Don't Kiss the Class Clown (Billionaire Academy YA Romance Book 4)

by Sally Henson

  “Seriously?” he asked. I nodded, and he swore.

  “Gymnastics was my whole life. Basically my job, because I trained eight hours a day. I begged, pleaded, refused to go where there was no gymnastics. My coach even said I could stay with her.”

  I took a breath to calm myself. As hard as I tried to stay that way, the anger at my parents came out. “Dad found Mt. Rainier Legacy Academy, but I didn’t want to leave my gym.” I sniffed. “They wanted me to get over the idea of making the Olympic team.” I swiped at the angry tears. “They didn’t believe in me anymore.”

  Ryan wrapped his arms around me. “I’m so sorry.”

  I sniffed and tried to stop crying, but reliving it had bruised my heart. The way he held me took the pain away, and I didn’t feel so much like a failure in his arms. “I know it was childish, but I quit talking to them. Before I knew it, they had packed my things, delivered me to MLA, and left.”

  Ryan rubbed my back. It was soothing, calming. After a few moments of silence, he spoke about his dad. “When Dad was dying, he asked for forgiveness for his impossible standard. Before that moment, I’d never heard the words ‘I’m sorry’ come out of his mouth. Ever.”

  My arms tightened around his waist, and I laid my head above his heart. The solid thump-thump, thump-thump dissolved the bitterness racing through my veins. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered. It might have been the exact words he’d said to me, but they were perfect for both of us.

  We stood there in each other’s arms, staring across the water for so long that our hot cocoa wasn’t hot anymore.

  The buzz from his phone had him shifting to check it. I, however, stayed right where I was.

  He let out a heavy breath and said, “Gamela said she’d be there in an hour.” We tossed our cups and started that direction.

  So many things had changed in the past few months. Ryan becoming part of my life was part of those changes. Sharing so much of the pain that made us who we were had been a turning point. I could feel it in my core.

  That thought blossomed as we traveled, arms around each other’s waist, through Seattle’s streets toward the Starbucks meeting place.

  Ryan talked about his mom, how strong she was. With every word, he became more: more handsome, more intelligent, more sweet, more … alluring.

  So much so that when I spotted an alcove two steps ahead of us, I rustled him in there. Before the first question rolled off his tongue, I had pushed up on my tippy-toes and pressed my mouth to his. It was on the rough side, which was not on purpose, but oh. My. Gosh.

  Tingles of excitement danced at our point of connection. Warm, soft, exhilarating.

  His arm tugged me closer. The other stilled along my shoulders. Ryan’s mouth slowly began to move, kissing my top lip and then my bottom one. Every action had an equal and amazing reaction. His mouth parted, and the warmth of his tongue danced across my bottom lip.

  I gasped, holding my breath.

  He pulled back, and his gaze washed over me. The grin that had become irresistible lifted the corner of his mouth. “How about another first?”

  Butterflies turned and churned and multiplied in my belly, but I wanted what was next. I gave a nod, afraid a squeak would come out if I spoke.

  His tongue darted across his bottom lip as he brought us back together. More soft, gentle caresses of his mouth on mine. Once more, his tongue grazed my sealed lips, but I parted my mouth this time. The instant I tasted the cocoa he had drunk, the butterflies exploded into my chest.

  All the nervousness faded away as I embraced another first with the sweetest boy I had ever known.

  Chapter 16

  “I’ve got one more stop,” Gamela said before darting into yet another store.

  Ryan and I hadn’t been more than two inches apart since our crazy kissing frenzy. Tingles shivered down my spine just thinking about it.

  “Are you cold?” he asked.

  I shook my head and continued to the end of the building. The heat of him catching me reminiscing was sure to show.

  He tugged me around the corner and brought us so close that my insides threatened another butterfly explosion. Our lips met all too briefly before he whispered in a rough voice, “I wanted to watch the sun set with you, where I used to go with my dad.”

