by Jenni James
“No way.”
“So have you always detested Taylor, or is this a new feeling?” he asked.
“Oh, always, ever since I first moved here three years ago.”
“When do you turn eighteen?”
Huh? “Not till April. Why?”
Blake muttered something under his breath, then said, “You better call me the second you’re eighteen, you hear?”
“Why?” A giggle escaped my throat.
“Because” —his deep voice sent exciting chills down my spine— “then you won’t be jailbait.”
Jailbait? “Oh.” I gulped.
His sexy laugh would’ve caused my knees to buckle if I’d been standing. “Don’t worry—I won’t ravish you before then.”
“He said what?” Taylor almost bellowed behind me.
I had whispered it to Madison and Alyssa as Taylor walked over to get his art supplies on Monday. But obviously he overheard me when he came back. My girlfriends and I had leaned in to talk over—again—what Blake had said on Saturday. It had been all we had discussed that whole weekend. The fact that Blake was Taylor’s cousin was mind-boggling. But adding in the jealousy between the two was more than any girl could handle, especially when you had to face the fact that Taylor wasn’t as perfect as everybody thought.
I had just finished exclaiming over the “jailbait” comment again, which was definitely the worst thing Taylor could’ve overheard. Why does he always manage to unnerve me?
Taylor dumped his art supplies on the table. He pulled out his chair and loomed over me. “Did you just say that Blake wanted to know when you were eighteen so you wouldn’t be considered jailbait anymore?”
Does he have to say everything so flippin’loud? “Will you sit down?” I hissed.
“Not until you answer me.” His stubborn face reminded me of a two-year-old.
I used my sweet smile. “Well, then stand. I don’t care. Until you learn to treat me with some respect and courtesy, you’re not getting any answers anyway. I don’t care how loud you are about it. If you want to discuss your cousin at all, then I suggest you get on my good side and treat me a little nicer.”
Taylor sat down. “Why do you have to get so defensive about everything?”
“Excuse me?” I turned to face him. “I was under the impression the only one having defensive issues about anything was you. I’m just here to make sure you behave like a decent human being when you voice them, because obviously you’re going to voice them whether I want you to or not.”
He was clearly agitated. “Okay, look. I don’t know what Blake has told you. Obviously, you know we’re cousins, which is more than he usually divulges. But just get off your high horse for a moment. Simmer down—”
“Taylor,” I interrupted, “for a smart guy, you really know how to get on a girl’s nerves. High horse? Simmer down? As if I’m upset or something?”
“—and listen to me,” he finished. “Please?”
Fine. I huffed. “What?”
“No matter what you may think right now, Blake is not a good guy. Okay? Just promise me you’ll stay away from him.” His blue eyes pleaded into mine.
I turned away so I wouldn’t be affected by them. “Thanks for caring,” I said sarcastically, “but I’m a big girl and can handle myself. I’ll decide when and where I’ll end my relationship with Blake. If I do, that is.” I turned and smiled at him.
Taylor nearly lost it. “No! I absolutely forbid you to see Blake again!” I’d never seen Taylor so upset.
“You forbid me?” I challenged. The nerve. I would’ve laughed except it wasn’t funny. Comical, yes. Funny, no.
Any hope Taylor had to get me to listen to him was over with that rash statement, and I could tell he knew it. With one word, he had completely painted himself as the black-hearted villain I had suspected he was. There was nothing he could say that would deter me from Blake now. I was through being troubled by what Taylor thought. Just because the rest of the world danced to his tune didn’t mean I was going to. I refused to even look at him again, and we spent the rest of art class in frustrated silence.
Later that evening Madison, Alyssa, and I were on a threeway call discussing the day’s events, and more importantly, Taylor’s odd behavior.
“Are you sure?” Alyssa asked. “It really sounded like he was upset today. I mean worried for you. To me it just seems that he can’t be all that bad.”
