A smile spreads over Jake’s face and he whispers, “There you are.”
He dips his head forward as if he’s about to kiss me and I close my eyes and lift my lips expectantly. And I feel . . . nothing.
I lick my lips and dip my head back even more obviously, pantomiming kissing the empty air. Still nada. Finally, I straighten my head and open my eyes.
Jake is just watching me.
“What are you waiting for? An invitation?”
“Actually, yes,” he says, and adds dramatically, “Ricki, may I kiss you?”
Before he gets the chance, I lunge to kiss him first.
And he ducks.
“Gotcha back,” he laughs, and I grab his face with both hands and pull his lips toward mine.
My mouth is firm and lands on his in a direct hit. Jake straightens in surprise, but then he slowly melts into our kiss.
And it’s perfect.
I mean, sure, nothing could ever really measure up to the fantasy kiss I’ve been holding out for and imagining underneath the stars in the front seat of the Skylark convertible.
Plus, in my eagerness, I did zoom in a little harder than necessary, so my first kiss with Jake is less “tender” and more “mashy.” And okay, since I’m listing things, I haven’t had a mint in a while and so my breath smells a bit like the popcorn I ate for dinner, and there’s a chance I may even have a kernel or two stuck between my teeth. So, actually, I guess my first kiss isn’t perfect.
And yet, somehow, it is.
I can’t wait to compare notes with Lana later, because my second kiss comes right on the heels of that first one, and I have to say so far that kiss is the best one yet.
Acknowledgments
This book, at its core, is about the importance of family, and I could not have written it without the support of mine! I can never thank all of my families enough, but here I shall try. *clears throat*
To my Blink family: Hannah VanVels, Jacque Alberta, Jennifer Hoff, Annette Bourland, Londa Alderink, Ron Huizinga, Gwyneth Findlay, Denise Froehlich, Jillian Manning, and the Blink squad of rock star authors. I have adored every single Blink family member I’ve met. Thank you for making this publishing journey an absolute dream!
To my EMLA family: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy, Tricia Lawrence, Kevin Lewis, Tara Gonzalez, Dennis Stephens, and the über-gifted tribe of Gangos and Emus. Thank you for the magic with which you usher each EMLA book into the world! I am humbled to be surrounded by such immense talent.
To my extended family: Pops, Momma, Gerry, Zach, Christina, Jackson, Alessia, Adalina, Jenna, Kaylon, Dorene, Eddie, Nicolette, Dylan, Arianna, Kylie, Tori, TJ, Danny, and all the others. Thank you all for keeping life fun and exciting and filled with love!
To my church family: I am blessed beyond measure to be a part of what the Lord is doing at Intercessor! Thank you for the privilege of worshiping together. May you always have a praise song in your heart and Church Candy in your pocket. See you all on Sunday!
And to my favorite family: Brett, Trinity, and Aidan. Just when I think I’ve reached the peak of how much I am capable of giving and receiving love, you prove that love is a limitless and ever-expanding power. You three are the very best part of my life; don’t let it go to your heads.
An Excerpt from Pretty in Punxsutawney
chapter 1
The ground races toward me so fast that my muscles tense instinctively. With a nauseating dip downward, everything goes dark for a beat before an explosion rattles the walls.
Good old Dolby digital cinema surround sound.
The hero striding toward us onscreen is so cool, he doesn’t even give a backward glance toward the burning ball of fire growing behind him.
“Yes!” Colton punches the air in triumph and aims his 3D glasses in my direction.
I grin at him just as the theater door swings open and light spills over his handsome smile. “Shoot.” He grabs the glasses off his face and shoves a final handful of Raisinets into his mouth.
The theater manager, Tom— aka, the bane of our existence— makes his way toward us. “Break’s over, Colt.”
Colton’s grin bounces back as he quickly chews. “No problem, boss- man.” He brushes his hand along my arm as he stands. “You want to stay, Andie?”
I glance at the screen. One of the best scenes is coming up, but I’ve already watched this movie with him twice, and I find that CGI explosions lose their appeal around the third viewing. Besides, action movies are only my sixth- favorite type of movie. They come after romantic dramas, rom coms, regular coms, suspense, and parodies, but just before horror and foreign films— unless, of course, the foreign film is an epic romance, in which case, swoon. Speaking of swooning, I can still feel the trail of warmth Colton’s fingers left on my arm.
Following him out of the theater, I squint at the brightness of the lobby and stagger slightly as if I’ve just woken up. Post- movie disorientation: one of my favorite feelings.
