Dare You to Chase the Soccer Player (Rock Valley High Book 5)

by Lacy Andersen

  Smiling sympathetically at her, I looked over at Charlotte and Beth. They were both too busy watching what was going on in the pool to give me an answer.

  So much for babysitters and exposure therapy. At this rate, I was going to be more attracted to Zane than ever. I mean, how could I help it? Just looking at him laughing and playing around with the other boys in the pool was going to do me in. I needed something cold. Something freezing cold to pour down my gullet to put out this fire he’d started inside of me.

  “Makeup Girl!” Freddy launched out of the pool as I walked by, spilling water droplets everywhere. He wore a contagious grin as he slipped an arm around my waist. “Come on, the water’s nice. Jump in.”

  I shook my head. “Not a chance, Bush Boy. I’m just getting a refill.”

  “Aw, come on.” He tugged on my arm in the direction of the pool. “Are you gonna come play or do I have to throw you in?”

  Panic trickled down my spine as I resisted his pull. I’d made the solemn vow years ago not to partake in any event that took place in water—not unless I was completely and utterly alone. Despite what everyone at school thought, my ego wasn’t as tough as I pretended. All it would take was one splash to wash off the carefully placed concealer and I’d be laid bare to all of the judgements of my fellow kids. I wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.

  Still, Freddy seemed to think I was playing along by resisting. He laughed and tugged harder, pulling us closer to the pool’s edge. “Come on in, the water’s fine.”

  “No, Freddy.”

  “I won’t dunk you. Promise.”

  “No. I said no.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “No! I don’t want to jump in.” I tore my arm out of his grip, panic and rage fuming in my chest. “Let me go.”

  Somehow, we’d attracted the attention of the entire party. The boys had paused their game of dunk n’ football and everyone peered curiously up at Freddy and me. The flare of anger inside of me died down quickly to be replaced by a flicker of embarrassment. Maybe I’d made too big a deal out of it, but I didn’t want to get into that water. Freddy didn’t understand. How could he? He was from the land of perfection—where women were a dime a dozen with perfect skin and perfect hair. Not everyone was like that. Some of us had to work harder than others.

  “Geez, sorry, Makeup Girl,” Freddy said softly. It was the first time I’d ever seen his cocky grin falter. It almost made me feel bad for him. “I was just joking around.”

  I knew that. And I knew how silly I looked to everyone else. Plastering a fake smile on my face, I looked back up at him. “It’s fine. Really. I’m just not great with water.”

  Freddy shrugged and gave me a lopsided grin that was sure to break hearts once his movie hit the big screens. “Oh, I see. You need a hot lifeguard around to keep you from drowning? Well I’m all yours, baby.”

  I rolled my eyes. He really never stopped. “Nah, I think I’m okay with just avoiding the water completely. You should go back to your game.”

  He saluted me, then stepped backwards into the water, splashing my feet. Crisis averted. I turned to hustle into the kitchen, my heart pounding loudly as I attempted to escape the dozen pairs of eyes glued to my back. That’d been a close call. Normally, I wasn’t one to make waves. I liked having fun. Parties were my thing.

  If only this wasn’t a pool party.

  My dad and stepmom were absent from the kitchen as I padded in bare feet across the cold tile floor. Marie had left a pitcher of purple Kool-aid on the countertop. I poured myself a glass and leaned forward on the granite, breathing deeply. It was nice to get away from the crowds—not just because of the ever-present danger of being dunked by a boy who thought he was funny. Being under Janelle’s watchful eye was completely exhausting.

  The back door opened and then shut behind me and I twisted around to see Zane standing there. He wore an apologetic look, his eyes slanted down with sympathy. One glance at him and my heart had taken on the roll of a boom box in a techno club.

  We meet again, fabulous abs.

  “Hey, sorry about Freddy,” he said, rubbing a hand across his stomach. I knew he was doing it subconsciously, but a tiny part of me was irrationally angry at him for directing my gaze to that part of him. Look, but don’t touch, was getting a little harder every passing second. “He thinks he’s hilarious. He’s harmless, though.”

