Spring Fling

by Sabrina James

  Ethan parked the car and they jumped out, hurrying to the fruit stand, which smelled like rotting peaches. They found an empty box and used it to sit on, listening to the sound of falling rain. As they waited for the rain to end, Danielle reached into her tote bag, pulled out a towel, and wiped off her face. Then she handed the towel to Ethan. “Here, you could use this.”

  “Thanks.” He dried his face. “Well, looks like I’ve given you another great date.”

  Danielle giggled. “The weather’s not your fault.”

  “I feel like it is.”

  I feel like I’m jinxed! All I want is for our dates to be perfect. Instead, they’re imperfect!

  Danielle stared at the sky. “It has to stop eventually.”

  “And then what? The beach is going to be all wet. We’re not going to be able to sit anywhere.”

  “Look!” Danielle pointed to the road. “A car’s headed this way.”

  An emerald green Mustang pulled over and the passenger window slid down as the driver leaned across the seat. “Need a lift?” he asked.

  “Rory!” Danielle exclaimed.

  Ethan groaned. Rory?! Great. Rory coming to the rescue. Just what he didn’t need.

  “The top of Ethan’s car won’t go up,” Danielle explained.

  “That’s too bad.”

  He didn’t sound like it was too bad, Ethan noted. It sounded like, Well, what do you expect when you hang out with a loser?

  “And then it started to rain and it was coming down so hard, Ethan couldn’t see the road. So he pulled over and we ran in here.”

  “I’d give you both a ride, but the trunk and backseat are filled with cases of soda and groceries. Friends and I are having a party tonight. I can only fit one person in the passenger seat.”

  Ethan knew which person that seat was meant for. And it wasn’t him.

  “I’m sure Ethan wouldn’t mind my giving you a ride,” Rory continued.

  And let you drive off with Danielle? I don’t think so!

  “I could sit on Ethan’s lap,” Danielle suggested before Ethan could say anything. “That way you could drive the two of us.”

  Ethan knew there was no way Rory would go for that.

  And he was right.

  Rory instantly shot the idea down.

  “It’s against the law. Plus, I saw some cops on the side of the road as I was driving by. I don’t want to risk getting a ticket.”

  Yeah, like he was really worried about being pulled over by a cop. He just wanted Danielle all to himself. As much as Ethan didn’t want that to happen, he really didn’t have much of a choice.

  “Go with Rory,” Ethan said. “I’ll wait out the rain.”

  Ethan expected Danielle to leave. Why not? What girl in her right mind would want to be waiting out a rainstorm in a smelly, dilapidated fruit stand?

  But she surprised him.

  “I can’t leave Ethan.”

  “Ethan’s a big boy,” Rory said. “I’m sure he can take care of himself. Right, Ethan?”

  “Go,” Ethan urged. “I’ll be fine.

  Danielle stubbornly shook her head. “I’m not leaving you.”

  Rory shrugged. “Then there’s nothing I can do. I can only fit one more person. Hopefully, you won’t be here all day. I’d love to stick around and chat, but I’ve gotta get this stuff home. See you around.”

  Ethan watched as the passenger window slid back up and Rory drove away. He couldn’t believe how easily Rory had given up. Didn’t he think Danielle was worth fighting for?

  “Well, what should we do next?” Danielle asked.

  Ethan caught sight of a sign across the road and pointed to it. “There’s an indoor flea market up ahead. Want to check it out?”

  “Why not? It’s better than staying here.”

  It took Ethan and Danielle five minutes to race down the road to the indoor flea market. Once they got inside, they dried themselves off again and began exploring. The flea market was huge, with three floors.

  “Where do you want to start?” Ethan asked.

  “First floor, then second and third. Okay with you?”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  They went from stall to stall, checking out all the different items for sale. There were booths that sold nothing but glassware. Others selling china and dishes. There were stalls with stacks of old magazines, books, and newspapers. Others that had old toys and appliances, such as blenders and transistor radios. Another stall was filled with vintage clothing, while another had handmade jewelry.

