Don't Kiss the Class Clown (Billionaire Academy YA Romance Book 4)

by Sally Henson

  “Here.” His arms stretched up. “Hook this over the bottom of the window.”

  I grasped the rope and brought it inside, trying to figure out what it was. Sleep had my brain a little fuzzy.

  He chuckled. “It’s an emergency fire ladder. For second-story homes.”

  “Oh.” I nodded and hooked it over the edge.

  He climbed up and in, wrapping me in a hug. His sweet cologne perked me up. “Slip on some sweats,” he said. “I have a surprise for you.”

  I wanted to crawl into bed, but I had been “Ally-bear” for the past day, two days … okay, so it was the whole week. He was excited and said he had a surprise, which meant he was trying to get me to loosen up. And I really liked his hugs.

  So I nodded, and he released me. I did what he asked, slipping my sneakers on too. When we reached the ground, I started to ask, “Where—”

  He pressed his finger to my lips and whispered, “Shh.”

  His fingers laced with mine and we took off jogging across the campus, clinging to the shadows and darkness of buildings and trees as much as possible. Halfway across campus, it hit me what we were doing. My heart rate spiked with a shot of adrenaline. There wasn’t one drop of sleepiness left in my entire body by that point.

  I snuck out of my bedroom? Oh my gosh! It was physically impossible to do something like that back home, but the thought had never even crossed my mind.

  The excitement made me feel so alive, I grasped Ryan’s bicep through his long-sleeved dark shirt. He didn’t have the bulky muscles a gymnast had, but he seemed pretty perfect to me.

  He stopped at the edge of a tree grove. The water that surrounded the campus island was only feet away. My breathless laughter bubbled out, and I pressed my face against his chest to stifle the noise.

  His body shook with mine. “Fun so far?” he asked.

  I nodded, taking a deep breath, and tried to get control of myself.

  “Close your eyes,” he demanded through his chuckles.

  My chest buzzed with anticipation as I did what he asked. Pound, pound, pound … my heartbeat was like a bass drum.

  “Okay,” he said. “Open.”

  I slowly raised my eyelids. The trees next to me were sparkled with twinkle lights. I gasped at the sight. “Ryan.” My gaze trailed down the trunk closest to me, across the grassy area to Ryan standing in the middle of a blanket spread on the grass. His arms stretched wide, and so was his grin. My heart sighed as I closed the distance. “This is pretty amazing. How did you do this?”

  He chuckled. “Magic.”

  I shook my head at his silly answer. We sat down cross-legged, face to face, in the middle. A soft glow from the tree lights bounced across his face. He was so handsome and full of happiness.

  “There’s more,” he said, reaching into a bag and pulled out a tall tumbler with a straw.

  “What’s this?” I asked as he pulled a second one out.

  “I’ve been doing some research,” he said. “You’ve been working hard, putting in a lot of overtime.” He chuckled at his joke. “And all this extra stuff going on with school, and the extra pressure you’ve put on yourself … I thought you could use a special smoothie to boost your energy and immune system.”

  I tapped my cup with his, said, “Thank you,” and took a sip. Waking me up at—geez, I didn’t even know what time it was—and sneaking across campus was fun and exciting. And a special immune-and energy-boosting smoothie was thoughtful, but I couldn’t help but think that letting me sleep would have been a great thing to do too. I pushed that grumpy thought down. I did miss him.

  “Blueberry, strawberry, spinach, sweet potato, oranges, and a drop of honey. And,” he said, lifting a container from the sack to give me a peek, “high-energy trail mix to snack on while you’re doing homework.”

  I slipped my hand in his. “I’m sorry for being so grouchy this week.”

  He leaned forward and touched his lips against my forehead. “You work too hard,” he said as he stretched out on the blanket.

  My buzz of excitement changed to a pinch of annoyance. I had to work hard. Working hard was necessary if I were going to reach my goals. He knew that. “It’s not my fault they get stupid with the schoolwork when I need every minute possible in the gym.”

  “Ally-bear.”

