Spring Fling

by Sabrina James

  Okay, now it was official. Mindy was panicking. Lacey’s smile was what did it. It meant trouble. Maybe she should leave the party and go home and change before Wanda saw her. Maybe…

  “Mindy!”

  She turned around and saw Damian headed her way.

  “You look hot!” he exclaimed.

  Maybe she wasn’t going to go home and change.

  Maybe she was going to keep wearing this dress!

  “Did you just get here?” he asked.

  “Five minutes ago.”

  “Want something to drink?”

  “Coke is fine.”

  “Be right back.”

  Mindy turned back to Vivienne and Lacey, but both were gone. That was strange.

  And then she heard another voice behind her.

  A voice that made her blood turn cold.

  “That’s not the dress I picked out for you.”

  Mindy whirled around, swallowing the lump of fear in her throat. No wonder Lacey and Vivienne had disappeared. Standing behind her, with fury in her eyes, was Wanda.

  Wearing the exact same dress as Mindy!

  “Is this your idea of a joke?” Wanda hissed, poking a finger in Mindy’s chest. “To show up wearing the same dress as me?”

  “Th-th-that wasn’t the dress you bought this afternoon!” Mindy pointed out, trying not to sound nervous, and failing. “Where did you get it?”

  “As if you didn’t know!”

  “I don’t!”

  “Lacey bought it for me. It was an early birthday present. She gave it to me late this afternoon. She told me that you helped her pick it out.”

  Lacey! Even though she couldn’t have known for sure that Mindy would wear the purple chiffon, she’d taken a chance that Mindy would and bought the exact same dress for Wanda. She’d set her up and Mindy had fallen right into her trap!

  “And that isn’t the dress you bought, either!” Wanda shot back. “I picked out the dress you were supposed to be wearing tonight, remember?”

  “I changed my mind and decided to go with something else.”

  “Obviously you made the wrong choice,” Wanda said, folding her arms over her chest. “So what are you going to do about it?”

  Mindy knew what she had to say. “Go home and change.”

  “Change into what?”

  There was only one answer. Mindy had no choice. She had already defied Wanda and couldn’t do it again.

  “The dress you picked out for me.”

  Wanda smiled smugly. “That’s right. Who do you think you are, Mindy? Here I am trying to be your friend, giving you advice, and you ignore it! Are you stupid?” She didn’t give Mindy a chance to answer. “That must be it. You’re stupid! No wonder you don’t have any friends at North Ridge High! You think you’re smarter and better than everyone else.”

  Mindy could feel tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She did not think she was better than everyone else! And she would never humiliate a friend the way Wanda was humiliating her in front of everyone. She knew people were staring. Listening. Whispering.

  Before she could say anything, Damian came to her rescue.

  “If anyone should go home and change, it’s you, Wanda,” he said, handing Mindy her Coke. “That dress looks way better on Mindy than it does on you. She’s got the bod for it. You don’t.”

  Hearing those words, Mindy gasped, almost dropping the red plastic cup that Damian had given her.

  Oh, no!

  No!

  What had Damian done?

  Behind her, she could hear people snickering and laughing.

  But not at her.

  At Wanda.

  Mindy stole a peek at Wanda’s face and saw what she expected.

  Hatred.

  And it was aimed directly at her. She’d embarrassed Wanda, and Wanda would never forget that.

  Mindy knew it was all over.

  There was no way she’d be getting into the Princess Posse now.

  Danielle felt awful. Awful! The fight between Rory and Ethan was all her fault, and now Ethan thought she was cheating on him!

  Jade found her sitting on the steps of the back porch and sat down next to her. “What are you doing hiding out here when there’s a party in your honor going on inside?”

  “I messed things up.” Danielle sighed, resting her head against Jade’s shoulder.

  Jade wrapped a reassuring arm around Danielle. “How’d you mess up?”

  Danielle told Jade how she’d been flirting with Rory for most of the week, how he’d kissed her at the party, and Ethan’s reaction.

