Curvy Girls Can't Date Quarterbacks - Kelsie Stelting Page 0,9

for supper, a couple covered the canvas. A curvy girl with thick legs and wavy hair and a handsome guy staring down at her, his arm around her.

Was Merritt right? Was my painting the only place a couple like Beckett and me could exist?

I sighed and left the room. I would be finding out soon enough.

Six

I left my house early for a tutoring session with Anna. I was glad to have this meeting, to have at least something in my life be normal.

After parking in my regular spot at school, I walked down the sidewalk to the elementary building next door. Just as I reached the drop-off line, Anna’s mom pulled up in a silver van. The back door slid open, and Anna got out of the car, running toward me, her backpack bouncing on her back.

I knelt down at eye level to her so I could give her a hug. “How are you doing, Anna?”

“Good,” she said, turning to wave goodbye to her mom. She spun back to me, smiling really big, revealing a gap where one of her two front teeth used to be. “Notice anything different about me?”

“Of course I do,” I replied. “You got a haircut.”

“No!” she cried, bouncing from foot to foot. “Look at my mouth!” She smiled even bigger (as if that were possible), and I pretended to be surprised.

“You lost that wiggly tooth!” I stood and took her hand so we could begin walking inside.

“Yes!” She pulled on my hand, jumping up and down. “My dad tied a knot around it and tied the other onto the door, and when he shut it—" She made a popping sound.

My mouth went wide in shock, and I said, “No way.”

“Yes way!” she cried.

“How much money did the tooth fairy give you?” I asked as I opened the door to the school.

She walked in backwards so she could still face me and said, “Fifty cents.”

I raised my eyebrows. Anna’s parents must have been cheapskates because most people around the Academy could practically buy a car with their tooth fairy money over the years.

“And I got a new bike,” she added.

There it was. “That’s so cool,” I said, smiling at a teacher as we passed her in the hallway.

She nodded proudly.

“So, do you think we should read a book then about the tooth fairy or losing teeth?” I had a couple in mind that we could try.

She nodded so fast I thought her headband was going to come right off her head.

We walked into the elementary school library, and she sat at one of the tables with letter blocks while I went in search of some options for us.

I ended up pulling three books, and when I came back, she had spelled her name with the letters. “Anna, good job!” I said.

“And none of the letters are backwards.” She grinned proudly. “We've been working on it a lot at home.”

“I can tell your hard work is really paying off,” I complimented, sitting beside her.

“What books did you get me?” she asked.

I spread the books out in front of her, and she picked one with a cookie on the cover.

“Good taste,” I said. “That looks yummy.”

She nodded. “Can you read this one to me?”

I hesitated for a moment. “Let's make a deal. I’ll read this one if you read the next one.”

She pressed her lips together and to the side as she thought it over and finally said, “Deal.”

“Great.” Her mom was pretty relaxed with the tutoring because she basically wanted someone who wasn't her or Anna’s teacher to make reading fun for Anna, but I still wanted to make sure we got some good practice in. I really liked having this job—even if my mom had helped me get it.

I pulled out the cookie book and began reading, using all the voices and making my tone louder and softer to fit the story. This early in the morning, the librarian puttered around the library, putting books away and straightening things up. With no one in here, she wasn't too strict about being quiet, which was perfect for Anna, who squealed with delight at the different voices and always had a million questions about the story.

When I finished the book, she frowned. “Do I have to have a turn?”

“You get to,” I said. “And when you finish, I have a surprise for you in my backpack.”

Her eyes lit up. “What is it?”

“The tooth fairy told me to give it to you.” I waggled my eyebrows. “But you have