“Trust me, I have plenty of happy thoughts about tonight…”
“Really? Tell me one.” We walked through the crowd toward the parking lot holding hands.
She peered at the sky, avoiding my eyes. “W-why do you want to know so badly?”
I gave her hand a light squeeze. Had she felt something when we kissed, too? Was that why she didn’t want to answer? “I guess you don’t have to tell me. But hopefully we shared the same happy thoughts tonight.” With that, I dropped her off at her car and went to mine.
For the rest of the night, all I could think about was that kiss. About Ayla. About how the election was creeping up on us and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for this to all be over.
Chapter Sixteen
Ayla
My gaze flitted over the contents of my closet again. What the hell was I supposed to wear to Brady’s party? He said we’d be playing basketball and doing a hayride, but should I dress up to look cute or dress for comfort? Damn. I hated this stuff.
A knock sounded on my door. “Can I come in a second?” Mom asked from the other side.
“Yeah.” I pushed hangers around as if that would make an outfit jump out at me.
“What are you doing?” She stared at me.
“Trying to find something to wear to that party I’m going to with Luke.” I frowned, holding up one of my Captain America T-shirts.
“What’s wrong with what you’ve got on?” Mom sat on the edge of my bed, her brown eyes twinkling.
I glanced down at my skinny jeans, which did not make me look skinny at all. They just made my stomach fall over the waistline, and my Phantom of the Opera T-shirt that had a white mask painted on the front of it wasn’t something any of Luke’s friends would understand or get.
“Seriously? Mom, c’mon. This is my first real date. All the other girls at the party will probably look super adorable.”
“But I thought you said you’d be outside most of the time, playing sports and stuff.”
“So?”
She chuckled. “Don’t work yourself up over this. Luke obviously likes you the way you are. Don’t overthink it, honey.” She got up and kissed my head. “I wanted to let you know that curfew is midnight, okay?”
I nodded. God, she was no help at all. And she had no idea the trouble I had to go through to make Luke my boyfriend. Tonight, fake or not, I wanted to get his friends to like me. Of course, they’d be nice to me because I was with Luke, but I wanted to earn their respect and friendship. Not that I cared about any of them. In fact, other than Brady, I didn’t really like many of them. I’d been the butt of a few of their jokes over the years. But for election purposes, I had to make an impression. Or maybe deep down I really wanted to fit in with them. Because if, for some reason, Luke and I were still friends after all this, it’d be nice if they liked me.
When Mom left, I messaged Chloe. Can you please tell me what to wear tonight? Clueless girl here.
Chloe: A pair of jeans and your light blue sweater. Wear your blue-and-black-striped ballet flats—but bring tennis shoes.
With that crisis now handled, I hurried to get dressed. At last, I ended up in the bathroom, where I put a glob of gel in my hand to put in my hair. I needed to tame my curls before they dried.
Once I was dressed, I grabbed my oversize Darth Vader purse and shoved in a few essentials. Travel-size hair gel, tampons, mint gum, my lucky four-leaf-clover pendant my grandma had given me, and a pair of socks to wear with my tennis shoes.
Already my stomach knotted. For a moment, I thought the cramps might make me sick. Okay, I needed to settle down. There was nothing to worry about. I saw most of these guys every day at school. Yeah, but they don’t see you. The only reason you’ve been invited is because of Luke.
But Chloe would be there, too. So I wouldn’t be totally alone. It’s just these weren’t my people. These guys normally made fun of my people. However, being with Luke meant going outside my comfort zone. This probably wasn’t easy for him, either, I wondered what his friends were saying. Maybe he didn’t really want me going at all. Because now I was infringing on his personal time with his friends. But what about the kiss last night? Had that meant anything to him? It was all I thought about, both while I lay awake and when I fell asleep. What if he hated it? What if I’d been totally bad?
Great, I’d be totally psyched out before I ever got there.
Once I finished with my hair, I grabbed my things and went to sit on the couch in the living room. I pulled back the curtain and watched for him.
