“Yeah, sure,” she said with a shrug. “No problem. Just make sure she’s in my room for the last RA patrol before lights out, and then we’ll sneak her over to your room.”
I frowned as I thought of all the ways this could go wrong and we could get caught.
“Don’t worry,” Jamie said. “We all do this all the time.”
I nodded and shoved my hands in my pocket. That seemed to be the consensus of my roommate and the few other students with whom I’d discussed this matter. It was surprising, really. For a school that prided itself on security, the students of Emory Prep seemed to have no issue circumventing the rules.
Jamie was still watching me. Where on earth was Liv?
“I heard the news,” she said.
I turned to face her. “What news?”
She laughed again, like I’d said something funny. I’d have to tell Liv that I finally found a girl other than her who found me funny. She’d make a joke about how it didn’t count if she was laughing at me, to which I would pretend to take offense just to see her eyes crinkle up when she laughed. The thought made my lips twitch with amusement and I nearly forgot all about the blonde before me.
“The magazine feature?” she said, like she was prompting me or something.
“Oh right, that.” I glanced over at the door. I still had to tell Liv about that. That was one of many things I needed to talk to her about while she was here, and far from the most important.
An unexpected wave of nerves had me shoving my hands into the pockets of my khakis.
“Are you excited?”
Once again, I sort of forgot Jamie was standing there so I found myself staring at her blankly. Was I excited to be featured in a national money magazine featuring the thirty wealthiest people in the world under the age of thirty?
Not really. But it made my father happy, and I had a feeling Liv would be pretty ecstatic too. I was more excited about the fact that Telecor had agreed to keep me on to run my app, more in a figurehead role as I finished high school and attended college, but with the understanding that I would work with their teams to continue developing new apps and games geared toward a similar market.
I’d been handed my dream job, basically, and that I couldn’t wait to tell Liv about. The fact that being the face of the app meant having to partake in publicity stunts like this magazine spread was just a by-product, and not one I necessarily enjoyed.
“My father owns the magazine,” Jamie was saying. With a little roll of her eyes, she added, “Or, I guess, the publishing company that owns the magazine.” I had a feeling she’d been talking for a little while there and I’d forgotten to pay attention. “That’s how I knew,” she explained.
I nodded. That made sense. The list hadn’t been published yet. In fact, the public relations specialist my father had hired hadn’t even announced that the sale of my app had been finalized.
Like I’d said, a lot of things could happen in a week.
“Your success story is amazing,” she said.
I stared at her for a moment. What was I supposed to say to that? The truth, I supposed. “I got lucky.”
She tilted her head to the side, her brows drawing together like she was confused by that response. After another silence that had me itching to go outside and watch the street for any sign of her arrival, Jamie started talking again.
“So you’ll be going to the gala, right?” she asked.
I blinked at this girl again as I mentally scrolled through my conversations with my father and the publicist for any mention of a gala. Oh yes, the magazine hosted a black-tie party for the occasion.
Jamie arched her brows. “Are you taking your friend?”
“Yes.” It came out automatically, but it was truly the only option. Liv was the only person who could be my date at something like this. It went without saying, although I still had to ask her first.
I drew in a deep breath as inspiration struck and my stomach took a nose dive. This was it—the opportunity I’d been searching for. The segue into a much bigger conversation that was way overdue.
No more procrastinating. I was ready to exit the friend zone, and this weekend I’d make it happen.
I would ask Liv to the gala…as my date. Today. Or maybe tomorrow. At some point this weekend I was going to ask my best friend out on a date. My hands grew clammy at the thought, but way too much time had already passed. There was always some good reason to hold off on telling her how I felt. For the last six months, that reason had been named Stuart. But now he was out of the picture and I refused to chicken out or procrastinate and lose my chance.
Jamie was eyeing me oddly. “I was hoping to talk to you about something—”
Before she could say what, the front doors flew open and in came my favorite person in the world—her dark hair was pulled up in a bandana like she was Rosie the Riveter, and her short, curvy frame was clad in leggings and a long T-shirt with a hoodie on top. As she dragged a roller-bag that was no doubt filled to overflowing with goodies from home, she wore the most brilliant smile I’d ever seen.
“Jackson!” she screeched, seemingly unaware of the security guard behind the desk who frowned at her, or any of the other people walking through the foyer.
I knew what to expect and I braced myself for impact. When she launched herself into my arms I caught her with a laugh, my arms coming around her automatically to keep her from sliding down my torso.
There was a bit of a height difference between us, particularly on days like today when she was wearing ballet flats rather than those big, chunky boots of hers. I was on the tall side at six feet so the only way to properly embrace was to either hold her in my arms or bend over to an uncomfortable degree.
I far preferred holding her in my arms.
Liv gave me a big fat kiss on the cheek. I knew I was grinning like a fool but I didn’t care. I’d missed this girl. Sure, we talked all the time, but it wasn’t the same. And now she was here and she was—
Single.
The thought had no more than popped into my head then Liv was wiggling her way down my chest, apparently giving no thought to the fact that I was male, and not at all oblivious to her charms.
