#GoodGirlBadBoy
Book 3 of the #BestFriendsForever Series
Yesenia Vargas
Copyright © 2018 by Yesenia Vargas
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
For my biggest supporter and best friend, Zendy. And for my daughters.
Contents
Book Description
Become a VIP Reader
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Yesenia Vargas
Book Description
The good girl made of sugar, spice, and everything nice. The bad boy one strike away from juvie. Is there more to him than meets the eye, or will he just break her heart?
* * *
Harper couldn’t help it. Her first day at Westwood High, she saw Emerson Lopez sitting across the cafeteria and fell for him.
* * *
Hard.
* * *
The problem? Her friends insist he’s bad news, and rumor has it he’s NOT interested in relationships.
* * *
But it’s not like Emerson even knows she exists. Until summer unexpectedly brings both of them together.
* * *
Harper may be the only person who can save Emerson from himself. But what if he doesn’t want to be saved?
* * *
Fans of Jess and Rory from Gilmore Girls will adore this next installment of the #BestFriendsForever series. Grab book 3 and continue this popular new series today!
* * *
This is a clean young adult contemporary romance.
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One
Nothing was better than the official start of summer. Unless you were destined to spend it without your friends.
Tori pulled into the drugstore on the way to my house. “This one, right?”
I nodded and leaned forward. “Yep, this is it. I love coming here. They have the best deals.”
It had been just my mom and me for most of my life, so we’d learned to make money stretch. I couldn’t exactly afford to walk into Sephora and buy the latest and greatest makeup, but I was pretty good at finding the best bargains at drugstores.
My friends and I got out of the car, the bright, hot sun beating down on us.
The school year had officially ended less than thirty minutes ago, and we were celebrating with makeovers and a sleepover at my house. But first: picking out makeup.
Across the parking lot, a lone guy skateboarded this way and that, performing all kinds of tricks in the shade of a few poplar trees. I recognized him, in his familiar black t-shirt and blue jeans. His name was Emerson, and he shared my lunch period. Or used to.
Emerson jumped like he was diving into a pool for a swim, and I gasped. Then he landed on his skateboard upside down…and rode it like that, on his hands instead of his feet. He definitely seemed to be the most talented of the group.
“Wow,” I said without thinking.
Everyone stopped, and Lena came up beside me. “What?” She turned her gaze toward the trees. “Isn’t that Emerson Lopez?”
Tori shielded the sun with her hand over her eyes. “It’s not a back handspring, but still…impressive. Didn’t he get kicked out of school just last week?”
Ella shook her head. “Suspended.”
Lena gawked. “Again? I’m surprised he hasn’t been expelled yet.”
Ella pursed her lips. “Just a matter of time.”
Rey turned to me. “That boy has always been trouble. Ever since we were in elementary school.”
My eyes widened in surprise. It was hard to imagine a second-grader getting into trouble.
Or how much abdominal strength Emerson had to have now to dive again, grab his skateboard from the ground, and do a backflip. Somehow, I found myself trying to picture how many rows of abs he might have.
Making sure I didn’t have drool on the side of my mouth, I finally turned with the others to go into the store, but a middle-aged man with a round belly came out, almost running us over. We scurried out of his way.
He shook his fist in the air, taking several steps toward Emerson and his pals. “Didn’t I tell you kids not to skate around here? There’s a sign, for the hundredth time!”
It was true. He pointed to it, but Emerson and his two friends hardly glanced up at the guy.
The manager wasn’t giving up, though. “If you don’t leave, I’m calling the police. Don’t think I don’t know about the car you hit with your board the other day!”
Now Emerson stifled a grin, which only made the manager lose his cool completely.
“That’s it!” the manager screamed, turning around and going back inside. The automatic doors hardly opened in time for him, and he almost fell.
I jumped forward to help, but he was gone.
Lena met my eyes. “Whoa,” she said.
Ella blinked. “You talking about Emerson or the manager?”
Tori raised a brow. “Both. But that guy almost blew my eardrum out.”
We turned back to Emerson, who made his way down the street on his skateboard, but he didn’t settle for just cruising down the sidewalk.
Instead, he skated up to a small table outside a fast food place, rolled over the table on his back, board still in hand, and landed back on it. All in one swift move.
I had been sure he would crash and split his head open, but he was like some sort of Jackie Chan, using his environment to beat up his enemies, except Emerson was riding a skateboard.