  “That’s what you’re so upset about?” Jade laughed. “That happens to me almost every week!”

  “Stuff like that might happen to you, but you know how to handle it!” a frustrated Danielle cried. “I don’t! I’m not the pretty Hollis sister. I’m the smart one! I’ve only been the pretty sister for a few days. I’m not used to it!”

  “You’re smart and pretty,” Jade told Danielle, looking into her tear-filled eyes. “You always have been. You just didn’t know it. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Nobody’s perfect, Danielle. Okay, so you got a little bit out of control this week with your makeover, but you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not like you were dating Rory behind Ethan’s back or lying to them. Both guys knew about the other one. It’s not your fault that Ethan got jealous. In fact, I think you still have a chance with him.”

  Danielle sniffed, wiping away her tears. “I do?”

  “The fact that Ethan lost his temper means something.”

  “It does?”

  “Yes! He likes you!”

  “Then why wouldn’t he let me explain?”

  “Duh! He’s a guy. Guys have huge egos.”

  “What should I do?”

  “I think you should find Ethan and make him listen. Any idea where he might have gone?”

  Danielle stared at the house next door. “I think so.”

  “Then what are you waiting for?”

  “I just need to go inside and get something,” Danielle said, heading back into the house. “Thanks for the advice, Jade.”

  “That’s what big sisters are for!”

  “Why did you do that?” Mindy hissed at Damian once Wanda had stormed off. She didn’t care who was watching. She was too angry! “Why? You ruined everything! All I had to do was go home and change my dress. Everything would have been fine!”

  Damian stared at Mindy in disbelief. “Did you not hear a word she said? She called you stupid. She was insulting you!”

  “That’s the way Wanda is.”

  “I can’t believe you’re defending her!”

  “I’m not defending her!”

  “So you like being treated like that?”

  “Of course not!”

  “Then why do you want to put up with it?”

  “I already told you!”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Damian said, rolling his eyes. “So you can be part of her group.”

  “It might not matter to you, but it matters to me!”

  “Is that witch the best you can do for a friend?” Damian asked. “If no one at your high school wants to be friends with you, then they’re nuts! I’ll be friends with you.”

  Mindy snorted. “Why would you want to be friends with me?”

  “Why not? You’re funny and smart and you know how to go after what you want. You’re also a knockout and you know how to wear a smoking hot dress!”

  Mindy had never gotten so many compliments at once from a guy. But she was still mad at him! He’d ruined things with Wanda!

  “Maybe I don’t want to be friends with you!” Mindy shouted.

  “Oh, you don’t?” Damian asked, leaning into Mindy’s space and pressing his face close to hers…so close that she could look into his green eyes…so close that she could smell his cologne…so close that she could reach out and trace his lips with a finger. “What do you want?”

  “Maybe I want to be more than friends!”

&nb
sp; Damian gave Mindy a wicked smile. “I wouldn’t have a problem with that. Maybe I need to see what it’s like to go out with just one girl.”

  “Think you’re up to the challenge? Think you can handle me?”

  “Oh, I can handle you. The question is, can you handle me?”

  “I’m willing to give it a shot if you are,” Mindy said, her heart pounding madly as she waited for Damian’s answer.

  “Then what are we waiting for?” he asked. “Let’s make this official!”

  And then, before Mindy even knew it was happening, Damian was kissing her…and she was kissing him right back!

  Danielle rang the doorbell of Ethan’s beach house. Seconds later, he came to the door.

  “What you do you want?” he asked.

  “I brought you something,” she said, holding up a dish towel filled with ice cubes. “I thought you could use it.”

  Ethan unlocked the screen door and walked back into the house. Danielle followed him into the living room, where the TV was on. He plopped back down on the couch, picking up the remote control as Danielle sat next to him.

  “What are you watching?” she asked.

  “I’m just channel surfing.”

  “Is it okay if I press this against your cheek?” she asked, holding up the dish towel.

  Ethan shrugged. “If you want.”

