The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad

by O'Gorman, Cookie

  At that, my heart warmed.

  “You are so awesome. What’s your schedule look like for Monday?” I asked.

  “I’m actually busy after school.”

  “Okay, well, that night I have to work at the studio. What about Tuesday then?”

  “Err, kind of busy then, too.”

  “How about Wednesday?”

  “Well…”

  “Kyle,” I groaned.

  “I know, I know,” he said. “Sadie, I’m sorry, okay?”

  “Does this have anything to do with that guy?”

  “It might.”

  “It seems like you and he are spending a lot of time together,” I said, trying not to sound disappointed. I had really hoped we could start the dance this week. “You going to tell me who he is already? I’m starting to feel a little left out.”

  “Are you going to tell me what you and Colton were doing last night?” he said back.

  Looking to my right, I spotted my list and could just make out the latest items I’d marked off.

  5) Stay up and watch the sun rise.

  11) Go dancing at a club.

  16) Kiss in the car.

  17) Kiss in public.

  Number five had been an unintended side effect of my sleepless night but…considering two of those items involved kissing and his twin, there was no way I wanted to talk about them with Kyle.

  “Yeah, I thought so,” he muttered after I’d been silent too long.

  “What?” I said. “At least, you’ve seen my list. I don’t even know who this unnamed guy is that you’re crushing so hard on.”

  “I know,” Kyle said. “We’ve just been spending a lot of time together—kind of like you and my brother.”

  I frowned at his tone. “What’s that supposed to mean? You were the one who pushed for Colton to be my coach in the first place. I didn’t even want to work with him, remember? Completing this list is important to me, Kyle.”

  A moment passed…then another….and another.

  Kyle sighed then said, “Sadie, just tell me when you want to meet, and I’ll make time to be there.”

  “Don’t bother,” I said, feeling tears well up in my eyes. “I’ve got other things to cross off my list anyway. Thanks for your half-assed offer to help though.”

  “Sadie, wait—did you just say ass?”

  I hung up.

  So much for being able to depend on my best friend.

  Pulling up Colton’s name on my phone, I fired off a text.

  Me: Want to meet up tomorrow? The forecast says it looks like rain.

  His response was immediate.

  Colton Freakin’ Bishop: Can’t wait to kiss me again, huh? When and where?

  I rolled my eyes at that but responded anyway.

  Me: My house, after school.

  Colton Freakin’ Bishop: No, your house during last period. #19

  I read the text again, not that I really needed to. I knew what he meant. Nineteen on my list was “Skip school,” and I had P.E. that period, the same as Kyle and Colton. But I was hesitant about actually skipping a class.

  Me: I’m not sure…

  Colton Freakin’ Bishop: Not asking. Your list is 1st priority. Skip P.E. That’s an order from the Greatest Coach Of All Time.

  I grinned as I typed out a reply.

  Me: Whatever you say, Coach.

  My hands were unsteady as I unlocked the door to let us into the house. Colton had followed me home from school. I’d been sure someone was going to stop us before we left the building—a teacher, staff member, security. I’d nearly had a panic attack just walking out the school’s front doors. But we didn’t run into anyone.

  No alarms went off when we got into our cars and left the parking lot.

  Mom had gone in early to teach a private lesson, so no one was home.

  That meant it was just me and Colton Bishop, who I was sure had skipped school tons of times, some of them quite possibly to go make out with girls. Unlike me, he didn’t look perturbed at all. About the skipping or the kissing. He was cool as a freaking cucumber as we walked into the backyard, the grey clouds overhead roiling, ready to open up at any moment.

  “So, you skipped school,” Colton said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “You’re officially a rulebreaker, Sadie. How’s it feel?”

  I looked up at the darkening sky. “Honestly? It feels like Mother Nature is preparing to strike me down for leaving early.”

  He chuckled then said, “What’s the deal with that anyway? The rain? I get that you’re kiss-obsessed or something. But why rain?”

  “It’s romantic.” I shrugged as I sat in one of the lawn chairs we had outside. Colton took the chair opposite me. “You know Betty?”

