“What about him?”
“He’d freak out if Gabe and I dated. You know how insecure he is.”
She nods, there’s no denying that one. “You know, for someone that says this would never happen, you sure have thought a lot about it.”
I shoot her a glare and she rolls it back some. She knows I’ll kick her out of the room fast.
“Okay fine, you don’t want to date him, but you know someone is going to snatch him up, right?”
“So? He can date whoever he wants.” Okay, it hurts a little to say that out loud.
“Whatever you say,” she mutters.
“Olivia!” Mom shouts up the stairs. Olivia groans and calls back that she’s coming.
“That looks good,” she admits as I place his latest book in the middle of my setup, the cover a brilliant blue, his name in gold lettering. Seventeen and already a published author. Reese Weatherly wants to meet with him and his agent. He’s so close to amazing success.
The last thing he needs is the distraction of a relationship with anyone, but mostly me.
Gabe pushes half his sandwich across the picnic table along with a handful of pretzel sticks. Delaney sits next to me talking about Addams Family auditions. She’s still determined to get the part as Morticia. Tyler isn’t really auditioning himself. He’s on the set crew, which with the high level of production our school puts on, is just as important as the actors themselves.
Gabe and I sit across from one another like we do every day, but today isn’t the same as every day. The meeting with his agent is this afternoon but we’ve decided not to mention anything about it to anyone else. It’s just too nerve-wracking.
“You guys going to the bonfire tonight?” Delaney asks, stirring her cup of yogurt. The bonfire is one of the few events that is for both sides of the school. The “normal” school and the art school. Therefore, awkward.
Tyler nods. “I’m going with Jacob.”
“Are you two a thing?” Delaney asks. We’ve been wondering this for a while. Not that Tyler’s gay. We knew that. But about Jacob. They’d been flirting all summer.
“Not yet, but maybe.” His grin says "hopefully." He looks between me and Gabe. “What about you two?” The question hangs and both of us squirm. He rephrases. “Are you going to the bonfire?”
“Eh,” I say. “You know inter-school activities aren’t really my—”
“Yes,” Gabe says. “I am. And I’m dragging Norah with me.”
“You are?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“I am. We talked about this,” he says, smoothing out a piece of foil on the table. “And made a deal. I don’t want to miss out on anything.”
“You’re really making me do this?” I ask, surprised he’s still planning on the whole “senior year” thing.
“Yes.”
“Even if we think it’s dumb?”
“Especially if we think it’s dumb?”
“Why, exactly, is the bonfire dumb?” Delaney asks.
“And what deal?” Tyler adds.
Gabe screws the cap off his water bottle. “We agreed to go to all the senior year activities together.”
“Which are dumb because inter-school activities are the worst when you’re not one of the stars of the school play or a jock. It’s just a way for the popular kids to become more popular.” I give her a look. “Which you wouldn’t understand because you are one of the stars of the school play.” I shift my eyes to Tyler. “And you’re funny and cute and everyone loves you.”
“True,” Tyler says, nodding in agreement. “But Gabe’s pretty popular.”
The truth of that settles in my stomach. Is that why he wants to go? Because he’s one of them? Where does that leave me? As the side-kick to three popular kids?
“I doubt that,” Gabe says, but even as we speak, I see a few girls across the quad glancing our way. They’re definitely not looking at Tyler. Gabe levels me with a hard look. “Regardless, we’re going.”
The other two give me hopeful expressions.
“Ugh, fine. We’ll go. But I’m mocking everyone there, got it?”
They all give their approval—as though they wouldn’t expect anything less.
“What about Ben?” Delaney asks. “You think he’ll come?”
Gabe and I share a look. He shrugs. I respond, “We can see. You know he’s more anti-school stuff than I am.”
Our reasons are different. I’m just not into all that social climbing. Ben actually is. He just can’t find a rung on the ladder.
I shove a handful of candy into my mouth and feel the sweetness melt on my tongue. Hopefully this won’t be a disaster.
