That was when I heard it. The crowd was going wild. The sound of their cheers and shouts was louder than any football crowd I’d played in front of. I turned my head slowly. Yup. They were cheering for us.
Or maybe laughing at us.
Who cared? Not me. I’d won the girl, and the girl…
Well, she’d won the crown.
“Dude,” Luke called from his float. “Margo just won homecoming queen.”
Margo blinked up at me. It seemed that while we were busy kissing, the principal had carried on with his announcements.
Now that explained the cheering. Although, in my defense, that kiss also warranted some serious applause, if I did say so myself.
Margo looked back to the crowd and then to me. “I won?” Her brows were furrowed in confusion but a smile hovered over her lips.
I grinned. “It looks that way.”
She looked out to the crowd and blinked, and I could have sworn I saw some moisture there in her eyes. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Are you happy?”
She shrugged beneath my arms. “Surprised,” she said. “And a little touched, I guess. I mean, I never thought that I fit in here, but maybe…” She eyed the crowd with its eclectic mix of students. “Maybe everybody feels that way.”
“And now you’ve gone and let them know that they belong here too,” I said.
She let out a little huff of laughter. “I never set out to make any big statements this year, I just wanted to get through it so I could move on with my life.”
I laughed. “And instead you did this…” I waved at the crowd where Suzie and Matt were leaping down the steps to shout out their congratulations. “You showed them all that being unique is cool.”
“Ugh, that’s so cheesy,” she groaned. But she was still smiling.
“I’m proud of you,” I said.
She looked up at me and smiled. “I’m proud of you, too.”
I couldn’t have stopped my dorky grin if I’d tried. “We’re nauseating right now, aren’t we?”
She nodded. “We’re syrupy sweet. It’s disgusting.”
But she wore the same cheesy grin.
“And your homecoming king,” the principal announced loudly. “Is Luke Warner.”
Margo gasped. I heard Luke let out a bark of laughter. He’d been so certain it would be me; he’d even bet money on it.
“I can’t believe—” Margo started.
I cut her off with a kiss. Now that the attention was on Luke I was free to kiss my new girlfriend as much as I wanted.
Margo tapped at my chest and pulled back. “But I was so sure it would be you,” she started.
“I don’t care,” I said.
She studied me. “You really don’t, do you?”
I shook my head. “This is the best day of my life and it has nothing to do with homecoming or crowns or football or any of that.”
She pursed her lips and tilted her head. “So what has you so happy then?”
“I got the girl,” I said, grinning as I planted a quick kiss to the tip of her nose. “I may not have scored the crown but I definitely won today.”
She smiled as she shook her head in mock chastisement. “Leave it to the athlete to make this all about winning or losing.”
I laughed. “You’re right, it’s not about winning. It’s about the fact that I get to be with the one I love.”
She gasped, her eyes widening in surprise at my use of the L-word. I couldn’t blame her. I’d surprised myself. I hadn’t really thought about it; the words had just slipped out.
And they felt so perfectly right.
Her smile was slow, wide, and dazzling as she threw her arms around my neck and tilted her head back to meet my eyes. “I love you too, Jason.”
Heavy emotions filled the air between us and for the millionth time that day, the rest of the school, the other students—it all seemed to disappear. It wasn’t about them. It never had been. This thing between us, it had only ever been about us. Jason and Margo. Neighbors, classmates, and now…so much more.
“I have a very important question,” I said, keeping my tone grave.
She arched her brows. “What’s that?”
I leaned down until my forehead rested against hers. “Will you be my date to the homecoming dance?”
Her laugh made my heart squeeze with love. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Epilogue
Two years later…
Margo
My roommate watched me pack up my duffel bag. She’d been silent for way too long and when I looked over to see what was up, I found her staring at me with her jaw hanging open.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I just…” My fellow bandmate shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you never told me that you were your high school’s homecoming queen.”
I rolled my eyes as she burst out laughing so hard she fell over onto her pillow. “You,” she gasped. “A homecoming queen?”
I battled a laugh of my own at her unapologetic amusement. “What’s so funny about that?”
She laughed even harder. “You,” she repeated through tears of laughter. “A homecoming queen.”
I rolled my eyes again and turned back to packing. “I should never have told you.”
“No, I’m so glad you did,” Elise wheezed. “That just made my day. Seriously. Just wait until I tell the others in the band.”
I groaned. “Elise.”
She widened her eyes. “What? I mean, this is just too good to keep to myself.”
“Well, try,” I said. Though, to be honest, I didn’t really care. I was a sophomore in college now and all that high school drama felt a million miles away.
“Now your boyfriend, on the other hand,” Elise said. “I can totally see how he would have been homecoming king. The guy is like a walking ad for all that’s good and wholesome in the world.”
I grinned down at my luggage. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that Jason had lost the crown to Suzie’s boyfriend. Elise and Suzie had become friends last year since Suzie had come to visit me a few times and had crashed in our room, just like I did when I went to see her at her school.
