A Fresh Start (Second Chance Bo - Lexi Bissen

Cover Design by Kari Ayasha at Cover to Cover Designs Photography by Shauna Kruse at Kruse Images & Photography Cover Model: Joshua McCann Edited by Monica Black at Word Nerd Editing Interior Design and Formatting by Brenda Wright A Fresh Start Copyright © 2016 by Lexi Bissen All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distrusted, or transmitted in any form or by any means including photocopying,

recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical reviews and certain other noncommercial permitted by copyright law. This novel is fiction. That means all of its content inducing: characters, names, places, and brands are products of the authors imagination or used in a fictional manner. Any similarities to actual people, living or dead, places or events are purely accidental.

This book is for anyone who has ever made a mistake in their life and needs that second chance. We all deserve one, all you have to do is want

that change bad enough… Hope you enjoy

Day one of my senior year of high school. Only 179 days to go. That’s not

so bad, right? Only one more school year until I’m out of this small town and on to bigger, better things. Like a degree from the University of Northern Florida. Freedom, Alabama is not a place you want to get stuck in for the rest of your life. With a population of less than 5,000, there aren’t many job opportunities. My daddy is the high school football coach—yes, the high school coach, because there is only one —and the science teacher for the upper classman. Mama has always stayed at home with us kids and volunteers for any and every event held within the town. She is the leader of all the fundraisers throughout the year and outdoes herself every time.

My high school consist of 450 students, 93 of them in my graduating class. Most of the kids all grew up together—hell, even our greatgrandparents have known each other for years. Everyone knows me as Ronnie Hamilton, daughter of Michael and Anne Hamilton, younger sister to Jerry Hamilton and twin sister to Sean Hamilton, my very overprotective brothers. And I know what you’re thinking—yes, we are all named after former football players. Our dad is a huge football fan, if you can’t tell. I mean, he named his only daughter after one for God’s sake. With such a limited selection of people my own age, making friends has

been hard, but boy am I lucky to have Allen. He moved here our freshman year and my life has never been the same since. He keeps me laughing constantly with his flirty pick-up lines toward the football players and constant need to “rename” himself, which really just means trying a new style. I pull up to Allen’s house in my red, beat up Ford F-150. He’s walking down the driveway with a super tight polo shirt on. The poor guy was still trying to find his identity after all these years. His mama accepted him being gay, but living in Bama, not many other people do. He never felt like he fit in with the southern style of plaid button-downs or a t-shirt, jeans, and some boots. He’s a large guy,

standing at six-two. I always love seeing the different styles he goes through. My personal favorite was last year and his Goth stage. He scared the shit out of a lot of people during that time with the crazy hair and makeup. I smile at him as he gets into my truck. “Darlin’, what in the hell are you wearing?” I’m trying not to laugh, but it’s starting to slip. He looks down at his fitted jeans and black polo shirt. “What? This is the last look I’m willing to try. I think I can pull of the preppy style well, don’t ya think?” When he slicks his brown hair back and winks at me, the laugh escapes.

Shaking my head, I shift the truck into first gear. “Yep, you’re doing a great job.” “Don’t look at me like that, missy. Just because you have no style, doesn’t mean I shouldn’t,” he huffs. I turn my head to give him a questioning look. “What do you mean I have no style? I think I look good.” I look down to check myself out. I have on a black tank top with one of Sean’s red plaid shirts over it, jean shorts, and black Converse. The shorts are a little too short, but that’s because I haven’t been able to afford a new pair with my Chili’s paychecks and these are two years old.

Allen looks at my outfit, then rolls his eyes. “Okay, fine. I can’t complain about your outfit. You’re the only girl I know who can make those basic clothes looks hot. All the guys are going t—oh, shit!” he snorts, and I look over to see him trying breathe through his laughter. “What the hell is wrong with you?” I ask him. He wipes the tears from his eyes— actual tears. “I’m picturing Sean’s face when he sees you dressed like that today. He’s going to flip a lid. Not to mention, Rodger’s reaction to all the guys who will be looking at you. You somehow got hotter over the summer and those two are not going to like that.”

I think for a second. Sean wouldn’t go too crazy over it…I think, and Rodger couldn’t care less. Plus, what is he talking about me getting hotter over the summer? “Sean will get over what I’m wearing and why would Rodger care? That was last summer and we were only together a couple times.” It was really twice, and I don’t even count the first time since all I remember is pain. Last year, I decided I wanted to get it over with—losing my virginity, that is —and I picked someone I trusted. Rodger. One of my brother’s best friends and the punter for my dad’s football team. We were only together those two times before he started wanting more and I freaked out. I didn’t want a

relationship with someone, least of all Rodger. He’s attractive and a nice guy, but I tend to stay away from jocks. Growing up with them my whole life, I want a little bit of distance. I made sure to tell Rodger sleeping with him didn’t mean anything serious to me. I wanted to get it over and done with. He was hesitant at first, but ended up being the guy who took my V-card. What I wasn’t expecting was for him to get angry when I ended it. Allen laughs at me. “Honey, Rodger is still obsessed with you. The guy watched your every move and made sure no one got any ideas when it came to you.” That’s a surprise. “He’s made sure?

What does that mean?” “That means, he told the guys to stay away from you. Sean thought Rodger was doing him a favor since some of the guys were talking about asking you out, but Rodger was doing it in hopes you’d give him another chance,” Allen replies. I look over and see him checking his phone. “I’m sure you’re imagining things. Besides, he knows I don’t want anything. I told him that last year.” Allen rolls his eyes. “Believe me or not. Look at the way the guy watches you. It’s borderline stalker, if you ask me.” We both laugh at his stupidity. “Shut

up,” I say, then turn up the radio, blasting Blake Shelton’s Neon Lights. After a few minutes, we pull into the parking lot of our school. I put the truck in park and start to collect my backpack. “Holy shit!” Allen yells out, causing me to jump. When I look over, he’s still focused on his phone. “What? What is it?” I ask. He looks up at me with wide eyes. “Did you know we have a new student this year?” “Um, no. I hadn’t heard anything. Why is that so shocking? I mean, we don’t get new students all the time, but —”

“Ronnie, it’s a celebrity!” Allen practically screams at me, not to mention interrupted me. Rude. “Why would a celebrity come here? We don’t have much in Freedom.” Our small town has nothing. I mean, we have beaches and football, but that’s it. “No clue, but I wonder who it is,” Allen says while getting out of my truck. “Me, too.” I grab my bag and follow him into the building. Happy first day of school.

I was lucky enough to have five out of my eight classes with Allen, including

lunch. Our first period together is English, which we also have with Sean and Rodger. I watch as they both sit at the same table with us. Rodger sits across from me and Sean across from Allen, leaving the last two seats open. Sean tries to slouch his six-foot frame into the poor excuse of a chair, then looks over at me. “How’s your first day going, little sis?” I roll my eyes. “You’re a minute and a half older than me. You can stop with the ‘little sis’.” “You’ll always be my little sis, Ron. I mean, look how tiny you are,” Sean replies. I huff at his comment. “I’m not tiny.

Five-two is a reasonable height.” Rodger looks over to me. “Yeah, she’s not at all tiny.” He gazes down at my chest for a bit too long, earning a punch in the arm from Sean. “What the fuck, man! That’s my little sister. Don’t look at her.” He pauses and looks at me, then my outfit. “And what the hell are you wearing? You shouldn’t be leaving the damn house like that.” I raise my eyebrow at him. “Like what, exactly?” “Your shirt is too low, Ronnie. Your tits are practically falling out of it,” Sean replies.

One of the junior baseball players walks by, saying, “Hey, Ronnie,” while checking me out. Okay, maybe he has a point. I look down to make sure my top is set correctly so nothing is showing. Rodger glares at the guy before looking back at me. “Yeah, you should fucking change,” he growls out. Now that Allen pointed it out to me, I do see how Rodger changed after we slept together last year. Before, when he was only my brother’s friend, he would joke about my looks like all the other guys. He never acted like this. Before I can say anything to either of them, Allen steps in. “Okay, you two, tone down the testosterone a bit. She’s

eighteen, I really don’t think she need anyone’s approval on how she dresses.” “Thank you, Allen,” I say, smiling at him. Before either Rodger or Sean can say anything in return, Mr. Henry enters through the door and walks up to the front of the classroom. He clears his throat, then proceeds to say, “Okay, class. Most of you know me or have had me in the past, so I won’t be going into the whole boring introduction of myself since half of you won’t listen anyway. I do have a couple things I want to go over with you and then you can all hang out until the bell rings.” This is why Mr. Henry is one of

my favorite teachers. I had him the last two years and while he does teach really well, he is pretty laid back. The next ten minutes are filled with Mr. Henry going through the syllabus and what we’ll be reading this semester, including an essay that is a large percentage of our grade. Once he’s wrapping up, the principle walks in. That’s never a good sign. They both step outside the room to talk, leaving the class unsupervised. Looking at Allen, I say, “I wonder what that was about.” “Maybe we have the new student in our class,” he replies, hopeful. Sean and Rodger look to both of us.

“What new student?” Sean asks. “Y’all didn’t see Megan’s post on Facebook?” Allen asks. Of course, Miss Nosey posted about it. Both boys shake their heads. Allen smiles at them and perks up. “Well, gentlemen, we do indeed have a new student starting today. And not any new student, they’re a celebrity.” The mention of a celebrity gets the dumb jocks to straighten in their seats. “Really? Wonder who it is. Maybe that hot new actress in those horror movies,” Sean says. Rodger smiles. “Or that redheaded singer with the amazing—” he stops

mid-sentence and quickly glances at me, “voice.” Like I would care if he thought another chick had an “amazing” something. Mr. Henry walks back into the room and faces the class. “All right, everyone,” he calls out, getting our attention. “Some of you might have heard that we have a new student this year. You may have also heard they’re somewhat of a celebrity. I want you all to treat them like any other student and not make a big fuss over who they are. We are all adults…or almost adults, let’s act like it.” I roll my eyes when all the girls start fixing their hair and the guys sit up straighter to get a better look at the door

behind me. I mean, come on, they’re a person for Christ’s sake. I look down at my Kindle and continue re-reading my favorite book by Jennifer Armentrout. Sean nudges Rodger in the arm at the sound of the door opening. When it closes, both boys slouch down in their seats, looking disappointed, while Sean sighs, “Damn.” I don’t look up, but in all honestly, I’m kind of nervous. I’ve never met someone remotely famous before. I figure if I don’t look, they aren’t really here. That will work, right? I remain focused on a certain sexy alien saving his race when I hear Mr. Henry introduce the newbie. “Everyone, this is Gibson Mitchell.

Please be respectable and help him with getting to class or anything else.” All the girls let out a round of sighs as they fawn over him. Yet another reason I don’t have any female friends. I would never fall all over a guy. Mr. Henry clears his throat in an effort to calm the raging hormones of his female students. “Okay, Gibson, you can have a seat at that table over there with Allen, Sean, Rodger, and Ronnie. They’re a good group.” Oh God, Mr. Henry had to sit him by us, didn’t he? Why couldn’t New Guy sit with any of the other seven tables in this room? I don’t want to be part of the welcoming committee. I shift in my seat, still keeping my head down, avoiding

our new student. Loud footsteps come from behind me, stopping at the edge of the table to my left. Taking a deep breath, I look to see an intense pair of eyes staring right at me. They are a strange green with specks of blue throughout them; unlike anything I’ve ever seen. They captivate me and I find it hard to look away. When I’m able to tear my gaze from his, I follow the length of a straight nose and meet a pair of full lips with a silver metal ring through the center of the bottom one. Making my way back up, I notice he has full, dark eyebrows. His hair is the same color. It’s short on the ends, yet long enough to run your hands through at the top. Allen would call it

“fuck me” hair. My eyes keep moving on their own and travel over his torso and down his legs. He’s tall, probably around Allen’s height, with a lot of lean muscle. His tshirt is fitted, the fabric stretching across his sculpted chest and colorful arms. His dark jeans covering a pair of boots look like they’ve been washed one too many times. I make my way back up his body, and when our eyes meet, he smirks, like he knows something I don’t. A throat clears, breaking our staring contest. When I look over, both Sean and Rodger are giving Gibson the dirtiest looks. Allen’s

chair

makes

a

loud

screeching noise as he pushes it back and stands to greet Gibson. “Hello, there. I’m Allen. Don’t mind those two muscle heads over here. They’re jocks, so you’ll only be getting grunts and nods from them all year. Too many blows to the head caused them to lose their ability to act civilized toward people.” He shakes Gibson’s hand and then turns to the boys. “The dark-haired one is Rodger and Goldilocks is Sean.” My brother huffs at the nickname. Gibson ignores both of them and stares at me. Allen gives me a sneaky smile and comes to stand at the back of my chair, putting his hands on my shoulders. “And this beauty right here is my bestie, Ronnie.”

I give Gibson a slight smile, and say, “Hi.” He smirks again. “Hey.” Allen whistles and then takes his seat next to me. Leaning over, he whispers, “I think someone is fixated on you.” I shake my head at him. “You’re crazy. Why would you say that?” I ask. Allen just looks over to where Gibson is still standing, studying me. Gibson shakes his head before taking the seat beside me. I take a deep breath, and look up to Gibson’s face. “Nice to meet you, Gibson.” I hold my hand out for him to

shake it. He looks at my hand for a second and then takes it in his. His hand is large and warm. It just feels right being wrapped around mine, like they fit perfectly together. While still holding my hand, he smiles up at me, and says, “You, too, Ronnie.” His voice is rough, but smooth at the same time. He sounds like he could be a singer. Maybe that’s what he’s famous for. Sean clears his throat and Gibson lets go of my hand to look at my rude brother. “I’m Ronnie’s older brother,” he says, his tone threatening. “Twin,” I say, rolling my eyes. Gibson gives a deep, quick laugh at

my comment. “Still older,” Sean retorts, sounding like a five-year-old. About a minute of awkward silence with Sean and Rodger both glaring at Gibson, I decide to break the silence. Turning my body to face Gibson, I ask, “So, what brings you to our small town?”

Ronnie. When I got a glimpse of her walking into the school building this

morning, I knew she would have a badass name to match her look. She’s different than most of the girls I’ve seen around this damn small town. She has the blonde hair and nice tan most Alabama girls have, but her look is different. While all these other girls around here have perfectly done hair and make-up, Ronnie seems more real, natural; not overly done like what I’m used to seeing. Her basic outfit is cute, yet fucking sexy at the same time. It shows off her features perfectly— features I couldn’t stop looking at this morning. I was all ready to show Ronnie how charming I can be when she opened that sweet mouth of hers and asked the

one question I didn’t want to answer. My mistake four months ago is now the reason I’m living in the smallest damn town I’ve ever seen. It’s also something I don’t particularly want people to know about. My dad’s agent kept all of this out of the news and spun the story to magazines as my uncle looking out for me while my dad’s on tour and Mom is away at a spa. I look over to Ronnie, and ask, “So, you haven’t read any of the news articles or heard the gossip about why I’m here?” Some of the gossip magazines posted stories about me getting a chick pregnant and going into hiding. Another had a front page story on my tragic meltdown and how I’m in a mental

hospital. Completely ridiculous. She shakes her head. “Nope. I don’t really read those celebrity magazines and I’m not friends with the gossip bimbos here at school,” she says, which surprises me since most girls follow all of that shit. She looks like she wants to say more, but refrains herself. I open my mouth to respond when the bell rings, ending class. Ronnie starts collecting her things and putting them in her bag. “What class do you have next?” she asks, glancing over at me. I pull my schedule from my pocket and take a quick look. “Algebra II with Mrs. Garcia.”

Ronnie’s face drops at my answer. “Oh, well, I have Trig next. Maybe I’ll see you around.” She smiles and turns to leave. Allen winks before following Ronnie and her brother out of the classroom. My eyes follow the sway of her ass until she’s out of view. “Stay the hell away from Ronnie.” I hear and a second later, the other guy from the table—Robert, I think— appears in front of me. “Excuse me?” I ask. Did this guy just threaten me? “I said sta—” “Yeah, I heard you country boy,” I say, holding my hand up to his face. “What I meant was, what the hell do you

mean ‘stay away from Ronnie’? I don’t really think I have to listen to you about anything, Robert.” I raise my eyebrow at him. “It’s Rodger.” He lifts his head and puffs out his chest, making an attempt to look taller and more intimidating. Too bad I have him by a good three inches and probably fifteen pound in muscle. “And what I mean is, don’t even think about going after her. She’s mine, got it?” I bust out laughing. Is this guy for real? “You do know she’s a person, right? Not some piece of property. Jeez, where are we, the eighteen-hundreds? You know all those women rights movements were back in the nineteen-

thirties, dude. They get pretty pissy now when you say shit like ‘they’re yours’, Robert.” I brush past him and continue laughing while exiting the classroom.

I’ve come to the conclusion public school sucks. I stopped attending Wellington Private School because I thought the strict rules there were bad, but nothing compares to this. The teachers don’t let you have your phone or computer out and they expect you to actually pay attention and participate with the class. By fourth period, I was fed up with teachers calling on me to say “a few words” about myself. There’s not

much to tell, but they expect you to have this huge, interesting background. I’m sure if I told them I grew up with an alcoholic mom and an absent dad, the teachers wouldn’t be happy. Instead, I said nothing, only sat there until they eventually started class. I walk into the cafeteria and notice her blonde hair and plaid shirt instantly. It’s like she stands out more than anyone else in the room. I can’t stop looking at her, and before I know it, my feet are moving in her direction. It takes me a moment to realize she isn’t alone. I would have preferred to have sat only with Ronnie, but her friend doesn’t seem too bad. Better than the meatheads from earlier.

Neither of them are paying attention when I walk up. Allen is the first to notice, and smiles at me awkwardly standing at the edge of their table like an idiot. “Well, hello there, new student. What brings you to our neck of the woods?” he asks, giving Ronnie a wink before turning back to me. “Um, hey. You guys mind if I sit here?” I ask. Allen smiles wider. “Of course you can sit here with the likes of us. But wouldn’t you rather sit with the flock of females who have been following you around all day?” He stretches to look around me. I follow where he’s looking,

and no shit, there’s a group of blondes in short skirts huddled about eight feet behind me. Turning to face Allen and Ronnie again, I roll my eyes. “Yeah, I think I’m okay not sitting with them.” “Really? Figured you’d be all over the easy women,” Allen says. Ronnie watches me carefully, waiting for my answer. “I’ve had the easy girls before, and trust me, they’re not worth it,” I say, my eyes locked with hers. “Besides, I came here to change my life. Doing the usual shit wouldn’t be changing it.” Allen nods in understanding. I take a seat across from him and look up to

find Ronnie studying me. “So, is that why you’re in our small town? You needed a life change?” Her question comes out almost as a whisper. I shrug. “Pretty much,” I reply, keeping the answer simple. Ronnie ducks her head slightly and sinks her teeth into the corner of her full bottom lip. Fuck, it’s one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen. “All right, I don’t want to sound stupid or anything, but who are you?” she asks after releasing her lip. Her cheeks flush to a dark pink and damn if that doesn’t add to her cuteness. She gazes up at me from under her full lashes and I can’t help but smile. “I mean, I know your name is Gibson

Mitchell, but I’ve never heard of you before.” Allen nods, moving his eyes from Ronnie toward me. “Yeah, me either. I would have Googled you by now, but the damn school is so strict about phones,” he huffs out. I laugh at the two of them. I really like that they haven’t heard of me before. It seems like every other person at this school has by the way they keep watching me. “Have you ever heard of the band Devil’s Angels?” I ask. A crease forms between both of their foreheads, making them look confused. At the same time, they both shake their heads no.

“Okay…well, how about Aaron Mitchell?” I ask. They’re both quiet for a minute, and then Ronnie asks, “Isn’t he some kind of musician or something? I’ve heard my dad mention that name before.” I nod, thankful she didn’t turn into a fangirl and scream about how much she loves him. That happens more than you would think. “Well, he’s the lead singer of the rock band Devil’s Angels…and my father.” Ronnie gives me a polite smile. “Well, that’s cool,” she says, seeming unimpressed. Allen slaps his hands on the table and looks between both of us. “Okay, I’ll

be the honest one here. We have no idea who you or your dad are. Ronnie is sweet and trying to be nice and act like she cares.” Ronnie’s face turns beet red and she narrow’s her eyes at Allen, then slaps his shoulder with the back of her hand. “Allen! I was impressed. I mean, he’s a rock star’s son. I’m sure he has tons of exciting stories and what not.” I laugh at her. “Sorry, Ronnie but nothing too exciting. My dad hasn’t really been around in my life and he didn’t want me anywhere near his rocker lifestyle, so no exciting stories to share.” Allen slumps back into his chair, seeming disappointed. “So, you have no

stories to share with us? Nothing at all? I mean, you do know we live in a very small town and the most exciting thing that happened before you came along was opening another movie screen in our theatre. Give me some kind of gossip.” “This town is really that boring?” I ask. Ronnie rolls her eyes. “Yep. All there is to do for fun around here is go to the beach or movies. I mean, unless you’re a football fan. Then the high school team has games every Friday and the bars celebrate every college and NFL game. Allen and I aren’t really into that, though.” I pull the Monster Energy drink out

of my bag, pop the tab, and take a sip. “You’re not a fan of football?” I ask her. She finishes swallowing her fry and says, “A fan? That would be a no.” “Oh, come on, Ron, of course you’re a fan. Considering who your daddy and brother are, you’d have to like football,” Allen says, his sarcasm thick. “Wait, who’s your dad?” I ask. Ronnie rolls her eyes at me. “He’s no one.” Allen holds his hand up to stop Ronnie from talking, then faces me. “This little Bama babe’s daddy is none other than Michael Hamilton. He’s the

head coach of the Gryphons. They’re considered royalty around here. Her dad was the QB when he was in high school and has been coaching for the last fifteen years. He’s won the school four state championships in that time. There’s been talk of him maybe moving up to college status.” “So, are you a football fan?” I ask him. He stares, like he’s waiting for me to say more, and then slaps the table and lets out a loud laugh. “That would be a hell no. My mom tried to put me in that shit when I was younger, but I preferred to work with the cheerleaders. She thought it was me following the ladies, but in reality, I wasn’t macho enough for

football, despite having the build for it.” Ronnie lets out a laugh, throwing her head back letting all her long hair fall down. I love that she has a full, natural laugh. It adds to her real factor. I can’t help but smile at the sound and her beautiful face. “So, your dad’s pretty big around here, huh?” I ask Ronnie. “He’s not ‘big’, people just know of him. Football’s kind of a thing here, so of course the head football coach of the only high school football team is going to be talked about,” she answers. “And mutters.

the

quarterback,”

Allen

Looking over to her, I ask, “Let me guess, your bother is the quarterback?” She rolls her eyes. “Yes, Sean is the QB. You’ll probably be hearing about him a lot because it’s football season and all.” Allen smirks at her and then looks to me, lifting his eyebrow. “Hence why her family is royalty around here. The Hamilton’s are well known. Hell, even her oldest brother, Jerry, played on the team before he graduated. I mean, he was no Sean, but the guy was pretty good.” “You have two brothers?” I ask Ronnie. “Yep, but Jerry is in the Army. He’s

stationed over in Fort Leonard Wood, so we don’t see him much,” she answers. There’s a slight frown and her eyes begin to glisten as she talks about her brother. The bell rings, announcing it’s time to get to our next class. I really don’t want to leave and not be able to talk to her, but figure I should make a good impression on my first day and stick to my plan of being a better “me”. As Allen collects their trash, Ronnie turns to me and asks, “You don’t by chance have American Government in room 205 next? That’s where Allen and I are headed. We got really lucky this year and have most of our classes together.”

I pull my schedule out of my pocket, glance over it, and look back at Ronnie. “Looks like we have the same class.” She smiles as Allen walks back from dumping the trash. “Well, we will show you the way then.” Allen looks between us and raises an eyebrow. “Show him what way? Where?” Ronnie grabs his arm and pulls him toward where I’m guessing is the direction of our class. I toss my empty Monster in the trash and catch up to them.

Two out of my last three classes of the day were with Allen and one was

with Gibson. Thankfully, Rodger and Sean were only in one of those classes and sat with the football team. I didn’t get a chance to talk to him like we did in lunch because our last teachers decided to jump right in to teaching on the first day. What were they thinking? Don’t they know the first day is all about passing out a syllabus and letting us talk until the glory bell rings? Some teachers will never learn. I really wish I could have asked him more questions. This guy piqued my interest, though I can’t explain why. Maybe it’s because he’s new. I know everything about all the other people in this school, so I don’t even bother talking to any of them. But Gibson…he’s

an unknown to me. And he seemed interested in asking me questions also, which I liked. I don’t think anyone other than Allen has ever taken the time to try to get to know me. The people in this town assume they know the real me because of my family. Hell, even my parents don’t ask about my interests or what I want to do with my future. They have it in their heads that I want to stay in this small town and work as a waitress at Chili’s forever. What I actually want is to get as far from this town as possible. I love my family, but I want to be independent and make a life of my own. I want to be Ronnie Hamilton, not a label under someone else.

As Allen and I walk to my car after our last class, I think about all the plans we both made for after we graduate. His mom is all for him going out and making his way through the world and I still have to hide my acceptance letter from the University of Northern Florida under my mattress. My parents wouldn’t understand me wanting go to a university in a different state. Sure, Jerry can join the army and Sean can go wherever he gets the best football scholarship, but me? They expect me to stay here and attend the local community college—not going to happen. Allen nudges my shoulder and points toward the sidewalk leading out of the school, interrupting my thoughts.

“Is that Gibson? I would have expected him to be driving some nice ass ride, not walking home from school.” I look over to where Allen sees someone and nod my head. “Yeah, it is.” I would have thought that, too. I mean, he is the son of a rock star. Shouldn’t they be flashy? “Maybe he didn’t bring his car with him from wherever he lived.” Allen shrugged. “You think we should ask him if he wants a ride?” I perk up a little at the thought of getting more time to talk to him, then purse my lips. I shouldn’t be excited about this guy at all. Guys were a no-no. I didn’t want to have to deal with any of the guys in this town—especially with

me leaving at the end of the year. Plus, this guy was a rock star’s son. He probably dated models or something, not small town high school students. I shrug my shoulders, being nonchalant. “Sure, if you want to. I live pretty far out there, so I’d probably be passing his house anyway.” Allen smiles and shook his head. He could see right through my indifferent response. “I’ll go catch up to him and ask. Pull the car up alongside us, will ya?” I nod, even though he’s already jogging toward Gibson and can’t see me. I head over to my truck, unlock it, and throw my book bag in the backseat. I climb into the driver’s seat with the help

of the step and handle on the roof. Being short and having a large truck isn’t ideal, but I love my old lady. Once I get all settled in, I drive the car over to where Allen caught up with Gibson. He shoots a glance toward my truck and then looks back to Allen, shaking his head. After more talking between the two, Allen pulls Gibson’s arm toward my truck with a laughing Gibson rolling his eyes. I pull up alongside the curb so the two of them could both jump in. Allen hops into the front seat while Gibson takes the back. I let my shoulders ease a little and relax into my seat. I really didn’t want to have to sit next to Gibson the entire ride. I’d probably drive off the

side of the road while staring at him for too long. Once Allen shuts his door, he looks over to me, and says, “Lookie who I found wandering the streets. Seems like we have a stray on our hands, Ronnie.” I peek into the mirror at Gibson. “Please ignore him. He’ll probably make dumb jokes the entire drive, so fair warning.” I put my blinker on and merge out onto the road after ensuring no cars are coming. Gibson chuckles and the deep sound makes the hair on the back of my neck stand. “Yeah, I’m starting to catch onto his sarcasm.”

Allen looks to both of us with wide eyes. “What are you talking about? I was serious. We do pick up the strays, don’t we, Ronnie?” “They aren’t strays. It’s only a student who may need a ride once in a while.” He narrows his eyes at me and squints as I stop at one of our five stoplights. “Umm, what do you think a stray is, Ron?” He turns his attention to Gibson. “It’s usually a poor freshman she wants to pick up. She hates driving by them in her hunk of crap while they have to walk home. She’s really a saint at heart.” He had to add that sarcasm at the end, didn’t he?

I reach over and punch Allen in the arm. “You see why I said to ignore him?” I ask, glaring at Allen. “And don’t talk about my ride like that, I don’t see you with a set of wheels.” He looks out the window and doesn’t respond to my statement. Gibson smirks. “I can see the saint thing coming into play. I mean, who likes giving rides to freshman? Totally sainthood if you ask me. Although, I’m nineteen, so not a freshman.” Are they ganging up on me? What the hell? Allen is my best friend. He should be on my side, not making fun of me in front of the new guy. Allen nods in agreement. “Sounds about right, Gibby, my boy.” I laugh at

Allen’s new nickname for Gibson. “What did you call me?” Gibson asks, sounding confused. Allen smiles, proud of himself. “Gibby. That’s your new name. Don’t worry, it’ll grow on you. Ask Ron. I mean, her nickname was a little more difficult to come up with. I got it, though. She’s my Itty-Bitty, because she’s so tiny.” “Well, as cute as that nickname is, I think I’ll stick with Gibson.” I shake my head and laugh. “Good luck, man. Sorry to say, but you’re never getting rid of that nickname. I got mine when I was fourteen and have had it for the past four years. Once he has one for

you, it never goes away.” Gibson huffs at my response and Allen smirks in triumph. After a couple minutes of driving, I realize I have no clue where Gibson lives. I look in the review mirror and catch Gibson gazing out the window. “Hey, I never did ask where you live.” He turns his head from the window to me. “Oh, uh, yeah. It’s about eight more miles, then take a left on LaClare Lane. The house is going to be on the right a little ways down.” “Okay,” I nod my head and smile, trying to act casual, though I’m feeling anything but. Allen’s street is only about two miles away. That means I’ll have to

be with Gibson. Alone. In my car. Great.

Ronnie seems nervous. No clue why. Everyone has been pretty quiet for a while. I was hesitant to catch a ride with the two of them when Allen asked me. Since I’ll be gone next semester, I’m

not looking to make friends. I’d rather keep my head down and get through these next few months as quickly as possible, but Ronnie and Allen seem pretty cool. I just have to make sure I can trust them. There is a reason I only have one close friend. Sure, I had a lot of people I partied and hung out with, but River was the only constant. I wouldn’t share anything personal with anyone else. I was never sure who I could trust not to go to the media with some bullshit so they could get their five minutes of fame. River is by best friend. He and his mom, Mary, are the only constants in my life and my two biggest supporters. River’s dad is the lead singer in Devil’s

Angels, so he knows all about the struggles of having a rock star for a parent. Luckily for him, he has one hell of a mother. Momma Mary never wanted River to be a part of his dad’s lifestyle. To be fair, his dad was pretty shitty at being a dad. After my arrest, Momma told my dad she wasn’t having it with me living with my mom, the least responsible parent. River and Momma set me on the right track—especially River. After my court hearing, River gave me four pieces of advice, which, at the time, I thought were complete horseshit. Once I cooled off from the anger of having to move to BFE, I thought about what he said and realized he’s right. After all, he does

have his own life in order. He’s in college working on his design degree to live out his dream of owning a tattoo shop. Do not give up. No matter how tempting drugs and alcohol are, do not give in. You are not your mother, don’t let yourself think you are. Every girl will be throwing themselves at Aaron Mitchell’s son. Don’t give yourself to those golddiggers. They just want to use your name. Wait for the girl who stops you in your tracks and doesn’t fall all over the Mitchell name. Listen to your uncle. There’s a

reason the judge gave you the option to live there. I keep those four things with me to remind myself I want more out of life. I quit the partying scene shortly after my court hearing. There was no point anyway. Judge Walters wouldn’t give me a second change if I were to end up back in his courtroom. So, I spent the rest of my summer hanging with River and some of our closer friends and denied all the girls who practically bent over for me. The one chick who caught my attention was Ronnie. Ronnie Hamilton. When I saw her, it was unlike

anything before. She stood out in the best way possible. I looked at her and it was like no one else was around. I knew she was what River meant when he said wait for that one girl. The guy is a hopeless romantic and always hated that I slept around and used women. I called bullshit, but this Ronnie chick did stop me. Girls I’ve known only looked at me for one thing: status. Even the ones who came from wealthy families. They all wanted to be the one to tame the wild, reckless Gibson Mitchell—the guy who makes promises to women to get them into bed and then leaves the moment he removes the condom. I’ve always been the fuck ‘em and leave ‘em type, but

River’s advice is to change that part of myself. And Ronnie seems like a cool person. She hasn’t ogled me with dollar signs in her eyes like other girls. I did catch her staring some—or a lot—when we first met, but now she seems like she’s trying to avoid looking at me in general. I look out the window as we turn onto a small dirt road leading to a two story, beat up farmhouse. Must be Allen’s place. Great. That means Ronnie and I have to drive to my uncle’s house alone…when she seems like she’s uncomfortable with me around. This should be fun. The truck inches up to the front of the house and puts it in park. Allen starts

to collect his things and then turns to look back at me. “It was lovely meeting you, Gibby, but this is where I must leave you all. Hope you have a nice night and I’ll see you tomorrow.” He faces Ronnie, kisses her cheek, and whispers something in her ear. She clutches his arm like she’s trying to get him to stay, but he shrugs her off and hops out of the car, waving to both of us. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Ronnie groans and then lays her head on the steering wheel, confirming my suspicion of whether or not she wants me in this car. Without lifting her head from the steering wheel, she says, “I am not driving you to your house while you’re

in the backseat like I’m some chauffer or something.” “I wasn’t planning on sitting back here, princess. You seem a little nervous about being alone with me, so I was giving you a second to yourself,” I say while unbuckling my seatbelt. “Whatever,” she replies, scrunching up her nose. I can’t help but smile, because damn, who knew nose scrunching could be a turn on. I make my way to the passenger seat, taking my sweet time. After getting the seat belt all set up, I catch Ronnie looking at me right before she whips her head around and quickly puts the truck in drive.

“Did you like what you saw?” I ask once we are back on the main road. She gives me a quick glance, but otherwise keeps her eyes on the road. “What are you talking about?” “Oh, you know, back there when you were checking me out.” I relax back in the seat to get comfortable. “Did you get a chance to take it all in? Or was that not enough time for you?” Leaning toward her some, I smirk. “I know there’s a lot to see here. We could pull over and I could do a little twirl while you stare if you want. I could even take my shirt off. There’s a lot under here you wouldn’t want to miss,” I say, my tone casual.

Ronnie tightens her fists around the steering wheel and shoots me a glare. “You’re crazy. I wasn’t checking you out. Don’t get a big head or anything.” I let out a laugh. “Big head? You were obviously checking me out. I saw you looking at all of this with interest. Don’t worry, I’ve checked you out plenty today. It’s only fair.” The truck jerks, causing me to grab of the “oh shit” handle. Ronnie grips the steering wheel tight and narrows her eyes at me. “You were checking me out? You perv,” she says. “It’s called being a guy. Naturally, our eyes drift toward hot women. Hence, me checking you out,” I explain, giving

her a wink before she turns back to the road. “Being a guy isn’t an excuse for being a perv,” she scoffs. “Even if you were checking me out, which you should not be doing, the pervy part comes from you telling me about it. Normal people don’t announce that kind of stuff.” “Would you rather me look at you from afar like a stalker? I’m an upfront person. This is me being upfront with you.” “Ugh, whatever. Don’t check me out anymore,” she huffs out. Like that’s going to happen. “Sorry, princess, but when I see a hot chick, I’ll look. It’s a natural instinct for guy.”

We pull up to my uncle’s house and I’m a little disappointed. I like getting Ronnie all riled up. She’s cute when she’s pissed. Ronnie puts the car in park when we reach my uncle’s driveway. “Well, as much fun as this has been, I believe this is where we have to part,” she says, not seeming the least bit upset. I collect my bag by me feet and lean in close to Ronnie, who is avoiding looking at me. “See you tomorrow, princess,” I say before exiting the truck. Maybe moving to Freedom won’t be such a bad thing after all.

The drive back to my house felt like hours when it was really only minutes.

Gibson and his flirty talk frustrated me. I’ve seen some of the guys at school try to check me out when they think no one notices, but this is the first time a guy has messed with me like that about it. Most of the time, it’s Sean’s friends doing it because they like to piss off my brother. What I don’t like about Gibson’s flirting is the effect it has on me. I’ve never gotten nervous around a guy before, but when he looks at me, I get a fluttering in the pit of my stomach and I don’t know what it means. It must be because he’s new. Yeah, that’s it. All the other guys I’ve known most of my life and Gibson is something different. This new feeling makes staying away from him that much more of a better idea.

The moment I open the door to my house, the smell of lasagna hits me. My mom is like Martha Stewart. Every night, we have a home cooked meal waiting for us on the table. Tonight happens to be my favorite. I pass the stairs and make my way into the kitchen, dumping my backpack onto one of the mismatched chairs at our table. Mom turns around from the oven where she’s preparing some garlic bread and flashes me a bright smile. “Hi, sweetie. How did your first day go?” I walk up to the fridge, grab a water bottle, and chug half of it before I respond. “It was okay. Nothing different than every other year. New teachers and new classes.” She asks me this same

question every first day, like something amazing is going to happen. Well, I guess meeting Gibson would have been a good answer, but I don’t want to get into that with her. “You have to give me a little more than that, honey. Do you have any classes with Allen? Or Sean? Oh, do you have science with your dad? I know Mr. Henry got a senior class this year, so I wasn’t sure if you had him or your father.” I didn’t have daddy as my teacher —thank God. Science was one of the classes I had with Gibson. I wouldn’t have been too fond of trying not to stare at the new student with my father in the same room. “Nope. I got Mr. Fuller. I

think Sean has daddy, though. And yes, Allen is in most of my classes. I have a couple with Sean, too.” “Well, that’s nice. Mr. Fuller was excited to be teaching seniors this year. Should be a fun class.” As soon as Mom finishes talking, Sean walks into the house with Rodger. Even though Sean and I share the truck, he usually catches rides with Rodger. Rodger’s house is right down the street from ours, but he’s here most of the time, or they at Rodger’s. They have a major bromance going on. Sean walks right up to Mom and kisses her on the cheek. “Hey, Momma, what are you making?”

She swats his hand away when he tries to reach for a piece of the bread. “This is dinner. Get your grubby hands out of it.” She turns and smiles at Rodger, who is standing by the table. “I assume you’re staying for supper, Rodger?” Like she doesn’t already know the answer. “Of course, Momma H. Like I would pass up some of you homemade cooking.” He takes a seat in the chair beside me, a little too close. Mom goes back to prepping the garlic bread while Sean grabs two Gatorades from the fridge and tosses one to Rodger. “So, boys, how was your first

day?” she asks. After taking a huge gulp of his dink, Sean says, “It was pretty good. Dad tried to be all tough with the class, but we knew he wasn’t serious. I think he likes to put on this hard-ass teacher act but forgets most of the kids grew up knowing him.” Mom shakes her head and lets out a slight laugh. “Your father is the biggest softy I know. I don’t understand why he keeps trying to convince his students otherwise.” She turns around and swats Sean with the towel she was keeping over her shoulder. “And watch that mouth of yours. I didn’t raise you to speak like that.” He’s always getting into trouble cursing around her.

“I have no clue what you guys are talking about. Mr. Hamilton is the scariest person I know. The whole team is terrified of him,” Rodger says. Momma finishes up the last bit of the garlic bread then turns to look at Rodger. “Don’t worry about him, honey. He may be hard on the football team, but he only acts like that to get you guys to work harder.” Dad’s footsteps are loud as he comes through the front door and heads straight into the kitchen, right to my mom. He plants a long kiss on her lips before acknowledging any of us. The boys turn away, looking disgusted by my parents’ display of

affection, but I don’t. I watch them, feeling the love they have for each other. That is what I want—to be so in love with someone, you’re desperate to see them after a long day. My parents act like they are still in the honeymoon stage of their relationship. Sometimes it’s annoying, like when you have a friend over and your parents are acting like horny teenagers, but most of the time, it makes me yearn for what they have. After they break apart, my father looks down at my mom. “How was your day, sweetheart?” She flashes a big smile. “It was good. Got the house cleaned up and some of the girls and I started getting ideas together for the football

fundraiser.” He gives her a small peck on the lips. “You’ll put on the best fundraiser ever. You always do.” He turns to look at the boys and me, as if he now realizes we were in the room. “Hey, kids. How was your first day?” “Fine,” the three of us say at the same time. Daddy raises his eyebrows and glances between us. “That’s all you guy have? Fine?” Momma nudges him away and heads to the fridge to get everything to prepare a salad. “Don’t worry, honey, that’s about all I got out of Ronnie when she got home.”

“Did any of you meet the new boy?” Dad asks. I avoid eye contact with all of them. Rodger is the first to speak up. “Yeah, we have English with him. He’s even at our table.” Dad’s eyebrows raise at Rodger’s statement. “Oh, really? Did any of you talk to him?” “Not really.” Rodger shrugs before cutting his eyes to me and smirking. This can’t be good. “Ronnie may know a little more about him. He seemed a little…fixated on her.” The jackass. Dad lifts his eyebrow at me, trying to look intimidating. “You talked to this

young man, Ronnie?” “Yes, Daddy. I talked to the new student. What’s the big deal?” I ask. He crosses his large arms over his chest. “No big deal, but from what I hear, this kid is trouble.” Rodger huffs. “Look at him. The guy’s covered in tattoos and piercings. How old is he anyway? Twenty-five?” “He’s nineteen,” I say without thinking. All eyes shoot to me and I squirm a little in my seat, wishing I could disappear. “So, you actually talked to him? I didn’t see you guys swapping life stories while we were in class,” Sean

says, joining into this little interrogation with a raised eyebrow. “Guys, he’s a student, just like the rest of us. He’s not some criminal or anything. So, because someone has tattoos, that instantly makes you not like them? You don’t know if anything you’ve read is even factual,” I say, feeling the need to defend Gibson for some reason. “Oh, he is definitely bad news. Do you know who his father is, Ronnie?” Daddy asks. “Yes. Well, not really. Gibson just said he was in some band.” A rock band, which probably isn’t a good thing. “He’s in the band Devil’s Angels, Ronnie. Devil’s Angels! You’re not just

chitchatting with a regular student. This kids grew up around drugs and partying. I don’t want you anywhere near him, you understand me?” he says, like I really have a choice in the manner. “What’s so wrong with that band? Just because he comes from one of them doesn’t mean he’s like that.” By his red face and the small vein in his forehead, I can already tell I asked the wrong question. I wonder if this is what Rodger was talking about when he said he’s scared of Daddy. “Devil’s Angels, young lady, is a band full of drug using, alcohol abusing, walking sexual diseases. I’m sure the son of one of them is just the same. He probably sees an innocent, young

southern girl he can have fun with while he’s here. Well, not my daughter. He can try to get in the pants of some other girl.” “Daddy!” “Michael!” Momma and I yell at the same time. “Why don’t you kids go get washed up for dinner. I need to have a word with your father,” Momma says as she shoos us away. The three of us grab our bags and make our way upstairs. Sean heads straight to his room, shouting to Rodger that he’s starting up the X-Box. I head to my room and go to shut the door when someone pushes me out of the way, making room for them to come in. Rodger.

“We need to talk,” is the first thing he says after he slowly closes the door, making sure it doesn’t make any noise. I cross my arms over my chest and Rodger’s gaze drops to the top of my tank top. Bad idea. I uncross them and shove my arms into the back pockets of my jeans. “Why would we need to talk?” I ask, confused. “I saw that Gibson guy get into your truck after school,” he says, sounding defensive. “Okay…? Did you just come into my room to inform me I gave a ride to a guy who needed one? I’m pretty sure I would remember something like that.”

Rodger’s eyes darken and his breathing increases. He creeps in closer, a low growl escaping. “God, I love that smart mouth of yours,” he says. I take a step back, my eyebrows drawing close in confusion. “Wha—” Before I can ask what the hell he’s talking about, or why he’s acting this way, Rodger smashes his mouth to mine. One hand goes to the back of my neck, holding it in place, while the other dips to my lower back, trapping my right arm. I wedge my hand in between us to push against his chest, but he molds his body to mine, making it so I can’t use my only free arm and forcing me against the

wall. I stiffen further, unsure how to get myself out of this situation. The tip of Rodger’s tongue probes at my closed lips, trying to gain access, and I open for him, drawing him in, needing him to get closer. Just before his tongue touches mine, I bite down—hard. He jumps back, cupping his mouth. “What the fuck, Ronnie? Why’d you bite me?” he barks out. I wipe my tongue with the inside of my shirt, trying to get the metal taste out of my mouth while resisting the urge to grab a baseball bat and use his head for batting practice. Where does he get off on questioning why I bit him when he was manhandling me?

I charge and shove Rodger as hard as I can, causing him to stumble back a couple steps. “Don’t you ‘what the fuck’ me, you asshole. Where do you get off thinking you can come at me like that?” He rolls his eyes and presses his fingers to his bleeding tongue. “Whatever. You liked it the last time I kissed you, why would this time be any different?” “Maybe because we were different. That was over a year ago. We aren’t like that anymore. I told you from the beginning nothing was going to change because we slept together.” We’ve discussed this. Multiple times. He starts to come at me again, but I

stop him by putting my hand up. “Why, Ronnie? Why did you end what we had? It was good between us.” Clearly he thinks we had something more than I did. “What we had? We slept together a couple times over a year ago. It was nothing more than that. Why are you bringing all this up again? I thought we had this talk already.” He runs his hands through his hair, tugging at the ends. “I know, dammit. You don’t think I could forget that lame ass excuse you gave me for stopping what we had?” Telling him I didn’t want a relationship was lame? Would telling him the truth have been better? “Why are you bringing all this up?”

I stare at him, wondering where this is coming from. Rodger said he was fine with ending it after the second time. I wasn’t into him the way he was me. He lets go of his hair and grabs me by the shoulders. “Because I don’t like the way that asshole was looking at you, okay?” “Who are you talking about?” I ask him. “That douchbag, Gibson. He couldn’t keep his fucking eyes off you all class.” By the twitch in his eye, I can tell Rodger is angry. This is the first time I’ve seen him mad and I don’t know what to expect. “I have no clue what you’re talking

about. Gibson is just some new student. He’ll probably get bored of this town anyway and leave soon,” I say, trying to soothe him. “Don’t worry, I warned him to stay away from you. If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll stay away.” He heads toward the door, but I grab his arm just in time. “What do you mean you warned him? Why would you warn him?” “Because, if I can’t have you, no one can. Just had to set him straight.” With that, Rodger walks out of my room, leaving me wondering what this whole talk was about.

I don’t get a chance to talk more with Rodger before he goes home after dinner, which is a shame. I would have really liked to know what he meant by “if I can’t have you, no one can”. After I finish my homework, I log in to my social media account. Right away, status after status of the new student overwhelms my newsfeed. There are girls talking about how hot he is and guys posting about how awesome they think having a rock star’s son at our school will be. Curiosity gets the better of me. I go to the search box at the top of the page

and type in ‘Gibson Mitchell’. His name pops right up. I debate whether I should be snooping on him, then figure, why not? If his stuff is public, then he wants people to see. After clicking on his page, I’m met with the same dark-haired boy from today. In his profile picture, he’s playing an acoustic guitar, focusing on his fingers. His cover photo is a drastic change from the man I see in his profile. It’s Gibson and some other people at what looks like a party, but what I can’t take my eyes off is the redhead in a short, skimpy dress plastered to Gibson like she’s an octopus and he’s her next meal. Gibson is holding her just as tight, with

his hands on her behind and his face nestled into the crook of her neck while her head is thrown back in laughter. The two photos are polar opposites. On one end is a man with a lot on his mind and on the other is a playboy—the exact bad boy my dad was talking about. Maybe I should stay away from him…

The next day in English class, I decide to ask Gibson about what Rodger

had said to me last night instead of approaching Rodger. I don’t like what he told me, but I also don’t want to have to talk to him after what happened. I’ve never felt uncomfortable around Rodger before, we’ve know each other for years, but after the incident, I feel the need to keep my guard up. I’m not a fan of someone coming into my room and assuming they can attack me. Allen and I are the first to our table, so while he’s looking at every DIY board on Pinterest, I’m getting my fill of Jennifer’s writing on my Kindle. A few minutes later, there’s a change in the atmosphere of the room. Gibson just walked in. I can feel him. Like my body knows he’s here.

“Hey there, Gibby. Heard you tried to run a few bases yesterday with my girl here,” Allen says, looking up from his phone. “Allen!” I yell, my face going red. I glance toward Gibson, who is sporting a cocky smirk. “I don’t know what bases you’re talking about. I always go for the homerun,” Gibson says, winking at me. I roll my eyes at the both of them and their ridiculous talk. “Okay, you two. You’ve had your fun. I already told you I just drove Gibson home, Allen.” He quirks a brow at me and goes back to his pinning. Gibson pulls out his own phone and starts to text someone.

Deciding to take this opportunity to talk to him, I lean over to Gibson, and ask, “Do you mind if we go into the hallway to talk?” He looks up at me from his phone. “Yeah, sure.” We both stand, getting Allen’s attention in the process. “Where are you two lovebirds heading?” “We’re going out in the hallway to talk for just a second. And stop with the whole ‘lovebirds’ thing. No more trying to play matchmaker.” Gibson and I make our way toward the door as Allen yells, “Never, Ronnie! I will get you your happily ever after.” He watches way too many Nicholas

Sparks movies. Once we make our way out into the hallway, Gibson leans against the lockers by the door. I turn to face him and the scruff on his jaw distracts me from my original intention. I like it…too much. “You know, if you just wanted to stare at me, you didn’t need to get me to come all the way out into the hallway,” he says with his signature smirk on his face. I choose to ignore his comment and get to the point of why I asked him out here. “What did Rodger say to you yesterday?” Gibson crosses his arms over his

chest and raises an eyebrow. “You mean after class?” he asks. I nod, and he continues. “Nothing, really. He was talking some bullshit about how I should stay away from you because you’re his. Very caveman like. Not my thing.” Throwing my hands up, I let out a groan. “Ugh, just ignore him. I have no clue what has gotten into him lately.” “So, the two of together?” Gibson asks.

you

aren’t

I shake my head before he can even finish his sentence. “No. There was this thing last sum—never mind. All you need to know is we aren’t and never will be anything.” Gibson looks at me and smiles.