  “Are you having a good time?” Danielle asked after they had explored the first floor and were walking up the stairs to the second.

  “Sure,” Ethan said. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “You’ve probably never bought anything used before.”

  “I love going to flea markets,” Ethan said. “It’s like going on a treasure hunt, only you don’t have a map so you don’t know what you’re going to discover. My parents recently bought a dining room set and refinished it.”

  “Why would your parents need to buy old furniture?” Danielle asked, sounding perplexed. “Why wouldn’t they buy it new?”

  Ethan instantly realized his mistake. With “his” credit cards and the fancy restaurant he’d taken Danielle to yesterday, as well as staying at a beach house that “came with” a Mercedes convertible, she probably thought he was rich. And why wouldn’t she? Cooper was rich. And he was pretending to be him.

  “My parents are into antiques and they go to high-end flea markets,” Ethan explained. “I guess you could call them auctions and not flea markets. There’s a difference.”

  Danielle gave Ethan a strange look, but she didn’t question what he told her. “If you say so.”

  Ethan nodded, glad that Danielle believed him but hating having to lie.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “You’re all wet!” Ava exclaimed as Cooper hurried inside.

  “In case you didn’t notice, it’s a downpour out there.”

  Ava poked him in the chest. “Ha! Ha! Very funny. I know it’s raining.” She handed him a towel. “Why didn’t you use an umbrella?”

  Cooper started drying himself off. “The house doesn’t have one.”

  “That house of yours doesn’t have a lot of things. No umbrellas. No food.”

  Cooper groaned. “Did Howie strike again?”

  “Big-time. The picnic lunch that Lindsey made for us is now in Howie’s stomach.”

  “What’d she make?”

  “Fried chicken, potato salad, and a chocolate cake.”

  “Those are all my favorites.”

  “Talk to Howie.”

  Cooper held out a shopping bag. “Maybe this will make up for it.”

  Ava peeked into the bag. “What is it?”

  “I thought it would be fun to make tacos for lunch. I went to the supermarket and bought all the fixings.”

  “Yum! Tacos are my favorite.”

  “Where is everyone?” Cooper asked as he handed the towel back to Ava. He followed after her to the laundry room, where she tossed the towel into the dryer.

  “Danielle’s with Ethan, and Lindsey went to the mall with Crystal and Jade,” Ava said as she transferred a pile of wet clothing from the washer into the dryer and added a sheet of Bounce. “Sharla’s out for the day.”

  “So we’ve got the whole place to ourselves?”

  Ava turned the timer on the dryer. “Yes.”

  Ava wondered why Cooper wanted to know if they had the house to themselves. She hoped he wasn’t planning to make a move on her. For most guys, a girl and an empty house equaled a make-out session. She’d been pretty up-front that she wasn’t looking for romance. She knew most couples would be thrilled to have an empty house to themselves, but this wasn’t a date. She and Cooper were friends. Nothing more.

  Stop it, Ava! she scolded herself. Cooper agreed to be just friends. You’re not that irresistible! Trust him!

  “Hey, do you mind if I toss this in?
” Cooper asked, pulling off his wet T-shirt.

  Ava couldn’t help but notice Cooper’s defined muscles. It was obvious that he worked out. Ava threw the T-shirt into the dryer and then reached for an oversize white T-shirt from a basket of clean laundry. “You can wear this until yours is dry,” she said, handing the T-shirt to him.

  She didn’t need to be staring at those muscles!

  “Thanks.” Cooper pulled the T-shirt over his head, using one hand to slick back his wet hair. “Unless it stops raining, it looks like we’re housebound. What do you want to do?”

  “We could watch a movie.”

  They went into the living room and started flipping through Sharla’s extensive collection of DVDs.

  “What are you in the mood for?” Cooper asked. “Something funny? Something scary? Something classic?”

  “You pick. I don’t care.”

