Player

by DeLuca, Laura

  PLAYER

  By Laura DeLuca

  Copyright 2012 Laura Lowe

  Published by Bumble Book Press

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Bumble Book Press

  www.bumblebookpress.com

  Copyright © 2012 by Laura Lowe. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Dedication

  For Bryan Grant.

  Thanks for teaching me that it’s okay to laugh at myself.

  Special thanks to Scott Davis for answering numerous emails

  about how to realistically harm and/or kill my characters

  and to my cyber stalker turned beta reader, Lisa Markson for all her

  help and support with all my novels.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Prologue

  Joshua Hanover was sick and tired of trying to juggle four girls at the same time. This was probably why he had to stifle a yawn as he ran some gel through his shaggy black hair. He combed the last of the rebellious strands into place and sang along to the classic Guns N’ Roses tune that was streaming through his MP3 player. He lowered the volume just in time to hear a shrill voice calling from the living room.

  “Josh, get your butt in gear! We’re going to be late for school! Again!”

  “I’ll be down in a minute!” Josh called back.

  If it wasn’t for his best friend and neighbor, Andrea Carpenter, Josh would probably never get to school on time. She was a walking alarm clock. Sometimes he found her punctuality annoying, but he had to admit that without her, he would never make it to graduation.

  Josh grabbed his backpack from his computer chair. In his haste, he knocked down a small pile of photographs that had been sitting next to his laptop. He bent down to pick them up, and was greeted by four smiling faces. They were the class photos of the four girls Josh was dating.

  Josh had always been something of a player. He enjoyed the attention, and he liked having at least one back-up waiting on the sidelines in case things started to get boring. He never thought much about how the girls felt. He was too busy thinking about their short skirts and low-rise jeans. Yet, while he seldom stayed with the same girl for more than a month, he usually stuck to only one relationship at a time, occasionally two. This was his first time juggling four girlfriends. He was starting to get overwhelmed trying to keep track of who he was picking up and when. As he looked down at the four beautiful faces, each of whom seemed to be glaring at him accusingly, he felt a twinge of guilt. Aside from that reproachful glance, the girls had little in common. Each had their own unique attributes and even more unique personalities.

  Elena Huber was the only girl who actually went to school with Josh. She was the stereotypical blonde bombshell, the queen of the in-crowd. Sexy, stylish, smart, and rich—Elena had it all. Every guy wanted to date her. Every girl wanted to be her. It had taken Josh three years to get Elena’s attention. She didn’t notice him until the older guys had graduated, and Josh finally had a driver’s license and a flashy Mustang. As much as he had fantasized about her, Elena was a lot less perfect and a lot more annoying after he began spending time with her. He quickly tired of her snobby, self-centered attitude.

  Then there was Jasmine Preston—Jazz, as she liked to be called. She was leather-clad and covered in chains and black makeup even in her school picture. She was the polar opposite of Elena. A lover of the dark side, Jasmine was a full-fledged gothic. From her black lips to her exotic wardrobe, she was a girl who liked to push the limits of social acceptability. She even dabbled in a little witchcraft. Josh swore she put a spell on him to make him so infatuated with her. If that was the case, the spell had quickly worn off.

  Josh met Nadine Morris while he was picking up takeout for dinner at a local diner. She was a pretty girl with long black hair and a trim waist. However, it wasn’t those simple attributes that caught Josh’s attention as he watched her bend over to slide a dollar bill into the jukebox. It was the fact that Nadine’s cup size was larger than the circumference of his head that convinced him to sneak up behind her and slip his own dollar into machine. After a month of listening to her high-pitched voiced, he learned something: generous cleavage hardly makes up for intelligent conversation.

  Last, but certainly not least, was Lily Cavalier, the little Catholic school junior. Of all the girls he had been dating, Josh liked Lily the best. Her bright blue eyes and heart-shaped face were framed by thick brown hair, and her perky personality made her easy to like. Like, not love. She was more like a little sister than a girlfriend, and so innocent, he couldn’t even think of trying to take advantage of her.

  “Josh! Come on!” Andrea called again. “If you aren’t down here in thirty seconds, I’m going to come up there and drag your lazy butt outside whether you’re decent or not.”

  “I’m coming!” Josh assured her, and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

  Again he looked down at the pictures, this time feeling a distinct pang of guilt. Something had changed in the last few weeks. He didn’t want to be a player anymore. Josh never had a relationship that lasted more than a few months, but for the first time in his life, he wanted something more than just a fling. He wanted love, and he was almost certain he had found it.

  Josh dropped the photos down on his desk. He jogged down the steps with even less enthusiasm than usual. He knew Elena wasn’t going to be happy when he broke up with her. None of the girls would be, but it had to be done. His player days were over. And it was all because of Rosa.

