by Amanda Ashby
“We should start without him,” Gareth continued.
“Or Norah could tell me what he said next,” Piper butted in.
She ignored them both and took out a jellybean. Pink. For serenity. She bit down on it. Sugar and strawberries exploded in her mouth and she let out a sigh. That was better.
“Miss me, honey?” a voice said, and she spun around to the door. Zac grinned and stepped into the room. A swirl of energy seemed to follow him like a cape.
“I was counting the minutes until you got here,” she said, not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that her ability to speak around him was returning. Or that she was beginning to enjoy his flirty banter. At least she knew he was only doing it to help her relax so she didn’t screw up.
The more he flirted, the more chance he had of getting back on the team.
Which was a good thing.
As long as she didn’t forget.
Her fingers drifted to her stomach. Even over her sweater she could easily trace the long scar running down the center of her belly and the second one slashed across her abdomen. Despite fading, they still rose above the skin, like a blaring sign that marked her as different.
I won’t forget.
Zac ran with the beautiful crowd. She bet when Kennedy and Taylor lifted up their shirts, their stomachs were flat and smooth, not cut up and damaged.
He flashed her one of his dazzling smiles as he crossed the room. He moved like an athlete, all muscles and power rippling beneath his skin. Too soon he was next to her, leaning close to her ear. His breath grazed her skin, and a tidal wave of heat spread down her neck.
That last jellybean was obviously a mistake.
“Nicely played,” he whispered, then turned to where her friends were sitting, Piper eager, Gareth sullen. Norah stepped away from him, in order to get her thoughts under control.
“Hey guys. I’m Zac and you’re Piper. Fifth grade Tetris champion.”
“It was a good year.” She shrugged, though her cheeks were almost as pink as her hair. Then he grinned at Gareth, whose face had darkened to the color of thunder.
“Orchestra, right? I think we gave you a lift to a concert once when Via played flute, way back when.”
“That is correct,” Gareth said in a clipped, formal voice that sounded nothing like his normal conversation.
Zac arched an eyebrow. Norah wasn’t surprised. He probably hadn’t expected his charm offensive to fail. Neither had she. But to his credit, he gave Gareth a friendly grin and sat down, his long legs stretched out as he dropped a bag on the table.
“Sorry I’m late. Mrs. Higgins was convinced Via did my geography homework. If she had, there wouldn’t have been ten spelling mistakes,” he said in a good-natured voice as he pulled out four sodas and slid three along the table. “I grabbed you some drinks.”
“Thanks.” Piper snatched a soda. Gareth just looked at it as if it was about to detonate. Norah decided to ignore it.
“So, here’s an overview of what’s happening,” she said. “The school’s letting us use the hall and sound system, my stepdad’s going to be the auctioneer and has donated a setup budget, while my mom’s providing all the decorations. But as well as donations, we also need to sell tickets. The hall seats three hundred and twenty people, which means we have a lot of work to do.”
“Not if we sell them in books. Someone buys ten and then they round up more people to come with them.” Zac put down his drink.
“That makes sense.” Piper toyed with a strand of her pink hair while Norah nodded in agreement. It was a good idea. She jotted it down and then looked to see what was next on the list.
The next sixty minutes was spent going over the budget and assigning the many tasks. Piper was doing the website and catalogue, and Gareth was setting up the registration system and the marketing, Zac was in charge of getting donations, and Norah was overseeing everything. They also needed to find at least ten more volunteers if they had a chance of pulling it off.
“So, we all know what we’re doing?” she double-checked once the meeting was over.
“Yes,” Gareth said, still glaring at Zac. “Because some of us were paying attention.”
Zac, who’d spent the second part of the meeting checking his text messages, gave them a sheepish smile. “Sorry. Sitting still isn’t my specialty subject. But I got the gist.”
Gareth opened his mouth as if he wanted to speak, but Piper grabbed his arm. “Come on, grumpy.”
“I’m not grumpy,” Gareth muttered as he allowed himself to be led away. Norah shuffled her notes while Zac leaned over and studied her.
She swallowed. The cafeteria had been strangely intense. Like they were in a bubble, where she’d pretended to be his girlfriend. Where she knew what to say. But here, she was just regular Norah. The one who had no idea what she was meant to be doing.
Where were her jellybeans?
“Have I done something to bug him? I thought musicians were meant to be nice and kind.” Zac swung his legs back and forth.
“You’re getting them confused with puppies.” She slung her messenger bag over her shoulder. “And you haven’t done anything. He’s—”
She broke off.
This wasn’t Piper she was talking to. Her friend’s words came back to haunt her.
We don’t know anything about boys.
“He has a crush on you,” Zac said, smile disappearing. “Hell. I didn’t think about that. I know you’re helping me out, but I don’t want to ruin your play. I know you said you were single, but if you and—”
“No, it’s not like that. Gareth and I are just friends,” she quickly told him, hoping he and Piper never got together to discuss it.
“Okay, but if there’s anyone else. Some guy you’re crushing on…” He trailed off with a suggestive shrug.
Could this be any more embarrassing?