8
Gabe
Unfortunately, because I’m still a minor, my mother has to come with me to the meeting with my agent. She’s helpful, but as with everything else, she’s a little overbearing. I’m counting down the days until I’m eighteen and can manage this on my own.
Norah doesn’t get to attend, but I’m not kidding when I say I won’t make any decisions without her. As much as she wants to say this is all mine, it’s not. She helped me every step of the way and as things progress I want that partnership reflected.
“Ms. Weatherly has offered you a pretty fantastic deal for the film and media rights for the first three issues, along with an option for future books. Due to her current relationships with the networks and streaming sites, she’s hopeful to get the project moving right away.”
“I’m not sure I'm comfortable giving away the rights to my stories,” I say. It’s all moving so fast.
“I understand and agree. That’s what makes this offer so good. She wants to work with you, Gabe. You’d retain the rights and have a role as executive producer as well as creative control. She simply wants to put your vision of the comic on screen.”
I nod, trying to absorb it all. It’s a lot to take in.
My mother sits next to me dressed in a nice outfit, rapidly taking notes of everything. “What kind of time commitment will this involve for Gabe?” Mom asks. “He’s got a lot of obligations for his senior year; standardized testing, service hours, college tours, and applications.”
Aaron glances my way. He knows good and well my goal is working on Photobooth Society full-time and maybe art school. My mom just has dreams that she can’t let go of, regardless of the reality of my current situation. Even if that situation is pretty freaking amazing.
My agent leans back in his seat. “Although this potentially could move forward quickly—before the end of the year—much of it is not stuff that requires a lot of Gabe’s demands. He still has to fulfill the obligation of book three, which is due in about six weeks.” He looks at me. “Are you on target for that deadline?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. The first phase of this is deciding if we want to take Ms. Weatherly up on her offer. From there we’ll put it out to bid with streaming services, cable, or film studios. See if there's interest in producing this project. Best-case scenario, it films next spring and releases the following fall.”
“But that’s the tail end of your senior year,” Mom says. “And then the start of college.” She takes a deep breath. “I’m just not sure the timing is right on this.”
“Mom,” I say, feeling slightly panicked that she may ruin this for me.
Aaron shoots me a look and takes over. “Mrs. Foster, there will never be a perfect time for any of this. You know how life is, things always want to get in the way. I do think this is a good offer for Gabe’s project. A smart one, and we can always make stipulations in it about his time and other obligations.” He leans forward. “Another thing to consider is that this deal will give Gabe the financial freedom of not having to take out debt for college or anything else.”
That gives her pause. College is freaking expensive. “When do we have to decide?”
“We have until Monday,” Aaron says. “But I can go ahead and talk with Blue Star and see what they’re thinking too.”
Mom looks wo
rried about this, too, but I nod in agreement. Thankfully, her phone vibrates. She checks and says, “It’s your father. I told him I’d keep him updated.”
“Take it,” I say, ready for her to go. I love my mother but she stresses me out.
She leaves the room and I look at my agent. “I want this deal—don’t let my mother’s hesitation sway you.”
Aaron nods. “I understand. Anything else?”
“Yeah,” I lean forward. “I have one more stipulation before we make any arrangements.”
“Sure. I think you’ve got the upper hand here. What do you want?”
I swallow, knowing I’m maybe stepping out of line. “Norah. She gets to be in charge of social media representation for anything related to Photobooth Society. And she gets paid.”
Aaron nods. “And that’s a deal-breaker? Because selling a seventeen-year-old kid to be in charge of marketing your product is a little risky.”
“I trust her more than anyone. So yeah, it’s a deal-breaker for me.”
Aaron makes a note on the pad before him and gives me a tight smile. “Okay, let’s see what we can get done.”
9
Norah
Bonfires are a tradition in Ocean Grove. The rich Academy kids hold them down on their private beaches, but ours are near the school, on a rocky piece of beach with a natural pit and plenty of places to sit.
