Copyright © 2017 Amy Sparling
All rights reserved.
First Edition September 2017
Cover design by Amy Sparling
Cover image from BigStockPhoto
Typography from Font Squirrel
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 -except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews-without permission in writing from the author at [email protected]
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, events, and places portrayed in this book are products of the author’s imagination and are either fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
When the bell rings, I grab my backpack and slip out of class, knowing what needs to be done. This one will be kind of hard. I mean, don’t get me wrong—I never enjoy breaking up with a guy, but it’s usually not a big deal. Usually it makes sense. We just don’t click. We’re just too different. We’re not soul mates.
Easy.
This one…well, Chris is really nice. He’s also super cute. Not to be a shallow jerk, but he’s hotter than any guy I’ve dated this year, and probably last year, too. He’s got that chiseled jaw, tanned skin, tall-dark-and-handsome thing going on. He always smells amazing too, like he somehow found a cologne that’s a mixture of every perfect boy smell.
He’s just not the one.
And so he has to go.
I can’t believe what I’m feeling as I make my way from the history hallway up to the front of the school to the cafeteria. There’s this flutter in my stomach, and a quickness to my heartbeat. Is this…nerves? Am I nervous?
That can’t be possible. I’ve done this a million times. I guess I just feel guilty about this breakup. But it has to happen.
“Chris!” I call out when I see his shaggy dark hair floating above the other students in the hallway. Did I mention he’s also super tall? He’s the whole freaking package, I tell you. The perfect guy to date, at least on the outside. But there’s something on the inside that isn’t clicking with me.
He turns around, his brows pulled together until he sees me. Then his whole face softens and his lips slide into a grin. “Hey,” he says, lifting his arm in a wave.
There’s too many people between us, so I point toward the entrance of the library, which is empty because no one visits the library unless they have to for a school project or something equally lame. His expression darkens instantly, but he makes his way through the crowd and meets me there.
We never stop on the way to lunch. For the sixteen days we’ve been dating, we go straight to the cafeteria where he sits with me and my friends while we eat lunch. But today is different, and he knows it.
“What’s up?” he asks. He scratches the back of his neck.
I know exactly what to say because I’ve said it before. Many times. Probably too many times.
“Listen, Chris,” I begin. “I need to talk to you.”
Most guys don’t know. It doesn’t click right away. They’ll actually look at me and wait for me to tell them that we’re over, that it’s not working, that we’re breaking up. But Chris is one of the smartest guys I’ve dated, and he knows. His eyes widen and then his shoulders fall, and then he says, “Why?”
“I just wanted to—”
“No, I mean why are you breaking up with me?” he asks. “We were good together.”
I swallow. I didn’t think I’d need a reason beyond I think we should break up. “It’s just not…vibing,” I say, cringing at my pathetic answer. Vibing? Who even says that?
He looks up at me and there are honest-to-God tears in the corners of his eyes. Tears. I am making him so sad he’s holding back tears.
I don’t think I can handle this. My chest constricts and I offer him a flat-lipped smile. “I’m sorry, Chris. You’re really great, it’s just—it’s me. It’s all my fault and it’s not yours, I swear. I’m sorry.”
The words come out quick and painful and he’s just watching me with this disappointed look on his face and I feel so bad I think I might throw up. Most guys don’t take it this hard. Most of them don’t really care.
I look toward the cafeteria on the opposite side of the hallway, hoping for a quick escape, but there’s still a million students walking to lunch so I can’t just bail. “I’m really sorry,” I say again.
“Yeah, me too,” Chris says. He blinks and his eyes go back to normal. He stands a little taller. I hope he really does feel better and isn’t just putting on an act to save face. I don’t want him to be upset. He’s a nice guy. A good guy.
“My friends were right about you,” he says, heaving a sigh.
“What does that mean?”
He shrugs. “They told me not to date you. Said you never stick around in relationships.”
Yeah, okay, that’s true, but I didn’t think people actually knew that. I feel my cheeks burn. “Like I said, it’s me. Not you.” I grab his arm in a pathetic attempt to comfort him. “You’re really great. You’ll find someone better than me.”
The crowd is finally thinning. “I’ll see you around,” I say as I turn to go.
“Yeah,” he says. “See you.”
My best friend Jacie lifts one eyebrow as I walk up to her in the cafeteria, gripping my lunch tray. She glances around me, making this over exaggerated show of looking to see if I’m alone, or if maybe Chris is somewhere behind me about to catch up.
“You broke up with him,” she says, and it’s not a question.
I set my tray down and sit next to her. “It was time.”
She snorts. “He was really nice.”
“Too nice,” I say.
“He was really cute.”
“Too cute.”
She shakes her head. “I love you but you’ve got issues.”
“I know.” I bite into my pizza and stare at the grease that drips off it and lands on my plate. “But let’s not talk about my issues.”
The thing is, I have no idea why I break up with guys after around two weeks. It’s a mystery. I’ve never had a relationship last longer than two weeks. Maybe two and a half weeks if we get technical. It’s a curse. And it’s all my fault because I’m the one that does the breaking up. Maybe if I dig down deep, I’ll unearth why I do the things I do, but I don’t feel like digging. I just want to move on.
“I mean, your parents are happily married,” Jacie says, sipping from her Diet Coke. “They are happy, right? They seem like it.”
I shrug. “They’re happy.”
“Well it’s not like you learned bad relationship habits from them.” She shakes her head. “You’re so weird. I would kill to have a boyfriend, and you get them all the time and then ditch them.”
“I don’t get boyfriends all the time,” I say. But even as I say it, my stomach kind of hurts. It’s just something weird with my junior year. No one liked me when I was a freshman and barely any guys liked me last year. But I think I’ve dated…ten guys this year. Now that I count them up, I do feel kind of bad.
“They just weren’t a match,” I say.
She laughs. “Okay. I dare you to date a guy for an entire thirty days.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because I think you dump guys way too early and you should give it time to see if you’re a good couple or not.”
I roll my eyes.
“I’m serious! Let’s make a bet. Date a guy for thirty days and you win.”
“What will I win?”
She considers it a moment. “My guitar.”
My jaw drops. “You’re lying.”
She shakes her head. “I promise.”
Jacie’s dad gave her a guitar three years ago as a bribe to make her like him after he cheated on her mom and they got divorced. But this isn’t just any guitar. It’s a 2014 Gibson Hummingbird Quilt. That thing cost at least three thousand dollars, and it’s gorgeous. Maple wood, a sleek shine, and unplayed frets. Despite being raised in a musical family, Jacie doesn’t even like guitars.
But I do.
I love them.
