Dare You to Chase the Soccer Player (Rock Valley High Book 5)

by Lacy Andersen

  My dad had met her across the courtroom. She was a court reporter and had sat in on some of his cases. They’d married only two months after my parents’ divorce officially went through. My big sister had taken a long time to forgive my dad for that, but I’d shrugged it off nearly right away. Anyone could see Mom and Dad weren’t happy together anymore. They needed to call it quits. At least Marie wasn’t some wicked stepmother. She tried. Maybe a little bit too hard, sometimes, but not in the poison-apple kind of way.

  “Today wasn’t just bad,” I said, putting down the seaweed mask with more force than I intended. “It was the mega bad day of all days. You know the kind you dream about? The one where you go to school and realize you forgot to put any pants on?”

  She cringed and flattened her pencil skirt with the palms of her hands. “That bad, huh?”

  “Worse.” My spine shrunk as I pouted at my reflection in the mirror. If nothing else, at least my makeup was on fleek. That counted for something, even if Alanis and Zane couldn’t see that. “My dreams are crushed and the boy I thought I liked turned out to be a complete bonehead. The only solution is to scrub every layer of today off and apply a deep moisturizer.”

  I still couldn’t believe the look Zane had given me outside of that makeup trailer. He’d acted like he hardly knew me. I guess I shouldn’t have expected any better from the soon-to-be mega star who’d concealed his identity from me in the first place. It was obvious he thought he was better than everyone around him.

  This was the very reason I’d told myself I was going for simple this year when it came to boys. No getting feelings involved. Only fun, harmless flirting, and then the easy cut-and-run.

  But Zane had to come and knock me over with those blue eyes and that sincere boy-next-door smile of his. He was good, I had to give him that. He deserved an Oscar for that performance.

  “Well, in that case, I think I’ve got the product for you.” Marie clickety clacked across the bathroom floor in her heels to pull open a new drawer. She snatched a white bottle from the bottom and turned to push it into my hands. “I saw this at Macy’s the other day. It’s a special clay that the Ancient Egyptian queens used on their faces. I thought it might help with...well...you know.” She gestured lamely at my face and then blushed and looked away.

  The bottle felt strangely heavy on my palm. I swallowed, feeling a hollowness inside my chest. She’d landed right on it—my weakness. My skin. I knew she meant well, but it wasn’t easy having my flaws pointed out to me, especially after the day I’d had. I tried to smile at her in gratitude, but I could tell it fell flat by the way the smile dissolved from her face.

  “Oh dear, I’ve stuck my stiletto in it this time.” She snagged the bottle from my hands and stuffed it back into the drawer, shutting it with her voluptuous hip. “There. It’s gone. And there’s nothing wrong with you, girlie. Nothing at all. I just thought you would like it. You’re always looking at skin care products and it made me think of you.”

  “No, it’s perfect.” I reached down to pull the drawer open again and took out the bottle. My eyes skimmed over the hieroglyphics on the label and the ingredients, but I didn’t actually read any of it. “Thanks, Marie.”

  “Anytime, kiddo.” She patted me awkwardly on the shoulder. It had been obvious from the start that she’d never had much experience with kids, but she’d gotten better over the past year. “Sorry, I’m still trying to figure this whole stepmom thing out. How am I doing so far?”

  I smiled up at her. “Somewhere between Snow White’s stepmom and Maria in The Sound of Music. Definitely closer to Maria, though.”

  She laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Okay, I suppose I’ll take that. Want to talk about your day? Your dad’s picking up pizza and should be here soon, but that doesn’t mean we can’t squeeze in a little girl talk before then. I made sure he ordered Hawaiian. I know that’s your favorite.”

  Shaking my head, I unscrewed the lid to the clay and lifted it to my nose. For a product made from dirt, it smelled heavenly. Like roses and jasmine. I inhaled deeply, urging the stress to leave my body as I exhaled.

  “Thanks, but it’s nothing. I just didn’t get the job I wanted on set.”

  She frowned, planting a hand on her hip. “The one with the makeup artist?”

