Arielle scanned the area and her eyes fell on the blonde guy from earlier, the one she’d seen entering the school, standing by himself. She nudged Jess, whose face was planted on Damien’s, and pointed. “That’s the guy from earlier. Do you know who he is?”
Jess glanced over for a few seconds and shook her head. “Never seen him before.”
With butterflies in her stomach, Arielle started walking toward him. “I’m going to go introduce myself.”
Jess clapped. “Go for it. It’s about time you started living that life of yours.”
Jess might have been right, again, but Arielle could barely breathe. The thought of talking to him first made her want to turn and run in the other direction, but somehow she forced her feet to move forward until she stood in front of him.
Sticking her hand out, she smiled. “Hi, I’m Arielle. I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”
He took her hand. His skin was rough against hers. “I’m Blake. Just moved here.”
“Oh yeah? From where?” Arielle still held his hand.
“South Carolina.” He looked around a minute. “I don’t really know anyone here. Today was my first day. I thought coming here might help with that.”
“Well, you know one person now.” She dropped his hand, wiping her sweaty palm against her dress.
“You do, and she’s a weirdo chicken lover.”
Arielle turned toward the voice and Karla Lust marched up beside her, shoving her out of the way to extend her own hand. “I’m Karla, by the way.”
Blake shook her hand, looking confused. “Nice to meet you…”
“Tubby here was just leaving.” Karla glared at Arielle, who looked down at the ground.
Blake moved beside Arielle and wrapped an arm around her. “Actually, she isn’t.”
Arielle looked up just in time to see Karla’s mouth drop open. Then she stomped away, her posse following behind her like evil minions. She smiled up at Blake. “Thanks for that.”
“I don’t like bullies.”
Arielle laughed. “Me either, but for some reason they sure like me.”
Blake chuckled. “Probably because they’re jealous.”
Arielle’s cheeks flamed and she stepped out of Blake’s hold.
“There you are.” Jess ran up beside Arielle. “Damien said this place is boring and they won’t even light the fire until it’s completely dark. We are going to head back to my house and get the party set up.” Jess looked past Arielle to Blake. “Who’s that?”
Blake stuck his hand out in front of her, reaching around Arielle to do so. “I’m Blake.”
Jess shook his hand. “Well, hi, Blake. Why don’t you come to my house? I’m having a party and I’m sure Arielle would love the company.”
“Sure.”
Arielle had never been more excited for a party. She’d never had a boyfriend, a sad fact for sure, but maybe Blake would be the one to change that. Or maybe she’d taken a giant leap into a future that might never happen. She needed to slow down. One step at a time and all that.
She smiled up at Blake. “See you there?”
As she began to follow Jess back to Damien and Garrett, Blake grabbed her wrist and stopped her. “I don’t know how to get there. Will you ride with me?”
“Jess, I’m going with Blake to show him the way.”
Jess looked back and smiled, then nodded. “Sounds good.”
Arielle waved her hand in the air, gesturing forward. “Let’s get out of here.”
Blake slid his hand down from her wrist to her hand and pulled her to his car, a pastel blue, old-fashioned Mustang convertible. Arielle’s stomach flopped as excitement hit her. Mustangs were one of her favorite cars.
As she slid into the black leather seat, she smiled. “Head out of the parking lot and hang a left.”
And they were off.
Chapter 2
The Party
When Blake pulled into Jess’s driveway, Arielle’s heart sped up. She couldn’t believe she’d rode with him to the party. Blake, with his golden skin and blonde hair, looked like a guy who would never be seen with an overweight, kind of pretty girl. No, he should be with a drop-dead gorgeous model type who never ate anything at the parties, not the girl who ate everything.
Arielle had to change her thoughts before she allowed self-pity to swallow her whole. Blake had wanted to come with her and she needed to make sure he had fun because this could be her chance to change the whole almost-seventeen-and-never-had-a-boyfriend thing. The fact she knew just how pathetic that sounded in her head made her stir up the courage she needed to face the night.