  “Okay?” Was it getting that late?

  He shook his head. “Just me and you. What if we stay overnight? I think Gamela would be okay staying and enjoying the room service while we’re gone.”

  “In the same room?” I squeaked.

  He shook his head and said, “I’ll get us a suite with three rooms. Right on the water.”

  I wanted to. So badly, I wanted to.

  He continued laying out a plan. “We went shopping, so we have clothes. Everything else we can get at the hotel.”

  If we left right then, I’d make it back in time for my normal evening workout. Pressure built in my chest. “I—” I had never ditched a training opportunity. Never.

  He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “We can leave first thing in the morning.”

  Watching his lips move could be so hypnotizing. And they were only an inch away from mine. This new thing between us was powerful and magical. I took in a deep breath, hoping the oxygen would defog my brain. It was only one night away from the gym, right?

  “First thing in the morning,” I murmured, still in a daze.

  His lips stretched into a wide smile. It was so irresistible that I popped another kiss on his mouth. Ryan’s body shook.

  I pushed at his chest. “Are you laughing?”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t help it. I’m just so freaking happy that you want to kiss me.”

  So adorable! “Second to gymnastics, it’s my favorite thing to do.”

  “Second place? Just a little more practice and I’ll take the lead.”

  I giggled, and he decided to start practicing right then.

  I was an expert at practicing. So was he.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket, but I ignored it. Gamela could find us. We were only feet away from the store she’d gone into.

  After two more repeats of a call, Ryan lifted the phone from my pocket and separated us. “It must be important,” he said, as breathless as I was.

  I stared into his gorgeous, bluer-than-ever eyes while I took the phone and swiped my finger across the screen. Gamela had better be in dire straits if she was interrupting my energetic lip lock workout. Dazed and breathless under the influence of Ryan’s kiss, I answered, “Hello?”

  “Ally? Are you okay?” Mom’s voice marched across the airwaves.

  I coughed and sputtered, choking on Mom’s words, which I’d sucked in when I gasped. In the process, my eyes had bulged so much, they threatened to pop out of my sockets.

  Ryan’s brows pinched together as he mouthed, “What is it?”

  “Mom! Uh, hi.” If I had known it was her, I would have ignored it. Just like I had since twisting my ankle.

  I shoved a hand through my hair, grabbing a fistful as I held in a groan. The time difference was … I quickly calculated and realized it was the middle of the night there.

  She was saying something, but I cut her off, asking, “What’s wrong?”

  “I checked in with your coach since you hadn’t returned my calls. She said you didn’t show up today, and none of the girls had seen you. Are you sick?”

  My heart sank. In the dictionary, right beside the word disciplined, my face would be there. I leaned the back of my head against the brick. The rough texture dug into my scalp, assuring me that I was not in the middle of a twisted dream. Every other day of my life, I would have been there. Why had I blindly answered the call? A string of words my mother wouldn’t approve of sat on the tip of my tongue. But I didn’t let them loose. “I’m on my way back from Seattle.”

  “Oh,” she said with surprise, but it quickly switched to glee. “You’ve made friends. I’m glad you’re taking a weekend off. You know how your father and I feel about it.”

  I
knew exactly how they felt … that I was destined to fail. Guilt spread through my chest as I reminded myself what it took to be a top athlete. As much as I loved every minute, every kiss, of that day, it was a mistake. Gymnastics was priority number one. And after the setback of twisting my ankle, it was more important than ever for me to spend every moment possible in the gym. If I wanted to win, that was the way it had to be.

  I clutched at the pain warming in my chest. I hated that she’d caught me undisciplined and was excited about it. Hated she and Dad had given up on me. Hated I felt guilty for one of the best days I’d ever had in my life. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have come.” She’d said the opposite, but it was a warning to me. “Sorry, I have to go, Mom. Bye.” I pulled the phone from my ear before I could hear another word and powered it off.