The smell of burgers grilling hung in the air, and I almost regretted not sticking around to eat. “So your first date, huh?” Dad said, leaning against the door between the dining room and living room. He wore an apron with a spatula flipping a burger on it.
“Yes.”
“Luke seemed pretty nice when I met him, but just be careful, okay?”
My brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, sometimes boys like to think with something other than their heads.”
“I—oh, God, Dad, really? We’re having this conversation now?”
His face turned red, and he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “You’ve never given me much of a reason to have the talk before now.”
“And I heard all about it in health class in fifth grade. Besides, I’ve seen enough movies to know what goes on.”
He groaned. “That’s what I’m afraid of. Those damn movies sexualize everything. I just don’t want you to have unrealistic expectations on dating or boys.”
I rolled my eyes. “Trust me, Luke is not going to try anything with me. Even if he did, I think I know my own boundaries.”
“And those boundaries better not go beyond kissing. I don’t want any home-base stuff.”
“Really? A baseball analogy?” With a snort, I turned back to looking out the window. “Luke isn’t like that with me. When we’re together we just talk and hang out.” Of course I didn’t mention anything about him spending a good portion of the other night in my tree house with me. How I’d seen this whole other side to him. Or about the kiss at the football game that nearly melted me on the spot. And we definitely weren’t going to talk about the dreams that had spun through my head last night, where Luke and I did a lot more than kissing. Nope. I wouldn’t mention any of those things. But my mind was already thinking about him.
“I’m not saying I don’t like him or anything. He seems like a good kid. I only want you to be careful.” His voice softened. “This is my and your mom’s first run with this. You didn’t have older siblings to test-drive this whole dating thing. You’re my little girl, so I’ve got to be protective.”
Right then Luke pulled up in his car. I scrambled to my feet, hoping to get to the door before he came to the porch. Last thing I wanted was for Dad to lecture him, too. But Dad cut off my path, reaching the door right as Luke knocked.
“Luke, hi, come on in.” Dad ushered him into the living room.
Damn. Why couldn’t Luke have just waited for me in the driveway? He wore a pair of khaki shorts, which it seemed way too cold for, and a long-sleeved U of M basketball shirt. I had to admit, my fake boyfriend looked pretty hot right now, the way his blue eyes seemed to pop. He gave me a quick smile and turned to my dad. Now I was definitely glad I’d opted for Chloe’s outfit choice.
“Hi, Mr. Hawkins.” Luke shook his hand. “I wanted to tell you thanks again for helping with my car. It’s been running really well now. Probably better than it did when I first got it.”
“Good. Glad to hear.” He patted Luke on the back.
“We should go so we’re not late,” I said, reaching for Luke’s arm.
“So this party you’re going to, will there be drinking?” Dad asked.
Luke shook his head. “No, sir. We’re just getting together for a bonfire and hayride.”
Dad stared him down, then smiled. “All right then. Make sure Ayla’s in by midnight. Oh, and in case she hasn’t told you yet, you’
re invited to come out to watch my band play tomorrow night. We’ll treat you to dinner and everything.”
Luke glanced at me then back again. “Sounds fun. Um—but I wondered if I might be able to bring my little brother, Landon? Unless it’s at a pub or something.”
“No. It’s set up like a pub, but it’s actually a family restaurant. And you can for sure bring Landon. I’m sure he’d love it. Lots of good music and food.”
“Dad, we really need to go now.” This time he moved out of our way, and I followed Luke to his car.
The chipped paint on Luke’s Gremlin reminded me of dry skin peeling off. Patches of rust decorated the bottoms of the doors. It’d definitely seen better days…about forty years ago. But the interior was clean and carried the smell of vanilla from the doughnut-shaped air freshener, which dangled from the rearview mirror.
“Sorry about my dad,” I said as we fastened our seat belts. “At least you missed the embarrassing sex convo we had right before you pulled in.”
Luke laughed. “Really?”