  Chapter 1

  Josh was completely baffled. Looking down at his chemistry formulas, he felt like a complete idiot. The symbols and numbers made absolutely no sense. Who really cared what the formula weight of ammonia was anyway? He didn’t. The whole situation was even more frustrating because Josh had always excelled in his studies. He had been a straight-A student all through high school. He was a card-carrying member of the national honor society, and he never struggled to maintain his high average.

  In chemistry, Josh had met his Waterloo. Just looking at the book was bringing on one of his frequent migraines. He had gotten a D in the very first test of the year—a fact that threatened to bring down his whole grade point average and minimized his chances of getting into a good college. Things continued their downward spiral until he teamed up with Rosa. She was the only reason why Josh hadn’t failed chemistry.

  “Do you need some help?” A familiar voice spoke, startling Josh from his thoughts.

  Josh looked up from his notebook and met the dark brown eyes of
his lab partner, Rosa McBride. He felt his heart do a triple somersault. He had never felt so strongly about a girl before. Who was he kidding? He had never felt anything for a girl, aside from lust. Every girl he had ever been with had always left him wanting something more. Somehow, Josh knew that Rosa was different.

  “I think this stuff is written in another language.” Josh complained and threw his pen onto his desk with a loud huff.

  “You’re thinking about it too much. It’s really pretty simple. Look. . .” Rosa lapsed into a careful explanation of the formula, breaking it down step by step. She was right. It wasn’t nearly as complicated once she explained it in layman’s terms. Josh didn’t know what he would have done without her.

  Their chemistry teacher, Mr. Watson, had foreseen Josh’s troubles from the beginning. Rosa was a science whiz, so the teacher had paired them up. At first, Josh was annoyed. He wanted to pair up with one of his buddies from the wrestling team. If he had to have a girl as a partner, Rosa wouldn’t have been his first choice. She was a nerd; all that was missing was the pocket protector. She was hardly the sexy cheerleader type that Josh usually lavished his attention on. There was only one thing that Josh had always admired about her and that was her hair. It was a mass of wavy brown curls that cascaded all the way down to her hips. It made her seem like some mythical creature from a fairytale, like a tree nymph or a mermaid. She was almost as untouchable.

  Looks aside, Rosa had always seemed unnaturally quiet and shy. In the four years they had gone to school together, Josh hardly heard her speak ten words. When Mr. Watson first announced his decision, he didn’t expect that to change. In fact, Josh decided that he was going to make chemistry class a living hell for both Mr. Watson and Rosa. His resolve lasted all of twenty minutes. He was having a real problem, and Rosa was a big help. He started to see her in a whole new light. After a week, Rosa agreed to come to his house every other day to tutor him. Within two weeks they had become great friends. After four weeks, the chemistry between them had blossomed into something far more potent than any of the formulas in his textbook. He was sure that he was in love for the first time in his life.

  “Are you listening to me, Josh?” Rosa asked. “I think I’ve been talking to myself for the last ten minutes. Josh?” She gently bopped him on the head with her notebook when he still didn’t respond. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Huh? What?” Josh stammered and blushed when he realized how obviously he had been staring at her. He tapped his pencil nervously on the edge of the desk, wondering if his mushy thoughts were written all over his face. “What was that?”

  Rosa rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “I was saying that we need to concentrate more on your formulas before the test on Friday. But I’m starting to think we should just give up all together since you’re not listening to a word I say.”

  “I’m sorry.” Josh flashed his most charming smile. “I promise I’ll pay attention from now on.”

  She gave him a playful jab in the side. “You better if you want to graduate.”

  “That’s not very nice, Rosa,” Josh replied in mock offense. “I’m not that stupid, am I?”

  “That’s still up for debate.”

  “You are so mean to me sometimes,” Josh grumbled. “But speaking of me being an idiot… are you coming over tonight for a study session?” He fiddled with his pencil and tried to act nonchalant. “I think you’re right. I really do need some extra work on this stuff.”

  “I don’t know,” she said with a mischievous smile. “I’m not sure I can trust someone with your reputation. Oh, and don’t go giving me that baby face of yours either,” she added when Josh began to pout. “It won’t work on me. I know exactly what goes on in that testosterone-driven mind of yours.”

  “You’re harsh.” Josh shook his head, but still smiled. “I think I’m offended.”

  Rosa gave him an impish smile. “I’m sure you’ll get over it. Now, let’s finish up these formulas.”

  They were just about to get back to the books when the bell echoed through the hallway, ending chemistry class. Josh followed Rosa as she walked toward the exit. “See you tonight?” he asked.

  “I’ll be over around seven,” she confirmed.

  Josh watched her bounce down the hallway and felt a little disappointed. He had hoped to walk her to her next class. Of course, he realized that until he ended his relationship with Elena, that wouldn’t be the best idea. He didn’t want Elena making any problems for Rosa. So he contented himself with thinking about her throughout his US History II class.