  If his tone had been anything but soft and enticing, I would have left him right there and run back to my room. I took another sip of my drink, trying to swallow the lingering thoughts that I should be in bed and not out here with Ryan.

  “Come here.” He tugged on my arm so I would lie next to him. “I’ve got this cool app we can figure out what constellations are up there.”

  I glanced up at the dark sky. The campus had plenty of lighting, but not too much that would pollute our view. The stars were uncommonly brilliant for the Seattle area. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I moved next to him as he pressed an icon on his screen that shut the twinkle lights off. A shiver ran through me. “We can’t stay out all night,” I said softly.

  He chuckled, spread a small blanket over us, and pulled me closer to him. “I know,” he answered just as softly.

  The backflips that often tickled my stomach when we were alone began. I could see that look in his eyes, the one that made me feel like I was important to him.

  He studied me, every angle and curve of my eyes, nose, cheeks, and jawline, highlighted from the light of his phone and stopped at my mouth. “I really like you, Ally Woods.”

  I giggled. I couldn’t help it. He could make me more excitable than a high-stakes meet could. “I really like you, Ryan Jacobs.”

  He pressed his lips to mine. I needed to be warmed up and ready to tumble by six in the morning. Regret already niggled in my brain, but Ryan, his kisses, and his silly jokes and amazing laughter kept me in the moment.

  Chapter 19

  Alexa Steel jogged back to the line after her vault. There were three girls ahead of me waiting for their turn, and we all said “good job” as she passed.

  “You look tired,” she said as she got in line behind me.

  Tired? Try bordering on exhaustion. Skipping out on much-needed sleep for kissing and cuddling with Ryan in the middle of the night probably wasn’t the smart, disciplined thing to do. After Coach Phillip almost sent me home early the night before from practice, there was no “probably” about it.

  Alexa’s comment was laced with condescension. She used to be the best on the Knights team until I showed up. We never talked, not past the standard “good job” everyone says after completing a routine. Jealousy wasn’t uncommon in gymnastics. I’d had dealt with it before. One more reason not to say too much to the other athletes. Except Tessa … she seemed genuine.

  I took a step back and angled toward Alexa’s slightly taller frame. I explained, “Probably because I’m up late every night with homework.” She was a senior; maybe she could shed some light on all the extra work. “What’s the deal with all the papers and projects right now?”

  She smirked. “They do this every spring. But it’s worse junior year for some reason.”

  I folded my arms against my chest, wondering if it was the teachers’ way of hazing juniors. It came at a terrible time, with the season two-thirds over.

  “So Ryan gets to hang out in the gym, huh?” she asked.

  The way she said his name irked me. Not to mention her tight tone. My stomach twisted.

  Alexa was not going to get in my head. I shrugged and turned back around, scanning the area I had just come from. Ryan was exactly where I’d left him after our quick, ten-minute economics study: kicked back against the wall by the trainers’ office with his laptop.

  His happy-go-lucky way used to be irritating. It was the calm to my Ally-bear-ness. When he was around, I felt like I could relax. Was that good or bad? It had to be good. I smiled at the dark-haired, blue-eyed class clown that had stolen my attention these last few weeks.

  “Ally! Let’s go!” Coach Phillip shouted.

/>   I flinched and tore my gaze from Ryan, planting it on Coach. Practice had barely begun, and coach was already yelling at me. Focus, Ally.

  Alexa scoffed, “And you think you’re Olympic worthy.”

  By the end of practice, I’d been caught not paying attention more times than I had since I’d first started gymnastics. I was practically a baby then. At sixteen, soon to be seventeen, my ability to shut everything out and focus on the task at hand had been outstanding.

  Until the first day of economics class.

  The night only went downhill. After practice, Ryan and I marched around the library toward my dorm. He’d snatched my hand when we’d left the gym. I wasn’t in the mood for company, though, and itched to pull it back and shove my hands in my jacket pockets.

  He cut into the silence. “The wobble dance on the balance beam was just like those little car dash hula dancers.” He stopped and wiggled his hips with a chuckle. “All you needed was a grass skirt.”