“Yeah. Dad made it very clear that we’re not to go for any home runs tonight.” Jeez, why’d I just say that? I pretended to stare at the radio knobs.
Luke turned to me and grinned. “Well, I’ll make sure to let him know I struck out.”
“Ha-ha. So any advice for tonight?”
“Just be yourself. Most of my friends are actually okay.”
I bit my bottom lip. “I’ve never been to this kind of party. I just don’t want to screw up or anything.”
Luke took his eyes off the road and peered at me. “It’s just a bunch of us getting together. We’ll play some basketball, eat, go for a hayride, and dick around by the fire. No worries. Just follow my lead.”
He made it sound way simpler than I thought it’d be. The thing was, he was at ease with these guys, but I wasn’t. To me, this was like meeting a celebrity for the first time—you get tongue-tied, make a fool of yourself—maybe snap a few pics to prove it really happened. This wasn’t my reality, so it scared me shitless. Give me a newspaper deadline any day.
God. I had to quit freaking out. I never cared before what any of the popular kids thought, so why should I now? Because I needed their votes to win the election. Or was it more than that? I realized I wanted them to like me, because at least for the time being, I was Luke’s girlfriend.
As I took a deep breath, we drove up toward Mansion Hill. Where all the rich people in town lived. I peered at Luke, whose hands gripped tight to the wheel. It must’ve sucked for him to come here—like it was a huge reminder of what he used to have.
Maybe he was just as much an outsider as I was.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. This never gets any easier. If you look out your window up here, you’ll see the driveway to my old house—or I guess it’s just my dad’s place now. His second home.”
We drove past a tall wrought-iron gate with two lions perched on either side of the doors. A sign on it read Pressler. I couldn’t even imagine living back here. My mouth dropped open as I stared at some of the large homes we passed. I could’ve fit several of mine into one of theirs. And we had a pretty decent-size place.
Manicured green lawns with perfect landscaping and fountains lined either side of us. A BMW sped by on the opposite side of the road.
“This is like the Hollywood of Larkin Ridge.”
“Yeah, no better way to make you feel poor than to drive through here.” His jaw tensed.
“It must be hard,” I said. “Coming back up here.”
He shrugged. “Sometimes. But I try not to think about it, otherwise I just get pissed off at my dad all over again.”
“Did you ever consider maybe it wasn’t such a loss?” I twisted my hands in my lap. “Most of the people up here are super stuck-up—and you know what it’s like to actually earn something.”
He gave a cold laugh. “I guess that’s one way to look at it. But it would be nice to not have so many worries—to struggle with whether to work extra hours to make sure you have food on the table or hang out with your friends. To know that I’m only one bad grade or decision or injury away from losing my scholarship, and I don’t have the money to pay for anything if I do.”
The point he didn’t get was that he’d appreciate everything so much more because it wasn’t handed to him. Not that I wanted to see him struggle or worry—but in the end he’d be so much better off than his friends. Half of them would probably piss away a hundred grand of their parents’ money to go to college then spend their whole time partying and failing classes.
Soon we pulled up to a long driveway, which had a security guard posted in a small house-type thing. He came out as we got closer. Luke rolled down his window. When the guard saw Luke he waved him in. “Mr. Pressler,” he said. “Good to see you again.”
“You too, Cal.” Luke gave a wave and continued up the drive. It took a couple minutes of looping around and going down one hill and up another before we reached the house.
My mouth gaped open. There in front of me was the biggest log cabin I’d ever seen in my life. No, not cabin. It had to be a lodge. The entrance was a long arched walkway with log columns that stood at least twenty feet tall. There were tons of windows and turrets that looked like lighthouses on either side of the house.
A large stone fountain stood out front, while several metal art pieces of cowboys and horses were perched on either side of it.
“Wow. This is freaking crazy,” I said.
Luke chuckled. “Yeah, tell me about it. The inside is more insane. They have, I think, fifteen bedrooms, about that many bathrooms—the place just keeps going and going. They have a bunch of trails out back in the woods for four-wheeling and hayrides and stuff. They even have a horse barn farther back.”