  I nodded. “Yep. She pretty much wouldn’t even look at me. There goes my chance to get a reference for the L Makeup Institute when I apply next year.”

  Marie’s frown grew deeper. She turned to look at her reflection in the mirror and ran her fingers through her waves. Sometimes, it was weird to think of how much she and my mom had in common. They were both particular about their looks. Not a hair out of place.

  “Your dad was going to talk to the director about getting you an internship. Maybe there’s still hope,” she said.

  I shook my head and headed toward the door. Dad was a good lawyer, but no one was that good. Alanis had shot me down hard. It would take a miracle to get her to agree to take me on as an assistant.

  “Nah, I think I’d better just get used to practicing my makeup on my friends this year,” I said, backing out of the bathroom.

  Marie turned to smile sympathetically at me. “You know you can practice on me, too. Anytime. And if you want to talk, about anything, I’m here for you.”

  “Thanks, Marie,” I said with a little wave.

  Throwing myself on the bed in my room, I turned over and stared at the ceiling. I knew Marie would’ve loved to help me with my boy problem, but I wasn’t ready to spill about that. The only other woman I knew who’d survived through this kind of complete rejection was on the other side of town, probably working late without her daughters around to beg for takeout. She’d had quite a year of personal growth, thanks to a weekly therapy session and a dating profile that her daughters had set up for her.

  I grabbed my phone to take some selfies of my bare face and duck lips—a habit I’d gotten into when the acne first started to help myself come to terms with my skin—but stopped when I saw a new message pop on the screen. It was from an unknown number. I clicked on it and skimmed over the words, my eyes blurring as my brain tried to keep up.

  That couldn’t be what I thought it was.

  Flipping back over to my stomach, I reread it again, my heart pulsating with disbelief.

  Unknown: Attention Miss Black.

  You may start your internship with me tomorrow, after school.

  There are three weeks left until we wrap up the shoot.

  Do take note that I expect you to stay out of my way.

  No showing off. No showboating.

  You are there to learn and assist me. Nothing else. One strike and you’re done.

  Welcome to the team.

  -Alanis Nori

  I squealed so hard, I thought the screen on my phone was going to shatter. And when my dad came crashing into my room moments later with two pizza boxes, threatening to spill their contents onto the floor, I couldn’t help but squeal again. Jumping from my bed, I sprinted to hug him tight around his torso. He quickly went from scared for the life of his daughter to looking slightly amused as he shook his head of dark curly brown hair.

  “Okay...do I dare ask what caused this reaction?” he asked, sliding the boxes onto my desk so he could return the hug.

  “You’re the best, Dad.” I couldn’t stop smiling into his white button-up shirt. “You got me that internship. I start tomorrow.”

  Somehow, my dad had managed the impossible. I didn’t know how he’d pulled it off, but I knew he deserved at least a month of homemade hot breakfasts in the morning and coffee from his favorite shop. I could do that. Especially now that I had the job.

  He stood a little taller and straightened his collar. “Wow. That’s great. I really am the best.”

  I laughed and looked up at him. “All right, Daddio, reel it in before I have to make some witty, yet cutting teenage comment to bring you back down to size.”

  He grinned at me. “You are r
eally good at those.”

  “Anything to keep you humble,” I said, blowing him a kiss.

  Laughing, he picked up the pizza boxes and left the room. I flopped back on the bed and reread Alanis’ message for the third time.

  Today hadn’t turned out so bad after all. I had the job. And with the job, doors to my future were opening. So what if a boy I thought I’d liked had given me the cold shoulder today? Or that we were sure to run into each other on set now? I was a modern woman. I could take care of myself.

  I’d show Zane Rees just exactly what he was missing out on.

  He could eat his heart out.

  Chapter Five

  The Egyptian clay mask had done its job. My skin was moisturized, dewey, and radiant, if I said so myself. And I was ready to start my first day as the assistant to THE Alanis Nori.

  The school day had gone by achingly slow. The only reason I’d survived was because I knew that I’d soon be basking in the glow of one of Hollywood’s best and most talented makeup artists. And here I finally was, with an official employee badge hanging from a lanyard around my neck, standing outside of her makeup trailer like in a dream.

