred, if he looked closely.

Today, Percy got out of bed and navigated his room, heading for the door. Half-built computers, circuit boards, and pieces of a microwave lay scattered around his floor. His mom hadn’t been impressed when he took the microwave from the kitchen in the first place, but he did need to work on a project and science did demand sacrifice, didn’t it?

He quickly got dressed in the jeans and hoodie already folded on his chair, then headed downstairs. Breakfast at Percy’s house was usually a quiet affair; his mom cooked breakfast, his dad read the paper, and Melanie either talked on the phone or hid it right next to her toast, texting to god-only-knows-who. He sat down next to Melanie, who completely ignored him. Although a year younger, his outgoing, popular sister had too many friends for her own good, in his opinion. Sometimes he wondered how her social standing in the school ended up stories above his own. A pang of jealousy shot through him, but he buried it like always. He looked at Melanie. She was tall for her age with long blonde hair and, from what he heard at school, she was the best looking sophomore on the cheerleading squad.

What word in the English language is always spelled incorrectly? Percy’s mom asked as he sat down.

Wow, Mom. Way to give me an easy one. The word incorrectly is always spelled incorrectly. Melanie’s impatient cough showed how often this happened in their house. Of course, she never joined in, but Percy loved brain teasers.

A man gives one son ten cents, and his other son fifteen cents. What time is it? he asked his parents.

Well, Percy’s father began. The father gave ten and fifteen cents, so twenty-five cents total. The dad gave away twenty-five cents to his sons. What time is it? Well… you sure there is no other information? Unless—no. Some type of time-money converter? No that makes no sense. Ummm… ten and fifteen minutes… ? He trailed off.

A quarter to two. He gave his sons twenty-five cents. That’s a quarter. And he gave it to two. Nice one, Percy.

His dad was still working it. If his dad was still that sharp, Percy wondered why his dad’s science had failed, forcing them to move here.

Melanie rolled her eyes over her orange juice. This was another reason why she and Percy weren’t close. While the rest of the family loved brainy stuff, Melanie did poorly in school and, even on her best day, couldn’t quite match her family’s wit. Melanie knew perfectly well that she wouldn’t be so popular if she were smart, so she suffered in silence. Percy still felt guilty about reading that in her diary when he found it.

Mom, I’m going to be late for dinner tonight. I’m going to Kate’s after school to work on some new cheers.

Oh. Okay, dear, that’s fine. I was going to make a special dinner tonight for your first day back at school, but we can do it tomorrow. Her voice betrayed her, showing a glimpse of disproval and sadness, but Melanie was oblivious to it. He hated how inconsiderate she was.

Thanks, Mom, gotta run. She took a toast with her and hurried out the door. Percy frowned after her, sighed, rose to kiss his mom on the cheek and then followed after her.

Reaching the end of the driveway just as Logan pulled up, Percy stared at enviously at his friend’s new truck. It was a large F-350 Lariat with shock extensions, a lift kit, dual exhaust and an impressive sound system. Logan’s dad bought it as a present for his son’s senior year of high school, although Logan knew his dad just felt guilty about never being home. His dad always bought him things like that.

Percy climbed into his truck, noticing Logan’s new haircut. Logan’s wavy hair always seemed to stick out in a way that was beyond cool. Percy glanced in the mirror and cursed. His own hair looked stupid—not wavy and definitely not cool. He knew he didn’t have much to work with, and any attempt to pull off anything remotely cool left it looking worse than before. No matter what he did he could never get it right.