  I smiled nervously at him and then glanced out the blinds at the party. Everyone seemed to still be enjoying themselves. No one even knew we were gone. At least my outburst hadn’t ruined the party.

  “It’s okay,” I said, reaching for an empty cup to pour an extra glass of Kool-aid. “I didn’t mean to be a drama queen. I just don’t do water.”

  “I heard that. You didn’t seem so afraid of water the other day. What’s different now?”

  I smiled at the cup in my hand. Yeah, that had been a rare moment for me. I guess getting caught in that rainstorm had knocked me totally off balance. Normally, I would’ve been hiding until I could find a mirror and repair the damage. Zane had kind of mesmerized me with his straight honesty and unjudging stare.

  Turning to look at him, tilted my head to one side. “Maybe I was out of my mind that day.”

  His jaw muscle quirked. “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah.” I was trying and failing to hold back a flirtatious smile. “Or maybe, I don’t like to make my mascara run.”

  Holding out the cup to him, he came a step closer and our fingers brushed as he took it in his hand. A little dart of electricity shot down my arm. I clenched my fists tight at my side as Zane tipped his head back and took a long drink from the cup. His Adam’s apple bobbed with each swallow until the cup was gone and he sighed with satisfaction.

  “Thanks for that,” he said. “It was getting hot out there. And not just because of the weather.”

  His eyes roved quickly over my bikini and then back up to my face with a devious smile. I couldn’t help but laugh. At least I hadn’t been the only one struggling with exposure therapy. With a playful shove of his shoulder, I tossed my hair.

  “That sounds like a line coming from Freddy.”

  He cringed and scratched the top of his head. “It does, doesn’t it? I swear, I’m spending too much time around that guy. We’d better wrap up this shoot soon, or I’ll be talking like him all the time.”

  “No, because then that means you’ll be leaving.” I looked down into the purple murkiness of my solo cup, suddenly feeling dark and moody, which was so not me. “I don’t want the shoot to end. Ever.”

  He hooked a finger under my chin and lifted it up until I looked into his eyes. There was such tender emotion there, it took my breath away. With a tensing of the little muscle between his eyebrows, he softly cleared his throat.

  “I don’t want it to end, either, but I’m not sure how much longer I can do this.”

  My heart was pounding a techno rhythm. “Do what?”

  He pursed his lips slightly. “Pretend like I don’t have feelings for you. Feelings that I shouldn’t have for a coworker.”

  I smiled as confetti cans and cheers went off inside my head. We’d already confessed our feelings to each other, but it was still nice to hear aloud that I was driving the boy crazy. “Yeah, talking on the phone every night probably isn’t helping.”

  “No, it’s not. But I don’t want to stop.”

  He dropped his finger from my chin and stared at me for a long second. I could tell the wheels were turning behind those blue eyes of his, but I wasn’t sure what he was thinking.

  He swallowed hard, his eyes darting back and forth between mine. “What if...what if we agree to at least be friends? I can’t promise more than that, but I’d at least like to spend some more time with you before I leave town.”

  My gaze drifted toward the windows, where I knew Charlotte and Beth sat just out of sight. They couldn’t see us, which meant they couldn’t be here to keep my heart from skipping and leaping into Zane’s arms. I’d entered da
ngerous territory.

  Maybe being friends wasn’t exactly everything I wanted with Zane, but it was better than just coworkers. And safer than letting my heart run away with him completely. It was a compromise. I could deal with that.

  “What about your dad?” I asked, chewing on my bottom lip.

  “He doesn’t have to know.” Zane smiled as if he didn’t have a care in the world and then tucked a strand of hair so gently behind my ear it made me shiver. “We’re only in town for just one more week. And most of my scenes are done. Allen only needs me for a couple more. I’ll have more free time. I want to spend it with you.”

  “Are you sure...?”

  His brow lowered as he stared into my eyes. “Yes. I feel like you already know me better than anyone else in my life. I want to be friends with you, Lexi. Even if that’s all I can offer at this time. Secret friends. Is that okay?”