“Good,” he says, sending a warmth through my body. Before I get a chance to reply, Sean and Rodger make their way toward the classroom, disconnecting themselves from the crowd of football players. They stop next to Gibson and me. Sean’s protective stance and the way he crosses his arms lets me know he’s annoyed with me talking to Gibson. Rodger makes sure to stand right next to me. So close, I can smell his overpowering cologne. I take a step away from my brother’s friend and Gibson notices. “What’s going on over here?” Sean asks, using his protective brother voice.

“We were just talking. Actually, we just finished and were heading back into class right as you showed up.” I turn and head back into the classroom. I hear Gibson say, “What she said,” and then the sound of his footsteps coming up behind me. Once we all make it to our seats, Mr. Henry comes into the classroom. I’m excited for what we’ll be doing this year in English. I’ve heard we have a big writing assignment he gives us at the beginning of the year. I love reading and writing. I’ll be majoring in English when I go to UNF, so I like to read everything and anything to learn more. After Mr. Henry gets his coffee and

briefcase situated on his desk, he turns to address the class. “All right, everyone. I hope you all had a good first day. We’re going to start off today with talking about your semester assignment. This paper may be due in December, but I want you all to be thinking about what to write and working on it over the next four months.” He opens his briefcase, grabs a stack of papers, then starts passing them out. Once he finishes, he heads back up to the front of the classroom. “As you can see on the handout, this paper is going to be about your life goals. I know you are all young and maybe aren’t sure what you want for a future, and that’s okay. Some of you may have known what you wanted to do with your life since

you were a kid. What I want all of you to do with this paper is write what you want out of life. Talk about how you want to change yourself and what you want for your future. If you plan on going to college, talk about what you want to study and why you’re choosing that profession. If you want to marry your high school sweetheart and start a family, talk about that and explain why it’s what you want. All I really want are your passions for the future and why you have them.” He takes a second to write the due date on the board and then grabs another piece of paper off his desk. “You are all seniors now. I’m expecting you to act like adults about this assignment and not

put something ridiculous like ‘I want to grow up and be the next big rapper and make millions’. Make this realistic. And if that is your dream, you better give me a damn good paper on why that is.” This has to be the best assignment I have ever gotten. Not only do we get to write, we are being told to do a paper on a topic I’ve been wanting to talk to someone about for a while now. To be able to put down all the words I want to say to my parents on paper is perfect. It can help me for when I tell them about my dream of moving and going to UNF. Mr. Henry clears his throat. “I am doing something new this year that I think would help all of my students. I’m assigning everyone a partner. The two of

you will not be writing this paper together, you will just be…a helper of sorts. The two of you will have to get together, discuss your topics and points, and help each other through the writing process. My students last year took a vote and said they believe this could help when writing their papers.” After Mr. Henry names off most of the students in class, pairing Rodger with the girl who ate glue when we were in middle school, there are only six of us left, and among those six are Sean, Allen, me…and Gibson. I cross my fingers, hoping he pairs me with Allen. After he names off the other two students, there’s only the four of us left. Please don’t put Gibson and me

together. Mr. Henry faces our table and looks at his sheet of paper. “And it looks like Sean and Allen will be partners. That leaves Gibson and Ronnie.” You have to be kidding me.

Ronnie

seems

annoyed.

She

avoided eye contact with me the entire time we were in English, and now it’s lunch and she still won’t acknowledge my presence. Allen insisted I sit with them again and though I was reluctant, I didn’t really have anywhere else to sit that wouldn’t be surrounded with people wanting to know every and anything about my life. A long stretch of silence goes by with Ronnie staring at her pasta, pushing a meatball around while Allen and I wonder what to say to break how awkward this is. She finally stabs the poor, helpless meatball and jerks her attention up to Allen. “I really don’t understand why I can’t have you as a partner,” she tells

him. Sure, that doesn’t insult me or anything. And it’s not like I want to have to share what I want out of life with anyone, especially Ronnie. I lean back in my chair and cross my arms over my chest. “Don’t worry, princess, I would rather have another partner too. Since it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen, we’ll just have to make the best of it.” Ronnie sits quietly for a moment, and then her face brightens. “What if we ask Mr. Henry to switch us up? Maybe he—” “Already tried,” I say, cutting her

off. “He told me he thinks you’d be good since I’m new here and you’re the best student. Trust me, I tried to get him to switch us. I don’t think it’s going to happen.” “Oh.” She goes quiet after that. After shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath, she looks at me from across the table. “All right, then I guess we’re partners.” Allen leans over from his seat next to Ronnie and swings his arm over her shoulder. “Don’t worry, honey. You two will have a great bonding experience. Get to know each other a little.” From the frown on Ronnie’s face, I can tell this project is going to be so

much fun. After the end of a long day, I head out of school and start the long trek home. No way am I expecting Ronnie to give me a ride after her reaction to being my partner. I think she may need time to get over her little tiff. As I make my way along the sidewalk beside the main road, I get to thinking about the assignment. One thing I always hated about school was when we had to talk about ourselves. When you live in a world where your life is broadcasted all over—truth or not—the last thing you want is people having more to talk about. Everyone knows my past and what

I’m doing at the moment, but no one knows the future I want for myself. I’ve done the partying, drinking, and drugs. After being arrested and talking with my uncle and River, I realized that life isn’t what I want for myself. I want a life separate from my father’s fame. The first day I got to this town, my uncle made sure to go over all the rules —and there were a lot of them. The main ones were: don’t do anything against the law, be respectable to the people of his town, and don’t think with my dick. These are all things I’ve been told time and time again, mainly by River’s mom. She was more of a mother to me than my own and taught these same rules to her son. The only difference is River

listened to her and I didn’t. I rebelled at a young age and I’m just now realizing I should have listened to both of them. Better late than never, right? A car slows next to me and someone whistles, interrupting my thoughts. When I look up, Allen is hanging his head out the window and waving a twenty-dollar bill in the air. Cupping his hand around his mouth, he yells, “Hey, hot stuff. I’m looking for a little piece tonight. How much do you cost for…hmmm…let’s say two hours? I’m feeling a little frisky.” He ends his little speech with a wink and a lick of his lips. As I walk up to the car, I get a nice view of Ronnie laughing in the front see.

God, she has a perfect smile. I rest my arms on the open window after Allen pulls his head back in. “Sorry, dude, but you wouldn’t be able to afford all this.” Stepping back, I run my hands down my body, giving them a show. I glance in Ronnie’s direction. Her mouth hangs open as her eyes follow the movement of my hands. I’m starting to like that this girl can’t keep her eyes off me. Glad to know the feeling is mutual. “Damn, boy! How much do you cost? With a body like that, I’m will to pay anything,” Allen says, fanning himself. I’m really starting to like this guy and his witty humor. Most people I hung out with in L.A. weren’t so open

with jokes. Ronnie clears her throat. “All right, horndog, take it back a little. You don’t want Officer Dan to think you’re trying to pick up a hooker, do you?” Allen huffs and rolls his eyes at her before turning back to me. “So, Gibby, why didn’t you wait for us to give you a ride? We stood around for you, but figured you had already left.” Shrugging my shoulders, I say, “I was feeling a walk today, I guess.” Total lie. This heat is killing me and the sweat covering my face is no doubt showing just how much. By the eye roll Ronnie gives me and the chuckle from Allen, I can tell

neither of them believe me. Allen is the one to call me out. “That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Do you know how hot it is out here? You live what, fifteen miles away? In this heat, you’ll pass out halfway there.” He’s probably right. I’m not used to this kind of humidity. Ronnie leans forward, giving me a nice view of her rack with the V-neck she’s wearing. I only glance for a second, maybe two, so she doesn’t catch me and bring up the pervert conversation again. “Just get in the truck, Gibson. You’re on my way home, so it’s no problem for me to drop you off.” What she says doesn’t match what I see in her

eyes. She doesn’t want to be alone with me. I wouldn’t either if I thought the guy I was with was trouble. “Okay.” That’s all I’ve got. I really just don’t want to walk all the way to Dan’s house. I hop into the backseat just like yesterday and she takes off. The radio is playing some God awful country music again today. I scrunch my nose in distaste and blink my eyes, refraining myself from checking to see if my ears are bleeding. “I take it you don’t like country music,” she asks, and even though I can’t see her, I hear a hint of a smile in her question.

I wince when the guy singing goes into the chorus and there’s a little too much twang. “It’s not one of my favorites,” I tell her. She looks at me through the rearview mirror. “What kind of music do you like?” she asks. Allen jumps up in his seat. “Wait! Let me guess. I can totally get this by your look. Let’s see…you have that tattoo sleeve, the gauges, and let’s not forget about that hot lip ring. I’m going to say you’re into alternative, maybe scream-o, rock? Am I right?” He looks all excited, though he couldn’t be more off. Before I can tell him, Ronnie joins

in. “I’m going to guess you like soft rock. Oldies. Maybe guys like The Beatles or Boston.” To say I’m surprised would be an understatement. I’m shocked she nailed not only my favorite type of music, but two of my favorite bands. This chick is good. “Sorry, Allen, but Ronnie got it right,” I say with a smile on my face. Allen huffs and crosses his arms over his chest. Guess someone’s a sore loser. Ronnie looks over to him and sticks her tongue out. Damn, she’s cute. We sit there, listening to the horrible song about some guy losing his girl until we pull up to Allen’s house. He

leans over and gives Ronnie a peck on the cheek before grabbing his bag and exiting the truck. On his way to his door, he turns to walk backwards. “Be gentle with her, Gibby!” he yells, making my trip up to the front seat that much more uncomfortable. When I get situated, I’m surprised to see Ronnie smiling with her head down. Her cheeks have a slight tint of red to them and she starts shaking her head while putting the car in reverse to back out of the driveway. Once we’re on the road, I ask, “So what were you thinking about this project?” I figure it’s a safe topic. “Well, I was actually thinking up

some ideas this afternoon. What I was thinking is we could write our rough draft on our own so we could get a base for what we are going to write about and then have each other read it over and see how it sounds. That way, if we see something wrong, we can talk about it together.” I nod my head in agreement. “Okay, that sounds good. When did you want to have these rough drafts done by?” She reaches over to the radio and turns down the music. Thank god. “I don’t want to wait until the last minute. It’s the first assignment of the semester, so I would like to start it as soon as possible, if that’s okay. I think it would be better for both of us to get this out of

the way early on.” “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say.” School has never been one of my favorite things, so this assignment isn’t something I’m looking forward to. We pull up into my driveway and Ronnie puts the truck in park. “You aren’t exactly interested in school much are you.” She phrases it like a statement. I look over at her and smirk. “What? Did my enthusiastic response give it away?” She flashes her white teeth and lets out the cutest fucking giggle I’ve ever heard. I’ve always found it annoying when girls giggle, but maybe it was because they were just doing it to get

something from me. Ronnie’s is genuine. “Well, the sigh you had at the end kind of gave it away. But that’s okay. School isn’t everyone’s thing.” Even though Ronnie seems like a straight A student from what Mr. Henry said when I talked to him, she doesn’t act “in your face” about it. “Definitely not for me,” I mumble. She pulls up into my uncle’s driveway and I reach in the back for my book bag. I’m just about to head out of the truck when Ronnie stops me. “Wait. Is this Officer Dan’s house? Why are you living here?” “Oh, well, he’s kind of my uncle. I actually just found out a couple months

ago.” I’m hoping that’s enough of an answer for her and she drops it. “Why are you living with him? I didn’t even know he had siblings, much less a nephew.” Of course, she’d have more questions. Women always do. “Welcome to the club of unanswered questions. But as for the living with him part, that falls under the category of things I’d rather not talk about.” I get the door open without her saying anything else. I shut it, then lean into the window. “Have a good night, princess. See you tomorrow.”

Saturday afternoon I decide to head to my favorite spot. I park my truck in a

small patch of grass beside the wooden walkway leading to the beach. The smell of the ocean hits me as soon as I get out of my truck and I can’t help but smile. This is my paradise. While most students are in a tiny desk at the library or in their rooms doing homework, I enjoy the fresh air and sunshine while I do mine. There’s something about the sounds of the ocean and the breeze that gets the juices flowing for me. Collecting my bag from the truck, I make sure my computer and notebook are tucked away safely before I head toward the picnic tables, hoping to be able to get a layout for my paper while I’m here. The faster I get this assignment done, the sooner I won’t have to be

partners with Gibson anymore. As the picnic tables come into view, I notice a large figure sitting at one of them. Well, drats. This place is usually empty and I was hoping not to have to share it with anyone. Instead of stewing over the intruder, I move over to the second table. Luckily, they’re far enough away, we won’t bother each other. I keep my head down as I make my way through the sand. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I jerk my head up at the harsh tone and my eyes connect with Gibson’s. They are captivating, brighter and even more beautiful in the sun.

I cock my hip out and narrow my eyes at him. “Watch the tone, mister. You’re in my place, so I should be the one asking you why you’re here.” He quickly shuts his laptop, as if he’s trying to hide what’s on it. “Your place? What do you mean your place?” he asks. “Well, it’s not my place exactly. It’s just where I come to read and get away from everything,” I answer. Only one person knows about this place and I feel really strange and exposed having Gibson know about it now. “How did you find out about it anyway?” He runs his hand through his thick, black hair and I can’t help but follow the

movement with my eyes. “I was talking with my uncle the other night about this assignment. He said a good place to work on it would be this beach. He runs most nights and says he sees some girl out here writing away in her notebook or typing on her computer. I figured fresh air could help with getting this stupid thing done.” He looks to my backpack. “Wait. Are you here most nights? Is that who he was talking about?” “What I do with my spare time is beside the point. You can’t be here when I’m writing. It’ll distract me.” The moment the words leave my mouth, I know I set myself up for him. Gibson raises a dark eyebrow. “I distract you, huh?” he asks in a deep

voice. Foot, meet mouth. I can’t backtrack my way out of this one. “That’s not what I meant. I just mean having you, or any other person, around wouldn’t help with my creative juices. Not just you in particular. Anyone …anyone at all.” I shut my mouth and tighten my lips into a line to prevent myself from rambling any more. He leans forward and puts his arms on the table, giving me a nice view of his muscular, colorful arm. “So, if any person distracts you from your ‘creative juices’, does that mean you would have told them to leave your spot as well?” “No,” I say, and quickly realize my

mistake. Gibson gives me a knowing smile, making the metal ring in the center of his lip more noticeable. “Then it’s settled. We’ll both stay here and work separately. That’s okay, right? Unless there’s another reason you wouldn’t want me to stay here?” he asks. I let out a soft sigh and purse my lips. He expects me to either leave or tell him why I don’t want to work with him here, but what he doesn’t know is I don’t give in easily. Growing up with two older brothers means I know how to stand my ground. I walk over to the picnic table next to his and lay my book bag down. “Not a problem at all. Just try to keep it down. I

like listening to nature while I’m working.” He shakes his head and smiles. “Whatever you say, princess.” Then he opens his computer and turns his focus back to what he was working on. I take a deep breath and begin getting my stuff out of my book bag. For some reason, nervousness starts to kick in. I feel exposed starting this project with him nearby—which is stupid since he’ll have to read this once I’m finished. No one knows about me wanting to leave this town besides Allen. The only reason he does is because he’s the one who convinced me to apply to UNF. Without him, I’d be picking out classes at the local community college and

trading in my part-time job at Chili’s for a full-time one. Gibson must have sensed my little panic attack because from a distance, he asks if I’m okay. I look up to him to him and nod my head. He raises his dark eyebrow, but lets it go and returns to his laptop. I open up my own and get out my notebook and pen while waiting for the sign-in screen to come up. Once I’m logged in, I open Word and get a fresh sheet of notebook paper ready for some notes. Starting a paper is always the hardest part. I try to do an outline of what I’m writing and where I want it to

go first so I have a direction to follow once I start typing. Finishing the layout is easier than I thought it would be and I complete it within half an hour of getting here. What surprises me even more is how I don’t get distracted by Gibson one bit. That could be because I’m trying really hard not to stare at him. I look at my layout for a quick reference and then begin typing away on my laptop. I get in the zone with creating the layout, ideas popping in and out of my head. I’m on a roll when I notice something out of the corner of my eye. Glancing away from the computer, my eyes come into view of Gibson. He’s not just sitting at the table anymore—no,

he’s stretching. His muscular arms are raised above his head as he crosses his fingers together, forcing them to crack. I try to tear my eyes away, I really do, but I don’t know any woman on this planet who would be able to take her eyes off this beautiful man. Gibson is a work of art. His jet black hair, short on the sides, yet long enough to run your hands through, matches his deep green eyes perfectly. I focus in on one of his arms while it’s up in the air, trying to make out the colorful images. I never thought I would be the kind of girl who’s attracted to a guy with tattoos, but Gibson’s interest me. They make me want to get up close, inspect each and every one, and ask about the meanings

behind them, if there are any. I follow the movement of his arms as they come back down to the table and catch the smirk on his face. Busted. Again. I quickly divert my eyes to my laptop as if nothing happened, just waiting for him to call me out, and find myself surprised when he doesn’t say anything. Even though I’ve only known Gibson a few days, he is definitely the type of guy who takes an opportunity to mess with me about checking him out. Focusing on my outline, I begin writing the first paragraph and then move right on to the second. Halfway through the third, a piece of balled up paper lands on the table right beside my computer. I look up to find Gibson’s

eyes on his work. When I grab the paper and unfold it, there’s sloppy handwriting inside. Nice shorts. I roll my eyes at his annoying interruption, catching more writing at the bottom of the note. Don’t roll your eyes at me, princess. I was only giving you a compliment. I laugh out loud. Somehow, he seems to already know me in the short time we’ve spent together. I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or not. An hour goes by without either of us saying a word and I find it difficult to

focus after breaking my no-staring-atGibson streak. I only get about four hundred words written, which is just the start of my story. If Gibson is here every time I come to write, this is going to be a struggle. Gibson looks at the time on his phone and starts to pack his laptop into his bag. When I check the time myself, I realize it’s just after four in the afternoon. I sigh. I’ve been here for over two hours and have barely done anything...and I’m going to be late meeting Allen at Starbucks after his Chili’s shift. I quickly gather up my belongings and shove them into my bag. After zipping my back pack closed, I stand to

leave. Gibson is standing by the exit, waiting for me. I walk up to him and the flutter in my lower stomach gets more intense with every step I take. This feeling I get needs to stop. I don’t like it and I really shouldn’t be feeling this way about him. He’s the bad boy. The rock star’s son. Having feelings for Gibson will only end in heartbreak, and I’m more of a happily ever after girl. When I approach Gibson, he smiles down at me and all thoughts of bad boys and rock stars leave me. “I just want to say I won’t be bringing up the fact that you seem to enjoy getting lost in all my hotness from now on. It’s become a problem for you and I don’t want to

embarrass you anymore than I already have. Even though I do love the way your face gets all red when I do.” He reaches out, runs his thumb across my cheek, and then drops his hand. Heat creeps across my skin where Gibson’s thumb left a trail. No guy has ever made me blush before. I’m not a fan of it. Blushing is a sure fire way for Gibson to know he’s affecting me. I need to figure out a way to control that on top of the problem I’m having with staring at him. This could be difficult. I clutch the strap of my bag and walk past him with a huff. I glance back to see if he’s following me and sure enough, he isn’t. What he is doing is

staring at my ass and biting his lip. That’s not okay. I spin around, breaking his contact with my behind. He jerks his head up and smiles at me. Resist the smile, Ronnie. “What do you think you’re doing?” I demand. Gibson begins walking toward me as he answers, “I figured every time I catch you checking out my amazing body, I should only return the favor by taking in as much of yours as I can.” He walks past me and all I can do is stare. As he makes it to the sidewalk, he yells out, “See you Monday, princess.” I blow out a breath and continue toward my truck. For the first time ever, I’m

looking forward to a Monday. Resisting this bad boy may be harder than I thought.

With the first week of school out of the way, teachers get straight to business

and jump right into lessons. It’s now Thursday and I haven’t had any time to myself between school and work. On the bright side, I have off until Sunday. Allen and I make our way to an open table in the lunch room and set our food down. Gibson has been eating with us—or I should say drinking since he only has an energy drink—most of the week, but only for the second half. I know he has gym before lunch, so maybe he showers first. I begin peeling away at the paper to get to the yumminess that is my club sandwich when Allen starts talking. “Did you hear about Missy Walters’ party tomorrow night?” he asks.

I pause what I’m doing and look at him. “Why would she tell me about it? She made sure to have it known to everyone she doesn’t like me after I told Sean she had crabs last year.” Sean turned her down when she asked him out at the beginning of our junior year. Missy came up with the bright idea of trying to become my best friend to get close to him. She would sit with me in each class we had together and at lunch. It was quite entertaining, actually. She tried really hard and I just didn’t have the heart to tell her I wasn’t a dumbass. Then I heard her talking with some of her cheerleader friends about how I was eating out of the palm of her hand and she’d get me to set her and Sean up in no

time. I laughed while walking out of the locker room. I think she knew then I was on to her. Ever since that little incident, she hasn’t been a real fan of me. Allen rolls his eyes. “Just because Prissy Missy doesn’t like my Itty-Bitty doesn’t mean we aren’t going to her party. She’s having a bonfire in her backyard. Her parents are going away for their anniversary. Plus, it will be far enough away that Officer Dan wouldn’t notice the smoke. Remember last time he broke up one of the parties? This is probably going to be the only party of the year. We can’t miss the only party!” he whines, and I want to tell him fine just so I don’t have to hear that again. “You just want me as your beer

pong partner so you aren’t always losing.” Allen sits up a little taller in his chair. “I have no clue what you are talking about. I am the beer pong champion.” I lean forward and raise my eyebrow. “Oh really? How many of those cups did you make, mister? If I remember correctly, I was the one who made every. Single. Shot.” “I had to have made at least one.” He sounds surprised, like he didn’t know he sucks at beer pong. I shake my head. “No, sweetie. You had way too many fireball shots beforehand to throw the ball in the right

direction.” I decided to stay relatively sober that night. When Allen is DD, he usually forgets and we end up having to ride home with Sean and Rodger. I’m not letting that happen tomorrow with the way Rodger has been acting. I go back to my turkey on wheat while Allen tries to piece together what really happened at that party. “All right, I’ll go tomorrow night. Should we just say I’m DD instead of going through the motions of you acting like you’ll stay sober?” He bows his head in shame. “That’s probably for the best.” We both start digging into our food. Once I take my last bite, Gibson

walks into the lunchroom with Missy by his side, carrying her gym bag. I keep a close eye, but try not to look like I’m watching their every movement. Missy has on that fake smile she always used with me last year. She’s doing the typical things girls do when they flirt: flip hair, cover your mouth when you giggle, lay your hand on the guy’s arm. She’s touching his arm. Not only is Missy touching Gibson’s arm, she isn’t letting go. Something inside me feels protective and makes me want to jump out of my seat, snatch him away from her, and wash his arm of any trace of her on it. I already don’t like the feelings this bad boy gives me, and now he has me feeling…jealous? Is that what

this is? Allen calls my name, snapping my eyes away from them. I make eye contact and catch him smiling at me. “What? Why are you smiling?” I ask. He whistles, casually. “Oh, nothing. I’m just waiting to see how long it takes you to jump from your seat and attack Missy.” Play it cool, Ronnie. Don’t let him know that’s exactly what you were thinking of doing. “I have no clue what you’re talking about. I was just staring outside at the change in weather. Can you believe fall is so close to being here?” He shakes his head. “Don’t you try

to distract me with my favorite season, little lady. No amount of fall colors and pumpkin spice will keep me from calling you out on your first jealous episode,” he says in his “dad voice”. I open my mouth to defend myself when Gibson walks up to the table. Snapping it closed, I look around him to make sure Missy isn’t near. I see her heading in the opposite direction toward her table of cheerleaders and some football players. I roll my eyes, not surprised by how cliché she is. Gibson takes a seat next to me and pulls out his liquid lunch. After he takes his first sip, he looks to Allen and me. “Hey, guys.”

“Hey,” we both say, smiling. The silence at the table is starting to make me fidget. I don’t do well with awkward and the desire to ask Gibson about his conversation with Missy is weighing on me. I can’t hold it in. “So, what were you and Missy talking about?” I ask, hoping I sound casual. Gibson sets his drink down midway to his mouth and Allen leans forward so he can listen better. “Who’s Missy?” Gibson asks, pinching his eyebrows together. I shrug my shoulders. “The girl you were just talking to,” I say. He looks over his shoulder to the table Missy walked to. “The blonde?”

“Yes, the blonde,” I say, almost incredulous. Is he stupid? Does he not remember the conversation he was just have five minutes ago? “Cheerleading outfit. It’s short. She has an annoying, squeaky voice when she talks.” He smiles at me and I want to punch myself in the face. “Why, Ronnie, by your tone, I would guess you either have a bad past with this chick or you are jealous.” “I don’t know where you got that idea. Why would I be jealous?” I ask, shrugging it off, though I’m shocked by the ease at which he calls me out. “I was just wondering if you’re meeting any of the other students around here. It’s been

two weeks and I’ve only seen you hanging out with us.” “So, you’re jealous of me talking to that blonde chick and you’ve been watching me? Be careful, Ronnie. Any more of this and you’ll have me thinking you like me,” he retorts. My mouth parts, but his response leaves me dumbstruck. Allen bursts into a fit of laughter and my mouth snaps shut. “Itty, I think he has you there. This boy is good.” “I wasn’t watching you like… watching you, watching you. I just happened to notice you don’t take an interest in the other students,” I say, pointing my finger at Gibson before

shooting Allen a death glare for being a traitor. Gibson leans back in his chair and rests his arm on the back of mine. He’s too close now and my body begins to heat up. He looks over to me, and says, “Should we just add this up with me not calling you out when you check me out either? I won’t say anything when you get jealous of me talking to another chick.” Ugh, I just want to punch him. And then kiss him. What? No, no kissing the bad boy. I look away before the urge gets the better of me. “As much as I’d like to open the subject of Ronnie checking out your goods, we’re going to be late for American Government if we don’t move

our heinies,” Allen says, jumping in, which I am grateful for. Allen gets up to throw away our trash and I glance around the cafeteria, realizing he’s right. The place is almost empty. I hurry to grab my belongings and meet Allen at the front doors with Gibson right behind me. We make it to class just before the bell rings. We have a substitute teacher today and he looks just as thrilled to be here as we do. Usually I’d be upset because having a sub means we lose out on a lesson, but I’m not. My brain isn’t functioning properly and a certain tattooed bad boy might be the reason. We take our seats by the window.

Gibson is in the seat behind me and Allen is to my right. The substitute starts the attendance role call and I feel something poke me in the back, hard. I look over my left shoulder to find Gibson smiling, waving a pencil between his fingers. “Can I help you?” I ask. He leans forward in his seat and the smell of mint hits me. He must be chewing on some strong gum. “Yep. What are you doing this weekend?” My eyes widen, surprised by his question. Weekends usually consist of hanging out with Allen or working. Lately, I’ve been working the week shifts so my weekends have been free.

“Um, I think Allen and I are going to a bonfire Friday and then binge watching horror movies Saturday since his mom is working a double.” Gibson flashes his beautiful, white teeth at me. “Well, some chick told me about a party she’s having. I’m betting it’s that same bonfire you’re talking about. You two mind if I tag along?” he asks. I look over to Allen, who is now taking a nap on his desk. Figures he wouldn’t be any help. What can I do, say no? That’s rude, but I also don’t want to go to the party with Gibson. Knowing Allen, he’d leave us alone together. And being alone with Gibson isn’t safe. I have a bad feeling about this, but…I

sigh. Being a nice person is the right thing to do. I shrug, and say, “Yeah sure. That shouldn’t be a problem. I’m DD because Allen can’t be trusted, so you can drink or whatever.” And I’ll just be the boring sober one for the night. Drunk people are only fun when you’re drinking with them. “I’m not much of a drinker anyway,” Gibson says, but there seems to be more behind what he’s telling me. I raise my eyebrow at him. “The son of one of the biggest rock stars isn’t a drinker? My brother, the town prince, is a drinker—a heavy drinker.” He frowns, but quickly tries to cover it. “Nope…well, not anymore. I

did the party scene a little too much. Decided I needed to cut back on my drinking and drug use.” The mention of drugs has me on edge. “Drugs? You use drugs?” I really hope he says no. I’ve never done any kind of drug in my life and to think of the guy I lik—nope, no liking. He’s just the guy who happens to sit with Allen and me in class and at lunch, who I also happen to give a ride home to every day. Maybe if I keep thinking of him like that, these feelings will eventually go away. “Used to, as in the past. I haven’t done anything like that for a few months now. Even before then, it was just small things at parties I went to. Nothing major. I wasn’t a junkie or anything, if

that’s what you’re worried about,” Gibson answers. I was worried about that. I didn’t want to hang around someone who used drugs. I’ve already been warned away from this guy by my brother and dad, imagine if they found this out. “So, if you gave up that sort of stuff, why would you want to go to the party tomorrow?” I ask. “Honestly? Because this town is really boring and all I have to do on the weekends is hang around my uncle’s house alone. Having the place to yourself isn’t as great as it sounds when you don’t have any friends around.” His comment stings a bit. I had no

delusions that we were besties, but there is some potential friendship going on there. Well, a friendship where I can’t stop looking and thinking about the guy…maybe that isn’t the best kind of friendship to have. I turn in my seat and the movement brings my face closer to his. I catch the scent of the soap he must have used during his shower…where he was naked. No, Ronnie. No thoughts of a naked Gibson. He smiles and leans an inch forward, causing me to lean away. Distance is a good thing. “You seem nervous Ronnie. Am I too close?” he asks. He is too close. So close, his

breath tickles my cheek as he talks. That’s borderline personal space area and I’m not sure if I like it too much or not at all. I clear my throat in an attempt to hide the slight affect he has on me. “I don’t get nervous around anyone, Gibson —especially you. Don’t flatter yourself.” He takes the back of his fingers and runs them along the top of my arm, causing goose bumps to break out. Stupid body selling me out. “Your body is saying something different,” he says, staring at my traitorous arm. I jerk my arm away and lean as far back as my desk will allow. There’s a

tingle along the area he touched and I rub my arm, making it go away. “The only thing my body says is the air conditioner is on too high in this school.” I turn back around in my seat and face the front of the classroom. The substitute has put in a DVD, which has half the class passed out. I pull out my kindle and do everything I can to avoid the man sitting behind me.

I have a new mission in life: get Ronnie Hamilton. I’ve done what River told me to do and avoided all the advances from the girls at this school. And by a lot, I mean almost all of the cheerleading and dance crew. The chick from the cafeteria was the most persistent. She seemed okay when she was asking me if I wanted to come to some party at her place…until she said everyone would love it if a rock star’s

son was there. At that point, I just wanted to leave the conversation. Add her to the pile of girls who only want me for my dad. The three of us are on our way to Ronnie’s truck. I can’t wait to get back to my uncle’s place and collapse onto my bed. After not attending school for two years, it’s exhausting being back. Allen jumps in front of Ronnie and begins walking backwards while talking. “So, Itty-Bitty told me you’re coming to Prissy’s party with us tomorrow, is that correct?” he asks me. “Not sure who Prissy is, but I did ask Ronnie what you guys were up to this weekend. Some chick in the

cafeteria told me about a bonfire. Figured I’d see if either of you were going,” I answered. Allen and Ronnie share a look, no doubt sharing an inside joke. “Prissy is Missy, the girl who was talking to you. We deemed her Prissy Missy because of some shit that went down last year between her and Ronnie,” Allen explains. I look over to Ronnie, who is quietly laughing to herself. “Prissy Missy, huh? Now you’ll have to tell me this story.” We make it to Ronnie’s truck and before we can all get in, she says, “It’s not worth talking about.”

Once Allen gets in the truck, he turns his body to face me. “Don’t mind Miss Nonchalant over here. What happened was actually pretty funny. Something you should know about Ronnie is people, mainly the females around here, like to try to use her. What these blonde bimbos don’t understand is Itty-Bitty is no idiot.” His voice gets a little louder, like a kid getting excited. “Prissy tried to become besties with my bestie over here last year so she could get close to Sean. He had turned her advances down cold and she wasn’t having that. Prissy thought Ron was falling for it, until someone got a little loud mouthed in the women’s locker room and Ronnie overheard. Prissy was

so embarrassed. She had been telling all her friends how Ron was eating out of the palm of her hand.” “Ever since Ronnie left that locker room, telling Priss she was an idiot and how she wasn’t falling for any of it, Prissy hasn’t been a Ronnie fan.” I look to the driver’s seat and watch as Ronnie tries to hold back her laughter, but it starts to slip. “To top it off, Ronnie told Sean Missy uses this special cream for when you have crabs. That’s what really set Missy off. Sean won’t go anywhere near the girl.” All of us burst out laughing. Once Ronnie has quieted her laughter, she looks at me through the review mirror. “You can see why I don’t

have many friends. This is what most of the girls try with me. Sean is really picky when it comes to dating and these girls just don’t get it. They all think befriending me will give them an automatic in. I don’t like being used, so when they do this and I tell Sean, he makes sure not only to avoid them, but that his friends do, too. It doesn’t always happen, though, since there aren’t a lot of females to pick from at this school, and I don’t blame them.” “They’re all just upset they can’t have you. You’re breaking the hearts of every guy in our school, so they have to cry on the shoulder of another blonde,” Allen says, teasing her. Ronnie leans over the console and

punches him in the arm. “Oh, shut it, you. I’m not causing anything like that to happen.” I lean forward, interested in this part of the conversation. From Ronnie’s looks and personality, I’m guessing she has every guy in the school chasing after her. “Have you been breaking hearts, Ronnie?” I ask. She rolls her eyes and huffs out an exaggerated breath. “There is no heart breaking going on. Don’t listen to Allen, he’s crazy.” “I’m sure he’s not. I can see some hearts getting broken over you,” I say with a smile. Ronnie looks to me and then Allen before giving all her attention

to the road ahead of her. Everyone is quiet after that and it takes me a second to realize we’re driving past Allen’s street. “You not going home?” I ask him. He turns in his seat to look at me. “Nope. Since we are hitting up that party tomorrow, I have to get a new outfit. Can’t be showing up in my party clothes from last year,” he answers. His response doesn’t surprise me. I’ve learned to expect anything to come out of his mouth. Allen leans over and nudges Ronnie’s shoulder. “I’m also going to try to convince this hot tamale to get something to wear. She needs to get

some updated clothes that actually fit her.” I have noticed that. Ronnie doesn’t seem like the kind of girl to show as much skin as possible. Her clothes show off some—not that I’m complaining—but it looks more like her clothes are a size or two too small. “I will agree, I need new clothes. I already told you I’ll look for something tonight,” she says to him. “A dress. That is what I am telling you. You need to buy a dress and wear it tonight. No more of this jeans and shorts deal,” he says, his tone stern. The idea of seeing Ronnie in a dress piques my interest. One of the

main things that made her stand out were her long, tan legs. She’s only worn shorts a few times, but damn, when those legs are on display, I can’t look away from them. I smile, thinking of how she’ll look in a sexy dress and pray Allen can convince her to wear one. We pull up to my uncle’s house and Ronnie puts the truck in park. She gives Allen a pointed look. “I already told you I would think about it. The more you pressure me, the more likely I am to say no. You know how much I hate dresses.” I collect my things and start to sneak out without being noticed, but Ronnie catches me. “So, are you coming to the party, or not?” Her tone is short, making me think the dress talk put her in

a bad mood. I nod, and say, “Yeah, sure. If you are okay with driving me.” “That’s fine. The party’s at nine. We’ll pick you up around then.”

As I’m lacing up my boots, a car horn goes off, letting me know Allen and

Ronnie are here. I grab my wallet and cell phone off my dresser and head out the door. On my way out, I look around to see if Dan is around and find him sitting on the couch, watching The Walking Dead from this past weekend. The guy is obsessed with that show. He takes a sip of his beer and glances over at me. “Where are you heading tonight?” he asks. I point my thumb in the direction of the front door. “Some kids from school are here.” I don’t mention a party because I’m not sure how strict he is about underage drinking and I don’t want to be the person to snitch. “You heading to the bonfire party

tonight?” My mouth drops open, surprised he knows about the party and is acting so casual about it. “You’ll come to learn there are no secrets in a small town like Freedom. I knew about that party the moment Missy planned it. Kids around here don’t know how to keep their mouths shut.” By his answer, he must have thought my silence was a question. I nod my head. I could believe that. “Well, since you already know, yes, that’s where I’m heading.” “Who with?” he asks. “What’s with the questioning?” When I lived with my mom, there was never a need for her to know where I

was going, so this is new for me. Dan raises his eyebrow at my defensive tone. “Did you forget why you’re here? I’ll remind you. You are here because you’ve done a shit job of staying out of trouble. Asking you where you go and who you are with is me trying to keep you out of even more trouble. Not everyone in this town is law abiding and if I can keep you away from those people, I will.” He’s right, I know that, but it doesn’t make me like it. “Fine. I’m going with Ronnie and Allen. They’re outside right now.” Waiting for me, but I don’t add that. I can tell by his eyebrow raise and

head tilt that my answer takes him by surprise. “Hamilton’s girl? She’s one of the best kids around here. Allen, too. Both come from good families.” “Yep, they seem great. Look, they’re waiting outside, so I’ll see you later.” I make my way to the door, ending the conversation. When I get outside, Ronnie’s truck is idling in the driveway. I make my way over and hop into the backseat, sitting behind Allen. I look to the front and the first thing I see is shoulder—a lot of nice, tan shoulder. I make my way down and notice a deep green…dress. She bought a dress. And in my favorite color. It looks short, which is hot. I can’t wait to see her when we get out of the truck.

From a distance, someone calls my name and says hi, but I can’t look away from Ronnie. When she turns in her seat to look at me, I’m stunned. I already knew Ronnie was hot, but her dressed up like this blows hot right out the water. She’s beautiful. River was right when he said wait for that girl. This one is going to be worth it. Someone nudges me on the side of my head and I turn to see Allen staring at me. “What the hell, man?” I ask. “I’m sorry I had to get violent, but I was trying to put an end to the eyefucking. Calling your name wasn’t working, so I had to smack you upside the head,” Allen says.

I lean back and cross my arms over my chest. “There was no eye-fucking going on. I was just amazed Ronnie got a dress.” I turn to look at her. “I thought you were anti-dress.” She shrugs her shoulders and puts the truck in drive. “It was on clearance and in my size. Figured it was meant to be.” I nod my head response, because I’m a guy. I don’t care about clearance and sales and all that girl stuff. Allen though, goes into this whole talk about how the dress fit her curvy figure, which I couldn’t agree more. Not even sure what that means. He then proceeds to go on and on about the shopping trip and everything they bought. The story was

long, but it made the drive go faster than when we listen to country music. We drive up to an open field with a huge open flame. Ronnie parks in a lot full of other redneck trucks. Guess owning one of these is the standard southern thing. The three of us hop out and meet around the front. That’s where I get to see Ronnie and that dress in all their glory. It’s hot, and short—my favorite kind of outfit for a girl. I make my way from her curly blonde hair to her face—she has some kind of crafty dark thing going on with her eyes—and then move to her dress, which is my favorite part of her entire outfit. That is, until I see her shoes. With a dress like this, you would expect a

chick to wear some massive high heels they end up taking off halfway through the night, or even some type of strappy sandal. Not Ronnie. Nope, this babe is sporting Converse. And damn, that’s hot. Staring at her shoes, I can’t help but smile when she kicks her tiny feet together. “You like? I’m sure you aren’t used to a girl wearing dresses and sneakers together,” she says to me. I look up to find Ronnie sporting a wide smile. “No, babe, I’m not used to it. I like it, though. It’s perfect for you.” She smiles bigger at my compliment. We stand there, smiling at each other, when Allen swoops in-between Ronnie and I and snatches her away. I

feel like a kid who just lost his favorite toy. “No more daydreaming about my bestie. I know, I know, she’s every man’s fantasy. That does not mean she is a piece of meat for your dreamy eyes to stare at.” This guy is just…interesting. He’s a character, that’s for sure. Ronnie shoves the arm he placed over her shoulder off. “Quit it, Al,” she says with a laugh. He grabs her hand and they intertwine their fingers. “I don’t want him stealing away my beer pong partner is all.” I meet up with them and walk beside Ronnie, who is about a foot

shorter than the two of us, so we look like a strange group. Ronnie turns to Allen, narrowing her eyes and pinching her lips together. “I already told you yesterday, and again today, I am not drinking. I’m the DD tonight. You go party it up. I’m going to sit by the bonfire and nurse my one beer for the night.” “I meant to mention this when I got in the truck, but I can be DD if you want. I don’t plan on drinking anyway. I mean, if you’re okay with me driving your truck.” She goes to say something, but Allen shushes her. “I like this pla—no, I love it. My Itty-Bitty needs a night to go all loosy-goosy. If you really aren’t going to be drinking, then we are a-okay

with you being our chauffeur.” “Hey, it’s my vehicle. You can’t decide this without me,” Ronnie chimes in. “Sweets, I want you to have fun tonight. This lovely young man is offering to drive our drunk booties home. Don’t deny him the pleasure. Plus, I need my beer pong partner. I’ll be drunk off my ass without you,” Allen says to her. I know I shouldn’t have offered to drive them home because I still have nine months until I can get my license back, but it’s a short drive, so I should be good. “I promise, I will not be drinking tonight. You can both get

trashed if you want. I’m only here for something to do.” And to be around Ronnie, but I don’t mention that. “You swear you aren’t drinking tonight?” I nod. She takes a deep breath. “Fine. I’ll let you drive my truck, just… please be careful. I can’t afford to get a new one if you crash it.” Ronnie walks up to me and places her keys in my hand, but doesn’t let go. “Don’t lose them, please,” she says, looking into my eyes. I nod and she releases my hand before turning back to Allen. “All right, my sucky beer pong partner, let’s get this show on the road.” I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy the Ronnie I see tonight.

While I was all excited to see Ronnie let loose, I never thought of a Girls Gone Wild Allen. Two games into beer pong and he was already tripping over himself. It’s funny, until I think about having to drive him home. This party is a lot tamer than the ones I’ve been to. Probably the smallest one too. There’s maybe sixty people here, which is nothing when everyone is spread out around the large field. Ronnie and Allen have been occupying the same table for the last hour, and that’s only because they are undefeated. Well, Ronnie is undefeated. Allen has maybe

made three shots, which is impressive for him. He’s on a losing streak right now. The alcohol in his system is making him even worse at this game—if that’s even possible. Standing by the table the two of them are playing at, I try to give some chick who walked up to me my attention. The only problem is Ronnie has all of it. She seems a little tipsy, but nowhere near Allen’s state. He’ll need to be cut off soon. Not only has he been drinking beer nonstop for the last hour, but he had the brilliant idea to add shots into the mix. He’ll be sick for sure. Ronnie sinks the last cup she needs for the win, causing the guys she’s playing against to groan and bitch about

losing to a chick. I would have too, but I know this chick is badass. She has taken out four teams of guys in a game most guys are good at. Ronnie pulls a reluctant Allen from the table and comes over to me. “Hi, Anna,” she says to the redhead standing next to me. Anna smiles at Ronnie and says hi back. Allen comes up behind Ronnie and slings his arm over her shoulder, causing a tipsy Ronnie to almost fall over, but she catches herself. “Banana! How have you been, girly? We’ve missed you since you moved to Fredericksville,” he says, but it comes out a little slurred. He’s also

trying to keep all his weight on Ronnie and I notice her struggling to stand with it pushing her down. “I’ve been good. My parents and I love it up there. The school is great too. I’m just visiting my aunt and uncle this weekend and Sean told me about Missy’s party, so I thought I would stop by,” Anna responds. Allen turns to me and I brace for whatever is about to come out of his mouth. “In case you were wondering who this beauty right here was, her name is Anna—or Banana, as I like to call her —Williams. She was Sean’s girly friend for three years. Except the dummy couldn’t keep his weenie in his pants,” Allen says. I look over to Anna and her

smile is now gone after Allen’s statement. She quickly recovers though, putting on a fake smile. “It’s all in the past now, Allen. Sean made his choices and we’ve moved on from that. We are both friends now,” she says, but even I can tell she’s lying. “It was great seeing you, Anna,” Ronnie jumps in, saving the poor girl from more of Allen and his big mouth. “I’m going to go get myself a drink. Maybe this weekend or the next time you’re back in town we can catch up?” Anna nods at the suggestion and Ronnie heads in the direction of the keg, which also has soda and water bottles

next to it. Allen stays behind to talk more with Anna, so I catch up with Ronnie. Sneaking up behind her, I whisper, “Boo,” in her ear. She screams and jumps to the side, tripping over her own feet. Before she can fall face first and get a mouth full of dirt, I catch her around the waist and pull her to me. Her body tenses the moment she realizes she’s in my arms. Even though she feels amazing, I loosen my hold. Ronnie turns around to face me and my arms drop to her waist, not ready to let go. “You all right?” I ask. She looks down to where my hands are and then back up to me, nodding her

head. I give her a squeeze before I let go. “Let’s go get you that drink.” I put my hand against her lower back and guide her toward where the drinks are. She seems dazed. It could be from the alcohol or me touching her. I’m hoping for the latter. When we get closer to the coolers and the people come into view, I regret asking Ronnie if she wanted to get a drink. Rodger and Sean are standing by with what looks to be other football players and cheerleaders. Rodger’s eyes are locked onto Ronnie and me and how close we are walking next to each other. Sean gives me a glare, then stares at my arm disappearing behind his sister’s back. Before we make it over to them,

Sean and Rodger break away from the group, but not without notice from their small crowd. Sean is in the lead and once he makes it to us, he wastes no time getting right up in my face. “What the hell are you doing around my sister?” He then looks to Ronnie. “Dad and I already talked to you about hanging around this guy. He’s no good, Ron.” Ronnie rolls her eyes. “Oh, whatever, Sean. You don’t know anything about Gibson.” “I know he has a record. A past with the law, Ronnie. Plus, he has a history with drugs and woman after woman. He’s not good company to be

around. You remember what Dad said,” Sean explains, and now I’m wondering what her father told her and how Sean found all of that out about me. Probably Google. People can post whatever the fuck they want on there, truth be damned. I look down at Ronnie and can tell by the crease between her eyebrows that she’s confused. “Is all that true?” Before I can say anything, the asshole Rodger chimes in. “Yep. Look it up online if you want. Everything about him is on there, even the reasoning for why he had to move here.” Her head snaps up to me and I’m really wishing we had stayed over by the table with Anna and Allen right about

now. “The reason you’re here? What reason?” “Nothing. It doesn’t matter. Let’s just get your drink and go back to All—” “It doesn’t matter? I’m pretty sure committing a felony and somehow getting out of that felony when you should be in prison is a big deal.” I’m going to kill Rodger and his big mouth. I grab Ronnie’s arm and pull her so she faces me. “Don’t listen to what he says. I’ll explain everything to you, okay?” She thinks about it for a second and then nods her head. Thank God. “Do you want to go back to your

truck so we can talk?” I ask her. “What about Allen?” I look over and see him doing Jell-O shots with Anna and some other girls. I face Ronnie again and smile. “I think he’s doing pretty well over there.” She peeks around me and laughs when she sees him. “Let’s go then.” We start to make our way to the lot of cars when Sean calls Ronnie’s name and grabs her by the shoulder, causing her to jerk back. “You aren’t going anywhere with him. He’s a criminal,” he says, like it’s some kind of disease. Ronnie’s nostrils start to flare and

her breathing begins to increase as she pulls her arm back to get out of his hold. “People make mistakes in life, Sean. You should know better than to fault them for what they did in their past.” Sean looks to Anna after Ronnie finishes talking. He doesn’t say anything after that and I follow Ronnie as she turns around and heads for her truck. In the distance, Rodger yells out, “You’re just letting her leave with him?” I’m surprised he is too. But I know this conversation isn’t going to be the best. Telling someone you like about your shitty and not-so-law-abiding past is never fun.

Gibson’s boots crunch against the leaves on the ground as he follows me. I

kind of stormed off without a thought. Luckily he caught on and didn’t make me look like an idiot walking off by myself. I head for the driver’s side and quickly jump in. My head hurts from all the alcohol I had and I really do not want to have this conversation, but I have to know. I’ve stayed away from all the gossip sites, but two weeks is long enough. Gibson takes his time as he walks up to the passenger side, probably dreading talking about this. I would be too if I were about to tell someone I was a criminal. I don’t want to believe it. I mean, if it were true, he would be in jail or prison, right? He wouldn’t be in this town. Unless…he does come from

money. Maybe his dad made this arrangement instead of jail time. Living in a nothing town with your cop uncle is pretty close to jail for a teenager. I begin squirming in my seat, waiting for Gibson to speak. Several minutes go by with neither of us saying a word. “Where do you want me to start?” Gibson says¸ breaking the silence. “How about the beginning? That’s usually the best place.” My annoyance is starting to show in my tone, but I can’t help it. I hate that Rodger and Sean knew this about Gibson and I didn’t. He takes a deep breath and begins to talk. “It’s a long story, so be prepared.” I nod, but he doesn’t see it.

He’s facing forward, looking out the window. “Growing up with a dad in a band isn’t what everyone thinks it’s like. He’s never around, so I didn’t grow up with a father figure. The only parent I had was a drugged out mom. She wasn’t abusive or anything, just neglectful. I’ve been the parent since I was fourteen and she started on harder drugs like coke. That’s when I had to grow up and she stopped caring about me.” His mother sounds like a gem. Without even knowing her, I’m not a fan. “I acted out for attention. Figured bad attention was better than no attention, right? Wrong. She still didn’t care. It only made my dad angry with me. I still did it anyway. In high school, I started up with the

wrong group of people and everything went downhill from there. I did drugs, drank, broke the law, and used women. After getting kicked out of school so many times, I finally dropped out when I was seventeen. This is my first year back since.” I take in everything he just told me, feeling angry toward his parents for being careless toward their son, and at the same time, sad for Gibson feeling the need to act out just for attention when he shouldn’t have to. He never got to experience the kind of childhood where you bake cookies with your mom or learn how to throw a baseball with your dad. He missed out on all kinds of stuff and none of it was his fault. You can’t

pick your parents. I turn toward Gibson. He’s still facing the front, seeming lost in thought. I put my hand on his forearm and he looks over. “Let’s fast-forward to why you’re here in Freedom.” I don’t want to hear any more about his childhood tonight. The alcohol in my system is making me emotional and I don’t want to end up crying. He nods. “I did break the law like your brother told you. I had done smaller things before like breaking into abandoned houses with some friends or underage drinking. I only got caught a couple times, and each one, my dad got me out by using his name and money. None of those made the news either.