  He nodded. “She’s a hard one to forget.”

  “Betty would absolutely love hearing you say that,” I smiled. “Well, she and I have a thing for movies. One day we made a list of our top 10 favorite movie kisses—”

  “You and your lists,” he said.

  “—and it was awesome. Betty has great tastes. But I mean, seriously, do you know how many of the best kiss scenes happen in the rain?”

  Colton sat back, crossed his arms and said, “Enlighten me.”

  So, I did.

  “Of course, the best and most memorable cinematic rain kiss has to be from The Notebook.” I sighed. “Noah and Allie finally coming together after years apart? Her thinking he moved on and forgot about her, him thinking she ignored the 365 love letters he sent her from the war? All that pent-up passion and desire…”

  I looked to Colton—which was a mistake. He wore a grin that made me realize just how silly I must’ve sounded, rhapsodizing over a kiss in the rain, asking him here to kiss me in the rain. Ugh.

  “Anyway, it’s a great scene,” I said quietly, blushing like mad.

  “Sounds like it,” he said. “Stupid movie, though. They both die in the end. Are there any more?”

  “Well…there’s that kiss from Spider-Man where he was upside down.”

  Colton shook his head. “Too complicated. I heard water got in his nose, and the guy could hardly breathe.”

  “I heard that, too.” I laughed. “Who wants to die just for a kiss right?”

  “It depends on the kiss, I guess,” he said.

  My jaw dropped. Who was this guy and what had he done with the real Colton Bishop? Seeming amused by my look of wonder, Colton stood and held out a hand.

  “Looks like it’s about to start coming down,” he said—just as lightning struck and a steady rain started to fall. “We better get ready.”

  “Okay,” I mumbled, letting him pull me to my feet.

  “You’re not going to freak out again. Right?”

  “I didn’t—” At Colton’s look, I stopped, took a deep breath, decided to start again. This was the Colton I knew. He wasn’t romantic, just freaking annoying. “No, Colton, I won’t. I thought about it and decided there’s nothing to get freaked out over.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Care to explain that last bit?”

  “Well,” I said, “it’s true. I enjoy kissing you. I can’t deny that—but maybe that’s just because I haven’t kissed anyone else. Maybe, I just really enjoy the act of kissing.”

  “You—” Colton tried to interrupt, but I kept going.

  “I mean, I figure it’s either that or maybe it’s how you look so much like Kyle.”

  The glare he gave me then would’ve melted the face off a lesser person.

  “Come on, Colton. It’s no secret—at least not to you,” I said, warming to the topic. I really had thought a lot about this, and there was only one explanation that made the most sense. “We’ve never gotten along, and I’m in love with Kyle. I have been forever. You look just like him, being his twin and all. So, because of that, of course I would enjoy kissing you.”

  Colton stepped closer, and my mouth shut instantly. The look in his eyes, the tension in his body said he was done listening. His voice when he spoke was almost too low
to hear over the rain now pouring down on us.

  “Are you trying to tell me,” he said, “that when we kiss…you’re thinking of my brother?”

  I blinked. “More like your face reminds me of him, and that’s what makes it enjoyable. But yeah, in a roundabout way, I guess you could say that.”

  Colton sounded like he was gritting his teeth. “Good to know.”

  “Listen, I didn’t mean any offense,” I said.

  “Oh no, why would I be offended?” he said, but it wasn’t really a question. “Like you said, Sadie, we’ve never gotten along. We can’t go two second without arguing. You annoy the hell out of me.”

  I sighed with relief. “Exactly, I—”

  “And you’re not my type,” he added. “An uptight, prissy librarian look-a-like, a little miss perfect good girl who’s afraid to take risks.”

  “Hey!”

  “I’d agree completely with your assessment.” Colton wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer. “Except for one thing.”

  “Oh?” I swallowed. By this point, both of us were soaked through from the rain, but strangely, I wasn’t cold at all. My skin burned where he ran a hand along my cheek, his thumb sliding against my bottom lip. “And that would be…?”

  Colton put his lips near my ear. “You’re not in love with my brother.”