  Silence filled the car until we were well out of the city. Gamela’s hand squeezed my arm. “Ally,” she said softly. “A day away is a good thing. You’ll be reenergized when you get back.”

  I wanted to believe her. Wished it were true. That wasn’t how champions were made, though. Winners pushed through no matter what.

  Tears brimmed my lashes. As hard as I tried to keep them in place, they spilled over. Even though I didn’t agree with her, I nodded. And another tear disobeyed me. It didn’t seem like I could control anything anymore. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on something else: the beach, the surfers near Pleasure Pier in Galveston, a book that transported me somewhere else. Anything, please.

  Ryan’s fingers slid into my hair as his thumb brushed a tear away. His touch had a calming effect. At least, it had earlier when we’d bared our souls.

  I opened my eyes and dared to look at him. Before I’d trained full time, my parents and coach had the “boy talk” with me. Boys were not allowed if I was serious about making it to the Olympics. Ryan’s soft smile and understanding eyes made me want to prove my parents wrong about that too.

  “Gamela, would you mind giving Ally and me some privacy?”

  “Oh, sure. I’ll, uh … I’ll just put in my pods and listen to some music.” I heard her rustle around in the back seat before she stuck a thumbs-up between Ryan and me.

  “Do you like me, Ally?”

  I shook my head because I couldn’t believe, after I’d already admitted it and all the kisses, that he needed to ask. “Of course I do. I told you today.”

  “Did you like spending the day together?”

  “I did, but—”

  “No buts. You know I like you, right?”

  I nodded.

  He continued to glance between me and the road, keeping his palm planted against my cheek. It kept the knots in my stomach from twisting. “Are you afraid spending time with me will keep you from being the best?”

  My eyes widened. Was he reading my mind? “I can’t have both. It doesn’t work that way.”

  His hand slid down my arm and clasped my fingers. “Before your mom called, everything was fine. You won all your events at your last two meets.”

  I shook my head. “They’re not professionals. It doesn’t mean anything.”

  He squeezed my fingers. “Not true. You said yourself you’re ready to work on your double layouts.” His pretty blue eyes sparked as if he was having a lightbulb moment. “How about I keep tutoring you, just like I have been? Walk you to all your classes and we eat together? The only thing that really changes is I can call you my girlfriend and you can kiss me whenever you want.” His grin, the one that had started out as annoying but had managed to capture my heart, appeared.

  His suggestion not only caused my cheeks to heat, but what he was proposing seemed rational—doable. “Girlfriend?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

  “Kisses,” he said, wiggling his own.

  It caused a few giggles to bubble out of me. As down as I was after Mom’s call, Ryan was able to turn it around. “Are you sure you don’t mind? You’re the one doing all the work.”

  “You’re worth it,” he said with a wink.

  If he wasn’t driving, I would have kissed him for that. So I settled for something he would appreciate coming from me. “You really are smart.”

  Ryan held my hand the rest of the drive home. Home … Mt. Rainier Legacy Academy had become more than a place where I attended classes. With Gamela, and now Ryan, I finally felt like I’d found my place.

  Even if what Ryan said was rational, the guilt that reared from my mother’s call had hooked its claws in me. Making the trial was still my priority. I had to be disciplined and focused to get there. Ryan might have once been as driven as me, but he wasn’t that person anymore. And I hoped he didn’t expect me to change too.

  Chapter 17

  Chloe Davenport finally showed at Mrs. Meyer’s classroom for our project meeting. Dealing with a project in the middle of my season was bad enough, but the blonde who thought her time was more precious than ours? I groaned inwardly and checked the time on my phone. If it weren’t for Mrs. Meyer requiring participation as a group instead of doing it solo, I would have been in the gym, working on my floor routine.

  Chloe went on about how the design of the presentation had to be perfect.

  Ari spoke up. “Does anyone object to Chloe being responsible for the design?”

  There were only four of us: Chloe, Ari, John, and me. John and Chloe seemed to be friends.

