“So you’ll help me?”
“Yes. But on three conditions. You have to be truthful with me, do what I say without question, and we work quickly. I have things I need to do, too.”
“Deal!”
8
Cody shook his head as he watched Hannah walk back to the courts, her tight little skirt hugging her ass as she marched ahead of him. Shit. This girl was going to be trouble and he didn’t need anymore of that in his life.
He pretended not to watch Hannah stretch, but it was impossible. Her body was effortlessly fit, no doubt from years of tennis. Her long legs went on for miles, strong and nimble. She bent to touch her toes and Cody took a steadying breath. Down boy. This one’s not for you. But no matter what he told himself, he couldn’t deny his attraction to her. Hannah was hott. But there could never be anything between them. Good girls like Hannah Stark didn’t date world-class losers like Cody. Plus even if he thought he had a chance in hell with her, she’d never take him seriously. The best he could hope for was to have a little fun. If he just played along he could get through this. Then he’d graduate and leave this place full of ghosts behind.
Done stretching, Hannah unlocked the utility room attached to the courts and grabbed a spare racket for Cody and a bucket of balls.
“Here,” she said handing him the racket. “This one should do. Do you know how to play?”
“I’ve seen it on TV. Doesn’t look too hard.”
It was Hannah’s time to arch an eyebrow. “I’ll go easy on you. Just try and return my serves.”
“Don’t go easy. I play basketball. I think I can handle a little tennis ball.”
“You used to play basketball,” she reminded him.
“Lesson number one. Don’t correct people when they’re wrong.”
“But—”
“Rule number two. Don’t ask questions.”
Hannah sighed. “So you’re telling me that people like to be wrong?”
“No, people want to be right. But more importantly they don’t want to be called out when they’re wrong. Especially the Goldens.”
Hannah nodded.
“Let’s make this interesting,” Cody smirked. “You serve and for every ball I return you answer a question.”
“Why do—”
“Rule number two!”
Hannah sighed. “Don’t ask questions.”
“That’s right. Besides. I need to get to know you to figure out what I’m dealing with. Unless you’re afraid I’ll tarnish your perfect record, tennis pro.”
“You’re on.” A coy smile danced across Hannah’s lips as she stretched her arm high and released a powerful serve at Cody’s head.
“Shit!” Cody dove out of the way. “You know we’re on the same team, right?”
Hannah laughed. “How about you get to ask a question even if you don’t return my serve?”
“Just serve. I’ll be ready this time.”
“Suit yourself.”
Hannah reached up again and slammed another ball Cody’s way. He barely managed to dodge it and stay on his feet. She knew he was nowhere near returning any of her serves today. “At this rate you’re not going to get to ask any questions.”
“Fine. Why are you so good at tennis? Is it your passion?”
Hannah rolled her eyes. “No. My dad taught me to play when I was five. He said it would help my mental focus.”
“And does it?”
“Yes. It’s taught me precision, focus, boundaries, dedication, strategy, how to spot an opponent’s weakness and deconstruct them. Like you, you’re weak on your left,” she said before slamming another serve to his left side.
“That doesn’t sound like any fun at all.”
“Isn’t basketball the same?”
Cody laughed. “God no. I love basketball. It’s like poetry and music, and when your teammates are all playing in sync, it’s like magic.”
“That’s an unrealistic description. Basketball is a sport. Not poetry or music. And there’s no such thing as magic.”
Cody groaned. “How is it possible that you’re good at everything except having a normal conversation?”
“My communication skills are more than adequate.”
“That’s what I mean. No one talks like that, Hannah. The Goldens sure as hell don’t.”
“Okay. Then teach me how they talk.”
“One step at a time. I’m trying to find out where to start with you.”
“Fine. Next question.”
“Have you really never seen a naked guy before?”
“Why does that matter?”
“Rules one and two,” Cody quipped narrowly missing the tennis ball he swung for.
Hannah rolled her eyes and sighed. “Fine. No I’ve never seen a naked guy. No guy has ever seen me naked. I’ve never had a boyfriend. I’ve never been kissed. I’ve never been on a date. Anything else embarrassing you’d like to know?”
“Hannah! How is that possible?”
“I don’t know? You’re the one who’s supposed to have the answers.”
“Are you straight?”
“Yes!”
“Are you sure?”
“I think so.”
Cody sighed deeply and wiped his forehead. He marched up to the net and beckoned Hannah to join him by curling his finger at her. When she met him he reached across the net and pulled her to him, roughly locking his lips with hers. Hannah gasped into his mouth in surprise. Cody took that as an invitation to shove his tongue down her throat. She shoved him off and slapped him hard.
“What the hell was that?” she yelled.
He smiled, rubbing his cheek. “Just checking.”
“For what, cavities?”
“To see if you’re straight.”
Her eyes widened. “And?” she demanded, hands on her hips.
“I mean you’re difficult to talk to, super conceded, but you’re not hopeless. Now you can even say you’ve had your first kiss.”
Hannah scowled at Cody.
“Relax. You’re pretty and that usually excuses all kinds of flaws.”
“Flaws? And I am not hard to talk to.”