I love song writing and singing and I hope to one day be able to play the songs I write on my own guitar. A real one, not the cheap one I bought on eBay for fifty bucks. My guitar is a piece of crap, but Jacie’s guitar is beautiful. It’s perfect.
“There’s no way you can do that,” I say.
“Yes I can. It’s mine. I can do whatever I want with it.” Jacie takes another sip of her soda, not taking her eyes off me. “I don’t even like the damn thing because it’s just another bribe from my shitty dad. So… if you want it all you have to do is stay with a guy for thirty days.”
I exhale. “Is this going to be like some stupid movie where you pick out some loser and I have to try to date him?”
She laughs. “Nope. I’m being serious. You can choose the guy.”
I sit up straighter. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Well, that sounds like an easy bet to me,” I say. “This is too easy.”
“No, it’s smart. If you win, you’ll realize that relationships can be good if you just give them time.”
“And I’ll also get your guitar.”
She laughs. “Yes. A promise is a promise.”
I hold out my hand. “Shake on it.”
She grabs my hand and shakes. Now it feels final. Real.
In thirty days I’m going to own a Gibson Hummingbird Quilt.
“Now let’s find the lucky guy,” I say as I take a bite out of my pizza crust and scan the cafeteria. My eyes land on Chris’s table first, and I immediately feel bad. He’s sitting with his friends, pretending to pay attention to them. But I can tell he’s not really into it. Guilt claws at me and I look away.
There’s tons of eligible guys in my school, so I just need to find one who likes me and wants to go out. I look at all the tables around us, my eyes wandering over each guy. I skip over the guys who are younger than me and focus on the juniors and seniors.
“So how exactly do I get this new boyfriend?” I ask as I watch a guy who is totally cute in a nerdy way. I don’t know his name or anything about him. It’s not like I can walk up and ask to be his girlfriend.
But then again, this guitar is a big deal so maybe that’s exactly what I should do.
“Honey, if I knew how to get a boyfriend, I’d use that knowledge for myself,” Jacie says with a snort of laughter. “What do you normally do?”
I shrug. Normally a guy will show me attention, like in class they’ll start flirting with me, or they’ll add me on Snapchat and invite me to parties and stuff. It’s kind of obvious when a guy likes me, so if I like them back I’ll just flirt and let them know. Then they ask me to be their girlfriend and that’s how it happens.
“I’ve never sought out a guy…they just find me,” I say.
“God, your life is perfect,” Jacie says, shaking her head. “Guys just find me,” she mocks in a high-pitched voice. “I am so jealous of your awesome life.”
I knock into her with my shoulder. “My life isn’t awesome, Jacie. I’m just nice to guys. You’re always so stand-offish, so they’re scared of you.”
Her eyes go wide. “Are you serious? I’m standoffish?”
“A little?”
She frowns. “Teach me how to be nice.”
“It’s easy. You just … be nice.”
She laughs. “Okay, thanks for the awesome advice.”
“This isn’t advice time,” I say with a flourish of my hand. “It’s time to find me a guy.”
“Are you going to ask someone out?”
I scrunch up my face. “Hell no. That’s scary.”
“Then I guess your thirty days doesn’t start until someone asks you out.”
The bell rings and we toss our stuff in the trash. “That’s what I’m worried about. I’m so ready to win this guitar but with my luck, no guys are going to like me until I’m in my twenties.”
“Well the offer is still open, Mae.” Jacie grins at me. “I will save my Gibson for you until you finally date a guy for thirty days. And it has to be a real relationship, too. Not some mysterious guy who goes to another school that I never get to meet.”
I laugh. “Do you think I’d actually do that? You’re my best friend. I can’t lie to you.”
She grins. “I’ll need proof. Social media posts, hand holding, the works. You have to actually date this guy, okay?”
I nod. “It’s going to happen. I just need to find the right guy.”
The second half of the school day goes by entirely too fast. Before I know it, I’ve been to my last four classes and I’ve mentally scoped out every guy in them, and I’ve got nothing. The guys in my classes are either too young, or I’ve already dated them, or they’re gross—too gross to pretend to date even for a Guitar—or they have girlfriends. I’m not a bitch so I won’t be breaking up any couples to win this bet. I just need a nice single guy who will date me for thirty days.
I get an idea to maybe find someone and ask them to be my pretend boyfriend, but then I drop the idea a few seconds later. Jacie is my best friend and has been there for me for most of my life. I can’t lie to her. This has to be real.
At least as real as you can get for thirty days. And then I’ll have an amazing guitar.
I feel like some crazy boy-crazy weirdo as the day goes on. I’m looking at every guy, sizing them up, considering them for boyfriend material. But no one seems to look my way. No one cares.
I mean, I guess I didn’t expect some magical new boyfriend to appear out of thin air, but it would have been nice.
Oh well, there’s always tomorrow.
I’m nearly out the door when I remember I left my physics textbook in my locker. There’s no way I’ll get my homework done without it, so I turn around and rush back down the long hallway toward my locker, which is on the opposite side of school. By the time I’m back out in the parking lot, nearly everyone is gone. Normally I wouldn’t care, but I had been hoping to scope out some potential new boyfriend material.
I chuckle to myself because I’m being totally creepy, constantly on the lookout for a new guy. But I need that guitar.
I get to my car and toss my backpack into the passenger seat, then I walk around to the driver’s side. My tire looks weird. At first I think it’s a strange shadow, but then I bend down and realize the horrible truth. My tire is flat. Like, flat, flat. Not just low like it gets in the winter where it just needs a little more air.
This sucks.
I stand up, palming my forehead while I think of what to do. My parents are both at work, and Dad knows how to change a tire but he won’t be off work for a couple more hours. I pop my trunk and lift up the carpeted floor, revealing the spare tire. It has a tiny little jack with it, and a crowbar looking thing, but I know without a doubt that I have no idea how to do this.
I really should have paid attention that time Dad gave me a lecture about how to change a tire.
I figure I have three options. I can call a professional, who will no doubt charge me money I don’t have to fix my tire. I can sit here and wait two hours and then ask my dad to come help me.
Or I can try to change it myself.
I pull out the spare tire and the jack and set them on the concrete next to my flat tire. Then I sit down next to it and pull out my phone, looking up how to do this on YouTube.
“Need some help?”
A shadow falls over me. I look up to find Jaxon Rhode peering down at me, eyebrows raised.
“What are you doing?” he asks, leaning forward a bit. “Are you watching tire changing videos?”
I turn off my phone screen. “Yeah. Don’t judge me.”
He smiles and holds up his hands. “No judgement. But I can help, if you’d like?”
