Almost (18 page)

She shoots me a sideways glare but appears to relax a little. “Did you get those lines from
slimy-ways-to-get-to-second-base-dot-com?
Please.”

I laugh. “How bout
dorks-trying-to-talk-to-beautiful-pretend-girlfriends-dot-com
?”

She laughs back. “Odd apology accepted. Weird, horrible, ridiculous compliments are not. And…could you not call me beautiful?”

I shake my head and smile. “The beautiful adjective is an informational fact. I'll say it if I mean it. And I'm sorry about the flirting. I'm nervous just like you are, so I'm bound to lapse. Forgive me?”

“I won't forgive you. Try harder. And I never said I was nervous.”

“Right…well…I am nervous,” I repeat, unashamed of the truth. “Plus, I have to get into flirt-mode because I'm about to have to turn on all the charm in public. A little practice is a good thing.”

“Do you think this won't work? Tell me. Honestly.” The tremor in her voice makes my heart twist.

I don't answer because right now I'm not sure.

And—because Corey Nash and Michelle Hopkins are bee-lining it past the bowling alley lanes, and heading toward the snack bar. toward us.

I take in a deep breath and warn her, “My small posse is heading this way. We'll just have to run the dress rehearsal with a real audience. Ready?”

She shakes her head. “I can tell by your eyes that you think this won't work. I should just go.”

I duck out of the snack bar and block her path to the door.

“Play along and trust me. Let's see what happens. At least give it a chance.” She pales two shades whiter. I lean forward and look into her eyes. “If you'll let me, I'm going to put my arm around you and sweep you toward them. I think that's the easiest.”

“Like a broom?” She sounds alarmed.

I have to stop myself from laughing. “Yes. Permission to touch. Is it granted?”

She nods, stepping closer.

“Let's not mess this up, huh?” I whisper, wondering if those last words are for her benefit or mine. I gingerly place my arm around her shoulders and I get the sensation Jess is suddenly made out of glass. Worse, it's up to me whether she shatters or not.

Because it is. Crap. What are we trying to do?

She trembles a little, and I pull her close, noting that she fits perfectly under my arm.

She stiffens for a second, but doesn't resist further. My heart clenches when she glances up and her eyes meet mine. I can hear her heart.

“Courage,” I whisper. “If it's too much, I'll back any excuse to get you out of here. With me?”

“Do I have any other choice?” She swallows.

Michelle rushes in first, talking to me, but her eyes rivet on Jess. “OMG. Gray Porter and Jess Jordan. It's true, then! You two
are
a couple. Corey told me everything.”

“Oh,
did
he?” I stall.

Jess is taking long slow breaths. I give her shoulder a gentle squeeze and glance at Corey. My best friend is in classic form, smirking already. It's also pretty apparent Corey is taking one, way too long and
very
appreciative look at Jess. His eyes are like a broken elevator. Up, down. Up, down. And up again.

I'm starting to get a little pissed off about it. I shoot him the ‘back off’ glare, and he grins back, totally uncaring that I'm pissed.

“How goes it guys,” I say, trying to sound natural.

“Not as good as it goes for you, dude,” Corey says, ignoring my glare and heading in for another: Down. Up. Down. Up, and a quick bootie check.

Bastard. I will retaliate.

I smile even wider as I feel Jess's hand move tentatively around my back. Her neck rests against my upper arm. It's not lost on me, or anyone that she's blushing like mad. Her hand touches my waist for a second, and then moves off quickly.

I feel her entire body stiffen like she's really freaking out.

I hold my breath and don't move until she settles for gripping the bottom of my t-shirt.

“When did all this start? You've been holding out on me.” Michelle tosses me one of her wounded looks. I know I'm going to hear about how upset she is that I didn't tell her
first.
Michelle turns to Jess. “I'm Michelle Hopkins,” she says with her trademark, friendly smile.

“I'm Jess. Jess Jordan. I know you from pep rallies. You're next year's head cheerleader, right?” Jess asks softly.

I smile to myself. She actually sounded
nice
, as promised.

“Yeah. About the head cheerleading thing.” Michelle makes a face. “My promotion was more of a pity move. There are only two seniors on the squad next year. The actual talent graduated. The other girl and I flipped a coin. Don't expect to see me in the front line. I suck.”

Corey pipes in, “Michelle wouldn't want to hurt anyone with her loose-cannon kicks. She looks like the perfect, athletic cheerleader, but she's dangerous. Mostly to herself!” He laughs. “She kicked so high she fell backwards and hit her head last homecoming game.”

“You did?” Jess tosses Michelle another smile, laughing. I feel her shoulders relax.

“Hard to forget that when it's on Corey's YouTube page. I'm up to 43,000 hits. You should check it out,” Michelle says, laughing also. “Don't believe anything you've heard about me—especially if it comes from this one.” She rolls her eyes toward Corey.

Jess shrugs. “I haven't heard anything, except that you're a great cheerleader. But, I recommend you believe
everything
you've heard about me. Right,
Gray
? I'm as mean, stuck-up and as horrible as they come.” Her self-mocking tone tells me that she's ramping into her usual bravado.

Michelle tosses me a surprised glance, but recovers quickly. “Well…I've only heard about Gray's crush on you. And that your placement in the senior class next year has you at third. I'm sure that makes a lot of people jealous. How'd you pull that off, anyhow?” Michelle asks, blatantly ignoring Jess's reference to her brutal, super-bitch reputation.

Jess bites her bottom lip. “It happens by default when you read all the time and never go out. I'm actually going to be first in the class when the year starts. But only because the Alder twins moved. They held the top two spots.”

I'm proud of Jess. Her nice meter is soaring.