“What? Of course he can be that bad,” I insisted. “This is Taylor Anderson we’re talking about here—one of the biggest jerks in our school.”
“Jerk or not, Chloe,” Madison said, “Taylor is still the most popular guy around. And whether he is worried about you or not, you shouldn’t turn him away like you do. Think of it. If Taylor paid as much attention to me as he pays to you, I would definitely be using that to my advantage. I would make him think I liked him.”
“Are you kidding me?” I gasped.
“No, I’m not. By pushing Taylor back like you do, you are totally throwing away a chance of at least being friends with the most popular guy in school. I’m not sure it’s a smart idea to throw that away. I do understand that you have different views than the rest of us when it comes to Taylor, and I have always respected that. I just think that maybe now that it’s becoming more and more obvious that he may like you, you should give him some credit.”
“Besides, we really don’t know what to think about this whole thing,” Alyssa said.
I could hardly believe I was talking to my two best friends. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought I was on the phone with Emmalee Bradford, not Madison and Alyssa. “Excuse me, but I know exactly what to think. There is really nothing else to say on this subject. Taylor has been repeatedly rude to Blake because he is jealous of him. And he doesn’t like me as much as you think. He was just mad I wouldn’t listen to him like everyone else does. End of discussion.”
“What if Taylor is right?” Alyssa asked. “What if Blake isn’t a good guy?”
“Then let Taylor prove it to me. As far as I can see, Blake is the one who is wronged. Taylor has everything he has ever wanted or needed. Besides, what reason is there for Blake to lie?”
“Well, just be careful, okay?” Alyssa sighed.
I laughed. “I’m always careful. Just think of what my parents put those poor guys through first. It takes a lot for a guy to even want to date me.”
“Speaking of dates, Alyssa,” Madison said. “Where are you going with Zack this Saturday?”
“Oh, he’s busy, but we’re planning on going out the next Saturday. I’m not sure what we’ll be doing, though.
“I’m still freaking out about last Saturday’s date,” I put in, grateful for the change in subject. “It was so cool that he waited with you outside the cast door after the show, just so you could get autographs as the players left.”
“The way you described the orchestra almost made me wish I had gone too,” Madison said. “Which is surprising, considering my take on classical music.”
“How did the kiss go?” I teased. “Was Tanner there?”
“Did you talk to your parents about getting rid of him?” Madison asked.
“Yes, I did. And yes, he was still there.” Alyssa groaned. “My parents said they would not interfere with the natural course of things, but it was okay. During the last half of the concert, Zack leaned over and held my hand. I thought I was going to die!” She sighed wistfully.
Madison began to laugh. “You two have only just started holding hands?”
“Could there be a shyer couple in the world?” I asked Madison.
“No,” she responded, “I think Alyssa and Zack get the award.”
“Well, this relationship might just actually last,” I said. “Think about it. By the time they’re forty, Zack might propose. Of course, they won’t actually get married until they’re fifty.”
Madison and I lost it. We both started to laugh hard.
“Hey!” Alyssa said. “We’re not th
at bad.” She began to giggle. “On second thought, maybe we are.”
I glanced at the clock—9:15. “Hey, girls, I better run. I’ve got to start research for my English essay. I just hope Cass is off the computer now.”
“You still don’t have it done?” Alyssa sounded shocked.
“Isn’t it due Friday?” Madison asked. “I have Mr. Young too, and mine’s been done at least a week now.”
“Ugh. Don’t remind me,” I mumbled. “Cassidy has met some guy on Facebook and has hogged the computer ever since. She drives me crazy. She better be off now or I’ll drag her off if she doesn’t go willingly.”
“Well, I better run too,” Alyssa said. “I’ve got trig homework.” She sighed again. “Why do I put myself through this?”
“I’m homework-free today,” bragged Madison. “So I think I’m going to veg in front of the TV. Dad’s working late again.”
