My Lucky Charm (6 page)

Leah

I’m in deep. No good deed goes unpunished, and I’m certain
I’ll end up hurt for this one, but I had to help him. I spent hours last night researching dyslexia. He’s smart and shouldn’t have to suffer, have a lower self-esteem or give up a dream because of something out of his control.

He gazes at me like I’m the first girl he’s ever seen and the last he’d ever want to.
I think I’m falling for him since he likes me for me. I’m sure he knows I wouldn’t fit into his crowd, yet he doesn’t seem to care.

I text Sierra, and she agrees to go to the game with me. Now, I have to find a way to get my mo
ther to let me drive.

“Paul, I’m going out tonight. Sorry for the short notice, but I got asked out
on a date by the guy you assumed was stalking me at the concert. I’m going to beg Mom to let me go alone, so I might not need you.”

“Good luck with that. She’s never going to go for it. I didn’t have plans tonight, anyway.”

“Tell her you do, so she’ll let me go alone.”

“No way. I get extra pay at night.”

I groan. “Sometimes I forget that you’re not really an annoying, older brother.” I get out of the car and hurry into the house, finding my mom in her room.

“Mom, why are you in bed at four o’clock in the afternoon?” I yank her curtains open. “Are you sad today?”

“Yes, dear. I don’t fit in here.”

“
You wouldn’t think that if you’d get out of the house.”

“I don’t know what to do
, Leeza. I went to the country club for lunch, and three people told me their teenagers attend your school. What am I supposed to tell them?

“
Since I took my maiden name back, I don’t have to lie about that, but if I make friends, I’m going to have to eventually lie or be honest and upset you.”

Sighing, I
sit on the edge of her bed.

“I don’t know what to do, either. I l
ike a guy. His name’s Brandon, and he’s really sweet. He comes from money and is popular, but he probably thinks I’m poor, and he doesn’t care that I’m not in the cool crowd. I don’t want to lie to him. I’m beginning to feel no better than Maxwell.”

My mom pulls her hand out of the blanket and takes hold of mine. “
You’re not a bad person, Leeza, but please consider telling. Maybe your classmates will be more accepting than you think. How can we know the new friends we make are truly our friends if we’re not showing them the real us.”

“
But I feel like I am showing the real me for once,” I say in a desperate tone.

“But you’re not if you don’t show that you’re wealthy
, and your family is majorly flawed. Those things do affect you every day.”

“
I’ll consider it if you do me a huge favor.”

“What’s that?”

“Can I drive a friend to the football game and meet Brandon after to eat?”

“Absolutely not, Leeza.”

“Please, Mom.” I squeeze her hand hard and give her a pouty look.

“The car will give it away.”

“What if I take Martha’s car? I bet she’d let me, especially if she gets to drive my BMW. My vehicle sits. It’s ridiculous and wasteful.”

“I’ll com
promise. You can drive, but Paul has to follow you in the Mercedes.”

“Fine, but he
needs to stay in the background. He got all weirded out at the concert, causing me to have to lie. My friends think he’s my brother now.”

“
I’ll speak to him.”

“Thank you so much, Mom. Please get out of bed and come downstairs. It’s a
sunny day. You should sit outside.”

“Ok, mother,” she says before rolling her eyes.

I text Sierra and get her address before I beg our housekeeper, Martha, to let me take her old Toyota Camry out. She agrees, so I hand over the keys to my Beamer, telling her we’ll make an indefinite trade. That really seals the deal.

I get ready, excited that I get to behave somew
hat like a normal teenager. The school colors are red and white, so I leave on my red skinny jeans and find the grey, Clairview sweatshirt my mother insisted on buying me when I registered.

It has the
school name in red on the front, so combined with my hair, it looks like someone vomited school spirit on me. When I get to the bottom of the stairs, Paul is waiting.

“I hope you like football, Paul,” I say, punching him in the arm. He actually smiles at me, which is unusual. “You might want to take something to read since I’ll be out late.”

“I’ll surf on my phone. No biggie. And of course, keep tabs on you.”

“Just keep your distance this time.”

I leave in the Camry and drive to Sierra’s. Parker is supposedly meeting us at the home game, along with Gabe, Troy and Jarred. I have a feeling Jarred isn’t going to be too happy when he finds out I’m seeing Brandon after.