He studied Logan some more. Much taller than Percy, he had broad his shoulders that no one could miss, as well as deep grey eyes and a great smile. Percy hated the way his own smile looked. Logan dressed rich, too. Percy couldn’t help comparing himself to his best—and only—friend. His eyes were blue and he knew he couldn’t weigh more than 120 pounds. He usually got by wearing blue jeans, a sweater, and his one pair of shoes. Logan had sixteen pairs. Damn, man. Sorry to say this, but your sister is looking hot as hell today. Logan’s eyes followed Melanie as she walked in front of his truck. Logan gave her a quick grin and her cheeks turned red. You sure you’re related?That’s what my parents claim, anyway, Percy said wearily. He was used to Logan’s incessant flirting, even with Melanie. Not that I would ever do anything about it. It’s just a great idea sometimes… When Logan saw the look on Percy’s face he burst into laughter. Ready for today? Percy opened an energy drink and made it into a toast. To the first day of the rest of our lives. Or some other cliché. To a year filled with drinking, flirting, catching footballs, and then whatever else you will be doing while I work my ass off to get into college. And may your eyes fall out if you ever check out my sister again. Percy made his voice very formal. Cheers, said Logan, turning on the radio. *Castle High School, a modern, two-story building, started off as a one-room classroom two miles from the center of Riverwell. It had a brand-new track encircling a richly planted football field with multilevel stands on the near end. Half the school’s students came from the town of Bear Falls and half from Riverwell. Bear Falls never had a school of its own so its students had to find ways to commute. Another point for wealthy Riverwell. Still, Castle High was the nicest school in the county. Percy had very few happy memories of the place. He hated coming to school and hated his classmates even more. He still shivered when he remembered his first day there. That had been the worst day of his life. He hated even thinking about it, so he pushed the thought far from his mind. That just left him feeling despair; he shivered again. Since that day Percy had hated school. He knew he would never get over it. Percy and Logan made their way through the hallways; most students offered Logan a wave or a smile with the occasional pat on the back. Only a few bothered to pay Percy any attention, usually just to frown or look disgusted. See you, buddy, Logan said over his shoulder. He headed toward the chem lab. Percy wouldn’t see him till later, since they only had P.E. together. Percy hurried to English class on the other side of the school. He didn’t want to be late. Something bad always happened to Percy on the first day of school, and the thought made him nervous. Percy entered the classroom and took his usual seat in the back of class. In his experience, the fewer people noticed him, the better. He looked around, recognizing all the kids from last year. Sure enough, the desk beside him remained empty. So, what else was new? Good morning, class. Mrs. Lawson began each class in the same excited, high-pitched tone. She’d been at the school about two years and was by far the most passionate teacher. I would like to welcome all of you to your senior year of English. I really hope you had a great summer and by now are tired of the late nights, beach days, and the general fun students usually have. Believe it or not, when I was in school I was always delighted to start a new year. The entire class groaned. Now, how many of you have done the recommended summer reading?

Percy raised his hand, then realized his mistake. He was the only one.

Queer! Sean coughed at the exact time he said it. Mrs. Lawson either didn’t hear it or chose to ignore it. The rest of the class did. Ripples of mocking laughter rippled through the classroom. Percy instantly thought of twenty different ways he would like to silence Sean.

Now that you guys are in your last year, I definitely expect more effort from all of you. We have a long year ahead of us and nobody wants to leave this school on a negative note. Now, if you will look at the blackboard, you will see a general outline for the year. We will be spending this first term mostly on Shakespeare— Mrs. Lawson ignored the renewed groans. —and then moving on to short stories. After that we will be— A knock on the door interrupted her halfway through her sentence. The door opened to reveal a pretty brunette girl. Yes?

I’m sorry to interrupt, but I think this is my classroom. It’s my first day. Her silky voice had a musical tone to it.

Oh, that’s right! Yes, Dave did mention to me we had a new student this year. Please, come to the front and introduce yourself. The girl strolled boldly to the front of the room, stopping a few paces in front of the teacher’s desk. Percy had to give it to her; she wasn’t shy in the least. She gave them a big smile.

Hi, my name is Rebecca Corbin and my family just moved here from Kentuc…

You moved to Riverwell or Bear Falls? Sean’s voice was perfectly clear this time. Everyone leaned forward in their seats. A new girl from Riverwell would be readily accepted and integrated into popular life. On the other hand, a girl from Bear Falls would fall helplessly by the wayside.

What? Oh, yeah—my mom warned me about this. My parents bought that house on the top of the hill in Riverwell. You know the ones with the gardens? Her voice sounded hopeful.

Well, Percy thought to himself, At least she won’t have any trouble making friends. The hilltop with the gardens was the Crawford Estate, one of the richer houses in town. He was sure only Logan had a bigger house.

Well, dear, welcome to Castle High. You can take that empty desk in the back there, next to Percy. Mrs. Lawson then continued explaining her expectations for the coming year. As Rebecca walked casually to her desk, it seemed like every eye followed her. She sat down on Percy’s left and took out a few notepads.