  Danielle moved closer to him, pressing the dish towel against his cheek. Already it was starting to bruise. “Does that hurt?”

  “It’s fine,” he said, even though he flinched.

  “Ethan, I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know Rory was going to kiss me tonight. It just happened.”

  “You liked kissing him,” Ethan accused.

  “Actually, I didn’t.”

  “You didn’t?” Ethan skeptically asked. “Could have fooled me.”

  “I will admit that I wondered what it would be like to kiss Rory, but I never encouraged him,” she clarified. “Besides, I liked your kisses better.”

  Ethan perked up. “Really?”

  “Uh-huh.” Danielle pressed the dish towel back against Ethan’s cheek. “What can I do to make things up to you?”

  Ethan thought about it. Then he said, “A kiss would be nice.”

  Danielle leaned over and removed the dish towel, kissing Ethan’s bruised cheek. “Better?”

  Ethan shook his head. “I was hoping you’d kiss me someplace else.”

  Danielle kissed his other cheek. “Better?”

  Ethan shook his head again.

  Danielle pretended to think. “Hmmm. Where else can I kiss you?” And then she leaned down and kissed Ethan on the lips. “Better?”

  Ethan smiled. “Much better!”

  “Hey!” Damian exclaimed from the doorway, Mindy by his side. “You won the bet!”

  Danielle stared from Damian to Ethan. “Bet? What bet?”

  “Oops!” a red-faced Damian exclaimed, pressing a hand to his mouth.

  Mindy sighed. “What did you do now?”

  Ethan glared at Damian. “Thanks a lot, bigmouth!”

  Damian took Mindy by the hand, pulling her into the kitchen. “I think I’ll let Ethan explain.”

  “So what’s this about a bet?” Danielle asked after Damian and Mindy were gone. “Tell me.”

  “Cooper and I made a bet on the first day of spring break,” Ethan explained. “To see who could get kissed first by one of the girls next door. Cooper suggested we switch places so I could see what it was like to be a rich guy and he’d be an average guy. He seemed to think girls were only interested in him for his money. The Mercedes didn’t come with the beach house. It’s Coop’s.”

  “So the credit cards were his, too?”

  “Cut off by his father.”

  “I’ll bet you were pissed off at Cooper that day we went to the restaurant.”

  “I was mad because you had to wash those dishes.”

  “I’ve washed dishes lots of times. It was no big deal.”

  “It was to me,” Ethan said. “I wanted to treat you like a princess, Danielle.”

  “You did? Why?”

  “Because I like you.” A blushing Ethan stared down at the remote control in his hands. “A lot.”

  Danielle placed a finger under Ethan’s chin, lifting his head up. “I like you, too.” She paused and then said, “A lot.”

  “Anyway,” Ethan continued, “as Cooper and I got to know you and Ava, we decided to call off the bet.”

  “How come?”

  “We liked both of you and we didn’t want the first time one of us kissed you to be connected to the bet.”

  Danielle was silent for a moment. Then she said, “Okay.”

  “That’s it?” Ethan asked. “Aren’t you going to say anything else?”

  “What’s there to say?”

  “You’re not mad?”

  “What’s there to be mad about? You might have been pretending to be someone else, but on the inside, you were still the same Ethan. The same sweet guy I fell for,” she said softly.

  “You fell for me?” Ethan asked.

  “Yes.” Danielle pressed the dish towel back against Ethan’s cheek. “Besides, I’m just as guilty as you.”

  “Guilty? What do you mean?”

  “I’ve been pretending this week, too,” she confessed. “Back home in North Ridge, I’m not the hot spring break babe you’ve been around all week.” Danielle pulled off her tiara and tossed it onto the coffee table. “I’m as fake as this plastic crown.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “This isn’t me. Until this week, I was never into the way I looked. Clothes and hair and makeup never mattered to me. My sister and my friends gave me a spring break makeover on our first day and, well, it kind of went to my head. All of a sudden, I was getting all this attention from guys and I wasn’t used to it. I’m usually a bookworm who doesn’t flirt with guys. I’ve always been a one-guy girl.”