  Cooper pulled out a DVD called Last Summer and handed it to Ava. “I haven’t seen this. I heard it’s good.”

  “This movie is so sad!”

  Cooper put the DVD back with the others. “We can watch something else.”

  Ava snatched it back. “No! We have to watch it! It’s good sad.”

  “Good sad?”

  “You’ll see,” Ava said as she popped the disc into the DVD player and sat on the couch. Cooper took the seat next to her but left some space between them. Just enough if he wanted to casually reach out…

  Ava stopped her overactive imagination. He’s not going to try to put his arm around you! Focus on the movie!

  The plot of Last Summer was centered around two high school sweethearts, Misty and Robbie, who are seniors and expect to go off to college together. But then Misty gets a fatal disease—it’s never specified what she’s dying of—and only has until the end of the summer to live. Misty and Robbie spend every second together until finally, on Labor Day weekend, Misty collapses on the beach and dies in Robbie’s arms. Before she dies, Misty makes Robbie promise that he’ll go to college and then medical school and one day find a cure for the disease that killed her. A sobbing Robbie, who begs Misty not to die, promises that he will. The movie then ends with an older Robbie playing on the beach with his daughter, Misty, while his wife, Sarah Jane (who was Misty’s best friend), watches them.

  As the movie played, Ava forgot that Cooper was sitting next to her. She became lost in the tragic love story of Misty and Robbie. No matter how many times Ava saw Last Summer—this would be her tenth time—she became engrossed even though she knew how it ended. Maybe that was because each time she watched it, a little part of her kept hoping Misty wouldn’t die and that she and Robbie would be together forever.

  “What did you think?” Ava asked when the end credits started rolling.

  “What a chick flick!” Cooper exclaimed.

  “Is that good or bad?”

  Cooper hissed. “Bad! That movie was so cheesy!”

  “Don’t you have a heart?” Ava sniffed.

  Cooper took a closer look at Ava. “Are you crying?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Yes, you are.” He pointed a finger. “Those are tears in your eyes.”

  Ava sniffed again, wiping them away. “Maybe I am. Just a little. It happens whenever I watch Last Summer. It’s so sad.”

  “Are you sure it was just the movie?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Maybe it has something to do with Josh?”

  Ava was speechless. How did Cooper do it? He was like a mind reader! He always knew how to zero in on anything Josh-related.

  “The first time I saw the movie was with Josh,” she admitted. “And it made me realize how much I cared about him. Can you imagine loving someone with all your heart and not being able to save them? To watch helplessly as they’re taken away from you?” Ava sighed. “I guess I identify with Robbie. He loved someone and then he lost that someone.”

  Cooper moved closer to Ava on the couch. “It’s okay to be sad,” he said. “But you can’t live in the past. You have to move on. Robbie did!”

  “I know.” Ava rested her head against Cooper’s shoulder. “It’s just hard, you know? My heart says one thing and my head says another.”

  “Maybe your heart needs to be distracted,” Cooper said as he pulled Ava into his arms and began to give her a kiss.

  Ava knew she should tell Cooper to stop, but she didn’t. She didn’t push him away. She didn’t ask him what he was doing. She let him kiss her.

  It was a very soft, very gentle kiss.

  A caring kiss.

  But it was still a kiss.

  When he finished, he pulled away, sliding back to his side of the couch. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have done that. It’s just that you seemed so sad and I didn’t want you to be sad anymore.”

  “That’s okay,” Ava said.

  It was only a kiss.

  Friends kissed all the time.

  But they don’t kiss each other on the lips! a little voice reminded Ava.

  She jumped off the couch. “Why don’t I make us some popcorn?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Be right back.”

  Stupid.

  Stupid.

  Stupid!

  What had he been thinking, kissing Ava?

  If he wanted to scare her off, he had done it. After all, she’d just gone running into the kitchen.

  But he couldn’t help himself.

  She’d looked so sad and vulnerable.

  So hurt.

