Tears stung at the corners of my eyes. I blinked them away, desperately trying to keep myself together.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry for not telling you how I was feeling. For running away. And for making you chase me down again. I’m sorry for being a grade A jerk.”
He had been a jerk. A total dream shattering jerk who’d run off with my heart. But all of that hurt was slowly evaporating as I looked up into his face. I fully expected to never see Collin again and yet here he was, standing in front of me. Leaning into his hand still cradling my cheek, I soaked in the warmth of his touch.
He opened his eyes again, his gaze softening. “Audrey...” He bit his lower lip and stepped closer until there was hardly any room left between us. “There’s no one like you.”
My breath left my lungs in a rush and everything seemed to disappear, except for the boy standing in front of me.
For a harrowing second, I wondered if I was hallucinating. Maybe Savannah and I hadn’t had that loving moment between us on stage. Maybe, in reality, she’d taken one look at me in my new bandit costume and whacked me in the head with her Black Widow style high kicks. She would, too. Too often I’d catch her looking at me like she wanted to commit murder. Maybe I was lying in on a hospital stretcher somewhere, completely passed out and dreaming. I would dream of Collin. And his chocolate colored eyes. And his lips, so close to mine.
“Are you sure this is real?” I asked, chewing on my cheek.
Collin put a finger under my chin and gently raised it to look me in the eye. “More real than anything I’ve ever known. Is it too late to ask for my singing partner back?”
I tried to suppress a grin, even as my pulse began to pick up. “No, but it’ll cost you.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Name it.”
My heart thundered in my chest as I thought about the last few months. How much everything had changed. Collin had been right. I’d been too scared to do anything for myself. Too scared to make waves. But I’d changed, and so had he. Nothing was standing in my way anymore.
“Remember the party on the beach?” I asked, walking my fingers up his arm.
The glint in his eyes smoldered and he trailed his fingers down to the back of my neck, leaving a scorching trail. “Yeah.”
“When you were dared to kiss me?”
“Definitely.” His chest rose and fell in a heavy breath.
I rose to my tiptoes, until only an inch was left between his lips and mine, and grinned. “Collin Preston, I dare you to kiss me.”
He didn’t need any more convincing. His lips met mine with a delirious passion. My mouth filled with the minty taste of him, my lips slanted against his. His hands found the small of my back and pulled me in closer until I couldn’t tell where he began and I ended. My heart hammered away happily inside my chest as everything in my world shifted back into place. Collin was back. It couldn’t have been a better ending, even if this had been a cheesy Hallmark movie.
We pulled apart just as the music playing in the background ended and clapping began. The Glee Club was done with their performance. Mrs. Banks would be announcing me any minute. But now, I wasn’t alone.
“Got your guitar?” I asked breathlessly, unsure if I’d be able to walk a straight line onto the stage, that kiss had me so dizzy.
Collin nodded. “One step ahead of you.” He grabbed his guitar case that had been stashed under the stage and opened it up.
I gaped at the sight and put my hand on my hip. “Um, exactly how long have you been planning to surprise me here?”
“Since before your performance as Rascal the Bandit,” he said, eyes twinkling. “That was really great, by the way. Very sexy.”
My face warmed as I pressed a hand to my cheek. “You saw that?”
“Every single precious moment.” He closed his eyes and tipped his head up toward the sky. “I don’t think I would’ve been able to go on if I’d missed my girlfriend busting through the smoke as the sexiest raccoon that ever lived.”
I laughed, but my insides were zinging. Collin called me his girlfriend. Nothing was better than that.
Mrs. Banks’ voice rang out over the stadium as the Glee Club descended the stairs. I heard her say my name and the world seemed to tilt. This was the moment I’d been waiting for the entire year. I reached for the base of the stage to steady myself and took a deep breath.
“Hey, you ready?” Collin cupped my elbow and looked into my eyes.
“Yeah.” I grinned up at him and nodded. Seeing him beside me made all of the nerves disappear. “Let’s rock this thing.”
