“Well, did you ask him?”
Destiny scoffed. “Ask him? I was so mad at him, I didn’t want to stand there, chatting. I had just found out he lied to me. He pretended to like me, Jess.”
Jessica held out her hand. “Give me your phone.”
Destiny backed away from her. “What are you going to do?”
“You said he texted you. I want to see them.”
A headache was starting to throb in the back of her skull. She didn’t care anymore what Eli had said, but she tossed her phone at Jessica anyway.
Jessica spent a few minutes messing with her phone. “Look. He says it turned into something more. He likes you, Destiny. He didn’t fake that part.”
Destiny stared at the phone where Jessica pointed. “I think I’m too upset to even begin to let in the idea that he really feels something for me.”
“Then let’s go do something. Take your mind off this guy. We can go to Christian’s favorite hangout, the side of the lake that no one goes to. We can watch the turtles until the sun sets.” She made a face. “Eli never took you there, did he?”
“No.”
“Then come on. You’ll love it.” Jessica stood and held out her hand. “You need the mental break. Tomorrow you can ponder over whether he actually fell for you or not.”
Destiny nodded and took her cousin’s hand, standing up. “All right. The turtle thing intrigues me.”
Jessica laughed. “You’ll love them. They’re all over the place.”
It was a good idea to get her mind off Eli. Off everything that happened at school. She could think about it tomorrow. “Have I told you lately you’re the best cousin I have?”
Jessica smirked. “Very nice complement when I’m your only cousin.”
“Hey, I can’t help it if your parents weren’t good at producing offspring.”
“They were great at it. They stopped at perfection.” Jessica laughed and Destiny joined in. Spending time with her cousin would be just the thing she needed.
Destiny stared at the school building, dread pooling in her stomach. It was only Tuesday. How would she endure the rest of the week? At least Jessica had made her feel better last night. And she was ready to go inside and ignore Eli, the massive jerk.
She tugged on her fuzzy, cropped jacket. She had pulled it out of the closet last night, deciding to own up to her choices rather than run from them. She’d done the right thing, no matter what anyone else said. She was going to wear her new coat with pride.
She ignored a group of girls who stared at her as she walked past them and entered the building. Eli wasn’t in his usual spot, which shouldn’t have surprised her, but for some stupid reason, her heart ached at his absence.
As she walked to her locker, a girl she didn’t know came up to her. She stiffened, expecting her to spit on her or something, but the girl just said, “Good for you for standing up for what’s right.”
Destiny blinked. “Excuse me?”
The girl smiled at her. “I read about how you wouldn’t steal, and I think that’s cool. Stealing just makes the stores have to raise their prices, and things are expensive enough.” Then the girl left, and Destiny just stared after her.
She read about what happened? The real story? Where did she read that? How strange. She continued to her locker. Amanda and Cole stood there. Before she could get her locker open, another girl came up to her. “Hey, I just wanted to tell you I’ve always thought you were super cool. And now I know I was right.”
The girl turned to walk away and Destiny stopped her. “Wait. What are you talking about?”
The girl turned, her long, black hair swaying. “You know, how you wouldn’t let anyone force you to do something you didn’t feel was right.”
“How did you learn about that?”
“It’s all over social media.”
“It is?” Destiny couldn’t believe it. Who had posted about that?
“Yeah. That new kid posted it. Said to come tell you if you supported standing up for what’s right.” She smiled. “And I do.”
Before Destiny could say anything, a kid with a camera came up to her. “Hey, Destiny. I’m Adam from the school paper, and I’d like to do a story about you, if you don’t mind.”
Destiny’s eyebrows shot up. “A story?”
“Yeah, about how you didn’t bow to social pressure and stuff. I think it would make a good, uplifting piece.”
All Destiny could think about was getting more public backlash from the pop girls and their crew. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I don’t want any more hate emails.”
“I just want to highlight what you did. How it took courage to stand up and do the right thing, like that post that went out on social media. They didn’t name any names, and we wouldn’t either.”
Destiny needed time to process this. “Can I think about it?”
“Sure. Call me when you’ve decided.” The kid handed her a piece of paper with his number on it. She shoved it into her back pocket. “Okay.”
Amanda grinned at her, looking like she knew exactly what was going on. “How’s your day been so far?”
“Weird. What did Eli do?” she said as she opened her locker. Several pieces of paper spilled out of her locker onto the floor. Hate mail. She almost crumpled them up, but Amanda stopped her.
“Maybe you should read them first.”
Destiny opened the first one.
Way to go for standing up for yourself. I wish more people would stand up to them. And I know who they are, even if it didn’t say. They’ve been ruining my life every day this year.
The second was short and simple.
I applaud you.
The rest were similar. Destiny blinked back tears. “I don’t understand. Everyone hated me yesterday.”
“No,” Amanda said. “It just felt that way. The cool kids have a following, but see all the kids they trample on to get to the most popular spot? You have more friends than you thought.”
Cole folded his arms, which made him look like a linebacker. “And someone who cares deeply for you, whom you might want to think about talking to.” He motioned with his chin, and Destiny turned around.