It’s the kind of place that during the day among the water-smoothed rocks and tide pools, you can find the remains of teenage debauchery. Cigarette butts, beer cans, or other trash that should not be left on the beach.
It’s not exactly school-sanctioned, more an annual event, spread word of mouth. This is my first time going and admittedly, I’m a little apprehensive. Most of my weekend plans involve YouTube and a bag of candy.
“So, we’re doing this,” I say from the sandy path that leads down to the water. I see the yellow-red glow of fire in the distance. “It’s not too late to go to Davie’s for a milkshake.”
Gabe gives me a look. “Yes, we’re doing it, and if you cooperate, maybe I’ll take you to Davie’s later.”
“I told Ben we’d call him if we leave early.” I’d tried to get him to come but he had a million excuses, most of them involving an epic video game battle.
“Yeah, I didn’t think he’d show,” he says.
The truth is, I don’t really want to handle Ben’s insecurities at a party like this. I’m already dealing with my own while also floating on cloud nine after hearing about Gabe’s meeting with his agent. It looks like this thing with Reese Weatherly is happening—that Gabe’s career is about to explode. The look on his face when he picked me up was proud and neither of us can help grinning. Which is why when I’m forced to groan about heading down to the party, it sounds half-hearted.
“We don’t have to partake in the extra-curriculars, do we?” I joke as we pass two classmates in the middle of a make-out session.
“Only if you want to.”
I turn, equally horrified and surprised to find a smirk on Gabe’s lips. I push him with both hands. “Ha. Ha.”
Unfortunately, my heart doesn’t find it funny. Or the pit of my stomach that twists nervously from the joke. Gabe is my best friend. I don’t want to date him.
At least that’s what my brain says. The rest of me? That same wave of confusion rolls around my insides, making me nauseous.
“Heyyyyyy!” Delaney shouts from a large rock. Tyler and Jacob sit with their feet hanging over the edge. “You came!”
“We did,” Gabe says, the perma-grin still on his face. “She tried to bail but I didn’t let her.”
Tyler looks between me and Gabe. “What are you two so happy about?”
We share another giddy, private look. “Nothing. Just nerd stuff.”
“Ugh,” Tyler says, rolling his eyes. He turns to Jacob. “Don’t get them talking about comic books and social media. It never ends.”
“Well, I’m not the only one that’s glad you came.” Delaney tosses her arm over my shoulder. She gestures across the fire. “Look who’s here.”
Trevor Salvatore stands on the water side of the bonfire, red cup in his hand. He’s talking to some friends but like he has a spidey-sense, he looks up at the two of us and does a double-take.
“Norah Saddler? At a party?” His voice echoes across the beach.
“Thanks a lot, Delaney.” I look to Gabe for help but Monica, one of the girls following him around a lot lately, has cornered him by the drinks. Trevor leaves his friends and walks over.
“I can’t believe you came,” he says. His jaw looks even stronger in the flickering light. “Like, I thought maybe you were a reverse vampire or something—the kind that only comes out during the day.”
“I do things at night,” I say, lamely. “Just not dumb, debasing things like this.”
“Oh yeah,” Delaney says, “she and Gabe hang out all the time. Didn’t you say he left your house in the middle of the night the other day?”
Gabe’s attention shifts our way. So does Monica’s.
“That,” I say in a firm voice, “was a late-night brainstorming session. Nothing more.”
I don’t know what Delaney’s motivation was for saying that. Did she want Trevor to think I’m with Gabe and back off? If that was her intention, it backfired. He looks more interested than ever. Just one more thing for him to make fun of me about.
He smiles, fire reflecting off his pretty eyes. “I always knew there was more to the great Norah Saddler than just a nerdy face and smokin’ body.”
Gabe, who I thought was fully involved with Monica, tenses, the muscle in his jaw tightening. His eyes flick in our direction.