  “How about if we both start over?” Ethan asked. “We go back to just being ourselves. Ethan and Danielle.”

  “I’d like that,” Danielle agreed with a smile. “But on one condition.”

  “What?”

  “You get to be my one guy.”

  “Only if you get to be my one girl.”

  “I’d like that,” Danielle whispered as she gave Ethan a kiss. “I’d like that a lot!”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Cooper usually loved to party, but he wasn’t in the mood tonight. All around him, couples were laughing and dancing, having a good time, but he was oblivious to it. All he wanted to do was talk to Ava, but he couldn’t find her anywhere. He’d arrived more than an hour ago and they hadn’t crossed paths yet. It was almost like she was avoiding him. And he knew why. Ava was scared…scared that she was developing feelings for him.

  That kiss she had given him yesterday was proof that she felt something for him.

  But she didn’t want to admit it.

  Instead, she wanted to hide.

  Well, Ava could hide for now, Cooper thought as he scoped the party crowd, but eventually he was going to find her.

  And when he did, he was going to tell her how he felt.

  He liked her. A lot. And he wanted to keep seeing her once they got back home to North Ridge.

  Hopefully, she’d want to keep seeing him.

  Hopefully, she’d want to be his girlfriend.

  Because he wanted to be her boyfriend.

  Ava made him feel special. She didn’t make him feel like he was a prize that was being competed for the way most of his dates did. She didn’t care about his family’s money. Heck, she didn’t even know about it! She just liked him for who he was.

  Finally, Cooper caught sight of Ava heading into the kitchen with a stack of empty red cups. He hurried after her and found her trying to reach a bag of potato chips perched on the top shelf of a cupboard.

  “Let me do that,” he said, reaching above her.

  She whirled around. “Cooper!”
/>   “Surprised to see me?” he asked, handing her the potato chips.

  “Of course not! You were invited.”

  “First time I’ve seen you all night,” he pointed out.

  “As you can see, it’s a zoo out there,” Ava explained as she ripped open the bag of potato chips and poured them into a bowl. “Plus, I’ve been running around playing hostess.”

  “And avoiding me,” Cooper stated.

  Ava bit into a potato chip. “Why would I be avoiding you?”

  “Because you don’t want to talk to me.”

  Ava shoved another potato chip into her mouth. “That’s silly! Of course I want to talk to you.”

  “Really?” Cooper leaned against the refrigerator, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched Ava nervously eat another potato chip. “Then why haven’t I seen you all day?”

  “I needed some time to myself,” she admitted. “I’ve been thinking.”

  “About?”

  “Us.”

  Hearing that word, Cooper’s heart nearly stopped. “There’s an us?” he dared to ask.

  “Yes, there’s an us. You know there is.”

  Cooper shrugged, trying to remain calm. Trying not to get his hopes up. “How would I know that? Like I said, you’ve been avoiding me. You need two people to make an us. Just like you need two people to make a couple. Do you see us as a couple, Ava? Because I do.”

  Ava sighed, abandoning the potato chips. “Cooper, I like you. I really do. You’re a great guy and I’ve loved every minute I’ve spent with you.”

  “I sense a but coming,” Cooper said, hoping he was wrong but knowing he wasn’t. “That’s never a good sign.”

  “But I’m not ready to be in a relationship,” she finished. “I just ended things with Josh and it’s too soon for me to start dating again. I’m still nursing a broken heart and I need to put the pieces back together before I’m ready to give my heart to someone else. I do have feelings for you; I’m not going to deny that I do. It’s been great feeling all nervous and excited again. Butterflies in my stomach and tingles down my spine. The magic of kissing someone new and wanting to kiss them again. You know what I’m talking about, right?”

  “I sure do,” Cooper whispered.

  “It’s all been wonderful, but before I start dating another guy, I need some time to myself.”