Jaxon Rhodes used to live on my street when we were in junior high. He was a little dorky back then, always wearing baggy jeans with polo shirts. It was no secret that he had a crush on me back in those days, because his friend Brian told me about it once. We were sitting on the bus and he told me that Jaxon had told him that he wanted to ask me to be his girlfriend. But I guess he got too embarrassed after that because then we never talked again.
I eye him now, wearing much trendier clothing now that he’s gotten older and filled out a bit. He’s no longer that scrawny nerd kid from back in the day.
“I’d love some help,” I say, giving him a pleading look.
He takes the tools and gets to work, removing the lug nuts like it’s simple. And it is kind of simple as I watch him. He positions the jack under the car, lifts it up, then changes out the tires, using the same lug nuts to put the spare tire back on.
“You’ll want to get this tire fixed as soon as possible,” he says, wiping sweat from his brow. “And drive careful, because these little spare tires can’t handle normal wear and tear.”
“Thank you so much, Jaxon.”
He flinches. “You know my name?”
And suddenly that dorky little kid I used to know is back. I nod. “Of course. We used to ride the same bus.”
He blinks.
“When you lived on Cherry Street. Remember?”
I can’t tell what kind of expression he has right now, and I’m not sure if it’s good or bad. “Yeah, I remember. You’re Mae, right?”
He has to be joking. There’s no way he doesn’t remember me. He used to have a freaking crush on me. Maybe he’s just trying to act cool.
“That’s me,” I say, standing up. I grab my old flat tire and roll it to the back of my car, then heft it into the trunk. Jaxon carries the jack and crowbar and sets them next to the tire.
Jaxon scratches the back of his neck. “I don’t know how to say this but…”
I hold back a smile. This is it. He’s totally going to ask me on a date. I’ll say yes, and the thirty days will begin. I can practically feel that Gibson’s strings under my fingers now.
Jaxon exhales. He must be really nervous. It’s cute. “Do you have any…enemies?”
“Huh?”
I take a step backward. That is not even close to what I thought he was going to say.
“Like… someone who might hate you?” he continues.
I shrug. “I mean…I don’t think so. Why?”
He seems to struggle with what he’s about to say. “Your tire wasn’t just flat. Someone slashed it.”
I swallow. “Like… on purpose?”
“Is there any other way to slash a tire?”
I look at my car. “Maybe it was an accident?”
He snorts. “Slashing a tire is really hard, Mae. You can’t just walk up with a pocketknife and stab it. It takes a ton of force.”
I give him a weird look and he holds up his hands. “I only know because my uncle had this junkyard job and he let me slash tires one time for fun. It wasn’t as easy as it seems.”
“So you’re saying someone purposely did this to me?”
He nods. “Looks like it. But maybe they thought your car belonged to someone else.”
A lump forms in my throat. He’d asked me if anyone hates me. I’d like to think not, but…haven’t I broken up with at least five guys this school year alone? Starting with Chris, just a few hours ago?
There’s no way Chris could have done this, I think. He’s too nice. Too sweet.
But if anyone has a reason to hate me…it’d be him.
“Well, thanks for your help,” I say as I turn toward my car and reach for the door handle.
“Wait.” Jaxon grabs my hand. I turn toward him, and take in the sight of his worried expression. Those dark blue eyes are crinkled in concern, and his shaggy brown hair ripples in the slight breeze. “You’re upset. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Well, it’s not your fault. I just found out someone hates me. That’s a hard pill to swallow.”
“I could be wrong,” he says quickly, but I know it’s a lie. He knows what he’s talking about. Someone slit my tire. Someone hates me. And as much as I want that guitar, I can’t just ignore this fact.
If one of my ex boyfriends did this, what might the next one do?
Last night, Dad took my car into the shop and got a brand new tire put on. He grumbled that it cost over a hundred dollars but then he wouldn’t let me pay him back with my own money. I didn’t tell him that Jaxon suspected it was slashed, and I hope the guys at the tire shop didn’t say anything either. I’d hate for my parents to realize I have enemies at school.
Now that I have to go back there for another stupid day of education, I’m feeling really weird about it all. I didn’t tell Jacie about the slashed tire when I recounted to her the story of Jaxon coming to my rescue. For all she knows, it was just a stray nail that got stuck in my tire. I don’t want anyone to know what I know – that someone hates me.
It takes a lot of energy to drag myself to school, because all I want to do is sleep.
During the morning announcements, our principal’s voice comes on the speaker. This makes everyone kind of take notice because he never does the announcements unless something unique has come up.
And it has. I listen intently as he describes a series of vandalism acts that have been taking place at our school. He said that teachers have had their cars keyed, spray painted, and worse. Like slashed tires.
Then he says there have been reports of vandalism to cars in the student parking lot as well. Some other people around me react normally, worrying about their own cars or laughing about how someone will eventually get caught for doing it. But all I can think about is the huge relief I feel.
I wasn’t targeted on purpose. I was just a victim of random vandalism. That’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned.
I feel the knot in my chest loosen. It wasn’t Chris. It wasn’t another ex-boyfriend. It was just some idiot who will probably get caught because idiots always get caught.
In the hallways between classes, I keep an eye out for Jaxon. I know we’re both in the same grade, but I have no idea what classes he might take in relation to mine. I’m not even sure if we have the same lunch period, but as luck would have it, I notice him walking toward the cafeteria.
“Hey!” I say, rushing up to him. “My tire savior.”
He grins. “I wouldn’t call myself a savior.”
“Does hero work better for you?
He nods. “Totally.”
“So did you hear the awesome news?” I ask, picking up my pace to keep up with his long strides.
“What’s that?”
“There’s a car vandal going around the parking lot.”
“Ahh, yes, I did hear that. So maybe you weren’t targeted after all.”
“Thank God,” I say, putting a hand to my chest. “I can’t live with the idea that someone hates me.”
“Do you have lunch this period?” Jaxon asks as we near the doors to the cafeteria. And this is when I see my chance to seize that guitar.
I smile sweetly. “Yeah, but I hate cafeteria food. Want to go off campus with me?”
He shrugs. “Sure. I’ll drive.”
“I got my tire fixed,” I say as I flirtatiously bump into his shoulder. “My car is safe, too.”
“Yeah, but I don’t mind driving.”
He grins at me and this warmth spreads through my whole body at the sight of his smile. I know I’m just trying to date him to get that guitar, but I can’t help but think how Chris never smiled at me like that. He also wanted me to drive when we left for lunch, that way he could save his gas money.
Jaxon and I head to the local Taco Bell, which is the only food place close enough to go to during the pathetic twenty five minutes they give us for lunch breaks. There’s a few other food places in the area, but their lines are long and you always have to eat fast in the car on your drive back to school.
