I stared at him for a moment as his words registered and my heart leapt wildly. “You want to make plans…with me?”
He nodded. “And you want to have unplanned fun with me?”
I nodded and we both burst out laughing.
“We make quite the team,” he said.
“Maybe…” I started. “Maybe we sort of even each other out.”
“Maybe.” His gaze met mine and held it steadily. “So you’re in this then? With me?”
I nodded, my heart aching with fierce emotions I didn’t know how to name. “I’m in. I like being with you and that’s pretty much the only thing I’m certain about in my life right now.”
He grinned. “That is more than enough.”
I finally let my giant dopey grin have its way as I reveled in the tenderness of his gaze and the fact that his arms were around me, exactly like I wanted.
After another heartbeat, Jax looked around at our setting and I did the same. It was incredible. The ocean glowing in the sunset to one side and the beach town spread out below us on the other.
“We’ve been up here for a while, haven’t we?” Jax asked.
When he turned back to me I gave him another goofy smile. “Just long enough for you to kiss me.”
Understanding dawned and his eyes narrowed. “Wait a second, did you…”
“Plan this?” I finished. “Heck yeah I did. You didn’t think I’d leave this romantic moment up to chance, did you?”
Jax was shaking his head in disbelief. “How did you—”
“I paid a guy,” I interrupted with a shrug. “The ride operators here are criminally underpaid and he was happy to help.”
Jax burst out in a laugh as he cupped my cheeks in his palms and leaned forward until his lips brushed against mine. “You and your plans,” he murmured just before he claimed my mouth in a kiss.
It was a kiss that stole my breath and stole my heart. Fierce and tender, his lips moved over mine as the rest of the world faded away around us.
The future could wait, the past was over. But this moment?
This was a moment I’d remember for a lifetime.
Epilogue
Three months later…
I looked to Jax, who wore the bored expression, a sure sign that he was just as terrified as I was.
“Are we really going to do this?” Fear, excitement, and adrenaline were a heady mix that I was starting to get used to after three months with Jax.
His gaze met mine and that apathetic façade slipped as he smirked, his eyes dancing with laughter. “What, go off to New York together? Our bags are packed, Cat, it’s too late to turn back now.”
I rolled my eyes but his teasing managed to make me grin despite my heart-pounding terror. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
Though it was true. Our bags were literally packed and waiting right this moment in Jax’s apartment, which had sort of become my apartment too after Bob went back home for the rest of the summer.
By the time Senior Week was over, I’d made a decision. Life was too short to spend it agonizing over the perfect plan and the ideal future. I had a lot of learning to do about who I was and what I wanted out of life, and I didn’t know anyone I’d rather figure life out with more than Jax.
So…plans be damned. I went back home for graduation and to quit my job at the Ice Cream Shack. I wasn’t worried about money since Willie had already promised me a job on his ship if I returned.
That’s right. I was one of those ridiculous performers on his tour cruises and I couldn’t possibly have been more psyched about it. My summer job had been way more fun than selling ice cream like I’d done every other summer.
The funny thing was, after the initial shock my friends and my family were super supportive. Maybe even relieved. They’d all seen what a crazed stressball I’d become those last six months or so, and they were surprisingly understanding about the fact that I needed a change to get some perspective.
Jax reached over and took my hand in his and my heart leapt once more, but this time with love rather than terror.
Yeah, I’d gotten perspective this summer, all right. And so had Jax. We’d spent countless nights walking the beach and talking about life and love and dreams and…yes, plans.
It wasn’t like I was going to change overnight, and I didn’t want to. I liked the fact that I was organized and determined, and Jax loved it about me.
He told me so on a regular basis.
So I helped him mold his passions into a plan and he helped me figure out who I was now and what was important to me.
School was still important so I wasn’t about to walk away from college like Jax had done. But that didn’t mean I was committed to pre-law like I’d thought. I’d switched to undecided so I could take some more time to sort things out.
Every once in a while that made me hyperventilate, but I was starting to see my panicky response as a good thing. It meant I was scaring the crap out of myself, and that was a good thing. Maybe not for everyone, but for me?
Yeah, I needed to challenge myself.
I needed to give myself a heaping dose of fear every once in a while.
I squeezed Jax’s hand as the guy strapped to my back gave me one last lecture on how this would work.
Still, there was fear and then there was fear.
“I have no idea how I let you talk me into this,” I shouted over the roar of the airplane’s engine.
His answering grin made me forget everything for one blissful moment. Everything except how much I loved this guy. My teammate. My partner-in-crime. My best friend.
“If you can conquer this,” Jax said. “New York will be a breeze.”
I arched my brows at his cocky grin. He was just as scared as I was, I knew it. But for him, I think it was the thought of moving to New York that scared him more than jumping out of a plane.
No, not just New York. It was the plan.
Dun dun dunnn.
That was the sound Jax made every time he said it. Stupid, right? Plans were nothing to fear, I’d tried to teach him.
Especially if they were plans that could be bent or broken.
His plan, which he was actually excited about despite his trepidations, was to go to culinary school while I went to college. The more he researched the school and the internships, the more lit up he seemed to be.
