A Young Adult Romance Collection

by Victorine E. Lieske

  Oh, no. No guy has ever heard me snort. That is not ever going to happen.

  He grinned and texted her back. Challenge accepted.

  He waited for her reaction. When his phone rang, it startled him. He answered. “Hello?”

  “I’ve created a monster, haven’t I? You’re now going to try to make me snort.”

  He laughed. “Only every time we’re together.”

  She groaned on the other end of the phone. “Don’t do it. It’s not pleasant when it happens.”

  “Now I want to hear it even more.” He smiled and realized that even though the situation hadn’t changed, he felt better. Talking to Trudy had lightened his mood.

  “I should just do it now, then, to get it over with.”

  “No,” he said quickly. “Then it wouldn’t mean anything. It should be a natural snort.”

  She sighed. “I guess I’ll just have to live in fear that you’re going to make me do it in public or some other highly embarrassing place.”

  His smile widened. “No. I promise. Only in private. I want to be the only one who hears it. This is something I want to keep just for me.”

  She paused, and he waited for her to speak. “I suppose I should be happy you’re not trying to embarrass me.” Her voice grew low and quiet.

  He sobered. “I’d never embarrass you. Not on purpose.” She was silent for so long, he looked at his phone to make sure they hadn’t gotten disconnected. “Trudy? You there?”

  “I’m here,” she said quietly.

  “Good. I thought you’d hung up on me.” He meant it as a joke, but she didn’t laugh.

  “I should go to bed,” she finally said.

  The mood had shifted, and he wasn’t even sure what had happened. “Okay. Good night. Thanks again for tonight.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She disconnected and he set his phone on his wireless charger. He was totally surprised, but he liked Trudy. It was weird. She was different from the girls he usually went out with, but different in a good way. He actually had fun with her. He liked the way she sparred with him. And she did seem to really care.

  He shook his head and got dressed for bed. He hadn’t expected to like the girl. He was just doing this to win the bet. But as he snuggled under the covers, he found himself thinking about her.

  Stupid. It was just a bet. That was it.

  Chapter 7

  Trudy took a calming breath before she gathered up the nerve to walk into the hospital. It had been a week since she’d last visited her sister, and she couldn’t put it off any longer. It was easy to tell her parents she didn’t have time with all her homework, but it was Sunday and they wouldn’t believe her excuse today.

  The antiseptic smell filled her nostrils as she headed down the corridor to the elevator. Hospitals gave her anxiety and she subconsciously fingered her sleeves. She wasn’t looking forward to what she would find.

  When she got to her sister’s room, she steeled herself and walked in. Her mother hovered over Allison’s bed and looked up when Trudy entered. “Oh, good. You’re here. Allison’s been asking for you.”

  Her sister smiled and extended her hand. “Trudy, you’re here.”

  Allison had lost a little more weight and her skin was sallow. A new machine was hooked up to her and it took up space behind her bed. She at least seemed happy she was there. Trudy stepped farther into the room and took her sister’s hand. “Hey, twerp.”

  Allison’s smile widened. “Did you bring it?”

  “Of course.” Trudy pulled the pack of NFL football cards out of her back pocket and handed it to Allison.

  Her sister held it to her chest as best she could with the tubes that were in her nose and hand. “You’re the best.”

  “Aren’t you going to open it?” She’d seen her sister tear open those things the second she got one.

  “I think I’ll wait today. I want to hold it for a while. You know, feel it out. See if it might have a good one in there.”

  “There’s absolutely a good one in there. I felt them all and picked the best one.”

  Allison grinned at her. “You going to watch the game with me?”

  Trudy couldn’t care less about football, but she humored her sister. “Of course.”

  “Then pull up a chair.” She turned to her mother. “You can go now, Mom.”

  Her mother twisted her hands together. “Are you sure?”

  Allison huffed. “Mom. You never leave. Don’t you want to go home and get a shower? Take a nap? I’m fine. Trudy’s here.”