“There’s no one,” she said a little bit too quickly, and his eyes sparked with interest. Like he didn’t believe her. She’d always suspected there was more to him than he let on. But a moment later he shrugged.
“If you say so. And hey, thanks again for today. You were great.”
“I find that hard to believe,” she said, trying to calm herself down. It was going to be a long three weeks if she freaked out every time they spoke.
“It’s true. Pete even Googled methanol. You might have accidentally taught him something.”
“I forgot how funny he could be. I haven’t spoken to him in years.”
“You’ll have to get used to it, at least for the next few weeks. He’s an idiot, but we’ve been friends for too long to do much about it. Same with Max…and Myles.” He unconsciously touched his eye. The bruising was almost gone, only a sliver of pink still visible. “But I’m sorry about the party. I can say you’re sick.”
Oh, yes. The party.
She’d been doing her best not to think about it. And she’d only failed about six hundred and fifty thousand times. In the negative column, there would be loads of people she didn’t want to be around. Probably beer and who knew what else. And on the positive side, there’d be Zac.
Going to a party with Zac Mackenzie.
“Will it help?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, but you’ve already gone above and beyond the call of duty.”
“It’s fine. I don’t mind,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound too breathy. Besides, it was eleven days away. She had plenty of time to get used to the idea.
His eyes lit up. “Thanks.” He jumped off the table and scooped up the list of people to call, cramming it carelessly in his pocket. Norah flicked off the lights and stepped into the library. Several heads swiveled in their direction.
“So…what now?”
He turned to her, his mouth thoughtful. “I’ve got to hustle Mrs. Reynolds into letting me transfer into her math class before I die of boredom. Then I need to train. You?”
“I meant with us. What’s the plan?” she said, trying not to get swept into his m
agnetic charm.
“Oh, in the boyfriend department.” He flashed her a smile, and her resolve faltered. “We could make out by the lockers if you want.”
Yes, please. Her crush let out an excited sigh.
“Be serious,” she growled, hoping it didn’t sound like a squeak.
“I am. You look very cute.” His gaze swept over her. Her pulse flickered and her skin warmed under his scrutiny. “Good way to make your crush jealous.”
“Zac, stop flirting. This isn’t a game. And there’s no crush.”
“Right. No crush, and no more jokes.” He held up a hand in surrender. “Tomorrow afternoon Coach is letting me join in on the preseason training. If you came along, we could go out after and hit up some people for donations.”
“Really?”
“We had a deal.”
“Okay.” Norah swallowed, the heat in her cheeks turning to ice. Spending time with him, going to the party, holding his hand. It was all part of the bargain, and the sooner she remembered that, the better.
6
“Anything you want to tell us?” Zac’s father said as he walked into the kitchen that afternoon. He was wearing a high visibility vest, and the woody aroma of sawdust clung to him. Zac dropped his spoon back into the bowl.
Let’s see. I’ve been benched. I have a new fake girlfriend, and have somehow incurred the wrath of an oboe player named Gareth Lawson.
“This new cereal’s the worst. We should go back to the other kind.”
“Is that all you ever think about?” his mom said from over at the table. She was dressed in a gray suit and her hair was pulled back, which meant she’d been in court all day.
“Yup,” Zac lied and picked up his spoon again. His parents had long ago given up on telling him not to eat food before dinner. Besides, it was only a snack. “Does that make me a bad person?”
“No.” His dad studied the back of the cereal box. “But it does make you someone who has now had their daily amount of fiber.”
His mom sighed. “Zac, your father was speaking to Bernie Higgins today and discovered you’re helping organize a charity auction at school. We’re both very impressed.”
“Oh, that.” His chest tightened. It was the same sensation he got when he celebrated a goal, even when he knew it had been thanks to a deflection from someone on the other team. He got the glory without doing the work.
“So what brought on this burst of altruism?”
“She means, what made you suddenly feel selflessly concerned about others?” Via said as she walked in.
“I know what altruism means,” he retorted. Well, kinda. “And it’s a good cause. Norah spent the summer in Cambodia building toilets. Now she’s fundraising to pay for more. It’s about time people helped her out. Speaking of which, want to donate one of those porch swings you make, Dad?”
“Sure. Always happy to help. Put me down,” his dad said and then swooped to kiss Zac’s mom. It was no real surprise. His parents were ridiculously touchy-feely. “Oh, by the way, I cancelled next month’s fishing trip when I realized it would clash with the first game of the season.”
“What?” Zac’s head shot up and adrenaline slammed against his ribs.
“I’m not going to miss it. Captain of the varsity team. Beats standing around with Stan and Larry, listening to them talk about their misadventures in cycling.”
“Tryouts aren’t for almost three weeks. I might not even make the cut.” His fingers tightened around the spoon.
“That’s not what Coach Yardley said last season. And you trained all summer. You’re in the best shape you’ve ever been in.” His dad gave him a curious gaze. “Is something going on?”
“Nope.” He shook his head and ignored Via’s tight-mouthed frown.
“Okay,” his dad finally said. “Building houses isn’t for the fainthearted. I stink. I’m going to grab a shower.”
