A Young Adult Romance Collection

by Victorine E. Lieske

  “Yeah, sure. Let’s go back.” He stood then took her hand as they started walking toward his house. If she had been cold, the warmth of his hand would have taken care of it. It was like holding hands with fire, but in a nice way.

  They were silent, which Trudy was grateful for. She’d said too much already. He didn’t deserve to know about her shame. Those scars represented the worst thing she’d ever done. The deepest, darkest place she’d ever been at in her life. And Lane was the only one at Rockford High who knew about it.

  But even though he was rotten and had made a stupid bet, and had cheated on her test, and she hated him, a small part of her felt relief that she’d talked to Lane about it. It was stupid, and she’d kick herself for even thinking it later, but right now, it just felt good to share that with someone else.

  She was indeed mental.

  Trudy glanced at the clock. It was Friday, and there were only ten minutes left of her last class before she could leave. The seconds seemed to take forever to tick by. Her phone vibrated and she glanced at the teacher to see if she could sneak a peek at it without him noticing. Mr. Harrison had his back to her, so she slid the phone out and checked her texts. It was from Lane.

  Can you send me a picture of Jasper?

  Just reading her cat’s name caused a wave of sadness to crash through her. He hadn’t reappeared, and it had been two days.

  She scrolled through her images and found one with him playing with a grape that she’d accidentally dropped on the floor. He looked particularly adorable. She sent it to Lane.

  Aw, that’s a good one. Thanks.

  The bell rang before she had time to ask him what he wanted with a picture of Jasper, and she scooped up her belongings to head to her locker. When she got there, Jessica was leaning against it. When she saw Trudy, she shoved off the locker and sidled up to her. “Hey.”

  “What’s up?”

  “Nothing. Just looking forward to the game tonight. Are you going to be there?”

  Right. The game. Lane was suspended and couldn’t even attend the game. She shook her head. “Lane wants to go out tonight.”

  “Oh, I forgot he’s suspended. That sucks.”

  “Sucks for him.”

  “Yes, but sucks for me too. I was hoping you’d be there to keep me company.”

  “I’d rather be at the game with you. Being with Lane is torture.” Trudy wasn’t kidding. Every second with him made her insides turn to goo. She had trouble thinking clearly. His touch made her melt. It was like her body had no idea what a scumbag he was. Or it chose to ignore that piece of information because he was hot. Ugh. She had no idea how she was going to keep this up until next Friday.

  Jessica put her hands on Trudy’s shoulders and forced her to look her in the eye. “Just remember. He is the enemy. Say it.”

  “He is the enemy,” she mumbled.

  “Louder.”

  “He is the enemy!”

  A few students turned around to stare at them. Trudy’s cheeks turned hot. Jessica snickered and put her hands down. “Yep. And don’t forget it.”

  “Easier said than done,” Trudy said under her breath.

  Another text came in, and Trudy pulled her phone out. I have a great idea for our date tonight. Wear your dancing shoes. He’d ended it with the salsa dancing girl emoji.

  Her fingers shook as she quickly texted him back. Oh, no. I don’t dance.

  I know. Don’t worry. We won’t do anything you don’t want to do.

  Why did that not make her feel better? She fretted about it as she drove home, checked to see if Jasper had come back, and then some more as she tried to concentrate on her homework. In the end, she gave up and went to her room to get dressed for her date.

  Dancing? There was no way she was going to some dance club with Lane. Absolutely not. But as she dressed, she had to admit the skirt she picked out would look cute on her if he forced her to go out. She wouldn’t agree to go to a club, but maybe they would end up at a restaurant. And the strappy sandals from the back of her closet went well with the skirt. Her shirt was long sleeved, like all her shirts, but she found one that looked dressy.

  Not that she was thinking of looking good for Lane. Not at all. She just didn’t want to look dopey if he dragged her out somewhere. That was it.

  She refreshed her makeup and applied a little lipstick before she grabbed her purse and headed out. It felt weird to be dressed up. She hadn’t worn a skirt since the time she and Izzy had attended her aunt’s funeral.