I feel terrible when I p
ull up in front of Sierra’s apartment complex. It’s old and in probably the worst part of our school district. While I’m waiting for her to come out, I get a text from Paul who’s parked down the street.

Paul:
This right here is why I’m with you.

Me:
Having a low income doesn’t make someone a criminal.

Paul:
No, but it makes some desperate.

Me:
Here she comes. Peace out, Boy Scout.

“Hi, girl,” Sierra says as she slides in the car. “It’s awesome you have wheels. I wi
sh I could afford a car.” She checks me out. “You look like the biggest fan ever. I wouldn’t have pictured this look for you. What gives?”

“I have a date with Brandon after the game, so I’m trying to show some school spirit to support him.”

“Brandon Jennings?” Sierra’s tone is a mix of surprise and disappointment.

“Yes. He’s actually really nice.”

“Please don’t let him pull you to the dark side. Do you really want to hang out with those snooty bitches he runs with?”

“I have no intentions of hanging out with them. Besides, it’s one date.”

“Yeah, but I can tell you like him.”

We get to school, and I become extremely nervous.
When we start to make our way up the bleachers, we hear Parker yelling for us. Sitting with him requires walking in front of several rows of bleachers. I feel as if all eyes are on me as we make our way in front of the stands.

“Look at you, you fashionista,” Parker says
loudly as he stands to hug me. Now, even more eyes are on me. “I’m digging your school spirit.”

“Same to you
.”

Sierra is wearing her usual dark attire, but Parker has a school sweatshirt on
with designer jeans, his stylin’ hair in place. He’s the best looking gay guy I’ve ever met. I glance around and see that Paul is behind us but a good distance away.

The team runs out
and everyone cheers. Without his helmet on, I immediately spot Brandon. I feel my pulse start its race and the butterflies flutter. He is hot in his uniform.

Turning, he
looks toward the crowd and scans the entire area until he spots me. He grins, and I feel my face warming. I try not to appear too eager as I wave.

“Oh, girlfriend, y
ou better dish right now. Did Brandon Jennings just grin at you?” Parker asks.

“They’re going o
ut after the game,” Sierra says.

Gabe, Troy and Jarr
ed find their way to us as Sierra’s speaking. She and Gabe are supposedly going on a date tomorrow night.

“Who’s going out after the game?” Gabe asks.

Dang it. I wish she’d kept that to herself. Sierra scrunches her nose as she glances to me.

“Sorry,” she says. “Um, Leah and Brandon Jennings.”

Leah

“You’re going out with Brandon Jennings?” Jarred asks.

“We’re
just meeting up after the game,” I reply sheepishly.

“
I would’ve never seen that one coming,” he mutters, sounding frustrated.

I don’t say another word. I know what he’s implying, and I think he’s jealous, too. I wish I
was into Jarred. It would be less complicated.

He doesn’t say much throughout the game, but Parker talks my ear off. H
e has a guy friend with him who attends another school. I’ll have to find out if they’re dating.

Sierra gabs with Gabe and Troy, and I try hard to focus on
the game between conversations. I’d like to be able to talk to Brandon about it. It appears he’s their star quarterback. I used to attend most of the sporting events at my previous school. Luckily, we win, so I message Paul as soon as it’s over.

Me:
Please wait at the car.

Paul:
Sorry, but I’m following you out.

Me:
Fine. If he tries to kiss me tonight, don’t watch.

Paul:
You’re high maintenance.

Me:
So are you. Peace out, Boy Scout. 

Gabe offers to take Sierra home, which messes up my excuse to drive separate
ly. They wait around until most of the crowd has cleared, and I’m sure it’s on purpose to see how Brandon and I interact.

It takes a while, but he finally comes walking toward us. He looks nervous as his eyes dart between everyo
ne. He probably doesn’t like having a crowd any more than I do.

“Hi, Brandon,” Parker says. “Good game.”

For once, I’m glad he’s speaking up.

“Thanks, man.”
He nods at the other guys before he looks my way. Our eyes lock before he gives me that whopping grin. “I didn’t get your number, or I would’ve text that I’d be awhile. I wanted to take a quick shower.”

“No problem. Are you ready?” I ask.
His brown hair is still damp and messy, and I can smell his clean scent.

“Sure. Is your car here?”

“Yes, so I can meet you somewhere.”

“R
ide with me, and I’ll bring you back here.”

“Um … OK. I g
uess that’ll work.” Paul will hate it, but I like the idea of being in Brandon’s vehicle. Parker and Sierra hug me.