“Speaking of your hottie boyfriend,” Elise started.
“He should be here any second.” I kept my chin tilted down but apparently Elise still caught my expression because she groaned melodramatically.
“Ugh, you guys are so cute together,” she moaned. “You should see yourself right now. I can practically see the hearts in your eyes at the mere mention of Jason.”
I flashed her a smile. Guilty.
A knock at the door cut off any more teasing and I raced to throw open the door.
There he was, my perfect Prince Charming in the flesh. Well, maybe not perfect. But he was perfect for me.
I threw myself into his open arms, ignoring Elise’s groans of disgust at our admittedly nauseating displays of affection. He held me tight. “I missed you, babe,” he murmured into my hair.
“Oh please,” Elise said from behind me. “You saw each other last weekend when she went to visit you.”
I pulled back and returned his knowing smile. We might’ve gone to different schools but they were only an hour apart and we took turns visiting one another on the weekends. Still, this visit felt extra special because my boyfriend was driving me home for a long weekend.
It just so happened it was homecoming weekend at Grover High. That fun fact was what had prompted my admission to Elise just a few minutes ago. We’d started talking about how lame those popularity contests were and I’d had to grudgingly admit that I’d won one such contest…much to everyone’s surprise.
“You ready?” Jason asked. I nodded and he slipped past me to pick up my bag for me. Ever the gentleman, that boyfriend of mine.
“What do you want to do at home?” I asked as we headed toward his car.
“Luke and Suzie will be home too,” he said. “I was thinking we could hang with them.”
I n
odded enthusiastically. “Oh yeah, Suzie already has something planned. And Matt should be home too, I think.”
He squeezed my shoulders. “So, like a real homecoming then.”
I smiled up at him. “How do you feel about going to the homecoming parade?” I nudged his side. “You know, for old time’s sake.”
He laughed. “You just want to relive your crowning moment of glory, don’t you?”
I rolled my eyes at his teasing. But he did have a point… “As a matter of fact, I do want to relive one of the happiest days of my life,” I said. I went up on tiptoe to give him a kiss. “If you’ll recall, that was the day that I won you.”
I felt his lips curve up into that smile I adored so much. He pulled back to give me an arch look. “Leave it to a band geek to make it all about winning and losing.”
I nudged his arm. “You’re just annoyed because you weren’t homecoming king.”
He laughed as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led me to the passenger-side door. “I told you I didn’t care about all that.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, teasingly waving off his comments. “But I still think we should go to the homecoming parade.”
“Oh yeah? And why is that?”
I grinned up at him. “So we can laugh at how silly it all is.”
He pulled me in close for a quick kiss. “It is pretty ridiculous, right?”
I shrugged. “I guess hindsight is twenty-twenty.”
“True,” he said as he opened the door for me. “But why look backwards when we have a future to look forward to?”
I stopped and looked up at him, one foot in the door. “Good point.” I tilted my head to reconsider. “Change of plans. Let’s skip the parade and just hang out with our friends instead. We won’t have a lot of time and I want to hear what’s going on in their lives.”
“Sounds great,” he said. “And when we do get a chance to have some alone time, maybe you and I should talk about the future.”
My heart picked up its pace because his gaze had gone all intense—it was a look I’d learned was reserved for me alone.
I loved this look.
“Oh yeah?” I said.
“Our future,” he clarified.
My heart beat even faster. Our future. I loved those words. “And what exactly did you want to discuss?”
He pulled me in close again and this kiss lasted long enough that I almost forgot what we’d been talking about. His voice got that low, sexy edge that thrilled me to my toes. “I have lots of ideas for the future, Margo. And they all involve you.”
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, reviews would be greatly appreciated. Stay tuned for the next Geeks Gone Wild installment, in which Suzie finds her match in My Virtual Prince Charming.
Keep reading for a free sample of Maggie Dallen’s latest YA romance, The Perfect Score.
For more YA romance, check out the following completed series by Maggie Dallen:
Kissing the Enemy
The Perfect Catch
The Perfect Match
The Perfect Score
Briarwood High
Out of His League
A Whole New League
The Perfect League
The Holiday Kiss
The Prom Kiss
The Candy Cane Kiss
Summer of Love
Senior Week Fling
Senior Week Crush
Senior Week Kiss
The Perfect Score
Maddie
I should have left the frat party when my friend Kate left. This was now totally obvious thanks to the drunk guy who was currently slurring his words as he invaded my personal space with his foul beer breath and loud breathing.
I’d seen her slip off with our other friend Levi and hoped beyond hope that for their sake they finally realized they were meant for each other. Being a human cupid wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I could see matches coming from a mile away but I’d learned a long time ago that trying to show someone the light was easier said than done.
Sometimes people just had to learn it the hard way. Kate and Levi? They were making this whole will-they-won’t-they thing last an eternity. Hopefully they were sorting out their issues right now.
I leaned away from the guy who was aiming that open-mouthed breathing in my direction.
Hopefully Kate and Levi were having better luck in the romance department than I was.