His back was to me, so I didn’t expect him to turn around and find me ogling him.
But he did.
Our eyes met for a split second, and I knew he knew I’d been staring. But he didn’t laugh or smile. Instead, his gaze was intense like a hawk. His mouth serious.
My faced burned red hot, and it wasn’t because I’d been standing outside for way too long. Nope, that was the sheen and sweat and color of pure humiliation.
Then he turned away, and someone else came up beside me.
Lena’s loud voice rang in my ear. “OH MY GOSH, DID EMERSON LOPEZ SMOLDER AT
YOU?”
I dragged Lena away from the scene of the crime and into the store.
But that didn’t stop Lena from going on about what had just happened. “You still have a crush on him, don’t you?”
Ella came up to me. “Where have you been? Tori’s been trying to explain warm vs cool skin tones to me, and I’m lost.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but it was too late.
Lena was practically jumping up and down. “Emerson Lopez totally caught Harper staring at him. He gave her this super hot smolder. You guys missed it.”
The mom at the checkout counter with her two young kids glared in our direction, and I pulled Lena toward the makeup aisle.
Then I tried to save face. “Okay, so I definitely wasn’t staring—”
Lena nodded, completely sure of herself, and crossed her arms. “She was totally staring.”
Tori held back a knowing smile, and I wanted to evaporate right then and there.
Ella tried to calm Lena down. “Lena, indoor voices, remember?”
We laughed, but my face still felt kind of hot.
Rey nudged me. “So you still got a crush on bad boy Emerson, huh?”
Everyone stopped goofing around and looked at me for an answer.
I stuttered. I stuttered bad. “Oh—uh, no,” I scoffed. “No, no way—I’d never—”
Tori touched my shoulder. “You do. It’s okay. We’ll try not to judge.” She winked at me.
Ella put her arm around me. “Promise.”
Rey whispered in my ear, putting her hand up in front of her cheek so no one else would hear. “I don’t blame you.”
I didn’t know if I should giggle or try to hide. No way did I have a crush on Emerson Lopez. I had confessed thinking he was cute a few months ago at a sleepover, and I knew right away from my friends’ reactions that he was bad news.
So no.
I no longer thought Emerson was cute. Not at all. Not when I saw him sitting atop his regular table in the cafeteria or when he roamed the hallways, chin up like he dared somebody to say something to him.
Nope.
“Normally, I’d be pretty excited at the thought of you going out with some really cute guy,” Tori began, kneeling down to inspect some lip gloss, “but Emerson really doesn’t seem like a good choice.”
Ella smiled meekly. “I’m afraid I have to agree. He just doesn’t seem like a very nice guy. And you’re like the nicest girl I’ve ever met.”
Rey nodded. “We’d hate to see him break your heart, Harper.”
Lena sighed. “And then I’d have to break his face. So for my sake, Harp,” she teased, “it’s better to just stay away from that guy.”
I wondered what could be so bad about Emerson, but at the same time, I knew they were right. They’d lived here their whole lives. There was a lot about him that I probably didn’t know, even if part of me thought they had to be wrong.
Determined to find a good selection of products for my friends’ makeovers, I looked for some discounted mascara, ready to be rid of the topic of Emerson.
But apparently, everyone else wasn’t quite ready to move on.
Tori rubbed some lipstick on the back of her hand. “You know, all his older brothers were the same way. And I hear his younger brothers are already following in their footsteps.”
Ella turned a tube of primer in her hand. “Yeah, it’s a shame. They’re all so handsome, but most of them have dropped out. I think their parents just don’t care that they get in trouble all the time either.” She turned to me and held up the primer. “What the heck is this?”
I pointed to the label. “Primer. It goes on before your foundation.”
She blinked several times. “But it’s called foundation. I mean, doesn’t that mean it goes on first?”
“Think of this as your canvas,” I said.
Ella’s confused expression didn’t change. “Huh?
Tori met my gaze and laughed. “We’ll explain later. Just toss it in.” She held out a green plastic basket.
I wanted to keep talking about makeup, but part of me was also curious. I’d never even talked to Emerson before. It sounded like there was a reason he didn’t have the best grades or school attendance. Everyone seemed to focus on staying away from him. “So all his brothers have dropped out?”