Jaxon seems a little nervous as he eats his burrito. He’s sitting across from me in the cold purple booth and we’re surrounded by other students who left for lunch, so it’s almost like we’re still at school.
“So what’s up with you?” I ask, trying to make conversation.
“Just school and work.” He takes a sip of his soda. “And saving girls with flat tires.”
“Do you do that often?” I ask with a smile.
He shrugs. “Once in the last twenty four hours.”
“Where do you work?” I ask.
“Northpoint Animal Clinic.”
“Aww, you work with animals?”
He nods, and I can’t help but think that he’s pretty undeniably cute. “Yes, ma’am. I’m the vet tech. It’s not always pretty, though. I clean up a ton of cat puke.”
I make a face and then set down my taco. “I’m not hungry anymore.”
He laughs. “I’m sorry. I’ll eat that if you won’t.”
I snatch it back defensively and he doesn’t stop smiling. “Thanks for lunch, by the way.”
He’d insisted on buying my food and I don’t even know why. But I’m excited because it means he probably still likes me, which means I’m well on my way to dating him for the next thirty days.
Our conversation is a little awkward, two new friends trying to get comfortable with each other, but it goes well, I think. When we get back to school, Jaxon tells me his remaining classes, and they aren’t anywhere close to mine.
“I have an idea,” I say, as we walk back into the building. I’m feeling my opportunity slipping away, so I have to nail it town. I grab a pen from my purse and take his arm, then write my number on it.
“Now you can call me next time you get a burrito craving.”
“Oh yeah?” he says, looking at his arm as if it’s been branded with an alien tattoo in a language he can’t read. Then he looks at me. “Sounds good.”
#
Jacie calls me the second she gets home from school to complain that I ditched her for lunch. Apparently the excuse I sent her via text—hey, I can’t do lunch today—wasn’t good enough. Can’t say I blame her.
“You want to know why I missed?” I say, clutching the phone between my ear and my shoulder as I make a snack in the kitchen. “I was working on day number one of my thirty days.”
“What?” she says with a laugh. “Who’s the unlucky guy?”
“Jaxon Rhodes.”
“Mae Warren!” Jacie snaps. She actually sounds stern. “You can’t be serious! Tell me you’re joking!”
“Why? Do you like him or something? Because if so, I had no idea.”
“No, Mae. Jaxon is a nice guy.”
“I know…”
She sighs into the phone. “He’s nice, nice. Like, not a jerk like a typical guy you date.”
“Um, thanks?” I say sarcastically.
“You know what I mean. I just don’t think you should use him for this bet because that seems cruel. He’s just too nice.”
I sigh and bite the inside of my lip. “He is nice,” I say, and I realize I can’t find anything else to say to make me sound better. The truth is, Jaxon is sweet and attractive and fun to be around.
And I feel kind of bad knowing I’m only going to keep him around for the next twenty nine days.
Jacie’s warnings stick with me all throughout the night. It hadn’t really occurred to me until now, that choosing a guy to date just to win a guitar is kind of a horrible thing to do. If he really likes me and I’m just using him, then that’s not okay at all. But still, I can’t help but check my phone, waiting on Jaxon to text me. We had fun at Taco Bell and I want to hang out with him again.
I decide that there has to be a way to date him for thirty days, get my guitar, and not hurt his feelings. And then the solution comes to me while I’m waiting for my Pop-Tart to finish toasting.
My parents are in the kitchen, arguing over who drank the last cup of coffee and who has to brew another pot. My mom calls my dad annoying, and I get the perfect idea.
When my thirty days with Jaxon are nearing an end, I’ll just start being annoying. I’ll get clingy, or I’ll listen to music he hates, or I’ll find some way to make him so annoyed that he decides to break up with me. Then I get my guitar, and he doesn’t get his feelings hurt. No harm, no foul.
Perfect!
I’m expecting some kind of text in the morning, but Jaxon doesn’t send me anything. Teachers don’t exactly love when we play on our phones in class, but most of them don’t care, so he has no reason not to text me. Yet, three classes go by and my phone hasn’t had a single message from him. At lunch, I scan the crowd, looking for him since I know we have the same lunch period. I can’t totally ditch Jacie for a second time in a row, so my plan is to ask him to sit with us…only I can’t find him.
Eventually, five minutes after lunch has started, I get my food and plop down next to Jacie at our able.
“What’s wrong with you?” she says.
“I gave Jaxon my number yesterday and he still hasn’t texted me.”
“Good.”
I look over at her. “Why is that good? I can’t get started on my thirty days if he never actually texts me.”
She focuses on stirring the granola into her yogurt. “I think you should pick another guy. Jaxon is just too nice.”
“But I’ve got it all figured out,” I say. I tell her about my plan to get progressively annoying as time goes on so that Jaxon breaks up with me.
She laughs, and not in a sarcastic way. “You seriously think that will work?”
I shrug. “Yeah? I won’t be crazy about it, I’ll just get slightly annoying and then a little more annoying. I’ll use the first twenty five days to figure out what he likes and doesn’t like and then I’ll use that to my advantage.”
“You are putting in so much effort for this,” Jacie says, shaking her head.
“Yeah well do you know how many hours I’d have to work at a fast food restaurant earning minimum wage to be able to buy myself a three thousand dollar guitar?”
“Fair point,” she says, taking a bite of her food.
Lunch goes by without a word from my mysterious new guy. And so does the rest of the day. By the time I’ve gotten home and finished my physics homework, I’m starting to think that maybe he lost my number. I did write it on his arm, after all. Maybe it smudged off or he got sweaty and half the numbers looked like different numbers. Maybe he’s been texting the wrong person all day.
That’s probably it.
But I don’t want my Day One to start tomorrow – I need it to start today. I remember him telling me he worked at an animal clinic, so I decide to get a little sleuthy.
Northpoint Animal Clinic is located in a shopping center with many stores that would all make a good excuse for me to be there. I place my hand on my songwriting notebook and say, “I promise I’ll get you that guitar.” Then I get in my car and head to Northpoint Boulevard.
I don’t really have a plan. I’d already told Jaxon that I don’t have any pets, so it’s not like I can waltz into an animal clinic with any real reason to be there. So instead, I go to the beauty supply store next door and buy some nail polishes. Then I leave, walking down the sidewalk, casually glancing into the windows of the animal clinic.
And my plan works like a charm. I see Jaxon standing behind the front counter, reading something on a clipboard. He’s not looking in my direction, so I keep walking and venture into another store. I only spend about five minutes and then I walk back down the sidewalk.
This time, he looks up and sees me. Our eyes meet through the large windows, and I stop and look confused, and surprised, and then I smile.
