“ASSIGNMENT NUMERO NOVE: THE PERFECT MAN We talk about boys a lot. Especially who’s hot, who’s not, and why. But if the… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“When the crowd thins a little, I rotate in a circle, taking a 360-degree panoramic. Darren ducks out of my way, so… — Kristin Rae Facial hair Copy Share Image
“Well, whatever his name is. I still don’t like him.” His voice is rough and his bright brown eyes pierce straight through… — Kristin Rae Brown eyes Copy Share Image
“What about Chiara? Is she coming too?” “No.” She’s not going to like this plan. He finds my sneakers. “Wear these. And… — Kristin Rae Struggles Copy Share Image
“What was I saying before?” I can’t let him get back to that train of thought, wherever it was headed. “You were… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“But then she might also point out that you never know what could happen unless you try. That each of our choices,… — Kristin Rae Choices Copy Share Image
“Pippa,” Dad chimed in with the even tone of a mediator. “If you don’t want to go--” “Oh, she’s going .” Mom… — Kristin Rae Foreign country Copy Share Image
“I assumed this was a fishing boat, but it’s not dirty and it doesn’t reek of dead fish, so I’m not sure… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“Here,” he says, removing my camera from its dry home and handing it to me to turn on. “I want to take… — Kristin Rae Camera Copy Share Image
“Oh, well…they’ve been a little relaxed because of Gram’s passing, but I’ve been assured once school starts my life will be all… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“Pistachio?” Sure, this place doesn’t have as many options as Della Palma, but there are at least twenty, the rest of them… — Kristin Rae New things Copy Share Image
“When I called and heard your voice mail greeting this morning, something inside me just clicked. I had to see you. Today.”… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“I have a few things I need to talk to you about today, honey,” she says. “First, I want an update on… — Kristin Rae Coming home Copy Share Image
“And you’re spending the whole summer in Rome?” I ask. “Digging things up?” He absentmindedly plays with a loose string at the… — Kristin Rae Partner in crime Copy Share Image
“I stop in my tracks to look up, completely disrupting the flow of tourist traffic. It’s directly in front of me, in… — Kristin Rae Thousand years Copy Share Image
“Chiara points to the ceiling and my eyes follow the lead. There it is. Right. Up. There. The most famous painting I’ve… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“Would you two just kiss and be done with it already?” Darren and I gape at her. Fire creeps up my neck,… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“Chiara,” Darren finally says. “Everything okay?” Greasy Guy looks Darren up and down with narrowed eyes and spits out what I’m guessing… — Kristin Rae Friendship Copy Share Image
“Do you want to be a professor too?” He shrugs. “Maybe one day. I’d like to travel more first though, work on… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“Wordlessly, Darren sits at the edge of the next bed, which leaves the one between him and the wall for me. I’m… — Kristin Rae Dreams Copy Share Image
“Bruno returns, still clad in only his green towel, hair poofing out a little as it dries. “Everything all right?” I ask,… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“Too bad it was buried before Shakespeare,” Darren continues. “This stage never saw the likes of Romeo or Macbeth.” I whirl around… — Kristin Rae Bad luck Copy Share Image
“Are you writing in your diary?” Even through the whisper I can tell he’s laughing. “No.” I feel in the dark for… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“The short pieces of his black hair are spiked out every which way. The poor lighting from the singular bulb on the… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“Chicago honors a saint: Patrick. But unlike the San Giovanni Festival honoring John the Baptist, St. Patrick’s Day is less about the… — Kristin Rae St patrick Copy Share Image
“I’m Darren, and this is Nina,” he says to me when she stops next to him. Nina looks me over. “Hi.” Her… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“I don’t like him.” “Don’t like who?” He shifts in his seat to face me head-on. “That Italian kid who just mauled… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“Darren, this is Chiara, the friend I was telling you about. Chiara, this is my--this is Darren.” I don’t know what I… — Kristin Rae Friendship Copy Share Image
“How could you just…not think ? I don’t understand you. I know we raised you better than that. You’ve completely disrespected us.”… — Kristin Rae Money Copy Share Image
“I was serious when I said I was paying,” I say, stealing the ticket from Darren. He opens his mouth to respond,… — Kristin Rae Flirting Copy Share Image
“Wait,” I say, digging into my camera bag. “I want a picture with all of you. Us. Together.” Dad takes the camera… — Kristin Rae Best friend Copy Share Image
“So tell me about you. Who is Pippa, in the broad scheme of things?” He winks. I return the smile. “Well, I’m… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“I stop at the image of me between Darren and Nina, the Colosseum stretching up behind us. It’s such an iconic structure,… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“I wouldn’t go through high school again if someone paid me a million dollars.” He snorts. It’s a joke, but his tone… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“The weekend arrives and I’m on edge, especially working at the trattoria. I’m hyper-aware of everyone around me, twitching at the sight… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“About earlier--” My attention shifts behind Darren to a little blond boy in overalls trying to push his head between the rods… — Kristin Rae Evil eye Copy Share Image
“I didn’t even know you looked at him like that.” “Well, things feel more forbidden when you keep them secret, don’t they,… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“We move to sit side by side on the deck and dangle our legs in the water. “Hey,” he says, waiting for… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
“The pen touches the paper again at the bottom of the page and I freeze as he draws a slow, thick line… — Kristin Rae Fall in love Copy Share Image
“Well, I just wanted to say hi.” Darren blows out his candle and tosses it behind us into the box with the… — Kristin Rae Copy Share Image