Tori nodded. “Yeah, they were always getting into fights and stuff. I remember freshman year, his brother was a junior and the other one was a senior. They both got into a huge fight in the cafeteria one time, with three other seniors. And then Emerson jumped in too. Ended up with a black eye.”
“Wow,” I said.
“Plus he’s a heartbreaker,” Lena said, tossing a bright eyeshadow palette in our basket. “A total player. His older brother, the one who was a junior at the time, went out with my older sister. They lasted like two weeks and then he blew her off once he couldn’t get what he wanted.”
Rey shook her head. “Yeah, he doesn’t sound nice.”
I held up a container of foundation to the back of Ella’s hand. “And Emerson is the same way then?”
Tori thought for a second. “He definitely gets into a lot of fights.”
Ella gave me an unsure look. “And he’s been known to go out with a girl for a few days and then break up with her.”
Rey met my gaze. “He used to date Patricia, in my math class. She was crushed when he just broke up with her, like right away. He said he just didn’t do relationships. He was her first kiss, can you believe it?”
Tori’s voice went low. “And that fight he got into last week? I heard the principal tell Coach that if he doesn’t get his act together, he’s headed straight for juvie. He’s on his last chance.”
My stomach sank with the thought of falling for a guy and then being dumped. Maybe they were right.
I should definitely stay away from Emerson Lopez, as handsome as he was. The bad boy was off limits.
Two
I brushed Ella’s lashes with thick black mascara. “Are you sure you and your aunt can’t take me with you to Puerto Rico?” Oh, the things I’d do to sunbathe on that island with tall, tan boys with foreign accents all around.
Ella gave me an understanding smile. “Sorry. Wish I could.”
I glanced at Lena, who was expertly blending in eyeshadow for Rey. “Any chance you can stash me in the trunk of your car when you guys leave for Mexico?”
Lena giggled. “Sorry, With the size of my family, I’m lucky I’m going.”
Tori swiped at something on her phone then put it down. “Unless you want to come with me to cheer camp this summer?”
“Yeah, right,” I said. “Does it look like I’m even coordinated enough to do a basic cartwheel?”
Tori stared at me. “You can’t do a cartwheel? I mean, can you even ride a bike, Harper?” she teased.
I handed Ella a mirror. “Finished.” I grabbed my bag and pulled out some of my favorite makeup. “And to answer your question, Tori…sometimes.”
Tori and Lena were very athletically inclined. Me? Not so much. But I liked to think I was a good friend, and that was more important, right?
I looked around at my four best friends in the world. “I can’t believe I’m the only one not traveling for the summer. I’m so jealous,” I said, imagining all the adventures they were sure to have.
Rey offered a smile from my bed, her usual journal right beside her. “At least you get two weeks with your dad, right? You get to ride an airplane back to Wisconsin.”
I nodded. “You’re right. I’m sure that’ll be fun. The plane ride, at least.”
Tori did Ella’s hair in long, loose waves while I did my own makeover. When she was done, Ella stood up and twirled. “I love it.”
As if on cue, the oven timer began beeping, and I sped off to the kitchen. The cupcakes we baked were cool enough to decorate. “Guys, come grab a cupcake!” I called.
Within minutes, we sat at the table, covering each of our giant cupcakes in frosting and sprinkle
s. I pulled out a single candle for Ella’s cupcake, pushing it carefully into the center.
Ella beamed. “You guys are the best.”
I dug around for a lighter while everyone pulled out their presents for her.
I sat back down, my own present in hand. I set it on the table and lit the candle. “We can’t let you go off to Puerto Rico without throwing you an early birthday party.”
The bright candle lit up Ella’s face. “Do I get to make a wish?”
Tori smiled. “Of course.”
Lena took tons of pictures, and then we all got together for a selfie.
We had to take it about twenty times before we were all satisfied, and by then, the candle had almost completely melted. But then we sang happy birthday, Ella made her wish just in time, and we ate our cupcakes.
“You guys are the best,” Ella exclaimed. “This is so good.”
“Agreed,” Rey said beside me. “I can’t believe you’re already eighteen. I won’t be eighteen until next spring.”
Ella shrugged. “It feels just like seventeen.”
I took a drink of water to wash down the frosting. “So is Jesse going to miss you tons or what?”
Ella nodded. “I’m gonna miss him too. But it’s only a few weeks. Jesse has basketball camp. We’re spending the day together tomorrow so I’m looking forward to that.”
#GoodGirlBadBoy Page 1