  Her mother blinked as if she didn’t know what the words meant, but after a second, she nodded. “All right. If you’re sure.”

  “I’m sure, Mom.”

  “Okay. I’ll be back in a bit.” She headed toward the door, but then she paused for a moment before leaving.

  Allison sighed. “Mom is such a worry wart. She never leaves. I feel suffocated.”

  “She cares about you.”

  “I know. And that’s the worst part. I feel guilty for wanting her to leave, but when she’s here, she’s just so smothering. She freaks out over every little thing. I can’t close my eyes without her asking me if I’m okay.” Allison made a face. “It’s annoying.”

  Her mother was always the mother hen type. The helicopter of the family, as her father would say. But this was hard on all of them. Her father seemed to deal with it by working more. Trudy was often left alone. “I know.”

  The conversation was depressing her, so she changed the subject. “I made a new friend at school.”

  Allison’s smile held a secret. “Who?”

  “Jessica.”

  Her sister looked confused. “Mom said you had a boy over.”

  “Oh. Yeah. Lane. He’s not a friend.”

  “But Mom said he asked you out.” Allison wiggled her eyebrows up and down.

  Trudy did her best to not roll her eyes. “He’s a guy I’m tutoring in calculus. That’s all.”

  “But he likes you.”

  She wasn’t going to let this go, was she? Trudy leaned forward. “He doesn’t like me. He’s just messing around.”

  “Well, Mom said he was cute.”

  Trudy burst out laughing. “Mom said? Since when is Mom the expert on cute boys?”

  “She knows cute when she sees it. Come on, don’t you like him at all?”

  Trudy squirmed. Yeah, if she were being honest, she did like him. But that was stupid. He didn’t like her that way at all. She bit her lip, trying to decide what to say.

  “You do like him!” Allison pointed at her. “I can tell.”

  “Maybe a little. But we’re not going to be dating, so just get that out of your head, squirt.” She rubbed Allison’s soft blonde hair.

  Allison picked up the remote and turned on the television. “The game starts soon. I don’t want to miss any of it.”

  “Open your cards now. Let’s see who you got.”

  Allison tried to sit up more in bed but had a hard time of it. Trudy finally helped her get situated. Allison had lost more energy. It was hard to watch her get weaker. It was like watching a flower slowly wilt and die.

  The thought made Trudy blink back tears. No. She wasn’t going to cry. Not here, with her sister. She couldn’t let it out. She had to be happy. She listed five good things in her head to get herself grounded. It helped distract her.

  Allison tried several times to open her pack. Trudy reached out. “Do you want me to open it?”

  “Yes. You do it.” Allison handed it over.

  Trudy pulled apart the silver wrapper and gave the cards back. Her eyes lit up when she saw the top one. “James Michael. I don’t have his card.” She continued to name off the football players until she got to the last one. She squealed and bounced in bed, as much as she could. “This is the one I was hoping for! Cameron Hayes.”

  “Wow, you got him?” Trudy silently thanked the heavens that Allison had gotten her favorite player’s card. It was so good to see her excited abo
ut something.

  “I can’t believe it!” She hugged the card to her chest.

  “I’m so happy for you.” She’d been following Cameron’s career ever since he joined the Packers three years ago. Allison had a major crush on the guy.

  Trudy settled in beside her sister as the game started. This was the boost Allison had needed. Her smile was so genuine. She looked at peace with life, now that she’d reached her goal. She looked like she could die happy now.

  A wave of sadness crashed over Trudy. As she looked at her sister’s angelic face, she couldn’t help but think of how things would change when Allison was gone. She turned her head so her sister couldn’t see the tears once again forming in her eyes.

  Chapter 8

  Lane rubbed his face, the numbers and letters starting to swirl together. He put down his pencil and sighed. “I just don’t get it.”

  Trudy pointed to the page. “Don’t give up,” she said, her voice low so they wouldn’t get the stink eye from Miss Voldemort, the librarian. Her name was really Volt, but the kids used the nickname because she had a flat nose and was meaner than spit.