“Call me
tomorrow,” she says with a wink. I see the humor in her eyes as she tries to hide her smile.

“You bet.”
We begin our walk down the bleachers, and I slow some so Brandon and I are not walking to the parking lot with everyone else.

“Great game,” I say.

“Do you like football?”

“
Yes, I went to most of the games at my old school.”

“That’s cool. Are you hungry?”

“Sure, I didn’t eat much today.”

“The gang hangs out at Cosmo
’s Pizza after the games, but we could go somewhere else. I’d rather have you to myself.” He turns his head and grins at me again before he takes my hand.

The parking lot is dim, and I’m praying he doesn’t pick up on Paul following us. There’s no way I’ll be able to keep this up.

“You have a jeep,” I say excitedly. It’s new, too.

“I
t was supposed to be a graduation present. I had an old one, and it went down, so I talked my dad into getting me this one early.”

“I love jeeps. They’re
… I don’t know … fun and freeing,” I say with a smile.

He lets my hand go and opens the door for me. I hop in and grab my phone when I hear it buzzing
. Of course, it’s a message from Paul.

Paul:
What are you doing?

Me:
Don’t freak, and don’t let him see you. We’re going to eat somewhere, and then he’ll bring me back to the car.

He doesn’t reply
and I’m glad. One less lie to tell. I frown at the thought.

“You OK over there?” he asks.

“Oh, yes.” I plant a smile on my face and decide that I’m going to enjoy my time with Brandon and figure the rest out later. We roll the windows down, and the breeze feels nice. It’s already eleven o’clock when we get to a burger place.

We take a seat, and I make a point to sit facing the door, so if Paul parks close,
Brandon won’t see him.

“What’s good here?”

“Cheese fries.”

“Cheese fries are my favorite.”

“You love jeeps and cheese fries. We have so much in common,” he says, chuckling.

“I like chocolate shakes, too.”

“How about that, so do I.” We order and then stare at each other. I could get lost in his green eyes for days.

“So, I heard you’re fr
om LA. What brought you to Colorado?”

“My parents divorced, so my mom and I decided to get away from the city.” I look away.

“I’m sorry to hear that. I’m beginning to think my parents need to get a divorce.”

“Why do you think that? Do they fight a lot?”

“Not really, but I’m pretty confident my dad is having an affair with his secretary.”

“Oh, no. I’m sorry. I don’t like to call him my father, but mine
cheated, too, with a much younger woman. She was only a year older than me, actually. I think cheating is terrible. I’d never do that to someone.”

“Dang
, that’s young. I was cheated on recently and it hurt. I wouldn’t put someone through that, either.”

“H
ave you always lived here?”

“Yes, born and raised. It’s not that exciting of a place, but in some ways, that’s a good thing. It’s peaceful.”

“That’s what I love about it. I was tired of the big city life.”

“I researched dyslexia when I got home from school, and I think you’re right. I didn’t get a chance, but I’m going to speak to my
parents about it. I still can’t believe you took the time to help me. Thank you.”

He’s giving me that devastating
stare again, like the one he gave me in the cubicle.”

“You’re welcome. I could be wrong, and I’ll feel bad if I’ve stressed you out about it
for nothing.”

“I don’t think you’re wrong, and honestly, if there’s an explanation for why I’ve struggled with this all my life, I’ll be relieved.
I’ll also owe you more than a shake and cheese fries.”

“Maybe we can go to a concert.”
I can’t believe I just said that. “I mean, only if you want to.” There’s that heart melting grin again that shines, signaling my stomach to flutter the way butterflies would on a warm summer day. I’ve never had this sort of attraction to a guy before.

“You like me,” he
says in a sing song as he stretches his foot out under the table and rubs my calf with it a few times. He continues his assault on my heart with his grin and touch.

“Well,
aren’t you forward? If we’re going to play footsie, we need to take our shoes off. You want to do it properly don’t you?” I ask.

His eyes light up as he arches his brow. Without a word, we’re both slipping our shoes off under the table.

“It’s a good thing I showered after the game. I couldn’t participate otherwise.” His foot immediately slides over to mine, his toes stroking along the inside of one of my feet.

My
breath rushes in and out as we stare at each other. His touch feels as intense as his gaze, and if this is what he can do with his feet, then I really need to know what he can do with his mouth and hands.