As she stepped out of the old Mustang, she smiled at Blake. “So, you ready to party or what?”
Blake shrugged. “Sure, I guess. I’m not really a big party guy though.”
Arielle laughed. “Me either. At all. But Jess…she loves her parties.”
Blake tilted his head as he met Arielle in front of the car, then he leaned back against the hood, crossing his arms over his chest. “How did two people who are so different become best friends?”
It took a minute for Arielle to realize he was talking about her and Jess. She grinned. “Actually, it’s a funny story.” She paused. “When I was in first grade, we moved here in the middle of the school year. When I went to the new school, all the kids made fun of me.”
Blake scoffed. “Why?”
Arielle pressed her lips together. “I don’t know. Guess even when I was a kid I attracted the bullies. At recess, I played by myself. I remember the day like it happened yesterday. I was swinging when a little girl threw some pebbles at me. They stung as they hit my arms and I hopped off the swing and started to run, but another girl came in front of me and yelled at the girl who threw the rocks. Jess, of course. We’ve been best friends ever since.”
Blake grinned. “I guess she’s always looked out for you? Because right now, she’s glaring at me through the front door. So, if that’s normal behavior, I guess I shouldn’t be worried she might slit my wrists in my sleep or something, right?”
Arielle looked at the front door and sure enough, Jess watched like an overprotective mother. Arielle should be mad since she had her own parents to do that, but instead, her heart warmed at the thought. She couldn’t ask for a better friend than Jess. “No, you shouldn’t worry. She’s just good at watching over me.”
Blake took a deep breath. “Phew. Guess I’m safe.”
Arielle laughed and tugged Blake by the shoulder. “Come on, let’s go inside and see if we can help get ready for the party.”
“Since you’re tugging my shoulder, guess I don’t have a choice.”
Arielle laughed again. Blake had a sense of humor, something she hadn’t thought when she’d first met him. “Nope. Didn’t your mom teach you when you’re on a date, the girl gets to make all the decisions?”
Blake stopped, making Arielle slingshot back into him. “Wait, this is a date?”
Arielle’s cheeks flamed. She looked away and focused on the gravel in the driveway, afraid to meet Blake’s eyes. The gravel did look kind of nice, so maybe she could stare at it the rest of the night. “Um…sure. I guess.”
Blake shuffled around her and tipped her chin up to face him. “There’s no reason to be shy about it. I was excited when you said it was a date. I wanted it to be one.”
Since she couldn’t look away because he still held her chin, she smiled. “Okay, good. Guess we’re on the same page.”
“Guess we are.” He linked his arm in hers. “Now let’s go inside before Jess’s eyes set me on fire.”
Arielle laughed again, something she couldn’t put a stop to around him even though she probably came off as an idiot. She never laughed like this…oh, who was she kidding? She laughed all the time and everyone thought her to be just another dumb blonde. Little did they know she wasn’t. In fact, every grading period she made the honor roll.
As they walked in the house, Arielle winked at Jess. “Thanks for
watching out for me.” She kept her voice low so Blake wouldn’t hear, but he looked back at her anyway.
“Anytime,” Jess said. “Now, let’s get set up for a party!”
They joined Jess in the kitchen and began working. Bags of chips were dumped into bowls and set on the counter, along with dip. They made punch, which Jess doused with a bit of vodka to liven things up. Her parents were gone for the weekend, so they would never know.
“I ordered a ton of pizza. It should be here any minute.” Jess glanced at the clock on the wall by the kitchen table. “In fact, I think it should have already been here.”
The doorbell rang then. Jess answered it and a delivery guy brought in a stack of pizzas that almost touched the ceiling. Arielle guessed she hadn’t been kidding when Jess said she ordered a lot. But the delivery guy went out and came back in with another stack, which he set on the kitchen table by the other.
After Jess paid, she came back into the kitchen. “Well, hopefully that’s enough food.”