I wave at him as if this is just a totally random coincidence that we’ve seen each other. Deep down I feel a little stupid, honestly, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. I didn’t get Jaxon’s number yesterday, so I can’t exactly text him and see if he lost my number.
I start to walk slowly away, but then Jaxon waves for me to come inside. Phew. I was afraid this little smile exchange was all we’d get.
I step into the clinic, happy that the waiting room is empty, although it does kind of smell like dog in here.
“Hey,” I say, walking up to the counter.
“You stalking me?” Jaxon says, but he’s smiling so I know he’s just playing around.
I scoff. “Clearly you’re stalking me. You decided to get a job right next to where I buy my nail polish.”
He laughs at this. “Dang, you figured out my plan.”
I mentally assess the situation. He seems happy to see me, and he’s all smiles, and he’s just as cute as before. So why didn’t he text me all day? Why didn’t he look for me at lunch?
“So…” I say, trying to sound friendly and not desperate. “You never texted me.”
He leans on his elbows, making us eye level. “Maybe I didn’t know what to say.”
“I was thinking you lost my number or something.”
“Nope,” he says, glancing at his clipboard. “I wrote it down.”
“Cool.” Nervousness takes over, and I’m actually a little self-conscious now that I’m in his presence. “You could have just said, like, hello.”
“That’s boring,” he says.
I roll my eyes. “Okay, well you could have texted me and asked me to see a movie or something.”
His lips slide into a coy smile. “Are you asking me out?”
I really hope I’m not blushing right now. “Nope. I’m telling you what you could say to me.”
“So I should text you and ask if you want to see a movie?”
I give a little shrug. This is going exactly how I planned. “If you want to.”
He smiles warmly, and then a door off to the side opens and a middle-aged woman in scrubs calls Jaxon’s name.
“Give me a hand, will you?”
“Gotta go,” Jaxon says.
“I’ll see you later,” I say. While he goes back to work, I head to my car and realize something very annoying.
He talked about it, but he didn’t actually ask me out.
I’m deciding how desperately I want to be in this adventure. After I got home yesterday, I realized that pretending to run into Jaxon at work was probably the most pathetic thing I’ve ever done. I usually want the guy to be chasing after me, not the other way around. I am totally embarrassed, and to make matters worse, I left yesterday without solidifying any future plans with him.
And it’s been another day and he still hasn’t texted me. I’m feeling like karma is coming to get me for trying to date a guy just to get a guitar.
I’m about to get in the shower on Thursday night, and my phone rings. I start to ignore it, since the water is already running in the shower, but then curiosity gets the better of me and I rush over to my phone.
It’s a number I don’t know, and suddenly I’m so hopeful I might burst.
“Hello?”
“Mae? It’s Jaxon.”
Relief washes over me. He called. He called. He called.
This is even better than texting.
“Hey, what’s up?” I say all casually.
“Just got back from work and I’m exhausted. But that’s not why I called.”
“Oh yeah?” I say, unable to hide my smile.
“Do you want to see a movie with me tomorrow night?”
Yes. Yes. Yes.
“That would be fun,” I say, still trying to be calm and collected.
“Cool. Um, text me your address? I’ll pick you up at six-thirty.”
“Sounds good,” I say.
“Oh, and don’t eat dinner because we’re going to the Alamo Draft house.”
“Really?” My voice is a little too enthusiastic but I can’t help it, I’m excited. I’ve never been to that theater, but I’ve heard about it. They serve food right there while you watch a movie. It sounds awesome.
“Yep. Are you cool with that?”
“I’m totally cool with that.”
I can hear the smile in his voice as he says, “Awesome.”
#
The next day at school is pretty normal. I still don’t run into Jaxon, but we have a date tonight, so I try not to care too much about not seeing him. Jacie agrees that today is our official Day One since it’s our first date. She doesn’t think the Taco Bell lunch was the first day since he didn’t have my number and didn’t talk to me at all between then and now. I grudgingly have to agree with her, but that’s fine. Thirty days will totally fly by.
Jaxon arrives at my house at exactly six-thirty. He even gets out and walks up to my door, which makes me feel a little guilty because he’s a total gentleman. The kind of guy who doesn’t seem to exist among high school boys anymore.
My parents went out to dinner so luckily, I avoid the awkwardness of introducing him to them. We walk down to his car and he opens the door for me.
“Okay, you are totally not like most guys,” I say as I sit down.
He winks at me as he closes the door. I survey the inside of his car as he walks over to the driver’s side. It’s pretty clean. There’s a dog leash in the back seat and an air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror.
“You look really cute,” he says as he starts the car. “I know guys always say that on first dates, but I really mean it.”
I blush from head to toe, and change the subject in an effort to stop the blood from gushing to my cheeks. “Do you have a dog?”
I motion toward the leash in the back seat.
“I wish. I’ve spent my whole life wishing I had a Golden Retriever.” He frowns while he drives. “But I walk dogs for a few of my neighbors, so that’s the leash I use.”
“Why don’t you get a Golden Retriever?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I only want a shelter dog, and it’s nearly impossible to find a Golden in a shelter, especially as a puppy. I’ve wanted a dog for years and my mom always said no because she cares about her furniture too much.” He rolls his eyes. “But now that my little brother is ten, he finally convinced her to get a dog, but she said only a Golden Retriever. No other breed.”
He looks over and me and shrugs. “My mom is weird.”
“You’ll find one soon,” I say.
He nods. “I hope so. Dogs are the best.”
“Are you going to college to be a vet?” I ask.
He grins. “How’d you know?”
The way he smiles at me sends a tingle down to my toes. He’s more than just cute. He’s genuine. As we talk, I keep finding more things I like about him.
“Enough about me,” he says as we pull into a parking spot at the theater. “Tell me about you.”
“I’m kind of boring,” I say as we walk up to the box office.
“Do you have any hobbies?”
“I’m a songwriter.”
He looks impressed. “That’s awesome. Do you play any instruments?”
“The guitar… but I’m not very good at it.”
“That’s still pretty awesome.” He orders two tickets to the movie. I stand here feeling about two inches tall after mentioning my guitar. I hadn’t even thought about that stupid bet until now, when I mentioned the songwriting. Now it’s all I can think about.
It’s funny because dating Jaxon started out as a means to get Jacie’s amazing guitar, but now that I’m on an official date with him, he’s so sweet and cute and fun to be with that I hadn’t even thought of the stupid bet.
I feel terrible.
We head into the movies and Jaxon tells me to order anything I want for dinner. I try to say I’ll pay for my food, but he refuses and gives me that cute smile of his and says, “We’re on a date, Mae. It’s my pleasure.”
I just about melt right there.