Eli approached them, and somehow Amanda and Cole disappeared. Eli hunched his shoulders and shoved his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. “Hey,” he said tentatively.
A war of emotions swelled in Destiny. Anger, for what Eli had done, but it was coupled with humility, gratitude, and something else she couldn’t quite pin down. He’d done something great for her last night. Something she couldn’t have done herself. He’d somehow redeemed her. She swallowed and looked up at him, her heart racing. “Hey.”
“I need to apologize. I should have told you from the start what Jack was trying to do. I was stupid.”
She nodded, unable to say anything because her throat had swollen.
“I gave Jack his money back. It wasn’t right to take it. I wanted to meet you from the moment I saw you in the cafeteria. You were so pretty, and when Jack asked me to flirt with you, it just seemed like a good excuse to get to know you. Really dumb, though, and I should have known it.”
Destiny wanted to believe him. She wanted to think that he had liked her from the start. But it was a hard thing to forgive.
And then she remembered not too long ago how she was standing in Jessica’s living room, pleading for her to forgive. She hadn’t meant to steal Jack away from her cousin. And Jessica had accepted her apology.
Maybe she could be more like Jessica. Destiny wiped at her cheek, not realizing she’d let a tear escape.
Eli looked down at his shoes. “Anyway, I understand if you don’t want to forgive me.”
Destiny peered up at him and really took a good look. His eyes were bloodshot, like he hadn’t slept well last night. He had bags under his eyes. He looked terrible. He also was tense, a muscle twitching near his eye.
Destiny let out a breath. “It hurt me when I found out about Jack paying you.”
Eli nodded. “I know. It was a terrible thing—”
She reached up and placed a finger on his lips to stop him from talking. “But, I am so thankful for what you did for me last night. You helped me see that not everyone was against me. You gave me hope.”
Eli swallowed, a look of desperation in his eyes. He took her hand from his face, and warmth washed over her. “Des, it killed me to see you so distraught. I never want to see you so devastated again.”
“I was more upset about what had happened between us,” she confessed. “I never want to fight like that again.”
“Does that mean—”
“It means I expect you to be the perfect boyfriend from now on.”
Eli smiled, relief flooding over his face. “I can definitely do that.”
“And I expect to be treated like a queen.”
“Of course.”
“And I get an unending supply of questions.”
Eli’s grin widened and he leaned in closer. “How many do I get?”
“You get one for every three that I ask.” She tried to hide a smirk, but it landed on her lips anyway.
“So not fair,” he said, taking her in his arms. “It should be even.”
“You want it more than I do,” she said, her voice low.
“I don’t know. How bad do you want it?” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“You’re such a flirt.”
“I resent that. I do more than flirt.” He brought his lips down to hers, and her world tilted.
She’d never been one for public display of affection, but she suddenly didn’t care as she returned the kiss. The school hallway melted away and they were in their own world. He was hers, and he was exactly what she wanted.
Epilogue
Cole grinned and slapped Amanda’s hand as they peeked around the corner, watching Eli and Destiny kiss. “We did it.”
Amanda made a face at him. “We? You mean, I did it. I’m the one that came up with the idea for Eli to post the truth all over social media.”
“But I’m the one who told him to make a plea for people to tell Destiny if they supported her decision.”
Amanda turned back to look at Destiny and Eli. “All I know is I’m so happy she’s with him now, and Jack’s out of here. He was so arrogant.”
“Yeah, I never liked the guy.”
Amanda laughed and shook her head. Cole just grinned. He’d spent the last year trying to tell Amanda to lighten up on Jack. Boy, had he pegged him wrong. But he liked to make Amanda laugh. The sound made him feel like he was hooked up to an electrical current.
“So, about the dance…” He let his question fade. He never was sure what was going to set Amanda off. She was spunky, and funny, but she also had some strong opinions on things. He tried not to get in her way too much, but sometimes he just had to step in and tell her how it was.
“What about it?”
“Do you want me to pick you up?”
Her eyebrows raised. “I can’t pick you up? Like, I can’t get into a car and drive over to your house because I don’t have man parts—”
“Hey! I was just asking if you want me to be a gentleman and pick you up like we’re on a real date. Geesh, you don’t have to get all weird about it.” That was the perfect example. Why did everything have to be about feminine rights? Couldn’t a guy just go out with a girl?
“Whatever. If it makes you feel manly to pick me up, then go ahead.”
Was that a hint of a smile on her face? He couldn’t quite tell. She was always so frustrating, and yet, there were a lot of cool things about her. Like yesterday. She was brilliant in coming up with their plan.
He tried not to admit it, but he’d been crushing on her for a while now. She had passion. She cared about things. He liked that about her. And she smelled good. But he also knew once she found out his father was the one behind the demolition of the old opera house building, she would hate his guts.
Because no matter what, his father always got what he wanted.
Continue on to read Cole and Amanda’s story, Don’t Kiss Your Enemy.
Don’t Kiss Your Enemy
Chapter 1
Amanda leaned over with her paintbrush, finishing up the large letter B on her sign that, when finished, would read Stop the Bulldozers! Save the Opera House! She wasn’t sure how many people would be there next Friday to help her protest, but she was going to try her best to get the whole town there.