“Hannah, if you want help you have to be open to the truth and that might mean criticism.”
“I can agree to that. But we need a strategy. It just feels like you’re picking on me.”
“You mean like I’m sizing up my opponent to spot their weaknesses?” he said mockingly.
Hannah frowned.
“Relax. Unlike you, I’m looking for your weaknesses so I can help you fix them.”
“That is the deal.”
“So, let’s study the evidence, brainiac. You’ve never had a boyfriend. Never been on a date. You had to blackmail me to get a party invite. And you only just had your first kiss.”
“How . . . how was it?”
“What, the kiss?” Cody asked not trying to conceal his smile.
Hannah felt her cheeks flush, but she needed to know. She shoved down her embarrassment and nodded.
“Well I can tell it was your first kiss,” he smirked.
“Is that bad?”
Cody winked. “Nah. Nothing a little practice won’t fix.”
“Practice.” Hannah repeated the word slowly. Practice was something she could do. Something she was good at. Hell, she was the poster child for practice makes perfect. “And you’ll help me practice kissing?”
He feigned frustration. “If I must.”
“So you’ll be like my practice boyfriend?”
Cody rolled his eyes. “Why do girls insist on labeling things?”
Hannah cocked her head in confusion. “Labels help clarify things. It’s something both men and women use equally. I believe women to be the superior of our species, so perhaps that’s why you assume women use labels more often?”
“It was a joke, Hannah. But why don’t you get your sweet cheeks back on the court, tennis pro, and I’ll show you the superior species.”
Hannah blinked while Cody
retreated to his corner of the court—ball and racket in hand.
“By the way, that’s how normal high school students speak,” Cody added with a smirk. He bounced the ball, getting ready to serve.
“Bring it on,” Hannah called.
“That’s it. You almost sound human.”
If it was practice Cody wanted, that’s what he’d get. Hannah was prepared to kick his butt on the tennis court and then kiss him all night! Nothing was going to get in the way of her plan.
She took a swig of her water bottle and spun her tennis racket waiting for Cody to serve. He sent the ball sailing far over her head. She laughed out loud when it flew over the fence.
“That was my practice shot,” Cody called.
“There’s no do over’s in life, Cody.”
“You’ve got that right,” he muttered picking up another ball and lobbing it across the net.
Hannah smiled. This was too easy. She put some backspin on it and fired directly at Cody. He dove out of the way and she couldn’t suppress her laughter.
“You still want to serve?” she taunted.
“Ok champ. You proved your point. You own the tennis court. But we’ll see how good you are when you’re on my courts.”
“I don’t play basketball. I’m sure I’ll be awful.”
“I thought you were good at everything.”
“I’m confident I can master anything with the right amount of practice.”
Cody rolled his eyes and Hannah glanced at her watch.
“Last question. I’ve got to shower before class.”
“Alright. Why is going to Harrison’s party so important to you?” Cody asked as Hannah slammed a ball in his direction.
“Because I want Harrison and the rest of our class to see me. I want to be Hannah, the girl, for once. Not Hannah, the genius that no one talks to unless they need help with homework. I want to do something wild and carefree. I want to make memories.”
“Where is this sudden urge coming from?”
“You sound like a psychologist,” Hannah said wrinkling her nose as she squinted into the harsh morning sunlight.
“My shrink would be so proud.”
“You see a psychologist?” she asked, sounding surprised.
“You kill your girlfriend and try not needing a shrink.” Cody’s jovial mood vanished. “I think that’s enough for now.”
9
Cody walked back to the main campus alone. Hannah promised to shower quickly, but he didn’t want to wait. He wanted to get as far away from her as possible before he lost it. As always, at the slightest mention of Elena’s death, his self-loathing kicked in. He’d been battling this crippling depression for a year but nothing seemed to lighten the lead weight he carried in his heart.
Strangely, sparring with Hannah allowed him to forget his pain momentarily. But when she’d headed to the locker room to shower, Cody was left alone with his thoughts and the pain came rushing back tenfold. It was almost crueler—chastising him for forgetting his sins for even the briefest of moments.
Distance and solitude were the only things that helped. Something Cody worried would become harder to find with Hannah in his life.
Hannah spotted Cody on the quad and ran over, waving her cell phone to get his attention. “Did you get my message?” she asked.
“Ya mean the relationships for dummies list? Yeah, I got it,” Cody frowned staring at the bullet point list Hannah sent to his phone.
“It’s the list of practice boyfriend tasks. Do you have any others to add?”
“Uh, no.”
“Haven’t you been working on a strategy?”
“No, I was actually in class for the past few hours.”
“Doing what?”
“Doing class work, Hannah! We’re not all geniuses.”
“You said you wanted to work quickly. I assumed you meant you’d be focused on this.”
Cody rolled his eyes. “I am. All we need to do is get you noticed. Start a buzz, that kind of thing.”
“Okay, how do we do that?”
Cody glanced around the campus. His eyes landed on the Golden Gate. It was full of Goldens enjoying their lunches and gossiping. “Come with me.”
“Where are we going?” Hannah protested as Cody dragged her by the arm toward the bridge. He squeezed harder and she yelped his name!