  A reluctant smile worked its way onto my mouth. How could I say no to that face? He was looking at me in a way that stripped me to the bone and pushed any objections out of my head. He was right. We’d connected on a level that was almost magical. It would be a shame to throw that all away. To not spend what time we had left together.

  So what if he had a contract? We were just going to be friends. Nothing more. And if no one found out, he wouldn’t be breaking his part of the deal. He would still look like a bachelor to the media. And then, he’d be out of Rock Valley and that would be the end of it anyway. A week spent together maybe didn’t sound like much, but it was enough. No regrets. That’s the way I wanted to live, too.

  I was sold.

  “Okay, what do secret friends do together?” I asked, grinning up at him.

  He smiled back at me, victory flashing in his eyes. “Maybe you happen to be studying at a table at the library and I just happen to sit at the one next to you... Libraries are places people study with their friends, right? It’s totally innocent.”

  I bit my bottom lip briefly. “I do have to get some studying in for Lit class or I’m going to be screwed next week.”

  “That’s perfect.” He grabbed a tendril of my hair and playfully wrapped it around his finger. “You do homework and I’ll watch you doing your homework. It’s a date.” I arched an eyebrow at him and he chuckled. “A date between friends. Trust me. You won’t regret this.”

  For some reason, the words exposure therapy flashed in neon pink inside my mind at that moment and sizzled out into darkness. I was pretty sure it was the death of Beth’s grand plan to make me immune to Zane. I should’ve known it would be an impossible feat.

  I liked this much better. Friends. We were friends. Zane was only in town for a short while. It wasn’t like we could cause a lot of damage in that time. This was the best compromise for all of us.

  I was a woman dying of thirst in the Sahara and friendship with Zane was the glass of water that was going to help me survive. No one could blame me for taking that deal. Not even Beth.

  As if on cue, at that moment the door to the kitchen opened. Zane pushed past me to put his cup in the trash can beneath the sink.

  I blinked innocently at Charlotte and Beth as they strolled inside. “Hey, girls!”

  The suspicious look they gave me rolled right off my shoulders. I had a study date with Zane tomorrow. Nothing could pull me down at this moment.

  “See you outside,” I said, sidestepping them to head to the door. I wasn’t going to linger around for them to corner me alone. Zane followed close behind. He was probably feeling the same way.

  We didn’t look at each other as we made our way back to the pool, but I could almost feel his thoughts on me, and it made me smile happily at the wet pavement. I settled back into my chair next to Janelle and watched the boys splashing in the water. It was getting darker now, so I could no longer hide behind my shades. But that didn’t stop me from sneaking a peek at Zane’s head once in a while, when no one was looking, and allowing the thrill of my drumming heartbeat to wash over me.

  This girl had a new friend. A secret friend.

  Who knew that keeping a secret could be so fun?

  Chapter Fourteen

  I was pretty sure my dad thought I was losing my mind or something when I trudged into the kitchen early the next morning to grab a cup of coffee before my “study trip” to the library. He’d peppered me with questions but came up empty-handed.

  No, this girl wasn’t losing it, I was just incredibly excited to study with my new “friend.”

  The excitement had my hand trembling as I attempted dramatic batwings with my liquid eyeliner. It was a technique I’d seen Alanis use the other day on Janelle’s look. Normally, I picked things up like that in no time, but not today. My hand just wouldn’t work.

  Eventually, I had to scrap those plans and go the more natural route. It was a good thing the natural look was in this year. With a little bronzer and nude gloss, I was ready to go.

  Rock Valley’s library wasn’t exactly a mega stop on the weekend list for the high school crowd. It especially wasn’t popular for kids my age at eight in the morning. Zane was already here...somewhere. He’d texted me to come look for him. So I snuck around the stacks, looking for anyone who resembled the tall, athletic movie star who was the only person in the world worth waking up for this early on the weekend and spending that time in the library.

  In the far rear, next to the reference books, I found someone in a hoodie with dark sunglasses over his eyes. He didn’t fool me. I could still recognize that slight sloping of his perfect nose and the squareness of his jawline. He slouched in his chair, with a black bag on the floor next to him.