My new suitor had seemed cute when he’d first come over to start talking to me, but drunkenness was so not attractive. I was all for having a couple drinks at these things but seriously—know your limits, dude.
He moved in closer until the stench of stale beer hit my cheek, hot and wet and gross. “So what do you say, should we get out of here?”
I looked up at him to see if he was serious.
He was.
Ugh. Frat boys. So full of themselves. I’d have been better off with that last hottie I’d been talking to. He might’ve been too cocky for my liking but at least he hadn’t come on this strong.
I ignored his less-than-subtle come-on. “I need to find my ride” I said, my gaze already searching the crowd for my friend Ox. He was around and he was close, of that I was certain. Ox had become my self-appointed bodyguard tonight. His protectiveness was adorable—unnecessary but cute.
I’d had a hunch when I’d befriended him that he was good people, and he proved me right at every turn. For all his scowls and gruff exterior, he had the heart of a hero.
Contrary to popular belief, heroes didn’t always wear white hats or look like Prince Charming. Ox might not have looked the part, but he was one of the good ones.
I shifted away from the drunk guy and made a mental note to make more of an effort to help Ox find someone. He deserved it.
Drunk guy didn’t get the hint. His arm wrapped around my shoulders. “I can give you a ride home.”
“Uh, I don’t think so.” A ride from the drunkest guy in this place? No thanks. I didn’t have a death wish, thank you very much. I backed away from him but when he edged in closer I got a little surge of tension. Not fear—I might’ve been short but I could totally take this guy down, especially in his inebriated state. But I was just a little apprehensive about having to knee a guy in the groin in the middle of a frat party. Not exactly ideal. I had a certain reputation to uphold, and I wasn’t about to become the girl who was blacklisted from all the good Fairfield University house parties.
I cast a quick look around for my actual ride home. The one who’d been drinking water all night and watching over me and Kate. There he was. Ox was easy to spot. A full head taller than most of the people in this overcrowded house. Even if he didn’t tower over the rest of them, he would have been set apart by that fierce frown of his.
The guy couldn’t help it. That was just the way his face was. Permanently set in a scowl. Right now he was staring in my direction and I felt that tiny flicker of tension ease. His gaze met mine and his eyes narrowed a bit.
My stomach gave a funny little twist. It was the relief, most likely. It wasn’t often I had my very own bodyguard on hand at one of these things.
“Come on,” drunk guy said, his tone turning whiny. “Don’t be like that.”
“Like what?”
He leaned in close. “Don’t be a tease.”
I jerked back. “Excuse me?” My tone was filled with indignation and any guy who wasn’t a moron or three sheets to the wind would have recognized that and stopped talking.
Not this guy.
“I know who you are, you know,” he said.
I was full on backpedaling now, not even trying to hide my disgust. “Oh yeah, and who’s that?” The girl who’s gonna hit you where it hurts?
It was rapidly becoming clear that was exactly who I was going to be.
“I’m friends with Alex,” he said, taking a swig of his beer as I came to a sudden stop. I couldn’t have moved if my life depended on it. I’d frozen. Every limb, every vein, they were all fille
d with ice at the mention of my ex. My first love.
The guy I’d thought loved me back.
“You don’t recognize me, huh?” he said with a nasty sneer, eyeing me with a critical look. “You were pretty drunk when I met you.”
I blinked a few times and the room started to spin, the edges of my vision growing hazy. Alex. The guy I’d been so sure was the love of my life…until he’d dumped me for someone else approximately one month later.
I’d never been so crushed in my life. And now here was a guy, his friend apparently, and he was looking at me like I was beneath him, like he was better than me. Now I started to recognize him. Alex and I hadn’t gone to a ton of parties together—only one. And that one party had marked the beginning of the end for us, though I hadn’t known it at the time.
It was our first public outing as a couple—a party filled with strangers, kids from his school. He’d gone to Parkland High, which was Fairfield’s main rival and located on the opposite end of town. I’d met so many new people at that party, but this guy…
“You were a senior,” I said through numb lips.
He smirked, as if that was somehow a compliment. He tried to snake an arm around my waist again. “See? We’re basically old friends, babe.”
Babe? Ugh. Alex had called me babe. He’d been a junior, and so was I at the time. It was a year ago now and I should have moved on. I should’ve been over it.
I thought I was over it, but my churning stomach and fuzzy brain at the mention of his name said otherwise.
“So, what do you say?” he said. “You want to go back to my place to party?” His lips pulled back in a leer as he moved in closer again.
When I backed up this time my feet ran into a table and jostled some beer cans.
“No,” I said, already scanning the crowd again for Ox. Where had he gone?
“Oh come on,” drunk guy said.
I still couldn’t remember his name. I could barely even place which party I’d met him at. Not a surprise since I’d been blinded by love at the time. All I’d been able to see was Alex—his handsome face, his smooth voice, his quick smile, his sweet endearments.
Love at First Fight (Geeks Gone Wild Book 1) Page 17
