by Judy Corry
Deciding I’d have to figure him out later, I turned on my heel to find my seat in Mr. Phipps’ classroom.
My phone buzzed in my pocket as I sat at my desk. I pulled it out only to see I had about a dozen missed text messages and five missed calls, all from numbers I didn't recognize.
315-555-2934: UR hot. I'll be your boyfriend.
315-555-2345: I’ll dump my girlfriend 4 you.
315-555-9723: meet me in the maintenance closet @ lunch 4 a good time.
The rest of the texts were along the same lines. Who in their right mind would think I’d be interested in any of those things? Oh yeah, guys who thought the ad was actually real.
I’m going to kill Luke Davenport.
I was barely able to concentrate on my classes the rest of the morning because I kept getting texts. Most of them were from total idiots, but there was a handful that seemed sincere. Had every guy at school seen the ads? There couldn't be that many guys actually interested in dating me. It's not like I was that popular. Maybe Luke put all his friends up to texting me as well. I wouldn't put it past him. I mean, no guy in their right mind would actually be interested in filling the “boyfriend wanted” spot, given those ridiculous requirements on the flyer.
If my phone was this popular during class, what the heck was I supposed to do during lunch? Jess and Eliana would both be busy with their weekly Math Club meeting. Usually, I sat with my other drill team friends on Thursdays, but I could only imagine how many of Luke's buddies might try “helping” his plan along during that hour.
The bell rang and I walked out the door, fully planning to join Jess and Eliana in their club meeting today, pretending to be one of the mathletes. At least I’d have built-in tutors everywhere I went.
I had just stepped out into the hall when I came face to face with Brock Madison. Brock was a senior and captain of the lacrosse team…he was also my ex-boyfriend.
“I saw that you’re in the market for another boyfriend. Having a hard time getting along without me?”
“I'm getting along just fine, Brock. And I didn't put those flyers up.”
He crossed his arms and chuckled, “Yeah well, if any guys try to fill the ad, I'll tell them not to waste their time.”
My eyes instantly burned with tears at his words and the memories they evoked. I had put up with so much while we dated, and now I was a waste of time?
I pinched my eyes shut and sucked in a quick breath, willing the tears to stay inside. I couldn’t let Brock know that his words had any effect on me. He didn't deserve to have that kind of power over me anymore, not after the way he treated me.
“Goodbye, Brock.” I whirled around and walked away, knowing I wouldn't be able to keep the tears at bay for much longer.
“See ya, skank.”
While Luke Davenport was mostly annoying, Brock Madison was a monster.
CHAPTER TWO
LUKE
“Thank you, Mr. Sawyer, for never locking this room,” I whispered under my breath as I slipped into the dark chemistry lab and sat down on the floor beside the door. I felt like a coward hiding in here during lunch, but I couldn’t pretend like everything was okay today. Sure, posting those “boyfriend wanted” posters for Ashlyn had distracted me for a while, but I couldn’t stand the idea of sitting through lunch with my friends who were still clueless about why the fifteenth of each month was such a hard day for me now.
My stomach growled, reminding me it was there. I covered it with my arms.
Just a few more minutes and I could sneak out to my Jeep to grab some lunch.
I was about to stand when the door opened and someone tripped over my sprawled legs.
Oof!
“Sorry!” a female voice squealed as she landed on me.
A girl?
I tried to help the girl right herself, but our heads crashed together instead.
“Ouch!” she said.
“Sorry.” I rubbed my forehead where our skulls had collided.
We righted ourselves and I leaned back against the wall of cupboards behind us. She scooted a few feet away.
We sat in silence for a few minutes until I heard her sniffling like she was trying not to cry.
“Are you okay? Did my head hurt you?” I said. She sniffled again, so I asked, “Are you crying?”
“No,” she said, her voice uneven. “I was hiding from a stupid jerk who shouldn’t matter to me anymore.”
There was something familiar about her voice.
I couldn’t have everyone at school knowing the football captain hid in the chemistry lab during lunch, so I lowered my voice, just in case this was someone I knew. “Who’s the jerk?” Okay, it sounded like I had a bad cold, but hopefully I hadn’t said enough earlier for her to notice the difference. Was it too late to start using my fake British accent?
“Nevermind,” she said.
Okay, so some dude made her cry. She probably wouldn’t want to be in the same room as me after hearing what I’d done that morning. Luckily for me though, Ashlyn hadn’t cried. She was too mad to do that. Boy, was I going to be in trouble once she figured out how to get me back. She always came back with something strong.
“If it makes you feel better, I think he’s a jerk too,” I tried to make it sound like I was joking, but somehow my fake British accent slipped out when I said those words. Oh well, not like it mattered. We were sitting in the dark and I’d be leaving soon anyway.