His eyes shone with approval and he bent down to press his lips quickly to mine. And then we were off, climbing the stairs to the stage. Mrs. Banks’ eyes grew wide when she saw Collin holding my hand, but she hardly missed a beat. Turning back to the microphone she cleared her throat.
“Turns out we have a little change of plans. Singing with Ms. Black will be her song co-writer, Collin Preston.”
I don’t think I’ve ever heard such a loud cheer. The entirety of Rock Valley screamed and clapped, welcoming Collin back. He didn’t even seem to notice. His eyes were on mine the whole time, even as we adjusted our microphone stands and plugged our guitars into the sound system.
“Everyone knows that the story of our founders, Sarah Good and Captain Adley, was a love story,” Collin said into the mic, his smile brightening. “We’re here to bring that love story to life one more time.”
I nodded and strummed a D chord on my guitar. The beautiful sound peeled from the speakers, electrifying my nerve endings and reverberating in my soul. With one look up at Collin’s glowing smile, I jumped into the beginning:
I thought I was all alone
Blazing a trail through life
I didn’t need a hero
I could do it on my own
Collin joined me on the next verse, our voices melding perfectly. My heart thumped loudly in my chest as we hit the chorus. Despite the stage and the massive audience, we sang our song as if we were back in Tripp and Gina’s backyard. It was just the two of us and our guitars. I’d never felt so exhilarated. By the time we crescendoed through the bridge and last chorus, I was riding a high better than anything I’d ever experienced. And as the sound of our guitars faded, the audience roared to life.
The noise hardly registered with me. The only thing I could see was the thrilling way Collin was looking at me. In three quick steps, he crossed the space between us and took my face in both of his hands. Bending down slightly, he pressed his lips to mine in a kiss that sent a shock straight through every nerve ending in my body. And if he hadn’t been holding my hand when he released me, I would have fallen right to the floor in a dizzy hot mess. My cheeks burned hot as the crowd cheered again and Collin smiled down at me.
“Think we nailed it?” I asked, returning his smile.
“I can’t be sure...” He gave me that cocky lopsided grin that still made me tingle, his eyes burning with a serious glow. “But I think the crowd loved it.”
And sure enough, we took one more bow and ran off the stage to a crowd of our fellow students standing on the edge of the field. The guys enveloped Collin, clasping his shoulder in celebration of his return. Mandy and Trina waited for me, pulling me into a gigantic hug as other students patted me on the back. I smiled so hard, I thought my cheeks were going to crack.
It didn’t matter whatever else would come my way this senior year at Rock Valley High. As I spotted my cheering family in the crowd, including my new step-mom, I knew that healing was on the way. It was a long road, but we had taken the first few steps.
And when I turned to see Collin looking my way, even as the rowdy crowd jostled around him, my stomach clenched with the knowledge that he was back to stay. It might have all started in a game of truth or dare, but this quarterback was now mine. And I was his.
Epilogue
Trina
I pulled my old Chevy Cavalier into a spot at the R
ock Valley High parking lot and threw it into park. With a hesitant glance at the passenger next to me, I tried my best to smile brightly. Audrey was staring straight ahead, her face as pale as my little sister’s legs after sitting in front of a TV and gaming all summer. She looked ready to puke. Mandy sat in the back seat, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the center console.
“I’m sure it’s going to be fine,” I offered, patting Audrey on the leg.
“How can it be fine?” She flashed the screen of her phone in my direction. “According to the RockValleyBiz, I’m one of the homecoming nominees. Me! How could this have happened?”
I shrugged, trying my best to keep a straight face. “You’re a cheerleader now. And you made a splash at the centennial celebration with that performance of yours.”
“Not to mention,” Mandy offered with a tilt of her head, “you’re dating one of the most popular guys in school. Honestly, I would’ve been surprised if you didn’t get voted in.”
