She looked so sure of herself and her makeover abilities, I didn’t have the heart to argue. But I caught Trent’s look over her shoulder. He wasn’t convinced, and neither was I. Drew and I might not have been friends but we’d known each other forever. Makeup and hair wouldn’t erase that.
I forced a smile for Margo’s sake. “Maybe you’re right.” And even if she wasn’t, it was fine. I would just steer clear of him. He’d managed to ignore me for years before he left our school, surely he’d do the same now.
And I’d do the same. Ignore, ignore, ignore.
I flipped down the overhead mirror on the car’s sun visor and gave my new and improved face one last look.
I looked good. I looked like a girl. I looked… nothing like me.
But this was the new me, I reminded myself just like I’d reminded Trent.
Get used to it.
Chapter Two
Drew
One of the guys from the football team slid in next to me at the cafeteria table. “Dude, have you seen the new girl?”
He was making a scene, leaning back so far he looked like he might fall over as he tried to seek out the hot new girl who everyone had been talking about since first period.
Briarwood was a small school, way smaller than the public school I went to for about half a second in California, and even a little smaller than Atwater, my old public school on the other side of town.
I hadn’t seen the new girl yet, but I’d heard all about her. Hot, seemed to be the consensus among the guys. Friendly and sweet, was what I’d heard from Melody, the school’s biggest gossip and self-proclaimed, one-woman welcome wagon. She’d been the one to greet me my first day, most likely to get the scoop on me firsthand, and I had no doubt she’d done the same to this new girl.
I had to admit I was curious.
Brian hit my arm and it stung. I was no wuss, but sometimes Brian forgot his own strength. The guy was a brick wall, which was a great asset on the football field. In the cafeteria? Not so much.
“She’s over there at Melody’s table. Check her out. She’s totally your type.”
I resisted the urge to look over. I didn’t have a type. Not anymore. And especially not now when the playoffs were coming up. I couldn’t afford to lose focus now when we were two games away from being state champions.
I held out as long as I could, but then Alex and Ted sat across from me. My buddies from the school’s summer league baseball team were talking about… you guessed it. The new girl.
“Man, I’m going to talk to her by the end of the day,” Alex said. “I need to get in there before anyone else does. She’s totally my type.”
“I thought your girlfriend was your type,” I said, digging into the fries on my plate. I’d had an early morning pitching practice that made me miss breakfast. I was starving. Besides, focusing on the fries helped me resist the urge to follow everyone else’s stares. I’d see the new girl soon enough but right now I didn’t want any distractions, and I also didn’t want to be one of the many who were leering at the poor girl. I’d been the new kid twice in the past year and trust me, it sucks. First days were the worst. The stares, the whispers. I wouldn’t be hypocritical and say I wasn’t curious about the girl everyone was talking about, but I sure as hell didn’t want to add to her first day miseries.
Alex reached over and stole one of my fries. “Naw, Tina and I broke up.”
Again. That part went unsaid. It was a struggle not to roll my eyes. No one had more girl problems in his life than Alex—he and Tina seemed to break up every other day. I couldn’t imagine why he was seeking out more drama, but then, what did I know?
I hooked up with girls now and again but I’d learned my lesson on high school relationships—they were doomed to fail. And high school girls? Forget it. They were hardwired to play games and mess with your head.
I had no desire to have my head messed with again, and if I wanted games, I’d play them on my Xbox.
There were plenty of girls who were happy to just hookup at parties, maybe hang out and have some fun. That was all I was looking for, and right now, even that sounded like too much work. I had to stay focused on my game, so girls—all girls—were off limits until summer league playoffs ended.
I made it all through lunch without sneaking a peek, even though the conversation never strayed far from this Veronica chick. It was a freakin’ gossip session as the guys spilled what they’d learned from their various sources.