  Someone should’ve pinched me.

  The climb up the stairs was hugely different from yesterday. Today, I belonged here. I had the badge to prove it. There was a definite skip to my step. When I made it up the three steps to the top, I turned with a beaming smile to face my hero once again.

  Goodbye to the failures of yesterday. I was going to blow her mind. She wouldn’t have to lift a finger. I was going to be the best assistant that ever assisted. That was my silent promise to her and my future career.

  Alanis stood in front of one of her occupied chairs. She had changed her hair color to pink for today. I suspected it was a wig, as the intricate ringlets fell all the way past her hips—nearly a foot longer than her previous hairstyle. Her eyes glimmered with a matching pink eyeshadow and I had to cover my mouth to keep from squealing with excitement.

  “Thank you for the job, Ms. Nori,” I said, rushing toward her with my hand outstretched. Once again, she ignored me as she concentrated on applying foundation to the girl sitting in the chair. “You don’t know what this means to me. I am so excited to be here.”

  “You will call me Alanis,” she replied curtly, her lips pursing with disapproval. “As discussed, you will not get in my way. You will follow all instructions. You will not discuss my work outside of this room. And unless I specify otherwise, you will occupy that chair over there.” Her gaze flicked briefly to a black leather chair on the other side of the trailer.

  “Over there?” I couldn’t help the disappointment that leaked into my voice. So much for taking the makeup world by storm. My fingers were itching to sink into some eyeshadow cremes.

  “Yes, that chair.” Her dark brown eyes were flat with emotion when she looked up at me. “Get used to that chair. Become friends with it, because you’ll spend a lot of time on that chair observing. Do you understand?”

  Okay, so my dad had worked miracles, but apparently, even his influence had its limits. Banishment to the chair had to be good enough for now. I nodded at my new boss, swallowing down any reply, and hurried over to sit. In my hands, I held a spiral-bound notebook and a purple jelly pen. Anything Alanis did, I was going to take notes on it. I wasn’t going to miss a thing. Maybe I’d be chained to this chair, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t make the most of it. A master was at work, only a few feet away. No one complained about watching Michelangelo work.

  I wouldn’t, either.

  A few minutes went by. I stirred restlessly. And then...a few more minutes. The actress sitting in the makeup chair inhaled and sighed several times. At one point, I was pretty sure she started to drift off to sleep. The trailer was as silent as the grave, except for the occasional jingle of Alanis’ gold bracelets.

  I bit on my bottom lip hard, feeling the urge to chatter bubble up inside of me. I wasn’t good at silence. It was one of the few things that made me nervous. Why be silent when you could fill the air with goofy nonsense? My sister called it Lexi-itis. It was a curse—one that I couldn’t break. When I could hardly stand the quiet anymore, I scooted to the edge of my chair and cleared my throat gently.

  “Alanis, can I ask why you decided to take on this movie project? You usually do projects with more stage makeup required.”

  I looked down at my notes I’d taken from Alanis’ biography on her website. She had an impressive resume, including an Oscar nomination from her work on a fantasy movie three years ago. It was everything I wanted for myself. Surely, she wouldn’t mind if I asked her questions about herself. Most people couldn’t stop talking about themselves, if you gave them the chance. It was a trick Dad used when he was working an active court case that usually produced results.

  “You may ask questions, but I probably won’t answer,” she said flatly, drawing my attention back to her face. She was still entirely focused, her long eyelashes nearly brushing her cheeks, she was squinting so hard with the eyeliner between her fingers.

  “Um...okay.” I chewed on the inside of my cheek. I had so many other questions for her, but Alanis still hadn’t warmed up to the idea of me. Maybe she needed some refreshments to perk up. A hot drink always worked for me. “Can I go get you some coffee?”

  Her lips pressed into a deep frown. “I don’t consume chemicals that alter my body chemistry.”

  I slumped in my chair. So far, zero for two. At this rate, I was going to end up spending all my time rotting in this chair in the corner of her studio. Observation was great, but it would only get me so far. “I’m guessing that’s a no to a donut, then?”