It’s amazing to think that when we moved to Punxsutawney just two months ago, I was sure my life was over. Summer break had barely begun, but I was already anxious about starting at a new school. Now the first day of senior year is tomorrow, and I can’t wait. Colton is giving me a ride, and he’s promised to show me around and act as my student guide. I’m fairly confident he’ll be acting as my first boyfriend very soon as well. If my wishes have any power to come true, the two of us are definitely happening.
He gives me a micro- wink as we both move behind the lobby’s glass snack counter. I twist my auburn hair into a knot and secure it with a cheap plastic pen from the pile beside the register before I start handing out 3D glasses to a family of five.
“Whoops, let’s try that again,” I say to a sticky- looking little girl who grabs hers by the lenses. I give her a clean pair and hold the smeared ones up to the light. Somehow, she managed to deposit about one hundred teeny- tiny fingerprints during the split second she held them.
Tom is standing at the far end of the counter, spraying cleaner into a rag. He aims the bottle my way as if to ask if I need it, but I just shake my head and use the edge of my T- shirt to wipe the glasses. Tom shrugs as he starts wiping the counter. He’s a bit older than us, but takes his job so seriously that I’ll always think of him as “boss- man.”
“Hey, Colt,” Tom calls, “make sure your girlfriend’s clear she’s fine helping out, but you’re responsible for the register.”
Even though Tom already knows Colton and I are not together, we tell him in stereo that I’m not his girlfriend. Of course, saying it out loud makes my insides go all slasher- flick angry. I’ve had a thing for Colton ever since our adorable meet- cute.
In case you don’t know, a meet- cute is the point in a romantic movie where the two lead characters meet each other for the very first time. I’m not sure where the name comes from, but I assume it has something to do with how quirky and adorable these meet- cutes always are. Colton and I had ours the first week my parents and I moved here, when I came to the theater alone so I could drown my sorrows in a nice light romantic comedy called Sundae Sunday.
I was looking forward to the movie, whose trailer promised the comforting formula of girl- meets- boy, girl- loses- boy, girl- and- boy- realize- they- are- each- other’s- everythings- and- finally- get- to- the- point- of- the- whole- film: true love’s kiss.
When I walked into the cinema, Tom greeted me from behind the snack counter with a genuine smile. “What would you like to see today?” he asked with such enthusiasm that his love for his job was immediately clear.
He struck me as borderline cute, so I tried not to look like a friendless freak as I told him, “One for Sundae Sunday.”
“You must be new around here,” he said as he rang up my ticket.
We just moved into town.” I reached into my shoulder bag to get my wallet, and the plastic bag I was holding slipped from my hand. The bag dropped to the red carpet and the carton of malted milk balls inside rattled loudly. Very loudly.
Tom peered over the counter to see what was happening down by my feet. “Care to explain that rattling sound?” His friendly voice had turned crisp.
“Oh, that’s just my Whoppers.” I picked up the bag, pulled out the large tan carton, and grinned at him as I gave it a hearty shake.
“No outside food.” He looked offended, as if he was some aspiring Willy Wonka who’d made the theater candy by hand and I’d insulted him by bringing my own personal stash.
“Sorry, I didn’t know if you sold them or not, and I can’t watch a movie without my malted milk balls.” I scanned the snack menu. “Either way, it’s cool because I’m buying popcorn.”
“Why would buying popcorn make it cool for you to sneak food into the movie theater?”
“I wasn’t sneaking it.” I raised the flimsy bag and waved it in his face. The milk balls rattled noisily. “This bag is totally see-through.”
He put his hands on his hips. “I’m going to need to confiscate those chocolates.”
“Listen”— I squinted at his nametag— “Tom. This is my favorite movie treat . . .”
“Do you have any idea how much a theater like this depends on refreshment profits? Do you even care if we keep our doors open? There is no outside food allowed. I’m sorry. No exceptions.”
I gestured to the row of candy under glass. “You don’t even carry Whoppers, so it’s not like you’re missing out on a sale. My old theater didn’t carry them either, so they just let me bring my own.”
“You are welcome to leave your malted milk balls with me. And may I interest you in one of our tasty chocolate confections to enjoy with your popcorn?”
Tom and I stared each other down for a few beats. He steepled his fingers like a Bond villain, and I noticed he was trying to hide a grin. Like he’d been hoping to have a Whopper standoff against someone all morning.
Finally, I snapped, “Fine.” I pulled out my carton and peeled open the spout on one side. Shaking out a large handful of the chocolaty balls, I defiantly shoved them into my mouth and started chewing in his face with a loud crunch, crunch, crunch.
I found his wide- eyed reaction satisfying enough to push a second handful into my already bulging cheeks.