  I growled, tugging my hand away, and marched on. Only it was more of a slight skip since I’d tweaked my ankle landing my vault and then again on the beam.

  “Ah, come on. You have to laugh,” he said, snagging my hand again.

  Heat already smoldered in my chest from another failed practice. And his dumb jokes about my mistakes was stoking it into a bonfire. “Stop! Okay?” I tugged my hand away and pressed my fingertips to my temples. “Just stop with the jokes and stuff.” There was so much more at the tip of my tongue, but I pinned my arms to my sides and kept it in. I didn’t need more regrets.

  With another growl vibrating in my throat, I started back in motion.

  “Ally,” Ryan said with a gentle tone. He kept step next to me. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to make you feel better.”

  “It’s making me feel worse.”

  He leaped into my path, causing me to stop, and adjusted his height to mine. “You just had an off night. It happens to everyone.” He tugged me against his chest.

  Night? More like off year. As much as I didn’t want it to, my traitorous body sank into his.

  “You push yourself so hard. You need a break … before you break.” His warm, safe arms held me, and I slid mine around him.

  “I can’t,” I said. “Not with the last qualifying meet coming up.”

  He took a deep breath. His heart beat a little faster. “I’ve been doing some research,” he began, rubbing gentle circles my back.

  Again with the research? I rolled my eyes for my own benefit. I knew he was trying to help, but ugh, I just needed some solid sleep, not advice from a recovering perfectionist.

  “Gymnasts need rest and are at their best training five to six days a week. Not seven.”

  The more he talked, the more my chest tightened. I only trained that much when I was doing it full time. Since my parents had dropped me two thousand miles from home and I had to go to classrooms, my hours in the gym had been slashed. Seven days a week was now necessary.

  He spoke again before I could say anything. “You’ve been through a lot since summer. You’re pushing yourself too hard. Life will go on if you don’t make it to the trials.”

  His words poured gasoline on the fire. I shoved away from him. “You know how much I want this. How hard I’ve worked to get there. And you’re telling me I should give up … that it doesn’t matter?”

  Ryan took a small step toward me, hands raised in surrender. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m just saying you’re being too hard on yourself. I’ve seen the signs before … you need a break. Time to rest. You can’t do it all, all the time.”

  The fire fizzled, lowering my tense shoulders back in place. Rest sounded like a dream. What I knew I needed.

  He moved closer, one tentative step at time, until our fingers were entwined. “My parents have a cabin nearby. Getting away for a weekend in the woods and mountains always works for me.”

  A few of my teammates came up behind us. Ryan and I stepped aside, and I searched the dark sky. It reminded me of lying in his arms under the stars. The tug-of-war of my heart between him and gymnastics was getting to be too much.

  After the girls passed, I headed toward the dorm, Ryan’s hand still in mine.

  When I didn’t say anything, he continued. “Come on. You, me, Gamela. Just for the weekend. I promise you’ll be rested and ready to take on the world when we get back.”

  I stopped at the dorm entrance and faced him. His hopeful expression made me ache. “I don’t know. There’s so much going on right now.”

  The signature grin on his lips tugged into a sad smile.

  “Good night.” I squeezed his hand. My lips wanted so badly to taste his, but I left him standing there.

  Chapter 20

  After I got back to my room and showered, I knocked on Gamela’s door.

  “Is that a limp?” she asked, opening the door wider. She had her dark hair slicked back into a bun at the nape of her neck that day. It worked on her, with her dark brows and defined cheekbones.

  I hadn’t realized I was limping until she pointed it out. “It’s fine,” I mumbled, and I detoured into her room, diving face-first on top of her bed.

  “Uh-oh,” she said with a giggle as the door clicked shut. Gamela was the closest friend I had. None of the girls back home would understand, if they even answered my call. She plunked beside me and asked, “What’s wrong?”

  I sat up and told her about Ryan wanting to go to his cabin.

  “He already sent me a message,” she said sheepishly.