Other shit I did made headlines, though. Chicks I slept with went to gossip sites trying to make a quick dollar with the scoop they had on me, and people I thought were friends did, too. Over the past year or so, it became hard to know who I could trust. Everyone wanted something from me. I’ve had River, my best friend, and a handful of others who have stuck over the years.” He pauses for a second and we both stay quiet. “About three months ago,” he starts again, “a couple friends and I decided it would be a bright idea to steal a onehundred thousand dollar car. I was the one who got caught behind the wheel, so I was the one who faced a felony charge. It was all supposed to be a joke. The car

was one of the guy’s dads, but his pops wasn’t happy about it, so he pressed charges.” Add his friends to the list of people I don’t like. It sounds like Gibson hasn’t had any good influences in his life. “I figured this time would be like all the others and my dad would get me off the hook,” he continues. “Only problem was I had a hard-ass for a judge. He didn’t give a fuck about my dad’s status. He was more worried about making me a better citizen. He told me I had two choices: prison for three years or live with my cop uncle and finish high school. I took the second choice, no way was I doing time. This face is too pretty to be stuck in a cell.” I

laugh at his attempt to lighten the mood, but I’m sad for him. Moving here is his second chance, a new beginning to better himself. “I was angry at first. I didn’t even know I had an uncle and then I had to leave my friends and live with a stranger in a new town. It wasn’t ideal, but I had gotten some words of advice from the judge and my friend, River. The judge talked to me on my own about bettering myself and not letting the parents I was dealt with rule the choices in my life. River was the most helpful. He’s always hated the people I hung out with and the choices I made. He’s also a son of one of my father’s band mates, but he got lucky with an awesome mom.” The love

he has for River and his mom shows in the smile he has as he talks about them. They are his real family. “River has been telling me I should drop all those people for a long time. He was always there for me when I messed up. Never judging, just giving advice. The damn guy is like a fortune cookie. He has something to say for everything,” Gibson laughs. “He even gave me female advice before I came here. He knew girls would be coming after me, just like they always do.” This piques my interest. “What kind of advice?” I ask. Gibson turns and looks at me, our faces much closer. At some point, I subconsciously moved toward him. He

looks down at my lips and I lick them without thinking. “He told me to wait for the girl who stops me in my tracks. To not go for the easy girls I’ve always gone for and work for the one who would be worth it.” I like that answer. A lot. Gibson leans in more. “Did you find that girl?” I ask. His green eyes turn dark just before he answers, “You tell me.” Without more preamble, he grabs my face with both hands and smashes his lips to mine. Holy shit, I’m kissing Gibson. Bad boy Gibson. Criminal Gibson. Gibson with a sad past. Misunderstood Gibson. Gibson who deserves a new beginning.

The same guy who just said I was the girl who stopped him in his tracks. At least, that’s what I hope he’s saying by kissing me. His lips are soft and his hands are gentle as he moves them from my cheeks to the back of my neck, keeping me in place. I feel safe as he holds me, moving his lips along mine. He doesn’t push, which I like. I should pull away, that would be the right thing to do. I open my mouth just the slightest and Gibson takes that as an invitation to snake his tongue in. Sweetness surrounds the inside of my mouth and I lean forward, wanting more. He runs his tongue along the roof of my mouth and my eyes roll back. I shift away just the

slightest, causing us to disconnect. One of Gibson’s hands slides down my arm and settles on my bare thigh, where my dress has risen up. I look at his hand and back up to his face. A need comes over me and I can’t help myself as I reach forward, bringing Gibson’s lips back to mine. Just as I’m about to suck his lip ring into my mouth, there’s a loud bang on the window—the slightly fogged window— making me jump. I’m pulling out of Gibson’s grip when Allen swings the door open and stumbles into it in the process. He’s being held up by a laughing Anna. “IttyBitty, my homie Katy was wrong. I kissed a girl and I sure as hell didn’t like

it!” he slurs, falling all over Anna, who I’m guessing is the girl he kissed Before I can say anything, he continues. “Her lips felt all wrong, Ron.” He leans over and attempts to whisper in my ear, “She smelled funny, too. Like a flower or something.” I burst out laughing. When I look over to Gibson, his lips are lightly sealed, but I can see the slight movement of his chest as he tries to hold in his laugh. You can always count on Allen to make an awkward situation funny. As much as I would love to sit here and listen to drunk Allen go on some more, I figure it’s time to call it a night. When he drinks this much, he usually crashes hard soon after and I don’t want

to deal with hauling his ass into his house. While Allen stands outside the truck having the typical ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ talk with Anna, I look over to Gibson. Just seeing him makes me want to forget about getting Allen home and go back to what we were doing less than five minutes ago. I shake my head and focus on the task at hand. “We might want to head out. I have a feeling we won’t have a coherent Allen soon.” Gibson stares at me, a frown forming as he nods his head and gets out of the truck. By his face and silence, I’m wondering if he regrets the kiss. I hope

he doesn’t. That was the best kiss I’ve ever had, not that I’ve had many, but maybe he didn’t feel the same way. Although, the way he kissed me could say otherwise. He makes his way around the hood to Allen. “Gibby! Where have you been, my man? You and Itty-Bitty disappeared on me earlier.” Gibson shoots me a quick look and then gets back to helping Allen into the backseat. “You know, Gibby, since I am now among the many who have kissed the female gender, I’m really wondering what you people are so fond about. It wasn’t anything special.” Allen turns to a beet red Anna. “It wasn’t you, honey, I just prefer someone with a little less…boobies.”

Gibson cracks the first smile since Allen interrupted us. “You just have to find the right person to do it with.” He looks to me again and his smile disappears. Was I not the right person to do it with? After Gibson gets Allen situated in the backseat, I say goodbye to Anna and make plans to see her next time she’s in town. I miss having her around. She was one of the few girls in this town I actually liked. I hate what Sean did to her. Standing by the driver’s side listening to Allen sing his new version of I Kissed a Girl, I watch Anna walk away. Gibson comes up behind me, holding the keys in his hand. “Go hop in

on the other side. I’m still driving.” I turn around and find Gibson staring, studying me, but quickly he turns to open the driver’s side door and gets in. What happened to the guy who told me all about his sad story in the car? The same guy who took charge and kissed me? Now he looks bored with having me around. I don’t like it and I want to know what changed. “Are you all right?” I ask him. He doesn’t look me in the eye. “Fine. I’m just tired and want to head out. You ready?” Maybe it’s from the drinks I had or the whiplash he’s giving me, but I’m suddenly feeling exhausted. Without

saying a word, I head to the passenger side and get into the front seat. Gibson gets in and starts the truck up while the two of us ignore one another. I have no clue what happened in the last fifteen minutes, but he better expect that I’m going to want answers.

Ronnie’s silence lets me know she’s pissed, and I don’t blame her. Having a guy kiss you and then act indifferent is a shitty thing, but I didn’t know how to act. I always thought if you’ve kissed one girl, you’ve kissed them all, but that was before I kissed Ronnie. Everything about her was different. The way her lips felt against mine, the way she surrendered to me and then took some control back. And that little spark I felt the first moment our lips touched. All of it was better than any kiss I’ve ever had with another girl. Kissing someone you actually like makes it that much better. That’s what scared me. Feeling this way about a girl I’ve only kissed, one I

didn’t even know a month ago. Liking Ronnie was okay, but feeling connected to her is a whole other story. I feel cut open after telling her about my past. She’s the only person, besides River, who knows all about me now. Telling her about where I came from and how I grew up was a big step for me and I’m nervous about what she thinks. What if she now looks at me like I’m trash? The son of a crackhead mother and absent father. Ronnie’s a good girl, she knows better than to hang around a guy like me, and I just gave her every reason not to. We ride to Allen’s house in silence. He’s passed out in the backseat and Ronnie is staring out the window, probably regretting our kiss. I’m

surprised she let me kiss her in the first place after everything I told her. I pull into Allen’s driveway and notice all the lights are off and there isn’t a car parked in front like usual. His mom must still be gone. I get out and open the backseat door to find Allen’s six-two frame spread out along the bench. Ronnie comes up beside me and sighs. “He’s never going to wake up now. I had to call Sean and Rodger last time this happened. Usually I’ll get him home in enough time for him to make it to the couch or his bed on his own.” I don’t like the idea of her having to call Sean and Rodger. I lift at the gym; I can carry a guy my size into his house. “I can get him,” I tell her, but I’m really

wondering how I’m going to carry a guy who’s my size and out cold. Ronnie begins biting her lips and glancing between Allen and me. “Are you sure? It took both of them last time this happened. I don’t want you to drop him or anything.” I start to pull Allen’s legs to get half his body out of the truck. It’ll be easier to get him over my shoulder that way. “You don’t think I can lift him or something? I do hit the gym, even though it’s been awhile.” Ronnie laughs, and it’s good to see the mood lightened. “Oh, I believe you hit the gym. I’m saying it might be a little difficult to carry Allen’s dead weight.”

I wave my hand at her. “I’ve got this,” I say as I lift Allen onto my shoulder. The moment I get him secured, I’m rethinking this decision. He’s fucking heavy. I’ve never had to carry a drunk person before. I was always the one who got carried and now I’m feeling bad for my friends. “Go ahead of me and get the door open,” I tell Ronnie, a little breathless. She jogs up to the door and unlocks it. Allen begins to move around and then a set of hands land right on my ass. “Gibby, is this your booty in front of me? Why is everything upside down?” He drops his hands and falls back to sleep. He does get a good laugh out of Ronnie and me, though.

After entering the living room, I get Allen to the couch as fast as I can. There’s no way in hell I’m climbing those stairs with this guy on my back. I try to get him on the couch without dropping him, but the fucker is heavy and he just sort of…falls. I check to make sure he’s still asleep before lifting his legs and making sure he’s secure on the couch. He should be out for the night. The door closes behind me and I turn around to see Ronnie standing by it. She looks tired. It is late and she’s been drinking. “Are you staying here tonight?” I ask her. She nods and walks into the living room toward the couch. Grabbing two

blankets off it, Ronnie walks over to Allen and lays one over him. She then turns back to me and hands me the other one in her hand. “So are you. You don’t have a ride home and your place is too far of a walk. I’m sleeping in Allen’s bed, so you can take your pick between the couch and floor.” I never thought about how I would get home when I offered to drive. “Oh, okay. I guess I’ll take the couch.” Ronnie starts to head toward the stairs, but I want to clear the air about how I was acting after we kissed. “Hey…um, before you can we ta—” “I’m really tired. Maybe later. Goodnight.” Then she’s up the stairs.

I’m guessing by her abrupt goodbye, she’s still upset about what happened earlier. I turn around and run my hands through my hair, tugging at the ends. Looking back to the top of the stairs, I want to go up there and explain everything to Ronnie. I feel bad and want to assure her that it had nothing to do with the kiss—that was amazing. But how can I tell her that I have all these feelings and I’ve only known her a few short weeks? I go over to the couch opposite of a snoring Allen and lay there wide awake. What would Ronnie think of the criminal new guy liking her? River told me to wait for that one girl who stops me in my tracks and I found her. The only problem

is, she is way too good for me. I decide to text River to see if he can give me some advice. He’s the only one I would think to talk about this with. There’s no judgment when it comes to him. Gibson: Hey man. U up? I lay my phone on my chest and stare up at the ceiling, waiting for his reply. It doesn’t take long before my phone buzzes. River: Just got done with a session. What’s up? River has been working at the tattoo shop we go to over the summer and apprenticing for Mick, the owner.

Gibson: I know u won’t believe this, but it’s chick trouble. Seconds later, my phone rings. “Hello?” I answer. “If you tell me you’ve gotten a girl pregnant in the two weeks you’ve been there, I am coming to Alabama and kicking your ass personally,” River greets. “No, dick, I didn’t knock any girl up. I haven’t even slept with any of them yet.” I smack my hand against my forehead. I should have left out the “yet”. River lets out a sigh of relief. “Sorry I jumped to conclusions, it’s just when you say you have girl problems,

that’s right where my head goes.” He pauses for a second. “What do you mean ‘yet’? I thought you weren’t going back to sleeping with anything with tits? What happened to getting on the right track and bettering yourself? Or waiting for that right girl? You can’t trust any of the ones who just throw themselves at you. They’re like dogs in heat looking for some guy to sink their teeth—” “River,” I say, interrupting him. “What?” he snaps. Maybe texting him was a bad idea. “I’ve found that girl,” I tell him. “What girl?” I roll my eyes. “What girl? The fucking girl you

said would hit me like a ton of bricks when I meet her. I found her and she’s amazing.” I smile, thinking of our kiss today. Well, before I was a dumbass and it all went to shit. “Really? You met her that fast? I’m pretty shocked.” And he sounds it. River has always been a hopeless romantic. Growing up with just a mom could do that to you. Don’t get me wrong, the dude is tough and scary as shit. He’s covered in more tattoos than I am and he’s bulked up a lot from working out almost every day for the past few years. “Why would you be shocked? You found yours at sixteen.” I wince, briefly

forgetting this was a sore subject for River. His silence makes me nervous and I’m worried he hung up. “Yeah, well, mine didn’t turn out so well. Maybe it wasn’t the right girl. I was only sixteen after all,” River replies. “Sorry, man. I didn’t mean to say anything about her,” I apologize, pinching the bridge of my nose with my fingers. “It’s okay. Now, tell me about her. What makes you think she’s the one?” he asks. “I’m not sure if ‘the one’ is the right word. It’s more that she stunned me. Her looks were the first thing. Ronnie is hot,

man. Like drop dead gorgeous, but she doesn’t flaunt it, which is the best part. Plus, she’s funny as hell. So is her best friend, Allen. I’ve been hanging with the two of them since I got here and she’s awesome.” “So, you’ve actually gotten to know this girl?” River asks. “Ronnie drives Allen and me home after school. It’s not a lot of time, but any chance to talk to her is good with me.” More time would be better, but I don’t tell him. “All right, dude, you’re sounding a bit pussy whipped and you aren’t even with this girl.” River is laughing at me now, but he’s right. I shouldn’t be this

hung up over a girl I don’t have…yet. “That’s actually one of the reasons why I called you. I need your help with some way to get Ronnie to go out with me or something,” I tell him. He stops laughing when he realizes I’m serious. “So, you really want to, I don’t know, date this girl? Not just add her to the long list of fucks?” I hate even thinking about Ronnie in that second category. She’s better than any of those other girls—better than me. After the shit she learned about my past earlier, I doubt she’d want to be around me anymore. There’s no thinking about it—I could see myself dating Ronnie. I

wouldn’t say no to kissing her like I did earlier. “I want to ask her out on a date. The only problem is I’ve never done that. It’s why I called you. Do I have to buy her flowers or chocolates? She doesn’t seem like that kind of girl. And where do I bring her? There’s nothing in this sad excuse for a town. Plus, I can’t drive her anywhere.” “Gibson,” River yells, stopping my rambling. “What?” I snap. “You need to calm down. I’ve never seen you get so bent out of shape over something. It’s pretty entertaining.” He lets out a laugh and I’m five seconds away from hanging up on his useless ass.

“I’d love to help you, Gib, but I haven’t dated much either. I don’t know what you want me to tell you.” He might not have dated much, but his mom taught him right. “Just give me the advice your mom gave you. She was drilling it into your head how to treat a woman from the time you could talk.” “Isn’t that the truth,” he agrees. “Most of what she’s told me is basic manners and I’m hoping you have those down. All you have to do is find something she’s interested in, maybe ask her best friend, and ask her out in a respectable way. Once you’re on the date, just be normal and polite, but not over the top. I don’t know her, but from the little you’ve told me, she doesn’t

sound like a flashy chick.” “Ronnie is pretty down to earth. Actually, she’s just like the country girls you hear about: blonde, tan, drives a beat up pick-up truck, wears the most basic clothes, and no make-up. She’s different from any girl I’ve met before. I like that about her…a lot.” Ronnie is a simple girl and I could use simple in my life. “Then it looks like you have your answer right there. Go modest when asking her. Don’t be flashy or draw attention. Oh, and I would still ask the friend. He could help with picking out a place for you to take her. As for the driving thing, just explain to her you don’t have a car there. I’m sure she’ll

understand.” He’s right, Ronnie would understand, especially after I told her what happened before this summer. “I’ll make sure to talk to Allen about it tomorrow. Thanks, man. I really don’t know what I would have done without you.” “No problem. Let me know how it all works out. You know how much I love a happy ending,” he says, adding the bit of sarcasm at the end to bust my balls. “Yeah, shut it,” I say back. “Hey, before you go, when were you thinking about coming down for a visit? I could use a familiar face.” “I’m still shooting for Thanksgiving

weekend. I don’t have any classes that week and it’s the slowest time for the shop. You sure your uncle is still okay with me staying?” he asks. “Yep. He said hell no to me at first when I talked about a friend coming to visit, but I explained you’re a different friend than the others.” “By different, do you mean the best? Because that’s what I think I am. For many reasons too, but I’ll add helping you get your girl to the list.” He’s so fucking cocky, but he’s right. “All right, dickhead, I’m off to sleep. I’ll text you later,” I say to him. Before I hang up, River yells, “Let me know how it works with country

girl,” and then he’s gone. I look over at Allen spread out on the couch with his mouth wide open and laugh. I roll over onto my side and face the back of the couch. I start to drift off, but right before I fall asleep, I hear Allen whisper, “Jensen Ackles,” before letting out a moan. Someone must be having a good dream.

I’ve been hit by a truck. Groaning, I cover my face with my hands and wipe

the morning crust out of my eyes. I want nothing more than to throw myself out the window, or take a scolding hot shower. Every muscle in my body aches, making that shower sound really good right about now. Opening my eyes, I look to the alarm clock to check the time and notice a glass of water and a bottle of pain reliever that weren’t there last night. There’s a little note scribbled in chicken scratch laying under the headache medicine container. Drink all the water and take two pills. You’ll need them. It takes me only a second to notice the handwriting since Allen writes in all

caps and his mom has the typical nurse scribble. This is Gibson’s, which means he was kind enough to leave me medicine when he knew I would need it. I reach over to the table, grab the bottle of pain killers, drop two into my hand, then chug the entire glass of water with the medicine. The water helps with my cotton mouth, courtesy of drinking last night, and I know the medicine will work wonders soon. I hoist myself up and swing my legs over the side. Sitting there, I listen for some sign that someone is up. The downstairs TV is on and hope it’s only Allen. Once I get my butt into gear, I make

my way downstairs, finding a very hungover Allen sitting on the couch in his sleep pants. He looks like he’s seen better days. When he hears me come into the room, he lifts his head and lets out a large huff before laying back down on the pillow. “Oh gosh, Itty-Bitty. I think I’m dying. I’m for real this time. Everything hurts and it just won’t stop. I think you need to take me to the emergency room.” He always has a horrible hangover and swears he’ll never drink again…that is, until the next party. “You do not need to go to the ER. You are just hung-over like the last time you drank. Don’t be a baby.” I walk over to the other side of the couch and snuggle

under the blanket covering him. “Have you taken anything for your dying headache?” I ask, rolling my eyes. Allen lays his arm over his forehead. “Yes. Gibby the Great forced me to take pain relievers and drink this horrid concoction he made. It was the worst thing I’ve ever tasted.” Allen shudders beside me. Talking about Gibson has me looking around for him. The couch I’m assuming he slept on last night is empty except for a neatly folded blanket on one of the cushions. I wonder if he’s still here. He has to be, he doesn’t have a car to get home with…unless he walked. I hope he didn’t have to walk home because I drank last night.

“Don’t look all sad over there because your boy toy is gone. His uncle came and picked him up this morning. Apparently, Gibson had somewhere to be,” Allen says, breaking me out of my little funk. Damn him for knowing me so well. “There is no sadness and he is not my boy toy. I was just wondering if Gibson was still here. I would have felt bad if he had to walk all the way home.” Allen doesn’t bother hiding the smirk that says he knows I’m lying. “Mmhmm, sure. You were hoping he was here and don’t try denying it. I know you too well. His uncle was pretty upset that Gibson didn’t come home last night

and was late for something this morning. Which, by the way, did you know his uncle is Officer Dan? I was pretty surprised about that one.” “I was, too. I didn’t even know Dan had any family. No one ever visits and he never travels anywhere to see anyone. All he does is work.” Mom has felt bad for him ever since he moved here. She’s always introducing him to the single women in town in hopes of setting him up and helping his hermit status. Allen looks at me like I’ve hurt his feelings. “You knew about their relationship and didn’t tell me? Ronnie Ethel Hamilton, I thought I was your best friend. You find out anything about anyone in this town, you tell me. I’m a

gossip whore, you know this. I have to be in the know.” I reach over and smack Allen on the arm. “What have I told you about using my middle name? We don’t speak of that.” I hate that my parents named me after a great-grandmother I’ve never met. No one misses out on a chance to make fun of me for that one, especially Sean. “And it wasn’t like I didn’t tell you on purpose. I figured it out this week when I dropped him off one day. It must have slipped my mind.” Allen looks over at me laying on his legs. “Fine. I will forgive you…this time. You better not let it happen again though, missy. The moment you find anything you think is worth telling me,

you text or call me ASAP. Got it?” I laugh at his ridiculousness. “Yes, sir, Mr. Gossip Whore. I will make sure to get back to you with every thrilling news about our upbeat town. You know, I do believe Mrs. Stephan’s was thinking about getting another goat to add to her farm.” “You know that is not what I am talking about,” he says, giving me a pointed look. I lay my head on the back of the couch, grateful the medicine is working and my headache is almost gone. “I know, and I will keep you in the loop from now on with future interesting information I find out.”

Allen lays back on the couch so his head is next to mine and takes my hand in his, giving it a pat. “That is all I ask. Now, I think I waited long enough for you to give it up yourself, so now I’m going to ask. What was that I walked up on last night?” All traces of my hangover vanish and my body tenses. “What are you talking about?” I ask, even though I already know. Allen clicks his tongue. “That’s how you’re going to play it, huh? All right then, I see someone is a little ashamed they were caught lip-locking with the new boy. I may have been drunk, Itty-Bitty, but I definitely remember some fogged up windows and

you rocking ‘just fucked’ hair.” “There was no fucking. We only kiss—” I slap my hand over my mouth before I even finish the word. That sneaky bastard. Allen is awake and bright eyed now, sitting there with a smug smile on his face. “I must say, I am really good. That was easier than I thought it was going to be.” He sits up and lifts his legs onto the couch so he’s facing me. “Now that that’s out of the way, you better not leave a single detail out. I want everything, and don’t forget to mention the lip ring.” I spend the next ten minutes telling him about the kiss and everything

leading up to it, leaving out what Gibson told me about his past. I didn’t want to break his trust by telling Allen a story that isn’t mine to tell. Talking about the kiss has me remembering everything I felt during it. The way Gibson grabbed me with force, yet was soft when our lips touched. I’ve only kissed two other guys in my life. Alex, my middle school crush who Jerry beat up when he found out, and Rodger, but I never felt anything with either of them. It felt like more with Gibson, like I didn’t want to stop—couldn’t stop. I needed more, even now, just thinking about it. But he turned strange after our kiss. Maybe he doesn’t feel the same. Maybe it was along the lines of what I

felt with Rodger and Alex: attraction. He has made no qualms over hiding the fact that he finds me good-looking. That’s probably all it was to him…either that, or I’m a bad kisser. “The strange thing was, after the kiss, Gibson was acting…indifferent. Maybe even a little angry. I thought it was a good kiss…well, until you showed up. I could have done without a drunk Allen involved.” Allen’s eyebrows pinch together and he tilts his head. “Why would he be angry about getting hot and heavy with a smoking chick? Any guy would be jumping up and down about some lip action with you.”

Allen sits there and thinks about it for a minute. Hopefully he comes up with something, because my only guess is I suck at kissing. “I’ve got it. Maybe Gibby was hoping to get lucky and was angry about getting interrupted. The poor guy was probably fighting a hard-on.” I shake my head at his crazy thought. “There is no way he would have thought that. It was only an impromptu kiss that ended soon after it began.” I hope he wouldn’t assume something like that anyway. “The only reason I can think of is I’m a bad kisser.” Allen looks shocked. “I’m going to say no on that one. There is no chance you are a bad kisser. Look at those lips, they can practically do everything for

you.” I pull my lips into my mouth to hide them from his statement. I have larger lips than some, but it doesn’t make me a fan of them. “I would say we could kiss and I can give you some critiques, but I think I’ve kissed enough women this weekend.” He shudders. “Speaking of kissing Anna, what was that about? The last person I would have expected you to kiss would be Anna. Sean would have been higher on that list.” He’s tried that before, but Sean wasn’t a fan of a drunk Allen trying to plant one on him. “Banana was feeling a little down about Sean cheating on her. It’s been a year and that little chica is still heartbroken. I thought I could cheer her

up by making her feel wanted. I guess that didn’t work out so well.” I want to laugh at his idea of trying to make her feel better, but I’m sad for Anna. When Sean cheated on her at an away game last year, Anna was devastated. He crushed her with one photo and nothing he said could get Anna to forgive him. “I think Sean still is too, even though he’s the one who cheated. He loved Anna. Plus, he hasn’t dated since her. That has to show for something.” Sean has never admitted to anything, but I know he still loves her. Allen gets up from the couch and stands in front of me. “No more talk of

the unspoken kiss and those exlovebirds. We have a movie and junk food day we must prepare for. Now, go upstairs and shower or do whatever you need to do so we can go to the store and stock up.” After we each shower and dress, we drive to Walmart and buy all the junk food we can think of. We don’t get movie days often, so we like to take advantage, even if it means extra time in the gym. Once we get back to Allen’s house, we lounge around watching Netflix until his mom comes home at nine. I head home after that, since I have to work the next day. It’s not until I get home that I realize I hadn’t thought about Gibson or the kiss

most of the day, but now that I’m alone, it’s the only thing on my mind.

It’s Monday morning and today is the day I plan on asking Ronnie out. It’s

a first for me, so I’m nervous. What if she says no? I’ll look like an idiot. I made the decision after talking with Allen Sunday morning. To say he was happy I was planning on asking Ronnie out would be an understatement. The guy’s hangover was gone the moment I asked him for advice. I didn’t ride with Ronnie and Allen this morning and opted to catch a ride with Dan when he offered. I’m happy to not ride with them today, though. I know Allen would have made it awkward with Ronnie and me around each other. He’s probably going to tip Ronnie off that something is going on. We’re all sitting together at our table in English, with Sean and Rodger

both giving me death glares and Ronnie flipping through her No Fear Shakespeare book with Allen as they take notes. I wish our classes were already over. I don’t want to deal with Ronnie’s brother and his shit-for-brains friend. At least Sean has an excuse not to like me. If I had a little sister, I’d be acting the same way. No one with a dick would be allowed within thirty feet of her. Rodger, however, has no excuse not to like me. Sure, I want to fuck the chick he apparently has feelings for, but the guy needs to get the hell over it. The guy’s weird. He never stops staring and seems territorial over Ronnie. I’m flipping through what little notes I have when Allen calls my name. I

look over to him and he gives me a devious smile. “Ronnie and I were thinking about getting together this weekend and studying for the test Monday. You want to join in? Unless you have plans or something...” I narrow my eyes at the little shit for playing games. “I have absolutely nothing going on. But didn’t you mention something about a doctor’s appointment for the strange thing you have growing on your foot? I wouldn’t wait to get that checked out, man.” His jaw drops as everyone at the table looks at him. Ronnie even shifts a little to the left, away from him and closer to me. Sean and Rodger both look at Allen like he has some kind of

disease. “What the fuck is wrong with your foot? Doesn’t matter. Whatever it is, go get that taken care of. I don’t want to catch anything,” Sean says to him. Allen holds his hands up. “Hang on, I don’t have anything growing anywhere. I have no clue where he got that from. Look, I’ll even show you.” Allen reaches down to take off his shoe, but Ronnie stops him. “That really isn’t necessary, sweets. I’m sure a doctor will get rid of…whatever it is.” I lean my elbows on the table and place my hands in front of my face, covering my smile and trying to hold back the laugh that wants to escape.

Before Allen can say anything else, the bell rings. Sean and Rodger make a quick escape. When I look over to Ronnie, she seems to be keeping her distance while getting her backpack. Allen glares at me, then runs a finger across his throat. Before Ronnie can get away from the table, Allen stops her, “Don’t believe him, Itty, he’s lying.” Ronnie stares at him, biting her lip and glances to everyone else at the table. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of, hun. Just get whatever it is checked out this weekend. We can study during the week at work.” “He only said that because he was

going to ask you out,” Allen blurts, stilling Ronnie and me. Thank God no one else was in the classroom to hear that. I would have had to kick his ass. Ronnie stands there, staring at me with wide eyes. When I turn to Allen, he slaps his hand over his mouth. Ronnie looks down at him, and asks, “What are you talking about?” Allen shakes his head at her. “Nothing. It just slipped. It didn’t mean anything.” Like she’s that stupid. “You wouldn’t have said it if it didn’t mean anything. Now, what are you talking about Gibson was going to ask me out? He doesn’t even like me.” The fuck she just say?

“What do you mean I don’t like you?” I ask her. When Ronnie turns to look at me, she keeps her head down and tries to avoid eye contact. “Well, after this weekend, I figured you weren’t interested.” Leaning forward, I catch the scent of Ronnie’s fruit shampoo. It wraps around me and I have to shake off the feelings it entices. I look into her eyes. After this weekend, I knew she would have thought I wasn’t interested, but I need to make her realize that wasn’t why I acted strange. “You talking about after our kiss?” I ask her. A little shade of pink runs across

her cheeks. I love making this chick blush. It lets me know I affect her. “Yes,” Ronnie answers. I step closer to her, trapping her against the table. “You thought I was upset?” “More like angry,” she says, dropping her chin so she’s facing the ground. The only times I’ve seen Ronnie act shy is when I get close to her, like now. Shows a different side of the girl who walks around with confidence and shoots the shit with her best friend. I take my hand and lift her chin so she has no choice but to look at me. Staring into her blue eyes is distracting and when she starts biting that full lip of

hers, I want nothing more than to pull it into my mouth. I need to focus. I’m doing things differently this time. Date first, kiss later…then hopefully a little more than kissing. “I wasn’t angry, Ronnie,” I whisper. She looks shocked and tries to pull her face out of my hand, but I don’t want to let go just yet. Instead, I move my hand to cup her cheek. “You weren’t? Then why were you acting so strange?” I move my head a little closer to hers, still cupping her cheek. “You want me to be honest or make up something that doesn’t sound so lame?” Ronnie laughs. “The truth, always

the truth,” she says. I take a deep breath and move my hand from her cheek to the back of her neck. “I was a little scared.” Damn, that was hard to say. “Scared? What do you mean you were scared?” she asks. “I said a little scared, first off. Second, you scare me a bit. I’ve never had feelings for a chick before,” I tell her. Ronnie lifts her eyebrow. “Out of all the women you’ve been with, you never had feelings for any of them? I find that hard to believe.” If she only knew. “Trust me when I

say this,” I lean in so our noses are almost touching, “I have never felt what I felt when we kissed with any other girl. You’re different, Ronnie. I like you—a lot.” Ronnie lets out a small gasp and that does me in. I grip her hair and lean in to put my mouth on hers. Just as our lips touch, Allen clears his throat. How could I have forgotten he was here? I release Ronnie’s hair and let my hand drop. She leans back to distance herself from me. I get the message and move back myself. Allen is still sitting in his seat with some kind of loving look in his eyes. It’s sort of freaking me out the way he’s looking between us.

Before I realize what’s happening, Allen wraps his arms around Ronnie and me. I stand with my arms at my sides, wondering what is wrong with him. Dude whimpers, sounding like he’s trying not to cry next to me. He holds the two of us for an uncomfortable amount of time before saying, “I am so excited my besties are in love. You two just better not make me the third wheel when we’re together.” Ronnie and I both push Allen off us. “What in the hell are you talking about?” Ronnie asks. “The-there’s nothing going on here.” Way to bring a guy’s ego down. I thought there was a little something going on. You know, with me about to kiss her and everything.

Allen wags his pointer finger at Ronnie. “Don’t you give me that crap. I know chemistry when I see it, little missy, and that right there was hot chemistry.” It would have been hotter if he weren’t here. When Ronnie doesn’t say anything to Allen, I grab her hand and pull her out of the classroom. Allen calls our names, but doesn’t follow. I want to get this over with and just…ask her. The hallway is pretty clear since the students are either at lunch or in their classes, so I pull her toward the bathrooms at the end of the hall where I can talk to her in private. Once we reach the women’s

restroom, I open the door and pull Ronnie inside. The moment the door shuts, the bell rings. We’re both late for class, but I couldn’t care less. She still looks confused, and hell, even I am. Allen just messed up all the shit I had planned. Asking a chick out is harder than I thought it would be. Now that I’m alone with her, I have no clue what to say, which has never happened to me. I’m usually the life of the party, always the center of attention, but then, I was around people who looked at me like I was a person of importance. Ronnie doesn’t see any of that. She doesn’t see the rock star’s son, the guy who can out chug a beer against anyone, or the guy who will take someone else’s

car for a joyride. Ronnie just sees Gibson. I lock the door and turn around to find Ronnie standing there with her arms crossed over her chest. She’s glaring at me and I’m sure I won’t be a fan of what she has to say next. “What is wrong with you? You can’t just drag people around like that, you know. You’ve made me late for class now.” Of course, she’s be upset about missing class. I walk up to her and put my hands on her shoulders, hoping to ease some of her frustration. “I’m sorry you’ll be late to class. I just had to clear some stuff up.” Ronnie takes a deep breath. “Fine. I

don’t like my next class anyway. What did you want to talk about?” Since she already has an idea, this should be easy. Like ripping off a BandAid. The only problem is I have no clue what to say to her. Should I just come out and ask her if she wants to have dinner with me this weekend? Would that work? I look into her blue eyes. “Are you okay? You look like you’re thinking too hard over there.” Fuck it. “You have plans this weekend?” I ask her. Ronnie jerks her head back and I drop my hands from her shoulders. “Well, I work Friday night. Other than

that, I was just going to work on the essay.” “Go out with me,” I blurt, without thinking. Ronnie’s eyes get huge and she takes a step back. I would if I were her, too. I practically shouted at her. “I’m sorry. Let’s backtrack for a second. Will you go out with me this weekend? Saturday maybe?” I ask, a little less stressed this time. She raises an eyebrow and tilts her head. “You’re asking me out? Like…on a date?” Was I not straightforward enough? I lean forward so our faces are close, and enjoy Ronnie’s eyes as they widen

slightly. “Yes. A date. Dinner or a movie. Something along those lines I’m guess—” “I know what a date is,” she interrupts. “I’m wondering why you’re asking me.” “I like you?” I say, but it comes out more like a question in my confusion. After the talk we just had, I figured she understood she’s different for me. “What did you have in mind?” she asks, biting that full lip I love. I stick my hands in my front pockets and prepare to pull some shit out of my ass. I still have no idea what we would do. I don’t know this town and I sure as hell am not asking Dan for advice. “I

was thinking we could go to dinner. Maybe an Italian place. Figured that was a good bet because everyone likes Italian.” She nods in agreement. “Then, if you wanted, we could hang out at that beach area we were at last week.” I throw my head back and groan. The beach and an Italian restaurant, that’s the best I could come up with? Ronnie shakes her head and gives me one of those big smiles she has. “You didn’t have any of this planned, did you?” I throw my hands up in the air and drop them at my side. “What do you expect? I don’t know anything in this small town. The best I had was guessing you had an Italian restaurant.”

Ronnie laughs and the sound resonates deep within me, stirring around unknown emotions. I love it. “We do have one Italian restaurant. It’s nothing to write home about, though. I’m pretty sure the family who owns it serves frozen TV dinners.” I scrunch my nose up at the thought. Nothing about a frozen dinner sounds appetizing. Since that plan is shot, I have nothing. “Well, then, how about you just tell me what you usually do when you go out on a date.” Ronnie’s face drops. What did I say? “You know what, let’s just forget about this whole date thing.”

She goes around me to leave, but I grab her by the arm and turn her to face me. I’ve never dealt with an upset female before and I have no idea if I’ll say the wrong thing, but I can’t let Ronnie leave like this and blow off our future date. I rub my hands up and down her arms, attempting to soothe her. “What’s wrong? Was it something I said?” “It wasn’t what you said exactly. It’s just…ugh, this is so embarrassing. You’ll laugh and think I’m some kind of loser.” “Whatever it is, I’m sure it isn’t that embarrassing. Just tell me. I promise I won’t laugh at you,” I say, hoping I can

keep my promise. Ronnie averts her eyes. “I haven’t exactly…been on a date.” The last part is so quiet, I almost don’t hear her. I start laughing and Ronnie punches me in the shoulder. “You said you wouldn’t laugh, you jerk. You can definitely take my answer as a no.” I abruptly stop and grab Ronnie’s wrist. “Wait, I’m not laughing at you.” She squints her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest. “The truth is, I was freaking out over asking you out because I actually do like you. Plus, I’ve never asked a girl out before. You’re sort of the first.” Now, it’s Ronnie’s turn to laugh. “I

find that hard to believe. You’ve probably been with tons of girls.” “I didn’t exactly have to take them out on a date.” As soon as the words come out of mouth, I want to run in the other direction. Wrong thing to say to the girl you like. Her face drops. “Oh.” “So, what do you say? Want to pop our dating cherries and be each other’s first?” I ask, wanting to get the thought of me and other girls out of her head. Ronnie lets out the smallest of smiles, trying hard not to laugh at my joke. “Yes, I would love to.” Was that a yes? Did she really just

agree to go on a date with me? Before I can say anything to her, she points her finger at my chest, and says, “But you’ll have to come up with something for us to do. And get creative, I have high expectations.” She walks around me to unlock the door, and this time, I let her. Just before Ronnie walks out the door, she turns back to me. “Have a nice day, rock star.”

As much as I love my job, I wish I didn’t have to work for so little. It’s

Friday night and the entire football team decided to come into Chili’s after winning their game. That means I get to serve a group of rowdy, dirty, overgrown teenagers. We have to have two servers for them and just my luck, Allen isn’t working tonight so I get the new girl, Jenny. She’s only had a week of training and still isn’t familiar with the menu, but she’s fast when running the food from the kitchen. I take the tables with the seniors because I know how these boys can get. They are always flirting with the waitresses and I don’t want to let them loose on the sixteen-year-old girl. Walking up to the two tables they’re occupying to deliver their drinks and

take some orders, I stop and the conversation dies, all eyes on me. I really wish Allen were here to take this table. Will, the linebacker, leans back in his chair and gives my body a long look. “Well, hello there, Ms. Ronnie. Are you going to be servicing us today?” How original. I roll my eyes and set the cups and pitcher of water in front of him. “I’m here to take your order, that’s it. I’m really not in the mood to deal with all of this,” I wave my hand in front of his face, “tonight.” He holds his hands up in surrender. “Fine, fine. I get it. I’ll control myself

and give you my order.” Pulling out my notepad and pen, I wait for him to continue. Will looks at his menu and then back up to me. “I’ll have…you, tonight, in my bed.” All the guys at the table laugh and slap him on the back. I drop my hands at my sides and wonder how much trouble I would get in if that pitcher of ice-cold water just happened to land on top of his head. It would probably get me fired, but it would be worth it. Before I can decide between my job and making Will look like an idiot, Sean throws a ketchup bottle at his head. I can always count on my brother to be there for me. Will looks over at Sean, stunned. My brother’s nostrils are flared and his

breathing is heavy. All the guys at the table stop laughing when they see it was Sean who threw the bottle. “Say one more fucking word to her and I’ll kick your ass.” And no doubt he would. He’s done it before. Will nods and ducks down in his chair. “Yeah, man. Sorry, I was just messing around.” “I don’t give a shit. Now, apologize to her,” Sean says, pointing his finger at me. Will apologizes for his comments and goes back to looking at his menu. The rest of the guys who were laughing at his “joke” follow suit.

I prepare my pen and paper to take everyone’s order, but Sean waves me over, grabbing my attention. “We’re all just going to take burgers to make it easy on you, Ron.” I write down nine burgers. Just before I’m about to walk away, Will speaks up again. “Wait, I don’t eat meat.” Sean rolls his eyes. “Fine, eight hamburgers and one pussy-burger for Will.” That not only gets the table laughing, but me too. Serves Will right for messing with me. I head to the kitchen to give the cooks the order and then check on my other tables. After I make sure

everyone has new refills and is happy with their food, I stop by the bathroom so I can check my phone. I don’t have any new messages, but I decide to text Allen to let him know how much I hate him for not working tonight. Ronnie: I need you! The team stopped by and it’s only Jenny and I tonight He replies right away. He’s probably at home watching Netflix, the lucky guy. Allen: I’m sorry, Itty. I would come down there and help, but I’m already in my jammies. You know that means I’m done for the night.

Ronnie: But don’t you <3 me? I would come help you. Allen: The night mask is on… Ronnie: Never mind. You’re not leaving your room tonight. Allen won’t leave the house unless he looks perfect. Once he’s home for the day, there is no getting him to come out. He’d have to do his hair, which takes forever, and go through which outfit to wear. My phone goes off in my hand and I expect another message from Allen, but it’s from my brother Jerry. We rarely hear from him, so these messages instantly bring a smile to my face.

Jerry: How much do you love your big brother? Ronnie: Who? Sean? I mean a little, but not all that much. Jerry: Ha ha. Smartass. You know what I mean. Guess who has a surprise for you? The last surprise he had for us was that he joined the Army and was off to boot camp after high school. I’m hoping this one is a good surprise. Ronnie: You know I hate guessing games. Jerry: Fine, I won’t make that big brain of yours work too hard. Your favorite brother is coming home for

Thanksgiving. Ronnie: What?! Are you serious? You’re really coming home? It’s been over two years since he’s been home. I jump up a little at the thought of seeing him after so long. Jerry: Yep! I’ll be there for six days. I want to surprise mom and dad, that’s why I’m telling you now. I messaged Sean, too. Figured between the two of you, y’all can help me out. Ronnie: Of course. I’ll go request off now for work. Which I have to get back to. Love you! Can’t wait for you to come down here

Jerry: You’re going for employee of the month with texting at work. Lol. Love you, too, little sis. I’ll talk to you later. With my brother’s news, all of my annoyance is gone. I can’t wait to see Jerry. Going from talking and seeing someone every day to one visit in two years and the occasional phone call is hard on my entire family. I can still hear my mom crying some nights because she misses him so much. Tucking my phone away in my apron pocket, I make my way back to the kitchen. The cooks are finishing up the burgers for the team, so Jenny and I pile our trays

up and head to the table. After we make sure the guys have enough food and Will gets his special burger, I cash out my other customers and help Jenny do the same with hers. There’s a lull after the rest of our tables clear out and I don’t expect anyone else to come in tonight since we close in under an hour, so I start cashing out the extra registers while Oliver, the bartender, cleans his area. I have Jenny check on the guys and listen to make sure they are behaving themselves with her. She’s young and sweet—too innocent of a girl for those boys to mess around with.

Just as I’m closing up the last register, the hairs on the back of my neck tingle as someone breathes against me. Twirling around, I let out a small gasp, finding Gibson standing there, smiling down at me. “What are you doing here?” I ask. He takes a step closer, trapping me with my back against the register. “I came up with what I think is a pretty damn good date.” He puffs his chest out, seeming proud of himself, and that makes me want to know what he has planned for us. I cross my arms over my chest and raise my eyebrow at him. “You do, huh? Well, lay it on me then. I’d

rather be the judge of this damn good date.” He shakes his head at me. “Sorry, no can do. I have to keep the mystery up. Can’t be giving away all my secrets.” “So, you came all the way down here to tell me you can’t tell me what we’re doing tomorrow night? That seems pretty rude and makes you a major tease.” Gibson comes a little closer and puts his hands on my hips. He’s been a lot more touchy feely since I agreed to go out with him on Monday. During the week, he found small ways to touch me, whether it

was laying his hand on my lower back or putting his arm over my chair at lunch. The hand holding and public affection is all foreign to me. “I actually came down here to get your number. I realized I didn’t have it when I went to text you about tomorrow.” “I thought you weren’t going to tell me about our date?” He squeezes my hips and comes just a little bit closer, pushing my crossed arms against his stomach. “I’m not. But Allen told me I should inform you on what to wear and shit like that. Didn’t want you showing

up in a ball gown if we’re going to a shack.” “Because I have a ball gown just laying around, waiting for me to wear it.” He shrugs. “I don’t know what girls keep in their closets.” “All right then, rock star, what would you like me to wear tomorrow?” “You really want me to answer that?” he asks with a smirk. I smack his chest. “You perv. What kind of clothes should I wear tomorrow? Shoes, too. If we’re going outdoors, I don’t want to

wear flip-flops.” “Flip-flops are fine, if you want. It’s nothing like hiking or anything. I was only going to suggest you dress in something comfortable, and the less clothing, the better.” I roll my eyes. “I’m serious this time. It’s hot as hell here and we’ll be outside.” “Fine. Basically what I wear most days. Got it.” Sounds easy enough. “What do we have going on over here?” Dammit. How could I have forgotten Sean was here? No one knows about my date with Gibson besides Allen and I’d rather keep it that way. The less people who know, the less likely my parents, mainly my dad, will

find out. Gibson backs away from me and I take a step to the right, putting more distance between us. “Nothing. We were just talking. Gibson was wondering if we were still open to order food.” I clear my throat and turn back to the cash register. “Didn’t look like nothing. Looked like the two of you were getting pretty close.” I wish Sean would just let this be. He doesn’t need to be a jerk when I’m around a guy. “We warned you about this guy. He’s nothing but trouble, Ronnie.” I roll my eyes at my clueless brother. “Trouble? And how would you

know this, Sean? Because of a bunch of pictures and what people say in magazines and online? You know better than anyone that a picture can be read wrong and rumors ruin people’s lives. Don’t judge Gibson on what you’ve seen other people say about him.” I grab Gibson’s hand and pull him out the side exit, away from a shocked Sean and angry looking Rodger. Once we make it to the front of the building, I turn around and face Gibson. “Now you see why I haven’t dated before. Even if there were a guy in this town I would say yes to, I’d have to deal with my brother and my dad. They would never approve of any guy.”

Gibson nods in understanding. “I get it. I don’t have a little sister or anything, but I’m sure he’s protective of you. I just don’t understand why his friend is always there, right behind him.” Would now be the wrong time to mention the relationship Rodger and I had over a year ago? I’m sure I’ll have to tell Gibson sometime if we lead into a second or third date, but I don’t want him to judge me for the decision I made last summer. I decide to explain as little as possible to him. “Something happened between us last summer and I guess he thought it was more than it was. Being around you is bringing out the jealous side of him, I guess.”

“I thought you said you hadn’t dated?” Gibson asks. I gnaw on my bottom lip, thinking of a way to explain my previous relationship with Rodger without sounding bad. “We didn’t exactly… date.” Understanding shows on Gibson’s face. “Got it. So, now he’s pissed I’m around you?” “Pretty much.” I look at my watch and see we close in twenty minutes. I need to get back to cash out the team. “I have to get back to work, but what time do you want me to be at your house tomorrow?”

“Six work for you? And I’m sorry about you having to driv—” “No need to apologize. I’d rather drive than you get in trouble for it. And six is perfect.” I turn to go inside when Gibson grabs my hand and pulls me back to him. He plants a soft kiss on my lips and then slowly breaks away. It’s nowhere near the kiss we shared last weekend, but it’s perfect for this moment. I turn around to make sure Sean can’t see us, but Gibson stops me by directing my face toward his with his hand on my cheek. “They can’t see us, I already checked. I just couldn’t go until tomorrow without tasting you again. A

week is way too long.” “You know, for a bad boy who’s never dated, you’re pretty romantic.” “It’s a new trait I’m discovering I have. I wouldn’t get used to it though, not sure how long it will last.” His face is so close, I can smell the mint of his gum. Before I realize what I’m doing, I move up on my tiptoes and plant a hard kiss on his lips. I love the way his lips feel. That lip ring in particular. It’s cold against my bottom lip and it makes me want to lick it. I pull back before I do just that. I don’t want to get too carried away when my brother is right inside. “I have to go,” I say.

He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his phone. “Number first.” I dial my number so I have his as well and return his phone to him. “So, tomorrow at six?” he asks me. I nod. “I’ll be in the beat up truck.” He laughs at my lame joke. “I’ll see you then.”

I watch Ronnie as she walks back into the restaurant, her perfect ass swaying from side to side. As soon as she disappears, I turn to head back toward Dan’s and grab my phone from my pocket. I have a long walk ahead of me and after this past weekend, need to handle some shit that should have already been dealt with. Unfortunately, my dad has been in Europe for his latest tour and I knew I wouldn’t be able to

reach him until now. After hitting the number, ringing fills the line. I wipe my hand across my forehead to clear the sweat. This heat sucks. Not even walking five minutes and I’m already sweating my ass off, but it was worth it to see Ronnie. Just as I’m about to hang up, my dad’s deep voice comes through the line. “Hello.” “Hey, Dad, it’s me,” I reply, not the least bit interested in actually talking to him. After Sean and Rodger mentioned my arrest, I went to some of the popular gossip websites. My dad said he had his PR person handling everything with keeping my name out of the press and

that he paid her more than enough, but it seems like the twit couldn’t do her damn job. “Gibson, I was going to call you tomorrow. I just got in a couple days ago and was trying to settle in first.” I roll my eyes at his bullshit excuse. He had no intentions of calling to check in with me, but I’m used to this and that’s not the reason I’m calling now. “Sure. I was just calling to let you know some people here found about my arrest online. That shitty agent of yours didn’t do her job so well.” “Are you serious? I’ll call her first thing in the morning. Have you had any problems with any of the students

there?” “Nothing I can’t handle, don’t worry about me.” He goes quiet for a second. “How are you doing staying with Dan?” “I like it. He’s working a lot, but we get along pretty well.” “That’s good, son. I’m happy everything’s working out over there.” I could have sworn I heard my dad’s voice drop at the end of his statement. There’s an awkward silence between the two of us and I’m not sure how to respond. “Hey, Dad, I’m walking into the house now. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Yeah, son, have a good night.” I hang up and shove my phone in the front pocket of my jeans. I make my way up the driveway of Dan’s house and notice his patrol car is here. I thought he was working tonight, so I’m surprised to see he’s home. When I make my way inside, there’s loud noise from the living room. Walking through the kitchen and toward the hallway, Dan sitting on the couch watching TV, still in his uniform with a beer in his hand. At my appearance, he turns his head, then leans forward, placing his can of beer on the coffee table. “Where are you coming from?”