  He backed away an inch to meet my eyes. “If you were, there’s no way you’d kiss me like you do.”

  With no retort to that, I said, breathlessly, “You know, this reminds me of another movie, an almost-kiss that happened in the rain.”

  “What’s an almost-kiss?” Colton murmured.

  “In Pride and Prejudice—the theatrical version with Keira Knightley and Matthew McFadden?—the rain is falling, Mr. Darcy’s just told Elizabeth how much he loves her despite his will, and she’s rejected him, but then they have this almost-kiss,” I explained. “They’re so mad at each other, so overwhelmed by their feelings, that they almost kiss…but stop right at the last second.”

  Colton’s gaze lifted from my lips to meet my eyes.

  “It’s about control. About wanting,” I said, swallowing hard, “but then forcing yourself to resist.”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” Colton said and took my mouth in a kiss that left no doubt about who I was kissing and exactly what he thought about almost-kisses.

  I heard a door slam, and then a voice thundered across the lawn.

  “What the hell is going on here?”

  Colton and I sprung apart. And there was Kyle standing on my back porch…right next to Zayne Humphries of all people. I wouldn’t have even noticed the other guy, but he made himself known by saying, “Damn, Sister Sadie. I never knew nuns could kiss like that.”

  “Well?” Kyle said.

  He was standing at the foot of the couch in my living room, looking between Colton and me like he wasn’t sure who he was more disappointed with. Zayne stood beside him, looking completely out of place and totally amused—which made him the only person in the room who was enjoying himself.

  “Somebody better tell me what that was back there,” Kyle added. “My mind has gone through all the possibilities, and I don’t like any of them.”

  “It’s not a big deal.” I shrugged, uncomfortable and red to the tips of my ears. “Colton was just helping me, being a good coach.”

  “Yeah,” Colton said slowly, studying my face, then turned to his brother. “It was all just part of the bet. What else could it be?”

  Something inside me tightened at his words, my heart deflating, but I tried to ignore it.

  Zayne laughed. “Well, it looked like you two were trying to eat each other’s faces off. Not that anyone asked me.”

  I groaned at the same time Colton shot him a scathing look.

  “You’re right, Humphries. No one did ask you,” Colton said. “Why are you here anyway?”

  Kyle held up a hand. “Can we try to stay focused, please? I just caught my best friend and my twin brother kissing in the rain like something out of The freaking Notebook—”

  “Told you it was the best,” I mumbled to Colton.

  “—There are some things you just can’t un-see,” Kyle went on. “My eyes cannot simply wash the sight away. Colt, that’s my best friend. How could you even think of taking advantage of her like this? And Sadie, what the hell? I thought you weren’t going to be one of those girls.”

  We were all silent a moment, and I didn’t think I could sink any farther into the couch, but at Zayne’s next words, I did.

  “I thought it was hot,” Zayne said.

  “Seriously? You did not just say that,” Kyle said.

  “What? He looks like a punked-up version of you,” he said. “How am I supposed to be immune to that?”

  “Seriously?” Kyle said again.

  “Ah, Kyle, no need to be jealous.” Zayne smiled, nudging my best friend’s shoulder. “You know I prefer the preppy version.”

  I’d had enough. “For real, Zayne. Why are you in my house? For that matter, why are you and Kyle here together?” Eyes shifting to Kyle, whose cheeks were suspiciously pink, I frowned. “I thought you said you had something after school.”

  Kyle looked away, and that was when it hit me. They were here. Together. And Kyle had blown me off so he could spend time with the guy he was crushing on. Good Lord, did that mean…?

  “Oh,” I said my gaze flitting from one boy to the other. “But…I thought you guys hated each other.”

  “Hate’s a strong word,” Kyle muttered.

  “Yeah,” Zayne said, eyes roaming over Kyle. “All the insults, the teasing, that was more like foreplay.”

  “Oh,” I said again, not knowing who to look at. “So, Zayne is the guy?”

  “Yep,” Kyle said. For his part, my best friend’s gaze had settled on Colton, waiting for his brother’s reaction. “Zayne is the guy. I’ve actually liked him for a long time. I was shocked to find out the feeling was mutual, but after working together on that project, we just kind of hit it off.”