It wasn’t much. No one seemed to know where she’d transferred from or what she was doing at Briarwood. So far the most salacious tidbit was that she’d gotten into some AP classes. Whoa, stop the presses! I kept my mouth shut, but seriously? How boring were their lives if these guys were gossiping like a bunch of old grandmas about some new girl’s course load?
I was relieved to head out of there when the bell rang. By last period that day, I’d successfully avoided seeing the new girl, though her name was still being bandied about by just about everyone in the school.
I felt sorry for her, to be honest. If there was some way I could help her to feel welcome, I’d have done it, but I didn’t want to be yet another guy trying to get her attention. From the sounds of it, she’d been hit on by every guy in school by now.
By all accounts, she was sweet about it. Nice and polite, all smiles and pleasant chit-chat with everyone, even the biggest dorks and the largest outcasts. From all the talk, she was starting to sound too good to be true.
Then I found out for myself that the rumors were false. Sweet and friendly? Hardly.
Or, maybe it was just me.
I ran into her. Literally. Books fell, and I nearly bit my tongue off as my jaw clamped shut at the collision. The next thing I knew, a soft, warm body was in my arms as I caught my balance… and her.
I stared down into big brown eyes. Long dark lashes batted up at me. Her lips were a soft pink and they were parted in surprise.
I wasn’t sure how long we stood like that, oddly posing as though we’d planned this. She’d come running down the hall, fall into my arms, and I’d dip her like we were on stage for a ballroom dance competition.
Obviously, that wasn’t the case, but there I was, holding her in a dipping pose as she clung to my shoulders. There was something familiar about her, like I’d known her my whole life. There was a kindness in her eyes, a softness to her features that made me smile instinctively, wanting to see her smile in return.
And she smelled good, like some sort of citrus shampoo or body wash or something. Damn, I wished I hadn’t noticed that. I was already too dumbstruck by the looks of her, I didn’t need to have an intoxicating scent paired with her too.
And I definitely wished I didn’t know how good she felt in my arms.
The bell rang for the start of class and the moment was over. I was righting her, she was scrambling for her books on the ground. The whole incident couldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds but for me, it felt like time had stood still.
I took a deep, steadying breath before going down on my knees to help her pick up her books. We were both heading in to AP Literature and I knew Ms. Davies would be pissed if we were late.
“Here, let me help you,” I said.
She muttered something that I didn’t hear. Her long brown, wavy hair fell forward and I couldn’t see her face. Even though I couldn’t see her face, I could see the way she hunched in on herself, as if she was trying to hide from me. Oh hell, almost like she was scared of me.
“Hey,” I said as gently as I could, placing a hand on her arm. “I’m sorry about that. Let me help you.”
She shook me off with surprising strength and this time I heard her voice, low and short. “I said I’ve got it.”
I sat back in stunned silence and watched her gather the last book before turning quickly, avoiding making eye contact. Then she headed into the classroom without me.
“Mr. Remi.” Ms. Davies’ voice was an unamused monotone. “Being late on your first day is i
nadvisable.”
I got to my feet, grabbed my stuff and went in. So, that was the new girl everyone was talking about. The one who was beautiful, friendly, and kind to everyone she met.
Beautiful? Check. But friendly and kind?
Maybe she was nice to everyone who wasn’t me. In fact, I was pretty sure I was the exception to the rule. How did I know? I watched her. All through class I stared at her, listening as she smiled and chatted with everyone who talked to her when there was a break in class and at the end when the bell rang. She was the center of attention and there was never a moment when someone wasn’t trying to get her attention.
She was never anything but friendly and kind, but the whole time she pointedly ignored me even though we were assigned seats right next to one another.
What the hell? Who was this chick and what had I ever done to her?
Chapter Three
Veronica
He didn’t recognize me.
I laid on Trent’s unmade bed as he and Margo pestered me with questions about my first day. I stared up at the glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceilings that I’d helped him put up so many years ago. I was having a hard time focusing on the rest of the day because my mind kept going back to that one incident.