  “I just can’t figure it out. The letters don’t make sense to me. And I have no idea how that negative number works.”

  “But you did it right on the last problem.”

  “Yeah, because you walked me through it. Now that you want me to do it on my own, I can’t.” He heard the whine in his voice and cringed. He didn’t want to be that guy. “Sorry. Maybe I’m having a hard time concentrating tonight.” He sat back in his chair.

  Trudy’s gaze turned compassionate. “Things going on at home?”

  He knew what she was asking. He frowned. “Last night she said she had a late work meeting until ten at night. But I knew what she was doing.” It made him sick to his stomach.

  “Maybe she really did have to work late.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Oh, please.”

  She looked down at the table. “Have you talked to her about what you saw?”

  “Heck, no. I couldn’t do that.” Just thinking about it made his skin crawl.

  “Maybe it wasn’t what it looked like.”

  He gave her a sad smile. Was she just trying to cheer him up, or was she really that naive? “Maybe,” he said reluctantly.

  “Do you want to stop for tonight? The library is going to close in fifteen minutes anyway.” She set her pencil down on the book.

  The thought of quitting sounded great, but he kind of wanted to keep talking to Trudy. He liked being around her. “Do you want to go do something?”

  “It’s a school night.”

  Yeah, but he was restless and wanted to get out of there. The last place he wanted to be was at home. “It’s not that late. You don’t go to bed at eight o’clock, do you?” He gave her an encouraging smile. “I could buy you ice cream.”

  “You’re bribing me?” She said it like she didn’t like the idea, but he could see a hint of a smile behind her words.

  “Come on. I’ll get you a double cone. Any flavors you want.”

  She rolled her eyes but shut the book and slid it into her backpack. “All right. But tomorrow you’re finishing these problems.”

  He made a motion over his chest. “Cross my heart.”

  Her phone chimed and his gaze landed on the screen. Before she picked it up, he read, Hey, you still with hottie?

  He pointed to it and chuckled as he stood from his chair. “Who is texting you? I need to know who thinks I’m hot.”

  Trudy’s cheeks colored pink and she grabbed her phone, hugging it to her chest. “Everyone thinks you’re hot.”

  He leaned closer to her. “Even you?” The words just came out, but he didn’t regret them. He had a bet to win, plus he liked Trudy. Getting her to like him back had become his number one priority.

  “You wish.”

  “What? You don’t think I’m hot?” He pretended to be wounded.

  She gave him a flat look. “You’re way too into yourself, you know that?”

  He slid his arm around her as they walked toward the doors. “Come on, you like me. Admit it.”

  “Never.” Trudy opened the door and they stepped out onto the gravel parking lot. The sun had gone down, but the lot was well lit with street lights. Her phone buzzed again and on impulse, he snatched it from her.

  She squealed and lunged for it. “Give me that!”

  “I will in a second. I have to see what else your friend is saying about me.”

  “That’s my phone! My messages are private.”

  He held the phone up high, and Trudy wasn’t tall enough to reach it. She jumped and tried to pull down his arm, but he was stronger. He turned the screen to him and read out loud, “Text me when you get a chance. I want to know if he’s asked you to the Homecoming dance yet.” It was from a girl named Jessica.

  Trudy jumped once more, and he let her grab back her phone. “You are so mean!”

  He grinned at her. “Jessica wants me to ask you to the dance.”

  Trudy’s face was now a lovely shade of red. “You didn’t have the right to read my texts.” She gave him a dirty look, but he couldn’t help teasing her.

  “You’re cute when you’re mad.”

  She let out a grunt and stalked to her car. He ran to get in front of her. “Hey, don’t leave. I haven’t bought you ice cream yet.”

  “I no longer want any.”

  “What, because I read that your friend thinks I’m hot? So what?” He reached her car and sandwiched himself between her and the driver’s door. “Maybe your friend is right. Maybe I do need to ask you to the dance.” He gave her a flirty smile.