“Chili’s down the road. Stopped by to grab a bite to eat,” I lie. Dan turns his attention back to the TV. “Plenty of food here. Any reason you made that long walk?” By the way he’s acting, I’m betting he knows exactly why I was there, or who I was there for. “They have great chili?” He tilts his head to the side, not believing my dumb answer. “You’re sticking with that response? I know a certain little blonde teenager works there.” I walk over to the loveseat, opposite from the couch he’s sitting on. “You trying to tell me something?”

He laughs and shakes his head. Reaching for the remote on the coffee table, he turns down the volume. “I’m wondering what’s going on with you and Hamilton’s daughter. You’ve been spending quite some time with her.” “Is there a problem with that?” He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. “I’m going to be straightforward with you, Gibson. I know about your past and I personally know Ronnie and her family. I want to make sure you’re hanging around her for the right reasons. Ronnie and her brothers are the most respectable kids around here.” I

wouldn’t

say

Sean

was

respectable, a dick would be more like it. “You’re saying I’m going to corrupt her or something?” “I’m not saying anything like that, I just want to make sure she’s being a good influence on you. Spending time with someone like her is a good thing, but I want to make sure you aren’t influencing her. I don’t want you to go back to your old habits.” I narrow my eyes at him and tighten my lips, trying to keep the annoyance from coming out. I get where he’s coming from, but I thought he knew I was serious about changing my ways. “You don’t need to worry about me being a bad influence on the precious Ronnie. I haven’t touched any of that shit since I

left California and I don’t plan to. Plus, Ronnie knows about my past. I’ve already told her.” Dan’s eyebrows raise in surprise. “Really? I thought you weren’t going to talk about any of that with people you met here.” I shrug my shoulders. “I wasn’t, but Ronnie’s different.” I can’t help the small smile that creeps across my face. “You like this girl. Actually like her.” He doesn’t question it. It’s blatantly obvious from the look on my face. “Yeah, I like her, all right?” I say, my tone a little defensive. I don’t like talking about this with anyone,

especially him, he’s the guy that took me in when I could be sitting in a cell and be someone’s bitch right now. I owe Dan. I push to stand and turn to go back to my room when Dan calls my name. “I have to pull a double tomorrow night since Jimmy’s wife went into labor tonight. That’s why I’m home. Two other guys covered for us. I’ll be home late tomorrow also, so you might want to grab yourself some Chili’s for dinner.” What a jokester he is. “I actually have a…um…date?” I say, shifting uncomfortably. “A date, you say? This wouldn’t be with Ronnie by any chance, would it?” “You think I would talk to you

about her being different and then bring some other chick on a date?” “Of course not. If you were, I would have kicked your ass. I’m just surprised she agreed to go on a date with you. With her brother and that Rodger kid around, I was sure no one was going to make it through to her.” “Well, her brother and that douche don’t know about it. I’d like to keep it that way for as long as possible. They aren’t exactly fans of mine.” “Make sure you don’t keep it a secret for too long. I’m sure Sean and Ronnie’s daddy wouldn’t be too happy about her hiding your relationship.” I shrug at his comment. “Nothing to

worry about. Parents love me.” Even though I’ve never met a chick’s parents and my friend’s dad had me arrested. Nothing to worry about there. Yeah right. Dan laughs. “You? Kid, if I were the parent of a teenage girl, I wouldn’t want you or anything with a dick around her. And you have a past. You better kiss some ass when you meet Mike.” I hold my hands up to stop him from talking. “Let’s take it back a notch. I haven’t even been on a date with her yet. Let me get through my first date and then maybe we can start talking about meeting the parents.” “Small town like this, nothing stays

a secret. Everyone talks, Gibson. It’s hard, but get used to it.” If only it were that easy. After nineteen years of being in the media because of my dad, I still wasn’t used to it.

Saturday morning, I wake up bright and early, ready to hit the gym like I do

every weekend with my brother. Gathering my workout clothes from my closet, I quickly get changed and make my way downstairs to meet up with Sean. Walking into the kitchen, I find him scarfing down a protein bar. He nods his head and takes a drink out of the water bottle next to him. “You ready to work up a sweat?” he asks. Rolling my shoulders back, I puff out my chest and narrow my eyes at him. “Bring it on, bro,” I say in the deepest tone I can go. He laughs at my attempt to be manly and the two of us head out to the truck. Sean puts on some heavy metal

garbage that makes me break out in chills from the high pitch screams. Deciding to get in the zone with my own tunes, I take my headphones out of my gym bag and play some Sam Hunt. Bobbing my head and getting lost to the smooth tone of Sam’s voice, I think back to when I first started going to the gym with my brothers. Jerry had made the football team and, even as a freshman, was the best out of all of them. That could have something to do with growing up with my dad, where you love, breathe, and sleep football if you are a Hamilton boy. Jerry was worried about disappointing our dad, so Sean and I would help with his training on weekends. That meant early mornings

and working out when I’d much rather have a nose in a book. Even though helping my brother meant taking away one of my days to sleep in, I loved being there for him and learned to love working out. The truck jerks to a stop when Sean puts it in park and I take my headphones out. We enter the gym in silence. Sean is always serious when he works out and likes to get straight into sets after stretching. Licking the sweat off my top lip, I push through my last squat, feeling the burn all through my legs. “Good form. It’s gotten a lot better since we first started.” He’s talking about the time when I had fifteen pounds on each side

and struggled to make a set. I’ve come a long way since then. “Thanks. I think this becoming my favorite.”

one is

Sean nods, but doesn’t say anything else. He seems like he wants to say more to me, but walks over to the free weights. I’m not used to a silent Sean, so I head over to find out what’s wrong with him. Sean grabs a dumbbell and begins doing bicep curls. “What’s with the brooding Sean this morning? I know you’re usually serious, but you seem angry.” He looks at me through the mirror we’re standing in front of. “Nothing’s

going on.” Like that short answer will cut it for me. “Sean, I know you, and I know when something’s bugging you. Call it a twin thing, but there is definitely something on your mind.” Sean drops the weights on the floor in front of him and turns to face me. From the slight flare of his nostrils, I can tell he’s pissed. It’s not a look I’m used to being directed toward me, so I take a step back, feeling threatened. “Fine, there is something I’ve want to talk to you about,” Sean barks out, talking at me more than to me. He may be a great team captain because of his assertive personality, but when it’s directed at me, all I want to do is smack him. “I’ve seen

you and that criminal around each other too much. You need to stay the fuck away from him. He’s trouble, Ronnie, and you don’t need that kind of shit in your life.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I glare at him. Where does Sean get off on judging Gibson, someone he doesn’t even know? This has to be the kind of discrimination Gibson must have gotten his whole life. No matter how good of a person he becomes, his mistakes will always be what he’s known for. Sure, Gibson didn’t help himself when he chose the wrong path and started doing drugs and breaking the law, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t able to change. I point my finger at Sean’s chest

and push. “How dare you. I’m sure all your opinions of him are from stupid social media and gossip websites, but you know nothing about who he is. And you, of all people, should know, sometimes we mess up, but that doesn’t make us a bad person. Everyone deserves a second chance, Sean. Gibson is here for his. He’s not corrupting me into the life he used to like, he’s not using me, and he sure as hell isn’t lying to me. He’s already told me about what he’s in the news for and more. He’s been open and forthcoming with me, so until you decide to actually get to know Gibson as a person, you can keep your opinions to yourself and shut the fuck up.” I turn around and storm out the gym

door, leaving my brother standing there stunned. Once I’m outside, the cool breeze hitting my now wet skin sends a chill up my arms and I rub them to stop it. Sean and I rode over here together in our truck, so now I don’t have a way to get home other than the ten mile walk. I decide to take advantage of the time alone to cool off from the argument. I never thought my brother would be the type to listen to gossip and judge someone based on it. It makes me sad because a year ago, he was the one in Gibson’s shoes and Anna was the one who got hurt. They started dating freshman year and fell in love right away. Sean would

tell me over and over he had found the girl he was planning on spending the rest of his life with. I thought he was happy to just have a girlfriend at fifteen and saying stuff like that because he fell in lust, but if you saw the two together, you would have known they were the real deal. Then, Sean went to an away game in New Orleans with the entire football team, staff, and cheerleaders, and there had been one girl in particular trying to get her claws into Sean for the past year. I never did get the full story from either one of them, both said they didn’t want to talk about it, but from my understanding, there were pictures of Sean and the girl together throughout the

night—talking, kissing…Sean and a girl in bed together, which had the entire school talking when most of them personally received the photo. You can clearly tell Sean is in bed with a brunette laying topless across his chest, but you aren’t able to see her face. I was with Anna when she got the photo message that said, “Like our QB would be faithful. Hurry quick, girls, he’ll be off the market soon…” I have never seen such devastation on someone’s face before. Anna looked like a relative died. She refused to talk to Sean after that, wouldn’t even let him explain. I was proud of her for standing her ground. It must have been hard, but no one should ever forgive a cheater. My

relationship with Anna changed then, and I felt lonely after losing one of my closest friends. We had known each other for so long. Growing up, she had lived down the street from us and we would always ride our bikes together after school. Sean ruined everything by breaking her heart, taking away one of my favorite people. Sure, she said we were still friends, but I could tell she felt uncomfortable being around me. After a while, I gave up, realizing being my friend would only hurt her in the long run, and eventually, I had to get past what Sean did. I had been so lost in my head and focused on cooling off, I never paid attention to where I was going. Looking

around, I find myself in front of Gibson’s house. There isn’t a car in the driveway, so I’m guessing his uncle isn’t here. Deciding I’d much rather hide out here than go home where Sean will no doubt want to talk again, I walk up to the front door and knock. I wait for a minute, but no one answers. Just before I’m about to turn around and leave, the door swings open and my jaw nearly falls to the ground. Gibson stands there, holding the door open while leaning forward…shirtless. This cannot be the body of a high school student. He’s beautiful, hard and muscular, his six pack and flexed bicep on display as he holds the door open. My eyes descend his body and land on

that V that makes girls go crazy. It’s never affected me, unlike most girls, and Allen. Even Rodger had the V, but I was never fixated on it. Right now, I’m unable to look away. His sweatpants are slung low on his hips and I follow a trail of dark hair starting at the bottom of his belly button and disappearing into his waistband. I’m still staring, and maybe drooling, when that perfect torso starts to get closer. Gibson grabs my chin and lifts my face so I’m looking into his eyes. His striking green eyes captivate me. They look different now. Sort of dark and…hungry. Between his half naked body and the way those eyes are looking at me, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stand up straight for much longer.

“You have a little something right here, princess.” He swipes his thumb across the corner of my lip. Was I really drooling? I reach up to my mouth and check, but don’t feel anything. The liar. I stand here like an idiot, unable to form a structural sentence in response. I’m pretty sure the only sound that would come out of my mouth right now would be a moan, and that wouldn’t be appropriate at all. Gibson rubs his thumb across my cheek with a light caress that makes me want to shut my eyes, but then I wouldn’t be able to look into his. “What brings you over this way?” he asks in a deep, scratchy voice, sounding like he just woke up. It is only eight a.m.

How would I answer that question? That I left the gym and subconsciously made my way to his house? Doesn’t sound strange at all. “I…um. Well, I was on my way home…” I trail off. Gibson leans in and lightly kisses the cheek his thumb isn’t touching and my face catches fire. “I’m guessing by the outfit you have on, you were working out. And if this is what you wear when you go to the gym, I’m going with you— every time. You look too sexy for me not to be around you.” His hot breath dances across my cheek the entire time. I didn’t think anything of my choice of clothing this morning other than find clean clothes to workout in. I picked out

a bright green pair of yoga capris and a black Nike tank top. I never thought of it looking sexy, but maybe Gibson sees something different. “Yeah, I was at the gym with Sean this morning. We go every Saturday together.” “Hmm.” I don’t get much out of Gibson before his lips make their way from my cheek to my neck and he places an open kiss right against my pulse. By the loud pounding of my heart, I’m sure he can hear it. I tilt my head, exposing my neck more for him. Gibson places one hand on my lower back, pulling my body closer to his. He tangles the other in my hair, controlling the movement of my head to where he wants it. He makes his way across to the

front of my throat and my eyes shutter closed. Gibson licks my jaw and I let out a moan of approval. No one’s ever licked me before and I like it—a lot. Gibson’s grip on my hair tightens and my scalp tingles, but it’s not painful. He removes his lips from my neck and lifts his head, bringing his face right in front of mine. Our lips are close to touching and I want nothing more than to close the distance, but he still has a hold of me, preventing me from connecting our lips. A smirk forms on Gibson’s face. “You want me to kiss you, princess?” His lips brush mine as he teases me. “Yes.” He plants a soft, chaste kiss on my

lips and releases his grip on my hair. Just when I think he’s going to come back and do what he did on my neck to my lips, he turns around and heads back through the open door, leaving me standing there on the front porch, confused. He left the door open, so I’m guessing he wants me to follow him. The only problem is I can’t get my legs to move. After I’m able to collect myself, I make my way into his house. I’ve never seen the inside of Officer Dan’s house before. It is a small one-story surrounded by woods. Walking through the door, the living room is to my right and there’s a small hallway that I’m guessing leads to the kitchen. The front

room looks too tidy for a house where two men live. There’s no clutter or trash and the couches seem to match, unlike how my brother’s apartment looked like when he moved out. I could see myself getting comfortable with a blanket and a book on those couches. It’s every reader’s dream. After breaking my away from thoughts of a good book and my butt in that seat, I make my way down the hall to the kitchen. When I enter, the smell of strong coffee hits me and my stomach growls right away. Gibson is still shirtless, reaching in the top cabinet for two mismatched coffee cups. As he brings them down, he notices me standing near the doorway. “I made

some coffee, you want some?” Coffee? I scratch my head, wondering why he would be asking me for coffee. Looking back to the front of the house, I run through the kiss we just had and wonder why he would ask such a casual question. “Coffee…really?” How can he go from hot and heavy on the porch to acting nonchalant and talking about a hot beverage? Gibson pours the steaming coffee into one of the mugs. “What? Is there something else you want?” Oh, that little sneaky fellow. He wants me to say I want him to kiss me again. He leaves me there and now wants me to chase him. Well, as much as I would love to feel his

lips against mine again, I’m too stubborn to give in. I walk up and grab the mug out of his hands. “Coffee sounds perfect. Thank you.” I take a sip and relish in the taste. There is nothing better than a hot cup of Joe in the morning. He looks surprised by my answer as he pours his own cup. “You’re welcome. I’ll be needing tons of this since someone decided to wake me up at the ass crack of dawn.” I look at the clock on the stovetop. “It’s eight-thirty. That’s not early.” Sean and I are up at six-thirty and out the door heading for the gym. I’ve gotten so used to it over the years, getting up that early

doesn’t faze me anymore. “Babe, it’s Saturday morning. Any time before eleven is too early for me. I don’t do mornings.” I don’t listen much after he calls me babe. I love the new nickname. Not as much as I love princess, but it still makes me smile. “Why are you smiling like that?” I tighten my lips together, not even realizing I was giving him a goofy smile, too lost in my thoughts. “I...um, I just…never mind,” I stutter out. Wanting to avoid the question, I look down and begin picking at my nails. Setting down his coffee, Gibson makes his way over to me. He grabs the

mug out of my hand, places it on the counter beside us, and stands in front of me. “Don’t never mind me. What were you so happy about over here?” He crosses his muscular arms over his chest. I doubt he is going to let me get away with not answering, so I decide to get it over with and embarrass myself. “I liked it when you called me babe,” I say so low, I’m not even sure he heard me. “So, you like pet names, huh?” Gibson reaches out and pulls me against him, much like he did when we were outside. This time, though, he leans against the counter, so I’m standing perfectly in between his open legs and his hands are on my hips.

I nod my head at his question, too self-conscious to say anything out loud. I never thought I would be the type of girl who liked it when a guy called her by a nickname. When other couples called each other those cutesy names around me, I would roll my eyes, but now, I get it. It’s not because the guy forgot your name…well, not always, but more an affectionate name just for you. It’s sweet. Gibson squeezes my hips and I jump a little at the unexpected touch. “I never thought I would be a terms of endearment kind of guy, but you brought out yet another thing I didn’t know I had, princess.” I sigh and lean into him more. “I love that one the best,” I say, to

him, feeling a slight blush start to creep its way onto my cheeks. He raises his eyebrow. “Princess? Really?” I nod my head. “Yep. Why do you call me that anyway?” Gibson lets out a laugh and I feel it against my stomach. I squint my eyebrows and tilt my head, wondering why he’s laughing at my question. “You really want to know?” I lean back from where I was against his chest so I can look into his eyes. “Well, now I need to know.” He keeps a hold of me so I can’t get too far away. “All right, all right. That

nickname sort of just…happened. It’s really because you reminded me of someone—” I push at his chest. “If you tell me it’s because I remind you of some other girl then you are such an as—” Gibson grabs my hands and holds them against his bare skin. “Calm down, firecracker. It’s not that you reminded me of someone, it’s more of a fake someone.” “I’m not following you.” Gibson sits there, letting out a small laugh. “Have you ever played the game Super Mario Brothers?” Is he being serious right now? What

does that have to do with anything that we are talking about? “Of course I’ve played. I’m pretty sure it’s a requirement if you were born in the nineties.” “You sort of…remind me of her.” Gibson runs a hand through his full hair, like he’s nervous about his confession. Well, I would be, too. It seems like an insult. “I remind you of a character from a kid’s video game?” I pull out of the hold he has on me to grab my coffee. Nothing is worse than drinking it cold. “Hey, don’t knock Princess Peach. I had a major crush on her when I was a kid.” The mug stops right at my lips and I

look over it at Gibson. “Your childhood crush was Princess Peach? I thought every guy had the hots for Jessica Rabbit?” I know my brother did. He shrugs it off and heads for his abandoned cup. “Redheads never did it for me. I’m more of a blonde kind of guy.” He sends me a wink just before taking a sip of his drink. I can’t help but laugh at him. Gibson may look like trouble with his tattoo’s and piercings, but the more I’m around him, the more I see his playful side. And the more he’s bringing mine out, too. I make my way over to the small kitchen table with my now warm coffee and sit down. “I still cannot believe I remind you of Princess Peach,” I say,

looking up to find him staring at me. “I’d take it as a compliment, if I were you. I did just say she was my crush, didn’t I?” “Let’s just end this ridiculous conversation before I cancel our date thinking you’re on a mission to live out your childhood fantasy with me.” Gibson laughs, walks over to the table with his coffee—still shirtless, I might add—and takes a seat next to me. “Okay, princess. But nothing would get you out of our date tonight.” Even though I know the meaning behind the nickname, I still can’t help but smile at it.

Looking around the kitchen, I notice his computer sitting open and papers scattered all around. Maybe he’s been working on his essay for English. God knows I need to get my butt into gear and finish mine. I already have three new assignments that will be taking up some time from my other classes. “So, how’s your paper coming along?” I ask him. He glances at the closed computer for a second and then back to me. “Actually…I finished it.” I stare at him, waiting for the part where he says ‘just kidding’, but it never comes. Gibson talked about how he was terrible in school and hated going. I’m

surprised he finished his essay so early. “Really? You’re already done with it? That was fast.” “There’s not much else for me to do around here. It was either get the essay over and done with or sit and stare at the wall.” I nod my head in agreement. “You’re right there. If you want any kind of entertainment, you have to travel over two hours to Mobile. Even for a good movie theatre. Ours shows the movie a month after it comes out. I’m still waiting for them to get the newest Hunger Games.” “Now you see why it was so hard for me to plan a great date. There are

slim pickings around here.” The end of his sentence has a little southern tone to it. “Sounds like you’re taking to our little town. Even embracing the southern accent and phrases. Pretty sure there aren’t many L.A. boys who say slim pickings.” Gibson crosses his arms over his chest and huffs. “There is no way in hell I’m speaking with a southern accent. You must be hearing things.” “Sure, keep telling yourself that. You’ll soon realize you’re coming to the twang side.” I give him a wink, reach for the computer, and open it up. The computer is quickly slammed

shut and Gibson’s hand is lying on top of it. “Let’s not go on there,” Gibson says. I raise my eyebrow at him, now curious as to why he doesn’t want me to look at his computer. He is a teenage boy, so there could be something like… porn? Do guys even watch porn? And in the kitchen? “I was just going to read your essay since you finished it.” “How about I make you some breakfast?” he says, pulling the computer away from me. I place my hand on top of his and stop his retreating arm. “Or you can make me some breakfast while I read your essay. I’m going to have to read it anyway, why not now?”

Gibson looks between me and the computer, making me wonder what’s in it. He isn’t pulling the computer away from me anymore, but he’s also not releasing it. I look to him with a slight pouty lip and sad eyes—the same look I use on my dad when I want something. Works every time. “Please? I’m sure it’s not horrible. Let me do a short read through and then we can have some of those yummy eggs you’ll be making us.” A slight smile forms on his lips. Puppy eyes work like a charm. Gibson let’s his grasp on the computer go and I bring it to me before he can change his mind. I open the computer and watch Gibson move about the kitchen as I wait

for the screen to load up. He hasn’t said a word and seems like he’s trying to avoid looking at me. His movements are all wrong. Usually he’s more confident, but the way he avoids eye contact and plays with his lip ring is new. Maybe he’s afraid of what I’m going to read in his essay. I know I’m unsure of what he’ll see in mine. I have yet to find a way to tell my parents about UNF and I’m putting everything I want to tell them into a one-thousand word paper. I formulate my thoughts better in text and it would be the perfect way to get everything out in the open. Gibson’s computer loads and the start screen with a photo of an electric guitar pops up. He doesn’t have it

password protected, so when I click ‘open’, his paper is right on the screen. It looks to be three pages long. I’m impressed he got so much done in a couple weeks. I start on the first sentence and know why Gibson is nervous right away. I wouldn’t have thought someone like him would have been so forthcoming and honest with this paper. The first paragraph tells me everything I need to know about this man standing in the same room as me. Fame, fortune, and women—that’s all that comes to mind when you think about a rock star, or in my case, a rock star’s son. Sure, those three things come with being the child of the lead singer of one of the biggest rock bands, but with

some good comes a lot of bad. All they wanted was to use you. The groupies who followed were looking to get a hold of money and get their spot in the light. Being the son of Aaron Mitchell wasn’t what everyone thought it would be. For the people who say they wish they could have my life…well, I’m sitting here wishing for the same thing. I hate that he’s had to go through a life of not being able to know who he can trust. I can’t even imagine the kind of tricks people tried to play to get close to Gibson. Being a teenager is hard enough; it has to be much worse when people are always wanting to use you for something. Gibson was hurt at a young age by people who thought they could

manipulate him into getting what they want. It’s sad and makes me want to take him away and hide him from the world. I continue reading. Gibson talks about how he would have never wanted this kind of life. At first, he thought it was cool to be the popular guy in school. All the guys wanted to be him and all the girls wanted to be with him, but it got old for him—the drinking and partying got old. He had been doing it more out of habit than enjoyment the past few years. Tears burn the back of my eyes as I read about the life Gibson wants to change. When I finally reach the last paragraph, a small tear makes its way down my cheek.

What do I want out of the future? No one has ever asked me that before. Everyone assumes I’m right where I want to be—partying and being a high school drop-out. Does that sound like the kind of future someone should have? It doesn’t to me. My new life goal is to get as far away from my father’s name and lifestyle as possible. I don’t want to become a drug addict like my mother or an absent father like I had growing up. I’ve never had it, but I think I would want a family of my own…a son or daughter I could teach music. A wife who is there for me when I need her and I can love in the way I was never shown. That’s somewhere I could see myself. Maybe even teaching music. I know I

want the opposite of what I’ve lived. Being out of the public eye and under a microscope is my life goal. And beginning now, I’ll be working on my fresh start. I stare at the now blurry screen, unable to look up at Gibson. I’m not a crier, but reading about how someone you care for wants so badly to change their life brings out my emotional side. Footsteps come up behind me and the delish smell of breakfast foods gets closer and closer, until I Gibson clears his throat, stopping. Closing the computer screen, I close my eyes tight, trying to make the tears at bay disappear, and stand up from my seat, making my way over to Gibson. When I’m standing

in front of him, I grab the plates of food, place them on the counter next to us, and grab Gibson, pulling him into a hard hug. Every time we’ve embraced, it’s been out of lust and attraction, but this time is different. It’s me needing to hold Gibson. I need the comfort from him after reading his paper and the emotions his story gave me. With my arms wrapped tightly around Gibson’s neck and him holding on to my waist, I don’t know how long I hold him for, just that I never want to let go. I want to be the one to help Gibson reach his goal of a fresh start in a new life. He deserves one. “As much as I love having you in my arms, are you okay?” Gibson says,

breaking the long stretch of silence. I loosen my grip on his neck and lean back to look into his eyes. “I just needed to hold you. I really do hate your parents,” I say, squeezing him tight. “Some days I do, too, babe. They aren’t a reason for your tears, though. What’s done is done and now I plan on moving on to better things.” He leans down to plant a small peck on the tip of my nose then grabs the food and brings it to the table. “Now, let’s get to eating before all my hard work gets cold.” I make my way back over to the same chair I was sitting on earlier. “I want you to know I’m here for you, Gibson. I realize you’ve never had many

people by your side, but I want you to know you can trust me. I want to help you with your fresh start. You deserve it and I want to be there for you,” I say, needing to get it off my chest before we drop the conversation of his paper. His eyebrows raise, and I’m wondering if I’ve overstepped some sort of boundary. We haven’t exactly known each other for that long and even though we have a date tonight and have had a few…intimate moments, that doesn’t mean he wants any of my help with something so personal. Before I can take back what I had said, Gibson reaches across the table and plants a hard kiss against my lips. Finally. It isn’t as hot and heavy as the

other kisses we’ve had. It’s more of a thank you kiss and I know right away what he’s telling me. He wants me there with him, beside him as he makes this change in his life. And I couldn’t be any happier. I’ll be there for this man I could see myself falling for. He pulls back and I know I’m sporting a goofy smile on my face. I don’t worry too much about it because he’s smiling back at me. “Let’s eat.” I nod my head and look down at the plate of eggs in front of me. My stomach growls at the thought of food, but once I glance down at the pile of yellow and brown glop, it completely vanishes. He said he made eggs, right? I’m not sure what type of eggs they eat in California,

but these sure aren’t the kind we eat here in Alabama. We’re not very fond of burnt food and this plate, with the burnt eggs and toast, would get you kicked out of anyone’s house. I take a small bite of a non-burnt area, trying to be nice to the guy who is chowing down on his nastiness. The moment the food hits my tongue, I spit it back out. “What’s wrong? You don’t like eggs?” Gibson asks after seeing my reaction to the food. I want to be kind and tell him I’m not very hungry anymore, but he deserves to know the truth. He stares at me, then looks down to his plate, examining whatever the hell is on it. I’m not sure how he doesn’t see the

difference between his eggs and everyone else’s. I stand up and take our plates with me. “How about I make us some eggs, sausage, and pancakes? You can try some of my homemade cooking.” I send him a wink and head off into the kitchen.

I’m nervous. I try to think back to the last time I’ve ever been this nervous

and come up with nothing. This date has my brain all scattered, which is ridiculous. Gibson and I have hung out, just the two of us, before—hell, this morning I spent hours at his house, showing him how to properly cook eggs and my secret to making the best pancakes in the world. He was pretty satisfied when he ate them. He’s probably never had a homemade breakfast growing up with a mother like his. I made my way home shortly after we ate and cleaned up the kitchen. Gibson said he would take care of the mess, but I felt bad leaving it there for him to deal with. Plus, staying meant I got to be around him more. If someone

had told me three weeks ago I would enjoy spending time with the rock star’s son who came to town, I would have laughed and told them they were crazy. On paper, we have absolutely nothing in common. Gibson comes from a life of fame and money and I come from a small town where my family lives with the bare minimum. Even our interests are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. Today, Gibson told me no matter how hard I tried, he would not get on board with my love of country music. I gave it a shot at least. And he hates reading. Unless it’s music sheets, he avoids it. That should have made me run for the hills. I mean, how could I be with a guy who doesn’t read? But even though he

doesn’t enjoy a good book like I do, he sat with me on the couch and asked what my favorite books were about. Even when I went into a long description of each of the characters and my love for authors, he listened and his eyes never glazed over. Even with our different interests, we never had an awkward moment of silence, which gives me hope for tonight. And if I’m choosing Gibson over my daddy’s strict instructions to stay away from him, he’s worth it. I had told Gibson I would be at his house by six and its four forty-five right now, which means I need to shower if I’m going to be able to leave in time. I take extra time in the shower to make

sure every part of my body is scrubbed and hairless, doing a once over on my legs since I’ll be wearing shorts. I stand under the hot water once I’m finished and let my muscles enjoy the relief. After my shower, I quickly dry off and get changed, already wasting enough time. Since we’ll be outdoors, I decide to keep the make-up to the bare minimum, only applying mascara to my eyelashes and my daily dose of face cream. After finishing up the last stroke of the brush, I head over to the closet to grab my black vans. Once I’m all laced up, I check myself in my full length mirror. My hair has been air drying since my shower and now my long blonde locks are hanging in natural, loose

waves. Luckily the shorts I picked out aren’t too short and the basic tee looks semi-dressy with the skull design on the front. My skin has a nice tan from running out in the sun over the summer and I’m hoping I can keep it for the winter. That’s when I’ll start running at the gym. There is no way you’ll see me running out in the cold. Deciding I should get a move on it since it’s almost six, I grab my crossbody purse and head out the door. The drive to Gibson’s feels longer than normal. Maybe it’s because of my nerves? I hope he’s not able to tell when he sees me. I’d like to think I’m coming off as cool and collected. Even I can’t keep a straight face thinking that. The

shaking of my hands and tension in my shoulders is a dead giveaway. I pull up to Gibson’s house and notice Officer Dan’s car still isn’t here. I wonder how much that guy works. We do have very few officers here and with Officer Jimmy’s wife having their baby, I’m sure he has to work a lot more hours. Before I can even turn my truck off, Gibson’s coming outside, carrying what looks like a cooler. He opens the back door to my truck, places the cooler in the seat, and then makes his way to the passenger side. Hopping in, he smiles at me and then leans over, giving me an unexpected peck on the lips. I love this affectionate Gibson. I’m starting to notice it more.

When I was at his house this morning, he always had to have a hand on me. When we were making food, he would stand behind me at the stove and have his hands on my hips. On the couch talking, he held on to my thigh the entire time. Even when he walked me halfway to my house—I wouldn’t let him walk the entire way like he wanted in case Sean was home—his hand was either on my lower back or intertwined with mine. It’s sweet and I’m starting to learn I’m the kind of girl who loves public displays of affection. Pulling back from the too short kiss, Gibson greets me with a boyish smile. It helps loosen some of my nerves. “You look beautiful, princess.”

“You’re putting on all the charm today, aren’t you?” I ask, raising my brow. He lets out a deep chuckle. “No need for the charm, I already got the date, didn’t I? Now I can act like a complete ass.” I smack his arm while he sits there, laughing at his own joke. I put the car in reverse and make my way down his driveway. Like he’s done for the past two days when it’s the two of us in my truck, Gibson takes my hand from the gear shifter and brings it to his thigh where he laces our fingers together. He gives my hand a squeeze and I look over at him. Gibson winks at me and I can’t help but smile.

Once we reach the stop sign that runs into the town’s main road, I look over at Gibson. “So, where are we headed, rock star?” Gibson gives me a pointed look. “Watch it there,” he scolds, his tone playful. I think he likes the nickname I started calling him. And after this morning when I learned I was named after a video game character, I think his is ten times better. I repeat my question, hoping he just gives in and tells me where we’re going. “Take a left and keep driving. I’ll let you know when to turn next.” I do as he says, having no idea what to expect. The entire twenty minute drive, I try

to think of where we could be heading. So far, we’ve passed all the town’s main attractions: the rolling rink, what few restaurants we have, and the small lasertag arena no one over the age of ten goes to. I’ve run out of ideas and there are only a few more turns until we’re headed into the next town. “Take the next right and then our spot will be straight ahead,” Gibson says. The small beach I frequent comes into view and I smile at the sight of it. This is my happy place and I fall a little bit more for Gibson Mitchell because he brought me somewhere I love for our first date.

I pull up in the grass running along the outside of the sand and Gibson gives my hand a squeeze. “Stay here for a couple minutes. I’ll be right back to get you.” He’s out of the car and hauling the cooler down the beach before I can form words. He disappears behind some trees as he heads toward the water. I don’t know what he has in store for us, but my nerves vanish the moment I realized where we are. Five minutes go by before Gibson comes running up the beach. He doesn’t have the cooler this time, so I assume he left it wherever he was. I get out of the truck just as he makes it to my door. Before either of us says anything, I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him

down for a long, hard kiss. Gibson wasn’t expecting it, but once he realizes this isn’t a small peck like the one he gave me in the car, he grabs me around the waist, pulls me to him, and walks me back until I feel the side of my truck behind me. His arms slide from around my back, up to my sides grazing the edge of my breast on the way, until he’s framing my face with his large hands. Gibson pulls back, breaking the kiss. He looks down at me and the two of us stare into each other’s eyes, not saying a word. My fingers run through the short strands on the back of his head, encouraging him to bring his lips back to mine. As much as I love looking into this man’s eyes, his lips are damn near

intoxicating. Gibson shakes his head at me, resisting my efforts. Running his hands down the curve of my neck to my shoulder and then my arms, he removes them from his face. “I really did try, but you made it very difficult for me, baby,” he whispers against my lips. My head is still cloudy from our kiss, so it takes me a second to catch what he says. “What did I make difficult for you?” He smiles down at me and runs his thumb along my bottom lip. “I was trying to be good and wait until after our date to kiss you. Since we couldn’t have the traditional first kiss at the end of the

night after last weekend, I thought I would still wait until after today to kiss you goodnight. But baby, I can only be a good guy for so long and you attacking me doesn’t help.” “Attacking you?” I gape. “I did not attack you.” He raises an eyebrow at me. “Oh yeah? I’m fairly certain I was strolling up here to grab my beautiful girl so we could enjoy a very platonic date.” I’m surprised he was able to say that entire sentence without laughing. “Platonic date my ass. We’ve already kissed, Gibson, you don’t have to be a gentleman now,” I say, pulling out of his grasp and turning toward the

beach. “And if you really want to know the reason why I so called ‘attacked you’, it was because I was so grateful for this amazing guy who brought me to my special place for our first date. I guess you aren’t a fan of the way I say —” Gibson grabs my shoulders and twirls me around to face him, cutting me off. He bends down and plants a gentle kiss against my lips. The kiss is cut too short for me, much like the others we’ve shared. “I love the way you say thank you and I definitely think attacking should be the way you thank me for everything from now on, but I wanted this date to be perfect for you. For everything to happen like they do in those sappy movies you

girls watch. The end of the night awkward kiss is a common factor in all of them.” Could it be possible for Gibson to make me swoon anymore? I would have never believed the guy who did everything he could to make this the perfect date for me was the same one arrested four months ago for stealing a car. The same man who had a life of partying and girls surrounding him. I never knew the Hollywood Gibson, and I’m thankful, but the Freedom Gibson is someone I could see myself falling in love with. And that thought scares the crap out of me. He places a feather-light kiss on my cheek and grabs my hand, pulling me

toward the beach. “Let’s end this talk of thank you surprise kisses. I set everything up down by the water.” Set everything up? I glance toward the beach, wondering what he has planned down there. We make our way toward the sand and the closer we get, I notice it, and my jaw unhinges at the sight before me. If bringing me to my favorite place wasn’t perfect enough, Gibson set up a cute little picnic by the water. The closer we get, the more I notice everything he put together. There are closed Tupperware containers next to two bottles of coke and what looks like chocolate covered strawberries. Did he look up the most romantic gestures to do on a date? If

not, he definitely doubted his skills on charming a lady. Once we make it to the blanket, the faint sound of music playing in the background can be heard. I spot a stereo sitting in the corner, playing Don’t Look Back by Boston. Not exactly romantic first date music if you ask me, but I love that he’s playing his favorite band for us. It makes me feel closer to him. I wrap the hand that isn’t holding Gibson’s around my stomach and lean my head on his shoulder. “You outdid any first date I could have ever imagined. This is perfect.” I sign, taking in everything that Gibson did for me. Gibson places a kiss on the top of

my head and squeezes my hand. “Google is very resourceful.” I can’t help but let out a laugh. I knew it! I don’t even care that he cheated. What he did is too perfect. “You’re amazing,” I tell him, still staring at the layout in front of me as tears prick the back of my eyes. I’ve never had someone go out of their way to do something so caring for me. Growing up, my brothers were my parents main focus. Being their coach, my dad usually set me and my needs on the backburner. He would be there if I needed him, but our relationship was never like the one he has with Jerry and Sean. My mom is more involved than my dad is when it comes to me, but she’s

always busy going from planning one fundraiser to another for the school. It makes me sad to think about how much they truly don’t know about me and my dreams. The pad of his finger wipes at the tear escaping from my eye and I look up. Gibson looks at me, his brows scrunching together. “Baby, why are you crying? I thought you liked the surprise.” His usual deep comes out soft as he talks to me. I smile up at him, trying to stop more tears from coming. “I absolutely love what you’ve done. This is the best first date a girl could ask for. Thank you.” I grab his hand away from my face and stop him from wiping the tears.

“I’ve never had someone do something so sweet for me before. That’s why I’m crying. You are the sweetest man I have ever met and you don’t even realize it.” “Only for you, princess, just for you.” He kisses the last tear on my cheek away. “Now, let’s get back to our date and try to keep the attacking and crying to a minimum. I don’t think the girls were this emotional in any of those chick flicks.” I smack him in the chest, but I’m still laughing. We make our way over to the blanket and he has what looks like pasta in the Tupperware containers. He remembered I love Italian food. This guy keeps getting better and better. Once we’re seated, Gibson starts

dishing out the delicious smelling food. The pasta sauce looks homemade, but after the last time he cooked for me, I’m not sure I can trust it. After Gibson gets his plate full and begins chowing down, I put a little on my own plate. After playing with the noodles, I take a tentative bite, and moan at the explosion of flavor that hits my tongue. Gibson clears his throat and I look over at him and smile, hoping there isn’t any sauce stuck in my teeth. “This is really good. Did you make it?” He nods and swallows before he speaks. “Um, yeah. River’s mom told me how to make it when I called her. She made sure it was something simple I couldn’t mess up.”

Thank you, River’s mom! “You have no idea how happy that makes me. After breakfast this morning, I didn’t think I would have been able to endure another one of your meals.” We both laugh. There isn’t much room to talk while the two of us stuff our faces, but I’m content to sit here and enjoy being with Gibson at my favorite place. Listening to the soft rock play in the background reminds me of my dad. He would always have eighties rock playing when he was in the backyard running drills with my brothers. My brothers always wanted to play more alternative rock like Five Finger Death Punch and Slipknot, and Dad told them they knew nothing about

real music. They quickly learned forgoing their music meant less running for them. I take the last bite of pasta, regretting how much I ate, but the food was too good. Looking over to Gibson, he’s going in for seconds. How can guys eat so much and still stay fit? He sees my empty plate and asks if I want anymore. I shake my head. “I couldn’t eat another bite even if I wanted to. I’m stuffed.” I set the plate down and pat my bloated stomach. Gibson laughs around his fork. “Can’t hang with the big boys,” he says after he chews the food in his mouth. “Of course I can’t hang with the big

boys. You have, like, eighty pounds on me. Really, you should be cutting back on the carbs. Wouldn’t want you to get out of shape,” I joke. “Out of shape? This is all muscle, baby. I need the carbs to maintain this figure.” He lifts his arm not holding the plate of food, flexes his bicep, and kisses it. I roll my eyes at his cockiness and reach for the coke on the other side of him, coming too close to his chest. “Princess, if you want an up close and personal look at my beautiful temple, all you have to do is ask.” “I’m thirsty, you dork.” The moment the words leave my mouth, I realize how they sounded. A huge smile crosses his

face. “You make it too easy sometimes.” He shakes his head at me and continues to eat as I take a drink of my soda. While he’s finishing his food, I lay back and stare up at the darkening clouds above us. This is usually what I come to this spot to do. The sound of the water and the smell of saltwater makes me calm. Watching the sunset here is one of my favorite things. The colors are stunning right before everything goes dark and you can’t see the ocean anymore. Having Gibson here is even better. He’ll get to experience one of my favorites with me. “What are you smiling at down

there?” I hadn’t realized I was, or that my eyes were closed. When I open them, Gibson is leaning above me, blocking my view of the sky. He looks beautiful with the colors of the sunset coming around him. Unable to stop myself, I take my hand and run it across his cheek. He’s too perfect not to touch. Gibson grabs my hand and places a kiss on the inside of my palm. “Because everything about right now is perfect,” I say. Gibson smiles down at me, eyes bright and glowing. “So, you’re enjoying your first date? I know we couldn’t go out anywhere, but I thought you would like this. I figured your favorite spot would be a good place for us to go.”

“There’s nothing I can think of that would top this.” I lean up and plant a soft kiss on his lips. “Lay with me. I love staring up at the change of colors while the sun sets.” He moves our plates out of the way so we can lay side by side. I grab Gibson’s hand and interlace our fingers. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Gibson says, “I see why you love this place so much. It’s peaceful.” I smile. He understands exactly why this is my favorite place. “It’s always been somewhere I can come to when I need to get away. It’s easy for me to clear my head here.” Gibson is quiet for a second and I

think he may have fallen asleep. When I turn my head to look over at him, he’s staring at me. “What would you need to get away from?” “Sometimes you need a break from everything. I love this town and my family, but I’m tired of being known after my parents and brothers. I’m never Ronnie to anyone. I’m always Michael and Ann’s daughter and Jerry and Sean’s sister.” Gibson looks back up to the sky. “I get where you’re coming from. You never feel like you are your own person.” “Exactly. No one introduces me as Ronnie Hamilton, and if I go anywhere,

all I ever hear is ‘Oh, look, it’s Hamilton’s daughter’. I love my dad, but I’d like for people to care about who I am. Know me for me.” “Or not having a negative label put on you right at birth because of who your parents are,” he spits out. I give his hand a squeeze. “The good thing is you’re not the guy those idiots write about in the stupid gossip magazines.” He looks over at me again, a frown replacing his usual smile. “But I was. I became what they labeled me at birth because I figured why even try. I could have been a straight A student all my life and never gotten into trouble, but I

would still be the troubled kid because I’m the product of a guy who parties, drinks, and uses women, and a mother who is high more than sober. With parents like that, I was destined for a fucked up life.” Rolling onto my side, I lay my hand on Gibson’s cheek. “Look at the positive, you have the ability to change your future and you want to. Looks like we both have a goal to work toward.” “Yeah? What’s your goal for the future? You’ve read my paper, so you’re at an advantage.” It seems stupid to be nervous to tell him my goals, especially since he’ll be reading them in my paper, but I’ve only

told Allen and while I’m sure Gibson will understand better than anyone, telling people makes the reality of having to tell my parents sink in further. “I want out of Freedom.” Smooth, Ronnie, just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. “Wait, what I mean is I want more than what Freedom offers. My parents expect me to stay here and go to the local community college and that’s not what I want to do.” “What do you want?” he whispers. “A better life than the one my parents have. I love my town, but my dad has to work so hard and makes just enough to get us by. He’s not able to save much and what he does save is for

my brother in case he doesn’t get a full football scholarship. School is something I’ve always loved and that’s why I want to go to a university that can teach me more than the small community college here.” I take a deep breath and let it out. “It’s also why I applied to the University of Northern Florida…and plan on going there next year.” Gibson’s eyes widen. “Baby, that’s amazing. Your parents must be so proud of you.” His frown from earlier is replaced with a bright smile. I wish my mom and dad would have the same reaction. I tuck my head into his shoulder, hiding my face. “I haven’t told then.” It comes out muffled and I’m not sure he

heard me. He puts his finger under my chin and lifts my face so he can see me. “You haven’t told your parents you have a scholarship to an amazing school? Why, Ronnie?” “Because I know they aren’t going to want me to go. It’s a full ride, so they wouldn’t have to pay for anything. I’ve saved up enough money to pay for the deposit on an apartment. All I have to do is look for a roommate and a job out there.” “They have no reason not to let you go if you have everything worked out. Why wouldn’t you tell them everything you’ve told me?” he asks.

“Because…when my older brother Jerry told them he wasn’t planning on staying here or getting a football scholarship, my parents were so angry and upset with him. I’m sure they’d be the same if Sean decided he wasn’t going to go for a football scholarship. My dad has put everything into getting Sean accepted into a great football program.” Daddy has worked his butt off making connections with scouts and coaches at some of the best colleges in the country. Sean already has three offers from universities that have had players go into the NFL. Gibson sits up and turns to face me. “What you want is just as important as what your brother wants, Ronnie. You

should be able to tell your parents you were accepted into UNF without being afraid of upsetting them. I’m sure it will be hard for your mom and dad to have you gone, but you’ll be doing what’s best for you. A university gives you a higher chance for job opportunities and a better education than going to a community college.” “I know that, it’s telling them everything you told me that’s the problem. I’m not the best when it comes to vocally expressing myself. That’s why I love this English assignment. I had planned on writing everything I want to tell my parents in the paper and having them read it. Writing is the best way for me.”

He slaps his hands together and then rubs them. “All right then. That’s what we’re going to do.” I sit up, confused. “What do you mean ‘what we’re going to do’?” The smile on his face makes me nervous. “We, my beautiful girl, are going to make this the best damn paper anyone has ever written. By the end of it, your parents will be packing your bags and helping you look for a place to live.” I give him an are you serious look. “Okay, okay. Maybe they aren’t going to be that thrilled, but this paper will give them an understanding of why you want to get out of Freedom and go to a better school. You have big dreams, Ronnie. They should be proud of you.”

I’ve always heard people don’t fall in love quickly, that falling in love is building, but at this moment, I don’t believe that. I feel as though I just fell in love with the man sitting in front of me. Before I can respond, a loud crash comes from above, and when I look up, a bolt of lightning strikes. Gibson stares up at the sky and then looks to me. “I guess I should have checked the weather before planning something outdoors.” We both laugh just as the rain comes down on us. Gibson and I jump up and make quick work getting everything collected and run to the truck. By the time we get everything thrown into the backseat, the

two of us are soaked. I wring out my wet hair once I’m in the front seat. Looking over at Gibson, he’s attempting to fix his shirt that is now clinging to his wet body, showing every dip and ridge of muscle. He catches me staring and looks down to my wet shirt, but unlike me, he looks away. He clears his throat before saying, “Um, you might want to put something on over your shirt.” Confused, I look down and realize why he looked away so quickly. My wet shirt and bra leave little to the imagination, and the cold doesn’t help one bit. The girls are giving Gibson quite the show. I reach over to the backseat to grab a hoodie I always keep for when I get cold. After putting it on, I

mumble “Sorry,” before starting the truck and blasting the heat. We had gone the entire date without any awkward moments of silence…until now. Gibson is still looking out the window and I focus on the road as the rain pounds down hard outside. “Sorry about the rain storm. I never thought to check the weather,” he says, being the first to break the silence. “It’s okay. Bama weather can sometimes surprise you,” I practically shout to be heard over the rain. Gibson glances over at me from the corner of my eye. “It sucks that the date is cut short now. You didn’t get to have any of my badass strawberries. Allen

told me those were your favorite fruit.” He’s so sweet to make sure tonight is perfect for meme when it’s also his first real date. “I hate it, too. Maybe there’s something else we could do.” I go through my head of what our town has to offer. Movie? Waste of money. Bowling? A lot of people from school go there and I’m sure one of them would run off to tell Sean who I was on a date with. Nothing comes to mind that would be an option for us to do. Gibson ends my list of failed ideas with one of his own. “Dan is working a double today. He said he wouldn’t be home until later tonight. You want to hang around his place? We could watch

some movies or something.” Nodding my head, I look out the window, but can’t seem to stop fidgeting in my seat. Why am I nervous all of a sudden? It’s not like the two of us haven’t been there alone. Maybe it’s these new feelings I’m experiencing and that our time together helped to make us closer. Even though I’m anxious about it only being the two of us in the house, I don’t want this night to end, so I agree.

The ride has been mostly silent. I’ve come up with different things to talk

about, but shot down every thought. By her restlessness, I can tell Ronnie is nervous. While I don’t want the date to end, I also don’t expect anything and I think she may see it differently. I feel closer to her after our talk and don’t want to fuck anything up by moving too fast for her. My uncle’s house comes into view and I sit up, preparing myself for the run I’ll have to do through the rain. Grabbing the house key from my front pocket, I hold them out to Ronnie. “Here, take the keys and run inside. I’m going to grab the cooler and blanket from the back and then I’ll meet you up there.” She nods, but then jerks her head away. After collecting the stuff, I make a

quick run up to the front porch, trying not to slip in any of the puddles. Ronnie is standing there, holding the door open and wringing the water out of her hair. I can’t help but stop and stare at her, rain be damned. She’s so beautiful and after learning more about her today, the passionate and driven part, I can’t help but fall more for this girl. Ronnie gives me a small smile when she catches me watching her. I quickly get inside and shut the front door, muffling the storm. Before this can get any more awkward, I begin walking through the house. My clothes are soaked and I’m sure Ronnie’s are just as wet. Turning around, I catch her standing behind me in

the kitchen, a small puddle of water starting to form at her feet. Shit, I should get her some dry clothes so she won’t be cold. “Do you want a change of clothes?” I ask her. She nods her head. “Pl-please,” she says, her teeth chattering. I go straight to my room, stopping in the hallway to turn the air up, and grab her a pair of my sleep pants and a t-shirt. When I get back to the living room, Ronnie is taking off her wet shoes and socks. When she turns to me, her face brightens and she smiles at the dry clothes in my hand. I hand her the clothes and point down the hallway toward the bathroom.