The theater is awesome. We sit in individual couches that only hold two people and there’s swivel trays in front of us. The waiter wears all black and quietly moves down the aisles, bringing us food and drink refills while the movie plays on the big screen. It’s really cool and the food is amazing.
After the movie, it’s a little cold outside, and Jaxon throws his arm around my shoulders as we walk back to the car. “I should have thought to bring a jacket,” he says, rubbing his hand up and down my arm to warm me up.
“I like being warmed up this way much better than a jacket,” I say.
A slight pink hits his cheeks as he smiles at me and it feels good knowing I’ve made him blush.
He opens the car door for me again, and a knot of guilt lands in my stomach. Jacie was right about one thing—Jaxon is a good guy.
And now I’m realizing something I didn’t think was possible but… I really like him.
Like, like him.
Not just as a guy that will get me a guitar, but as a guy I’d like to date for real. Suddenly I’m thinking of every stupid movie I’ve ever watched where someone makes a bet about someone and when they find out the truth, it all comes crashing down and ruins everything. I decide I am not going to let that happen here. If I want to date Jaxon for real, I need to tell him the truth.
I wait until Jaxon pulls up in front of my house to reveal my secret. “I had a really good time,” I say.
He puts the car in park and looks over at me. “Me too. I hope we can do it again?”
I nod slowly. It’s now or never. Once I get this out in the open, I’ll have a clear conscious to date Jaxon.
“Listen…I have something kind of funny to tell you.”
His head tilts. “What is it?”
My throat feels dry, but I put on a smile and tell him the truth. “So… my friend has this awesome guitar, and she said she’d give it to me if I did this stupid thing for her.”
“How stupid?” Jaxon asks. He’s watching me with curiosity.
I shrug. “It’s really stupid, actually. And it’s funny because I don’t even care about it anymore, and I was going to just drop the bet with her, but I figured I should tell you just in case you ever hear about it later on.”
He lifts an eyebrow. “It’s about me?”
“Kind of.”
His shoulders straighten. “But you just met me.”
“It’s not about you, you. Look, she made a bet with me that I couldn’t date a guy for thirty whole days, and if I did, she’d give me her guitar.”
His eyes widen and I talk faster so I can explain it all to him. “But, it was stupid, and after I met you, I really liked you so I was going to tell her that the bet is off and I just want to hang out with you and see where things go.”
His jaw hardens. “You only flirted with me so you could win a bet.”
“No!” I say, but he levels a stare at me that makes me feel bad. “Well… kind of. But after I got to know you, I really liked you, so…”
“I’ve heard enough,” Jaxon says. He looks away, his gaze focusing on something in the distance. “You can go now.”
“Jaxon,” I plead.
He reaches over me and opens my door. “Just go,” he says without looking at me.
“I’m sorry. I thought telling you would be a good idea. Please don’t be mad at me.”
He starts the car, keeping his eyes focused ahead. “Too late.”
I step out of the car and turn back, hoping I can still plead with him to forgive me. But the second my feet are on the ground, he puts the car in gear and drives away.
A million terrible emotions float through me, but one of them is stronger than the rest.
I deserve this.
#
I hope the weekend goes by slowly because I do not want to go back to school. Knowing my luck, even though I never found Jaxon when I wanted to see him, now that I want to avoid him, he’ll probably be everywhere. I am mortified and ashamed.
I call Jacie and tell her everything that happened. She’s silent for a long time.
“Hello?” I say. “You still there?”
“Yeah…” She exhales slowly. “I just feel really bad for him. I can’t believe you told him.”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time. I really liked him, Jacie. We had such a great date together and he’s funny and awesome and—” I stare at my wrinkled sheets as I sit on my bed. “I’m such an idiot.”
“Did you think you could tell him about the bet and he’d still like you?” she asks. “I’m not trying to be mean, Mae, but I wish you’d asked me first because I could have told you that is a very very bad idea.”
“Why am I so stupid?” I say, drawing out the words in a long whine. I fall back on my bed and close my eyes. “I’m so mad at myself.”
“I’m sorry, Mae. This is my fault, too. I shouldn’t have made that stupid bet with you.”
“I’m gonna text him,” I say, putting the phone on speaker. “What should I tell him?”
“You could apologize?” she suggests. “How mad did he seem last night?”
“Pretty mad.”
“Then you’re gonna need a really good apology text,” she says with a sarcastic snort.
I tell her I’ll call her back later, because I can tell she doesn’t really care about this as much as I do. It’s not her life, after all. It’s mine. And I’ve just ruined things with a guy I actually liked.
I decide not to think too much about what I’ll say to him, because then it’ll sound rehearsed and fake. So I say what’s in my heart.
Me: I’m so sorry, Jaxon. I really hope we can still be friends.
He doesn’t reply. Not for a whole week. My homework is piling up and I’m pretty sure I failed my physics test today, but I don’t care. It’s been an entire week and I haven’t heard from him at all. I also never saw him in school. He’s become a ghost.
Jacie is annoyed with me for how much I talk about him, and I can’t say I blame her. I stare at my phone and consider sending him another text, but I don’t want to be the crazy girl who dated him on a bet and then texted him too much. But I can’t stop replaying our date in my mind. I think about how good he smelled and how he held open doors and wrapped his arm around me in the chilly night air. That was the best first date I’ve ever had, and yet I ruined it all.
I grab my songwriting notebook and try to put my thoughts into lyrics. But after an hour, I don’t have anything worthy of calling a song. All of my inspiration must have disappeared when I ruined my chance with Jaxon Rhodes.
A few days later, I’ve finally cracked. I can’t just sit around and wish I was texting him. Clearly, I can’t handle the silence, so I need to text him. I thought I was finally getting over it all, but then I saw him today in lunch.
I was carrying my tray of food over to my table with Jacie, and he was across the cafeteria, walking with a friend. Our eyes met for a second, and he glanced away. But in that second, I could see a sadness in him, one that mirrored my own emotions.
I have to talk to him.
I wait until school is over and I send him a text.
Me: I hate that you hate me now. I never wanted to hurt you. I just started off doing something stupid and then I wanted to make it right.
To my utter shock, he replies almost instantly.
Jaxon: I get it. I do. But I’m the loser who was played, so it’s hard to just bounce back and still be your friend.
Me: You weren’t played, Jaxon. It’s not like I picked you out of a crowd and decided to hurt you. We met on accident, remember?
Jaxon: We might have met on accident, but then you tracked me down. Remember?
I can practically hear the venom in his words. He’s right. I can’t lie my way out of this. I did seek him out after he changed my tire and I tried to date him. I wish I could just get over it, but I can’t. I really liked this guy. Now I’m the fool.