  I huffed and let it all out about my crappy week, though she’d heard most of it before. I added Coach Phillip saying that if I wasn’t disciplined enough for the Knights, how would I be disciplined enough to make the Olympic team, let alone win the gold?

  “I can’t keep up with everything, La La. Training. Classes. Homework. And I don’t think Ryan gets it.” I closed my eyes for a moment, tears stinging. “I’m so tired. I shouldn’t have snuck out with him the other night. I’ve been paying for it ever since. Something has to give. And right now …” I pressed my fingertips to my temple. “I see no other option. I think it has to be Ryan.”

  She nudged me over. We both lay back and stared at the blank ceiling as she spoke. “You two are so cute together.”

  Everything felt wrong. Coach’s words, my mother’s words, my vow to stay away from boys until after I had made it to the Olympics … They snowballed into a giant knot in my chest.

  “I never meant to lead him on. I didn’t want to like him.” I groaned. “He used to be so annoying.” I couldn’t help the smile that formed at how fast things had changed between us.

  “Used to be, but not anymore,” she said in a light tone.

  “I have a lot riding on gymnastics. It’s not some normal high school sport for me. And Ryan takes more time and effort than I can give right now.” The knot only seemed to grow with every point I made.

  “Ally, you win every event hands down.”

  I reached toward the heavens. “Hello? They’re not Olympic level. If I didn’t win ‘hands down,’ something major would be wrong.”

  “Fine. But you’re definitely overworked right now.”

  “Ugh, if I hear that one more time, I’m going to scream.”

  “It’s true,” she said, sitting up. “So am I. So is Ryan.” She sighed. “He makes you happy, and you definitely weren’t happy before you two started hanging out. Give it some time.”

  He used to make me happy, but I didn’t know anymore.

  I slung my arm over my face, covering my eyes with the crook of my elbow. “Unhappy” wouldn’t even come close to the definition of what I’d been when my parents had dumped me here. Coach Phillip was right. Gamela was right. But what do I do? “There’s a qualifying event at the end of April. I only have six weeks to get myself where I need to be. I like Ryan, more than I thought I would, but isn’t giving it time just leading him on more?”

  The low hum of music with a reverberating beat filled our si
lence.

  Gamela rolled to her side, facing me. “My mom says she didn’t always make good decisions, but when she started to live by this one nugget of wisdom, it made a huge impact. Now I’m passing it on to you.”

  I shot her a side glance, wondering if she was being serious or if Ryan had rubbed off on her. Based on the clarity of her exotic blue-green eyes, she was as serious as she’d ever been.

  “Never make a decision while you’re emotional.”

  Was I emotional? It only took a second to come to the conclusion. Yes, I was. It had been a rough week. But wasn’t that because of Ryan to begin with?

  I covered my face again. “Ugh. I didn’t have to deal with any of this back home.”

  “Let’s go to the cabin.”

  I lay there, feeling paralyzed. I wanted to sleep all day, but I wouldn’t do that with the gym so close. I also knew I needed as much time as possible polishing my skills.

  “If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for me. I could use a change of scenery,” she said, sounding a bit glum herself.

  I sat up. Living in a dorm at a boarding school where I was free to make my own choices twenty-four hours a day was exhausting. “I’ll sleep on it.”

  Gamela gave me a hug. “Just say yes. It’s that easy.”

  I went back to my room and sent a message to my old coach from Houston, asking if taking time off was a bad idea. She responded.

  Coach Steff: Sleep. Drink plenty of water. Get at least three hours in that evening.

  It wasn’t a “get out of gymnastics free” ticket for the whole weekend, but if she thought a little time off was acceptable, I shouldn’t feel guilty about going.

  I sent Coaches Heidi and Phillip a message to cancel my morning and afternoon training, and then I sent one to Ryan and Gamela.

  Ally: I’ll go to the cabin. But I need to be back BY FIVE.

  Sleep was what I wanted most, and I snuggled under my covers. The uneasy queasiness from my fight with Ryan and the lousy practices of the week held firm, but the fatigue won, and I was out like a light.