“You can go ahead and use the bathroom. I’ll go change in my room. If you want, I can put your wet clothes in the dryer.” “That would be great. Thanks.” She heads into the bathroom and shuts the door. I get to my room as fast as I can and change into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Grabbing my wet clothes, I throw them into the dryer and head to the kitchen. I search the cabinets and pantry to see if Dan has anything hot to drink. When I come up empty handed, I decide to make a pot of coffee. The bathroom door opens and a few seconds later, Ronnie walks into the kitchen, looking downright sexy in my clothes. A possessive feeling comes over me at

seeing my girl in what’s mine. I like her that way. She should wear my clothes everywhere she goes. “I put my clothes in the dryer and started it. I saw that you left it open,” she rushes out, breaking through my territorial thoughts. “Great, thanks. I made some coffee to help warm you up.” I point to the brewing pot, not knowing what else to do. This date went from a perfect dinner on the beach to being uncomfortable fast. Ronnie looks to the pot and smiles. “That sounds perfect. I get cold easily and it doesn’t help that my hair is still wet.” She points up to where she now has her hair in a messy bun on top of her

head. “I would offer you a hair dryer, but I honestly don’t think there is one.” Two guys with short hair don’t require much when it comes to styling needs. Dan has a buzz cut, so he needs one even less than I do. “That’s okay. It should be dry soon.” The coffee pot goes off, telling us it’s ready. I make my way over to get a cup for Ronnie. The two of us work in silence, me pouring the coffee and her grabbing the sugar and creamer. Her coffee in hand, Ronnie holds it up to her nose and inhales. She peeks an eye open, catching me watching her, she lowers the mug and gives me a shy smile. “Sorry. I have this strange obsession with the

smell of coffee. There’s nothing better, in my opinion. If I could, I would live in a coffee shop.” I can’t help but laugh at how cute this chick is. “I get it…well, I may not like the smell as much as you do, but I understand having a strange obsession like that.” “Oh yeah? What’s your obsession then?” She leans forward, seeming more interested. Not something I share, I want to say. Only River knows about the one obsession I have. It’s not something to be ashamed of, it’s just something that connects me to my dad’s lifestyle—the same one I’m trying to stay away from.

Ronnie must take my silence as something bad because she distances herself from me. “It’s not something crazy, right? You don’t collect fingernail clippings or have a foot fetish, do you?” Foot fetish? Where does she come up with this stuff? “No, I don’t keep disgusting nails or have a thing for feet,” I say around a laugh. She laughs too, but then her face becomes serious. “So, what is it then? You can tell me, I don’t judge. You saw me sniff my coffee a minute ago. That was a bit crazy if you ask me.” It wasn’t crazy. It was adorable, but I don’t tell her that. It’s not that I don’t

trust Ronnie, she’s never given me a reason not to, I just don’t like telling her something about me that brings me happiness, but is also something I wish I weren’t crazy about. “Playing the guitar, that’s my obsession,” I tell her. “Growing up, my dad had always forced me to play after he found out I have a natural talent for it and can memorize a tune just from listening. Since I was six, my dad would sit me down and make me play over and over until I was a pro. It slowed down after he started going on tour more often, but when he was gone, I would get this urge to play. At night, I would get restless until I did something about it.” Ronnie’s eyebrows sink in. “You

don’t like having that connection to your dad’s life.” She doesn’t say it as a question because the answer is clear. I don’t like having any connection to my dad’s rock star lifestyle. The long nights as a preteen spent playing the guitar aren’t some of my favorite memories of my dad. The permanent calluses don’t help either. I nod. “It’s a talent I wish I didn’t have. My dad was crazy about my ability and I resented it, but playing became an outlet for me. The pain in my hands and the hate I had for it helped when I was angry at my parents.” “I understand. It sounds like playing the guitar is the same for you as writing is for me. It’s an escape, a way for you

to get away from reality for a short amount of time.” I love that I’ve found someone who understands me. “You write?” I ask her. She finishes taking a sip of her drink and nods. “Yes. It’s what I plan on going to school for. I’ve always loved coming up with stories and the older I got, the more I realized I could make something of the stories in my head. I’ve actually written a couple books I have on my laptop. I plan on publishing them after I get some experience with college.” It doesn’t surprise me that she’s already written books and has a plan for life after college. Ronnie is amazing and

has a great head on her shoulders. “Sounds like you have everything planned out. So, what, you’re going to become a fulltime author after college?” Shrugging her shoulders, she looks down at the mug in her hands. “Not sure yet. It’s doubtful I could make a living on only writing books. I may go into editing. Reading is something I love, so having a full time job where I get to work with authors on their books and help make them perfect would be awesome.” “But writing is what you would want to do?” She nods and finishes the last of the coffee in her hand. “Yeah, but it would

be a struggle. Getting an editing job would be ideal. That way I could write on the side.” Her baby blues sparkle when she talks about books and writing. I’ve never seen someone so passionate about anything before. I noticed it this morning when we were on the couch and she was telling me about her favorite author and some alien series she loves. Did I give a shit about some books? No, but seeing her face light up was worth it. Ronnie takes her now empty mug over to the sink and rinses it out. “You’ll be amazing at anything you do. There’s a drive in you most people don’t have,” I say. When she turns around and faces me, the sweetest smile covers her face.

Ronnie walks over and wraps her arms around my waist, hugging me tight. “Thank you,” she whispers into my chest. I get the feeling Ronnie doesn’t get much motivation of confidence at home. What’s good is she isn’t one of those girls whose self-conscious, but I do think she doubts herself more than she should. Ronnie is smart, she has to be for her to get that scholarship, but I don’t think she has been told that much of her life. After giving my waist one last squeeze, she looks up from my chest. “You want to go watch that movie?” “Yeah, one rule, though. No chick

flicks. A man can only handle so much.” Letting out a loud laugh, I wink at him. “Don’t worry, rock star, I save the romance movies for Allen. He probably enjoys them more than I do.” I believe that. We head into the living room where I collect the remotes and turn the lights off while Ronnie gets comfortable on the sofa. She grabs the blanket off the back and lays it over her lap, leaving one side flipped open, inviting me to sit by her. Once I’m situated next to her, I flip through the comedy section for a movie to watch. Ronnie slaps my legs, stopping my search. When I see what movie she stopped me at, I can’t help but laugh.

“White Chicks? Really?” Once again, Ronnie is always surprising me. I never would have guessed White Chicks would be one of the movies she would pick. Snatching the remote out of my hand, she scoffs and presses play. “Yes, White Chicks. This movie is the best. My brothers and I used to watch it all the time when Jerry lived at home.” Her face drops at the mention of her oldest brother. This morning, she told me about the news she got from him last night and all the plans she has for the week he’s here. Every time Ronnie talks about her brothers, the love she has for them is clear on her face. It’s the instant smile and the way her eyes drift off as she

thinks about them. Even though Sean has acted like an ass each time I’ve been around him, Ronnie loves him and that’s all that matters. Since I won’t be arguing over Ronnie’s movie choice, because I also think White Chicks is one of the funniest movies around, I sink farther into the couch and rest my bare feet on the coffee table in front of us. Ronnie leans against me, playing with the corner of the blanket in her hand. She’s fidgeting, either from still being cold or her nerves coming back. I grab her hand and lay it on her lap palm up, never looking away from the TV. Her breathing picks up as I trace of my fingers along the pads of her hand. Ronnie’s hands are soft, but have

some rough spots where there are calluses. Kind of like she is—soft and feminine, yet tough. After tracing every inch of her hand, I move up to Ronnie’s arm, feeling the goose bumps appear the farther I go. Her breath hitches once I meet the crease in her arm. I like knowing my touch affects her this way. God knows hers affects me. The two of us grow comfortable sitting side by side, laughing at the movie playing in front of us while I run my fingers up and down her arm to her hand. Right before the Wayans brothers perform their dance off, Ronnie stops my hand as I’m about to flip it over. She picks up my arm and brings my hand to her mouth, leaving a soft kiss on it. She

lowers it to her lap and starts to massage my fingers, focusing on the calluses at the tips. Her thoughtful gesture warms me up inside. I haven’t known this girl long, but I already have stronger feelings for her than anyone I’ve ever been with. I wouldn’t call it love yet, but it’s damn near close. I planned on keeping our date PG— truly, I had—and so far, it’s stayed within that frame, even with Ronnie’s thank you attack and the chilly nips in the car. But right now, with the two of us alone in the house, on the couch, with the lights off, the thoughts going through my head aren’t anywhere near PG. When I gaze over to Ronnie, she’s concentrating on her task. Ronnie’s nose scrunches up

and I know she’s thinking about me being forced to play the guitar when I was younger, about the pain playing for hours caused. Ronnie doesn’t look as though she feels sorry for me, though, more along the lines of anger and sadness as she stares at my damaged hands. I remove my hand from Ronnie’s lap, before I can second guess myself, and lift it up to cradle her cheek. Leaning in, I close the distance between our faces. My face close to hers, I whisper, “Thank you, princess,” right before my lips touch hers.

Kissing Gibson has become my favorite thing to do. Okay, maybe not

favorite. Reading is still high up there, but having my lips move against this man is a close second. I’m not sure why the sudden kiss or the “thank you”, but I’m not complaining. I’ve wanted to do this again since the beach. A hand snakes around my neck, bringing the upper part of my body closer to Gibson’s while his other hand makes its way to my thigh, squeezing it. His mouth is hot and his tongue comes out to trace the seam of my lips, asking for entry. I allow it, gasping into his mouth at the feel of his tongue running along the roof of my mouth. Gibson is everywhere—his taste, his smell, his touch. I feel him at every inch of my body and wouldn’t have it any other

way. I pull my mouth from Gibson’s, my breathing labored. He doesn’t go very far, though. His wet lips run down the side of my neck as he lifts my head to gain better access. The more he kisses me, the more I want him. A lot more. All the nerves over being alone with him and not knowing if he was expecting something more fly right out the window with each touch of his lips. His lips suck on my pulse point before he nips and soothes the sting away with his tongue. I moan and push myself closer before taking Gibson’s face in my hands and bringing him up so I can look into his eyes. “Hi,” I say, a little out of breath.

He smiles at me and rubs the outside of my thigh with the hand resting there. “Hi back.” Ignoring the small voice in my head telling me to stop, I lay so my back is flat against the couch. Gibson tilts his head and I grab his hand to bring him down to me. He holds his body above mine, both his hands on either side of my head. When he looks down at me, there’s a softness in his face that makes the decision I’m that much easier. When I first slept with Rodger, he got straight to it, not stopping to ask if I was sure or considering me at all. Thinking back to it, everything about my first time was wrong. I didn’t have any feelings for Rodger and he had none for me other

than being an easy lay. This moment right now with Gibson should have been my first time—spent with a guy I’m falling for and who I think is feeling the same. This is the perfect moment. Gibson stares down at me, gauging my reaction. My heart may be racing and my lower stomach may feel tight with nerves, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. “Are you sure about this? We can wait if you want. It doesn’t have to be now.” He’s so sweet. I know he doesn’t want to wait, can see it in his eyes and feel it, but he’s willing to for me. What he doesn’t know is I want this just as much as he does. Sliding my hands under his t-shirt and running my nails along his back, I

say, “You may be okay with waiting, but I want you, Gibson. I don’t want to wait any longer.” That’s all he needed. He lowers his body to mine and settles himself between my legs. I gasp at the heaviness and he takes advantage, crushing his lips to mine and sweeping his tongue into my open mouth. I let out a loud moan and Gibson laughs at my reaction to having him on top of me. I turn my head a little to the right, getting a better angle to deepen the kiss and Gibson growls into my mouth. He’s growling…for me. My heart picks up speed from my new achievement. Kissing him isn’t enough, I want to feel him. I lift my hands, running them

down his chest and over his abs, feeling every indent of muscle. Once I reach the bottom of his shirt, I flatten my hands against his warm stomach and make my way back up to his chest, dragging the shirt with me. Gibson must get what I’m trying to do because he rips his mouth from mine and grabs the hem of his shirt, tearing it off and throwing it somewhere behind him. Before he comes back down to me, I stop him with a hand to the chest. I don’t ever think I’ll get tired of seeing a shirtless Gibson. I run my hands along his chest to his shoulders, wanting to get a good look at his tattoos. Beautiful, colorful designs cover Gibson’s left arm. I’ve never given much thought to

tattoos on a guy before, but seeing Gibson’s gives me visuals of running my tongue along every inch of that arm. Gibson leans down and plants an open kiss on my neck while I run the tips of my fingers along a small, yellow sun on his shoulder. My movement stops when he molds his warm body against mine. I shiver from the sensation of having him this close to me, on top of me, and Gibson notices. He pulls his head from my neck. “Are you cold? I can turn the air up.” Running my hands up into his hair, I shake my head. “No. Everything is perfect.” I pull him back down, bringing his lips to mine. He smiles against my lips and runs a hand up the side of my

waist, lifting my shirt the higher up he goes. Before long, I have to pull back, panting. None of that stops Gibson, though. He makes his way down to my neck and continues lower, stopping where my shirt has shifted up to my belly button. I hold my breath in anticipation of what he’s going to do. Gibson begins kissing the strip of skin above the waistband of my shorts and I feel a tightness in my lower stomach that has never been there before. His lip ring feels cold against my hot skin. He looks up at me before planting a final kiss and it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. His hard, callused hands make their way up my

stomach, pulling the shirt with them until he stops under my breasts. My bra was soaking wet from the rain, so my only choice was to go without. A few more inches and I’ll having nothing shielding myself from him. My hands lay beside me, wanting to stop him from bringing the thin material up, yet wanting to stay where they are. Before I can make a decision, Gibson has the shirt up and over my head in one fluid motion, leaving me bare to him. He hovers above me again, taking in every inch of my body. Worried about what he sees, I reach up and go to cover my chest, but Gibson grabs my wrists and pins them above my head, leaving me helpless and exposed. He’s staring

into my eyes and after a soft kiss to my forehead, he takes in every part of my body on display for him. I’m not fat, but I wouldn’t say I’m skinny either. There are still some areas I’d like to work on, like the jiggle in my stomach and my thick thighs, and while most girls would love to have a large chest, I can vouch that it’s not all that great. We don’t have high, perky boobs. I want to reach for my shirt on the floor until Gibson tilts his head up, staring into my eyes. His eyes are hooded, hungry for what something…me. He lowers his head down to place a kiss at my lower stomach. “You.” He drops another kiss above my belly button. “Are.” A kiss between my breasts is next, cutting my

breath short at having him so close to that area. “So.” One more to my sweaty neck. “Beautiful.” The last kiss lands on my open mouth. I love him. That’s all I can think as Gibson kisses me senseless. I love this man above me. I feel it in my gut. He’s it for me. No one has made me feel so beautiful and cherished before. The love Gibson has for me shows in his kisses, his soft touch, and the way he can’t take his eyes off of me. It’s all there and now I have to find the words to tell him how I feel. Before I can think about saying anything, Gibson cups my breast in his large hand, earning a moan that he captures with his mouth. He continues kneading while assaulting my lips and it

all becomes too much. I run my nails down his back, needing more from him. My hands snake around to his front, squeezing their way in between us. The light dusting of hair starting at his belly button tickles my fingers until I reach the waist band of his jeans, where it disappears. I reach for the button and snap it open. Gibson stops kissing me, but doesn’t move his mouth away. Just as I’m lowering the zipper of his pants, the room goes bright. I gasp and pull Gibson down to shield my body from our guest. Gibson drops his head to my neck and punches the couch pillow beside my head, clearly frustrated that we’ve been interrupted. When I peek around his

shoulder to see whom our guest is, Officer Dan is standing next to the front door in his uniform, face red and lips pinched together. Can’t say that I blame him. I wouldn’t be too happy coming home to find two half naked people on my couch either—especially when one of them is my nephew. He crosses his arms over his chest and plants his feet in an intimidating stance that has my entire body tensing. “I’m not stupid, so I don’t need to ask what’s going on here. I would like to ask you, Gibson, how stupid you are to bring a girl here and have sex on my couch?” Gibson pulls his head from my neck, aligning himself so he keeps me covered. “Honestly?”

“No, I want you to fucking lie to me. Yes, honestly. What was going through you head when you brought her here.” Gibson’s stomach shakes as he tries to keep in the laugh he wants to let out. “That you weren’t home.” That seems to piss Officer Dan off even more. He rubs the bridge of his nose and lets out a frustrated breath. When he looks back up to us, his shoulders are slumped. “Both of you, get dressed. Gibson, see Ronnie to her car and get your ass right back inside. Ronnie, make sure you drive safe and let him know when you get home.” He walks away and the door to his bedroom

clicks shut a moment later. Gibson pulls back to look me in the eyes. I know this is the wrong time, but I can’t help the laugh that escapes. Gibson joins in, making light of an awkward situation. It’s probably not the best that we think it’s funny being caught by his uncle, especially when I still want Gibson and the bulge in his pants tells me he feels the same way, but the situation is too funny not to laugh at. After we’ve calmed down, Gibson lifts himself off me and helps me to my feet. When he looks down at my naked chest, he squeezes his eyes shut and releases a slow breath. “Baby, could you put that shirt back on before I haul you back to my room, my uncle be damned?”

I giggle and bend down for the shirt he let me borrow. Once I have it back in place, Gibson opens his eyes. After giving me a quick peck on the lips, he goes to grab his own shirt from the other side of the couch. “Your clothes should be dry by now.” When I look at the clock, I’m shocked that it’s already twelve-thirty. We must have been on that couch longer than I thought. My cheeks turn red at the thought of what we were so close to doing. Imagine if Officer Dan had come home ten minutes later. That would have been a lot worse than this. A hand grasps my cheek and I look up to see Gibson standing in front of me. “What are you thinking about over

here?” he asks. I shake my head at him, too embarrassed to tell him I was picturing us fully naked on the couch and his uncle walking in. He brings his lips close to mine, touching but not kissing me. “You’re blushing and it’s sexy as fuck, but I can’t do anything about it with my uncle home.” His breath is hot against my lips and all I can think about now is his lips on my stomach, touching my neck, kissing my lip— “You’re damn right you can’t.” I jump back at the sound of Officer Dan’s voice. I never even heard him enter the room. “Where are your clothes,

Ronnie?” he asks. I scramble, trying to think of where they are. “Oh, um, the…uh, dryer. I’ll go get them.” I run off before either of them can say anything. Collecting my now dry clothes, I head to the bathroom. I change as quickly as possible and splash some cold water on my face to get myself under control. Gibson has me all hot and bothered and I don’t want to walk back out there with my messy hair and flushed face. My hair is sticking up in every direction, looking like someone has had their hands in it all night, my lips are swollen from Gibson’s kisses, and my mascara is slightly smeared. There is no way I can go home with sex written all over my face—or almost sex.

Whispered voices come from the hallway and by the tone of his voice, I can tell Officer Dan is giving Gibson a lecture. Not wanting to interrupt, I close the door making sure that it was loud enough so they know I’m not in the bathroom anymore. Coming around the corner, Gibson and his uncle come into view, both standing there deep in conversation and by the looks of their faces, not a good one. Not wanting to cause any more tension, I grab my phone and keys off the kitchen table and face the two of them. “Officer Dan, I’m sorry for what you walked in on earlier. Really, that wasn’t what we came here to do. Our date was rained out and we thought it would be a

good idea to come here and watch a movie. I truly am sorry, please…don’t say anything about this to my parents. They’ll kill me. My dad already doesn’t like your nephew and I know this will give him another reason for why I have to stay away.” I’m rambling, but the thought of my dad forcing me to break it off with Gibson scares me. “You don’t have to worry about that, Ronnie. I won’t tell your parents about what happened tonight, as long as I don’t catch it again. I’ll be giving Gibson a new set of rules for my house now that he has a girlfriend.” The weight on my shoulders should feel good being lifted, but I’m too distracted by the mention of being Gibson’s girlfriend. My

eyes slide toward Gibson to judge his reaction. There’s no expression on his face, but he doesn’t correct his uncle. “Gibson, walk her to her car and make sure she gets home safe. We’re talking once you come back inside. And, Ronnie, you can call me Dan. Just Dan.” He then heads for the kitchen. Gibson and I make our way out to my car. He hasn’t said a word or touched me since leaving his uncle and I’m nervous. The past few days he’s had at least one hand on me whenever I’m next to him. Maybe it was the girlfriend comment he’s worried about. “We don’t have to be like that if it’s not what you want.” Stupid, Ronnie. You

make no sense. Judging by the crease in his brows, he has no idea what I’m talking about. “What I want?” he asks. I stare down at my hands and wring my fingers together, unable to look him in the face. “About what your uncle said and me being your girlfriend. I know you’ve never had one and we don’t have to be like that if you—” He smashes his lips against mine, silencing me. A moment later, he pulls back, but stays close enough for me to feel the brush of his lips as he talks. “Do you want to be my girlfriend, yes or no?” I go to say something when he kisses me again. “Nod yes or no, Ronnie. It doesn’t

matter what my answer is. I want to know what you want.” I take a deep breath and nod yes. Gibson smiles and whispers, “Good answer,” before kissing the breath out of me. When we break apart, I have the goofiest smile on my face. Opening my eyes, I see Gibson looking at me with a smile I’m sure matches my own. “So, I’m your girlfriend, huh?” “Damn right you are,” he says with a sexy growl, wrapping me up in his arms and burrowing his face in my neck. I laugh and push at his shoulders, which only encourages him more. He pulls me up so my feet are off the ground. “What are you doing, crazy?” I

can’t stop laughing at how playful this Gibson is. I love bringing out this side of him. He lifts me higher, trying to get me to wrap my legs around his waist. I do as he wishes, locking them tightly so I won’t fall. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m carrying my sexy as fuck girlfriend to her car like a gentleman.” I roll my eyes at his sarcasm. “Oh, a gentleman, huh? I don’t know about you, but most gentlemen don’t carry their girlfriends around like this.” To show what I mean, I squeeze him once around the waist with my legs. Gibson lets out an agonizing groan. “Don’t do that, babe. I’m already

sporting the most painful case of blue balls here. Let’s try not to make them worse.” He kisses me on the cheek and slides me down his body once we arrive at my truck, but I don’t want to leave him. I want to stay here and go back to what we were doing, or hell, even finish watching the movie. My gut drops at the thought of having to go home and not being around Gibson. My face must show what I’m thinking because Gibson asks me exactly that. “It’s stupid, but I don’t want to leave you,” I say, my voice low. Brushing a piece of hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ear, Gibson smiles down at me. “It’s okay to grow attached, princess. I won’t judge

your obsession with me.” He winks, earning himself a smack on the arm. “All right, no need for violence. I get what you’re saying, though. I don’t want you to leave either.” “Will I see you tomorrow?” I ask, hoping he says yes. “Are you working?” I shake my head no. “Then you will most definitely be seeing me tomorrow. How about we head to our spot and you can work on that paper of yours while I sit there and look pretty?” I roll my eyes at him, but that does sound like a perfect day. “Okay. I would like to get it over and done with so I can focus on other assignments.”

“And your boyfriend,” he says, giving me a kiss on the cheek. “Yes, I need to focus on my assignments and my hotter than hell boyfriend.” He kisses me on my nose and leans over to open my car door for me. “Tomorrow morning? Say ten?” “That works for me. I know you need your beauty sleep.” I hop into the car and Gibson gives me a light pat on the ass, shocking me. “Watch it, princess.” He shuts my door and I roll down the manual window so he can poke his head in. “Tomorrow,” he says.

“Tomorrow,” I whisper back. Gibson pulls himself up through the window, giving me a proper goodbye kiss, making me not want to leave him more. I think it’s the lip ring I’ve grown so found of. After he pulls away, taking a nip at my bottom lip as he does, I pull out of the driveway while watching the man I fell in love with standing there, looking too good to resist. Once I’m out of sight from his house, I pull over to the side of the road. It’s almost one in the morning now, too late for me to go home without being questioned where I am. I decide to call Allen and see if I can crash at his house since that’s where I told my parents I

would be anyway. “‘Low,” he answers on the third ring, sounding like he had just woken up. Given the time I’m sure I was the reason. “Hey, it’s me. Is it okay if I come stay the night? It’s too late for me to go home.” I hear him moving around in his bed, probably sitting up. “What do you mean it’s too late? Where have you been? It’s one in the morning.” He still sounds a bit sleepy, but more awake now. I know what I’m about to tell him will cause the screaming, gossiping Allen to come out, so I prepare myself. “I was over at Gibson’s.”

“What!?” he yells into the phone. I wasn’t quick enough and now I think I have permanent damage to my right ear. “You need to get that sweet ass of yours over here right now and tell me everything. I’m starting a pot of coffee as we speak. And it’s regular. I have a feeling we’ll be up for a while,” he says before a dial tone takes over. I guess it’s okay to stay over then. Once I get to Allen’s, he pulls me into the living room where he already has a hot cup of coffee waiting for me. I then proceed to tell him everything about my perfect night. Even if it was interrupted by my boyfriend’s uncle, tonight was still one I will never forget.

Ronnie’s headlights disappear into the darkness and I want nothing more

than to go after her. Especially when I know what’s waiting for me inside. To say Dan was mad at what he walked in on would be an understatement. He may have kept his cool when Ronnie was around, but I could practically see steam coming out of his ears when she went to get changed in the bathroom. The short conversation we had about bringing a girl to his house was one-sided and more along the lines of him telling me how much shit I was in. Having stood outside long enough, I make my way back to the house. Dan is standing in the entryway when I come through the door. He doesn’t look as angry as he did when he first came home, but I can still see the tension in his

face. “I’ve had some time to cool off while you were outside with Ronnie, so I’m not going to kill you just yet.” That sounds reassuring. “That doesn’t mean I’m not pissed as hell that you brought her back here and were about to have sex on my couch.” I want to get this conversation over with as soon as possible and go to bed. I’m annoyed and fighting the worst case of blue balls, so the last thing I want to do is talk about almost sleeping with Ronnie with my uncle. “Look, I understand walking in on us wasn’t ideal. We didn’t plan on any of that happening. One thing led to another and we got carried away.”

Dan walks over to the couch, the one Ronnie and I didn’t use, and takes a seat, resting his elbows on his knees. “I was a teenager once, so I understand getting carried away. I also understand that you’ve probably been doing that for some time now.” I nod, confirming I indeed have not been a virgin for a while. “And I know you and Ronnie are starting a new relationship or whatever you two are doing.” “She’s my girlfriend,” I interject. He should know Ronnie isn’t anything less. She’s not like the other girls, the ones I slept with and left the minute I finished. Those girls had never served a purpose for me other than a way to get off. Ronnie is more. She’s someone I can

talk to, someone I can trust, and that’s difficult for me. The only people I truly trust are River and his mom. Dan is slowly making his way on that list. I would say I trust him more than my mother. She may think she cares about me, but I haven’t received a phone call from her since I left California. She didn’t even go to my court hearing. Must show how much she cares for her only kid. Dan looks surprised. “I’m guessing this relationship between the two of you is serious then?” I walk over and take a seat on the couch, remembering Ronnie’s beautiful body laid out for me earlier. The cushions are crumpled and the blanket is

sprawled out on the floor. I can’t help the smile that comes to my face thinking about how the two of us messed up the perfect couch. When I look up at Dan, he rolls his eyes at me. “I know this may be hard to believe because of my past and the fact that I’ve only known Ronnie for a month, but I think I’m falling for this girl. She’s different and unlike anyone I’ve ever met. She never judges me for what I’ve done, even after I told her everything. Not once did she say I was a bad person or not want to be around me because of it. No one has overlooked that part of me like she has. Ronnie believes I can change my past and try for a better future.” Talking about the conversations

we’ve had makes me miss Ronnie, but also gets me excited to try for a better life, one away from my parents and their negative influences. I’m also hoping Ronnie is part of that future change. I didn’t realize I had zoned off talking about Ronnie. When I look back up to my uncle, he’s smiling at me. “Sounds to me, kid, like you’ve already fallen.” He stands up, stretches, and then heads toward the hallway. Before rounding the corner, he looks back at me, “Oh, and I know this goes without saying, but don’t have sex in my house. New rule. Break it, and you’re spending a weekend in one of the holding cells.” He disappears behind the wall, leaving me scared shitless, not because of the

holding cell—that’s nothing—but because he’s right, I have fallen. Hard.

It’s Monday morning and I am up before the sun. Will I ever get used to waking up this early? Probably not. The one thing about being up for school now is I get to see Ronnie, my girlfriend, during the day. I’ve never had something to look forward to when I was in school back home. The private schools I went to were full of rich, spoiled kids dressed in polos and fucking tight khaki shorts that had to have cut off circulation to their balls. I don’t know about them, but I’m a fan of my nuts being able to

breathe. There were only a few people I got along with and none of them were the preppy shits, more along the lines of guys who were like me—parents didn’t give much thought to them either, and the girls with daddy issues. Together, we made a great group…well, aside from the law breaking and partying. I haven’t talked to any of those guys since I’ve been here. I’m guessing I’m not missing much. Truth be told, I don’t miss that life as much as I thought I would. It could have something to do with having Ronnie now. Yesterday, the two of us spent the entire day at the beach. Ronnie brought her computer so she could get her essay done and I brought my iPod. Figured

while she was working on that, I could get some much needed exercise in. Back home, I would be at the gym five to six days a week. Since I haven’t joined a gym here yet, I’ve had to rely on running and at-home workouts, which aren’t that great when I’m used to lifting. Ronnie ended up laughing in the middle of writing because I failed miserably trying to maneuver in the sand. Partying and hanging out at the beach, I can do. Running and burpees, not so much. By the end, I was covered in sand and sweat. At least Ronnie enjoyed watching my failed attempts. Ronnie packed us some sandwiches for lunch that we ate at the picnic table after she finished her paper. I tried

multiple times to get her to let me read it, but she said it still needed to be edited and she wanted to change a few things. I think she was nervous for me to get inside her head like that, kind of how I was when she read mine. I understood and that’s why I gave in to her resistance, but she will have to let me see it sooner rather than later. Our time together yesterday was too short, much like Saturday. I’ve never felt the need to be around someone like I do Ronnie. She brightens my day like no one else has. Momma Miller has been the only woman who could make me smile at sight. She was always happy to see me when River and I would be at her house. I feel the same way when I see

Ronnie. I could be in a shit mood, but the moment I see this woman, I can’t help but smile. This morning is the perfect example of that. I just got off the phone with my dad after having a conversation that ruined my day. Turns out, the PR he hired to keep everything about my arrest quiet has gone missing. She sold the story about me stealing a car and not getting any jail time and then she disappeared. Probably scared of what my father would do when he found out the little shit sold me out. The good thing, though, is the chick didn’t know where I was. No one but my parents, River, and his mom know. I wouldn’t have trusted any of my other friends not

to sell the information. It also helps that no one knows about my father having a brother. My day has already been a shitty one because I had to get up early, but now with this new information and the fact that the sellout has fucked up my life and run off with thousands, pisses me off even more. The only good thing about today is I’ll get to see Ronnie soon. As I’m slipping my shirt over my head, a car horn goes off. I grab my backpack off my bed, head to the kitchen to snag a Monster out of the fridge, and make my way out the door. Dan is still sleeping after pulling a double yesterday again. Luckily, he has today off. The guy needs it, he’s going on no sleep and that

isn’t smart for a dude carrying a gun. Walking down the driveway, I catch Ronnie singing and dancing along to the music playing in her truck. Even though I know it’s probably shit country music, I can’t help but smile at her cuteness. This is what I need every day in my life. Ronnie’s happiness and constant smile could make the most depressed people look forward to their day. She sees me coming up to the truck and her smile stretches so large, a small dimple in her right cheek appears. Damn, she’s cute. I hop into the front seat and throw my bag on the floor. “Hi there, boyfriend,” she says to me.

Leaning over, I place a small kiss on her lips. “Hi there, girlfriend,” I whisper against her lips. She laughs and pulls back to put the car in reverse. Once we’re on the road, Ronnie gets serious. “So, how much trouble are we in for Saturday night? I feel bad for disrespecting Officer Dan like that.” She chews on that full bottom lip of hers and I want nothing more than for her to pull the truck over so I can attack her mouth. “After he cooled down and I explained to him you aren’t some girl I brought home to fuck…” She flinches at my choice of words and I bring my hand over to rest on her thigh. “Sorry.” Ronnie gives me a smile and pats my

hand before returning it to the steering wheel. “I told him you’re different than the girls from my past and we are in an actual relationship. And call him Dan, babe. It feels too formal when you say Officer Dan.” Ronnie begins running the tips of her fingers up and down my arm, making me want to sit back and close my eyes. “I guess I’ll try to get used to calling him by his name.” She looks over to me, biting her bottom lip. “He wasn’t mad, though? I mean, I would have been if it were my nephew half naked with a girl on my couch.” Ronnie tries to laugh it off, but by the forced sound, I can tell she’s nervous about what my uncle thinks.

I grab the hand not on the steering wheel and bring it up to my mouth, planting a kiss on the back of her palm. “Yes, Dan was mad, but he could tell you were special from the way I talked about you, I guess.” “So you talked about me, huh?” Ronnie teases, and I like it. I didn’t want her to be scared to come over because of my uncle. Since we’re keeping this relationship private, my uncle’s house is one of the only places we can go and act like a normal couple. I hate thinking about the fact that I won’t be able to touch her all day. “Of course I talked about you to him. I had to explain why I had you under me on the couch, after all.” Ronnie

pulls her hand from mine so she can smack me on the arm. I rub at the spot, playing as if she really did hurt me. “You really need to quit it with the violence, woman,” I laugh. “Dan had a better understanding of where we stood after I told him I was falling for you.” Oh, shit. The words come out of my mouth before I have a chance to take them back. What I said was the truth, but I don’t want to scare Ronnie off if she doesn’t feel the same way. Ronnie is quiet as she pulls the truck to a stop alongside the road. I want to say something, but have no idea what would be okay after what I told her. I’m not sure when couples reach that stage of saying they love one another, but I doubt

being together a couple days is enough time. When Ronnie lifts her hand from her lap, she takes a deep breath before talking. “Did you mean it? That you’re falling for me?” she asks. I can either man-up and say yes, I am falling for her, or I can pussy-foot around the question. I’ve never been one to keep my feelings to myself, although it’s usually pertains to not liking someone, but Ronnie’s been different from the beginning. “Yeah, princess, I am. Probably already have…according to Dan, anyway.” She goes quiet on me and I’m worried I should have kept my mouth

shut, until I notice her trying to fight a grin. “I think I’ve fallen, too,” she says. It comes out as barely a whisper, and I can tell she’s nervous about telling me. I’ve never said anything close to that to another girl and I’m sure Ronnie hasn’t either. It’s a big step and I don’t want to make it out to be a big deal since it’s new for us. Instead of saying anything, I grab Ronnie’s hand and bring it to my lap, giving it a quick squeeze. “Let’s pick up Allen and get this Monday over with, princess.” She laughs and puts the truck into drive. “You know he’s going to go crazy once he sees us, right?” Ronnie says once we get closer to Allen’s house.

I never gave much thought to Allen’s reaction to Ronnie and me being together. I know he went a little crazy when I told him I wanted to ask her out, but now that we’re a couple, I’m sure he’ll come running out of the house screaming. The main concern I have is Allen’s ability to keep a secret. If Sean finds out, we’re screwed. “He doesn’t know we’re together or anything yet, does he? Only that we went on a date Saturday?” I ask. “Um…well, not exactly.” She bites her lip again and though I think it’s hot when she does it, I have a feeling what she’s going to say next isn’t going to sound good. “I sort of told him Saturday night when I stayed over at his house.”

“Stayed over? I thought you went home after you left that night.” Ronnie laughs, but it’s more of a sarcastic sound. “You really expected me to go home at one in the morning? How would I explain that to my parents and brother? Besides, they already knew I was hanging out with Allen. I usually end up staying over if it gets late.” “Shit, I never thought about what they would have thought if you went home that late.” I’m sure her brother would have flipped out and wondered where she was all night. Honestly, I would have loved to see his reaction if she told him she was at my place. He probably would’ve tried to kick my ass,

but it would have been worth it. “So, did you and Allen stay up all night gossiping and doing girly shit?” “No, you dork, we curled up on the couch with some coffee and I told him about our date. He’s a nosy brat and wouldn’t let me go to bed until I gave him every detail.” A blush starts to appear on her cheeks, probably from thinking about Saturday night. Bringing her hand up to my mouth, I place an open kiss on the inside of her wrist. “Hmm, so you gave him every detail, huh?” She shivers and I want nothing more than to skip school so I can be alone with Ronnie. “Well, maybe not

every detail. Some things I left private.” She looks over at me and winks. Damn, my girl is sexy. We pull up to Allen’s house and he is already outside waiting for us with a huge grin plastered on his face. He skips to the truck and waits outside the passenger door. He doesn’t actually think I’m sitting in the back, does he? When he knocks, I roll down the manual window so we can hear him. “I think you’re in my seat, lover boy,” Allen says. Ronnie giggles from the driver’s side and I give her hand a squeeze in warning. While I usually switch and sit in the back, it’s not happening today,

especially when I’ll already have to go hours without being able to touch my girl. Allen is going to have to get used to kicking it in the backseat. “I think being the boyfriend of the driver upgrades me to the front by her,” I say with a grin. Allen’s jaw loosens, but his mouth remains closed. “We’ll get back to the boyfriend comment in a little bit. Right now, I would like to know why I am getting the shaft.” He looks to Ronnie and she shrugs her shoulders. “Don’t bring me into this, I’m only the driver. You two need to settle this yourselves.” She takes her eyes off the road for a second to look at both of us.

“Like adults,” she warns. Allen huffs and crosses his arms over his chest. “Fun sucker. There goes my idea of a Jell-O pool fight.” I shudder at the thought of having to fight in a pool of Jell-O. Watching girls do it? Now that’s hot. But being a part of that doesn’t seem like it would be enjoyable. Definitely not with a guy as big as Allen. I think of the perfect idea for this little gossip whore so he’ll back off and let me sit next to my girl in peace. “How about I give you some dirt on two A-list celebrities?” Before I can finish my sentence, Allen is heading to the backseat shouting out, “Done!” as he climbs in. That was

easier than I thought it would be. On the short drive to school, Allen goes from one question to another, asking Ronnie and me everything about our weekend. You would have never thought she told him anything Saturday night from how much he wanted to know. He was sitting in the back middle seat, but was so far forward, his head was between Ronnie’s and mine. I answered whatever he asked, until he started getting to the more personal questions. After he asked Ronnie how big I was, the questioning was over. I know girls and their friends usually talk about shit like that—hell, guys talk about girls they’ve been with to their friends—but when you have to hear what they’re

saying, it’s strange. Luckily, we pull up to the school parking lot before Allen has a chance to ask any more personal questions. Before Ronnie opens the door, I grab her hand. “Wait a sec, baby.” She turns in her seat to look at me and all I want to do is reach over and kiss her sweet lips. I hate that we’re in the school parking lot and it only takes one person walking by to see my lips on her for word to get out about us. I lace our hands together and give hers a squeeze. “I wanted to touch you one last time before I have to go ten hours without my hands on you.” Ronnie’s eyes melt. Maybe this relationship thing isn’t as hard as I

thought it would be. Ronnie seems to be affected by what I say to her, so I must be doing something right. She squeezes my hand back with the same amount of force. “You really know how to make a girl swoon.” “Baby, I don’t know what the hell swoon means, but I’m sure it’s not something I want associated with me.” Nothing about that word sounds manly. “If you start reading some of the books I have, you’ll know it is very good that you make me swoon.” She winks and gets out of the car. Read her girly books? Now I’m wondering what kind of men Ronnie is reading about. I jump out of the truck and make my

way around to the front to meet Ronnie and Allen. Sean, Rodger, and a guy, who I can only describe as looking like a bear wearing a football jersey, are standing there as well. The hairy guy comes over and thrusts his hand in my direction. “Howdy there, my name’s Brennan. Haven’t had the chance of meeting the new celebrity we gots ourselves here.” This dude’s accent is stronger than anyone else’s I’ve met. I try to smile and play it off like I have a clue what he’s talking about, but Yogi Bear just stares, waiting for me to say something. Luckily, Ronnie sees the confusion written all over my face and comes over to rescue me. She walks up next to

Brennan—I think that’s what he called himself—and tries to lay a hand on his shoulder, but this guy has to be over a foot taller than her. It’s kind of adorable how small he makes her look. Brennan looks down to Ronnie and puts his arm over her shoulder. I feel a touch of jealousy that he has his arm on my girl when I can’t, but the way he looks down at her calms me. It’s close to the same way Allen and Sean do when they are around Ronnie, like they feel protective over her. It’s better than the way the douche is glaring at me, like he doesn’t know whether to be pissed or grab her and run. All I know is if he touches her, it will be a test on my will power. I would love to punch that pretty

boy in the face for even looking at her. Ronnie tries to wrap her arm around Brennan, but her fingers barely make it to the other side of his waist. “Gibson, this is Brennan Floor. He’s the defensive tackle for the team.” Brennan crushes Ronnie to his side. “I’m also this little girl’s student. She’s the reason I got myself straight C’s the last two years.” I have to give it to this guy, he sounds just as proud about his straight C’s as someone is about their straight A’s. Ronnie smacks him on the chest and laughs. “Don’t downplay yourself. You worked hard for those grades, I only kept you focused. You’re doing great this

semester without my help.” Allen comes up to the three of us, followed by Sean and his friend, dickhead. At least Ronnie’s brother acts civilized when he’s around me, although I don’t think that would be the case if he knew I had his sister half naked and under me two days ago. For some reason, I don’t think he’d be too fond of that. “What’s going on over here?” Sean asks, looking to Ronnie and me. Ronnie moves from under Big Foot’s arm to face her brother. “I was introducing Brennan to Gibson since they hadn’t met yet. It’s good for him to meet some of the students since he’s

new.” Sean crosses his arms over his chest. “Don’t see why he has to make friends. He’ll most likely be leaving and going back to his L.A. lifestyle anytime now. Guys like him couldn’t handle living in a small town for too long.” His assumptions piss me off. I walk closer to Sean. We’re about the same height, so I’m sure he isn’t intimidated by me, but I still want to get my point across to him and anyone else who wants to act like they know me. “I want to make one thing clear and hopefully you stop thinking of me as a bug on the bottom of your fucking shoe. I was forced here. Would it have been my

choice to move across the country to the middle of fucking nowhere and start a new life? No, but those are the cards I’ve been dealt. I’m only in this God forsaken town until I have that diploma in my hand. You’ll only have to deal with me for seven more months, then I’m gone. Think you can handle that?” His jaw ticks. He’s pissed from the way I confronted him. I’m sure he’s used to being put on a pedestal, but I don’t give a shit. “Come to think of it, why the hell would you have a problem with me? I’ve barely said anything to you. You have no reason not to like me.” Sure, there have been times where people haven’t liked me because of who I am and where I came from, but Sean’s

instant hatred is annoying. He doesn’t know me. Sean uncrosses his arms and lets out a sarcastic laugh. “Why would anyone like you? A guy who uses women, abuses drugs, and dropped out of fucking high school when he was sixteen to be a low life who has seen the inside of a courtroom more than a handful of times. And really, I wouldn’t give a shit about any of that if you weren’t in my town sniffing around my sister.” As much as I would love to be able to deny everything he said about me, I can’t. I was that guy, but I’m not anymore. Ronnie’s changed me. The only problem? I’m not able to say those words to him because she doesn’t want

Sean finding out about us. “It sounds like someone spent his time on Google and found out everything he needs to know about me, huh? Well, newsflash, what you read about me from gossip magazines may be speculated truth, but does it look like I’m doing any of that shit now? No, it doesn’t.” I look over to Ronnie and see her standing there like she wants to say something, but we both know what that would do. Her brother won’t back off if he thinks I have any interest in her, so I have to make it sound like Ronnie is far from any girl I would want…even if it’s all lies and what I say may hurt her. “As for your sister? Like I would

ever have any interest in a country redneck. You must have seen the girls I’ve fucked while you were doing your research. You think I would downgrade to that?” A gasp comes from beside me and I know it was Ronnie. I was hoping she would understand what I was trying to do when I said those lies, but judging by the glassy look in her eyes, she believes me. Shit, that wasn’t supposed to happen. She stares at me, blinking her eyes and trying not to let the tears she’s holding back fall. I hurt her when I was trying to protect the secret she doesn’t want getting out. Ronnie takes a deep breath. “I’m…um, just going to head to class. Are you coming, Allen?” He

rushes to her side and puts his arm over her shoulder, steering her toward the school. All I can do is stand here and watch the woman I love walk away, hurt because of my words. Sean steps in front of me, breaking my view of his sister. “I don’t fucking like you.” I cross my arms over my chest and fight the urge to push him out of the way and go after my girl. “I kind of got that with your little speech back there. What I still don’t understand is why.” “I see the way my sister looks at you and I know her. She’s going to end up falling for the bad boy whose only in town for a short amount of time and get

her heart broken. I’m not going to sit back and let you use her.” Sean pauses for a second. “Ronnie is a hopeless romantic and I know she wants a happily ever after like our parents got. But I also know she isn’t being the best judge of character when it comes to you, so do yourself and her a favor and stay away.” He turns and walks away with Sean and Brennan following behind him. I stand there, watching the rest of the students from the parking lot make their way to the school. Sean’s right, I’m no good for someone like Ronnie. I run my hands over my face and into my hair, tugging on the ends. She has dreams and plans for her future. I’d only be in the way. Maybe it’s best to separate myself

from her and focus on getting through these next seven months with the least amount of drama. The only problem with that solution? Just thinking about being away from Ronnie causes a pain in my chest.

I am not an emotional girl. There have been a few times when my feelings

have gotten hurt, but I can count those on one hand. For me to get this worked up over what Gibson said is ridiculous. I know what he said was for my brother’s benefit, but that doesn’t mean it hurts less, because he’s right, I’m probably nothing like the girls he’s been with. Looking at myself in the bathroom mirror, I wonder why Gibson would be attracted to me when he’s probably been with super models and actresses. There’s nothing special about me. I’m your average blonde hair, blue eyed country girl and sooner or later, Gibson will realize that and move on to someone with long, tan legs and movie star looks. My lack of makeup abilities and five-foot nothing height would get

boring for him. After rinsing my face with cold water and dabbing it with a paper towel, I make my way out of the bathroom to Allen, who is standing right outside the door, talking to a pissed off looking Gibson. They seem to be in some sort of argument and the last thing I want is to get in the middle of that. First period should be starting soon, but there are still a good amount of students in the hallway. If I try to sneak by Gibson and Allen, I’m sure neither of them will notice. The perfect idea comes to mind when a group of freshman walk by. I duck around behind them, happy that I’m short. These shrimps would never be able to cover me if I were a couple

inches taller. The guys around me are laughing and joking, so they have no clue I’m using them as a shield. I smile to myself because we’re almost past Gibson and Allen. I hold my breath the entire time and pray Gibson doesn’t turn around for any reason. Once my back is to them, I take a deep breath, but it gets caught in my throat. “Stop right there.” I freeze and a warm chest presses into my back. “Come with me,” Gibson whispers in my ear, wrapping his fingers around my wrist and tugging me back toward him. I look over to Allen and catch him shaking his head, trying not to show his smile. Traitor. Gibson and I walk side by side to

an empty classroom, with his hand still on my waist. He shuts the door, disconnecting us from the sound of rushing students outside. I have nowhere to go because he’s blocking the only exit, so I stand there and wait for him to say something. When he turns around, his eyes are soft as he takes in my puffy eyes and red nose. “I’m sorry,” are the first words that come out of his mouth. “I know what I said this morning must have hurt your feelings, but I wasn’t—” I hold up my hand to stop him from talking. “No need to apologize. You said what you said and now it’s over.” And by “it”, I hope he understands I mean us.

Gibson steps away from the door, closer to me. I retreat, but run right into a desk. Trapped. Gibson comes in close, but keeps his body within touching distance. “What exactly do you mean by ‘it’s over’?” he asks. “This,” I point between us, “whatever it is we’re doing. What you said to my brother was true, even if you were saying it for his benefit. What does a guy like you want with a girl like me? You’ve been with girls far more beautiful and I’m sure more interesting. It’s just like you said, you’d be downgrading.” I avoid eye contact, hating that I put myself down like this, but I truly believe Gibson and I are complete opposites and

any kind of relationship between us would never work out. Yes, there is attraction, that was obvious after this last weekend when we were all over each other, but attraction doesn’t make a relationship. What makes an ideal relationship is a mix of everything: attraction, communication, loyalty, trust, and friendship. Those are the key points in my parents’ marriage that I’ve always loved and wanted in my own relationship…what I’ve dreamed of practically my whole life. A relationship that lasts, not one that will be over before you know it. I’ve never met a guy I could see myself being with…until Gibson. There’s something about him that draws me in, but hearing his

conversation with Sean made me look at our relationship, or whatever this is, differently. I’m nowhere near his type and I can see that now. Gibson’s shoulders shake as he tries to keep himself from laughing. I cross my arms over my chest, wondering why he would be laughing right now. Does he think the things he said to Sean outside were funny, because of you ask me, there were in no way laughable. While Mr. Giggles has his fun at my expense, I slide to the side and make my way to the door. Less than three feet—that’s how far I make it before Gibson’s tall, overpowering figure steps in front of me, blocking any chance of me getting out of

here. He’s not laughing now, though. Gibson places his hands on my shoulders and begins to rub them. “You need to relax, princess,” he says, his tone soothing. I slap at his hands, irritated he would tell me to relax when he’s the reason my shoulders are tense in the first place. “I wouldn’t have to relax if I weren’t dealing with some insensitive prick when I’m already feeling down on myself.” Gibson raises his eyebrows high and tilts his head. “Insensitive prick?” he repeats. “What are you talking about?”