Which was exactly when the best- looking boy I’d ever seen in real life swooped in behind him. It was Colton.
Everything in the theater lobby shifted to slow motion when I saw him for the first time. I could practically feel my pupils dilate. My hearing sharpened. I began to salivate. Literally. As in, the milk balls in my mouth were dissolving into thick chocolate drool.
Colton— who I immediately dubbed “Drop- dead handsome- face” before I knew his name— gave an easy grin and asked us what was happening. Tom threw a hand over his mouth, covering his shocked laugh, and all I could do was stand there, breathing through my nose and trying not to choke on my chocolaty spit.
Tom filled him in on the contraband candy situation, emphasizing how much outside snacks were hurting the theater. “She’s new to town.” Tom gestured to my face. “I had no idea she’d take it this hard.”
Colton leaned over and handed me a napkin, presumably to wipe the trail of brown drool off my chin. I tried to smile at him, but my cheeks were already stretched as wide as they could go.
“What did you do, frisk her?” Colton asked, looking at me curiously.
“No, the carton of Mighty Malts dropped and made a huge racket,” Tom said. “I couldn’t just ignore them.”
I tried to correct him with a muffled, “Whoppers,” which only served to send a fresh stream of chocolate drool down my chin.
Colton handed me a new napkin and winked at me. “Perhaps you’re willing to buy an extra-large tub of popcorn for your snacking pleasure? You can keep your candy and we’ll call things even.”
I nodded and tried again. “They’re Whoppers.” More drool. I swiped the napkin Colton had given me across my chin.
“Missed a spot there,” Colton said, and then— get this— he took the napkin from my hand and gently guided it along my chin. Meanwhile, his other hand swiped two Whoppers and popped them right into his beautiful mouth. “Mmmmm, chocolaty.” His voice was so deep and his eye contact so intense, I had to take the napkin from his hand before I impulsively tried to lick his fingers.
Even if my mouth hadn’t been packed with dissolved malt and chocolate, I would’ve been speechless.
About the Author
Laurie Boyle Crompton is the author of several YA books, including Pretty in Punxsutawney, Adrenaline Crush, and Love and Vandalism. Laurie graduated first in her class from St. John’s University with a BA in English and Journalism. She has written for national magazines like Allure, survived a teaching stint at an all-boy’s high school, and appeared on Good Day New York several times as a toy expert. And yes, “toy expert” is an actual profession. She grew up in a small town in western PA and now lives near NYC with her family and three fuzzy “dog toy experts.”
Praise for Freaky in Fresno
“Freaky in Fresno is a fabulously fun read about the importance of family and forgiveness, the butterflies of first crushes, the pitfalls of fame, and not really knowing someone until you swap places. I freakin’ loved it.”
Elizabeth Eulberg, author of Better Off Friends and Past Perfect Life
“A little bit of magic and a whole lot of makeup. Against a backdrop of classic horror films and contemporary influencer gigs, Ricki and Lana discover important truths about themselves while seeing the world through each other’s eyes. Freaky in Fresno is full of heart and full-on fun!”
Jeanne Ryan, author of Nerve
“Freaky in Fresno is a fun and funny take on Freaky Friday . . . so appropriate given that main character Ricki adores scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis. But this amazing story takes that old trope to new depths, with moments as dramatic and emotional as they are comedic, so by the time you finish the story, you'll be careful what you wish for . . . and appreciate the life you have.”
Patty Blount, author of Some Boys
Copyright
BLINK
Freaky in Fresno
Copyright © 2020 by Laurie Boyle Crompton
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Blink, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Crompton, Laurie Boyle, author.
Title: Freaky in Fresno / Laurie Boyle Crompton.
Description: Grand Rapids, Michigan : Blink, [2020] | Audience: Ages 13+. |
Summary: Two estranged cousins--horror movie fanatic Ricki and online makeup guru Lana--accidentally switch bodies and share a fateful day filled with a mini-road trip and keeping up appearances for Lana's fans and Ricki's crush.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019038441 (print) | LCCN 2019038442 (ebook) | ISBN 9780310767473 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780310767312 (ebook)
Subjects: CYAC: Body swapping--Fiction. | Cousins--Fiction. | Internet personalities--Fiction. | Motion pictures--Fiction. | Friendship--Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.C8803 Fr 2020 (print) | LCC PZ7.C8803 (ebook) |
DDC [Fic]--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019038441
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019038442
All internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by the publisher, nor does the publisher vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy,
recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Cover design: Brand Navigation
Interior design: Denise Froehlich
Printed in the United States of America
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