  She pressed her lips together, hoping she wasn’t smudging her lipstick on her teeth. The air felt colder tonight as she walked up to Lane’s house, and she was glad for the long sleeves. The porch light was on, and she stepped up and pressed the bell.

  Lane appeared and she had to force herself not to suck in a breath. He wore a white button-up shirt and tie, and he’d styled his hair in that messy I-don’t-care way that made him look like he could walk onto the set of a movie and start filming. His gaze traveled over her and he smiled. “Now I feel bad.”

  “Why?”

  Lane stepped aside so she could enter. “Because. You deserve to go out looking like that. Are you sure you don’t want to go dancing?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.” She had no desire to show him just how uncoordinated she really was. “I don’t dance.”

  He took her hand and gave her a half-grin. “Come with me.”

  If he had said, “Let’s jump off a cliff,” she would have readily agreed. He was temptation incarnate, and she couldn’t resist. The way her skin warmed at his touch, the way his blue eyes rendered her speechless, and the way his smile weakened her knees all made for a toxic combination. She followed him without hesitation.

  He led her down the stairs, which seemed odd, but she didn’t ask where they were going, mostly because his touch was making it hard to think straight. The lights were off, but Lane flicked a switch and several strings of twinkle lights strung across the ceiling lit up, giving the room a magical feeling. The furniture was pushed back, making an open space on the floor. On the far side of the room, he’d set up a long table with a plastic table cloth and a punchbowl on one end. He’d set the room up like a miniature high school dance floor.

  “I know you don’t dance, but I thought maybe we should practice so you don’t feel so awkward next Friday.”

  The Homecoming dance. Of course. He didn’t know she had no intention of actually going with him. And here he’d set this whole thing up just for her. She swallowed back an uncomfortable lump in her throat. “Thanks.”

  He motioned to the table. “As you can see, I made some hors d’oeuvres. And since I’ve taken dance classes since fourth grade, I thought I could teach you a few moves.”

  She raised one eyebrow at him. “Dance classes?”

  He gave her a sheepish grin. “It actually helps football players be more agile.”

  “Oh. Yeah, I think I’ve heard of that. Did you take ballet?”

  He blushed. “Yeah, that too. But we’re not going to do any of that. I’ll just teach you what most people do at dances.” An uncertain look entered his eyes. “Is that okay? I mean, I know you don’t dance, but I thought…”

  She hadn’t noticed before, but Lane shifted nervously and she realized he was anxious about her reaction. She forced a smile. “Yeah, it’s fine. Very thoughtful, actually.”

  A smile spread across his lips. “Good.” He brought out his phone and tapped the screen. An Ed Sheeran song filled the room and Lane pressed his hand to the small of her back, pulling her closer. He brought her hand up and gave it a small squeeze. “Slow dancing is easy. Just follow my lead.”

  Trudy’s heart thumped loudly as she swayed to the music, her body hyper-aware of every movement Lane made. In the back of her mind, she reminded herself that all of this was just because he wanted to win a bet, but she shoved that thought away. She wouldn’t get to dance with him next week. What was the harm in enjoying the here and now? Without thinking, she laid her head o
n his shoulder and snuggled into him.

  She breathed in the smell of his cologne mixed with the smell that was just Lane. He leaned his head down and kissed her temple. “You’re doing great.”

  “This isn’t real dancing. This is just swaying. It’s fake dancing.”

  Lane chuckled. “You should do some fact checking. The kids at Homecoming won’t be ballroom dancing. This is indeed what all the kids will be doing.”

  She looked up at him. “This is it? That’s all there is to dancing?”

  His eyebrows pulled together. “You’ve really never been to a high school dance before?”

  She bit her lip. When she’d first entered high school, she’d been more worried about her grades than going to school functions. And by the time she was curious about the dances, her sister was sick and the thought of going to a dance was overshadowed by what Allison needed. “Not really.”