“You!” I practically yell. Throwing my arms in the air, I let out a huff and turn away, trying to get some distance. “I’m over here doubting myself because why would someone like you ever want to be with someone like me, and all you do is laugh. That makes you the insensitive prick.” “Don’t you get it?” he asks me. My silence must answer his question, because he smiles and continues talking. “I’m laughing at the fact that you’re fucking doubting yourself in the first place. It’s ridiculous.” How could he think that when he’s the one who said he was way out of my league in the first place? “Why wouldn’t I doubt myself? I just had to listen to you

point out everything about me that you wouldn’t go for in front of my brother and friends. Excuse me if self-doubt is coming down strong right now.” “Baby, listen to me. The only thing I was laughing at was the fact that you would doubt how perfect you are for me. That has to be the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. You even said yourself that it was for Sean’s benefit. How could you think I really meant what I said?” “But you sounded like you really meant it and it does make sense. I’m nothing special.” I frown, hating that talking about it brings up the hurtful words he said earlier. Even if they were only for my brother’s benefit, there’s still a small voice in the back of my head

that says they were true and that’s how he really feels. “Ronnie, I want you to listen to me carefully. There shouldn’t be any doubt in that pretty head out yours about my feelings for you. What I said Saturday and this morning was all true. You’re different than any other girl I’ve met. If anything ever comes out of my mouth that says differently, you have to know I’m only saying it because you don’t want your brother or parents knowing about us.” I stand still, letting everything he said sink in. I need to stop doubting myself and Gibson’s feelings for me. All the hurtful words he said this morning need to be pushed out of my mind.

Gibson hasn’t given me a reason to believe his feelings are any less for me, he even said he was falling for me. It’s my decision to keep our relationship a secret and he was doing what I wanted to make sure Sean didn’t grow suspicious. Taking a deep breath, I walk the short distance between us, wrap my arms around Gibson’s waist, and lay my head on his chest. I keep my face down, away from him when I say, “I’m sorry I overreacted and sorta freaked on you. It’s just…it still doesn’t make sense why you would pick someone as simple as me to be with. You’re the son of a rock star.” I pause and slowly lift my head to look at him. His nostrils flare and I

know he’s annoyed because I’m putting myself down again after he just told me to stop. Pushing myself up on my tiptoes, I peck Gibson on the lips and drop what I was about to say. “Let’s get to class.” Gibson smiles and goes in for a deeper kiss, earning a moan from me. I tighten my arms around his waist and he frames my face with his hands. I run my bottom lip along the cool metal of his lip ring, which is one of my favorite things about kissing this man. His lip ring adds something to our kisses. Maybe it’s the contrast between his hot skin and the cold piece of jewelry. Whatever it is, I want more of it…all the time.

I run my tongue along his bottom lip, tasting the saltiness of his lips and the slight metal tang of the lip ring. Sliding my hands from around his waist up his chest and to the back of his head, I pull his hair and bring his mouth as close as I can get it to mine. I need more. I’m not sure if it’s because we were interrupted this weekend by his uncle or me needing to know he wants me as much as I want him, but I give everything to this kiss. Sliding my tongue along the seam of Gibson’s lips, I get him to easily open for me. When my tongue connects with his, Gibson starts walking me backwards. My back connects to the wall behind me, but I don’t mind in the least bit. Actually, it makes our kiss all

the hotter. Gripping my waist, Gibson pulls me against him. His hard body feels like heaven against my soft one. Gibson breaks the kiss, trailing open-mouthed kisses across my jaw line and to my neck. I’m grateful for the chance to catch my breath, but it falters the lower his mouth goes. Gibson stops at the crease where my neck and collarbone meet. I’m panting, trying to get air into my lungs. Closing my eyes, I tilt my head back against the wall, pushing myself further into him. My legs weaken and Gibson has to hold me up. The neck of my shirt begins to move, baring my shoulder. When I open my eyes, Gibson is staring

at me. He leans forward and trails his bottom lip against my exposed skin. Once he reaches my bra strap, he plants a wet kiss right next to it. Fixing my shirt so my shoulder is covered, Gibson stands straight up, leaving me speechless as I struggle to stay slumped against the wall. It takes me a second to realize we’re in a classroom…at school. I look to the door and bite my lip, worried about how we’re going to get out of here if someone is in the hallway. Gibson walks over and looks through the window. Turning back to me, he lets out a breath. “There’s no one in the hallways. They must all be in class.”

Class! We’re late to our first class, which also happens to be with Sean and Roger. I had been too distracted by Gibson and his stupid piercing to realize the bell must have rung. Quickly making my way to the door, I grab my backpack and take a deep breath. Gibson grabs his from one of the desks and opens the door for me. My heart pounds so hard, I can feel it in my ears. Sean is going to notice when Gibson and I both walk in late, and knowing my brother, he’ll make a scene about it like he did this morning. This is one of those times when I wished I didn’t go to school with one of my brothers. Dating is damn near impossible and it doesn’t help when

Sean doesn’t like the guy I’m with. Seeing that I missed the beginning of class with that same guy won’t help with any chances of Sean liking Gibson. Making my way out of the classroom, I notice Allen sitting on the floor against the lockers. He is currently taking a selfie of his bored expression, no doubt sending it out on SnapChat. When he sees us, he’s off the floor faster than Gibson can get fully out of the room. Walking up to us, Allen plants his hands on his hips. “It’s about time you little fuck bunnies came out of your love nest. My ass was growing numb sitting on that cold floor.”

My mouth drops wide open at Allen’s bluntness. I look around to double check the hallways are clear, and thank God, they are. Allen doesn’t usually have a filter and will say just about anything in front of anyone. His momma has given up on teaching him to watch what he says, mainly because he’s always saying the first thing that comes to his mind. I smack Allen in the stomach. “Watch what you say, you dork. Anyone can hear you,” I warn. Allen glances up and down the hallway and raises a brow at me. “You do realize there isn’t anyone here except the three of us, right? Class started twenty minutes ago, but I’m guessing you

didn’t notice the bell ring?” I blush and duck my head. “Yep, that’s what I thought, you little sex kitten.” “Allen!” I yell. He needs to cut it out with the sex talk, especially when we’re around Gibson. There’s nothing more embarrassing than someone talking about it in front of the person you’re seeing. Gibson is laughing quietly from behind me. When I turn around, he smiles and winks. “Don’t encourage this behavior,” I tell him. “Allen needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut.” Coming closer, Gibson wraps his arms around me, much like he did in the classroom. “Aw, baby, don’t get upset

with Allen. He was just messing around, right, man?” He looks up and glares at Allen, silently telling him to agree. My lovely best friend isn’t the brightest when it comes to subtle hints. “What do you mean I was messing around? If you guys would have seen what I saw through that window, you’d understand.” His mention of the window brings another thought to me. “No one else said anything, did they?” “You think I would let that happen?” Allen asks. “I stood guard in front of that window so no one saw your little make out session. It was especially helpful when Sean came looking for

you.” My body goes cold at the thought of my brother catching us. “But don’t worry, I told him you had a girly problem and were in the bathroom. That got him to walk away, no questions asked.” That would do the trick. Any mention of periods or cramps, guys want nothing to do with the conversation. “Well, thanks for getting him away, even if the excuse was humiliating for me.” Allen shrugs like it’s no big deal. Of course it’s not for him, he isn’t the one who’s embarrassed. “Did he ask about where Gibson was?” Allen nods and smiles. “Yep. I told Football Star Gibby was getting you some Ginger Ale for your problems.”

I roll my eyes and say, “Thanks”. Gibson looks at his watch and then back at us. “We may want to head to class before anyone notices how long we’ve been out here.” The three of us head to English. Before we make it to the door, Gibson stops me and plants a sweet kiss on my lips. Pulling away, he whispers, “Thank you.” “For what?” “Trusting and listening to me. There’s no one else I want to be with. You need to understand that, even if I say something like what I did to your brother. Until you want him to know, I’ll

do everything I can to make sure he doesn’t find out.” I nod. “I know, and I’m sorry for overreacting.” “Stop apologizing. nothing to be sorry for.”

You

have

Allen opens the door and holds it for us to walk in. When I enter the classroom, everyone is working in partners. Sean pays no attention as he flirts with one of the cheerleaders. I let out the breath I’ve been holding at my brother’s cluelessness. We sit down at our table and Mr. Henry comes over to ask where we’ve been and explains the assignment we are doing today.

After we begin researching different poets in our textbooks, my skin prickles, feeling someone’s eyes on me. Both Gibson and Allen are reading their text and Sean is still fixated on his cheerleader. Facing forward, I catch Roger glaring between Gibson and me. My stomach drops. Why can’t he be distracted by a cheerleader like Sean?

It’s been a shitty week. I’ve barely seen Ronnie at all and I’m getting over

having to keep our relationship a secret. They hired a new girl at work, so Ronnie is helping train her and spends most nights there. The nights she has had off, she catches up on homework. I’ve only seen her once this week and it was a short visit before she had to get to work Wednesday night. Luckily, she has Friday and Saturday off. Thursday after school, I told Ronnie she should get all her schoolwork caught up because I wanted her to myself on Saturday. Ronnie said there wasn’t much to do in or near Freedom that would be fun for a date and not get us caught, and after doing some research, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is absolutely

nothing to fucking do anywhere. Breaking out my computer, I do a search of towns within a two hour drive from here. There has to be something I can find for us to do. I refuse to believe these people live this boring of a life. I don’t come up with much in my hour long search, but right before I give up, I see an advertisement for a carnival going on in Mobile. I haven’t been to a carnival since I was a kid and River’s mom brought the two of us to one of those traveling ones. The games were the best part. We were competitive and had to play each game at least once. I realize there’s a smile on my face thinking about the carnival, something so simple compared to all the other

adventures I’ve been on, yet the memory makes me feel the best. Deciding this is the perfect place to take Ronnie, I grab my phone out of my pocket and I text her to let her know I have our date set for Saturday and we’ll leave around one. She’s at work, so I’m surprised when she messages me back right away. Princess: Are you keeping this one a secret, too? You know I don’t like secrets I can picture her sporting that same pouty face. No matter how much she complains about me surprising her, I know deep down she loves it. Me: Of course I’m keeping it a

secret, and don’t even think about trying to get it out of me. My lips are sealed, baby. Princess: Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to convince you… Scenario after scenario of ways Ronnie can convince me run through my mind. As much as my body wants to have her name off some ideas, this surprise if too good. Dick be damned, I’m not giving in. Me: I’d like to revisit this conversation another time. I have a feeling I will most definitely like what’s going through your head, but my lips are still sealed, baby. Princess: Ugh, fine. Just be warned,

mister, tomorrow may be a little bit of a…struggle for you. Ttyl ;) Her last message makes me nervous. Tomorrow’s Friday. She wouldn’t do anything with her brother around…would she?

To answer my question, yes, yes she would. I was walking around with permanent blue balls from my hot as fuck girlfriend. Ronnie decided to be subtle with her attempt at getting me to tell her where we’re going tomorrow. This morning, she was dressed differently. She still looked like Ronnie, only… sexier. If that were even possible. My

girl was wearing a black V-neck t-shirt, shorts that would make any man look twice when she walks by, and the sexiest part of the outfit—cowboy boots. She looked like every cowboy’s wet dream —or, in this case, every cowboy and me. It wasn’t only the outfit that had me almost caving multiple times. Ronnie’s constant touching and flirty smiles didn’t help. Any class we sat next to each other in, she would keep her hand in my lap, running her nails up and down my thigh. It was torture and she knew it. I finally had enough in our last class together when Ronnie started massaging it, coming dangerously close to my dick, which was already straining from her touch. A man can only take so much. I

grabbed her hand and gave my sneaky girl a warning look. She stuck her tongue out at me and went back to her assignment, acting as if nothing happened while I was having a hard time refraining myself from attacking her in the middle of class. I made it through school and the car ride today. Luckily, Allen was going home with Ronnie, so all I was able to give her was a small peck on the lips. I’m still not used to having a girlfriend, so making out with Ronnie, like I would have liked, in front of Allen would have been awkward. It was a good thing he was here, though. I have a feeling Ronnie would have tried even harder to get our date location out of me, and with

us being alone, there was a lot higher chance of me giving in. Friday night, I find myself alone in my uncle’s house and I’ve started to get used to the quiet. Back home, I was always surrounded by people. Whether it was a party at a friend’s house or just some of the guys chilling and smoking a bowl. Thinking about it now, there weren’t many times where I wasn’t around someone. After I dropped out of school, I had a lot of free time. Most of my friends were either older than me or had also dropped out. The only difference is I eventually found my way out of that nothing life and those guys are still stuck in it. I’m sure some of them won’t ever find their way out. I shudder,

thinking that could have been me. Making my way to the kitchen, I rummage through the fridge and cabinets in search of food. I find canned goods in the pantry, but it’s mostly beans and pickles. I wrinkle my nose. Strange combination. I come up with less in the fridge. I’m just about to give up and walk to the closest grocery store when I see a frozen pizza tucked away in the back of the freezer. It’s stuffed crust too. Score. While the pizza is cooking, I bring out my guitar and work on some of the music River and I were coming up with before I left. While people know I can play guitar, I usually tone it down so they don’t know how well I can actually play.

And no one, not even River, knows about my need to play every day, to feel the music go through me for hours on end. What made it great playing with River was the guy’s talent to come up with lyrics on the top of his head. The nights I would stay over at River’s, which was usually when my mom didn’t want to deal with me and would drop me off there, we would stay up all night just making shit up. Some of the songs were total garbage, but once in a while, we would come up with a song that didn’t completely suck. Grabbing my guitar off of the sofa, I pluck at the strings to make sure it’s in tune. Since I know Dan will be home

soon, I want to play a few licks before my alone time is up. The calluses on my fingers have made it so they’re numb to the pressure when I play. It was helpful when I felt the need to sit in my room and strum song after song, usually after one of my mom’s many nights of getting so high, she would pass out on the living room couch. The music was an escape for me. A way to get away from all the fame, the liars, and my parents. I could tune everything around me out and only focus on what’s in my head. Before my brain can register what my hands are doing, they start playing

Ellie Goulding’s remake of Your Song. I smile, thinking about Ronnie. Damn, this girl is inside of me. The front door slam shut, breaking me of my depressing thoughts. Looking up, Dan is walking into the room, wearing his uniform and carrying his backpack. Tossing it on the kitchen counter, he walks over to check what’s in the oven. Shit! I forgot about the pizza. Dan opens the oven and gets a face full of dark smoke. I place my guitar on the couch and jump up to help him with the burning pizza. Snatching a towel from the counter, I try to fan out the smoke before it can set the alarm off. The last thing I want is a visit from the fire department. That

would be a pain in the ass. Dan turns the oven off and grabs another towel to help. After some intense fanning, we finally get the smoke under control. The two of us stare at the contents. If I hadn’t put it in there myself, I never would have guessed what it was. “What the hell were you trying to make, kid?” Dan sounds stunned at what he’s looking at. I rub the back of my head. “I…um, sorta forgot to set the timer, I guess.” “What is that thing anyway?” he grabs a spatula and starts poking at the black ball of gunk. The moment he touches a piece, it breaks apart and falls to the bottom of the oven. This is going

to be a bitch to clean. I let out a laugh. “It was pizza, but it’s a little more charred than I would like.” Dan laughs and throws his towel on the counter. “Well, how about I order a pizza instead? That shit in there isn’t edible.” He closes the oven and reaches into his back pocket for his phone. After ordering two large meat lover pizzas, Dan snags a beer out of the fridge and collapses on the couch. He looks worn out. I guess I would be too if I were working over sixty hours a week. Dan told me he should be cutting back on his hours, but his partner had to take some extra time off. There was some

emergency with his newborn baby and he’s been at the hospital with his wife for the last few days. I take a seat on the empty couch next to my guitar, but I don’t pick it back up. Dan knows I play, but that doesn’t mean I’m comfortable playing around him. Only one person has ever heard me play, and I don’t plan on changing that anytime soon. “So, how was your week at school?” Dan asks me, breaking the stretch of awkward silence. “It’s actually going good, I guess. Better than the last school I was in. Though, that’s not saying much.” He nods and we descend into

silence again. A few awkward minutes go by, neither of us knowing what to say. “How about you and Ronnie? How’s that going?” I smile at his mention of my girl. Dan notices the smile before I have a chance to answer him. “That good, huh.” It’s not a question, but I nod my head anyway. I shake my head, trying but failing to cover the smile. “I know I probably sound like a pussy talking about this, but I really do like her. A lot. She’s so different from any other girl I’ve met.” Dan studies me closely. Lifting an eyebrow, he asks, “How is that?” I think over his question. It’s more

of a feeling than anything. Being around Ronnie, I don’t feel the need to seek out drugs and alcohol like I did before. Ronnie’s presence is enough for me, and I’m happy. Just happy to be around her. To make her happy. I think that’s what relationships are all about. Making each other happy with little effort. When I finally open my mouth to answer Dan, he’s staring at me, rubbing the scruff on his chin. Like he’s worried about my answer. I don’t want him to think my intentions with Ronnie are anything like the women I used to be with. He needs to know that I’m serious about her, not just having fun. “I’m not sure how to explain it, but I get this…feeling when I’m around her.

It’s strange and different for me. I just know Ronnie’s it. I feel it in my gut that she’s the girl for me,” I say to him. Dan’s eyes drop and a small frown forms on his lips. Rubbing the back of his head, he drops his gaze to the floor, breaking eye contact with me. “Yeah, kid, I get that feeling. Probably more than you know.” He stands and grabs his beer from the coffee table. “I’m heading to bed. Tomorrow I have a double and then the next four days off. My partner’s coming back next week, so I’ll be gone most of the day. You going to be around?” “No. I’m taking Ronnie on a date out by Mobile.”

“Mobile? That’s kinda far.” I shrug. “Not much to do around here. Figured we’d go out and do something different.” He gives a short laugh. “Yeah, I guess there isn’t much for teenagers to do around these parts.” It seems like he wants to say more, but starts heading toward his room instead. Before he reaches the hallway, Dan turns back to me. “I get what you mean when you say you feel it, about Ronnie being the girl for you. There’s no way to explain that feeling, you just know.” With that, he disappears into the hall. I sit back on the couch, thinking about what my uncle just confessed to

me. He understands, so that must mean he has someone, or had someone. Makes me wonder where she is. After Dan leaves to his room, the pizza delivery guy shows up. I think maybe the smell of fresh pizza will get him to come back out, but I end up eating a whole pie alone. It’s close to eleven by the time I finish eating and put away the leftovers. Since Dan is asleep, I check all the doors to make sure they’re locked and turn out all the lights. Stripping out of my clothes, I make my way into bed with only my boxers on. Friday night and I’m in bed by eleven. So much has changed in the last

five months, and I can’t say I’m against this new life. Living in this simple, small town may be boring, but for some strange reason, being here feels more like home than living with my mom ever did. Ronnie is that reason and I can feel it. Thinking about my girl makes me want to talk to her. Grabbing my phone off the nightstand, I pull up her contact and send her a message. Me: Hi there sexy ;) Princess: I’m sorry, the number you have reached doesn’t go for lame pick up line. Please try again.

Me: Lame? What the hell, I thought that was right on point. Princess: *eye roll* And how many girls have you texted that to in the past? Shit, she’s got me there. Another texts comes in before I reply. Princess: Your silence speaks for itself. I’m guessing you used that often? Me: No comment Princess: Player Me: Ex-player. There’s no more playing going on. I’m all played out. Princess: Oh, great, I get the leftovers from ghost of sluts past? Gee, thanks.

I swear, I love this girl and her snarky attitude. Me: Are you quoting a Matthew McConaughey movie? Princess: Well, I couldn’t quote it exactly because you know, you’ve never done the whole “girlfriend” thing. But yes, yes I did. Princess: And how did you know that was one of Hottie Tottie’s movies, mister? Me: I may or may not have seen it… Princess: Are you a closet chickflick fan, babe? Because I’d be totally okay with that. It’s all right for men to

show their sensitive side nowadays. Me: I’m not saying I watch chick flicks. I just may have seen this particular one with River and his mom, that’s all. Princess: Hahaha. Oh my gosh, did she make you two watch it to teach you about respecting women? Me: Maybe Princess: I think I may love this woman! That is the smartest thing I have ever heard. Me: All right then. Since I gave you a nice good laugh, I’m off to bed. Princess: Awe, don’t be a grumpy pants. I was just messing around.

Me: Yeah, yeah. So, what’re you up to tonight? Princess: Is that the second part to your seduction method? Me: Goodnight! Princess: I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Okay, I’m done now. Me: You sure you don’t have anything left in you? Princess: No, babe, I’m all joked out. Damn, I really love it when she calls me babe. Me: So, back to my previous question, what’re you up to?

Princess: Just got home from Allen’s. All tucked away in bed as we speak. I lean back against my pillow, picturing my girl laying there, her soft, blonde hair fanned out across her pillow wearing some sort of cute pajamas, because Ronnie wouldn’t be the sexy lingerie kind of girl. No, she’d have some sleep shorts with an animal or some shit on it. And everything about her would be sexy. Just thinking about her lying in bed makes my dick twitch. Me: You in bed thinking about me, baby? There’s no reply for a minute and then my phone vibrates…and keeps

vibrating. “Hello,” I answer. “Are you about to sext me?” I usually love her straightforward personality, but right now it’s not in my favor. “What? No! I wasn’t sexting you.” Was I? “But you were about to. Or you were thinking about it. Either way, there was sex and sexting on your mind.” I can hear the accusatory tone in her voice. I try to hold it in, but a loud laugh escapes. “Babe, I’m a healthy nineteenyear-old. Of course sex is on my mind. It probably takes up ninety percent of my

thoughts for the day.” Dead silence resonates through the line and I check to make sure we weren’t disconnected. “Babe?” I ask. “Guys really think about sex that much?” Her voice sounds small, like she’s unsure she should be asking. I rub my chin, feeling the days’ worth of stubble coming in. How do I explain this without coming across as a douchebag? I’m not sure there’s a way around this one. “Well, I guess some guys do.” Fuck, that sounds stupid. “Would you be one of those guys?” I can imagine her biting her full bottom lip and it makes me want to groan at the thought of Ronnie’s lips.

“Since meeting you? Just about every minute of every day.” Laughter comes from the other side of the phone. “Oh, come on, you can’t be serious right now.” “What? You don’t believe me? Have you looked in the mirror lately, baby? You’re fucking beautiful.” She’s easily the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen. “Shut up, you dork.” She’s still laughing, but it’s forced, and I know she’s doubting what I’m telling her. She doesn’t believe me and that’s a damn shame. “Princess, you know how we talked about how you need to not doubt my

feelings for you?” “Yes,” she whispers. “All right. This is going to be like that conversation, and I want you to listen good, baby. You are fucking sexy. You’re so sexy, I have to control myself whenever I’m in a room with you because all I want to do is kiss you until you’re out of breath. You may not see it, but every time you walk into a classroom or down the hall, all the guys turn to watch you. Everyone seems to know how gorgeous you are, except you. I know you’ve never been put first and I fucking hate that for you, but I’m going to tell you every day how smart and beautiful you are, inside and out, until you believe it yourself.”

There’s silence and I let it continue, allowing Ronnie time to process everything I just told her and hoping it all sinks in. After a few minutes, I can’t take the quiet anymore. “Ronnie? You still there?” She takes a deep breath, loud enough that it can be heard through the phone. “Yeah, I’m here.” There’s another pause. “Hey, Gibson?” “Yeah, princess?” “I’m really happy you arrested and had to move here.”

were

I can’t help but laugh. She knows how to lighten the mood when we’re getting serious. “I’m really happy I

moved here, too.” “So, I’ll see you tomorrow?” she asks. “Yep. We’ll have to leave here around one so we don’t get there too late.” “And you’re still keeping our date location a secret from me, the person going on said date?” I smile at her not so subtle hint. “That’s the plan, princess. I’ve made it this far, there’s no caving now.” Ronnie lets out a large, over-thetop huff. “Fine then. I guess I’ll have to just suffer the car ride there, praying you aren’t taking me to a junk yard and

planning to kill me or anything.” “Guess you’ll have to wait and see. Could be your murder or a fun date with a sexy guy.” “A sexy guy? I thought I was going on this date with you? Who else you bringing?” Oh no she didn’t. “You better watch it, babe,” I warn her. Her soft laughter comes through the phone and I can’t help but smile at the sweet sound. “See you tomorrow, baby!” And with that, she hangs up, leaving me even more anxious for our date tomorrow.

Most Saturdays, I love working out with my brother. It gives us a little bit of

time to bond and talk, but not today. Sean seems frustrated and has barely said three words to me; he’s mostly speaking in grunts. I want to ask him what’s wrong, but I don’t get the chance before he directs me to start my sets on the chest press while he heads to the free weights. Two hours and a sore body later, we’re finally done with our workout and I couldn’t be more annoyed. While Sean and I may not be the closest of siblings, he’s never flat out ignored me before. The only communication we had during the workout was him telling me where to go and how many reps to do. Once we’re in the car, I decide enough is enough.

“All right, what gives? You’re having some major attitude issues this morning.” Sean grunts and goes to put the key in the ignition, but I quickly snatch them up and put them down my shirt. I cross my arms over my chest in case he gets any ideas. “Not cool, Ronnie,” Sean scolds. I give him my best “mom” look. It usually works when she directs it at my dad and brothers. “If you tell me what has your panties in a wad, I’ll think about giving you the keys.” We sit there, me waiting for Sean to stop being so stubborn and him acting like a child.

Five minutes, that’s how long it takes for him to cave. I even watched the clock. What a chump. Blowing out an aggravated breath, Sean sits up straight and turns to me. “All right, I was going to leave it alone, but since you brought it up, I’ll ask. Tell me what’s going on between you and the new kid?” Well, I wasn’t expecting that. “Are you talking about Gibson?” “Who the hell else would I be talking about?” “I don’t know. Why would you be asking me about Gibson anyway?” I don’t know why he wants to have another conversation about this. I’m a

horrible liar and Sean will probably see right through it. Gibson was so much more believable when he was talking to Sean Monday Sean rolls his eyes at me. “I know pretty boy said some shit Monday but do you really think I would believe any of that? He was blowing smoke up my ass. I’ve seen the way that guy looks at you, Ronnie.” My eyes snap up to meet my brother’s, wondering what he sees when Gibson looks at me. “I also see the way you look at him. I don’t want my little sister hurt over some punk who’s only here because he’s forced to be. Before you know it, he’ll be gone.” I look down to my lap, hiding my reaction. He isn’t saying anything new.

It’s not like I haven’t considered what would happen when Gibson leaves. He doesn’t live here. I wipe that thought from my mind, not wanting to get depressed. “I know you like him, Ronnie. I see the way you look when he’s around. You’ve never shown interest in a guy before and that scares me. I know you’re an adult and all, but I don’t want to see my baby sister heartbroken over a player.” I grab the keys from inside my shirt and throw them into Sean’s lap, regretting taking them from him in the first place and forcing him to talk. All he’s done is put more depressing thoughts in my head that don’t need to be

there. Plastering on a fake smile, I say, “Nothing to worry about, big bro. I told you that earlier this week. I’m just being nice to him because he’s new and doesn’t know anyone. I wouldn’t want to be ignored if I were new to a town.” It’s not a total lie. I wouldn’t want someone to end up a loner when I could easily make a friend. I was the same way when Allen moved to town and look where we are now. A friendship, or even relationship, may not have been what I had in mind when first meeting Gibson —in fact, it was the complete opposite —but I see beneath his asshole exterior. I wish my brother and parents would be able to see what I see in him, but I know

that will never happen. “Whatever you say, Ron.” Sean still doesn’t seem like he believes me, but he starts the car and drives us home anyway. This time, I welcome the silence between us.

One o’ clock comes faster than I’m prepared for. On my way out the house, I pass Sean and my dad while they are tossing the football and practicing plays, a usual Saturday for them. Sean is the first one to notice me leaving, drawing Dad’s attention to the bag across my shoulder and keys in my hand. Dad asks where I’m heading and once I say I’m

going out with Allen, he tells me to have a good night and turns back to discuss football with Sean. My brother isn’t as easily convinced. Before I’m able to make it to the car, I have to undergo a series of questions about what Allen and I have planned tonight and when I’ll be home. It’s a good thing I prepared for this in case either of my parents were interested in my plans for the night, or Sean, as the case may be. As I answer each of them, I get to the truck as fast as possible. By the time I have my bag in the passenger seat, Sean has run out of questions. He still doesn’t seem convinced, but I’m already starting up the truck and making my way down the driveway before he

can say anything else. I make it to Gibson’s house almost ten minutes late and text him instead of the usual horn honk. He said his uncle was catching up on some sleep and he didn’t want to wake him. Five minutes later, he comes out the front door and I can’t help but stare. Gibson shouldn’t be allowed to leave the house looking as hot as he does. It’s a hazard to the women he’ll come into contact with. On any other guy in Bama, the clothes Gibson is wearing would look ridiculous, but on him, they look perfect. He’s wearing a pair of dark jeans that look like they hang low on his narrow hips. They aren’t tight like the skinny jeans some guys wear, but they do fit his

legs, forming around his thigh muscle with every step he takes. With what looks like a band t-shirt to finish off his outfit, he has the complete rocker look. I never would have thought I’d fall for someone like Gibson, but I guess the saying opposites attract is true. You couldn’t get any more opposite than the small town country girl and the big city, son of a rocker. Too lost in my own thoughts, I don’t notice right away that he’s not in my line of sight anymore until I hear the passenger door slam shut. Shaking my head and coming back to the present, I look over just in time for him to lean across the console and plant a soft, sweet kiss on my lips. Every time our

lips meet, a small tingle shoots through my body. I love when this man touches me. He may have this hard outer shell he wants everyone to see, but when Gibson touches me, it’s always gentle and caring. He makes me feel loved. Before pulling away from the kiss, Gibson sticks his head in the crook of my neck and inhales. I pull away, laughing at how his stubble tickled my neck. “What are you doing?” I ask. He wraps his hand around the base of my neck, pulling me back to him. “You smell good. I like it. Smells like sunshine or some shit. I didn’t even know sunshine had a fucking scent, but

that’s what you smell like.” His eyes are hooded as he releases my neck. I push his face over to his side of the truck, laughing the entire time. “You’re crazy. Sunshine having a scent doesn’t even make sense.” I put the truck in reverse and head out of Gibson’s driveway. “I know it doesn’t make sense, it’s just what came to mind when I got a whiff of you.” He avoids eye contact. Bashful Gibson is cute. I almost expect him to turn red, but I’m sure it takes a lot more to get someone like Gibson to blush. Deciding to drop the conversation, I ask Gibson where we’re headed.

“Just head toward US-98. We’re going to take I-10 and the place should be right off exit 26B.” For someone who’s never been around these parts before, he sure sounds like he knows where he’s going. “Did you bring directions with you? I mean, it would be horrible if you read them wrong or something. You should just tell me where we’re going. That way, I’ll know exactly where to go.” And we can be rid of this whole surprise date thing he has going on. Gibson’s deep laughter comes through the truck. “Nice try, princess, but I know how to get there just fine. Mapped it out myself, so don’t you worry your pretty little head about it.” I

huff and relax into my seat, preparing myself for the long drive. I try three more times to get Gibson to spill before finally giving up. He’s a tough one to crack. Deciding we should fill the silence and kill the time we have, Gibson and I play a little get-to-knowyou game. Other than where he’s from and small, more personal things, I realize I don’t know too much about him, and I want to know everything I can, like his favorite color, which is black, favorite type of food, Mexican, because he couldn’t pick just one dish, and his favorite movie. That question started an intense debate over The Avengers. Since I grew up with two brothers, I know all about comic book heroes, my

personal favorite being Iron Man, mainly because he has an awesome suit and a smart mouth. Gibson is a Bruce Banner/Hulk fan. He likes the brain behind the big, angry green guy, and then admitted he doesn’t thing Iron Man is a real super hero. I almost stopped the truck right in the middle of highway. The rest of the ride consisted of me arguing my point on why Iron Man is very much a superhero and why he’s the most valuable in the group. This lasted until we reached the Mobile exit. I shut right up when a giant Ferris wheel came into view. Stopping at the light off the exit, I look over to Gibson. He has a proud smile stretching across his face and

starts rubbing his hands together. “I know, you’re amazed I found something fun for us to do. I’ll take your silence as complete shock. And yes, I’ll be winning you a ridiculous stuffed animal.” I can’t help but laugh, because one, he is too stinking cute, and two, this place is more than just a carnival to me. We make our way to the entrance of the boardwalk. I still can’t form words and I’m afraid if I open my mouth to try, I’ll start crying. I haven’t thought about this place in a long time in an attempt to forget the hurt I felt from being neglected by my parents when I was young. We sit in silence for a few moments, both of us staring out the

window. “Did I mess up by picking the carnival?” Gibson asks, seeming to pick up on my hesitance. “I thought you would have been happy to have a real date, where I can touch you and we can act like an actual couple without someone seeing us.” He sounds worried and I hate it. I love how thoughtful this date is. Everything about it is perfect. Taking a deep breath, I say, “I’m sorry. I love that we’re able to have a real date, it’s just…this place…” I trail off, looking at the carnival rides and families walking in front of us. It all brings too much emotion up for me and I end up letting out a sob.

Gibson is quick to undo my seatbelt and pull me into his lap. I would comment on how fast and strong he is to get me over there so quickly, but the tears keep falling and I’m struggling to catch my breath. Instead of asking what’s wrong, Gibson just holds me, letting me cry on his shoulder while he rubs my back. He’s soothing me and I feel safer with him than anyone else. I feel comfortable being able to let him see this emotional side of me and not worry about him thinking I’m crazy for randomly crying or soaking his shirt with my tears. My breakdown rides out with Gibson stroking my hair and back, whispering comforting words to me. After the tears have stopped and my

breathing is under control, Gibson pulls my face from the crook of his neck and rubs away the last few tears on my cheeks. “Are you okay to tell me what that was about?” His voice is soft and cautious, like he doesn’t know if he should be asking that so soon. I’m better now, though, because of him. I nod and he sits there, waiting for me to be ready to continue. Feeling Gibson’s hand rubbing up and down my thigh is comforting and helps me get the words out. “You know how I’ve always felt invisible to my parents, how Sean and Jerry and football always came first?” He nods, squeezing my leg. “Okay, well, I had never asked for much when I was a kid. I understood

they were busy with the boys’ practices and games. Plus, Mom with her fundraising took up a lot of time.” I begin playing with the back of Gibson’s hair, needing the distraction. “When I was ten, I saw an ad for a boardwalk carnival coming to Mobile for the first time. I had never seen anything like it before. The picture was at night and all the rides and games were lit up. It was beautiful, magical even, especially to a thirteen-year-old. I wanted nothing more than to be able to experience that for myself. To be able to ride a Ferris wheel that goes up so high.” I smile at the memory. When you’re that young, a Ferris wheel is like going into space. You’re so high up, nothing

can touch you. “Well, I had asked my parents, begged even, if we could go there one weekend. It was a traveling carnival, so they weren’t going to be in town for long. But every time I went to ask my parents, they said they were too busy to deal with me right then. For two weeks, I asked every day. My mom finally told me there was no way they would be able to take me since they had too much going on with my brothers.” “That’s bullshit. I don’t care how busy your parents were with football or your brothers, you should be a priority too.” Gibson’s nostrils flare. He frowns and his grip on my leg tightens. I lean forward and place a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

“I know, but they never realized by giving all their time and attention to my brothers, they were neglecting their daughter,” I say, and take a deep breath before continuing. “The carnival was ending soon and I still wanted to go. I decided to take a bus and go on my own. This was after the summer, so I had lemonade and dog walking money saved up. It was a Saturday morning and everyone was sleeping in since Jerry had a football game the night before and Sean’s was that afternoon. I snuck out and walked to the bus stop. Hours later, I was staring up at the most beautiful place I had ever seen. Even though it was during the day and nothing was lit up, I was in love. There was so much

going on between people screaming on rides and games going off when someone would win. My brain couldn’t take everything in at once. “I did everything I could while I was there. Spent all of my money, only saving some for the bus ride home. Between the food, rides, and games, I was there for hours. After exhausting myself, I finally made the trip back home. I expected my parents to be angry about their thirteen-year-old daughter going off for the entire day by herself without saying anything, but the boys and my dad were in the living room watching the sports channel and Mom was in the kitchen making dinner, like every night. No one said anything to me when I got

home. Neither of my parents yelled or asked where I was all day. The only thing my mom said was I made it home in time for dinner.” I shudder, thinking of the crushing feeling of my mother not noticing my absence for almost an entire day. Gibson wipes his thumb across my cheek, removing tears I didn’t know were there. “I hate them and I don’t even know them, babe. They don’t realize what an awesome daughter they have. It’s their loss, you hear me?” I nod and lay my head on his shoulder, snuggling into the crook of his neck. We sit there in comfortable silence for a while, Gibson still running his hand up and down my thigh and me playing

with his hair, occasionally planting kisses on his neck. As much as I would love to stay in this position for the rest of the day, screams coming from the park pull my attention away from the warm body I’m resting on. Patting my leg once, Gibson pulls away from me. “Let’s make this a fun day, babe. No more tears or sad memories, okay? I want to take away that bad memory and make this place a good one.” I can’t get over how amazing this man is. He’s so sweet and thoughtful. “You better be careful with what you say. All this swooning may make me fall in love with you,” I joke.

Gibson winks, then goes to open the passenger door. “That’s been my plan all along.”

It’s official, coming to the carnival with someone else is way better than being alone. Having Gibson here has been one of the best experiences. He’s made sure we stop at everything: rides, food stands, and shows. Unfortunately, in that order. My stomach isn’t a huge fan of the greasy food combined with the jerking of some of the rides. Luckily, we’ve both eaten all we can, so that part of the date should be over. We’re now walking around, taking

in the lights and excitement since the sun has gone down, my arms filled with stuffed animals Gibson’s won for me. One by one we’ve been giving them away to little kids who have walked away from games empty handed. Now, I’m left with only two, and neither of them I want to part with. One is a stuffed guitar Gibson won in that “Guess My Weight!” game and the other is a stuffed princess. Gibson spent seventy dollars and an hour trying to knock down those stupid milk bottles that are obviously rigged, but he was determined to win the princess and the guy running the game wouldn’t just sell it to him. It’s getting late and there’s only one ride we haven’t made it to yet: the Ferris

wheel. Gibson wanted to save it for last so we could see all the lights from above. I couldn’t wait to get up there and experience it. We make our way toward the Ferris wheel and my eyes grow larger and larger at the sight. During the day, this giant circle death trap doesn’t look so bad. But at night, right now, it looks pretty intimidating. I start to slow down and Gibson continues walking forward, losing my hand he was holding in the process. He turns around and walks back to me. “What’s wrong?” he asks, sounding worried. I can’t help but laugh. “Sorry. It’s

just, the Ferris wheel is somehow more intimidating at night.” Gibson laughs and walks up to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Don’t worry, princess, I’ll keep you safe up there.” I pat the arm he leaves around my waist as we walk toward the line and smile up at him. “I’m sure you will, rock star.”

Why the fuck would anyone want to sit in a little cart five hundred feet in the air? First off, you have no idea if the person who constructed it knows what the hell they were doing. And second, there is no purpose. A rollercoaster I understand—you get the thrill of the speed and drops. But a Ferris wheel is nothing but a leisurely trip to your potential death.

Ronnie and I are going higher and higher, sweat tickling the back of my neck. We’re about halfway to the top, and while I’m nervous as fuck, Princess hasn’t stopped smiling and taking in all the lights and excitement going on below us. Seeing her face light up almost makes this experience worth it…almost. I look over the edge and see the small people at the bottom, taking a deep breath, I sit back and try not to make too many movements. The ride has been going non-stop until we reach the top, making me jerk forward with the abrupt holt. I look down—and holy fuck, we’re high up. The fact that we are fivehundred feet in the air, a metal basket being our only savior, is momentarily set

aside from my mind when I see the guy running this death trap arguing with another man wearing a matching uniform. The two of them point from the Ferris wheel to the booth he’s been sitting in. This can’t be good. Ronnie looks over to where the two men are arguing below us. I’m trying to concentrate on not tossing the funnel cake I just ate all over the people safe on the ground. She looks over at me, her eyes wide. When she sees the look on my face, she sits up and moves in closer. “Are you okay? You look sick, Gibson.” She rests the back of her hand against my forehead, moving to my cheeks. I capture her wrists and bring her hand to my lips, planting a kiss on

the center of her palm. “I’m good, babe, just not a huge fan of the height and then there’s the matter of something obviously not being right since we’re stopped and dumb and dumber are yelling down there.” I point down below us. Ronnie looks over me, practically coming into my lap trying to see the men. “Hmm, I wonder what’s going on. I’m sure it’s fine, though. If we were in any danger, I’m sure there would be a rescue team here or something. They wouldn’t leave us stranded on the ride.” I know she’s saying that to try to reassure me, but the way her voice gets higher at the end tells me she’s nervous there’s something wrong too.

I grab Ronnie and pull her as close as the bar over our laps will allow. Burrowing my face into her neck, I inhale her sent. Holding her like this calms me almost instantly. Having her around and knowing she’s there always seems to make me feel better. We sit like that for a while, waiting for whoever is in charge to fix the damn ride. At some point, one of the men yells up to us saying they’re having some technical difficulties. No shit, Sherlock. Pulling Ronnie in as close as I can, I kiss the top of her head. I’ve only ever been this comfortable around two other people: Momma Mary and River. Those two are my family and I love them more

than anything, and now Ronnie is added to that small list. The intense feelings I have for her are more than me just simply liking a girl. I love this one. I feel protective of her; I want to make her happy and put a smile on her face every day. She makes me happier than I’ve ever been and motivates me to be better. Ronnie’s head rests on my chest while my arms wrap across her chest. I have to tell her, let her know how I feel. I start to move, which makes Ronnie sit up and turn to face me. Lifting my hands, I bring them to her face and cup her chilled cheeks. Taking in a deep breath, I let the words spill out in a whisper. “I love you.” Ronnie’s jaw drops and her eyes

widen. She recovers from the surprise, but then bites her lips and ducks her head down. “Are you sure?” she asks. I can’t help but laugh at this beautiful, naïve girl sitting here with me right now. “Yes, princess, I’m sure. Though, by the worried look on your face and your question, I’m second guessing saying it.” “No!” She sit’s up and grabs my hand. “I mean, no, don’t second guess saying it. I…I like that you said it.” She puts her head down, hiding her face from me. “Iloveyoutoo,” she rushes out. I can’t hide the smile on my face. “Sorry, princess, what was that you said? You have to speak up a little, babe.

Hell, scream it if you want!” Her cheeks go red and she laughs. “I said I love you, too, you dork.” Wrapping my arms around Ronnie and pulling her to me, I cover her face with wet, sloppy kisses. “Aw, babe, was that so hard to say?” Ronnie pokes at my ribs, causing me to jump. “Don’t make fun of me, mister. I’ll start rocking this cart.” I let go of her and raise my hands in surrender. “All right, all right. There’s no need for that. I’m done.” As soon as I finish my sentence, the Ferris wheel starts back up with a jerk. I may or may not have let out a high pitch sound. Looking over at my girl, I know she

heard me, and she’ll be using that against me for sure.

I am in love. With Gibson. I haven’t been able to stop smiling since we left

the Carnival. We are almost home now and my cheeks are starting to hurt. But none of that matters because I love Gibson, he loves me, and I couldn’t be happier. Who would have thought the new guy in town, the rock star’s son, would be the man I fall for? Not me, that’s for sure. Driving into Freedom, I start to lose my happy feeling and my smile drops. I don’t want our night to be over. It’s only nine, so it’s not too late. Trying to think of a way we can continue our date, the perfect place comes to mind and instead of driving to Gibson’s, I head there. It takes him just a few minutes to realize we aren’t headed to his house. I

look over at him and smile. “I figured you wouldn’t be opposed to continuing our night? I don’t want to be away from you just yet.” Shaking his head, Gibson lets out a laugh and squeezes my hand. “Not at all, princess. Drive to wherever you want to take us.” I do just that, bringing us to our spot. Parking the truck on the sand, I reach into the back and grab the blankets I leave back there for when I come to the beach and watch the stars. Gibson watches me get out of the truck with the blankets in hand and raises one of his dark eyebrows. I walk around to the bed

and let down the tailgate, dumping the blankets and boosting myself up. Gibson’s door slam shut and he appears at the side of the bed, resting his arms on the ledge. “Whatcha doing beautiful?” he asks.

up

there,

Unfolding one of the blankets and laying it across the bed of my truck, I look over to him. “I’m setting up the next portion of our date. We’re going to watch the stars,” I say to him. “The stars?” Gibson asks, sounding confused. “What’s so fun about watching stars?” Resting my hand on my hips, I cock one out when I face him. “Well, have you

ever looked into the night before?” Thinking about it, Gibson shakes his head no. “L.A. is too polluted to even see the stars at night. There’d be no point. All you would see is smog.” I will never understand why city people live where they live. What’s so beautiful about smog and rush hour traffic? While I’m not a fan of small town living either, big cities aren’t on my list of places to visit. I’m much more of a suburban area kind of girl. “I feel sad for you. Everyone should experience a clear night sky at least once in their life.” I begin opening the second blanket. “Don’t worry, babe, I’ll be extra careful with popping your

stargazing cherry.” I wink at him before plopping myself down on the blanket and covering my legs up with the second one. Laughter comes from the side and then I see him hoisting himself into the bed with me. In the moonlight, Gibson somehow looks even more beautiful. His dark hair and eyebrows look pitch black without the sun beating down on them and his green eyes stand out more against his light skin. He’s gorgeous, and he’s mine. That fact is still so strange to me—that I fell in love with this man so quickly and he feels the same way for me. My thoughts must show on my face because when Gibson sits beside me,

one of his brows is raised as he takes in my goofy expression. “You all right?” he asks. Smiling, I scoot over to snuggle into his side. “Never better. I was just thinking about how happy I am. This was the perfect date, Gibson.” He wraps his arms around me, pulling me tight into his side. “I told you it would be, baby. Never doubt me.” Resting my head on his shoulder, I lift one hand and cover Gibson’s eyes. “All right, mister, I want you to get the full experience of a clear night sky. Lay back and close your eyes.” He does what I tell him, bringing me to lay with him. Once we’re both laying

comfortably, I release my hand from his eyes and we both take in the beautiful, bright sky. Gibson is quiet for a while. If you’ve never seen a clear sky before, it can be a lot to take in. I grew up with this being the norm and it still amazes me that something so beautiful can be seen right from my backyard. “Isn’t it the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?” I ask him, still staring at the night above us. “Yes,” he says, his voice coming out strangled. When I look up to him, he’s staring right at me with a hungry look in his eyes. Before I can ask what’s wrong,

Gibson smashes his lips to mine, cutting off any thoughts I may have had. This kiss is different from all the others we’ve shared. It’s just as hot, but there’s desperation in the way Gibson is kissing me. Like he can’t get close enough to me. He starts to lean forward, forcing me to go onto my back with half his body hovering above mine. I reach up and run my hands down Gibson’s chest, feeling every hard muscle while he explores my mouth with his tongue. It all begins to be too much and I have to pull my away to catch my breath. Gibson continues down to my neck, biting and sucking as he goes. My body is hot all over, feeling Gibson at every inch of it. I clutch the back of his shirt,

whether to pull him closer or push him farther, I’m not sure. Gibson makes quick work of getting his short off and I begin working on his belt buckle. A pair of warm hands grab both of mine and pin them above my head. When I look up, Gibson is staring down at me. His eyes are darker and his nostrils flaring. “Are you sure?” he asks. Am I sure? I love this man above me, so of course I was sure about giving myself to him. Nothing would make me unsure about sleeping with Gibson. I could understand why he would want to make sure though. He’s been with a lot of women and I’ve only been with one

other person, but that doesn’t matter to me. All I care about is what’s happening now, not about his past or my own. Gibson rubs his thumb across my bottom lip, bringing my attention back to him. “Hey, it’s okay. We don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with, okay? I’m perfectly fine with laying here and kissing you all night, or even laying here and staring at the stars. We don’t have to go any further than this.” He plants feather like kisses on my nose and goes to roll back over to where he was laying before, but I stop him, keeping him above me. Biting my bottom lip, I decide to tell him what’s on my mind. “It’s not that I don’t want to, because trust me, I want

you. It’s just…you’ve been with so many other women and I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you,” I tell him. Gibson lays his body against mine, close this time, so I feel every part of him. “Do you feel that?” It takes me a second to realize what he’s talking about, but one flex of his hips and I know exactly what he means. “You do that to me, Ronnie. Fuck any other girl I’ve ever been with and fuck that douchebag Rodger. It’s me and you, princess.” I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. “But…what if I’m not as good as them?” He cuts me off with another hard,

yet sweet kiss. “Princess, making love to you will be the most amazing experience of my life. Before you, it was only sex. A way to relieve the tension. Now, we have feelings mixed in with it. I love you, Ronnie, and I want to make love to you.” This time, it’s me who grabs Gibson and brings his lips to mine. He’s right. What we have is different and special and I will not let any of the one’s before me take that away. We waste no time getting each other’s clothes off and before I know it, I’m down to my panties and Gibson is only in his boxer briefs, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. We are actually doing this. I’m about to make love to Gibson Mitchell.