“Trevor, I’m sure there’s some other girl here with low self-esteem that would love your attention tonight. Why don’t you go find them?”
For a second he looks genuinely hurt, but he recovers, and places his hand over his heart. “Ouch, Saddler. I see how it is.” His eyes shift over my shoulder, back to Gabe and Monica. Trevor lifts his chin. “Find me later, if you change your mind.”
He strolls off and I shudder. “He’s so gross.”
“If, by gross, you mean hot? I agree,” says Tyler. Jacob nods. Delaney just watches him walk off with a swoony look on her face. Where’s Ben when I need him? He’d totally agree with me.
“He’s a pig and is constantly making fun of me.”
Gabe snorts. I turn with my hands on my hips. “What was that for?”
“Nothing,” he says, although from the look on his face it’s more than nothing. He probably can’t believe the whole thing. Why would a popular jock like Trevor even give me the time of day?
“I don’t think he’s making fun of you,” Delaney says.
“Of course he is.”
I look at the others. None seem convinced. “He’s always doing that. Picking on me, talking about how cute I am or whatever. His flirting is stupid and disgusting. He thinks he’s funny, when really he’s just a jerk.”
“You intimidate him. That’s why he acts like that,” Tyler says, eyebrow raised. “He likes you.”
“You guys are crazy.” My face is so red by now that I’m just thankful that we’re close to the fire and no one can tell. At least I hope not. The whole thing is overwhelming. I push off the rock I’m leaning against and say, “I’m going to get some air.”
“Norah,” Delaney calls, but I weave through the rocks until I get to the sandy beach beyond. The moon is lifting overhead. I hear footsteps behind me, but ignore them, dipping back behind the boulder-sized rocks. It’s darker back here. The bonfire is hidden, although a shaft of light guides me.
“Hey.” It’s Gabe.
“You didn’t need to follow me. I’m sure Monica’s wondering where you are.”
He shakes his head. “Monica’s hanging out with her friends. We were just talking about an assignment for art class.”
I roll my eyes. Sure.
“Look, this isn’t how I wanted things to go down toni
ght. I thought maybe we could hang out together and with friends. Do 'normal' kid stuff for once.”
“I don’t think I’m ever going to be normal, Gabe. You should know better.” I lean against the rock. “And even if I was, no one knew Trevor Salvatore would ruin the night.”
His eyebrows raise at his name, his lips pursed.
“You and I have always done better alone than with a crowd. We should’ve just gone out and celebrated your meeting today by ourselves.”
“About that…” He kicks the sand, hands shoved in his pockets. “I wanted to wait until it was confirmed but I don’t know…I hate keeping things from you.”
“What?”
“I told Aaron I wanted you in on whatever deal we made with Reese.”
I frown. “What does that mean?”
“I need you to stick with me during this. Run my social media. I don’t trust anyone else to do it.” He reaches for my hand. It’s weird. Wrong. Yet the jolt of energy rolling up my arm makes me rethink life. “Do this with me, Norah. Let’s take over the industry. Together.”
“Really?” The opportunities are endless. Right now, I do everything on a shoe-string budget, meaning for free, but if I had money and access to promote The Photobooth Society…things could get serious.
And the idea of working with Gabe all the time? It’s my dream.
“Yes, really.”
I jump up and down, leaping at him. With a huge grin on his face, he catches me, holding me close with both arms, tight against his chest. I’ve never been this close to him, ever, and there’s no denying the electricity rolling between us. I chalk it up to excitement and my own repressed feelings, but in a million years I’d never expect what happens next. Gabe looks down at me, eyes shining bright, and touches my chin. My mind is spinning, wondering, confused, panicking because even though I’m absolutely inexperienced, I know. I know what’s about to happen.
He kisses me.
Gabe Foster, my best friend, kisses me.
And with my heart lodged in my throat, completely clueless about what I’m doing, I kiss him back.
Norah and The Nerd: Best Friends Romance (Love in Ocean Grove Book 4) Page 4