The incident.
He hadn’t recognized me. I still couldn’t believe it.
First of all, how utterly ridiculous that when I did finally run into Drew, I literally ran into him. I was not a clumsy person. At all. I mean, just look at all my trophies. I’m no ballerina, but I’m not a klutz either. So the fact that I ran into anyone at all was weird. But why did it have to be him?
My mind kept replaying that moment when I was awkwardly hanging out in his arms. Literally, hanging. The look on his face… I could have sworn he recognized me. He looked stunned, obviously, but there was a recognition there. And then he’d smiled.
Oh man, that smile.
I’d forgotten how cute he was. No, not cute. He’d been cute as a freshman, but now? Now he’d grown up. He’d filled out and the boyish features had solidified into something manly. His jaw was sharper, his cheekbones more defined.
And his body? Yeah, that had definitely filled out. He was still tall and lean, but I felt the hard chest and the muscles that had bulged beneath my touch as he’d lifted me back up to my feet as if I weighed nothing.
I let out a long breath.
“Are you all right?” Trent asked.
I glanced over to see them hovering around me with matching looks of concern.
“You’re kind of catatonic,” Margo informed me. “Do you need some water or something?”
I shoved myself up onto my elbows. “No. No water. I just… I need to regroup.”
Yes. Regroup. That was what I needed. Margo sat beside me, her hands fussing with my hair. I hated to tell her that I no longer needed to look pretty and that in about two point five seconds all that perfectly blown out hair would be tossed up in a bun. And these clothes? They were so gone as soon as I got home.
God, how did those A-listers in my old school do it every day? The hair, the makeup, the tight clothes? It was exhausting.
I met my gaze in the mirror. Get used to it.
I bit back a groan. Today was only day one of a long school year. Two long school years, but at least there’d be a summer in the middle there. A summer during which I intended to let all of the hair on my body do whatever it wanted.
That included my leg hair. Unless I was going to the pool or the beach. I may not be a beauty queen but I didn’t want to scare any small children either.
Before the questions could start up again, I gave them a recap of my day. It had been a success, hands down. Until I’d run right into Drew Remi… and he hadn’t recognized me.
“See?” Margo squeaked, looking entirely too pleased with herself as she shot a triumphant look at Trent and then me. “I told you he wouldn’t recognize you.”
Trent shook his head. “I don’t believe it.”
Me neither! “Believe it,” I said.
“Are you sure he just couldn’t place you?” Trent said. “Maybe he couldn’t remember your name.”
I thought about that. At first I’d thought he’d recognized me, but then… that smile. Holy hell, I’d know that smile if I’d seen it before, and I had never seen anything like that from Drew Remi. It wasn’t friendly so much as it was sexy. And it wasn’t a smile that said, “oh hey, I know you from somewhere.” It was a cocky grin with a sultry drawl, “hey girl, I’d like to get to know you.”
And yes, I totally gave his smiles voices. I’m not sure when that happened, but my imagination had gone a bit wild after that run-in and his smile, the look in his eyes, the way he’d felt, the way he’d smelled—it was apparently all I could think about.
I should have been thinking about my game plan. I should have been celebrating my success. All those self-help books had been right. It had been so easy. All I’d had to do was fake it… and I’d made it.
For one day, at least.
I’d held my head high and pretended that I was totally comfortable with my surroundings. And guess what? Everyone bought it. Walking into the cafeteria was terrifying but I made sure to keep a calm smile in place despite my sweaty palms and two seconds into my terrifying walk down popularity plank and I’d been hailed over to sit with a group of girls who were clearly at the top of the pack.
God, listen to me. Walking the plank? Top of the pack? First of all, I was massively mixing metaphors, and second of all, I was falling into the trap of thinking that high school is just one big popularity contest. Which, it kind of was, but it didn’t have to be. Right?