“All right then, daw-lings,” I said in my movie-star voice, “I will see you tomorrow”
“Bye!” chorused Alyssa and Madison just before I hung up the phone.
I wandered into the kitchen and overheard my mom on her cell phone.
“Okay, Collin. That’s great, then. We’ll see you Friday. Bye!” she gushed into the phone.
Oh, no! “What’s going on?” I asked.
She positively glowed, she was so happy. “That was Collin just now. He says he wanted to come over for dinner on Friday night. He has a very important question to ask you.” She ran over and hugged me. “Ooh! This is going to be so cute.”
Are you kidding me? “Wait. Collin’s coming here in four days? What does he have to ask me?”
“I guess you’ll just have to wait to find out.” Mom smiled.
Why me? I’m so going to die.
That would have given me enough to dread and torment myself over for the next few days, if Zack hadn’t surprised us all with his announcement on Wednesday. It totally trumped anything I was feeling sorry for myself about.
FIFTEEN
NOT-SO-FLATTERING OFFER
Thank goodness no one from the school knew about Alyssa and Zack seeing each other. It wasn’t surprising, I guess, since the two were never together around kids from school—other than at our party, where everyone was more surprised to see the school’s reigning king and prince than to ponder why they came. I’m totally excluding Kylie, I know, but the way she pouted the whole night, it was obvious to everyone else that she wasn’t happy to be there. On the other hand, Taylor and Zack got involved in every game, which completely removed any awkwardness my guests might have felt with them—the “in” guys—being there. And that turned it into—I hate to say it—probably our greatest bash to date.
Still, I don’t think anyone realized Alyssa and Zack were sort of a couple, mainly because they were both so darned shy about it. They spoke to each other, but no more than they did to anyone else. All in all, I guess it was a good thing they were so quiet about their relationship. If everyone did know, Alyssa would’ve become the biggest center of gossip at school on Wednesday afternoon. I’m not sure if she could’ve handled that. She had a hard enough time with it already.
“But I don’t understand why,” I said to her. “Did he give a reason?”
“No.” Alyssa sniffed. “He just said he couldn’t see me anymore. And that we . . . we had to break up.” She leaned on my shoulder and burst into tears. Thankfully, the parking lot had emptied pretty fast today, and even the students that saw her meltdown had no idea of the reason for it.
“Shh.” I patted her back. I wish Madison were here. She would know just what to say to Alyssa to make her smile again.
“But I didn’t even know we were going out out. That’s the worst part.” Alyssa sobbed harder. “I had a boyfriend and didn’t even know it!”
“Wow,” was all I managed. I was very disappointed in Zack. I had really begun to think he was for real. Popular guys—boys—can be such losers. Do they really have no idea how much they can crush a girl? As much as I tried, I couldn’t convince myself that they didn’t know what they were doing when they broke a girl’s heart.
“Let’s go get some milkshakes,” I suggested.
“Um, I’d rather not,” Alyssa mumbled. After a few more sniffles, she released me and stood up, wiping her face with her hand.
I rummaged in my backpack and found one of those travel tissue packs. “Here.” I handed Alyssa a tissue. Then, after seeing her face, I handed her another one.
She giggled. “Yeah. My mom doesn’t let me buy waterproof mascara.”
“I’ll say.” I smiled. Alyssa’s face was covered in black streaks—or make that blotches now that she had wiped her face. “Let’s go to your house instead. I really don’t think you’re up for facing anyone in public.”
“Thanks . . . I think.” She giggled again. “Just give me a minute and I’ll be myself.”
Good ol’ Alyssa. She always manages to make the best of things. She could find the positive light in a blackout. I decided right then that I would call Ethan and let him know I wasn’t going to make it four-wheeling tonight. Friends come first. And Alyssa definitely needed a pick-me-up.