She laughed and I felt like I’d been hit by a sack of rocks. I knew that laugh. I’d heard that sweet melodic sound about a billion times last year in Foods class.
This girl was Ashlyn Brooks.
Crap! My stomach shrunk in on itself. Had she been crying because of my prank this morning? She’d seemed fine when I talked to her. Maybe her tears were because of my friends’ texts? I’d told them to keep it clean—to just have fun with her. But I should have realized that was impossible for those guys. Kellen and Jake had had a few too many concussions to follow my directions very well.
“You don’t even know which jerk I’m talking about.” She laughed again.
Oh, but I did. She was talking about me. I needed to get out of there before she figured out who I was. I snuck a peek in her direction and was grateful I could barely make out her silhouette. If I couldn’t pick out much about her, then hopefully she couldn’t see much of me. I moved my leg closer to the sliver of light coming from under the door just in case.
“Sorry about tripping over you,” she said like she still had no idea who I was.
I cleared my throat and focused on maintaining my British accent. “Sorry about blocking the door.” Okay, Luke, it’s time to leave now. You are pushing your luck every second you stay in here.
But my legs seemed to be frozen to the tiled floor. Plus, if I did leave, I’d have to open the door and the light would give away who I was. And then she would hate me even more for disguising my voice. So I sat there.
“Are you from England or something?”
Definitely or something. “Uh, yeah. I moved here over the summer.”
“What part of England?” she asked like she thought it was so cool. Or hot. My ex-girlfriend always said my impression of a British guy was sexy.
“I’m from London.”
“That’s so cool! I’ve always wanted to visit.”
“You should. It’s nice…and overcast?” You’re an idiot, Luke. I needed to stop pretending like I knew anything about England when the extent of my knowledge came from the Pride and Prejudice-type movies my mom had me watch with her when she was sick.
“Is it weird that I want to sit in the dark for a while longer?” she asked.
“Depends.”
“Depends on what?”
“Depends on if you think it’s weird that I want to stay in here too.” Which was so weird that it was true. Ashlyn and I were supposed to be sworn rivals.
She laughed. Maybe that was a good sign? I heard her shift on the tile floor like she was getting comfortable.
“What were you doing sitting here in the dark anyway?” she asked.
I bit my lip, trying to decide if I wanted to tell her the truth or not. There was something about the dark and my distorted voice that made me feel like I could tell her anything. I had the anonymity I never had before. I could be anyone or anything.
I could be myself.
At least I could be my real self who also happened to have a British accent and a really deep voice.
“I was hiding,” I said.
“Hiding from who?”
Reality.
I shook my head. “Doesn’t matter. I just needed to lay low for a few minutes.”
“Looks like neither one of us wants to say much about why we’re in here,” she said. “I guess I better get going anyway.”
“Wait!” I said, surprising myself.
She seemed to startle. “Why?”
“Because I-I still don’t know anything about you,” I lied. Why was I doing this? I should be relieved she wanted to go. Why was I suddenly interested in getting to know Ashlyn better?
I expected her to stand. But she didn’t. “What do you want to know?” she asked in a soft voice.
I thought about it. “Hmmm. It’s kind of fun not knowing who I’m talking to, so let’s set up some rules.”
“Rules?”
I smiled, though I knew she couldn’t see it. “Yes, rules. This is likely the only opportunity we’ll ever have to get to know someone without seeing them first. It’s like the ultimate clean slate, aside from the fact that I know you’re a girl, and you know I’m a guy.”
“And that you’re from England.”
Right.
I continued, “We should make a rule that we can only speak the truth in here. No saying something just because we think that’s what people want to hear. Wouldn’t it be nice to get to know someone with all the walls down?”
She was quiet for a moment as she thought about it. Then she said, “That would be nice. There’re no pre-judgments based on looks, reputation, or anything. I mean, who knows, we might even know each other already. But here, we can get to know the real us.” I heard a smile in her voice. “I kind of like that idea.”
“Good.” I found myself smiling as well. “So, tell me about yourself, Mystery Girl. Tell me things you don’t tell anyone else.”
She laughed. “I’m not that interesting.”
“Oh, but you are. I’m already intrigued.”
She laughed again. “Are we talking surface level stuff or deep stuff?”
“I’m tired of the surface level. That’s all anyone wants to hear these days. Let’s go scuba diving.”
“Scuba diving?” Her voice was covered in disbelief. “Are you sure?”
“Definitely.”
“Okay, you asked for it,” she said in a low voice. She was quiet for a long time, but then she let out a tiny giggle before saying, “I really, really like the color blue. Like, every time I’m outside I look at the sky and sigh.”