“You think you can help me work on some Pre-Calc this summer? If you're hanging around, I mean. With us. You will be, won't you?” Michelle probes, meeting my gaze. I want to hug Michelle. She can always be counted on to make people feel comfortable and get conversations smoothed over.

I glance at Corey. He's staring at Jess's butt again. Drooling, actually.

“If I'm around, I'd be happy to help. If I can,” Jess says, sounding pleased.

I shoot Michelle a grateful smile. “I'm glad you two came out tonight.”

“You made such a big deal about us being here—how could we miss it?” Corey nods to Jess. “I'm Corey Nash, and
you
, Jess Jordan, have turned my best friend into one love-sick puppy. Now I see why.” He scrunches up his face. “Were you this hot last week?”

I'm resisting the growing urge to kill Corey, but Jess's happy laughter saves the kid's life.

“Easy dude,” I say. “She's off limits from your shady, creeper moves. If you want to live, go ogle some other girl.”

“Ooh. Gray's staked a claim,” Michelle says, as she punches Corey playfully in the arm. “This is why I will never go out with you, Corey Nash. Why
no girl
will ever go out with you. You have no finesse. What is wrong with you?” Michelle holds up a five-dollar bill. “Come on, Jess. Let's get
your boyfriend
to make us some nachos, so we have something to eat while he and Corey duel over you.”

Jess takes in a breath and her body has turned back to ramrod stiff. “I'm not—he's not my
boyfriend.
He's just. We're just…”

“Just what? Don't stop,” I interrupt and beam a huge, fake smile at my friends. “Did you hear that? She said, ‘we're’. As in: ‘we are’. I have witnesses. I think Jess Jordan's admitted we—
she and I
—might be
something
after all!”

I give Jess's shoulder another gentle squeeze, hoping she can regroup and realize she's jeopardizing the progress we've just made.

“Dude. Why are you talking like a robot?” Corey grins.

My heart sinks as Jess pulls away from me. Has she changed her mind?

I try to meet her gaze. But her eyes are darting around the room, taking in everyone and everything but me. I stop her from bolting by holding on to one of her hands. When her gaze meets mine, I'm certain she's about to panic. Panic, and possibly cry.

I make sure her face is not in view of Corey and Michelle and take up her other hand. I run my fingers over the backs of her knuckles and wait for her to find her control—or game face. Whatever it is she does to mask her feelings. I don't know when or how I get lost in her pale blue eyes. I stare deeper, tracking the glistening tears and glimmers of fear on the fringes of the many expressions crossing her face.

I long to see that fear erased. “Please. Trust me. We can do this,” I whisper. But I said it so quietly, I'm not sure she's heard until she flushes beet red and gives me an almost imperceptible nod. I smile and draw her hands closer to my heart, never once breaking her gaze, which causes her to blush even more.

“Aww. So sweet.” Michelle's voice hits me from thousands of miles away.

“Dude. This is like a bad Disney Channel movie.” Corey pretends to gag-vomit. “Make out already or cut us loose. If you drop down on your knees right now and whip out some jewelry—we are
so
done hanging out. Seriously…yuck.”

Corey's sarcasm cuts through some of the fog between me and Jess and the rest of the world, but not much. I can't gather my swirling thoughts to play it off. Nor can I joke back at Corey's comments. This has all become extremely important to me.

“Shh. Both of you,” I say over my shoulder, not once taking my gaze off Jess's. I put slight pressure on her hands and my heart flips, hell—it actually
stops
—when she allows me to intertwine my fingers with hers.

Jess smiles then, finally. And I know she's going to be okay because she says, “
God.
Corey's right. You're embarrassing all of us. Did you guys know Gray's such a romantic weirdo? He loves Jane Austen too.”

“He is? He does? I never knew,” gushes Michelle.

“And again: YUCK,” groans Corey.

I let go of Jess's hands and turn so Corey and Michelle have a better view of her face while I try to shoot for my goal. “In case you two hadn't noticed, I'm still trying to get this amazing girl to take me seriously. Will you, Jess? Be my girlfriend this summer?” Jess swallows. I know her shuttered, closed off expression is her way of giving me one last chance to back out. Without a blink, I continue, “Please. Say
yes
. That we're going out. That you're my girlfriend. Officially, and right now. If you agree, I promise to tone it down.”

“Man. Jess, agree or end my boy's pain before we all puke,” Corey adds.

I'm the only one who catches her obvious slip.

The girl has been shaking her head with a definitive ‘no’ this whole time. Luckily, she answers, “Yes. Okay fine. Yes. Now, please. Make us some nachos.”

Chapter Sixteen

Jess

Tap. Tap. Tap.

I try to ignore the sound and pull my car-blanket over my head so I can go back to sleep, only I can't. It's not one of the usual sounds: not wind, not the soft patter of rain, nor the loud smacks that come with hail. It's...

Tap. Tap. Tap.

It's definitely not the scratchy sound branches make, either. Could it be a bird?

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. TAP.

The sound moves to the glass nearest my head. No bird could be responsible for that unless a spastic hummingbird is trying to make its way in to attack. I pull off the blanket.

Gray. Of course.

He looks all goofy. Smiling that heart-wrenching half-smile I can't get used to. A smile that has actually served me well the past few nights. When I'm about to drift off to sleep, just thinking about that smile attached to
him
gives me a huge adrenaline rush and saves me from falling all the way asleep.

Unfortunately, in daylight, and in person—the effect is double. Now, all thoughts of napping are erased by the usual butterfly monsoon that takes over my body when he's near. And he seems so happy to see me, I can't be mad that he's stolen precious minutes of morning sleep from me. Why does he have to be so…perfectly made? It's annoying.

Acting as though I'd known he was there the whole time, I open my side door to force him to step back as I launch one of my bored sighs. “There's no need for you to stalk me. I said I'd be your girlfriend days ago. You're here early, what gives?”