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.
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Author’s Note
Hey :)
You made it to the end! It means the world to me that you did.
I can’t believe how much happened just in the 3 months that this book was written, edited, and published:
- we went a month without a kitchen (don’t ask)
- we took a family trip (fun!)
- moved to a new home (which we absolutely love)
- my husband’s left ring finger was crushed and broken (he’s fine now, but his wedding band was cut off)
- and my youngest turned 2 (we barely survived the chaotic birthday party).
Somehow, I also wrote a book???
Plus my oldest, Andrea, is on the brink of starting first grade.
It’s all a blur now, but I’m ecstatic that this book is finally in your hands <3
Telling Tori’s story has been SO MUCH FUN. And I knew that it would be a blast as soon as I found out that Noah and Tori would not like each other at first. LOL.
I hope you enjoyed reading their story.
It was interesting to dive into Tori’s point of view, especially since she’s an amazing cheerleader and I’ve never been a cheerleader a day in my life!
I showed up to the first day of tryouts in 6th grade and never came back. Haha. Then somehow I got roped into being assistant cheer coach when I was a middle school teacher a few years ago.
Believe me, it was not due to my experience. They really just needed another adult around, thank goodness.
Something Tori and I do have in common, though, is the sass and snarkiness. I definitely have those moments, so it was fun to channel that into her character :)
Where did I get the inspiration for Tori and Noah?
One of my favorite TV couples is Haleb, or Hanna and Caleb, from Pretty Little Liars.
While the show wasn’t always my favorite (JUST TELL US WHO A IS ALREADY!), I stuck around to watch these two.
The way Hanna found Caleb totally annoying at first and the way Caleb always had something snarky in return to Hanna…
Then they were there for each
other when they didn’t have to be… MY HEART.
Totally swoon-worthy <3
I had to write my own enemies to lovers story!
Anyway!
Next, I’ll be diving into Harper’s story, which I know will be just as fun as this book ;)
If you want to know when that book is available, make sure you sign up for my newsletter and become a VIP reader :)
In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you thought of the #LoveToHateThatBoy and which #BFF is your favorite.
Email me your thoughts and questions at [email protected]. You can count on me to reply!
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Read Harper’s story…
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?
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Once again, thank you for reading #HateThatBoy!
I’ll see you in the next book :)
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Yesenia
Acknowledgments
Thank you once again to all of these amazing people:
My two amazing little girls, whose kisses and hugs sustained me these past several months. They more than made up for the constant interruptions :)
My friend, fellow author, and editor, Kelsie Stelting, whose feedback and suggestions helped me level up this story (and put up with my whining about not wanting to do edits).
My YA Chicks group of friends, including Sally, Cindy, and Kelsie. Thank you for all the feedback, support, and encouragement! And making Thursday nights fun :) It was amazing to get to meet you in person! (Thanks, Ty!)
My Thursday Night Inferno accountability group. Your friendship, support, and encouragement means more than you know.
My cover designer, Jenny, who nailed this cover. Thank you so much for being a part of my team.
My VIP Readers and Awesome Review Team. Thank you so much for being patient, reading the story, and helping me spread the word about #LoveToHateThatBoy. You guys are my favorite :)
About the Author
Yesenia Vargas is the author of several young adult romance books. Her love for writing stories was born from her love of reading and books. She has her third grade teacher to thank for that.
In addition to writing and reading, she spends her time hanging out with her family, working out, and binge-watching Netflix. In 2013, she graduated from the University of Georgia, the first in her family to go to college.
Yesenia lives in Georgia with her two daughters. She also blogs at writermom.net
Check out what she’s up to at yeseniavargas.com.
Also by Yesenia Vargas
#BestFriendsForever Series
#TheRealCinderella
#LoveToHateThatBoy
#GoodGirlBadBoy
#TheBoyfriendDare
#AllIWantForChristmas
#BreakingTheRules
#MeantToBe
Boys of Summer
Falling for the Rich Boy
* * *
Find all the download links as well as a complete list of my most recent books at yeseniavargas.com/books/.
#HateThatBoy Page 18