  “Chloe would be great at the design,” John said.

  She returned the compliment. “John is great in front of the camera.”

  Ari met my bored gaze. “I’ll do the video recording and editing portion with John. Ally, that leaves you in charge of modernizing Romeo and Juliet.”

  “So I need to come up with a plan and then divvy up the parts?” I asked. I’d never been involved in a group project before, and the writing portion seemed like it would take twice as much time as a presentation design or videoing.

  Ari’s brows arched before he broke eye contact, opting for the device screen.

  Chloe shook her head, blond hair swishing back and forth, and said, “If you think I’m helping you rewrite, you’re crazy. The design will take up all the time I have to give to this. I do have other obligations, you know.”

  John shrugged. “I guess I could do it if you want to do the video with Ari?”

  If I did the video, that would mean more set times to meet, and I spent every moment possible at the gym. Between gymnastics, classes, eating, homework, Ryan, and sleep, I had no extra time. “Could we do it during one of our meals, Ari?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “I can’t make it here by your breakfast time, I don’t have lunch the same time you do, and I have to leave campus by five. Sorry.”

  Not everyone who attended MLA lived on campus. I knew that, but ugh, I wished Ari did. I clenched my jaw. Meeting up wasn’t going to work, which meant I was stuck with the writing. “Rewriting the whole thing by myself will take forever. I don’t have time for that. What if I come up with a plan and we can split the writing?”

  “Romeo and Juliet is written in third person. If we all write different sections, it will read like four people wrote it. We can’t do that unless we want a C. And I will not accept a C.” Chloe tilted her head, fluttering her fake lashes. “It’s your job. That’s what happens when you don’t speak up first.” She gave me a fake, toothy grin. “First draft is due …” She glanced at John, then Ari, waiting for one of them to speak up.

  Ari slid through a few screens on his tablet, his thick dark brows bunching together before he finished her sentence. “Two weeks from Friday. We should meet twice a week with updates of our progress.”

  John nodded. “We’ll need your chapters as they’re produced, Ally. That way Ari and I can plan the videos as we go.”

  I sighed in frustration. Being the new girl sucked. “Fine. But y’all, can we meet online at nine or something? I can’t take more time away from the gym.”

  One by one, they each had an excuse why nine o’clock wouldn’t work. Guess who had to take time out of t
he gym? New girl. Which also meant Ryan fell further down the priority list.

  I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. The run to the gym would be much needed to work out the anxiety that was beginning to rise. On my way out of the building, I sent Ryan a message.

  Ally: My free time just got slashed.

  Chapter 18

  Ryan and I had barely spent any real time together since the stupid project started, not to mention the two papers I had due. Being boyfriend and girlfriend wasn’t as easy as we’d thought it would be. The week after our trip to Seattle, I amped up my training. A week after that, the English project was assigned. And a week after the project, all of the other teachers went crazy assigning tons of homework. The English project was enough to keep me up later than usual, but with the extra work … the nickname Ally-bear wasn’t entirely an endearment.

  Unfortunately, typing on my computer one minute and the next finding myself hunched over my desk had become a regular occurrence. About three weeks into the project, I’d fallen asleep typing the last pages of my part when knocking sounded. I thought it was a lingering dream, but it never stopped. Then I decided to ignore whoever it was and go back to sleep.

  It didn’t work.

  After I sat up and rubbed my eyes, the slow, sleepy beat of my heart spiked when I realized the thump came from my window. I swallowed, stood from my chair, and slowly peeked out the shade covering the glass. Ryan’s big grin stared back at me. He motioned to open the window.

  I flipped the lock open and slid it up. “What are you doing?” I asked in a grumpy voice. It seemed to be my new norm. I didn’t mean for it to come out that way, but I was so tired.

  He jumped up and planted a quick kiss on my lips. It took me by surprise, because one, there used to be a screen that covered the entire opening, and two, the windowsill to the ground was a long way.