“Darn, you can still see me.” I didn’t want the attention of Dax and his crowd. I could handle being laughed at by the popular kids, but that didn’t mean I wanted to. It would be an annoying distraction. To be honest, with the way the last year had gone, there were days when I felt like someone had opened the top of my head, filled it with diet soda, dropped in a handful of Mentos, and slammed it closed. If I had to deal with kids like Dax and Paige, you might as well shake me up and get the explosion over with.
“Ali?” Dr. Boyd asked. “His schedule change will only take a minute.”
“Sure. Whatever.” It wasn’t like I needed to hurry to an off-campus lunch at Randy’s with the cool kids. No, I’d sit out on one of the benches under the live oaks eating my bag lunch near the other happily weird loners in school. But it still annoyed me that Dax assumed his need was more important than mine. Maybe it was, but Dax DeLeon didn’t know that.
I stifled a sigh and slumped back into my chair as Dax enjoyed the red-carpet treatment from Dr. Boyd. I guess when you’re the star quarterback and the hottest guy on campus, you get used to the world revolving around you. Man, I couldn’t wait to get out of this place and into a world where my destiny wasn’t decided by some anointed clique of kids with the most “likes.”
“Chin up, Ali. Life after high school is very different.” Mrs. G gave me a soft smile and went back to her keyboard.
“That’s what I’m clinging to, Mrs. G.” Like a raft in the middle of a stormy sea. I was counting down the days. Literally.
My gaze drifted back to the poster. Mr. and Ms. Jackalope were giving bad advice. Hopping into the future was too painfully slow. I wanted to sprint into the future at full speed to get out of here faster.
Dr. Boyd’s inner-office door opened and Dax came strolling out.
“See you around,” he said, throwing me a wink on his way past.
“Doubt it.” I’d managed to avoid that whole clique of kids so far and planned on keeping it that way. #HeadDown #WorkHard #GoalOriented #HappyLoner
“Hey, Ali…” Dax paused before leaving the office, his hand on the outer office door handle and his dark eyes freezing me in my tracks halfway toward Dr. Boyd’s office.
“What, DeLeon?” I was going for impatient, but, sadly, I sounded a bit breathless and curious even to my own ears. Because the sad reality was I wasn’t immune to bad-boy jocks too hot for a nerd like me.
“Newsflash: you’re not invisible anymore.” He winked at me. “I see you.”
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Thank you! I hope you enjoyed THE GOOD GIRL & THE BAD BOY. If you enjoyed it, it would be sweet if you have time to leave a review on Amazon. And I hope you’ll stick around for the next installment in the Jackson High Series. Thank you! ♥ M.L.
Huge Thanks To…
To my amazing editors! Thank you for making my books shine. (And for not complaining with the super-tight timeline I dropped on you. Sorry!)
To Terri, Karen, Allie, Dani & Dani! ♥️ For your help, eagle-eyes, support and encouragement! And for all the FT calls from Isla & Collins for smile breaks!
To Peter! Thanks for all the cooking and coffee while I finished this book. And for being there during “reentry” back to earth.
To Harley! For your constant companionship during my many hours in the writing cave. And for sharing your chair.
And to readers! For loving quirky sweet romances that make you snicker, swoon & sigh.
About the Author
M.L. Collins has done stuff. Good stuff. Bad stuff. Fun stuff. Boring stuff. She believes in true love, laughing loud and often, being kind, and assuming the best in people until they show you otherwise. She loves classic rock, old Motown, and ’90s country music. She hates naps, dill pickles, and scary movies. Loves windy days, dogs, and LOTR. She’s an unashamed lover of sprinkles on cupcakes.
M.L. loves reading and writing quirky sweet romance novels that make you snicker, swoon, and sigh. She loves hearing from readers!
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The Good Girl & the Bad Boy: A Sweet YA Romance (Jackson High Series Book 2) Page 18