  I giggled into my hand as I approached him. He looked like a creeper sitting there alone, but that didn’t make me feel any less excited to see him. My newest friend. It felt nice to be able to say that. I slid my Shakespeare books onto the table next to him and tugged on the back on his hoodie.

  “Is this seat taken?”

  I was rewarded with a smile that stretched across his face as he took off his sunglasses and the brilliant blueness of his eyes once again took away my breath.

  “Sit,” he said, patting the wooden chair next to him.

  I sat quickly to hide the wobbliness of my knees. He pushed my books farther on the table and then plopped his bag on top.

  “Just a minute. I have to prepare.” Unzipping it, he pulled out a red flannel blanket. With a flourish, he draped it over the large wooden table. It only covered about a third of it. Next, he pulled out a thick white candle and set it in front of me. “No flames,” he said with a serious frown. “I figured we didn’t want to the library to combust. But still, you’ve got to have candles to study.”

  “Especially fresh laundry scented,” I said with a laugh as I caught a sniff of it.

  He shrugged. “It was the best I could come up with last minute.”

  I eyed the candles and the blanket and tried not to smile. “You know, I’ve never had a study session like this before. Doesn’t feel much like a study date between friends.”

  He pulled back and shot me an offended look. “Are you saying I don’t know how to study with friends? Just because I do my schooling through a tutor service on set, doesn’t mean I don’t know how to study. This is how we do it in Hollywood.”

  “Oh really?” I had the feeling he was totally fibbing. “By candlelight?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Of course. Do you think us stars would accept anything less?”

  “I guess not.” I laughed and then craned my neck to see inside of the bag. “What else you got in there?”

  He pulled it out of reach. “Hey, no peeking.”

  Leaning back, I crossed my arms over my stomach. “All right, Mr. Secrecy. Take your time. It’s not like we have all day.”

  His jaw twitched as if he were fighting back a smile as he reached back into his bag. “I figured we couldn’t do this study date justice without snacks. Do you like candy?”

  “Love it.” I patted my stomach. “The benefits of not
being an actress.”

  “Did I mention that I really like that about you?” He grinned as he passed me a gummy life saver. “Here you go. Fruity and delicious. And voted most likely not to get us kicked out of the library.”

  With a giggle, I stuffed it in my mouth. Zane was too much. He stuffed one in his mouth and sat down in his chair. We both chewed our snacks silently as we grinned at each other. This was nice. It was so much easier than having to avoid staring at him from across the set and giving myself away.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket. I was tempted to ignore it, but then it went off again. I took it out to look at the screen. Charlotte and Beth’s names popped up. It was a group message.

  Beth: Hey, Lex, how’s it going?

  Not thinking about Zane are you?

  Need me to babysit you on set today?

  Charlotte: She’s not thinking about him.

  She’s not going to risk her career for anyone.

  Not even him.

  I couldn’t help the stabbing sense of guilt throbbing beneath my shoulder blade. My friends were just trying to help, but they weren’t making this any easier. Being around Zane shouldn’t have been this hard. His dad, my boss, and my friends were all laying it on thick. I didn’t want to think about them.

  With a sigh, I tucked my phone back into my pocket and smiled up at Zane as he handed me another gummy.

  “So, what are you studying?” he asked, grabbing the top book off of my stack. It was Hamlet: the bane of my existence.

  “The world’s most boring play.” I took it out of his hands and threw it back on the pile with a look of disgust. “I really don’t understand it. Nothing Shakespeare wrote makes much sense to me, but I have a pop quiz I have to pass this week, or Mr. Garret says he’s going to fail me.”

  “To be, or not to be,” Zane growled in a deep voice. I threw him a confused look, that only made him laugh. “It’s a line from the play.”

  “Oh, I knew that.” It had sounded familiar. “Do you know it?”

  “It was one of the first stage plays I got to see as a kid.” He grabbed another gummy out of the bag and smiled as he chewed it slowly. “Mom took me. It was in London, at the actual Shakespeare theater. I’d never seen anything so amazing. It was right then and there that I knew I wanted to be an actor.”