  “Wow, I never would’ve guessed.” Looking to Zayne, I said, “So, you’re gay, too?”

  “Oh honey,” Zayne said, “aren’t you sweet with that this or that mentality. I appreciate and welcome all types. No, I’m not gay. I’m Bi.”

  To say I was stunned would’ve been an understatement. I could only imagine what Colton was feeling. My eyes went to him, and his face was unreadable. He didn’t look angry or upset or even surprised really. But I knew this was a big moment for him and especially for Kyle.

  Colton stood up, walked over to stand in front of the two guys, while I held my breath. Placing a hand on Kyle’s shoulder, he said, “About time. I was wondering when you were finally going to tell me.”

  “Finally?” Kyle said, sounding surprised and a little choked. “You mean, you knew? All this time?”

  “Of course, I knew,” Colton said. “You’re my twin.”

  “And…you don’t care? That I’m gay?”

  “Kyle,” Colton sighed and pulled his brother in for a hug. “What kind of dumbass question is that? I love you. I accept you. I would love and accept you no matter what.”

  Kyle hugged him back, and I felt tears well-up in my eyes.

  “Even if the guy you like is a complete ass,” Colton added, making Kyle laugh.

  As they broke their embrace, Colton turned to look at Zayne.

  “And you,” he said. “Gay, straight or bi, if you hurt my brother, I’ll make you regret it every day of your life. Understand?”

  Zayne lifted his hands up. “Hey, stand down big brother. I’m not planning to hurt anybody, so no need to get all hostile. Though it was kind of hot.”

  We all groaned, and that was the exact moment Mom chose to come home.

  “Hey,” she said, walking into the living room. “I didn’t know you were going to have company, Sadie. Want me to go back out and pick you guys up some food?”

  “No but thanks, Mom,” I said. “I actually
needed to talk to Kyle and Colton about something.”

  Zayne rubbed his hands together. “And I’ll take that as my cue to leave. Sadie, Colton, it’s been fun. See you later, Kyle.”

  “Yeah,” Kyle said, smiling, “you will.”

  Zayne waved to my mother as he left, and afterward, I hustled the boys up to my room. Mom might’ve had a problem with me having Zayne in my room, but since the twins had been coming over for years, she thought nothing of it. Though, I realized after shutting the three of us in, it was the first time in a while that Colton had been here. In my bedroom. The way he was looking around, eyes never missing a thing, made me nervous. Kyle, on the other hand, grabbed Mr. Teddy Wiggles and plopped down onto my bed, looking right at home.

  “So, what’s the deal with this kissing thing?” he said. “You didn’t think you guys were going to get off that easy. Did you?”

  I shrugged, took a seat at my desk. “What more is there to say? Colton’s been helping me with my list. You’ve known this all along.”

  “Yeah,” Colton said, still studying my room. Holy smokes. He was now examining my kissing wall (the one I’d added with pictures of kisses from my favorite movies and tv series), and I thought… yeah no, I knew…I wanted to die. Gah, why did he have to see that? “This shouldn’t come as some big shock. I told you we’ve been checking things off left and right, Kyle. There’s no way you’re winning this bet.”

  “Oh yeah? Then let me see the list,” Kyle said.

  “No can do,” Colton said. “That would be sharing key intel with the enemy.”

  “Ouch. The enemy, really?”

  Colton threw a look over his shoulder, cocked an eyebrow. “If the Gucci belt fits, brother.”

  “At least tell me it was just the one kiss,” Kyle laughed as if the thought of more was ludicrous. “I know there were like 5 on Sadie’s list. But there’s no way, right? You don’t even like each other. Imagining you two like that…it’s just wrong.”

  Colton was silent, had finally moved on from the kissing pics—and was now staring at my memo board filled with rejection letters. Perfect. Not only was I crazypants about kissing, but I was also a pathetic reject. Ah, who was I kidding? My girl cave was being invaded by a guy who’d basically said the only reason he would ever kiss me would be to win a bet. Pathetic didn’t even begin to cover it.