Before I could process that thought—or rather, the physical blow of having my best friend’s body pressed to mine—she was already moving over, her hand outstretched. “Hi,” she said, picking up Jamie’s hand where it rested at her side and pumping it. “I’m Liv. You must be our savior.”
Jamie’s eyes widened in surprise. Not an uncommon reaction around Liv. Jamie recovered quickly and matched Liv’s smile.
I had a newfound appreciation for Jamie in that moment.
“I wouldn’t say savior,” she said with a laugh. Jamie nudged my arm with her elbow and I looked down at the unexpected touch. “Just helping out a friend.”
To Liv’s credit, she not only did not laugh at this, she actually seemed to believe it was possible that I’d made a friend who was not her. Her smile grew even bigger, which most wouldn’t have believed was possible. The girl could smile like nobody’s business. Liv shot me a funny little look out of the corner of her eye, a little knowing and more than a little embarrassing. “Did I interrupt something here?”
“No,” I said quickly.
“Actually…” Jamie said. “I was just about to ask Oliver if he’d be willing to help me with a charity event I’m organizing.”
I stared at her blankly. She was? But Liv was already speaking on my behalf. “Of course he would!”
I turned my stare to Liv, but now I was trying not to laugh. I would? She didn’t seem to notice me staring as she peppered Jamie about the charity—she was raising money for the children’s wing at the local hospital, apparently, and was hoping that I could donate.
“Of course I will,” I said when Jamie turned her questioning gaze to me.
I would have done it anyway—I might have come into a fortune, but I knew that it wasn’t really mine. I mean, it was, but only out of sheer luck.
There were so many others out there who actually needed money. So yes, I would have said yes to Jamie no matter what, because it was the right thing to do. I now had money, sick children needed it. There was no question. However, the fact that Liv was now beaming at me with a look of unabashed pride…
Well, that just turned what had been a selfless yes into a selfish moment of joy. I would give up all the money and the position within Telecor to see that look on Liv’s face again.
Preferably every day of my life.
It was a look that said I was hers and I’d made her proud. I loved that look.
I lived for that look.
But the look was there and gone because her attention was once more on Jamie—her curiosity had clearly been piqued. I wasn’t surprised. Not only was Liv a naturally inquisitive person, but she was passionate about charity work. Through the student council, she was always leading up food drives and bake sales, but even in her spare time she volunteered at a local nursing home and used her passion for knitting to make hats for chemo patients and infants in the NICU.
So, no, I wasn’t surprised that Liv was curious about Jamie’s project, but I didn’t think Jamie was prepared for Liv. Most people weren’t. Liv was nodding enthusiastically and asking the next question before Jamie had finished answering the last.
Like me, Liv had never been popular at Harmon High. But unlike me, her lack of popularity wasn’t because she was socially awkward or a giant nerd, she was just…too much for most people.
I watched Liv now, soaking in the chaos that was so uniquely her. Liv was too energetic, too outspoken, too unique for the boring masses at Harmon High. Of course, if you asked her she’d add that she was too unattractive.
She never had understood how beautiful she was…in my eyes, at least. Don’t ask me why the nitwits at Harmon high didn’t see it. Probably because they were self-absorbed imbeciles.
When Liv launched into a series of questions about Jamie’s involvement in past charity events, I figured it was time to drag her away.
While I had a tendency to be too standoffish—that was how Liv put it—she admittedly had an issue with not paying attention to societal boundaries.
“So your dad, like, owns the charity?” she was asking, a little crease between her brows as she concentrated on Jamie, making the other girl shift nervously.
“He doesn’t own it,” Jamie said, a tad defensively. “My father’s company has a division that’s devoted to nonprofit and I’ve been helping with—”
“That is so cool,” Liv breathed, her eyes wide.
I watched Jamie’s reaction, which was to study Liv to ensure she was serious. She was. Once Jamie realized that Liv wasn’t feigning excitement or mocking her in some way, she matched Liv’s friendly smile. “You’re welcome to volunteer too, if you’d like.”
My estimation of this Jamie girl went up another several notches. I always appreciated people who appreciated Liv.
I rested a hand on Liv’s shoulder. “We should go,” I said, nodding toward the security guard who was watching us. Jamie took over, linking arms with Liv and leading her toward the security office. She glanced back at me. “We’ll be back out in a sec and you can have your friend back.”
Liv looked back too but she gave me this funny grimace that made me laugh as she followed Jamie into the office. They were out in no time and Liv was running in my direction. “I’m official,” she announced.
Jamie watched with amusement as Liv grabbed my hand and dragged me away. “Thanks, Jamie,” she called back over her shoulder.
“Anytime.” Jamie’s wave was much more subdued. “I’ll see you tonight?”
“Tonight!” Liv confirmed as she led the way toward the elevators leading to the boys’ wing. “Come on, Jackson, show me your new digs.” She gave me a blithe smile but I couldn’t return it. Liv would be sleeping in my room.
My mouth went dry.
If I didn’t know better I would have sworn that the liquid in my mouth had gone directly to my palms. I knew better, obviously. But that’s how it felt. I was nervous, which was ridiculous. We’d slept in the same room—heck, the same bed—countless times.