  “Well, this is it, baby. This, and fast dancing.”

  “You’d better teach me the fast stuff too.”

  Lane’s thumb stroked her back. “Are you sure? This is kind of nice.” He kissed the tip of her nose, and her legs no longer knew what to do.

  “Yeah. Teach me fast dancing.” She needed a distraction from the way he was making her feel. If he didn’t stop touching her, she was going to sucker her face to his, and she didn’t want to kiss him again. It felt too real to her.

  If she didn’t watch out, she was going to fall for Lane.

  Chapter 17

  Lane didn’t really want to let Trudy go, but he forced his hand to his side and took a step back. “All right. Let me find a good song.” He opened his music app and switched to Uptown Funk.

  “Now, all you do is move to the music.” He started dancing, but Trudy just stood there. He showed her a few easy moves, but she didn’t follow suit. “Come on. You can do it.”

  She watched him for a moment longer then shook her head. “No, I can’t do that.”

  “Just start by moving your feet.”

  Trudy began stepping from side to side.

  “Not bad. Now do it to the beat. Like this.” He grabbed her hands. “And move your arms a little. You look like Lurch if you don’t move your arms.”

  “Who?”

  “You’ve never seen The Addams Family?”

  She shook her head.

  He waved it away. “Never mind. We can watch it later, maybe. Right now, I want you to get really into the music.” He pulled out his phone and turned up the volume. “Now, close your eyes.”

  She obeyed him.

  “Listen to the beat and move your body.”

  Trudy finally began to lose her inhibitions and dance. “Good!” he said. “You’re doing great.”

  “I feel silly.”

  “Don’t think about what we’re doing. You won’t feel silly when the whole dance floor is full of people doing the same thing.”

  She nodded. “You’re probably right.”

  He showed her a few dance moves, like the strike and the hopscotch. She laughed as he showed her some silly ones, like the sprinkler. They danced through another song, and then Trudy fanned her face. “I’m getting warm. Can we sit this next one out?”

  He turned down the music. “Let’s get some punch. I swear I didn’t spike it.”

  Trudy laughed and walked to the table he’d set up. He was trying to play it cool, but inside he was nervous she wouldn’t like the small sandwiches he’d made. When she picked one up and took a bite, he held his breath to hear what she thought.

  “This is good.”

  “I’m glad you like them.” He poured her a cup of the red punch he’d purchased. “Do you want to sit?” He pointed to the couch he’d pushed against the wall.

  “Sure.”

  The front door sounded from upstairs and he heard his parents’ voices. Loud. The argument carried down the steps.

  Heat rushed to his face. This wasn’t good. His parents sounded like they were just getting started. “Maybe we should go out after all,” he said.

  As if on cue, his father shouted, “What did you think I’d do? I’m not made of money, you know.”

  What his mother shouted back was peppered with profanity. Trudy cringed and nodded. “Yeah, maybe we should go. Let them talk it out.”

  More swear words were flung back and forth as the volume increased.

  “More like yell at each other until they go to their separate bedrooms.”

  Sympathy filled Trudy’s expression. “That bad, huh?”

  He nodded and turned off the music. “Yeah. This won’t end for a while. Let’s duck out the back.” He led her down a hallway to a door that led to the back of the house, under a deck. They slipped outside and he shut the door.

  Embarrassment rose up his neck, heating his face. What did his parents have to come home for? And why did they have to do that in front of his girlfriend? He grabbed Trudy’s hand. “I’m sorry you had to hear that.”

  She curled a strand of hair behind her ear and looked down at the stone path that led around the house. “So, they do that often?”

  “Yeah. They fight all the time.”

  “Man, that’s awful.”

  It was. He hated it when his parents fought. “It’s worse when the neighbors call the cops.”

  Trudy’s head snapped up and she stared at him. “Geesh, that really happens?”

  Lane couldn’t believe he’d said that. As if hearing his parents having a knock-down shouting match wasn’t embarrassing enough. He tugged on his tie, loosening it because it suddenly had started to choke him. “Yeah.”