Arielle raised her eyebrows. “How many people did you invite?”
Jess shrugged. “No clue. Between Damien and me, we probably invited the whole school.”
Arielle shook her head. “I thought this was supposed to be a small party.”
Jess’s eyes gleamed. “Oh, it is.”
Arielle put her hand over her face. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Love me for eternity?” Jess wrapped an arm around Arielle. “I hope.”
After a few seconds, Arielle returned her hug. “Of course I will. By the way, where is Damien?”
Jess shrugged. “Around somewhere. You know Damien. He’s not really into helping.” She made air quotes with her fingers when she said helping.
Blake leaned back against the kitchen counter. “What time’s the party start?”
“Any minute. As soon as people start showing up.”
Damien and Garrett came in through the back door, right off the kitchen. They were talking and laughing.
“There you are.” Jess rushed forward and kissed his cheek. He flinched away from her touch. The corner of her lips dropped toward the floor.
Arielle moved without realizing it and pulled Jess back to the activity around the food. “Let’s finish setting up so we’re ready when everyone gets here.”
Arielle had never liked Damien. He seemed like a bad influence, but it wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t also an absolute jerk. In fact, Arielle couldn’t stand him. But she put up with him for Jess. As much as she could.
Garrett and Damien went off into the living room and Arielle heard the TV turn on.
Blake moved toward them. “Think I’ll go hang out with the guys for a bit, if you don’t need me for anything else.”
“Sure. Go for it.” Arielle didn’t mind him leaving the room. She wanted to talk to Jess alone.
As soon as he disappeared, Jess sighed. “I don’t know why he suddenly doesn’t want to be around me.”
Arielle bit her bottom lip, trying to pick the words she would say with caution. “Well, I don’t think he doesn’t want to be around you. I just think he likes his friends more than you.”
Jess’s jaw dropped open. “Really?”
If Arielle could, she’d smack her forehead. What a horrible thing she’d picked to say. “Listen, Jess. Damien isn’t a great guy. You deserve so much more. You deserve to be happy, and ever since you’ve been with him, you haven’t been.”
Jess took a few steps and stood in front of the fridge, crossing her arms over her chest. “I know. But I love him, Ari. It’s hard when you love someone, even if they don’t love you back the same way.”
Arielle moved to stand next to her again, then thought better of it and leaned against the counter opposite her friend so she could see her. “Listen. I know sometimes I say the wrong thing.”
Jess widened her eyes and her chin touched her chest. “Really?”
Arielle smiled. “Okay, I say the wrong thing all the time, but you know how much you mean to me. Damien doesn’t treat you right. He never has, and I’m sorry, but I can’t sugarcoat it anymore. He never will.”
Jess took a deep breath and met Arielle’s eyes. “I know. You’re right. You have been right ever since I got with him. After the party, I will tell him it’s not working.”
Arielle wanted to jump for joy, but she knew it would upset Jess even more. Arielle had been having the same talk with Jess for months, ever since she’d started dating Damien. The guy cared more about everyone else besides Jess, and he put her last in everything. If he loved her, really loved her, he would put her first. In Damien’s world, Damien was first and always would be. Jess deserved better and Arielle was thankful she’d finally listened to her.
Blake stomped into the kitchen. “Well, those guys are douchehats.”
Arielle looked at Jess and both of them burst into a fit of giggles. By the end of their laughter, Arielle couldn’t see through the tears escaping her eyes.
Blake scrunched his forehead. “What did I say?”
“You couldn’t have hit the nail harder.” Arielle walked away, laughing.
After that, the doorbell wouldn’t stop ringing. Within an hour, the house filled with bodies, so many Arielle had a hard time moving with how crowded it became. After a while, she couldn’t find Blake, so she weaved through the people until she spotted him. Of course, Karla stood beside him. Arielle watched as she placed her fingers by her mouth and laughed at something he said, then she leaned forward, all but rubbing her front against his arm like some crazy cat.