Me: I am sorry. I hope you believe that. I wanted to keep dating you, but I knew you needed to know the truth. So I guess I ruined everything.
Jaxon: You don’t get it. It was a game to you. It’s not a game to me.
Me: What do you mean?
Jaxon: I’ve liked you for years, Mae. So when you finally liked me back, it was awesome. And then it was all a lie.
I stare at his message for a long time. I knew he had a crush on me back in junior high, but I guess I thought he’d grown out of it. But if he’s liked me this whole time, then I know why he feels awful now. Still, my intentions aren’t tinged with that stupid bet anymore. I like him and I want a second chance.
Me: I’m so sorry. I wish we could start over.
I stare at my phone screen for the next five minutes, waiting for a reply that says he accepts my apology, that he wants to start over, too. But he never says anything back.
I’ve totally screwed up this time.
#
Jacie runs down the hallway, calling my name the next morning. She almost crashes right into me as she skids to a stop and grabs my arm.
“What is wrong with you?” I say.
“I have news,” she says, panting. “Good news.”
“About?”
She glances around and must decide there’s too many people to overhear us because she whispers, “Jaxon.”
I pull her into an empty classroom. “Spill.”
“So I was talking to one of his friends on Snapchat last night. He said Jaxon is like super sad right now because he really liked you. Apparently you’re the only thing on his mind.”
I sigh. “I don’t know what that even means. He texted me a little bit last night, and I was practically begging for forgiveness and he just ignored me.”
“He used to get made fun of for being so dorky,” Jacie says. “Now he’s older and totally hot and he still thinks people see him as a nerd.”
“But I told him I’m sorry.”
She shrugs. “I wouldn’t give up on him. He still likes you.”
I let her words keep me company all day. I thought he hated me, but maybe he’s just sad about the whole thing. Maybe I can still change his mind. I just need a really good way to apologize. I’m driving home from school, still thinking up a way to give him a grand gesture—the world’s best apology. I know I can’t write him a song because he probably hates guitars now. So I think about something that would make him happy. And then I get an idea so crazy, it might not work.
I look up every animal shelter in the state. I set the filter to Golden Retrievers, and like Jaxon had said, it’s nearly impossible to find one that’s not an older dog, or a mixed breed. But only nearly impossible.
There’s a litter of eight week old Golden Retriever puppies at a shelter three hours away. The website says they arrived yesterday and are going fast.
I call them and ask about the puppies. The woman on the phone tells me they have three left, and that they’re open until 8:00. It’s only 3:30, so if I leave now, I’ll have plenty of time.
I tell my parents I’m going to Jacie’s house to study, and then I set a playlist of all my favorite songs and get ready for a very long road trip.
Three hours later, my legs hurt and I’m sick of driving, but I’m finally here at Happy Paws.
“Let me guess,” the woman behind the counter says as I walk inside. She’s probably in her thirties and wearing purple scrubs with paw prints on them. “Golden Retriever puppy?”
I laugh. “How’d you know?”
“The phone has been ringing off the hook for them.”
I’m almost afraid to ask. “Are there any left?”
She smiles. “Just one.”
“Boy or girl?” I ask, but I know it doesn’t matter. Either one is fine with me.
“Girl. She’s had her shots and she’s ready to go. Would you like to see her?”
“Yes, please.”
The woman disappears into the back and I’m glad I get to wait up here. I came to a dog shelter once as a kid and it nearly killed me at how sad it was to see all those dogs who weren’t adopted yet. I stand around nervously, listening to the sounds of the dogs in the back, and finally she comes back, holding the cutest little puppy in her arms.
“Oh my God,” I whisper as she holds the puppy out to me. I take the little ball of fur and clutch her to my chest. The puppy’s tail wags quickly and she licks my cheek.
“I love her,” I say, as my heart swells with instant affection for this little thing.
The lady, whose nametag says Diamond, laughs. “She’s a cutie. Do you want to fill out the adoption papers?”
“Yes, please,” I say, juggling the puppy as she squirms in my arms, trying to lick my face at any angle she can get.
I happily pay the one hundred dollar adoption fee, and then Diamond gives me a soft blanket for my car. The puppy falls asleep in my passenger seat as soon as we get back on the road. I can’t stop looking over and smiling at her.
It’s just after nine when I get back home. I am exhausted from the drive, but coming home was much more fun with a little puppy next to me. I park a few driveways down from Jaxon’s house, and take out the stationary I brought with me from home.
I write: Dear Jaxon, Will you be my human?
And then I fold the note and attach it to the puppy’s little pink collar I’d purchased at the animal shelter. I wrap her in the blanket and quietly walk up to his front door.
I’m nervous, and I know there’s a million things that could go wrong, like what if his parents answer the door or something?
Hiding in the shadows of his porch, I clutch the puppy in one arm and send him a text.
Me: Do me a favor and check your front door in about thirty seconds.
I send the message, and then I kiss the puppy on the head, set her down gently, still wrapped up in the blanket so she hopefully won’t run off, and then I run like hell.
I make it back to my car, and I jump inside. Then I watch. The door opens, and Jaxon looks out at eye level, probably expecting to see me there. But then he looks down, and I can’t see his expression very well but I can tell he’s excited.
He picks up the puppy and reads the note. And then he snuggles against her soft fur and takes her inside.
My phone beeps an hour later.
Jaxon: Can you come outside?
My heart skips a beat. He’s here. He’s right outside, right at this moment. I look down at my leggings and baggy shirt, but I don’t want to waste time changing clothes. Plus, he probably still hates me anyway, so it’s not like I need to impress him.
I slip out of my room and walk quietly down the hallway. It’s after ten, and although my parents probably aren’t asleep yet, they’re in their room watching TV so they won’t notice if I step outside. I unlock the front door as quietly as possible and open it. Jaxon is standing there, the puppy in his arms.
My stomach tightens. Is he going to give it back? My parents would kill me if I came home with a pet without asking them.
But worse than explaining a new dog to my parents, would be knowing Jaxon hates me so much he doesn’t want my gift, which is the one thing he’s been wanting more than anything.
“Hi,” I say, stepping outside and closing the door behind me. “You don’t want her?”
“What?” he says, brows pulling together. “No. Of course I want her.” He smiles and pets her little head.
“Then why did you bring her to me?”
“I wanted to see you, and I didn’t want to leave her alone.” He pets the dog again and then explains, “My family is out of town, helping my grandparents move to their new house. I’m only here because I have school.” He looks at the puppy. “I didn’t want to leave her alone.”
“So… why are you here?”
His gaze slowly looks at me while the puppy wriggles excitedly in his arms. “I wanted to say thanks.” He holds up the dog. “For this. I don’t know how you pulled it off.”