As if on cue, a knock came on the passenger side window. We all looked over to see Collin’s grinning face, the warmth in his eyes all reserved for the girl sitting beside me. Audrey rushed to unbuckle her belt and threw the door open, jumping into his arms. Mandy and I followed out of the car and threw our backpacks on.
“Did you hear the news?” Audrey’s voice was muffled against Collin’s shoulder. “Did you see Instagram this morning?”
“Yeah, you and me up for homecoming,” he said with a confident wag of his eyebrows. “We’re royalty, baby.”
“No, no, no, don’t you understand?” She pushed him at arms’ length, her hands still tightly gripping his shoulders. “Savannah is one of the nominees. She just barely forgave me for taking Grandma Ivy’s pearls. Do you think she’d forgive me if I got homecoming queen over her? This would be the start of World War III. I’m not even kidding. She’s probably already thinking of ways to have me assassinated.”
Mandy and I exchanged glances. Audrey had a point. Savannah wouldn’t like this.
Although they both liked to claim that Audrey’s cousin was Satan in a miniskirt, I was sure that deep down, Savannah was better than that. After all, she’d cooled down since the centennial event. She no longer felt the need to shoot daggers at us in the hallway every time we met. And she’d allowed Audrey to keep her new raccoon mascot for the rest of the football season. It wasn’t like this whole homecoming thing was Audrey’s fault. It was the student body that voted her in.
But just as Audrey had begun to breathe again and the blood returned to her cheeks, the click clack of high heels announced an imminent arrival. Savannah was headed right toward our little party, her black knee-high boots and swaying hips making for an intimidating sight. She tossed her long wavy hair over her shoulder and stopped in front of Audrey, her red lips pursed in displeasure.
“I’m guessing you’ve heard the news...” She looked down at her fingernails, as if the conversation already bored her.
Audrey held tight to Collin’s hand. “Savannah, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for this...”
“Whatever. May the fiercest woman win.” She stuck out her hand, her eyes narrowing.
We all seemed to be holding our breaths. My stomach did a little flip, waiting for Audrey to say something. More than anything, I wanted my best friend to win. She deserved it. And she and Collin were perfect for each other. They were made for homecoming royalty.
But I didn’t want any of it at the expense of her happiness. She’d just managed to get into a good place with her family, her love life, and even her dream of being a music star. For the first time, she was going after what she wanted, no longer sitting back and letting people stomp all over her. I wondered if somewhere, deep down inside, Audrey wanted this. A chance to be homecoming queen. Wasn’t it every little girl’s dream? Maybe, she’d fight for this, too.
“Yeah,” Audrey said, taking Savannah’s hand to shake. “May the fiercest woman win.”
I watched in awe as Savannah’s eyes lit up for the tiniest moment, her frown softening. I imagined it was like seeing the Mona Lisa up close, moments after Leonardo DaVinci had placed the final strokes of his brush. And then the moment was over, and Savannah was storming away, the echo of her boots announcing her exit.
We all glanced at each other, as if we’d hallucinated at the same time. And then we began to break out into laughter. The tension was gone. Audrey reached up to her tip toes and placed a kiss on Collin’s lips, his arms automatically reaching around her waist as he pulled her tighter.
“I think they’re going to be like that for a while,” Mandy said, shaking her head. “Should we head inside?”
I nodded. She was right. Audrey and Collin were still in the sickly sweet honeymoon phase. It was best not to interrupt. I doubt they even remembered we existed.
The first warning bell sounded as we walked toward school and the front lawn began to empty. To our right was a single basketball hoop, where a bunch of the guys liked to let off some steam before school. Despite the lines of students streaming into the school, they were still intently focused on their game, rebounding a shot.
I slowed my pace as I spotted a new face among the players. He looked old enough to be a senior. At least six feet tall with dark hair, a chiseled jaw, and long, athletic arms. It was easy to see he was a natural at basketball. Every move he made was graceful. And as we got closer, he made a run for the hoop, sinking a lay-up with ease.