And scared.
But maybe excitement and fear were supposed to go hand in hand. At least, that was our current theory we’d been working on and the one that he’d used to convince me that today’s adventure was a good idea.
He gave my hand another squeeze and stroked the back of my hand reassuringly with his thumb.
“If I don’t die, I’m going to kill you when this is all over.” I smiled as I said it and that made him laugh.
“If I live I’m going to kiss the hell out of you,” he shouted, a devilish glint in those dark, hypnotic eyes.
My cheeks warmed even though the experienced skydivers were either pretending not to hear us or they honestly couldn’t hear over the crazy loud engine.
“Promises, promises,” I mouthed.
“Not a promise…” he started.
I knew where this was heading and I managed to roll my eyes even as sheer terror had me clutching his hand tightly.
My handler, as I was starting to think of the man attached to my back, edged me forward toward the edge of the plane and just as I finally released my death grip on Jax’s hand he finished his statement. “It’s a plan.”
That was how I managed to let out a breathless laugh as I was guided to the edge of the plane door. Oh holy crap, was I really doing this?
The near stranger on my back didn’t give me a chance to think twice as he rolled us both out and we were falling, falling, falling…
The wind rushed past me so hard and fierce that it didn’t actually feel like falling. Not like the roller coaster dropping sensation I’d expected. I was quite literally more out of control than I’d ever been
in my entire life…and the sensation was utterly, miraculously, mind-blowingly amazing.
I don’t know whether I gasped or screamed or laughed—it was a combination of all three, and it didn’t matter because the sound was lost in the loud whoosh as we plummeted toward the earth.
It wasn’t until my handler pulled the cord and the parachute slowed us that I caught sight of Jax. He was also drifting down and he gave me two thumbs up as he fell.
My heart was still racing from the adrenaline rush, but that didn’t stop it from jumping wildly in my chest.
Whether it was destiny, fate, or just coincidence—I’d forever be grateful that this guy showed up in my life when he had. Funny how one day, one unplanned adventure, and several sizzling kisses could change the entire course of my life for the better.
I grinned over at him even though I was sure he couldn’t make out my smile. It didn’t matter. I’d be sure to thank him for pushing me to try this latest adventure to top off a summer of firsts.
How would I thank him?
I was going to kiss the hell out of him.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, reviews are greatly appreciated! Did you miss the first two books in the series? If so, you can find them here: Senior Week Fling and Senior Week Crush.
Each book in the series is totally standalone. In Senior Week Fling, best friends Adam & Eve find that faking a relationship during a beach getaway seems like harmless fun…until it starts to feel way too real. In Senior Week Crush, Layla finally has a chance to win the guy of her dreams…so why is she kissing her worst enemy?
Turn the page to read a sample from the first book of Maggie Dallen’s latest YA romance series, Out of His League. What's the first rule of reinventing yourself as a cool girl at a new school? Steer clear of your old crush.
Out of His League
Chapter One
Veronica
Fake it til you make it.
As far as personal mantras go, mine wasn’t terribly original, but it was effective. Sort of. At least, I hoped it would be. Time would tell. My best friend, Trent, was driving me to my first day at a new school for my junior year. After a lifetime of going to the same school with the same class, I’d been granted an amazing opportunity to start fresh and I was determined to make the most of it.
Physically, at least, I was ready. You know those scenes in cheesy teen romantic comedies where the girl gets a makeover and is totally transformed in a one-minute montage?
Yeah, I’d done that.
Well, my friend Margo had done that. She’d been the one to teach me how to blow out my frizzy, curly brown hair into pretty waves. She’d taught me how to wear makeup and how to walk in heels. But trust me, it hadn’t happened in a matter of minutes. It had taken all summer.
Mentally I was prepped, too. I’d been planning for this moment ever since I got my acceptance letter from Briarwood, a private school I scored a scholarship to. It was on the other side of town from my old public school, Atwater, and it might as well have been in a different universe.
No one knew me at Briarwood, which was terrifying but also incredibly exciting. It meant I had a chance to reinvent myself, and I didn’t have to wait until college to do it. Physically and mentally, I was ready to play the part of Veronica Smith—the confident, cool, dateable new junior. But if I could actually pull it off remained to be seen.
Sitting in the front seat of Trent’s car as we neared my new school, it was kind of hard to fake it. Trent knew me way too well. He, like everyone else I’d grown up with, knew me as Ronnie—tomboy, jock, and completely invisible to the male population.
Before you get any ideas, I should say right now—this is not a story about how I fell in love with my best friend. No way. Trent is awesome and I love him dearly—as a brother. So no, and also…ew. I can’t even go there in my imagination. I should also probably mention that my friend Margo in the backseat was his girlfriend. They’d been dating since freshman year and since I was Trent’s best friend, Margo had become my first and only female friend by default.
I’d been friendly with a lot of the girls on my old soccer team, but soccer was the only thing we’d really had in common, and those friendships had stayed on the field. Besides, any one of my former teammates would have looked at me like I was crazy if I’d asked them to help me with my hair. But Margo? She stepped into the role of my lone girl friend like a champ.
