slightly
interested and not at all bothered. “I really have to go now. I
have a ton of homework to do. Thanks for the tickets.”
“ Not a problem, angel,” he
said, slightly bemused. “I’ll call you soon.”
Ending the call, I dug my Calculus book out
of my bag. I flipped the pages until I found the one with my
homework problems and prowled around looking for a pencil.
“ Well?” Annie
demanded.
“ He’s going to send me
tickets for Seth.” I shrugged as I rummaged around the bottom of my
bag and found a pencil.
“ I figured that much,”
Annie said. “What about Monique?”
I was tempted to tell her to go read one of
her tabloids but I didn’t. It wasn’t her fault Jake enjoyed
Monique’s company every now and again. It wasn’t her fault that I
had a strange urge to snap my pencil in half and throw it at the
picture of Monique wrapped in Jake’s arms.
Taking a deep breath, I turned to Annie. “He
said they date sometimes but it’s nothing serious. He said she’s
fun.”
I was horrified to feel tears building
behind my eyes.
Annie’s face melted into sympathy and she
hugged me close. “I’m sorry, Bella.”
I choked back the tears and smiled at her.
“Don’t be stupid. I don’t like Jake that way.”
She gave me a look of clear disbelief. “Are
you sure? Because I bet if you just said something to him—gave him
the slightest encouragement, he’d be yours for the taking.”
I gasped. “How do you figure? Look at him
and then look at me. He’s a famous rock star. I’m just a high
school senior stuck at a ridiculously expensive boarding school. He
has movie stars falling at his feet. I get dumped by football
players days before our first date.”
“ Yeah, but he took you to
the dance and…”
I held up a hand and stopped her. “He took
me to the dance as a favor. He felt sorry for me. It didn’t mean a
thing.”
“ What about all the
birthday presents?”
I instinctively shook my wrist, jiggling the
bracelet and letting the charm bounce off my arm. “He’s my friend.
Friends buy friends stuff. You and Cammy bought me birthday
presents, too. You don’t want to date me.”
Annie rubbed furious circles on her
forehead. “I think you’re missing the point here.”
“ No, I think you are,” I
argued. “He doesn’t want to date me, and I don’t want to date him.
We talk. We get together and laugh. That’s all.”
My cell phone rang before Annie could
respond, and I was instantly grateful for the distraction. I
figured it was Jake, calling back for something to do with the
tickets but when I glanced at the number, it was one I didn’t
recognize.
“ Hello?” I answered
timidly.
“ Hi, Bella. It’s
Lance.”
My heart leapt and I smiled brightly at
Annie. “Hi, Lance. How’d you get this number?”
Annie shook her head, frown marring her
face.
“ Cammy gave it to me.
That’s all right, isn’t it?”
“ Sure,” I said, not really
caring much. “So, um, what do you need?”
“ I was wondering if you’d
like to go to the movies with me Friday night after the football
game.”
My heart stopped. Lance was actually asking
me out. Me!
“ What movie?” Oh, I know I
did not just ask that! I wanted to smack myself but I didn’t think
I had enough strength to make it hurt.
“ I hadn’t really thought
about it,” he said, a little taken back. “Whichever you’d like to
see, I guess.”
“ Okay. Sure. Thanks.” I
really needed to work on my conversation skills.
“ Great. I’ll talk to you
more about it tomorrow.”
“ Sure. Thanks.” Ending the
call, I mentally chastised myself for my stupidity. I never had a
problem talking to Jake!
“ Lance asked you out?”
Annie inquired.
I nodded, excitement returning. Yes, Lance
asked me out. Me! I beamed at Annie perhaps a bit too smug. But I
would prove to her once and for all that I had no romantic interest
in Jake.
None whatsoever.
Chapter Nine
“ What movie do you want to
see?” Lance
interested and not at all bothered. “I really have to go now. I
have a ton of homework to do. Thanks for the tickets.”
“ Not a problem, angel,” he
said, slightly bemused. “I’ll call you soon.”
Ending the call, I dug my Calculus book out
of my bag. I flipped the pages until I found the one with my
homework problems and prowled around looking for a pencil.
“ Well?” Annie
demanded.
“ He’s going to send me
tickets for Seth.” I shrugged as I rummaged around the bottom of my
bag and found a pencil.
“ I figured that much,”
Annie said. “What about Monique?”
I was tempted to tell her to go read one of
her tabloids but I didn’t. It wasn’t her fault Jake enjoyed
Monique’s company every now and again. It wasn’t her fault that I
had a strange urge to snap my pencil in half and throw it at the
picture of Monique wrapped in Jake’s arms.
Taking a deep breath, I turned to Annie. “He
said they date sometimes but it’s nothing serious. He said she’s
fun.”
I was horrified to feel tears building
behind my eyes.
Annie’s face melted into sympathy and she
hugged me close. “I’m sorry, Bella.”
I choked back the tears and smiled at her.
“Don’t be stupid. I don’t like Jake that way.”
She gave me a look of clear disbelief. “Are
you sure? Because I bet if you just said something to him—gave him
the slightest encouragement, he’d be yours for the taking.”
I gasped. “How do you figure? Look at him
and then look at me. He’s a famous rock star. I’m just a high
school senior stuck at a ridiculously expensive boarding school. He
has movie stars falling at his feet. I get dumped by football
players days before our first date.”
“ Yeah, but he took you to
the dance and…”
I held up a hand and stopped her. “He took
me to the dance as a favor. He felt sorry for me. It didn’t mean a
thing.”
“ What about all the
birthday presents?”
I instinctively shook my wrist, jiggling the
bracelet and letting the charm bounce off my arm. “He’s my friend.
Friends buy friends stuff. You and Cammy bought me birthday
presents, too. You don’t want to date me.”
Annie rubbed furious circles on her
forehead. “I think you’re missing the point here.”
“ No, I think you are,” I
argued. “He doesn’t want to date me, and I don’t want to date him.
We talk. We get together and laugh. That’s all.”
My cell phone rang before Annie could
respond, and I was instantly grateful for the distraction. I
figured it was Jake, calling back for something to do with the
tickets but when I glanced at the number, it was one I didn’t
recognize.
“ Hello?” I answered
timidly.
“ Hi, Bella. It’s
Lance.”
My heart leapt and I smiled brightly at
Annie. “Hi, Lance. How’d you get this number?”
Annie shook her head, frown marring her
face.
“ Cammy gave it to me.
That’s all right, isn’t it?”
“ Sure,” I said, not really
caring much. “So, um, what do you need?”
“ I was wondering if you’d
like to go to the movies with me Friday night after the football
game.”
My heart stopped. Lance was actually asking
me out. Me!
“ What movie?” Oh, I know I
did not just ask that! I wanted to smack myself but I didn’t think
I had enough strength to make it hurt.
“ I hadn’t really thought
about it,” he said, a little taken back. “Whichever you’d like to
see, I guess.”
“ Okay. Sure. Thanks.” I
really needed to work on my conversation skills.
“ Great. I’ll talk to you
more about it tomorrow.”
“ Sure. Thanks.” Ending the
call, I mentally chastised myself for my stupidity. I never had a
problem talking to Jake!
“ Lance asked you out?”
Annie inquired.
I nodded, excitement returning. Yes, Lance
asked me out. Me! I beamed at Annie perhaps a bit too smug. But I
would prove to her once and for all that I had no romantic interest
in Jake.
None whatsoever.
Chapter Nine
“ What movie do you want to
see?” Lance
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