  Trudy looked like she was going to give him a piece of her mind, but then she stopped and closed her mouth. After a second, she just nodded. “All right.”

  “All right? You look like you’re agreeing to get hip surgery. Is going to a dance with me that bad?”

  She took in a breath, then let it out. “No.” She smiled, but it seemed forced. “I’d like to go to the dance with you.”

  “You would?” This conversation was really weird. Trudy wasn’t at all like any other girl he’d asked to go out with him.

  She nodded then smiled again. This time it was more genuine.

  “Great!” Without thinking, he pulled her to him.

  She stiffened at first, but then she relaxed into his arms. Her hands splayed across his chest. Her breath smelled sweet and he liked the feel of her body so close to his.

  He looked into her brown eyes and found a kindness he hadn’t expected. He ran a thumb across the tiny sliver of skin exposed between her jeans and her shirt. She looked at him like she was apprehensive about something, and her gaze dipped to his lips.

  Was she thinking he was going to kiss her? Did she want him to? The thought hadn’t occurred to him. But now that it was in his mind, he liked the idea. His heart beat wildly in his chest. She smelled amazing, like coconuts and almonds, and a hint of something else he couldn’t place. He drew in a breath, unable to let her go.

  And then the mood shifted, and she looked away. His arms fell from around her, and she took a step back. She looked at the gravel beneath their feet. “We should get going. The ice cream shop probably closes soon.”

  He wasn’t sure what had happened, but his heart still raced. He wanted to be near her. To listen to her voice. To smell her hair. “All right,” he said, unsure of what else he could do. “I’ll drive.”

  He took her hand, and a zap of electricity ran across his skin. He’d never felt this before with any other girl. It was exciting and new. And he knew he wanted to spend every moment he could with this girl.

  And that’s when he realized he was starting to fall for Trudy.

  Chapter 9

  Trudy tried to get a hold of herself, but her pulse wouldn’t settle down. Her skin felt alive and every time Lane touched her, she thought she was going to blast off into outer space. What the heck was wrong with her?

  When they got to th
e ice cream shop, she faked having to go to the bathroom and practically fled his presence. When she got to the sink, she turned on the cold water and splashed it on her face.

  She had to stop feeling like this. Lane was not being honest with her. He was faking his interest. This was all just a bet to him. Why was her body going all wonky around him?

  She grabbed a paper towel and wiped the drops of water off her face, the rough surface scratchy on her skin. She had to get a grip. Remind herself that this was not real. She didn’t like Lane, and he didn’t like her. This was an act.

  But her heart wouldn’t slow down, and she knew she was in trouble. She was starting to get a crush on Lane.

  Crap. This was not good. She couldn’t like him. He was only there for one reason. He wanted to humiliate her. He was the enemy. He was the one who deserved humiliation.

  She slapped her cheeks and tried to knock some sense into her head. She had to go back out there and pretend she liked him. Pretend she wanted to go to the dance with him. Pretend.

  She repeated the word to herself as she smoothed her hair and took in a deep breath. This was all just a game. And she needed to be careful or she would lose.

  She shoved open the door and walked back to where Lane was looking at the choices of ice cream behind the glass. “What flavors are you getting?”

  “I know I want chocolate mint. But I’m not sure what to get with it.”

  “Rocky road?”

  He looked at her sideways. “That’s so predictable. I think I want to try something new.”

  Trudy looked at the glass. “Banana peanut butter chocolate chip?”

  He made a face. “I don’t love banana.”

  “Dark chocolate raspberry?”

  “Oh, that one sounds good. Where did you see that?”

  She pointed and he stepped closer to get a better look. “Yep. That’s the one. What are you getting?”

  The person in front of them finished and stepped out of the way. She walked closer, the girl behind the counter looking at her expectantly. “I’ll take two scoops of vanilla, please. In a cup.”