But she wouldn’t be my only female friend for long, hopefully. Veronica Smith was going to make friends. Girl friends. And she was going to be noticed by guys. She was going to flirt, and date, and as God as my witness, she was going to have her first kiss.
My inner diatribe was cut short as Briarwood came into view. The butterflies in my stomach went crazy and I sucked in a quick, loud inhale as I clutched my belly.
Trent glanced over. “You all right, Ronnie?”
“It’s not Ronnie anymore,” Margo scolded from the backseat.
I felt her hands on my shoulders as she leaned forward so her face was next to mine. I already knew I was in for another pep talk. She’d very sweetly come over to my house super early this morning to help me with my hair and makeup.
Despite her many lessons these last few weeks, I still hadn’t been confident enough to do it on my own. This morning she’d alternated between making me look good and boosting my confidence.
I was so freakin’ glad Trent was dating Margo.
Trent tried to be helpful in his own way, like by offering to give me a ride on my first day so I didn’t have to show up on the bus. Still, he couldn’t quite seem to get on board with my plan. He didn’t understand why I might want something different, to be somebody different.
Margo, on the other hand… well, I got the feeling that this was her dream come true. She was a big fan of all those cheesy rom com movies where the nerdy girl becomes popular just because she gets a sweet blowout and a pair of contact lenses.
For Margo, my plan is the closest thing she’s ever experienced to that in real life. And in real life, she got to be the awesome fairy godmother character who gives the makeover.
She was pretty pleased with herself on that front.
I glanced in the side mirror at the still unfamiliar reflection. I was pretty darn pleased, too. She’d done an awesome job. I wouldn’t have recognized me if I saw myself walking down the halls of my old school, where Trent and Margo were headed after they dropped me off.
I’d been dying for a change for a while now but trying to change your image when you’re surrounded by people who’ve known you since kindergarten? It’s next to impossible. Even Trent couldn’t wrap his head around this new me and he knew me better than anyone.
It was Margo who reminded him. “She’s going by Veronica now,” Margo said, her voice all stern, but still cute. She couldn’t help it. Margo was just cute by nature. Small and blonde, she’d always been popular at Atwater. Not in a Mean Girls way but in the “I’m nice to everyone” way. In return, everyone loved Margo. Including me. She’d taken me under her wing these past few weeks, helping me to develop my new identity.
“She’s Ronnie,” Trent said, “And she always will be.”
I sighed. That was why this new and improved me could only exist at a new high school. I had to kill off Ronnie. It’s not like I was the lowest rung on the social hierarchy. I had some friends—all nerdy boys, except for Margo and my teammates. Trent might have been the nerdiest of them all. It was still a wonder to me that Margo had fallen for him, but I guess he did have a cute grungy rocker look about him that was an oddly good complement to Margo’s goody-two-shoes vibe.
My vibe was total tomboy. I’d always been into sports and had been more comfortable hanging out with the boys in my class. I’d never liked shopping, or tight clothes, or taking time to do my hair. I liked being comfortable, and that usually meant oversized T-shirts and frizzy curls scraped back into a ponytail.
And while that was all fine and good for a long time, once I hit high school I
didn’t know how to break out of that image. And here’s the thing… I wanted to go on a date. I wanted to be kissed. And yes, one day I wanted a boyfriend. I didn’t want to go through my entire life being treated like a boy just because I’m good at sports and don’t know the first thing about highlights and lowlights.
So when I got the scholarship offer to go to Briarwood, I seized on the chance to start fresh. Just thinking about the clean slate ahead of me made the butterflies ease up, excitement taking their place.
It was hard to not feel like a fraud, but as Margo liked to point out—I wasn’t being a fraud, I was just being a better version of me. Because while I liked sports, there was more to me than just that. I was also a good baker and had great grades. I liked to read romance novels and I adored old movies. I wrote for the newspaper back in my old school and dabbled in photography.
I was more than just a tomboy, just like Trent wasn’t just a computer nerd with a thing for indie bands. But I guess when you’re stuck in the same building with the same group of people, you get put in a hole. You get stuck with your label and it’s almost impossible to break free.
There were a lot of reason I wanted to go to Briarwood—great soccer team, better chance at getting into a college of my choice, better teachers—but starting fresh was the biggest one.
Trent pulled up in front of the school, which looked daunting with its ivy-covered walls. Margo kneaded my shoulders like a coach, which she kind of was. She was my cool-girl coach. “You’ve got this, Veronica.”
It was a bad sign that my full name sounded weird to me, wasn’t it?
No. I’d get used to it.
Trent sighed. “I still don’t get why you want to be different. You’re the coolest girl I know, and—”
Margo and I both slapped his bicep and he winced. “Aside from Margo, obviously.”
Margo grinned and planted a kiss on his cheek. But he was focused on me, his eyes sweetly squinted with concern beneath his black-framed glasses. “Ronnie, you don’t need to change who you are just to be liked by some guy.”
Senior Week Kiss Page 13