But never after I’d confessed my love to her.
My mouth was now made of sandpaper and my throat refused to work.
Liv didn’t notice, she just wrapped her arms around my waist and squeezed. “I can’t wait for a slumber party!”
The doors opened as she said it and I caught more than a few arched brows from two of the guys who lived on my floor and were waiting for the elevator. I met their looks evenly but when they passed, I turned to Liv. “Could we not refer to this as a slumber party?”
She laughed.
My roommate was gone when we reached my room and it suddenly seemed a whole lot smaller.
“So this is it, huh?” Liv spun around. “This is where the magic happens.”
I laughed as she fell onto my bed. “You’ve already seen my dorm room before, remember?”
“Yeah,” she said. “But I couldn’t wait to see what it looked like now that you’re actually settled in.”
I watched her as she studied my room with a critical eye. Not much to see, really. The school might have been elite, and the tuition exorbitant, but it was still a dorm and the rooms were roughly the size of my closet back home.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay in Jamie’s room?” she asked. “I don’t want to weird out your roommate or anything.”
I shook my head. “He went home for the weekend, so you can use his bed.”
Her gaze met mine and heat crept up my neck at this new tension between us that made all talk of sleeping arrangements feel mildly terrifying. The only problem was, I couldn’t tell if she felt it too.
“Okay, cool,” she said, and then she went back to studying my new abode.
My roommate’s side of the tiny room was cluttered with dirty clothes, some books, and posters of bands I’d never heard of on the wall, but mine was orderly and sparse. The desk had a stack of textbooks on it but there were no pictures and no posters on the wall.
Liv sighed. “We need to breathe some life into this place. Your side of the room is depressing.”
I shrugged. “I like it.”
She gave me a sad look and patted my arm when I sat beside her. “You only think you do.”
I felt a smile tugging at my lips. Liv always thought she knew what was best for me—for everyone, really. Granted, most of the time she was right, but not on this one. “I like neat and orderly,” I said. “You need to accept this fact.”
She shook her head in exaggerated sadness. “How could we have been friends for so long if you are so opposed to…” She flailed her arms around wildly as she searched for the word. “Color!”
I was losing the battle with a smile now. There really was nothing more adorable than a flustered and exasperated Liv. Luckily, around me that was almost always her state of being. I looked around at the plain white walls, the brown desk, the beige duvet on which she sat. “I like neutral colors,” I said mildly, mainly to make her even more exasperated.
She rolled her eyes and blew a chunk of dark hair out of her face. A lock of hair that used to be bangs and now was the bane of her existence—her words, not mine—had managed to escape from the kerchief around her head.
I hesitated before joining her on the bed. I shouldn’t have felt weird about sitting next to my best friend. We’d been physically close more times than I could count in our lifetime together. There shouldn’t be anything weird about me sitting close to her now.
Except that it was. For me, at least. Because Stuart had broken up with her, which meant that Liv was single again—finally—and now I had no more excuses. I cleared my throat and she glanced over at me all wide-eyed and ignorant about what was going on over on my side of the bed.
“Don’t you want just a little color?” she asked.
Nope. She clearly had no idea what was happening because she was still fixated on the colo
r of my bedspread, while I was fixated on her.
I cleared my throat again. Speaking wasn’t typically a problem for me when it came to Liv—only with everyone else on the planet. But right now, nerves made it difficult to form any coherent words. “Maybe you’re all the color I need in my life.”
Oh man, that sounded terrible. It hadn’t exactly sounded eloquent in my head, but aloud? I could feel my tongue growing thicker and my throat closing as my brain scrambled for a way to backtrack. Before I could, Liv’s arms were around my neck.
“That is so sweet,” she said in a funny sing-song voice. When she pulled back I confirmed that she was not, in fact, laughing at me and my ineloquence. She was giving me a warm look that I felt like a surge of lava through my entire body. “You really are too nice to me, do you know that?”
“Impossible,” I managed.
I was rewarded with another dazzling grin that lit up her features and made her glow.
She sank back onto her heels to study me. “But seriously though,” she said. “Let’s go get you a plant or something. Your side of the room gives me the creeps.”
And she was off. Bounding off my bed with the same level of energy that she tackled everything in life, from spearheading Harmon High School’s fundraising activities to buying me a plant…that I didn’t exactly want.
She looked so pleased with herself though that I found myself following her. This had been the case even when we were little. I wasn’t just tagging along obediently right now because my hormones had decided at some point over the last couple of years that they were intimately interested in Liv’s hormones. Nope. I’d always been like this around Liv. She was the sun, and my world spun in her orbit.
I would, quite literally, follow her anywhere.
“So,” I said as she led me to a flower shop she’d found on her phone in the short time it had taken us to get outside. “Do you want to talk about Stuart?”
I didn’t, but it was the only topic I could think of that could lead us into talking about relationships in general, which I could then steer into a conversation about a very specific relationship—ours.
Tall, Dark, and Nerdy: High School Billionaire #1 Page 3