As she painted, she ignored the loud pop music coming from downstairs. Stephanie was having her annual Halloween party in the living room, which sounded like crazy fun, but in actuality, it was just a bunch of drama geeks eating peeled grapes and gossiping. An entirely worthless waste of a good Halloween night, in Amanda’s opinion.
She leaned back and her hand hit the strip of duct tape Stephanie had stuck to the carpet, dividing their room in half. It sucked having to share a room with your older sister. Not that Stephanie was horrible. She was just a little self-absorbed, like most drama queens.
Amanda had been born exactly nine months after Stephanie, something her mother liked to bemoan about to her friends. “Yes, it is possible to get pregnant when you’re breastfeeding,” she’d say, to Amanda’s horror. Geesh, mom. TMI.
Stephanie was tall and blonde, and basically gobbled up all the good genetics so when Amanda was born, all that was left was the stuff no one wanted. She was short with mousey-brown hair, which she wore long and straight down her back. In second grade they realized she couldn’t see the blackboard, so she got glasses, another fun genetic trait passed down from her parents. Not that she remembered much about her father. He’d died when she was only five.
Amanda shifted so she could reach the other side of her sign. Almost done now. It was probably for the best that Stephanie got all the movie star qualities. Stephanie had been in all the school productions since her freshman year, priding herself on her excellent acting skills. She was going to graduate this spring and move to New York so she could star in the next big Broadway hit. Or wait tables for ten years while she struggled to pay the rent, but everyone called Amanda cynical when she said that.
She finished her sign and leaned it up against the wall so the paint could dry. Her worst nightmare would be to show up to stop the bulldozers and have no one else come. She could just imagine standing there by herself, crying.
She hadn’t yet told her mother the opera house was to be demolished. Her mother worked sixty hours a week and rarely watched television, so Amanda was sure she didn’t realize the building would be gone soon. The thought crushed Amanda’s heart. She had to save it. To save her mother the pain she would feel if she lost that last connection to her late husband.
A noise came from the corner of the room and she walked over to her hamster village. She used to have just a cage, but she’d added pipes and rooms to it and now it resembled an elaborate hamster maze system. Phineas was running on his wheel again. He loved to get a good run going, then stop and hang on so the wheel tossed him upside down. He was a funny little guy. Ferb was asleep in his hamster bedding nest. Amanda reached into the treat bag and pulled out a sunflower seed. She pushed it through the cage bars and Phineas stopped running on his wheel to go sniff it.
Amanda pulled on her skinny jeans and tugged down her fitted black T-shirt. Cole would be here soon, and she had to get ready for the dance. Dressing all in black would make the last part of her costume truly amazing. She lifted the white fishing net she’d bought on Amazon and stuck her head and arms through the holes she’d cut out of the net. Empty water bottles, plastic bags, soda cans, and Styrofoam cups hung from the net. It was her best Halloween costume yet.
Last year she’d gone to the dance wearing a baby carrier with a chimpanzee doll in it, trying to bring awareness to the endangered mountain gorillas. (She couldn’t find a baby gorilla.) People just thought she was dressed up as a teen mom with an odd baby. Epic fail. But this year her costume was clear. Stop throwing trash in the ocean.
Amanda stood
before the mirror and twisted her hair up in a messy bun. She figured that went well with garbage brought in from the sea. As she looked at herself in the mirror, the doorbell rang and a small rush of adrenaline ran through her veins. What was that about? It was just Cole. Sheesh.
She hurried to slip into her Converse shoes, then opened the door. Cole stood there, wearing a white shirt with sailor stripes on it. It fit his muscular frame a little too well. A fluttery feeling started in her chest as she tried not to stare at him. “Are you going as a sailor?”
He grinned. “I’m a fisherman. You’re the net. I think we go well together.”
She smiled at how thoughtful Cole was. She knew he thought her costume was ridiculous. But it was kind of him to dress up in something complimentary. “We do,” she said, smiling wider.
He extended his elbow to her. “You ready?”
She looped her hand through his arm. “I’m ready.”
The night air was chilly, but she couldn’t exactly wear a coat over her costume. She ignored the stiff breeze and walked beside Cole. As she climbed into the car to sit, one of the milk jugs she’d glued to her net caught on the door and ripped her net. “Oh!”
Cole bent his head down. “What happened?”
Amanda sat shocked for a second, then burst out laughing. “I ripped my costume. I guess the hot glue weakened the net.”
Cole frowned. “Do you want to go glue it?”
She pulled the carton completely off and tossed it into his back seat. “Nope. It’s not that bad. Let’s just go. I don’t want to make you late for the dance.”
“Okay. As long as you’re sure.”
She smiled. It was just how things went sometimes. “I’m sure.”
He climbed in the car and turned to her. “You look lovely…with all that trash on you.” His warm chuckle washed over her, making her insides melt.
“Why, thank you. And you look…” Amanda stared at him. Dang, he looked hot. But she couldn’t say that. She swallowed. “Nice.”
A Young Adult Romance Collection Page 36