What? “Are you for real?”
It sounded like her shoulders were shaking against the cupboards, almost as if she was suppressing her laughter. “Sorry, I had to. Things were way too serious in here.”
I shook my head and smiled at this version of Ashlyn that I’d never known was there.
“How about I go first then,” I said. But as soon as I said that, I had nothing interesting to say. Nothing that would fit this all-important moment of finally letting someone know who Luke Davenport was beneath all the layers and masks…and fake accents.
Seeming to understand my hesitation she said, “It’s harder than you thought, huh?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “The only thing I could come up with was that my favorite food is pizza.”
She laughed again. Score! Maybe scuba diving wasn’t that important anyway. She’d been on the verge of crying when she first came in here…because of me…and now she was laughing…also because of me. If anything, that made this interaction a success.
Her phone buzzed from inside her bag. She pulled it out and lit up the screen which let me see her profile better. Yep, it was definitely Ashlyn.
She groaned at whatever she read on her phone then said, “I better go. Maybe we should try telling our deepest darkest secrets again sometime.”
My breath caught in my throat. Really? She wanted to meet me again? “Yeah, that would be cool. Wanna try again tomorrow? Same time, same place, same lighting?” My pulse throbbed as I waited for her to respond. Who knew the possibility of being rejected by Ashlyn could be so scary?
“I can’t tomorrow, but how about Monday?” she said to my relief.
“Monday would be great.”
“Okay, I really do need to leave now. Promise you won’t look?” she asked.
I smiled. “I’ll even wait a few minutes before I come out, just for good measure.”
She stood and I moved my legs to the side so she wouldn’t trip over them again. I heard her hand fumbling around before she opened the door. When the light from the hallway poured in, I lifted my backpack in front of my face in case she glanced back.
The door shut behind her and the light was gone again.
I sighed, leaning my head against the cupboard. I had no idea what I was doing, or if I could even keep this fake British guy act up, but I hoped she came back.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you so much to Jared for supporting me in this writing dream of mine, for encouraging me when I wanted to give up on this book, and then finally for reading it even though YA Contemporary Romance is not a genre you’d pick up for yourself.
Thanks to James, Janelle, Jonah, and Jade for letting me talk about my books and characters with you. I love how excited you are about my stories and how you make me feel like the coolest author mom in the world.
To my critique group—Mike Kelly, Kristina Starmer, David Baker and Wendy Jessen—thank you for helping me figure out the story I actually wanted to tell and pushing me to make it so much better than I imagined it would be.
To my beta-readers who gave me the much-needed encouragement to actually publish this thing: Jami Lyn Niles, Ruth Morris, Jeff Corry, Lindsey Corry, Kristin Clove, Katie Smith, Dedra Tregaskis, Michelle Carter, Arielle Hadfield, and Idena Ward.
To my editor, Precy Larkins, for once again making me look better than I really am. You are the best!
To my cover designer, Victorine E. Lieske, for making a beautiful cover.
To my parents for teaching me how to work hard and go after my dreams.
Thank you to all my family and friends for your love and support through this crazy adventure of mine. I couldn’t do it without you.
Thank you to the members of my online writing community who have been so willing to share your wisdom and help make this publishing adventure so much less daunting than it would have been on my own.
I’m especially thankful to my Father in Heaven, for blessing me with a little talent and creativity, a healthy dose of inspiration and perseverance, and the insane amount of personal drive it takes to be a writer.
Last of all, to my Wattpad readers: thank you for believing in this book and telling me how much you loved it! Eliana and Jess’s story would still be hiding on my computer if it wasn’t for you!
ALSO BY JUDY CORRY
She swore off guys. He swore to protect her.
After a series of cheating ex-boyfriends, Emma goes on a self-prescribed boy cleanse and plans to spend her senior year focused on the important things in life, like deciding on a which college to attend. She has no idea she’s an heiress with a target on her back and boys are the least of her worries.
Arie thinks his college internship will be easy: pose as a high school senior and protect Emma. He never expected to fall for her.
Sparks ignite, but danger is near. If Arie can’t keep
Emma hidden, her fate will be infinitely worse than falling for the guy she shouldn’t want.”
About the Author
Judy Corry has been addicted to love stories for as long as she can remember. She reads and writes YA Romance because she can't get enough of the feeling of falling in love. She graduated from Southern Utah University in an area that has nothing to do with writing. Some of her favorite things are chick flicks, singing, and playing the piano. She believes in swoon-worthy kisses and happily ever afters. Judy met her soul mate while in high school, and married him a few years later. She and her husband are raising four beautiful and crazy children in Southern Utah.
judycorry.com