By Thursday we were convinced there must be something in the drinking water. It was all over campus that morning that Taylor had broken up with Kylie, too. Not that it was such a big surprise. I mean, we were talking about Taylor, right? He was bound to break up with Kylie sooner or later. I just wished the whole school wouldn’t care so much when he became single again. I kind of hoped he would choose another girl quickly so we could all be put out of our misery.
As far as art went, Taylor and I were on polite speaking terms. I had decided I wouldn’t let him affect me anymore, and it seemed to be working. As long as I stayed detached from whatever comment he made, we got along.
Before I knew it, it was Friday. As much as I wished it was still Wednesday or Thursday, it wasn’t. I had prayed I would be sick or something so I’d have an excuse not to come out of my room. I almost convinced myself I had a headache. But Mom didn’t even hesitate when she told me to “take a Tylenol and deal with it.” I was making the most of my almost headache on my bed in my dark room—well, as dark as I could make it at 5:00 p.m., which honestly wasn’t very dark at all.
I groaned out loud when I heard the doorbell ring and then my mom happily welcome Collin in the house.
“Chloe,” Mom called in a sing-song voice, “Collin’s here.”
“Coming!” Disgusted, I dragged myself off the bed. To kill a bit more time, I decided to walk over to my mirror and fix my hair. Then, of course, I had to straighten my clothes. I took a couple more minutes to add jewelry, but then I changed my mind and took it off again. I didn’t want to look like I was trying to impress the guy.
After Mom shouted my name a second time, I realized I couldn’t get away with hiding in my room any longer, so I grudgingly made my way down the hall to the dining room. I could overhear my mom as she practically simpered to Collin, “You have to excuse Chloe. She hasn’t been feeling well today. The poor dear.”
I rolled my eyes as I came around the corner.
“There she is!” my mom said, clearly relieved.
Collin was all friendly smiles as I sat down next to my father and across from him. Dinner went better than I thought, thanks to Dad’s sense of humor. Every time Collin acted weird or pulled out his phone, Dad looked at me and raised his eyebrows. I was so relieved to find that someone else in my family thought Collin was strange.
But dinner didn’t last long enough. Before I knew it, I found myself being whisked outside to the privacy of the front yard, with Collin right behind me. I turned just in time to see my mother’s blissful smile as she shut the front door behind us. In an instant I realized just how alone I was, and a feeling of dread came over me. I walked over to the little bench at the front of the house and sat down. I didn’t care whether Collin followed me or not. It was like I knew exactly what he would ask before the words ever left his mouth
.
“Chloe?” He stood right over me.
I rubbed the toe of my shoe against the worn spot in the lawn in front of the bench. “Yep,” I answered, not looking up. Collin cleared his throat.
Great. Here he goes. I just wanted this moment to end.
“Chloe, um, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how my life needs to change.”
Yeah, you think?
“And well, my mom mentioned that maybe I wouldn’t spend so much time on the computer if I had a girlfriend.”
Could this get any more embarrassing? I refused to look up at him. Instead I continued to study the ground.
He plowed on. “And I was thinking you would probably be the safest bet—I mean since you’re nice and all, and I know you. So, so—that’s it.”
That’s it? As in what? Does he think we’re going out? Speechless, I looked up as Collin uncomfortably squatted down in front of me. He attempted to hold my hands, but I pulled them away.
He cleared his throat again. “I guess all we have left to do is seal the deal.” He started to lean in close with his lips puckered.
Ahh! Instantly I jumped up. I knocked into Collin in the process, which caused him to lose his balance and topple backward.
Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I began to panic. I turned my back from him while he scrambled to his feet. What am I going to say? Be nice. Firm, but nice.
“Collin.” I turned around to face his naive smile. “Look, I really think you’re a nice guy. But I’m—I don’t think it’ll work out, but thanks for asking.”
Collin just kept grinning at me, then laughed awkwardly.
“Collin, I’m serious.”
Something must’ve clicked in his brain, because he suddenly frowned. “But I don’t understand. Are you going out with someone already?”