I smile. “She was in a shelter three hours away.”
His eyes widen. “You drove that far just to get me a puppy?”
I shrug. “I owe you more than that for what I did.”
He’s quiet for a minute. “You didn’t have to do all of this.”
“Well, you like her, right? Your parents will let you keep her?”
He nods. “They’re extremely excited and can’t wait to get back. I told them my friend found her for me.”
I grin. “Are we friends now?”
He stares at me for longer than I like. “Yes,” he says. “I forgive you. I would have forgiven you anyway, even without the puppy.”
I reach over and pet her little furry head. “I really am sorry.”
“I know. I wish I could have just shrugged it off, but I’ve been mocked and laughed at when I was younger. It made me shy around girls. So when I really liked you and found out about—well, you know—it just sucked.”
I look down, unable to meet his eyes with all the guilt I feel. “Can we start over? But only if you want. If you never want to talk to me again, that’s fine.”
He laughs. “Let’s be friends. I can always use a Taco Bell partner for lunch.”
I smile, but it sucks hearing him say the word friends. That’s not exactly what I wanted, but it’s better than having him hate me.
“Do you want to hold her?” he asks.
I nod eagerly, and take the puppy, holding her up close to my face. She loves licking faces, so I close my eyes and let her go to town. Her little puppy breath is the cutest thing, next to her tiny wagging tail.
“I love her,” I say, as she curls up in my lap and licks my hand.
“She is pretty freaking cute. When my told my mom I got a Golden, she screamed on the phone, she was so excited.” He laughs. “I never even thought to check shelters that were that far away.”
“Luckily, you have me,” I say, bumping into his shoulder. “When my friend wants something, I make sure it happens.”
We sit out here until it’s nearly midnight, playing with the puppy and chatting about safe topics. We never go back to the subject of dating, or liking each other, and that sucks because it’s all I want to talk about. But for now, we’re friends. And that’s better than what we were yesterday.
Two Weeks Later
Jacie laughs at something Marcus says. What makes me look over at her is the way she laughs—all giggly and overexcited and not at all like her normal laugh. I haven’t asked her yet, but I’m pretty sure she’s crushing on Marcus, who is Jaxon’s best friend.
I reach over and steal one of Jaxon’s fries. “I should buy two lunches since you eat half of mine,” he says with a grin as he takes a bite of his burger.
“That’s a great idea,” I say, stealing another fry. Jaxon and Marcus have been sitting with us at lunch almost every day lately. It’s been fun sharing our table with the guys and having different things to talk about. I think Jacie is especially appreciative of the new company because she can’t keep her eyes off Marcus, who is tall and athletic but also a genius in all advanced classes.
When Jaxon smiles at me from across the cafeteria table, my chest aches. He is so unbelievably cute. But ever since we agreed to be friends a couple weeks ago, that’s all we are. Friends.
We text and hang out and hit up Taco Bell for lunch every few days, but that’s all it ever is. I am grateful for his friendship because he’s an awesome guy, but there’s always this part of me that wishes we had something more.
I long for another date with him, where it’s just the two of us. Not like how he and Marcus joined me and Jacie at the movies last Friday. That was as friendly as it gets. No one held hands, no one flirted at all. We were just a group of friends.
I wonder if this is all it’ll ever be for us. If someday I’ll meet a new guy to date and Jaxon will still just be my friend. I hate that idea. I wish I could go back in time and meet him before I ever made that stupid bet. I wish the anonymous car vandal had slashed my tire just a week or so before. That way I’d have a clean slate with Jaxon from the beginning.
When lunch is over, Marcus and Jacie split their separate ways because they both have gym next period. Jaxon walks with me halfway to my next class before turning to his, and sometimes this is the only alone time we get each day. I love every second of it.
“I’m thinking of taking Maxie to the park today,” Jaxon says. Maxie is what his little brother decided to name the dog. He’d originally wanted the name Max, but then changed it to Maxie upon learning that the dog was a girl.
“I think she would love that,” I say.
Jaxon grins. “Do you want to come with me?”
He almost seems a little nervous, which is silly. We’re friends now.
“Sounds fun.”
#
This is the first time we’re hanging out with just the two of us. After that night on my porch when Jaxon forgave me, he’d called me the next day to invite me to dinner with a couple of his friends. I’d brought Jacie, and we’ve all hung out as a group ever since. But this is different.
He picks me up after school and I scoop Maxie off the floor of the front seat and cuddle her in my lap. He’s bought a bright pink leash for her, saying it’s more fitting than the old leash he uses on his neighbor’s dogs.
We chat about random things on the short drive to the park, and then when we get there, it’s oddly empty. Usually there’s a ton of parents bringing their kids here after school, but today I only see one woman jogging around the perimeter of the park on the walking trail.
“Looks like Maxie won’t make any friends today,” I say as I set her on the ground and attach her leash.
“I think she’ll still have fun,” Jaxon says. He lets me hold her leash as we walk her around, but eventually we take it off because there’s no people here and she’s still so small she can’t run very fast. If she tries to take off, we’ll easily catch her.
Jaxon brings a tennis ball and Maxie loves chasing after it. I haven’t laughed this much in so long.
“Maxie is so amazing,” I say, sitting on a park bench to catch my breath. I’ve been chasing her around for half an hour.
“Dogs are the best,” Jaxon agrees. He sits next to me and calls to Maxie, who rushes up to him, her tail wagging.
“You want to fetch?” he says in the baby voice he uses with her. He lightly tosses the ball and Maxie takes off after it.
“Thanks for inviting me,” I say.
“Honestly, I’ve been looking for an excuse to hang out with you…without our friends.”
There’s a flutter in my chest, but I keep it lighthearted. “I’ll make sure not to tell our friends that,” I say with a laugh. “They’ll be offended.”
Maxie returns with the ball and Jaxon throws it again, after wrestling it out of her mouth. He sits back and looks over at me, a softness in his eyes. “Mae?” he asks, his voice low.
“Yes?” The butterflies in my stomach are out in full force.
His eyes meet mine. “Can I kiss you?”
A wave of relief washes over me. I smile and reach for his hand. “I thought you’d never ask.”
###
Thank you for reading Heartbreaker! If you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. It doesn’t even have to be long; just one sentence helps out a lot!
This has been the second book of the new First Love Shorts series by Amy Sparling. There will be 10 books total, all releasing on Fridays. to see them all on Amazon.
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Amy Sparling is the author of The Summer Unplugged Series, Ella's Twisted Senior Year, Deadbeat & other awesome books for younger teens. She loves coffee, the beach, and swooning over book boyfriends.
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