  He opened his car door for her. She paused before getting in, looking at him. “I’m sorry.”

  “Me too.” He brushed a kiss over her lips. “You’re sweet to care.”

  She pressed her lips together, nodded, then slid onto her seat. He shut her door. He hoped things would be settled down by the time they came back. Trudy had to get her car, and if he pulled up and the cops were here, he’d be super embarrassed.

  He started the engine then looked at Trudy. “Where do you want to go?”

  “I don’t know. Where do you want to go?”

  Lane laughed. “We sound like an old married couple.”

  Trudy gave him a weird look, then she laughed. “I guess we do. Maybe we should just go to the mall. We could walk around for a while.”

  “Perfect.” Lane took off down the street, glad to be leaving his fighting parents behind.

  Trudy put her hand on his leg. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “You’re going forty-five in a twenty-five zone.”

  “Oh.” He lifted off the gas pedal. Maybe he was more upset by his parents than he realized. “Sorry.”

  Trudy took his hand and patted it. “It’s okay. I understand.”

  Lane tried to calm himself down as he drove. Every time his parents fought, it made him anxious. He usually put in his earbuds and turned up the music, but he was more anxious today because Trudy heard every word of it.

  Thanks, Mom and Dad.

  He pulled into the parking lot and drove up and down a couple of lanes. Trudy pointed to a spot. “There’s one.”

  “It’s not close. I can find a closer one.”

  She gave him a flat look. “Oh, no. You’re not one of those people, are you? The kind that will waste half a tank of gas trying to find a parking spot right by the door?”

  “There’s nothing wrong with waiting for one closer to open up.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with walking, either.”

  He slowed and then spotted a car backing out right by the entrance. He pressed the gas to get there before another car snagged the spot. “Look at that. I’m getting it.”

  Trudy turned and looked around the parking lot. “Nope. That Toyota is coming. You’re not going to get it.”

  Lane went faster. “I’m getting it.”

  Trudy clutched the side door. “Geesh, slow down!”

  He quickly turned to get i
n behind the car. “Ha! See? I got it.”

  Trudy put her hand to her chest and breathed. “You’re insane.”

  “But I got it.”

  She huffed. “Walking is good for you.”

  “And so is getting a good parking spot.” He smiled at her smugly and she slapped his arm.

  “You’re a nerd.” But she laughed as she said it.

  They entered the mall near the food court, and he was surprised at how hungry he was. “Should we get something to eat?”

  “I’m sorry we didn’t get to eat more of your sandwiches. It looked like you spent some time making them.”

  He was disappointed his parents came home and ruined their evening, but he shrugged. “Such is life.”

  “No,” Trudy said softly. “That’s not how life is supposed to be.”

  “I know. But there’s nothing I can do about it.” He pointed to the restaurants. “Which one are you hungry for?”

  “I usually go for the Chinese if I have a choice.”

  “I love Chinese. Let’s do it.” He walked with her to stand in line.

  After they got their food and sat down at an empty table, he sat back in his chair and took in Trudy. There was something different about her. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but she looked good. Maybe it was the lighting. Or the way she’d left her hair down and curled the ends?

  She wrinkled her nose. “What? You’re looking at me funny.”

  “Nothing. You’re just pretty.”

  A pink blush touched her cheeks and she looked down at her plate. “Oh.”

  He took a sip of his Coke. “So, Harvard, huh? That’s ambitious.”

  She shrugged. “It’s the best school for what I want to study.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Biomedical engineering.”

  He slowly nodded his head. “Oh, yes. Biomedical engineering. I was going to major in that too, before I realized I had no idea what that was.”

  She laughed and smoothed her napkin. Then her smile faded and she grew serious. “I want to do medical research. You know, wear a lab coat and peer into microscopes all day. Find out what makes diseases tick.” Her fingers nervously touched her silverware. “Find a cure for them.”