Steam could have shot from Arielle’s ears at any minute. She stomped forward until she came face to face with Blake, whose face lit up when she approached. He looked even more grateful for the interruption than her. “Hey, Ari. I was wondering where you were.”
“I’m here. It’s hard to get around in this place though.”
Karla glared daggers at her. Arielle smiled back at her. “Hey, Karla. Nice to see you again.”
“Oh please. Like you mean that. And why would I want some fat girl happy to see me?”
Blake stepped between Arielle and Karla, keeping his back to Arielle. “Here we go again. If you can’t be nice to my date, don’t talk to me.”
Karla’s mouth fell open. “Your date?”
“Yeah. You heard me. My date. So how about you stop making fun of her.” Blake crossed his arms over his stomach.
Arielle peered around him with a look of triumph on her face, she couldn’t help it. It was the first time anyone had ever stood up to Karla for her, except Jess. Jess always had Arielle’s back.
Karla rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe you’d pick that over this.” She gestured to herself like Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune.
Blake pulled Arielle in front of him. “This is prettier than you will ever be.”
“Okay.” Karla laughed. “Guess you’re as much of a freak as she is. Hope you two freaks find all kinds of freaky happiness together.” Then she walked away, her head held even higher than before.
Blake sighed, almost growling. “I can’t believe her. Who the hell does she think she is?”
Arielle touched his arm. “She thinks she’s the queen of the school, because she kind of is. But thanks for standing up to her. Again.”
Blake focused on her. “Why don’t you? Why do you just let her talk to you like that?”
Arielle shrugged. “I guess I don’t let it bother me too much.” She knew as the words left her lips they were a lie. “Okay, scratch that.” She paused, her stomach flopping around in her chest, but she wouldn’t lie to him so she continued. “I don’t stick up to her because I’m scared of her.”
Blake’s eyes softened. “Don’t be. People like her have way more problems than people like you. Trust me. I know.”
Arielle nodded, then swallowed hard as she realized how close they were. Only inches apart, if she leaned forward just a smidge, she could kiss him. And for some reason, she couldn’t think of anything else.
Jess plowed into her side and Arielle slammed into the kitchen counter. “Oh my God. This party is amazeballs! Can you believe it?” Her words slurred so much Arielle knew she’d had way too much to drink.
“Jess, you need to slow down on the drinky.” Arielle leaned closer and whispered, “You know what happened last time.”
Jess laughed. “Last time was a fluke. I won’t puke all night again. I promise.”
Arielle snatched Jess’s cup from her hand. “I promise I will make sure it doesn’t.” She looked up at Blake with a questioning glance as Jess stormed off.
“Go with your friend. I’ll be fine.”
She mouthed, “Thank you,” as she followed after an angry Jess, who went out the front door. Arielle tried to keep up, but Jess started to run around the side of the house. As Arielle jogged after her, she yelled, “Jess, stop!” But Jess didn’t stop until she got to the backyard, where she collapsed in front of the fire pit in the middle of the yard.
Arielle fell to the ground beside her. “What is wrong with you?”
Tears fell from her eyes as Jess leaned forward. “I don’t know. I thought getting drunk would make me forget about Damien, but it didn’t. He’s off with some other girl right now, in my room of all places! I don’t know what to do.”
Arielle pulled Jess’s head to her shoulder and ran her hand down her hair. “Forget him. He’s not worth it.”
They sat like that for a while until Damien and Garrett wandered out the back door. Arielle looked up, and when her eyes fell on them, she narrowed them as far as she could manage and still be able to see. “Get out of here. Both of you.”
Damien raised his eyebrows. “What did I do?”
“You took another girl to Jess’s room, Damien. That’s not cool.”
He had the nerve to laugh. “It’s not what you think.”
Jess stood and turned to face him. “This is over, Damien. I can’t play this game anymore. You either want to be my boyfriend or you don’t.”
It Starts With L (The Letters of Love Series Book 1) Page 2