Once Gibson comes back to me, with condom in hand, I can’t help but smile. His hair looks wild from me running my hands through it and his eyes are bright with excitement. He sheds himself of his last article of clothing before coming back to lay on top of me. Swiping a stray hair from across my forehead and kissing my cheek, Gibson stares into my eyes. “Are you still sure?” he asks. “What would you do if I said no? I mean, we are pretty far gone now.” We both laugh, but then Gibson gets serious. “No matter what, I want you to be comfortable and ready. If you say you want to wait, I’ll admit, it would be

painful to stop and I’d be sporting the worst case of blue balls in the history of men, but I love you and I want this to be right.” Grabbing the condom out of his hand, I tear it open with my teeth, hand it to him, and slip off my panties, leaving me bare to him. He never takes his eyes off me the entire time. By the way he settles himself between my legs, I think I’ve convinced him I’m serious. Cupping my face, he gives me a sweet kiss before rising up on his forearms. “I’m going to go slow, but I want you to tell me if I hurt you at all, okay?” I nod my head and wrap my legs around his waist. “Promise me, Ronnie,” he says with more force this time.

I run my fingers through his hair and settle my hands at the back of his neck. “I promise,” I whisper into his mouth. “But you won’t hurt me. I trust you.” There are no more words spoken between us. The rest of the night is spent with me loving Gibson and Gibson giving his love right back. I couldn’t have asked for a better night spent with the man I love. After we both exhaust ourselves, we fall asleep, our naked limbs tangled into each other.

All my muscles protest as I roll over, trying to find a comfortable

position. Nothing is working. My entire body is sore and whatever I’m lying on is harder than a rock, not helping with the aches. There’s something wet and hot laying on my naked torso and it needs to get off…like now. When I open my eyes, I immediately slam them shut, the sun blinding me. Memories from last night come back to me: the Ferris wheel, Gibson saying he loves me, me saying it back, watching the stars, having sex with Gibson, and falling asleep in his arms. Turning my head to the left, I open my eyes, being cautious of the bright light all around me. Gibson is lying on my chest, holding onto my waist. He seems so peaceful; his face is relaxed, not a

worry line anywhere. I can’t help myself from running my fingers through his hair and pushing it away from his forehead. He starts to wake, rubbing his scruffy face across my chest. He plants a kiss on the top of my breast and opens his eyes to me. “Morning, princess.” Man, morning Gibson sounds sexier than everyday Gibson. His voice is deep with sleep and his eyes heavy. I could get used to seeing him like this. Lifting my head, I lean down and kiss the tip of his nose. “Morning, babe.” He crawls up my body, kissing across my chest and up my neck on his way. Goose bumps break out across my

skin, leaving a trail with every touch of his lips. Once he reaches his destination, he rubs his bottom lip along mine. I shiver at the feel of the metal against me. He knows how much I love that piercing. I reach up and suck Gibson’s bottom lip into my mouth, running my tongue along it, tasting the metal from the piece of jewelry. He growls and pushes himself up, coming down on top of me. I widen my legs, making room for him, but flinch at the pain I feel when I do it. Gibson notices and immediately goes into worried mode. He, in all his naked glory, pulls the blanket back and starts checking my body. “What is it? What’s wrong?” He begins searching. For what, I don’t

know. I push him away and grab for the blanket, covering myself. “I’m not hurt, you dummy, just sore.” A crease forms between his brows and then his eyes widen. He looks down to my bottom half under the blanket. “Oh, you mean…” He points to my nether regions and I nod. Can we just end this humiliating conversation? Gibson breaks out in a proud smile. “Is it wrong that I’m kind of turned on from you being sore from last night?” His lips pinch together, like he’s trying to hide his smug smile, but failing. I smack his chest and reach for my discarded clothes tossed in the corner

from last night. Gibson laughs and helps me search for them. “Laugh it up, mister, but that means you don’t get any this morning.” His laughter ends and his face drops. I slip my bra and t-shirt on, then try to get my panties on while sitting down, which is a struggle. Once I’m completely dressed, I stand up and meet a shirtless Gibson. He’s managed to get his jeans on, but that’s all. He wrings his fingers together as he stares down at them. “Sorry about making you sore, babe,” he says, then walks up to me, wrapping me in his arms. He’s so cute, I almost don’t want to tell him I was

joking. “I’m just messing with you, rock star. Well, I am a little too sore for any of that, but you don’t need to apologize for it. In fact, I think it’s hot, too.” So, that may not be completely true. No, I’m not a huge fan of my sore muscles or hurting down there, but I love what we did last night—what we shared together as a couple. Gibson helps me fold and put the blankets back into the truck. I must have been deep in thought because the next thing I know, Gibson wraps his arms around me and pulls my back into his chest. “Whatcha thinking about so hard over here?” I melt into

him. “How comfortable this is, us being together after only knowing each other for a short amount of time. I like it,” I say to him. The vibration from his laughter rocks me. “Yeah, I think so, too, baby. Usually I’m rushing to get away from the chicks I bed as fast as possible, but with you, I didn’t want to get up this morning.” I turn around and smack Gibson in the stomach. “You totally took a beautiful moment and ruined it by bringing up the other women you’ve been with.” I start to head toward the driver’s side, with Gibson following

close behind me. Once we’re in the car, he grabs my hand and brings it up to his mouth for a kiss. “I messed up. I’m sorry, babe.” I know he’s sorry, but I still don’t like thinking about him and other girls in the same sentence, let alone the same bed. I pat him on the leg and smile. “I’m not mad, so don’t worry. It’s just… hearing about the women you’ve been with, joking or not, isn’t one of my favorite things.” He nods his head in understanding. “All right, no more joking about them then.” I lean over and give Gibson a kiss on the lips. Wanting to deepen it, I push

myself up onto the center console and run my tongue along his bottom lip, paying extra attention to his piercing in the center. Gibson grabs the back of my head and forces his tongue inside my mouth. Any thoughts of morning breath or rat’s nest hair are completely gone when Gibson holds me like this, kisses me like this. There is a desperation in the way he clutches my hair, trying to get me as close as possible. After what seems like an eternity, my lips start to tingle. Gibson gets one of his hands up my shirt and pulls down the cup of my bra. I lay my forehead against his, trying to catch my breath. My heart is beating faster than I’ve ever felt before.

“I love you,” I whisper against his lips. Gibson smiles, kisses each of my cheeks, and then my nose. “I love you, too, princess. I’m happy this shitty move turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to me.” He speaks my exact thoughts. I love that Gibson is here, but I can’t help but feel like the rug is going to get swiped away from under our feet. No one is this happy…

Thanksgiving break officially begins in less than two hours and I

couldn’t be more excited. Having the week off of school is every kid’s dream. The best part is my days will now be free to spend with Gibson. We already have most of the week planned out. River is flying in tonight and staying for the week and Gibson wanted to have all of us, including Allen, take a trip to one of the larger beaches. This is also the week Jerry is flying in and he says there’s a big surprise coming with him. I haven’t been able to stop smiling all day thinking about seeing him on Monday. The one who has been acting strange is Rodger. I’ve done a good job of avoiding him over the last month, but I’ve noticed him staring me closely…too closely. Everywhere I go, I feel like I’m

being watched and usually look around to find Rodger glaring in my direction. A chill forms on my skin at the thought. I haven’t brought up my concerns to Gibson, because I know my boyfriend will say something about it. The last thing we need is drama, especially since we’ve been able to slide under the radar since we officially became a couple. While Allen and Dan are the only ones in town who know about our relationship, I’m thinking about telling my parents this week. Gibson has been living here for two months now and it is obvious he’s not here to cause trouble like my dad thought. Though, my parents aren’t aware when I say I’m going somewhere with Allen, Gibson is there

most of the time, too…or when I tell them I’m staying the night at Allen’s and really I’m going to Gibson’s since Dan’s working an overnight shift. If my dad knew that, he’d probably kill Gibson. We only have three more classes until our break officially begins. With lunch ending, I break away from Gibson and Allen to make my way to the restroom. After finishing business, I head toward our American Government class. As I’m getting closer to the end of the hallway, a hand comes out of nowhere and grabs me around the waist. I go to scream, but another hand covers my mouth. I try to get into a position where I can hit this jerk in the nuts, assuming my

attacker is male, but when I turn around, I’m staring into the green eyes of the man I love…well, maybe not at this moment. Reaching out of Gibson’s hold, I smack him on the arm. “What were you thinking, you douchebag? I was about to make it so you can never have kids when you’re older.” I look around, checking to see if there are any lingering students, and then grab Gibson’s hand, bringing him further away from the front of the hallway. The last thing I want is to bring attention to us, but trying to sound angry and whispering is not that threatening. He laughs and goes to grab me again, but I plant my hand on his chest and raise my eyebrow in warning. “Aw,

come on, princess. I just wanted to see you before we go to class. You’ve been busy this week and we haven’t seen each other much.” Guilt washes over me. He’s right, I’ve been too busy with Chili’s and homework to spend much time with him this week. Allen’s mom has been working the night shifts, so he’s taken her car to school since I’ve woken up late too many times. That means I haven’t seen Gibson as much as I would like to since he was driving with Allen. These late night shifts are starting to wear on me. I remove my hand from Gibson’s chest and circle my arms around his waist, hugging him tight. “I’m sorry. I

know I’ve been busy, but just think, next week, you get me all to yourself.” “Yeah, only a few more hours.” Grabbing my face between his hands, Gibson drags his lips against mine. He slips his tongue into my mouth and I clutch onto his shirt, letting out a moan. I’ve missed the feeling of his lips on mine and his hands running up and down my body. I pull his body against mine, trying to get as close as possible with our clothes on. A throat clears in the distance, but I ignore it and continue mauling Gibson with my mouth. When that same throat clears, I realize we’re in school…and someone caught us.

I bury my head in Gibson’s chest, too afraid to see who it is. If I’m lucky, it will be Allen coming to look for us… though I doubt it. Lifting my head, I look over Gibson’s shoulder and find the situation has just gotten much, much worse. “Well, isn’t this just fucking cute?” Rodger spits out, disgust on his face as he looks between Gibson and me. I release my grip on Gibson and start to move away, but he keeps a firm hand on my hip, not letting me run. “Can we help you, Robert?” I elbow Gibson in the side, annoyed that he purposefully said Rodger’s name wrong. I don’t think this is the right time

to mess with him. From the look on Rodger’s face, I know this won’t end up well for us. Rodger’s body tightens and his face goes red. I think if it were possible, steam would be coming out of his ears right about now. His gaze is fixated on Gibson’s hand on my hip. Looking back up at me, his shoulders slump as his body relaxes. “So, you’ll be with this man-whore, but not me? What the fuck, Ronnie? Are you one of his sluts now?” His hateful words make me recoil into Gibson. Before I can stop him, Gibson jumps in front of me and gets in Rodger’s face. “The fuck you call her? If you knew anything about Ronnie, you’d

know she’s the farthest thing from a slut, you prick.” I grab Gibson’s arm, wrapping myself around it to stop him from doing something he’ll regret. “He’s not worth it,” I whisper, trying to get him to walk away. Gibson’s muscles are tight, but he seems to calm down at my touch. “Yeah, well, I thought I knew her, but apparently not. Only a whore would fuck someone like you.” Rodger diverts his gaze to me, looking up and down my body, a sneer taking over his normally smooth features. “How long did it take you to give it up to him, huh? Didn’t take too long for me to get between those legs

after that first time. Guessing you fell for whatever bullshit he fed you just like I did. You’re fucking gullible, Ronnie.” Before I even have a chance to blink, Gibson is out of my hold and grabbing Rodger by the collar of his shirt. “I’m not going to hit you because I know Ronnie wouldn’t want that. But I will warn you. Say all the shit you want about me, but if I hear you say one more thing about that woman, I won’t refrain myself from beating your ass, you got it? You and I both know she’s none of that shit.” I’ve never had a guy stand up for me like that before. Looking up at Gibson, I think I fall in love with him just a little bit more. Gibson releases

Rodger and shoves him away from us. Rodger fixes his collar, trying to play it off like he wasn’t just threatened. “You’re going to regret this,” he pierces me with his gaze, “both of you.” He walks off without another glance, making my body go cold with his final words. I go to pick up our discarded backpacks and bring Gibson his. “Should we be worried?” I ask. Grabbing me behind the neck, Gibson kisses me hard on the forehead. “Nah, I wouldn’t be. I doubt that guy would do anything to piss off your brother, right?” I nod my head. “Yeah…right.” Although, I’m not sure I fully believe it.

The voice over the intercom announces the arrival of River’s plane. I begin fixing my hair and smooth down my blouse, making sure there aren’t any wrinkles. Gibson laughs from where he’s standing beside me. “Princess, if I weren’t confident in our relationship, I may be worried that you’re fixing yourself up for my friend.” He raises an eyebrow, questioning me. I stop running my fingers through my hair and intertwine Gibson’s fingers in mine. “Don’t worry, babe, I only have eyes for you.” I reach up and kiss him on the cheek, only to have the moment

ruined by someone next to us making a gagging noise. Nothing like my best friend being immature. “I cannot tell you guys how happy I am that there will be another person to add to our little group this week. Being the third wheel around you two horny teens has been torture,” Allen says in an over-the-top sigh for dramatic effect. Gibson and I both laugh at him. “Don’t worry, man, we’ll find you someone.” I love how comfortable Gibson is with Allen’s sexuality. You can tell by their friendship and how easygoing Gibson is that he truly likes Allen, unlike the boys we go to school with who are uncomfortable around him, but would never say so.

Rolling his eyes, Allen waves off Gibson’s offer. “I’ve given up hope on finding myself a hunk in this town. Unlike my bestie, there’s no celeb coming here for me. Itty got lucky with that.” “Just you wait until we’re away at college together. Hunks will be throwing themselves at you left and right. You won’t know what to do with all of them.” Gibson nods. “She’s right, man. If I weren’t straight and in love with this shorty right here, you’d probably be my type.” Allen stares with his mouth slightly open at the two of us and then gives me a

harsh look. “See what you did, Itty? You had to flaunt your sexiness around and draw him into you. If it weren’t for you, Gibby and I could be sipping iced teas with our asses in the sand.” Before I can say anything to him, a very large man covered in tattoos up to his neck walks up behind Allen. My instincts tell me to get as far away from this guy as possible, but when I look at his face, his wide, bright smile is nothing but welcoming. And it’s directed toward Gibson and me. “You really weren’t shitting me, man,” he says, smiling at the two of us. I look up at Gibson, confused by what this guy is talking about. Instead of

answering my unspoken question, Gibson detaches himself from me and walks over to the stranger, pulling him in for one of those guy hugs where they slap each other on the back. This must be River Miller, and he is nothing like what I expected. From what Gibson told me, I imagined River being the artsy type, maybe wearing thick-framed glasses and colored skinny jeans. The man before me is nowhere close to artsy. Even though they aren’t related, River and Gibson look very similar. Both are tall with dark hair, but while Gibson’s is long on top, River’s is short all around. River is also much more built and has sparkling blue eyes, not green like Gibson’s. He’s wearing a

button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing the ink covering his forearms and hands. There’s a small bit of color coming from the top of his collar too, so I can imagine his torso is just as colorful as his arms. If I were passing this man on any given day in public, I might feel threatened. But his smile puts you at ease and makes you feel like you can trust him. I guess it’s true what they say about never judging a book by its cover. River comes over and scoops me up in a big bear hug. “It’s great to finally meet the girl my boy has fallen in love with.” My cheeks heat at his words. Gibson comes up to us after River

holds me in the hug for a bit too long. “All right, man, hands off my woman.” After River releases his hold, Gibson tucks me into his side. Allen comes between the three of us and sticks his hand out to River. “Hello there, I’m the best friend,” he says, nodding in my direction. “Hey, nice to meet you.” River takes his hand and shakes it. “You’re straight, right?” “Allen!” I yell. He has no filter, even with strangers. River looks to Gibson and I; Gibson trying to hide his laugh and me standing there mortified. “Uh, yeah.

Sorry, man.” “Ugh, figures. Can the next person you invite here be a little more…my type?” Allen asks Gibson. Unable to hold it in anymore, Gibson lets out his laugh. “Yeah, man, I’ll see what I can do. Maybe you and Ronnie can come out to L.A. with us sometime and we can hunt you down someone.” I like the sound of that, and by his sexy smirk, I’m guessing Allen does too. “The odds of me finding a gay man in L.A. are much more likely than Alabama. Plus, we’ve never traveled, so count us in.” Before we plan any trips together, I

have to build up the courage to tell my parents about Gibson…and UNF. The four of us head to Dan’s after a stop at baggage claim. Dan isn’t working tonight, which is rare. What’s even stranger is the scent of homemade food when we walk through the front door. From what Gibson’s told me and the meals I’ve had here, neither of these guys cook…at all. Gibson lucked out with the pasta dish from our first date, but ever since then, his cooking has been on the same level as his eggs. I’m usually bringing dinner over on nights I’m not working and cook something up for us. The closest I’ve seen Dan come to cooking was overdone noodles and canned pasta sauce. What he’s making

now actually smells…good. And there’s no burnt aroma, which is a great sign. When we enter the kitchen, there’s a nice spread of food across the countertops. It looks as if Dan has ordered take-out from every possible restaurant in the area. No wonder it smells so good. “What’s going on here?” Gibson finally asks the question we were all thinking. Dan is standing in the middle of the kitchen awkwardly, looking as if he’s not sure of what to say. “Hey, kids. I just figured since you have company coming over, I’d order some food so Ronnie wouldn’t have to cook like she always

does.” River drops the bag off in the living room and goes up to Dan, holding his hand out. “Hello, sir, I’m River. Thank you for letting me stay in your home.” The surprise on Dan’s face can be read clear as day. He takes in River’s appearance, trying to connect the tattoos and criminal look with the manners coming out of his mouth. “Um, ” Dan stutters, “yeah, sure.” He grabs River’s hand and shakes it. Gibson comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “I think his reaction is better than yours, babe,” he whispers in my ear. I turn my head around and pierce

him with a stare before connecting my elbow with his stomach. “Watch it, mister,” I warn. He laughs and starts heading to the food, letting out a “thanks” to Dan on the way. “You’re not going to cause any trouble, right?” Dan questions River. It’s meant to be a joke, but I’m sure the cop in Dan is worried. I head to the fridge to collect some drinks for everyone when Allen stops me, slinging his large arm over my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Dan-o, we’ll keep an eye on River—” Allen suddenly stops, looking over at River, “I just realized nothing comes to mind for a nickname for you.”

“I’m sorry, what?” River asks. Allen removes his arm from my shoulder and begins tapping his chin. “Nope, I’ve got nothing. How could that be? Something comes to mind for everyone I know, yet my mind is blank.” I roll my eyes and continue toward the fridge. “Don’t hurt yourself over there, hun, I’m sure something will come to mind,” I call over my shoulder. The five of us start digging into the food. After he finishes, Dan leaves and heads to his office, claiming he has work to do. I think being around a lot of people makes him uncomfortable. While Gibson says Dan does work a lot, even when he has the day off he spends it in

that secret office of his. Neither Gibson nor I have seen what is in there. We all finish eating and I begin cleaning up. Allen and Gibson are lounging on the couches, rubbing their protruding stomachs. Gibson scoots forward, attempting to reach for the PlayStation controller on the coffee table, but lets his arm fall when he realizes it’s too far. Shaking my head, I return to clearing the food and dishes. The feeling of someone watching me makes the hairs on the back of my neck stick up, but when I look to the living room, both Allen and Gibson are both in food comas. Turning back to the task at hand, I catch a glimpse of River, arms crossed

and leaning against the sink, smirking at me. He isn’t staring in a creepy way, more like he’s curious. It still makes me uncomfortable. “How do you like Freedom from what you’ve seen so far? We pretty much passed through the whole town on the way from the airport.” I let out a nervous laugh, not used to being around a practical stranger on my own. I haven’t had much experience with the whole small talk thing and I don’t want to sound like an idiot in front of my boyfriend’s best friend. “You’re from a big city, so I’m sure this is nothing to you.” River laughs and begins gathering the empty cartons. “Contrary to what a

lot of people may think, I didn’t live the same kind of life Gibson did. My mom was determined to keep me away from any and everything that had to do with my father. I would only visit him one week over the summer or spring break, and even that was too much for him. My mom hated it, but she wasn’t able to get full custody of me.” His eyes go cloudy as he talks about his dad. I couldn’t imagine the feeling of being unwanted by a parent. My parents may not focus on me as much as they do my brothers, but they did make sure I felt loved. Wanting to steer away from this heavy topic, I decide to ask about something lighter. “What do you do for a living? Gibson said you were in school.

What are you going for?” His smile tells me he knows I’m trying to fill the awkward silence. “Both actually. I’m in school to get my art degree and working at a tattoo shop a buddy of mine has owned for a few years now.” He looks over to where Gibson is lying on the sofa. “Actually, most of the ink on your boy was done by me. He let me use him as my blank canvas when I was practicing. He’s a dumb shit for letting me do it, now that I think about it.” I think about the beautiful artwork covering Gibson’s body. None of it makes sense, and I now understand why. He was letting River do what he wanted, so the randomness down his arm and

across his chest was just practice. It’s so Gibson. “You know, you aren’t what I expected when I met you,” River says, breaking me from my thoughts. My body stiffens as I collect the used silverware. I’m not sure if he meant for that to come out as a negative, but I’m curious. Turning back to him, I raise one eyebrow and cross my arms under my breasts. “Oh yeah, and what did you expect?” River laughs and holds his hands, which still have the empty container of Chinese noodles, in a defensive position. “Whoa there, I didn’t mean it the way you thought. Bring that brow

down a notch.” He laughs and tosses the trash in the nearby garbage can. “All I meant was you aren’t like any of the girls my boy has ever been with, or even ones he’s been attracted to. First there’s the fact that you’re blonde.” He points to the top of my head and I run my fingers through my long locks, self-conscious of my hair now. “What’s blonde?”

wrong

with

being

“I didn’t say there was anything wrong with blondes, I happen to be quite a big fan of them,” he says with a smirk. “I was just pointing out a physical feature, but it’s more than that. You just seem…normal. I’m not used to that with the kind of people Gib used to hang out

with. You should have seen some of those women. Total gold-diggers. I like you, though.” Oh, I don’t have to imagine. I’ve seen some of those lovely ladies on Gibson’s Facebook. They’re the same assholes who leave crude comments on my boyfriend’s pictures. Luckily, Gibson deletes them, but not before I see some of the disgusting things they offer him. I relax, knowing River approves of me and Gibson. “I like you, too, River, and I’m happy Gibson has someone like you and your mom in his life. He may not say it a lot, but I know he loves both of you more than anything. He never stops talking about you guys.”

“Well, maybe not more anything,” he says with a wink.

than

Before I have a chance to respond to him, my very sluggish boyfriend drags himself into the kitchen. “What are you two girls whispering about in here? You better not be hitting on my girl, Miller. You may have started your boxing shit again, but I can still kick your ass.” Gibson grabs me by the waist and pulls me to stand in front of him while he leans against the counter, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hold. River lets out a laugh as he leans against the refrigerator. “Yeah, man, the two of us were just planning on how we were going to run off together without you noticing. Sorry to break it to you, but

she’s moved on to a bigger, stronger man.” I’m doing everything I can to hold my laugh in and play along with River. Looking over my shoulder at Gibson, I shrug. “It was the blue eyes, they did me in.” Gibson’s grip around my waist tightens and he leans down to whisper in my ear. “You better not even joke, princess. I’ll make you pay for this later,” he growls out. My body goes warm. “Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?” I lean into him, molding us together so Gibson can feel every part of me. He grabs my hips, stopping my movements.

“Watch it,” Gibson warns. “You two need to get a room!” Guess Allen is up. My best friend comes into the kitchen, covering his eyes with his hand. “This is too much for my innocent eyes. River, are you sure you want to be here this week? These two are disgusting, little horny teens who can’t control themselves.” I duck my head and try to control the heat creeping up my face. Allen knows exactly what to say to embarrass me. Detaching myself from Gibson, I head toward my backpack to gather my things. “Well, on that embarrassing note, I have to get going,” I say to the boys once I have my bag slung over my shoulder. “River, it was nice meeting

you. I’ll see all of you tomorrow.” I walk up to Gibson and plant a small kiss on his lips. He grabs my hand and stops me from walking away. “I’ll walk you out, baby.” I laugh at the fake kissing noises Allen makes as Gibson and I head for the front door. Once we’re by my truck, I toss my bag into the backseat and face my everso-handsome boyfriend leaning against the driver’s side door. “Why are you leaving so early?” he asks, running his hands down my arms and settling them on my lower back, dangerously close to my bottom.

Draping my arms over his shoulders, I lean my soft body against Gibson’s hard torso. “I have to show my face at home a little this week or my parents may start to become suspicious. I can only use hanging out with Allen as an excuse so much before they start asking questions.” I bite my lip, trying to figure out a way to bring up something else I had in mind for tonight. “Actually, I was thinking of maybe mentioning UNF and…you, to my parents tonight.” Gibson’s body stiffens and his Adam’s apple bobs. Well, at least I’m not the only one who’s nervous. “Are you sure that’s what you want to do? Tell them about me, I mean. I think it’s time you mention UNF to them. Maybe not

say you’re going for sure, but bring up the acceptance letter.” “Yeah, I agree there. I don’t want to spring it on them right away.” I run my fingers up his neck and into his hair. “I am sure about telling them about you, though. I want my parents to meet the man I’m in love with. I may not say that to them right away, but I’m think easing them into our relationship could maybe work.” “Whatever you want to do, I’ll be behind you.” I love the support I get from him. Gibson leans down to kiss me, but I pull away. There’s still one more thing I have to mention before he distracts me with

his lips and that darn ring. “Last thing. I have my paper for you to read, finally. I…um, changed it a bit. I wanted to include something that became recently important to me.” “That’s awesome, babe. When are you going to bring it to me?” I know he’s been waiting a while for this, and can tell by his wide eyes that he’s excited for it. Although I did finish the essay a couple of weeks ago, it never felt complete to me. There was something missing and that was Gibson. Every time I read it, I couldn’t see him not being a part of my future. Even if we only last through college, it had to be mentioned that I could see a future with Gibson Mitchell.

As I enter the front door, the loud voices of commentators are coming from

the living room, yelling and cheering My father comes into view as I make my way through the hallway. He’s in his usual recliner, beer in hand, yelling at the TV screen, even though it’s obvious no one can hear him. This is a typical Friday night for Michael Hamilton, as if he couldn’t get enough football tonight at my brother’s game. Mom is in the kitchen, putting the dishes away. Sean is nowhere to be seen, and that could work in my favor. I know he would overreact and throw a fit if I even brought up Gibson and me in the same sentence. He’d overreach, and while I do love him, he needs to understand I’m eighteen, not eight. I drop my backpack into one of the

empty seats at the kitchen table and plop myself in the one beside it. Mom turns at the sound, her smile fading just a bit when she sees me before checking the time on the oven. “Oh, hi, honey. Are you just getting home?” Of course you wouldn’t have noticed me not here. I rub the back of my neck, feeling the tension settle in. “Yeah, I was out with Allen for a bit.” She turns back to drying the pots and pans she must have used for dinner. “Actually, Mom, there’s something I wanted to talk to you and Dad about.” Her hands freeze and she places the dishtowel and pot down. “Is everything

all right? Is it your grades? Are you struggling this semester?” My parents have always been on my brothers and me about our grades, wanting us to all be A students. I’ve never struggled, but the boys usually did. “No, my grades are great, Mom. All A’s. This is about something different. Do you mind getting Dad to come in here?” She calls for my dad to come sit with us. Luckily its halftime, so he comes in with minimal complaining. Once we’re all seated at the table, my mouth goes dry and words become jumbled in my head. I sit there, watching my parents stare at me, looking between themselves. I know I should have said

something by now, but I don’t know how to start. Finally, my dad breaks the silence. “Did you have something you wanted to tell us, or was I just called in here for this awkward non-conversation?” He keeps straining his neck so he can catch a view of the TV. Mom shoots Dad a glare and tries to get him to focus on me. “Ronnie said she had something she wanted to talk to us about. I’m sure it’s important.” She looks back to me and raises both eyebrows. “Go ahead.” Taking a deep breath, I look to my parents and try to find the courage to tell them about my relationship. “Well, you

both know how I’ve been spending a lot of time with Allen lately?” They nod and I continue. “It hasn’t only been Allen and I together. I’m actually…well, I’m kind of…seeing someone.” That gets my dad’s full attention. The game completely forgotten, he leans forward just a bit in his seat. “Are you telling us you’re dating someone?” I nod my head yes, scared to answer from the hard tone of his voice. “And you’ve been lying about who you were with all this time?” “No,” I answer. “Well, not the entire time. Yes, there have been a couple.” “Sweetheart, why didn’t you just

tell us about this boy? You know we don’t have a problem with you dating.” My dad grunts in response and crosses his arms over his chest. She may not have a problem, but it’s apparent he isn’t a fan of the idea. “So, who is he? We’d love to have him over for dinner.” I begin chewing on my fingernail, wondering how they’re going to take this news. “Actually, you two don’t exactly know him.” Before either of my parents can respond, someone bursts through the front door. “Where the hell is she!” my brother yells from the front of the house. Loud footsteps come from the stairs as he runs

up and slams one of the doors against the wall. My parents stare wide-eyed in the direction of my brother’s voice. I don’t, though. If my brother had been with Rodger just now, I know what his outburst is about and I want nothing more than to make a quick escape out the backdoor. Once Sean realizes I’m not upstairs, he comes barreling into the kitchen. He spots me right away and narrows his eyes. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing dating that lowlife asshole?” My mother gasps, but before she has a chance to say something to my

brother about his language, Dad turns to me and asks, “What is he talking about, Ronnie? Who exactly are you seeing?” I open my mouth to try to explain, but Sean beats me to it. “That no good Gibson Mitchell, that’s who.” Sellout. Dad stares at me, as if he doesn’t believe what my brother just said. My silence must give away the answer, because his face goes from a light tan to red with anger in seconds. “Tell me what he’s saying isn’t true, Ronnie.” His tone is strict and I want nothing more than to tell him it isn’t true, but I can’t lie to them. “Yes, I’m seeing Gibson. But—” He raises his hand, cutting me off from

defending my relationship. “I told you when that boy came here I didn’t want you anywhere near him and now I find out you’re dating this guy. I’m disappointed in you, Ronnie. You’ll end this so-called relationship right now. This boy isn’t good for you or your future.” I sit up and lean forward, glaring between Sean and my dad. “First off, you don’t know anything about Gibson, so don’t assume he’s not good for me. He’s actually one of the most amazing guys and I wish you would take a second to step back from what you’ve heard about him and maybe get to know him.” I take a deep breath, getting ready for my next blow up. “And second, what future

is this you speak of? The one where I graduate high school with high honors and have to attend some crappy community college, then go to work in a low-end job in this small town? That may be what you see for my future, but I don’t. I have plans I’ve been too afraid to tell you and Mom about because I know you’ll shoot them down.” Without saying another word, I run upstairs as fast as I can and retrieve the acceptance letter I’ve had hidden for three months in the bottom of my nightstand drawer. When I come back down, everyone is waiting for me to continue. Holding up the letter, I try to talk while catching my breath. “This is an

acceptance letter for a full ride scholarship to the University of Northern Florida.” Mom gasps as she stares at the piece of paper. My dad and brother look just as shocked, and neither of them say a word as I place the letter on the kitchen table. “While all you guys want for me is to stay in this small town and live the same kind of life you’ve lived, Gibson encourages me to go after my dream. So, I’ve decided to go to UNF in the fall and get my English degree.” Not wanting to hear what any of them have to say, I grab my backpack and keys and make my way out the door. As I’m running down the driveway, my father calls my name, demanding I come back inside, but I don’t listen. Right

now, all I’m focused on is getting the hell away from this place. Starting up the truck, I put it in reverse. As I’m pulling away, Rodger is sitting in his truck by our mailbox. By the smirk on his face, I’d say he did a job well done.

I drive around for what feels like hours. I haven’t looked at the clock, so it may as well could have been. It’s dark out by my spot as I lay in the bed of my truck, staring at the stars. Being out here makes me want to run to Gibson’s and have him hold me all night long. I’ve thought about doing just that, but didn’t

want to ruin his time with his friend in town and knew he would insist I come over if I told him about the fight. Since it’s getting late and I don’t want to sleep outside in my truck tonight, I text Allen and tell him I’m coming over and staying the night. There may have also been a message that he better have the ice cream ready and waiting. Knowing my best friend, he’ll have my favorite. Pulling into Allen’s driveway, I notice a car, letting me know his mom is home. I try to be quiet since I know she’ll more than likely have to be up at five in the morning for her shift at the hospital. The kitchen light is on when I walk in the front door and I head straight

there. I can never be disappointed when it comes to Allen and the need to cheer me up when I’m down. Not only does he have my favorite ice cream, Rocky Road, but he’s laid out an entire sundae station set up with topping and melted caramel and chocolate. I couldn’t have asked for a better friend. Dropping my stuff off in the corner of the kitchen, I head straight for the carton of ice cream. Bypassing the bowl Allen tries to hand me, I grab a spoon and scoop out a healthy amount of the creamy goodness. Allen stares wide-eyed at me as I chow down on my guilty pleasure.

“Rough night I’m guessing?” he asks. I nod my head, maintaining focus on not letting the ice cream melt off the spoon. After licking the spoon clean, I set it down and begin to answer all of his unspoken questions. “Well, I decided to tell my parents about Gibson tonight and mention UNF since you got your acceptance letter also. Figured they’d understand more if you were going with me.” I stare at the carton of ice cream and lick my lips. Allen sets down the ice cream scoop in his hand and stares at me, his mouth hanging wide open. “I honestly have no words right now. I’m surprised and hurt you didn’t tell me about this, but

I’ll get over it. Now, tell me, what did they say?” I groan and throw my head back, staring at the ceiling. “I didn’t get the chance to because my jerk of a brother burst through the door and started yelling about me and Gibson dating. Suffice it to say, he isn’t happy with the relationship either.” My smidge of sarcasm at the end shows my bitter mood. “Wait, hold the phone,” Allen says, actually holding his hands up to me. “How did Goldilocks find out about you and Gibby in the first place?” Crap! I guess I forgot to mention to him about Rodger catching Gibson and I earlier today. “Um, actually I meant to

tell you this earlier, but with River coming into town and all of us hanging out, I guess it just slipped my mind.” My stomach drops. Allen and I have always told each other everything and I’d hate for him to think I’m leaving him out now that I’m dating someone. “Rodger sort of caught us making out in school today.” You know how there are some people in your life you hate to disappoint? At the top of that list for me is Allen, and by his frown, I’d say he’s disappointed in me. “Today? When did this happen? I was with you all day.” “It was right after lunch when I went to the bathroom. Gibson pulled me

into one of the empty hallways. We weren’t there long, but it was enough time for Rodger to walk by and notice us,” I answer him. Picking the ice cream scoop back up, Allen carves out an overfull amount and dumps it into his bowl. He snags the chocolate syrup, smothers the top, then shakes some sprinkles on as the last touch. He’s hurt, but he’ll be regretting this when his sugar coma dies down later. After taking a mouthful, Allen brings his attention back to me. “Why didn’t you tell me? We’ve always told each other everything.” I walk up and grab the bowl out of

his hand, making it easier to wrap my arms around him. “I’m sorry, sweets. I didn’t not tell you on purpose, we just had a lot going on today. I promise you, I’ll tell you everything that’s important right away. You’ll be the first text.” Allen kisses the top of my head and rests his chin there. “I just don’t want us to start slipping away from each other. I don’t know what I’d do without you in my life, Itty.” Squeezing him painfully around the waist, I breathe in Allen’s Irish Spring body wash. Just having him hold me like this makes the blow up that happened at home fade away from my thoughts. I know eventually I’ll have to go back home and face the music, but for now,

I’ll enjoy the comfort of my best friend.

Who the fuck is pounding on my front door this damn early in the

morning? I roll over in my bed and hide my head under my pillow, trying to block out the inconsiderate pricks who don’t understand when someone doesn’t answer the door, it usually means you walk away and continue on with your day. It does not mean you keep on with the banging, thinking maybe someone will magically appear. The pillow is doing nothing to stop the noise. Tossing it to the end of the bed, I roll over and check the clock on my nightstand. Ten a.m. can’t be right. If it’s that late, Dan is already gone for work and I haven’t heard from Ronnie this morning. She’s one of those strange people who likes to wake up at the ass crack of dawn.

I’m just about to get up and have a little talk with the door banger when River bursts through my door looking like he’s just witnessed a crime. “Dude, you have to come answer the door. I don’t know how they found out, but they’re here.” I run my hands over my face, rubbing the sleep away. I have no idea what any of that means. Ripping the covers back from my body, I grab a black T-shirt off my desk chair and follow River out of my room. He has yet to tell me who is at the door, but when we reach the front of the house, I don’t have to ask. The news station vans are a dead giveaway. If you can call what these people report news. I’d like to put the stories they talk about into

its own category of made up bullshit. I stare out at the front lawn, trying to come up with an answer to the unspoken question of how they knew where I was. My dad has done everything to make sure no one knew about Dan or that I was here. It was also one of Dan’s requirements for allowing me to stay here. He told the judge and my dad he didn’t want any press or paparazzi crowding his town. I’m not sure how I’m going to explain this one. Looking over at River, he’s doing something on his phone “How the hell did they find out, man?” I ask. He’s not paying attention to me, too focused on whatever he’s doing. I pull out my phone and decide to ask my dad what all this is

about. Gibson: How the hell did the gossip rags find me? I don’t hear back from him, no surprise there. The last time we talked was when he got home from his Europe tour. “Dude, you’re all over this Clouds! magazine or some shit. They’re talking about how they got a tip on where you were.” Since they are the only people who know the answer to who gave them said tip, I head toward the front door, ready to get some answers. River is right on my tail, calling my

name and trying to get me to stop, but I don’t want to analyze this. He isn’t a confrontational person, but I am. Getting down to the bottom of it is the easiest way to get my answer. The moment the front door opens, the vultures swarm, coming as close as they possibly can. I shield my eyes from the flashes blinding me from every direction. There are men and women holding microphones to their mouths, spitting out question after question. It’s hard to keep up, but all of them are asking about the same thing: Ronnie. My body goes cold. Not one of them asks about the arrest or anything that happened over the summer.

“Is she pregnant? Is that why you moved here?” “Are you bringing her back to L.A. with you? We heard she’s an aspiring actress. Are you going to use your connections to get her into the film industry?” “Gibson, we heard Ronnie’s family is struggling financially. Is she a charity case?” The more questions they ask, the more I want to slam my fists into something. I don’t know where they heard any of this. The only way for the paparazzi to know is if…no, she wouldn’t. I shouldn’t have even thought of it. Ronnie would never tell them these

lies and sell me out. I hold my hand up to the nosey assholes in front of me. They stop with the questions, waiting to hear what I have to say. “As exciting as it is to have you all here, how exactly did you find out where I was, or about Ronnie?” They all look at each other, probably deciding which one will have the balls to give up their source. Paparazzi like to keep their sources close to them so they can use those people for future stories. A guy I recognize from one of those gossip TV shows steps forward, a large video camera on his shoulder. “I don’t

know about these guys, but we got an email from a Ronnie Hamilton last night. Said she had a tip and we went with it.” Everyone watches me, waiting for me to speak. All I want to do is hit something and get these people the fuck away from me—and find Ronnie. She played me and I never saw it coming. I thought she was different, that she wouldn’t have used me for her own benefit, and this is what I get for trusting her. Thinking about it now, why would she be different? Everyone has a price and I’m sure the tip Ronnie gave them wasn’t free. Before I can think about my next move, I’m running down the driveway,

heading toward the direction of Allen’s house. He texted me last night saying Ronnie was over at his place since she was upset from talking with her parents. I’m sure that was just another lie. Maybe she and her parents get along great and she made up that bullshit too. The bottoms of my feet ache from running over here barefoot. I never thought about grabbing any shoes, only focused on getting some answers. The door swings open, a smiling Allen with bed head standing there shirtless. “You know, you could have called one of us to come pick you up. We would have been more than happy to. You didn’t have to run here.” He looks down at my bare feet. “Did you just miss

her so much you jumped out of bed and came straight here?” I’m not in the mood for his sarcasm. Knowing how close these two are, he probably knew all about Ronnie’s lies. “Tell me where she is,” I demand, my tone harsh. Allen’s smile drops from his face as he points in the direction of the kitchen. When I reach her, I stop dead in my tracks. Ronnie in the morning is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen: not a stitch of makeup, blonde hair in a messy bun on top of her head, and baggy, casual clothes. I have to remind myself of why I’m here and not let the sight of Ronnie distract me. I need to say what I came here to say and then get the hell away.

Ronnie looks up from whatever she was doing on her phone and smiles at me. Her face brightens at the sight of me being here. I’m surprised she would be happy to see me after what she did last night. She has to know the vultures came running right after she sold me out. After taking in my coiled body and pinched eyebrows, her face drops. “Hey, what’s wrong? You look upset.” Ronnie starts to walk toward me, but I put my hand out to stop her. “Gibson?” “You know, you really had me fooled into thinking you were different. You’re just another fame seeking whore like the rest of them.” Ronnie flinches, as if my words had slapped her in the

face. Well, the truth hurts. “Gibson, I don’t—” “Oh, save it, Ronnie,” I interrupt. “I talked to those sweet reporters you messaged yesterday.” She opens her mouth to speak again, but I don’t want to hear anything she has to say. “Save it, all right. They sold you out, which shouldn’t be so surprising since it’s what they do for a living.” Stepping up close to her, I try not to let my love for her override the hurt she’s caused, but it’s hard. All the moments we’ve had the last two months come flooding back to me: our days at the beach, spending time at my uncle’s doing homework or lounging around, and

our trip to the fair ending with the best night of my life. All of it was lies and a way for her to get close to me. “You wanted your five minutes of fame,” I whisper close to her ear, “well, you got it. Hope it was worth it to you, Ronnie…I hope it was worth it.” With that, I turn around and leave. I don’t look at Allen as I walk out and I don’t look back to the girl I left standing there in the kitchen. All I need to do now is get as far away from her and this place as possible. Judge be damned, I’m leaving this ass of a town.

I’ve never liked flying. The germs,

for one, are enough to make me never fly if I didn’t have to. The take-off always makes me sick and I usually end up with either a kid playing kickball with the back of my chair or a fat guy beside me who doesn’t understand the importance of hygiene and personal space. Luckily, I’m traveling with River this time, and he’s sleeping against the window, so the arm rest is fair game. Plus, we caught a late flight, so everyone around us is sleeping, which means no annoying kids jostling my seat. None of this makes me feel any better, though. I still feel used and played by the girl I fell hard for. After making the long trip back to Dan’s house, I ignored all the people

still on the lawn and began packing up all my belongings. I hated every minute of it and felt like leaving was the wrong answer, but what would staying bring me? Anger and awkwardness around Ronnie. Even thinking about her makes me feel stupid. I truly did think she wasn’t like the girls I used to be with, but her talking to those reporters told me everything I needed to know. Dan wasn’t happy about me leaving, but he couldn’t do anything about it since he was stuck at work. He isn’t sure what this means for me in regards to the judge’s orders. I figure I’ll find out later and not worry about it right now. I just had to get away. We’ve been flying for over six

hours and I’m ready to get the fuck off this plane. I need to stretch my legs and take a piss. The seatbelt light comes on and the flight attendant announces we’ll be landing shortly. Thank God. River starts to wake next to me. His hair is sticking up on one side from how he was laying against the window and his eyes are bloodshot. At least someone was able to get some sleep. I tried, but I’ve been restless since the taxi dropped us off at the airport. “Hey, man, we’re about to land soon,” I tell him. He checks his phone and when it lights up, I see it’s ten at night. Damn,

this has been the longest day. “Sorry I’ve been out this whole time. Didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.” He tries to hold in his yawn at the end, but it comes out anyway. I wave my hand at his apology. “Dude, you’ve now flown twelve hours in the last two days because of me. I should be the one apologizing.” Letting out a laugh, River nods his head in agreement. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. How about you pay for the cab back to my place and we’ll call it even?” I agree, even though I already planned on paying the cab fare.

We sit in silence while the plane begins to descend. Add that to the list of reasons I don’t like flying—it’s just as bad as the take off. “So, what’re you going to do about the whole Ronnie thing?” River asks after a few minutes. His question distracts me from the jerky movements of the plane. “Absolutely nothing. What’s done is done and now I’m finished with that chapter of my life. All I have to do now is figure out a way to move back here without having to put in any jail time. Maybe I can convince him to let me stay here, but live with you and your mom.” I turn to him, “If that’s okay with you guys.”

“You don’t even have to ask. Mom loves you like a son and you know she’s always wanted you to live with us over your bitch of a mother.” A hint of a smile appears at the thought of seeing Momma Mary. The plane jerks as it touches down on the ground, ending any response I had coming. I grip the armrest and wait for us to come to a complete stop. Once we’re not moving anymore and the seatbelt light goes back off, I let out the breath I’d been holding. River and I make it to his house after midnight and I want nothing more than to crash on that fluffy looking couch, but when I see Momma Mary on it, I

know she’s going to want answers. I may not be seeing sleep for a while, knowing Momma, she’ll want to know every small detail about what happened. “Oh, honey, come here. I missed you so much.” She’s tall for a woman, so it’s easy to hug her when she comes and wraps her arms around my neck. I’ve missed Momma and thinking back to how few visits I’ve made over the last couple years makes me feel like shit. This woman is the only adult I’ve ever been able to rely on and I put her and my best friend on the back burner all because of stupid decisions and my hate for my actual mother. I squeeze her tight around her waist, not wanting to let go, but I know

she has questions and the sooner I answer them, the sooner I can get some sleep. Pulling back from the hug, Momma looks over to River and gives him a side hug. She leads the two of us over to the couch, nudging us to take a seat, and sits across from us. “All right, young man, start from the beginning and don’t leave anything out. Against my better judgment, I read those stupid rag magazines while I was at the grocery store today. I shouldn’t have, but you were on the front of two of them and I wanted to see what they were saying,” she says, rolling her eyes. I tell Momma Mary everything

about my time from when I arrived in Freedom to when River and I left this afternoon. I hate talking about it, but if I don’t say it all right now, Momma will keep asking questions later and I want to be done with this. I tell her about my first day at school, seeing Ronnie for the first time and being drawn in by how beautiful she was, how amazing Ronnie is with her kindness and how damn smart she is. Then I tell her about Allen and how the guy has no fucking filter whatsoever. I get lost in telling them about all that we did over the last two months. Every step along the way of me falling in love Ronnie was being told right then, even my growing friendship with Allen. I

don’t even realize how much I’ve told Momma Mary and River until I get to the part about Saturday. The betrayal tastes bitter coming out of my mouth. I hate having to talk about it, but this will be the last time. After tonight, I’m closing out this part of my life and leaving it behind me. My eyelids are barely staying open by the time I finish talking. I feel even shittier after spending an hour talking about my time in Freedom. It’s late and I know we’re all tired, so I stand and face River and his mom. “So, that’s all of it. Now we can be done and hopefully the media will die down once they realize I’m not going back there and all of what Ronnie told

them was bullshit. I’ll also need to have a talk with the judge about an alternative to living in Freedom.” Momma Mary comes up and pulls me into a suffocating hug. I don’t get emotional, never have, but having someone like Momma comfort you will bring out your emotional side. “We love you, sweetie, and if you need any help from either of us with the judge, just let us know. You’re our family.” She kisses my cheek and walks up the stairs to her room. Our family. Those two words keep playing over and over in my head. A hard slap comes against my back, making me jerk forward.

“She’s right, man, you are family. You’ve always been like another son to her.” I smirk at him. “Favorite son, that is.” He smacks me in the arm and walks away, shaking his head. Since everyone is gone, I stretch out on the couch and snag the blanket off the back of it. My phone goes off from my back pocket and I check my messages. There’s fourteen unread messages—nine from Ronnie and five from Allen. I’ve avoided reading them since I got the first one after leaving Allen’s. As I go to delete the message, the newest one stops me. Princess: It’s obvious you don’t

want to talk to me or listen to what I have to say, so this will be my last message. I don’t know what happened between the time I left your place Friday night and Saturday, and I probably won’t know since you aren’t answering your phone. Just know, whatever I did, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do anything to hurt you so bad that you would avoid me. I love you, Gibson, and I really wish you would answer these messages. I don’t like not being able to talk to you. Sorry, I’m rambling. I’ll leave you alone now. Just, text or call me at some point…please. I squeeze my hand around the phone, fighting the urge not to throw it against the wall. Even when I know the

truth, she continues with lies. I figured after she was sold out by that reporter, the lying would end. Guess not. Unlocking my phone again, I go to Ronnie’s contact and delete it. I need to get her out of my life—thoughts of her and any communication. It hurts to remove someone you’ve grown to love and trust, even though it was over in such a short amount of time. I hate that this is how we ended. I feel like there is a part of me missing, and it’s left behind in Freedom.

Numb. That’s how I’ve felt the past week. It’s been seven days since the last

time I’ve seen Gibson and every day is just as hard as the first. Thanksgiving has come and gone, Jerry came home on Tuesday and he brought a surprise with him: his girlfriend, Molly. Seeing them together only reminds me of what I don’t have anymore, so I’ve tried to not be around them as much. I’ve missed my brother, but I can’t bring myself out of this depression and I hate it. I haven’t left the house much in the last week except for work and grocery shopping with Mom for our Thanksgiving feast. My parents have barely talked to me this week, and when they do, it’s robotic conversation. Neither of them have brought up Gibson or UNF and I don’t have the energy to

have either of those discussions at the moment, so I welcome the silent treatment. Sean is another story. I refuse to talk to him about anything. He’s tried more than once to talk about what happened last weekend, but one look at my face and he turns the other way. Guess my bitch face has improved. After Thanksgiving dinner when I refused to answer any of his questions or pass him any of the dishes he asked me to, he finally got the hint and stopped trying. Is it childish? Most likely, but right now, being an adult is the last thing on my mind. Since it’s the last day Jerry is in town, the two of us decided to spend it

together. He understands I don’t want to be in the company of Sean at the moment and respects that. Since there’s not much to do, we decide on lunch at a small Mom & Pop restaurant by our mall. Arriving at McNeil’s, Jerry gets a front row parking spot since the place is practically empty. Once we’re inside, the hostess seats us in a booth toward the back of the building. The young waitress hands us both a menu before going to grab our drink order. I set my menu down, already knowing what I want to eat, and check my phone for the hundredth time today. Even though I know nothing will be there, I still have hope that he sent me something, anything, that tells me what

went wrong. “Next time you look at that thing, I’m taking it from you,” my brother says from across the table. He hasn’t looked up from his menu, but I know he can see my eye roll. “I was seeing if it was Allen,” I lie. Jerry gives me an are you kidding me? look. Even though he’s been gone for some time now, he’s still one of the few people who can read me like a book. “I know when you’re lying, Ron. Your nose scrunches like a little rabbit. It’s cute, but a dead giveaway.” “I do not.” Do I? I try to think back, but can’t remember a time where my nose scrunched. I’ll have to concentrate

now when I need to keep something a secret. “So, tell me about this guy. Gibson, right?” I nod my head. I haven’t talked to Gibson since he stormed out of Allen’s house and I’ve avoided talking about him to my family. Allen and I were both completely shocked at what Gibson said. None of it made sense to me and I still have a hard time understanding what he was talking about. Trying to avoid eye contact with Jerry, I start playing with my rolled up utensils. “There’s not much to tell. We met, we dated, and he left. End of story.” “I highly doubt that’s everything. If it were, you wouldn’t be this upset over

him leaving.” He knows me so well. “All right, fine. It was more than that. I felt like I really had a connection with him. We understood each other and I just felt…drawn to him, if that makes any sense.” It’s feels stupid saying it out loud, but it’s one of the only ways I can describe my feelings for Gibson. Jerry stares at me for a long time. When the waitress comes to bring us our drinks, all he gives her is a curt nod. After she leaves, I start to fidget in my seat, waiting for him to say something… anything. “Sounds to me like my little sister has gone and fallen in love,” he finally says.