“This is a good thing, right?” Margo asked, drawing my attention back to planet earth and her big, blue excited eyes. “I mean, you didn’t want Drew to recognize you, and he didn’t. Mission accomplished!”
She was watching me with excited anticipation. Trent? Not so much. He looked wary and like he wanted to argue with his girlfriend, but wouldn’t.
Wise man. Margo seemed awfully invested in this one.
And I knew why. She’d invested in me. She’d spent a good deal of time and energy helping me to be the best version of me. “The best version of me.” Ugh. I was getting tired of hearing that phrase. She’d stolen that line from one of my self-help books and she’d run with it. Now it was one of her favorite sayings. I supposed it was better than the alternative: “I helped Ronnie go from ugly to passable.”
Equally true and not nearly as nice.
I forced a smile for her sake. “Right.”
No. Wrong. I mean, yes I’d hoped to stay off his radar, but to come face to face with him and have him not recognize me?
It hurt. My pride stung. I knew I hadn’t been popular at our old school, but I hadn’t thought I’d been so very forgettable. I mean, was I really that invisible? Had anyone outside of Trent and Margo even noticed I wasn’t there today?
I almost asked but lost the nerve.
Neither Trent nor Margo was a good liar. If no one had noticed I was gone, they wouldn’t be able to hide the truth. They’d hesitate at the very least before trying to lie. And honest to God, I wasn’t sure my ego could take that. So I didn’t ask.
Instead I made myself feel better by remembering that Atwater’s girls’ soccer team would start up this week and my team would notice I wasn’t there. I’d been one of the stars of the team. At least there was one area where I knew I’d be missed.
Briarwood’s soccer season started this week too and I couldn’t wait. I hadn’t mentioned it to the girls I’d had lunch with today because I’m determined that I’m going to be known for more than just that at my new school. I could be well rounded, dammit. I was well-rounded, I just couldn’t get anyone to see that before now.
Trent didn’t look fooled by my answer. “Ronnie, don’t worry about Drew. He’s not worth your time, anyways. I asked around about him today. Sounds like he’s ignoring all his old friends.” He made a face of disgust. “Just beca
use he’s going to Briarwood now and is their starring pitcher he thinks he’s too good for us or something.” His eyes meet mine. “No offense.”
“None taken.” The Briarwood kids had something of a reputation in my old school for being stuck up and elitist. But then the two schools were kind of rivals so I’d decided to take that with a grain of salt. From what I could tell at school today, the students at Briarwood were pretty similar to those at Atwater, for better or for worse.
But people see what they want to see, I guess.
For me, Briarwood was more of the same. Just like Atwater, it was a high school filled with teenagers who cared about what other people think—me included. I wasn’t all high and mighty about it. I gave up trying to pretend that I was above it all.
I wanted to fit in. I wanted to be popular for once in my life. I wanted to be noticed.
The way I saw it, Briarwood was a practice round for college. Everyone knew that college was a chance to re-imagine your identify. But I didn’t want to wait. And now, thanks to my scholarship, I didn’t have to.
“This is a good thing,” Margo insisted. “If Drew didn’t recognize you than he can’t cramp your style. All you have to do is steer clear of him.” She clapped her hands together as if that was all settled. And maybe it was. She had a point; I was being ridiculous. I didn’t want him to recognize me but then when he didn’t I moped about it?
Totally nonsensical.
Margo was already moving on to more interesting topics. “Other than Drew Remi, how’d it go?”
I grinned. “Great. It went perfectly.” And it had. Drew Remi aside, I’d had more guys talk to me in one day than in my entire life.
She listened with excitement as I detailed my day, from being greeted by a queen bee in the first minutes of arrival to being hit on by a hottie named Alex. Twice, actually. The All-American boy with his short blond hair and sparkling blue eyes had cornered me after lunch, hitting on me so hard I was dazzled. Or maybe bedazzled by those sparkling teeth.
Out of His League Page 2
