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Back The Dating Game Save as PDF
Chapters (54)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover Text
  3. Praise
  4. Booklist
  5. About the Author
  6. Dedication
  7. Part One
  8. Chapter One
  9. Chapter Two
  10. Chapter Three
  11. Chapter Four
  12. Chapter Five
  13. Chapter Six
  14. Chapter Seven
  15. Chapter Eight
  16. Chapter Nine
  17. Part Two
  18. Chapter Ten
  19. Chapter Eleven
  20. Chapter Twelve
  21. Chapter Thirteen
  22. Chapter Fourteen
  23. Chapter Fifteen
  24. Chapter Sixteen
  25. Chapter Seventeen
  26. Chapter Eighteen
  27. Chapter Nineteen
  28. Chapter Twenty
  29. Chapter Twenty-One
  30. Part Three
  31. Chapter Twenty-Two
  32. Chapter Twenty-Three
  33. Chapter Twenty-Four
  34. Chapter Twenty-Five
  35. Chapter Twenty-Six
  36. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  37. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  38. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  39. Chapter Thirty
  40. Chapter Thirty-One
  41. Chapter Thirty-Two
  42. Chapter Thirty-Three
  43. Part Four
  44. Chapter Thirty-Four
  45. Chapter Thirty-Five
  46. Chapter Thirty-Six
  47. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  48. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  49. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  50. Chapter Forty
  51. Chapter Forty-One
  52. Epilogue
  53. Author’s Note
  54. Acknowledgments

I hold my breath. She shakes her head again, but this time she’s smiling.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Sara

Greek Row looks strange in the daylight. I’m headed back from class and decided to take the long way around so that I can think. I’m not even sure what I need to think about. But something’s been making it hard to sleep, making my skin itch, and I can’t pinpoint what.

I take a deep breath. Calm down, Sara. It’s probably just new semester jitters.

I make my way down the sunny street. There are a few guys playing beer games on the lawns, unsurprising because it’s not like anyone has much homework yet, and a few sorority girls tanning themselves while reading large chemistry and math textbooks.

Ahead on the sidewalk, a couple is talking. It’s clearly not a pleasant conversation. There’s a lot of arm waving and tense body language. As I get closer, I can hear bits of what they’re saying. “It’s over—get it through your head,” the meathead, gelled-hair type guy yells. I wonder if it’s too late to cross the street and walk on the other side.

His new ex begins to cry. Poor girl.

She turns her head, and I recognize her. Oh no, poor girl that I know.

Colleen sobs as the guy walks away, gets in a Jeep Wrangler and peels away down the street, speakers blaring. She folds into herself and crumples down to the sidewalk. The Greek Row sidewalk, where people spill beer, vomit and pee each weekend.

No, no, no. This will not do.

“Hey there,” I say as I approach.

Colleen glances up before letting out another sob and hanging her head. She sounds like a small animal caught in a trap.

“Are you okay?”

“Do I look okay?” She raises her head, and there is fire in her eyes.

Uh, not really. “What happened?” I say instead.

“I was just dumped.” She gestures down the street. “What does it look like?”

“I’m sorry.” I squat down so I’m at her level.

“He was my most stable hookup, Sara.” She whips a hand across her now-red face. “And now he’s done with me.”

“There will be other guys,” I say.

“There will not be other nine point eights, Sara. Do you know how few of those exist?” Her gaze bears down on me. “I haven’t slept in two days, my status is slipping, and I’ve been up half the night on that dumb app, trying to get my score to stabilize.”

I recoil. I didn’t even know she was on Perfect10.

“You of all people know that the algorithm rewards you when a high-ranked person says yes to you. What do you think is going to happen when he logs in and unmatches with me?”

I swallow, my throat suddenly tight.