As Percy looked at her, he decided that it would be a terrible understatement to call her pretty. This girl had long, brown hair flowing loosely over her shoulders and deep, brown eyes that Percy would never be able to describe adequately. A few brown freckles ran across the bridge of her nose and her upper cheeks; she was about his height. She wore jeans and a tank top under a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Never in Percy’s life had he ever seen a girl so beautiful.

Hi, I’m Rebecca, she leaned over and whispered to Percy. Startled, Percy turned bright red; his palms started sweating.

Hi… uh, hello. Percy’s voice sounded weak and feeble, even to him. Rebecca flashed him a quick smile, showing her brilliant white teeth. Percy blushed deeper. She focused her attention back on the teacher, but he didn’t hear a word Mrs. Lawson said for the rest of the period.

Chapter 2

T HE REST OF THE DAY passed in a blur. Castle High didn’t get a lot of new students, so everyone went out of their way to have some type of contact with Rebecca, as if trying to decide how to treat her. She was definitely lucky to be from Riverwell; she wouldn’t be lumped in with the poor Bear Falls kids. And with all the attention Rebecca got, Percy could fall nicely in the background. Everywhere he went that day, he saw guys shyly walking over to hit on her and girls quickly introducing themselves. Sure enough, Logan monopolized most of her time, which didn’t surprise Percy. After four years of friendship, he was only surprised Logan hadn’t hit on her earlier. P.E. had been cancelled for homeroom, so he would have to wait till later to talk to him about it.

Percy knew that Logan had a football meeting right after school, so when the bell rang he took his time getting his books together and walking to the parking lot. He might as well get a head start on his Social Studies homework before Logan showed to give him a ride home. It had been a good day so far; he had only managed to get shoved into a locker once, which was actually good. Of course, he didn’t spend much time with Logan at school, so the football team didn’t even have to be sneaky about it. At least they didn’t push him too hard. He chose himself a good spot in the grass next to a tall oak tree and pulled out his textbook. He opened to the inside cover, wrote his name on the inside in case he lost it, then began to read. Twenty minutes later, Percy looked up for the first time, noticing the parking lot was almost deserted. He heard a loud noise, almost like a car backfiring, and looked behind him.

God, mother of… . Don’t tell me… . You stupid car! C’mon… you’d better not do this to me. Percy watched as Rebecca got out of her car, a blue Volkswagen Beetle, opened the hood. Billowing white smoke burst free. Rebecca backed away a few steps and stared at her car.

Percy looked around. No one else was around. Not knowing what else to do, he walked over.

‘Uhh. Becky?" Percy asked from a couple feet behind her, his face turning red as he said it. Did he just call her Becky? Becky spun around.

What? she snapped, her voice angry. Seeing Percy, she sighed and visibly relaxed. Oh. Sorry. You startled me there. Percy, right? From English class?

Percy flushed a deeper shade of red. Uh, yeah. Percy James. I heard your argument with your car. Is everything okay?

No, not really. She looked back at her car. My stupid car won’t—wait. Did you call me Becky back there? She looked back at Percy expectantly.

Yes. Percy’s voice sounded hoarse. He immediately regretted the nickname. The last thing he wanted was to upset her. She looked at him for a few seconds, almost as if trying to read him.

Why did you call me that?

Well… Percy would have given anything in the world to be somewhere else at that exact moment, but he realized he was stuck. I am sorry if I offended you. It’s just—I have an aunt with the same name and she hates being called Rebecca. She always says three syllables was too many for a person’s name. I didn’t really think of it before I said it… his voice got quieter and quieter. She looked at him for a few more seconds. Then, very suddenly, she gave him a huge smile, showing her perfect white teeth again.

To tell you the truth I hate it, too. I’ve been telling people all day to call me Becky, but it won’t catch on. Thank you, Percy. When she said his name, he went back to blushing. No one had ever said his name in such a sweet way before. If she wanted to be Becky, then, to him, she was Becky.

So you need any help?

It looks that way. Becky gestured to her car. You know anything about Beetles?

No, sorry. Percy leaned over, running his hands around under the hood."

You know anything about cars? she asked, her voice curious.

Nope, I can’t say I ever looked under the hood before. Percy’s hands still ran over the various parts, stopping on some and simply brushing others. Becky watched him for a moment.

Errr… So what are you doing?

Percy stopped and looked up. Trying to fix your car. He bent back over the engine, inspecting