  He’d wanted to take away that hurt. He’d wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her close and tell her that everything was going to be okay. That she didn’t have anything to worry about. No one was ever going to hurt her again because he was going to protect her.

  Whatever progress he’d made was now gone.

  He was back at square one.

  Ava’s guard was going to be up again.

  The thing was, he’d been okay with just being friends.

  But then he’d lost all control.

  He could try explaining that to Ava, but would she believe him? Would she give him another chance?

  He wished he had someone to discuss this with, but he couldn’t tell the guys about the kiss.

  If he did, he’d win the bet.

  That stupid bet!

  He needed to call it off ASAP because if Ava mentioned his kiss to her friends, there was the chance that one of them would mention it to his housemates. He was specifically thinking of Ava telling Danielle and then Danielle telling Ethan. If that were to happen, there was always the risk of the bet coming up, and that was the last thing he wanted to happen. He had kissed Ava because he wanted to. Not because of some bet. He wouldn’t want her to think his kiss didn’t mean anything, because it did.

  Even though Ava was afraid of getting her heart broken again, he knew that she liked him. And it wasn’t because he was the richest guy at South Ridge High. She liked him for who he was. She might not want to admit she liked him, but he could tell that she did.

  That meant a lot to him.

  And then there was their kiss.

  Yes, she’d been freaked out and gone running into the kitchen. But she hadn’t ended their kiss.

  She hadn’t pushed him away.

  She’d let him kiss her.

  That meant something, too.

  He just needed to figure out what his next move was going to be.

  In the kitchen, Ava found a bag of microwave popcorn. As she waited for it to pop, she ran her fingers over her lips, remembering Cooper’s kiss.

  It was so different from the kisses she’d gotten from Josh.

  It had been softer.

  Sweeter.

  Gentler.

  Only one word that could describe Cooper’s kiss.

  Nice.

  Chills went up and down her spine.

  As much as she hated to admit it, she’d liked Cooper’s kiss.

  She’d liked it a lot.

  The microwave dinged and she pulled out t
he bag of popcorn. She opened the bag and emptied it into a glass bowl, adding a dab of butter and dash of salt, trying not to think of Cooper, but unable not to.

  She’d told him she only wanted to be friends.

  But she’d allowed him to kiss her.

  Did that mean she wanted to be more than friends?

  She didn’t know!

  “Is the popcorn ready?” Cooper called out.

  “I’m on my way,” Ava answered, deciding she wouldn’t think about Cooper’s kiss anymore. She was going to pretend it hadn’t happened. “Let’s watch another DVD. Something bloody and scary.”

  No more sad, romantic movies. They’re too dangerous! They make you do things you shouldn’t do!

  “When is this rain going to stop?” Wanda asked as she stared out the living room window.

  Mindy didn’t know what to say. Wanda had been asking her the same question for the last hour. It wasn’t like she had a direct line to Mother Nature!

  “Are we going to hang around this house all day?” Wanda complained, pacing from one end of the living room to the other.

  “We could play some board games,” Mindy said.

  Wanda yawned. “That’s so junior high.”

  Vivienne looked up from the copy of Seventeen she was reading on the couch. “I love Scrabble!”

  Wanda ignored her.

  “Go to the movies?” Mindy asked.

  Wanda stared at Mindy like she was crazy. “Without dates?”

  “Wanda never pays when she goes to the movies,” Vivienne said.

  “And she doesn’t watch the movie,” Lacey whispered into Mindy’s ear as she walked over to the CD player. “She goes through a lot of lip gloss that way, too.”

  Mindy didn’t know what to suggest next. She knew she was the host, but Wanda was shooting down every idea she came up with.

  “I can’t believe this house doesn’t have an indoor pool!” Wanda exclaimed. “If it did, at least we’d be able to take a swim.”

  “We could go to the country club,” Mindy said. “They have an indoor pool.”

  “I don’t do crowds,” Wanda stated. “Everyone is going to be at the country club today.”

  Mindy racked her brain trying to think of something—anything—that Wanda might like to do.