“Cody! Stop!”
That’s it. Just a little bit further. He glanced up and smiled, noting he’d gained the attention of more than a few Goldens. Hannah was a natural and she didn’t even know it. Cody tugged harder knowing how Hannah would react.
“I said stop!” she yelled digging her heels into the ground.
Cody stopped pulling her and she nearly fell backward. He took the opportunity to catch her while she was off balance. He wrapped his arms around her and locked his lips with hers ferociously. She gasped and went limp for a moment before coming to her senses and playing right into his hand. She walloped him with a slap that made him see stars. Cody suddenly knew why she was so good at tennis. Hannah had an arm on her!
“What the hell was that?” she screeched.
Cody shrugged and smirked. “Just a bit of fun,” he whispered.
Hannah was fuming. She took off back toward the school and Cody yelled after her. “Ah, come on, doll face. Don’t be mad at me. You know I can’t help it.”
Hannah didn’t look back, but Cody did. His plan had worked flawlessly. The Golden Gate was full of slack jawed students.
10
It was after school by the time Cody found Hannah again. She was waiting for him in her car looking none too pleased when he swung his lanky body into the passenger seat.
“Hey, doll face,” he greeted her.
“That wasn’t funny, Cody. We’re practicing to prove a point, not just so you can get off whenever you want.”
“Ya know, you’re pretty good at slinging insults for someone who isn’t good at talking. And for your information, I wasn’t getting off. I was getting you the attention you need. The whole Golden Gate saw us kiss and then you slap me. That instantly gives you points in their eyes.”
“Really?”
“Really. The Goldens hate me after . . . well everything that happened last year.”
“So because I slapped you, they’ll like me?”
“It’s a step in the right direction. They’ll definitely want to talk to you to get the gossip.”
“So what do we do now?” she asked pulling out of the school lot.
“Take a right.”
“But home is—”
“Hannah! What’s rule number two?”
“Fine. But I’ll be a better driver if I know where we’re going.”
“Shopping. You need to dress the part.”
“What’s wrong with how I dress?”
“Nothing, if you’re running for congress.”
To Hannah’s dismay, Cody was directing her to the luxury district in the heart of Boston, not the outlet mall she was used to doing her shopping at. She cringed when she pulled up to Neiman Marcus and the valet opened the creaking door to her rust-bitten Volvo. It didn’t fit in with BMW’s, Audi’s and Mercedes that lined the glowing glass-fronts of the posh street.
“I don’t have any cash,” Hannah hissed when Cody came around to her side.
He winked at the valet and simply muttered, “Matthews,” before taking her hand and leading her into the gigantic department store. “You don’t pay the valet here. It goes on your account.”
“Oh,” Hannah murmured, suddenly feeling like she didn’t have a clue how the Goldens lived.
A petite brunette clerk rushed up to Cody the moment they were inside the glittering department store. “Mr. Matthews! We’ve missed you. And who is this?” The woman’s perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched as she took in Hannah.
“Hello, Bianca. This is my girlfriend, Hannah Stark.”
“Girlfriend!” Bianca barely recovered her composure. “Good for you,” she added softly touching
Cody’s arm. “It’s about time you start dating again.” Then she turned her attention to Hannah. “Miss Stark, it’s a pleasure,” Bianca purred.
Hannah smiled politely and shook Bianca’s perfectly manicured hand, sensing she wasn’t pleased in the least to be touching Hannah. She really couldn’t blame the delicate sales woman. She looked like she’d been meticulously steamed and pressed. There wasn’t a crease anywhere on her, including her plastic-like complexion.
“What can I assist you with? Are we shopping for anything in particular today?” Bianca asked as she eyeballed Hannah with distain, probably wondering where to start.
From her scuffed loafers to her clearance rack cardigan, Hannah felt like a street urchin compared to the patrons in Neiman Marcus. Even the mannequins seemed to be looking down at her.
Luckily Cody saved her. “We’ll be doing our shopping on our own today,” he replied graciously and tucked Hannah’s hand under her arm, pulling her away from Bianca’s judgy little eyes.
“Do you not usually do your own shopping?” Hannah asked when they were out of earshot.
Cody snorted. “Bianca’s my family’s personal shopper. I come in once a year to have my measurements taken and then she just sends things to the house for me.”
“Seriously? That’s ridiculous.”
He shrugged. “You’re the one who wants to be a Golden. This is how it’s done.”
Hannah noticed that Cody didn’t say it was how he did things. Did he really not consider himself a Golden? Maybe the kids at school had kicked him out of their little elitist club, but it seemed the rest of the upper crust was still happy to take his money. She sighed deeply. Perhaps she’d underestimated how difficult it would be to crack the Goldens.
“Is this really necessary,” Hannah groaned as Cody navigated the racks of mesmerizing apparel with ease.
“Not much of a shopper, are ya?”
Hannah frowned. She wasn’t opposed to shopping. It was the blinding price tags that were making her sweat.
As if sensing her distress, Cody laughed. “Come on, I have a feeling we’re gonna need a pick-me-up if we’re gonna get through this.”
The Practice Boyfriend (The Boyfriend Series Book 1) Page 3