“MMM. IT SMELLS good in here,” I announce as I walk into Mimi’s kitchen and find her pulling a pan of brownies from the oven. “Oooh, brownies!” I reach for one that’s already cut and on a platter.
“No, don’t eat those,” Mimi snaps, making me flinch and toss the brownie back on the tray. “These are Mac Daddy’s special brownies.” She grins like the Cheshire cat and moves the tray to the other side of the counter. “You can have one of these.” She points to the pan she just removed from the oven.
“What are special brownies?” I raise my brows. “Like pot brownies?” I’m only half joking because with Mimi, one can never be too sure.
“Damn!” She slaps a hand on the counter. “Why didn’t I think of that?” She snickers. “Now that would be fun. But these are made with all the healthy stuff that Mac Daddy dislikes.” She winks. “Got to keep my man healthy.”
“He’s a doctor. He should know better.”
“He’s also a man, sweetie.” She gives me a look that says, “Enough said.”
“A very lucky man,” I agree with a wink.
“So, how is school going? I heard Alex is your teacher. That must be fun.”
“School is good. The Project Mayhem class is my favorite one of the day.”
“How are things going with Zach?”
“Not good,” I admit before popping the last bite of brownie in my mouth. I haven’t talked to him since our little exchange in class yesterday. “He asked me to meet him at Mac’s for dinner Monday night and never showed up. The next day I found out he stood me up to hang out with his ex.” I still can’t believe he stood me up. Thank God Harper took pity on me and joined me for dinner. At least I got a new friend out of it.
“No,” she gasps. “Zach? He’s such a sweet boy.”
I shrug. “He’s not that sweet, Mimi. He’s kind of a dick. He acts like he can barely stand to be around me and it’s not because he’s shy. I’ve seen him with three different girls since I got here.” I shake my head. “I’m not into manwhores.”
Mimi laughs. “Manwhore?”
I shrug again. “It’s a—”
“Honey, I know what a manwhore is. His name is Liam Mackenzie.”
I burst out laughing, nodding and pointing to her. “Liam would be so mortified if he heard you call him that.” I make my way to the refrigerator for a bottled water. “I don’t know, Mimi. Zach and Cole have this little clique of friends and I feel like an outsider. I don’t know what I thought would happen, but I didn’t expect Zach to hate me.”
“Honey, Zach doesn’t hate you. I’ll tell you what I used to tell my kids. If you have something to say, then say it. If you want to know something, then ask. Don’t make assumptions. Life is too short for ‘would’ve, could’ve, should’ve.’ If you want something to happen, don’t wait for it. Make it happen.”
“You sound like my father.” I smirk.
“Marcus was a smart man.” She winks.
Yes, he was.
“I appreciate the advice. I need to get going.” Grabbing my purse, I pull it over my shoulder. “Thanks for listening, Mimi,” I say, leaning over, kissing her on the cheek. “I wish I could hang out longer…” I look down at my watch. “…but my first pole-dancing class starts in twenty minutes.” I snort and take off toward the front door as Mimi chases after me, whipping the hand towel at my butt.
Damn, she’s fast.
“You better be joking,” she calls to my back just as I yank open the door.
I smirk over my shoulder and answer her with a wink. Just as I pull the door closed, she calls out, “Smartass.”
THE FIRST WEEK of school comes to an end, and Project Mayhem is off to a good start. It’s only been a week, but things are going well, and Alex seems pleased. I know I am. Alex has split us up into two groups. In my group is Cherry, Olivia, Eric, and Jones. His name is Frankie Jones but he prefers to be called Jones. They’re a talented bunch and they’re eager to learn.
Cherry is a trip. She’s beautiful with a head full of light brown spiral curls that bounce with each step, bright eyes, and a voice that sends chills up my spine. Olivia reminds me of a surfer girl with her white-blonde hair and cute little freckles across her nose. She comes off as shy… until you put a microphone in her hand. Eric is a fantastic singer, a boss on the guitar, and he’s equally amazing on the keyboard. Jones has a great voice as well, although he just wants to play the drums.
We’ll have to work on that.
Alex grades us by our performances. He issues a challenge and we perform. Today is the first pep rally of the school year to welcome everyone back to school and to kick off the first football game of the season against the Eagles. Our class has been practicing all week. Today we’ll be performing alongside the marching band, dance team, and the cheerleaders.
Even though we have three classes together, I’ve pretty much kept my distance from Zach since our little exchange in class on Tuesday. I smile politely and I’m friendly in class when necessary, but I keep our interactions to a minimum. Even going as far as to eat lunch with my Project Mayhem class in the performing arts building. Harper has been eating with me almost every day and sometimes even Lexi pops in for a while, which I’m sure probably drives Evan crazy. The guy can’t be away from her for more than a minute.
Honestly, I think it’s sweet.
Evan reminds me a lot of my dad and the way he was with my mom. I swear she couldn’t be out of the room for more than five minutes before he was calling out for her.
Cole asks me almost every day to come eat with him at his table in the dining room. He’s assured me that Zach didn’t blow me off for Reagan, and though I’m still pissed Zach stood me up, I believe him. But still, Reagan’s little stunt that day sticks in my mind, as if she’d done it on purpose to keep Zach and I apart. As if she’d been doing it all along.
Either way, I’m not interested in getting tangled up with the mean-girl squad. In all honesty, smacking a bitch will only tarnish my sweetheart image, piss my mother off, and embarrass my father.