Rock Valley High was a big enough place that I didn’t know everyone’s name, but I at least prided myself on being able to recognize everyone’s face. This guy was definitely new. And smoldering hot. Not that that mattered. Making friends with the new kids was kind of my thing, whether geek or popular, hot or not.
“Who’s that?” I asked, elbowing Mandy to point at the new guy. The players had started another round and were already fiercely fighting for the ball. “Do you know him? He looks good enough to play on the basketball team.”
“Just because I’m an incredibly gifted runner doesn’t mean I automatically know every athlete in school,” she said with mock outrage in her voice. I glanced over at her and her face fell. “But yes, I know him. He’s in my Lit class. Just started last week. I think his name is Mason Finnick.”
Mason. That was a good name. A solid name. With a name like that, he was bound to be nice. And smart. My parents liked smart. Most moms and dads were just hoping their daughter’s didn’t bring home the bad boy from school. The boy with a tattoo across his chest, an earring, and a charming grin that said he was trouble. No, as doctors, my parents had a few more expectations, including me finding a guy who’d be there to help me through med school. Preferably, a future brain surgeon or famous researcher. They had my whole future planned out, whether I liked it or not.
“Heads up!”
As luck would have it, the basketball bounced toward us. I grabbed it before it could get past, holding the textured rubber ball tight in my hands. Mason jogged toward me, his cheeks red from the exertion of the game. Now was my chance to introduce myself to the new kid at school. Make him feel a little more at home. I smiled brightly at him, hoping to see a flicker of something in his eyes.
“Hi.” I bit my lower lip and looked up at him. “Is this yours?”
His forehead furrowed and he nodded curtly. “Yep.”
So he was a man of few words. That was okay. My dad always said I could talk enough for ten teenagers.
“Aren’t you new here?” I asked, trying to meet his eyes with another smile. “How do you like it so far?”
“It’s okay, I guess.” He reached out and plucked the ball from my hand, hardly giving me a second glance. “But I’ve got to finish this game before the bell rings. I’m not about to lose to that Ryan kid for the second time in a week. Someone has to put that guy in his place.”
I laughed. He had a sense of humor. That was a plus. “Don’t be too hard on him. Remember, it’s only a game.”
Mason froze, his whole body tensing. For
the first time, he made eye contact with me. His eyes were steel blue, with long dark lashes. They were narrowed at me, as if I’d just insulted his dead grandmother or something. The intensity of his expression took the breath right out of my lungs.
“It’s not just a game,” he said in a low voice. He shook his head and glanced at me once again with a disgusted expression. “Not to me.”
I couldn’t respond even if I’d wanted to. My vocal cords had been paralyzed. No one had ever made me feel like this before. Like I’d come to school smelling like a cow pie. It was a strange and alien feeling that caught me completely off guard. I wasn’t sure how to answer.
So I just nodded and smiled widely at him. He tilted his head to one side and frowned, looking at me as if I were a lunatic. But then the bell rang again and he growled through his gritted teeth.
“Lost again,” he said, his mouth quirking in disapproval. “As if today wasn’t bad enough to begin with. Thanks for that.”
“You’re welcome.”
The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I couldn’t help it, it was habit. He threw me a last incredulous look before jogging off to grab his backpack from a nearby picnic table. I stood watching him, my pink-laced Converses glued to the sidewalk.
“Holy guacamole.” Mandy smacked her hand to her forehead and barked out a laugh. I’d almost forgotten she was standing there the entire time. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so completely awkward. My first pap smear wasn’t even that awkward. He did not want to make new friends, did he?”
I groaned and threw my head back, staring at the cloudy sky above. “It was my fault. I shouldn’t have said that basketball was just a game. I was out of line.”
“No, he was out of line.” The fierceness in Mandy’s voice drew my attention. “And totally rude. Don’t waste your time on him. Mason Finnick is a jerk.”
Dare You to Kiss the Quarterback (Rock Valley High Book 1) Page 18