  The look she threw me should’ve burned the skin off of my face. I made myself small, trying to avoid her notice. She returned to her job, putting on a last round of setting spray to set the makeup, before declaring the girl finished. The actress moved so fast, I could’ve sworn she jumped out of her chair and sprinted out of the trailer. Apparently, I hadn’t been the only one picking up on the hostile vibes in here.

  “Now, you may do something for me,” Alanis said, looking down at a clipboard on the edge of the vanity. I stood up quickly, unable to keep the grin from my lips. Was she going to finally teach me something? Or maybe, let me do the first round on the next actor? I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t wait. When her eyes lifted from the clipboard to take in the expression on my face, she groaned and rolled her eyes at my excitement. “Go fetch the next on my roll call. He’s got a scene to shoot on the field this evening.”

  She held the clipboard out gingerly with two fingers, as if it were a dirty sock. I grabbed it from her and scanned down the list. She’d crossed out most of the names, but the next one made my stomach turn to lead. Zane Rees was printed in bold, black letters. I gulped, realizing my plans to show Zane what he was missing were happening sooner, rather than later.

  “Um...sure. Zane Rees. I’ll get right on that.”

  I headed toward the door as Alanis opened a mini fridge in the corner and took out a cucumber water. She didn’t even look at me or return my goodbye wave. It was a complete and utter dismissal.

  As I opened the door, the afternoon heat hit me in the face like a semi truck on the interstate. I hadn’t realized the trailer had been so chilly. Silly me, thinking that had all been because of Alanis’ cold attitude toward me. I fanned my face with the clipboard and looked out across the busy intersection of trailers and set equipment. People moved back and forth, each with their own purpose and work.

  I envied them. At this point, it seemed like I was going to spend most of my assistantship to Alanis sitting on her chair. Still, I was determined to be grateful. Dad had worked miracles getting me this job. And at least Alanis had given me one task: hunt down the boy who’d brushed me off yesterday.

  I wandered toward the set, where the director was getting everything ready for the next shot. But no Zane. It wasn’t until I managed to snag one of the crew and ask where the star of the film wa
s did I get directed back toward the trailers. Apparently, he was practicing his lines for his next scene.

  My sour soul couldn’t help but wonder if he’d also practiced the lines he’d fed me only two days ago.

  Probably.

  Preparing myself for the sight of him, I strode in the direction I’d been pointed toward. He wasn’t going to affect me today. Not even a tiny bit. The boy was bad news and I was through with him. But when I heard his low, smooth voice coming from up ahead, my traitorous heart did a little flutter. And when I lifted my gaze from the asphalt walkway and locked eyes on him, it thumped painfully, as if to remind me how pathetic I was.

  Zane sat on a little patch of grass, still wearing the same athletic outfit from yesterday. His legs were crossed, his lanky torso leaning forward over his knees. Next to him sat the blonde girl from the make-out bush. She watched Zane with heart-shaped eyes as he plucked grass from the ground. He mouthed something, too quiet for me to hear, and then he looked up at her, the same tender emotion reflected back in his gaze.

  Jealousy hit me like a soccer ball to the chest. It almost hurt to see him looking at another girl like that. Not two days ago he’d been giving me those kinds of looks. The kind that could make a girl go all weak. My feet slowed to a stop and I watched as he reached up to cup her cheek. I could feel his thumb doing the same meticulously slow caress across my lips. And when he leaned in slowly, as if to kiss her, a strained noise burst from my lungs.

  “Excuse me,” I eeked out in a decibel too high to be human.

  They broke apart to look up at me. I shifted my feet, trying my best to act casual and not like a major creep who’d been staring at them as if they were characters on a TV screen. Zane’s gaze flicked to me for a mere second before he dropped it back to the ground. The blonde pushed herself to her feet and smiled at me, her eyes sparkling with meanness.

  “Hey look, Zane, it’s the stalker. She’s back for the boys on set. Better watch yourself. Yesterday, she was after Freddy. Today it’s you.”