“I can’t even imagine living in a place like this. I mean, there’s so much space.” Chloe would die when she saw the house. She loved architecture and art.
We parked the car in an actual small parking lot, which was near the garage. There was a path leading to the rear of the house. It was made of rocks laid out in a horseshoe pattern. When we got into the backyard, there were already several people there, sitting around an in-ground pool that had a waterfall built into it. It fell over rocks and there was a lazy river that flowed out from the main pool around the yard.
A little farther back was a large fire pit, with built-in wooden benches with red, white, and blue cushions.
“Luke, hey.” Brady rushed over wearing a pair of basketball shorts and shirt with the sleeves cut off. “You guys made it.” He glanced between us.
“Yeah. I got out of work later than I thought.”
“Aw, that’s cool. Jack’s not here yet and neither is Chloe.” He turned to me. “She’s still coming, isn’t she?”
“Yes. She was texting me before I left.” Hmm…interesting…
“Good. I hoped she wouldn’t change her mind.” Brady picked up a can of pop from a nearby table and took a sip.
Luke caught my hand as we moved over toward a full-length basketball court on the side of the house. Holy shit. This was, like, regulation size. There was a set of bleachers set up next to it, as if they were used to having people come watch.
A couple of guys from the basketball team were already waiting out on the court. Jarrod, Anthony, and Danny, all Mansion Hill residents. Danny’s girlfriend, LaLani Cole, stood beside him, her arms wrapped around his waist. She was in my AP government class. She was pretty nice and also got super good grades. But again, another Mansion Hill kid. It looked like the only people here who didn’t live up in the land of the rich were me, Luke, and Chloe.
Suddenly self-conscious, I smoothed down my sweater with my free hand.
“Hey, Luke, you made it!” Anthony came over and patted him on the back. He then glanced at me but didn’t say anything.
Great. Already the ignoring had begun. I knew I wasn’t welcome. I didn’t belong here.
But Luke gave my hand a squee
ze. “Don’t worry, by the end of the night everyone’s going to love you.”
Glad he had faith in me, because I doubted very much that I’d ever find a place among his friends. Just then, I spotted Chloe being guided back to us by someone I assumed was a maid or butler or something. At that point, Luke went over to chat with the guys.
When Chloe saw me, she rushed over. “Whoa, this place is flipping amazing.”
“I know. Can you believe people actually live like this?”
“No. They probably pay more to heat the pool for a month than my parents make in a year,” she whispered.
I giggled. “No kidding. I feel so out of place.”
“Me too. But we have to make the best of this. We should totally mingle.” She looped her arm through mine. Before we got to everyone, a loud voice interrupted us.
“I’m here, the party can start,” Jack said, holding up a case of beer in one hand and carting in Jenna Lee with the other.
No way. No fucking way. My mortal enemy was here. And I’d have to spend the next several hours with her. She was dressed in a tight black dress with a cardigan over it. Her wedge shoes weren’t really appropriate for basketball or a hayride.
When she saw me, she frowned. “What is she doing here?”
“I invited her,” Brady said. “She’s Luke’s girlfriend.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Well, that freaking bitch made me look like a fool for the assembly.”
“And you didn’t do the same to me? Get over yourself,” I said. Oh, damn, did I just say that out loud?
“Now, ladies, let’s not fight.” Jack set the case of beer down on a picnic table and turned to Jenna. “You already know you’re going to win. No one’s going to vote for her.” He pointed at me as he nuzzled Jenna’s neck.
She snickered. “You’re right.”
Luke was by my side in an instant. “How about you quit being douche bags. Seriously. We’re here to have fun, not talk about the damn election or my girlfriend.”
“He’s right, shut your mouths or you can find somewhere else to hang out tonight.” Brady exchanged a look with Luke that made me wonder if he knew what was going on.
Incriminating Dating Page 12