I want to deny it, but what’s the point? “Yeah, I thought I had. I really believed Gibson could have been the one, but I was so wrong. He looked at me with so much hate when he left. Maybe Dad was right. I should have stayed away from him. All I ended up with was a broken heart in the end.” Before Jerry can say anything, the waitress comes and takes our orders. I’m not very hungry anymore, but order something anyway. Once she leaves, Jerry picks up right where we left off. “I think you’re wrong there. Dad may think he’s right about this guy, but if I’ve learned anything from dating Molly, it’s to never judge someone before you get to know them.” Jerry’s face brightens

and he can’t hold back the smile as he talks about his girlfriend. It’s sweet, yet slightly disgusting. “Why would you say that? Molly is the sweetest girl I’ve met.” She really is. I don’t think the girl has a bad bone in her body. She’s the kind of person more people should aspire to be like. “I’m only telling you this because I know you won’t blab about it to anyone or judge her, but you have to promise me right now you won’t even bring it up to me again—ever.” I nod my head, giving him my promise. “Okay, the thing is, I didn’t exactly meet Molly the way I told you guys I did. Yes, I met her when I was out at a bachelor party, but it wasn’t at dinner, it was a strip club.”

If it could, my jaw would hit the floor right now. I did not see that one coming. “I’m sorry, what did you just say? Are you trying to tell me Molly is a stripper?” I find that very hard to believe. When I think of strippers, I think of trashy, overly tanned women with obvious fake boobs and too much Botox injections. Even though I’ve never met an actual stripper, Molly’s innocence and complete natural beauty would never have me thinking she took her clothes off for money. “Was,” Jerry says, his voice deep, making sure I understand. “The next day, I went in there and made her quit her job. Found her a new one that paid the same amount and she didn’t have to cry

herself to sleep every night.” The tick in his jaw lets me know this is a sensitive subject. “She was desperate for money and had her student loans to pay. Molly’s parents died her junior year of college, so she had no one to rely on to help her. She did the only thing she thought she could to keep herself living. She hates that part of her life and wishes she could erase it, but I remind her that without it, she never would have met me.” He seems a bit smug as he says that last comment. “The reason I’m telling you this is so you understand that just because Dad and Mom don’t approve of this guy doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t listen to your heart. Sure, Dad doesn’t like

Gibson’s past criminal record or the fact that his father is a rock star, but do you think he would approve of Molly if he knew she used to be a stripper? I don’t think so. They would flip out if they knew I planned on marrying someone who used to take their clothes off for money. Did it bug the shit out of me when we first started dating? Hell yes, and Molly knew it, but I never let it stop me from loving her. Just like you didn’t stop Gibson’s history with women or the fact that he used to be a complete tool bother you. You set all of that aside and let your heart lead the way.” I try to control the tears threatening to break free. He’s right in every way. I did separate Gibson’s past, made my

own judgment, and came to fall in love with the man I knew, not the one he pretended to be all those years. I believe the true Gibson Mitchell came out when he came here. There was no one to impress or rebel against. Gibson could breathe knowing he could relax here in Freedom—and all of that was taken from him when the media found him. Dan called me when he got home from work, asking where Gibson was and wondering why there were people with cameras and vans were parked in front of his house. None of it made sense to me, but when Allen and I got to Dan’s, sure enough, there were reporters littering the driveway and road. They didn’t leave until later that night, once

they realized Gibson wasn’t coming back. That’s about the time Dan showed me the text he got from Gibson, saying he and River had gone back to L.A. I cried and fought with Allen all night about getting on a plane and going after Gibson. “Yes, I fell in love with him. That doesn’t matter now, though. He left. I’ve tried calling and texting him, but it’s obvious he doesn’t want to hear from me.” “He didn’t say anything to you about why he left?” Jerry asks, sounding as confused as I feel. I shake my head no. “Nothing that made sense anyway. He kept talking

about how I was just like everyone else. It didn’t make sense to me, and after he called me a ‘fame-seeking whore’, I tuned everything else out.” Those words he so easily threw at me hurt more than anything. “That’s strange.” Jerry takes a sip of his water just as our food is delivered. “Maybe he’ll cool off from whatever he’s going through and call you soon.” “Yeah, maybe.” As I stare at my food, I can hear a voice in the back of my head saying I may never hear from Gibson again.

It’s a sad goodbye when Jerry and Molly leave Sunday morning, one filled with tears and promises to call more from my brother and parents. Saying bye to Molly is even sad. She was here a week, but from how much I can tell my brother loves her, she’ll be a permanent member of the family soon. The end of fall break means school begins again on Monday. Normally, I would be excited about classes starting back up, but now that I won’t have Gibson there with me, I’m dreading walking into English tomorrow morning. Everything is going to remind me of him and the fact that he’s ignoring me. My alarm Monday morning blares bright and early. After turning it off, I lie

in my bed for a good ten minutes and try to find the energy to get myself up. It’s pretty bad when the sun is just coming up and you already know it’s going to be a crappy day. After getting myself dressed in a pair of worn out jeans and one of Jerry’s old football hoodies, I make my way downstairs to find the rest of my family in the kitchen getting breakfast. I snag a banana out of the fruit bowl and head toward the front door once I have my keys. Before I get there, Sean calls me. “Hey, would you mind if I road with you today? Rodger’s family got into town pretty late last night from visiting his grandparents and he slept in. He’s going to be late to first period.”

I want nothing more than to tell him no, mainly because it’ll be just the two of us. Allen has to stay late after school today to make-up a test he missed before break, so he’s driving his own car. I can’t say no though since Sean and I technically share a car. I nod and turn to head toward the front door, hearing his heavy footsteps coming up behind me after he went back to grab his backpack. Deep breaths, Ronnie, I think to myself. Deep breaths and try not to strangle the hell out of Sean on the way to school. I make sure to turn the radio up high enough so it’s too uncomfortable to talk, but not blaring my eardrums. The

avoidance tactic doesn’t last long, though. Once I pull into a parking spot, Sean kills the radio and grabs my phone out of the cup-holder. “Hey!” I go to grab my phone back, but Sean drops it down the front of his shirt. What a child. “You’ve avoided me long enough and since we’re early to class, I figured we could talk now.” He sounds calm, as if he’s trying to make sure he doesn’t upset me. Smart since every other time he’s tried to talk to me I all but bit his head off. Crossing my arms over my chest, I grunt out a, “Fine,” and lean back into the seat.

“First off, I want to apologize for the way I acted last Friday. Looking back now, I realize I did overreact a bit.” The comeback ya think is right there on the tip of my tongue, but I keep it to myself. “I didn’t think about how my outburst would hurt you. The only thing going through my mind was my little sister was dating an asshole and he was going to break her heart.” Well, he got that right anyway. “I don’t like what him leaving has done to you, though,” Sean continues. “You’ve never acted like this over guys before. Even that summer with you and Rodger, you were fine after that ended.” What. The. Hell?

“What exactly are you talking about, me and Rodger?” I ask. There’s no way Rodger would have told Sean about that summer without taking the risk of never being able to have kids. And neither Allen nor I told him, so how did Sean find out? “You really think I’m that stupid, Ronnie? You may have thought you were sneaky, but you are a horrible liar. And then there was the fact that Rodger wouldn’t stop staring at you all the time. After he beat up one of the guys from the baseball team for talking about making a move on you at a party, I knew something had to have happened. Rodger and I would usually ignore those kinds of comments because none of the guys

ever went through with it. They knew I’d kick their asses if they tried anything and you usually said no anyway. You always made my job as your big brother easy.” I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that Sean knew and never said anything. “If you knew I slept with Rodger, why didn’t you ever say anything?” Sean groans and rubs his hands down his face. “That would be because up until now, I didn’t know exactly what happened. Thanks.” He makes a disgusted sound and I punch him in the arm. After getting past the awkward part of the conversation, I get serious with

my brother again. “If me being with Rodger wasn’t a big deal to you, then why did you throw a hissy fit when I was dating Gibson?” Sean doesn’t answer for a while, but when he does, his body slumps, and he takes a deep breath. “Honestly, Gibson isn’t such a bad person. I’m sure, under different circumstances, we could have been friends. I don’t have the best dating track record, so I shouldn’t have been too quick to judge him. What I didn’t like about you dating Gibson was I knew he would break your heart. I didn’t want you to have to go through that. I knew before there was something going on, much like when you and Rodger were sneaking around. You don’t

hide much, Ronnie, and you did the nose scrunch thing most of the time you said you were going to stay at Allen’s. I didn’t want to call you out on it, but when Rodger told me about you two sneaking around at school that day, I finally had proof and I guess I went a little overboard with it.” “You think?” I spit out. “It doesn’t matter anyway. He left and he didn’t seem too happy when he was yelling at me last time I saw him.” Sean’s eyebrows raise. I forgot I never told him about Gibson leaving, only Jerry knew. “What are you talking about? Why would he leave? Anyone paying attention could tell the guy was crazy about you. It was annoying as shit,

but he could never take his eyes off you when you were in the same room together.” “Your guess is as good as mine. I guess the media found out about him being here and maybe in some way he thought I told them? I really don’t know. He was talking as if I knew what he meant.” I think back to the last words Gibson had said to me, but I can’t remember half of it. That morning, I was exhausted from the night before, but texting Gibson put a smile on my face. Too bad he ruined everything just as I was going to send him that message. “Maybe he thinks you’re the one who called the media? From what I’ve read about him in those magazines, they

had no clue where he was. After they couldn’t find him, they moved on to the next bit of gossip. Maybe he thinks you tipped them off and that’s why he was pissed.” I think over what he says, but Gibson wouldn’t think that of me. “He knows I would never do that to him. The last thing I’d want is for him to be found, because I knew there would have been a chance he’d leave.” “Well, someone had to have tipped them off. It isn’t like they just happened to have found out about Gibson’s uncle when no one’s heard of him before.” It’s as if I can almost feel the light bulb above my head switch on. I don’t

know why I didn’t see it earlier, but everything makes sense now. There are two things that happened last weekend. One, Rodger found out about Gibson and me. And two, the media got a tip to where Gibson has been living the past few months. The only answer I can come up with is Rodger’s loud mouth sold Gibson out. More and more students start pulling into the parking lot and when I glance at the clock, I see we have fifteen minutes to get to first period. Rodger should be here by now and if I hurry, I can catch him before class.

Note to self, when looking for a man in the morning, always check the

cafeteria first. It’s my third location before I finally find Rodger. Walking straight up to the table, I tap Rodger on the shoulder to get his attention. When he turns around, he’s surprised to see it’s me standing there. “We need to talk,” I tell him. All the guys around us start “oohing” and “ahhing” like Rodger is some elementary school kid being called down to the principal’s office. Rodger turns around and smirks at the guys. “Nothing to worry about, fellas. Ronnie left something very delicate at my place last night. I’m sure she just wants to get it back.” That earns a round of hoots and catcalls. I don’t

have the energy to deal with that problem, so I let it go and turn on my heels, heading toward the hallway connected to the cafeteria with Rodger tailing behind me. Once were out of ear shot, I turn around and begin to lay in to the asshole. “I’m only going to ask this once and I want an honest answer from you, got it?” I don’t give him a chance to answer before continuing. “Were you the one who tipped off those reporters about where Gibson was?” Rodger doesn’t even try to hide the proud smile on his face. “Yeah, babe, and it couldn’t have worked out any better. Got that guy out of my town and away from my girl. I’d say that’s an

accomplishment.” “I’m sorry, but what? Your girl? Are you seriously telling me you did all of this because you were jealous of my boyfriend?” This guy has lost his mind. “Boyfriend?” Rodger says the word like it’s going to grow eight legs and start crawling all over him. “I wouldn’t go so far as to call him your boyfriend, babe. I’m sure you were just a shiny new toy to him.” He scrunches up his nose as he looks me up and down. “Well, maybe not so shiny and new now, but I can look past that. With him out of the picture, I’ll have you all to myself.” “You are seriously nuts if you think this is going to get me to date you.” I

shove Rodger’s shoulder when he tries to make a grab for my waist and he wraps his fingers around my wrists, making my pulse increase at the pressure. I try to pull free, but that only makes him squeeze harder. My breaths start to come out faster. I don’t like the sneer he’s giving me and want nothing more than to get the hell away from him. “Listen to me, little Ronnie Hamilton, you’re mine whether you realize that now or later. You always have been. I’m tired of you not understanding it and I’m going to send a message out to all the needle dicks in this school. They will know who you belong to. You’re going to forget about

that prick Gibson and learn your place, got it?” I’m trying to fight back the tears pooling in the corner of my eyes. I’ve never seen Rodger like this before and it truly has me scared. Even that time he cornered me in my room, he was never this harsh. “What the fuck is going on here?” I say a silent prayer to the man above for bringing my brother here at this exact moment. Rodger quickly drops my hands and I begin to rub the soreness out of my wrist. Sean’s face is red with anger, but the color drains when he sees me cradling my hands to my chest. One look

at Rodger and Sean is ready to pounce. “You’re dead, fucker,” he says right before he drops his backpack and connects his fist to Rodger’s face. Rodger wasn’t prepared for the hit and goes down with a hard thud. It doesn’t help that Sean has almost thirty pounds on the guy. When I turn my attention back to my brother, he’s picking up his backpack. One hit was enough for Sean. He’s never been one to use physical violence unless necessary, like in football. I grab my brother’s arm and try to drag him toward the exit. He pulls out of my grasp and goes back to stare down at Rodger, who is now clutching his jaw.

“You ever put your hands on my sister again, you’ll wish all I did was knock you out, you sick son of a bitch.” With that, he turns and heads out the door, pulling me along with him. Sean and I sit in the truck, neither of us saying a word, both too shocked by Rodger’s actions to speak. “I don’t even know what to say right now. I’ve never seen him act like that before, not toward anyone. I’m so sorry, Ronnie.” It must be hard for him, seeing his best friend hurt me like that, which only makes me realize I should have told him about the other incident in my room at the beginning of the school year.

“I hate to say this to you, Sean, but this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. At the start of the semester, Rodger cornered me in my room and pretty much threatened me to stay away from Gibson. I didn’t take him seriously, but now I’m thinking I should have.” Taking a deep breath in through his nose, Sean lets it out slowly before turning to me. “I wish you would have told me this, but I’ll handle the Rodger situation. You have your own problem we need to take care of.” Pulling the keys out of his pocket, Sean starts the car and heads in the opposite direction from town. “What? Where are we going?” I

ask, trying to figure out his plan. “We’re going to get your boy back.”

The airport is full of people rushing toward their gates or baggage claim. I’ve never seen so many people in a hurry to get somewhere before. I want to ask them where the fire is, but I doubt they’d give me the time of day. Sean and I are sitting at the door to our gate, waiting for our seating section to be called. I can’t stop shaking my leg in anticipation of riding on a plane for the first time. It could also be the fact that I’ll be in the same state as Gibson in

less than eight hours. On the way to the airport, Sean told me his plan. Since Gibson was being a whiny baby, Sean’s words, we were going to go to him and explain everything that went down with Rodger. Since I wasn’t sure where Gibson lived, I took the risk of sending River a message on Facebook. To my surprise, he responded right away with an address, telling me it was about time. Guess I have his approval, which helps. When we board the plane, I frown. I always thought it would be…more, but there’s nothing exciting on here. Oh well, not like I plan on flying much anyway.

After our flight, I want to take back everything I thought earlier about the plane being disappointing. Flying. Is. Awesome. We’re moving so fast, yet it feels like we’re stationed on the ground. Insane to think that someone can create a machine as high tech as a plane. We make it to LAX right on time, not running into any problems on the way over. If I thought Birmingham airport was hectic, LAX is like Black Friday shopping at Walmart. People crowd every direction I look, all of them rushing to get to the next place. Luckily, Sean and I don’t have to wait for a checked bag. We head out to the cab and rental car area. After snagging one of the available drivers, I tell him the address

River sent me and we head in that direction. The car ride is only supposed to be twenty minutes, but with the bumper-tobumper traffic, we make it to the small, suburban house after almost an hour. After paying the cab driver a small fortune, I take a deep breath and stare up that the house. It’s not what I would have expected for the ex-wife of a rock star. I figured it would be more in your face and flashy. This home is close to how mine looks, except they actually have green grass. Ours hasn’t looked like that since I was a kid. Sean comes up beside me, patting my back and giving me his support. He may not realize it, but having him here

means more than anything to me. The two of us walk up to the front door, but I’m too afraid to ring the bell. After making no effort to do so, Sean gives it a push. A tall, beautiful woman in her early forties answers the door. Her black, long hair is hanging in loose waves and she’s dressed casually in a pair of jean shorts and a flowy tank top. This is not how I envisioned Gibson’s mother. He said she was a drug user, so I assumed she looked like those people you see on criminal shows like Law & Order, but this woman is clear-eyed and gorgeous. I don’t realize I’m staring until she bends down to meet me at eye level and slowly says, “Hello”. Smooth, Ronnie.

Make her think you’re some creep with a staring problem. Clearing his throat, Sean begins to speak. “Hello, we’re looking for Gibson. Is he here? We’re friends of his.” Now it’s the woman’s turn to stare. Her eyebrow raises as she takes me in. “You must be Ronnie.” I take a slight step back, shocked she knew who I was right away. That must mean Gibson talked about me. I can only hope what he said to her doesn’t earn me a slammed door to the face. Holding the door wide open, she motions for us to come in, and some of the tension in my shoulders eases. Some.

“You’re just as I expected, too,” Ms. Mitchell says, not taking her eyes off me. “Let me go grab him. They’re upstairs playing some war game on the X-Box. The living room is right through there, make yourself at home.” She points down the hall and then heads to the other side of the house. Even though I’m on edge about seeing Gibson and having him hear me out, her home does relax me. It’s lived in, yet neat and clean. The living room is full of warm, comforting colors that make me want to curl up on the light brown sofa with a good book. This is the home of a loving family—something Gibson never had. He always talked about his house feeling cold inside and

the warm colors and lived in feeling is nothing like that. Whispered voices come from the end of the hallway. “What?” someone spits out as heavy footsteps head our way. Gibson rounds the corner and seeing him makes me want to run and jump into his arms, but I don’t have the right to do that anymore. I have to sit on my hands to keep from wanting to reach out and touch him. Gibson stands there, staring at me. I want to rush out and tell him everything, but I know he’d have a hard time believing me since his trust in people isn’t the greatest. It’s probably not any better now after what he thinks I did to him. River and Gibson’s mom join us in

the living room and stare between the two of us, waiting for someone to say the first word. Finally, Gibson’s mom ends the silent torture. “Boys, why don’t we head on into the kitchen and find something to eat while these two have their long overdue talk,” she tells Sean and River. The three of them exit the room, leaving Gibson and me alone. Gibson takes a seat on the sofa across from me and leans forward, resting his arms on his thighs. “How did you know where I was?” he asks. Looking for something to do with my hands, I begin to wring them together in my lap. “I messaged River and after

listening to what I had to say, he told me where you were.” He nods and runs one of his hands down the front of his face. It’s scruffier than usual, like he hasn’t shaved in almost a week. There are also dark circles under his eyes, making me think he hasn’t slept much. I hate to think all of this is because of a jealous guy and Gibson’s insecurities. “I’ll have to thank him for that later.” His sarcasm breaks me down a little inside. I don’t want him to cast me off without listening to what I have to say and giving him the paper that has been burning a hole in my back pocket this entire trip. From the way he won’t even look at me, I’m afraid he isn’t

going to hear me out. I wish I could reach out and hold his hand, or have any contact with him right now, but I know that isn’t the right thing to do. Instead, I keep my hands in my lap and begin telling him everything I came up with on the plane ride here. “The first thing I want to say is I love you…more than anything.” Gibson flinches at my confession, but I continue anyway. “It crushed me more than you will ever know when you walked away with no explanation. I was left standing in the kitchen, hurt and feeling like an idiot because I didn’t know what I had done wrong.” Gibson rolls his eyes and I push

down the hurt it causes. I know he still thinks I sold him out, but it doesn’t mean his lack of trust burns any less. “I truly didn’t know,” I continue. “That morning, I was typing you a text, telling you I was coming over soon and wanted to talk to you about what happened with my parents, because a lot happened that night. I was also bringing you my essay so you could read it, but none of that happened because you walked away.” All my emotions over the last week start to surface—the hurt I felt when he walked out, the nights I was up crying myself to sleep, the anger because he left without a second glance and wouldn’t let me talk before he was gone. “You have no idea what that did to me, having you

leave like that. Even if I were the one who told the paparazzi where you were, you should have stayed there and listened to me—that’s what adults do in this kind of situation. But you ran.” There’s a hint of sympathy in his eyes, but changes to anger in a moment of seconds. “What was the point in staying there and listening to more lies? There were stories of me and you all over social media. How else would they have known about us if it weren’t for you or Allen?” “I didn’t know about any of that, but you still should have talked to me. It’s what people in relationships do, they communicate, and you didn’t let me that day.” He hangs his head, probably

thinking I’m right. “I didn’t come here to rehash what happened that morning. I do understand where you were coming from, but I’m telling you right now that I would never do anything like that to hurt you. I love you too much.” “Well, if you didn’t, who did?” “Think about what happened Friday. We got caught, remember?” His expression changes when he realizes what I’m talking about. “That son of a bitch!” Gibson jumps up from his seat and runs his hands through his hair, pacing back and forth in the small living area. “How could I not have thought of that? Of course that asshole would do something

like this. Doesn’t he have anything better to do than mess with other people lives?” This may not be the best timing, but seeing Gibson angry like this is kind of hot. His hair is now a bit messed up from running his fingers through it and he keeps tonguing his lip ring, which makes me want to do that same. Focus, Ronnie, I scold. Now is not the time. My brain knows I need to finish having this conversation with Gibson before anything physical happens, but my body misses the hell out of him. Shaking off my lust-filled thoughts, I continue telling him about what happened with Rodger. “Apparently, he thought if you were gone, him and I would be together. None of it makes

sense to me. I made sure, over and over, he understood I didn’t want a relationship with him. Maybe he thought I just didn’t want a relationship at the time and since I was dating you, I was ready for one. I didn’t stick around long enough to get everything from him. Plus, Sean knocked him out, so he wasn’t very talkative.” “Why would Sean hit him?” Gibson sits and takes a deep breath, calming down. “Oh, um…well after he saw Rodger grab me—” Before I can finish the sentence, Gibson is out of his seat again, making his way over to me. “He fucking touched you? I’m going

to kill him.” He sits next to me and begins inspecting all the exposed parts of my body, which is hard since I’m still in my hoodie and jeans. Gibson does manage to get my sleeve rolled up and freezes when he sees the ring of bruises around my wrist. He grabs my other hand and checks it to see a matching print. Gibson’s breathing is coming out hard through his nose and I know he’s using all of his restraint to stay calm right now. Removing my hand from his grip, I rest it on his cheek. “It’s okay. I’m fine and Rodger got what he deserved.” Gibson grabs both of my hands, making sure to be gentle, and places a small kiss on each of the bruises. This right here is

the Gibson I know and love. Not the one who said those hurtful words to me a week ago and not the one who was cold to me when I came here today. I shift to the left and lay my head on his chest, breathing in his scent that I’ve missed so much. Gibson places a kiss to the top of my head and rests his cheek there. “I’m so sorry, princess. I should have known you wouldn’t have done it. It’s just…all the same insecurities came up when I heard those reporters talking about you. I shouldn’t have assumed anything.” Wrapping my arms around his waist, I press myself as close as possible. “It’s okay. After I learned what really happened, I could see where you

were coming from.” Gibson cups my jaw, pulling me back so he is staring down at me. “I still should have talked to you about it. I’ve just always assumed people use me for fame or money and all of that came back in a rush. It hurt more than anything that you would have done the same as those people in my past.” “I would never.” Gibson places his finger over my lips, silencing me. “I know that, baby. I was stupid to think you would be anything like them.” He leans forward and places a kiss to the sensitive spot behind my ear. The metal lip ring is cold and sends a shiver through my body, but it quickly warms

after Gibson licks his lips, leaving a wet trail from my ear to my chin. “Can you forgive me, princess?” Does he expect me to form words right now? I haven’t had these lips on me in over a week. The last thing I want them to do is talk. I nod, clutching the hair at the back of his head, and pull him closer before crushing my lips to his. I melt the moment our lips touch and a loud, almost embarrassing, moan escapes. Gibson presses toward me, coming closer and closer, and I have no choice but to retreat until I’m lying flat on my back. He lets out a low growl and ducks down, attacking my neck. Oh, how I’ve missed this. The endless hours we would spend making

out on the couch at his house before eventually moving it to his bedroom. Gibson presses his bottom half into mine, earning a gasp from me. He covers my open mouth with his and takes advantage, tangling his tongue with mine. He tastes like cinnamon and I can’t get enough of it. I snake my hands down Gibson’s back and rest them on the top of his ass, matching his grinding with my own. I have to pull back from the kiss to catch my breath, but that doesn’t stop Gibson. He trails his mouth down my neck, honing in on the spot where my shoulders and neck meet as he snakes his hands up my shirt, rubbing his callused fingers against my soft stomach.

“God, I fucking missed you, baby.” His voice sounds pained and I don’t know whether it’s from being apart from me or our actions right now. Before I get a chance to ask, someone yelps from somewhere in the room. When I break free from my Gibson daze, I catch long, black hair whipping around the corner. “Oh, no. I think your mom caught us.” How awkward on the first day I meet her. Gibson plants a light kiss on my lips and lifts his weight off me. I try to hide my disappointment, but I apparently don’t do a well enough job because Gibson laughs and places a kiss on my

cheek. “Don’t worry, she’s not my mom anyway. Well, she kind of is, but not my biological mom. That’s Momma Mary, River’s mom.” Gibson stands and readjusts the front of his pants, trying to make his excitement seem less noticeable. I can’t help but giggle, earning a glare from him. “Why are you here with River and his mom? Have you seen yours since you’ve been back?” I ask, even though I know his relationship with his mom is shaky. Gibson rubs the back of his neck, one of his tells. “Yeah, I did go see her. She was in

bad shape when I got there. There were pill bottles everywhere and empty containers of alcohol. She was so drugged out, I couldn’t even understand what she was saying. River and I took her straight to the hospital and they pumped her stomach, said we were lucky we found her when we did.” A shudder runs through his body. No one should have to see their parent in that state. “I decided enough was enough and called my dad. He came here the next day and after Mom was released from the hospital, he put her in the best rehab facility in California. She’s been there for five days now and they say she’s doing great. Most patients have a hard time during detox, but she seems

determined.” “That’s amazing baby.” I hug his arm and place a lingering kiss on his shoulder. “I’m really proud of her. I know how hard it is for her, but she’s been keeping me updated and checking to see how I’m doing, which she’s never done. I think this push will help her.” He kisses the top of my head and then slaps his hands on the top of his thighs. “Let’s get into the kitchen before Momma Mary thinks she has to burn this couch.”

I’m the dumbest fucker there is. I almost ruined the best thing I had

because of my own stupid insecurities. Looking back, I can’t believe I would have thought Ronnie would sell me out to the vultures. I hate that I made that mistake, but a part of me is grateful. If I hadn’t left, I never would have found my mom and I would more than likely be burying her rather than getting updates on her recovery. I hate to think it, but my mom’s overdose may have been the best thing for her. It made her open her eyes and see that she did indeed have a problem. It helped our relationship as well. We’ve actually been talking now instead of coexisting as strangers. I’ve also started talking to my dad regularly. Not as much as my mom, but at

least he’s trying. He does ask for updates on my mom, which surprises me. Never in my nineteen years has my dad asked about my mom when we would talk. After her overdose, I think dad was scared to lose her like I was. He may not admit it, but I think there may be some hidden feelings for her somewhere in him. Since the shit storm over Thanksgiving break is in the past, Ronnie and I are heading back to Freedom. Even if the judge allowed a change of sentencing, I wouldn’t have wanted to be away from my girl. One week was enough for a lifetime. Not seeing her or talking everyday was horrible for me. Ronnie’s made herself a

part of me, and I don’t ever plan on getting rid of her. My princess is currently sound asleep and snoring on my shoulder as we fly home. Sean is next to her, trying to fit the tiny blanket over his large frame. We’ve been flying for almost six hours, but I haven’t been able to sleep. Mainly because we’re on a damn plane, but also because I can’t look away from Ronnie. She’s so damn beautiful and I’m an idiot for almost ruining it. She’s an idiot for taking my idiot ass back, but I won’t be mentioning that to her. The flight attendant announces the plane is beginning to land and we should put on our seatbelts. I run my index finger down Ronnie’s nose until her

beautiful blue eyes are staring at me. “Hey, we’re landing. Miss Bossy at the front wants you to buckle up.” She laughs, but stretches and does as the flight attendant asks. Ronnie tries to wake Sean, but all he does is grunt and turn his back to her. She sighs in frustration, so I reach behind Ronnie and give Sean a nice smack on the back of the head. He jumps awake and I turn to look out the window, pretending I had nothing to do with it. “What the hell was that for, Ronnie? You don’t wake a person like that,” he scolds. Her jaw drops and I can’t help but laugh at her expression. She smacks my

arm, and mutters, “Jerk.” I go to say something back to her, but freeze when the plane starts to make its descent. Once we make it to the shuttle, I check my phone to make sure Dan didn’t leave a message. I sent a text to let him know I was coming back. I didn’t go into detail, just saying there was some miscommunication. Someone yells out Ronnie’s name and when we turn toward the direction of the sound, an older woman is waving her hands in the air. Standing next to her is a tall, blonde haired man and…my uncle? These must be Ronnie and Sean’s parents. Getting a better look at her, I can tell Ronnie gets her looks from her mother.

At the sight of her mother, Ronnie puts a death grip on my hand. When Mrs. Hamilton spots her kids, she comes running full force toward them. I frown, but let go of Ronnie’s hand when her mom gets both her and Sean in a double tight hug. “My babies! Don’t you ever do anything like that again, do you hear me? You scared me to death.” Dan comes and stands next to me, watching the interaction between the Hamilton’s as well. “I’m not going to hug and kiss all over you, but I will say if you’re living under my roof and pull that shit again, I’ll lock you in one of the jail cells for a week.” This guy would

make a great parent. “Got it. No more running off. Sounds fair.” “Watch the sarcasm, kid, you’re the one who ran off for a week.” Dan slaps my arm and I rub it, pretending to be hurt. “I’m serious, Gibson. You may not be used to it, but living with someone means they worry about you when you up and leave without anything more than a text.” I never thought about Dan worrying over me. I’m so used to no one caring, talking it over with him never came to mind. “Sorry, man, I never thought about it like that. I’ll be better about telling you where I go, I promise.”

Ronnie and her family come walking up to us, her dad glaring at me, paying close attention to my tattoos and lip ring. Her mother gives me a polite smile, but I know she doesn’t approve of me either. Ronnie comes to stand next to me and laces her fingers with mine. This isn’t exactly how I would have liked to meet the parents. I was hoping to have taken the lip ring out and wear a longsleeved shirt so my tats weren’t showing, but I guess getting it all out in the open is better than pretending to be someone I’m not. “Mom, Dad, this is Gibson, my boyfriend. Gibson, this is my mother and father, Ann and Michael.” I hold my free hand out to her father and he shakes it

with a firm grip. “Nice to meet you two,” I say to them. “It’s lovely to meet you as well, Gibson,” Mrs. Hamilton says. Her husband grunts. Whether it’s in agreement or not is lost on me. No one says anything more and we all stand there in an awkward silence until Sean moves forward and leans an arm on his dad’s shoulder. “As awkward as you all have made this meeting, I’d love to get home and collapse in my bed. Anyone else with me?” Ronnie and I nod in agreement and

the six of us make our way to the parking garage. I’m not able to give Ronnie the kind of goodbye I’d like to, but I do sneak a kiss while her parents are getting into the car. She laughs and checks to make sure they didn’t see anything. Before heading back to her parents’ car, Ronnie pulls something out of her back pocket. “I’ve been holding onto this for quite some time now and it’s long overdue that you read it, but here it is. It’s my essay for English. They’re due in a week, so I figured better late than never with getting it to you.” I pluck it out of her hand and go to read it, but she stops me. “No, wait until

you get in the car or at home. I’ll text you later tonight.” She reaches up and places a soft kiss on my cheek. Once in the car, I unfold the paper and read Ronnie’s hopes for the future. The beginning starts out with her talking about her dream of becoming a writer and working in the book industry. There is so much she would love to do, from publishing books, to writing them, to owning her own bookstore, and being an editor. Anything to do with books and reading, my girl is all for it. As I’m reading, I can’t help but smile at her dorkiness. She writes how she talks and I can imagine her reading this to me right now. I get to the end paragraph and my smile starts to fade…

While writing and reading are one of my main focuses for the future, there is one more big part I wanted to add in. I never knew what love was until a few short weeks ago. Sure, we read about it in books and see it in movies, but to feel it is completely different. I finally got to experience that stomach-turning, toescurling love we all strive for. He was an unexpected force that knocked me on my feet. While most may see him as the rocker bad boy, Gibson Mitchell is my future. There is nothing I want more in this world than to spend the rest of my life with him. While some may think it’s stupid to profess your love for someone so early in your life, I know this is it for me. And while going to college and

having my dream job may be my goal, none of that would matter if I didn’t have the love of my life right there beside me. So, I don’t need a big house, lots of money, or fancy cars—all I need is a future with Gibson and hopefully he feels the same way. Damn, this girl and her way with words. I need to see her. I look out the window and notice we’re now in Freedom, close to Ronnie’s house. “I know I don’t deserve anything from you after leaving like that, but could you drop me off at Ronnie’s? I really need to see her,” I ask Dan, hoping he can do me this small favor. He looks over at me and then the

paper in my hand. “Does it have anything to do with that love letter in your hand?” I don’t bother correcting him and nod my head. Passing the turn to his house, Dan waves his finger at me. “I’m warning you right now, if Mike shoots you for going into his daughter’s room in the middle of the night, I’m not helping you out.” I laugh at his joke, but now that the threat has been introduced, I’m hoping her dad really doesn’t shoot me. Dan drops me off a couple houses down the street and I walk the rest of the way. All the lights are off in the house except for the two in the back. I’m guessing one is Ronnie’s and one is Sean’s. If my phone weren’t dead, I

could text her to open the window, but that’s not an option, so I’ll have to go old school with my lack of technology. I take a wild guess and lightly tap on the right side window. When the curtains pull back and a sleepy Ronnie appears, I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. She reels back, surprised to see me, but quickly unlocks the window and slides it up. “What are you doing here, crazy? If my dad catches you, I’ll never be able to leave the house again.” Ronnie starts to step back as I come through the window. When I’m fully in her room, I take in all that is Ronnie.

It’s neat, just a few clothes littering the ground, but nothing compared to the take-out containers and food I would have in my room back in L.A. It smells good, too, just like Ronnie’s sweet scent. In a way, this is sort of how I would have pictured Ronnie’s room. There’s a lot of blue and green going on, with each wall painted one of the colors. And her bookshelves are overflowing onto the floor. When I turn back to Ronnie, she’s standing there shifting from foot to foot in her adorable sleep shorts and tank top, no bra. I didn’t think about what she would be wearing when I came over, but I very much approve of this outfit. “I read your paper,” I tell her,

resting my hands on her hips. Her cheeks redden and I know it’s hard for her knowing I read something she wrote. She’s felt self-conscience about me reading it for a while now, but I love that she finally trusted me enough. “It seems like I’ll have to revisit some points in my own paper as well.” Ronnie’s head snaps up. “No, that’s not what I meant by letting you read it. I just wanted you to know how I felt. I know I can I love you, and while that means so much to me, this felt just as important. I wanted you to know I don’t see this as temporary.” Cupping her face with my hands, I bring my forehead to hers. “Baby, you have to know I see us the same exact

way. I never thought about love or marriage or even having a family when I was older, but with you, I could see it. If you wanted, I’d even do the damn white picket fence type of neighborhood.” Ronnie nudges my shoulder and she shakes her head at that suggestion. “I love you, Ronnie. I’ve never loved anyone before and I don’t plan on letting that go anytime soon…or ever. You’re it for me, babe, so you better get used to having me around.” When she lets out a laugh, the sound runs through me. “That would never happen,” she says before planting a kiss on the tip of my nose. “I talked to my parents on the car ride home,” Ronnie says. “It was a little

bit about you, but mainly about UNF. It wasn’t the most pleasant conversation, but Sean was there to back me up. He agrees that I should be able to go if I have a full scholarship. I think I wore Mom down, but Dad was a bit harder because he doesn’t want me leaving and going off on my own for the first time. I think it helped that Allen was going too.” “And me,” I tell her. “I highly doubt you coming away to college with me will make my dad feel any better about the idea.” She does have a point there. Definitely, if he knows I wanted to ask her about getting a house she, Allen, and I can live in near campus. Not sure how Mr. Hamilton would handle that one.

I rub her jaw line with my thumb. “Fine, we won’t share that detail. Let’s save it for the first time he visits you and I show up for dinner. How does that sound?” She laughs and presses her body closer to mine. “Anything with the two of us together sounds perfect to me. As long as I have you, I’m golden.” She reaches up and molds our bodies together. The feel of Ronnie’s tongue against my lips wipes away any thoughts of her father and college. All that’s going through my mind is getting on that big, comfy bed with this sexy girl in my arms. I begin walking Ronnie toward the

bed and she slips her hands under my shirt, sliding my t-shirt higher and higher until her arms can’t go any further. I release my grip from her jaw and help her by tugging the material off. The moment I toss it on the ground, Ronnie’s hands are running up and down my chest. She makes sure to go slow over the parts of me covered in ink. She leans forward and kisses the spot on my chest where my first tattoo is, a quote from my favorite song and the only work of art on me that means something. Grabbing Ronnie by her hips, I lift her up and she wraps her legs around my waist. I walk the short distance to her bed and lay us both down. Ronnie is eager and already reaching for my belt,

but I need to get her top off before I rip the damn thing in half. Once she realizes what I’m trying to do, she leans up and tugs it over her head, baring her top half to me. I stare down at a naked Ronnie, my entire body reacting to the sight of her. Damn, I can’t go this long without being with my girl again. I slide down and begin kissing her stomach, making my way up to her perfect chest. Everything about her is perfect to me. I play close attention to Ronnie’s bare skin with my mouth while my hands get to work on removing her sleep shorts. She helps by lifting her hips and wiggling a bit to get them down. I toss them over my shoulder and stare down at

a bare Ronnie. No matter how many times I’ve seen this body naked, I will never stop being thankful that this woman, who is beautiful inside and out, is mine. “Off,” Ronnie says as she tugs at my shorts. Beautiful and eager, that is. I get my shorts off in record time, making sure to grab the condom out of my wallet. Ronnie rips the condom wrapper open with her teeth—still one of the hottest sights—and begins to roll it down my length. When she has it on, I waste no time and attach my mouth to hers. Every gasp and moan Ronnie makes, I swallow in the kiss. Ronnie is biting down on her lip, trying to be quiet

because we’re in her parent’s house, but toward the end she fails and I have to cover her mouth with my hand because I’m sure her brother could have heard her. Once we’re finished, I lay there with a sleeping Ronnie in my arms, thinking of how different this next semester of school will be. There’s no more hiding and keeping our relationship a secret. We can be out in the open, which means I can kiss the fuck out of my girlfriend anytime I want. Even though I know Ronnie is worried about her parents accepting me, the most important thing is my girl stood up to them about her dream of going to UNF. I tighten my grip on her, wishing she were

awake so I could tell her how proud I am of her. I knew getting her parents to accept the fact that she was going away for college terrified her, but I’ve seen this girl grow since the quiet, bookworm I met my first day here. Now, she’s independent and determined to go after what she wants. Stealing that car months ago may have been the best thing to ever happen to me. I got a second chance…a fresh start. That fresh start brought me something I’ll always treasure: Ronnie.

“This looks ridiculous on me,” I tell Allen as I stare at my reflection in my full-length mirror. “Why did it look so much better in the store? I feel like a slut with how much boobage is showing.” When we went prom dress shopping, I was one difficult person to shop with. Nothing seemed right or stood out to me. That is, until I found the dress of all dresses. It’s simple black —so me—with a rhinestone halter-top. The only problem is I don’t remember this much of my boobs showing in the

store. They are on full display. The front of the dress does have a large scoop at the top, which is one of the reasons why I loved it, but now I’m worried about walking downstairs and my dad and brother seeing it. Over the last six months since my parents found out about Gibson, it has been a gradual acceptance, mainly from my father. My mom has grown to love Gibson like a son and is probably already planning our wedding from some of the hints she drops. Dad was harder, though. He still thought Gibson was trouble and no matter how much Gibson proved himself, none of it meant anything to my dad. It wasn’t until I was in a car accident right after Valentine’s

Day that my dad’s opinion changed. I was on my way home from work when a person texting and driving ran a red light. They hit the front end of the driver’s side and it ended up breaking my leg in two places from the impact. That was the worst of the injuries. Other than a few cuts and bruises, everything was fine. Gibson didn’t leave my side the entire time I was recovering. In the morning, he and Allen would pick me up and Gibson would do everything he could to make sure I was using the least amount of energy possible. During the day, he would walk me to and from every class and carry my backpack. At night, he would sleep on the floor of my

room, which my parents didn’t find out about for two weeks. This went on throughout the eight-week recovery. I think this was the turning point in my dad and Gibson’s relationship. Dad could tell how much Gibson cared for me and that meant everything to him. After my recovery, Dad could be in the same room with Gibson without making everyone else feel uncomfortable. They’ve come such a long way, I don’t want to mess with the relationship by wearing a slutty dress. I know my dad will somehow make it out to be Gibson’s fault. He does it whenever I wear semi-revealing clothing, saying, “You don’t want to give away the milk for free when he hasn’t purchased the

cow”—whatever that means. “Don’t you dare try to get out of wearing that dress, Teeny. You look hot it in and you have the perfect amount of boobage showing. You have nice tatas, woman, let them see the world once in a while.” It never fails that Allen can make me laugh in any situation. “I take another glance in the mirror and smooth my hands down the front of the dress. “Fine, I won’t bring up the girls being on display again.” When I turn around, Allen is adjusting his bowtie, trying to straighten it. “Are you ready yet? The guys are downstairs waiting for us.” He grabs his phone off my bed and

slides it inside his jacket pocket. “All right, I’m perfect now. Not all of us can slip on a dress, dab on some makeup, and voila, ready. Perfection like this takes time, missy.” It better be perfection since it took him two hours to get ready. We make our way downstairs and to the front room where my parents, Dan, Allen’s mom, Gibson and Sean and his date are waiting. Gibson looks like the total rock star in his all black tux. When I told him most dates matched, he couldn’t have been happier that I was wearing a black dress. When I look up and see Gibson is still wearing his lips ring, I can’t help but smile and stick my tongue out at him. When we were making plans for prom,

he was planning on taking out all of his jewelry so my parents could get some nice, professional looking photos. I told him there was no way in hell he was removing my favorite piercing. He could take out any of his other piercings, including his newly gauged ears, but I wanted the lip ring to stay. He kept fighting me on it until I told him if he showed up at my house without it in, there was a very high chance he wasn’t getting lucky after the dance. I’m glad to see sex with me is better than my parents having nice prom photos. We spend the next thirty minutes getting group, couple, and individual photos taken. By the end of it, I’m too exhausted to go to the actual dance.

The dance is being held at a Hilton hotel, about forty-five minutes away. This also means it’s an overnight prom for the five of us. Our parents think we have two rooms, one for the girls and Allen, because he wouldn’t leave my side, and one for the guys. What we actually have is a room for Sean and his date, Allen, and one for Gibson and me. Gibson even offered to pay for all of the rooms since he was the first one to say there was no way in hell he wasn’t sharing a room with me. Such a sweet guy. The drive to prom ends up feeling a lot longer than it actually is. Once we get there, we all grab our small overnight bags and check into our rooms. After

doing a quick touch up of my makeup, Gibson and I meet Allen and Sean in the lobby and head in to the big hoopla that is senior prom.

Looking around at all the people dancing and having fun, I think I’m the only girl in history to not enjoy her senior prom. First off, my feet are killing me. There is no reason heels should make your feet this sore with today’s technology. Second, they have the lamest music I’ve ever heard. There was nothing from this decade. And third, why is prom a pass for girls to act like complete sluts? I saw more nips slips

tonight than I care to admit. After an exhausting two hours, Gibson and I make it up to our room where I face plop onto the king size bed. My legs are lifted and my shoes are slipped off. The comforter muffles the moan I let out when Gibson starts rubbing my feet. Rolling over, I move myself around so I can give him better access. There’s no way I’m stopping this little bit of heaven right now. “I am never wearing heels again in my life,” I tell him, throwing my arms over my eyes. Gibson’s laugh fills the room and I squeak when he pulls my toes, causing them to crack. “I wouldn’t say never. I’m

sure there are still a few occasions where you would want to wear heels.” I think it over, and nope, nothing comes to mind. “Sorry, babe, I know you love the heels, but nothing is worth this kind of torture. I’m just a flats kind of girl.” “How about our wedding? Would you wear them for that?” My heart skips a beat. He’s been doing that more and more lately—talking about the future, that is. “I think I’d look awesome in a pair of all white Converse, don’t you?” I may only be partly joking, because how cool would it be to wear converse on my wedding day?

Gibson laughs and begins to massage my calf next. This man sure has some magical fingers. “I think whatever you wear will be beautiful and perfect, just like you.” He kisses my calf and then releases my legs. Gibson shrugs off his jacket and a little, blue velvet box falls out. I pick it up and freeze, realizing what I’m holding. When I look up at Gibson, his eyes are as wide as mine. He can’t be serious, can he? We’re still in high school and I just got my dad to start liking him. I’ve never even met his parents and thinking about it now, I’m not sure they even know about me. How could he possibly think this is the right time?

Gibson holds his hands up, trying to calm me down. “I know what you think that is, but before you assume and freak out, listen to me.” He waits for me to say something, but all I can give him is a nod. “It is not an engagement ring,” he says. “It’s more of a…promise ring. I thought it would be cute and I had this whole idea of how to give it to you, but I totally fucked that up by dropping it.” A promise ring? I slowly open the box to find the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. It’s an opal, but it’s unlike any opal, and the coloring is so strange. The green color is so stunning and the flecks of blue within it remind me of…

I gasp and look up to see Gibson smiling down at me. “Your eyes.” Looking between the ring and Gibson’s eyes, I can’t help but be amazed that he found a beautiful ring the exact color. “It’s a promise,” he takes the ring out of the box, the diamonds surrounding the opal catching the light, and places it on my ring finger, “that I will always love you and one day, when we’re ready, I’ll get you the most beautiful diamond ring and ask you to be my wife.” I nod my head, and keep nodding, tears streaming down my cheeks. Damn him for making me cry. Grabbing Gibson’s face, I bring him in for a hard, almost painful, kiss. The salty taste drips into my mouth, but Gibson tries to catch

them, wiping the wetness away. “I love you, princess. I’m so happy I got to start fresh with you here in Freedom,” he whispers against my lips. I kiss him one last time before whispering, “I love you so much, rock star. Thank you for breaking the law and coming into my life.” The end, or something like that.

I’d like to thank the academy…naw, just kidding. The first two people I want to say a huge thank you to are my parents, for dealing with my moodiness and never seeing me because I would spend entire days writing. You guys are awesome for putting up with a hermit of a daughter. I’d like to thank the rest of my family for being there and supporting me through writing my first book.

Thank you to Christin and Amber for being some kick-ass beta readers. My cousin Kassidy for getting me into reading and introducing me to the book world, even if it’s full of craziness! There were so many people that helped me along this journey and I want each and every one of you to know that I love how helpful you guys were, I would have been so lost without you. I want to say a special thanks to Josh McCann. Even if he doesn’t realize it, this book wasn’t even an idea until I met him at a signing. Thank you for bringing Gibson to my head! Gina, Ninfa, Lisa, and Kristina, you girls rock! Thank you for everything

you’ve done and I can’t wait to for all the shenanigans to come at signings together! Last, but not least, I want to say thank you to everyone who takes the time to read A Fresh Start. You readers are what kept me motivated when I was having a shitty day. Virtual hugs to each and every one of you! Love you to the moon and back <3

Lexi Bissen is a new author with her first two series, Second Chance Boys and Braxton University, in the works. She was born and raised in Florida and enjoys spending her time with family and laying out in the sun with a good book. Lexi is currently in college working on her degree in publishing and editing, and giving the voices in her head a story. What inspired

Lexi to write was meeting a model at a signing and BAM! a story came to her head. After that, a series came along and more potential ideas continue popping up here and there. Where you can follow Lexi: Goodreads | Facebook Contact Lexi at [email protected]

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