“And I need to go over some notes.” Their mom packed away her laptop. “You cooking tonight, Zac?”
“Sure. Making my specialty.” His entire family groaned, but he ignored it. His mom insisted they each cook once a week, and while Via experimented with ingredients Zac couldn’t pronounce, he was happy to continue refining his mac and cheese skills.
Once their parents had left the room, Via turned to him.
“In case you’re wondering, everyone was talking about you and Norah today.”
“Yeah?” He jumped up to sit on the counter and leaned forward. “What were they saying?”
She shrugged. “Just that it was unexpected.”
“I’m following in your footsteps,” he quipped, since there had been more than a few surprised faces when she and Hudson started dating. She didn’t laugh.
“I still can’t believe you’re doing this,” she suddenly blurted out.
“Why? You jealous I’m saving the world? Or that I’m now Mom and Dad’s favorite child?”
“Please. Last week you broke three glasses and two dinner plates. I won’t be handing over my tiara anytime soon,” she retorted, but still didn’t look happy. “I’m serious, Zac, have you thought this through?”
There wasn’t anything to think about.
Desperate times called for desperate measures.
“It’s fine. And you like Norah.”
“Of course I do. She’s great.” Via toyed with the top of her phone and held his gaze. “Any chance—”
“No,” he quickly said.
Up until a few weeks ago, Via didn’t date either, but ever since she and Hudson had sorted out their problems, there had been a complete turnaround. And while he was pleased she was so happy, she’d developed an annoying habit of assuming the same would happen to him.
The warm heat of Norah’s skin slammed into his chest.
Normally when he felt that kind of connection he’d go into full flirt mode and see what happened. It never lasted long though, and within a week he was always restless and bored.
Not that he could see himself getting bored with Norah. She was different from what he’d expected. It was intriguing. But flirting wasn’t an option. He’d promised Via he wouldn’t, plus there was too much on the line.
She only wanted to raise money. Which was fine, because if the debacle with Myles had taught him anything, it was that soccer had to come first.
Then there was her crush. She might say she didn’t have one, but the way her neck had turned red and she’d started looking at her hands told a different story.
“It was only a question,” Via said in surprise as the doorbell rang. She frantically smoothed her hair. “Hudson’s here and I need to get ready. Zac, could you—”
“Let you get even further into my debt? Certainly, little sister,” he said in a light voice as he jumped down from the counter while Via scuttled to her bedroom. Hudson was on the doorstep. His short hair spiked out and he was clutching a bunch of flowers.
“Hey, buddy. She’s doing girl stuff. Want a soda?”
“No, I’m good.” Hudson followed Zac back into the kitchen. “So you and Norah, huh? She’s great.”
“You’re friends with her?” Zac arched an eyebrow. The intrigue continued.
“Yeah, back in middle school she invited me to help with a letter-writing campaign.”
“Letters?”
“To help release prisoners who were being held for unjust reasons. Like I said, she’s great, and totally committed to what she does.”
Zac swallowed, suddenly feeling out of his depth. He was a dope who kicked a ball around, and she was on a mission to save the world. No doubt this crush of hers was a fellow toilet builder who used big words and never had food or sodas thrown at him.
Via reemerged and Hudson said something low under his breath. He scooped her up in his arms. Zac turned away. What was it with people wanting to kiss around him? First his folks and now his sister?
He walked out of the room as energy pounded through his veins. He glanced at his watch. He’d planned to have a workout, but instead
he picked up his phone and brought up the information Norah had sent him. He’d better start reading.
It was fine for Via to date. She was clever enough to juggle all parts of her life, but Zac struggled to even sit still in a chair too long. The only time he really felt in control was on the soccer field. And to get back onto the team he had to stop thinking about the way Norah’s eyes lit up when she smiled and stick to the plan.
Too much was on the line.
xxxx
“I can’t believe this is your life now.” Piper stretched out her legs on the bleachers trying to catch the last of the afternoon sun. The trees on the other side of the field were golden brown and there was a faint breeze swirling around.
“Yup, getting to watch boys kick a ball. I’m living the dream,” Norah said with a frown. “How did I get talked into this again?”
“You really want me to remind you how your crush overtook your brain?”
“No. Definitely not.” Norah shut her laptop. She’d gone to a couple of school games over the years, but she’d never sat around in the afternoon to watch jocks train. Despite Zac telling her she didn’t need to know about soccer, she’d done a quick Internet search last night but was none the wiser. All she knew was he was a midfielder. The guy who directed the play.
If he got back onto the team.
Which was why she was there. To fulfill her side of the bargain. Not to check him out.
“It’s not all bad. You’re going to Pete Davenport’s party.”
“You hate parties. And Pete Davenport,” Norah reminded her friend. She didn’t particularly like those kinds of parties either. More to the point, she didn’t really like the people who went to them. Apart from one.
Which was already turning into a problem.
Stick to the plan, Norah.
“True,” Piper agreed. “But if I was going with my crush, I might feel differently. Imagine if something happened. Then I could live vicariously through you.”