  The fact that his migraine was getting worse made the time seem to move that much slower, but before long he found himself standing with Andrea in the loud and overcrowded lunchroom. The line to the cash register seemed endless. The longer he stood there, the more his head throbbed in protest. He pressed his fingers against his eyes to try to rub the pain away. He didn’t even realize that the line had started to move until Andrea shoved him forward.

  “Hey, Josh,” she said, as she ran a hand through her bright red hair. “Is everything okay? You seem a little distracted.”

  “I’m getting one of those stupid migraines again,” he admitted. “I’ll take something for it when we get to the table.”

  “I wish you wouldn’t take those pills so often.” Andrea wrinkled her nose in distaste as she dropped a bottle of water and a basket of French fries onto her tray. “You’re going to get addicted. You need to try some kind of homeopathic remedies, like acupuncture or meditation or something.”

  Josh picked up a can of cola and a slice of pizza and raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding me? You sound like Jazz and her crazy Wiccan ideas. I’m not into all that new age crap. Besides, what good would it do having two doctors for parents if I didn’t get an endless supply of drugs?”

  “Are all of your girlfriends starting to wear you out?” Andrea tsked. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. You’ve been running yourself ragged trying to keep things straight. I’m amazed you haven’t mixed up their names yet.”

  “I was actually just thinking about one of them,” Josh admitted.

  “Let me guess.” Andrea made an exaggerated expression of concentration while she tapped a finger against her forehead. “Could it be our very own Elena Huber?”

  “How did you know?”

  “She’s been looking for you all day,” Andrea said. “Now, I know you, and if you wanted her around, you’d be easy enough to find. Are you losing interest in our future homecoming queen?”

  Josh handed the lunch lady a few crumpled singles he pulled from the pocket of his jeans. “Andy, sometimes I think you know me too well!”

  “I’ve seen you change girlfriends more often than you change your underwear.” Andrea giggled. “I can tell when you’re starting to get bored.”

  They fumbled through the crowd and took seats in the corner of the lunchroom. “So, when are you going to dump Elena?” Andrea asked. They were far from prying ears, but when Andrea spoke, a few juniors at the next table still turned to look at them.

  “Shhh,” Josh hissed. “Why don’t you just make an announcement over the loud speaker so everyone can hear you?

  “I could.” Andrea snorted as she popped a French fry into her mouth. “It might be easier on you. You do know that Elena is going to pitch a fit when you tell her, right? I mean, there are going to be some serious fireworks.”

  Just the thought of it made his head hurt worse. Josh pulled open his backpack and took out his bottle of codeine. He popped a few of the small pills into his mouth, washing them down with a mouthful of soda. “I can handle Elena,” Josh said. “I’m going to track her down and tell her it’s over as soon as we’re done with lunch.”

  “Now, you wouldn’t want to break any hearts on an empty stomach.” Andrea chuckled wryly. Then she turned serious. Her light smile transformed into a scowl. “I’m glad you’re dumping Elena. She’s such a snob. I never understood what you saw in her.”


  “Do I hear a little envy in your voice, Andy?” Josh teased. “From what I hear, Elena isn’t the only competitor for the homecoming crown this year.”

  “Yeah, but we all know who’s going to win,” Andrea replied, not without some bitterness.

  “Don’t be so sure. It might seem like Elena is popular, but she’s made a lot of enemies over the years, stealing boyfriends and putting everyone else down.”

  “Even if they don’t like her, they’ll be too afraid to vote for anyone else. I’ve seen those retractable claws she calls nails.”

  “Well, you definitely have my vote . . . claws or no claws.”

  Andrea was a pretty girl, although she looked four years younger than she was. Josh was easily a foot taller than her, and he was still an average height. Even though she was small in stature, she more than made up for it in personality. She was smart, fun, a champion tennis player, and editor of the school newspaper. Nevertheless, next to the glamorous Elena, Andrea would always be no more than the stereotypical girl next door. They both knew she didn’t really stand a chance at winning the title of homecoming queen, but Josh would never hurt her feelings by saying it out loud.

  “Josh! Hey, Josh!”

  At the sound of his name being called, Josh looked up from his uneaten pizza to find Elena skipping over to his table. She waved her arms excitedly, and plopped down beside him. She didn’t even acknowledge Andrea as she draped her arms around Josh’s neck and planted a kiss on his lips. He wiped off pink lip-gloss in veiled disgust.

  “Hey baby.” Elena tossed her perfectly styled blonde hair. “Guess what? I got my dress for homecoming. Wait until you see it! It’s totally hot, and definitely queen material.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Josh caught Andrea giving Elena a dirty look.

  “You’re awfully sure of yourself, Elena.” Josh shrugged her away when she tried to put her arm around his shoulder. She was oblivious to the snub. “How do you know you’re going to win?”