Dare You to Date the Point Guard (Rock Valley High 2)

A hot flush worked its way up my neck. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Mandy knew I couldn’t lie. And as much as I tried to answer her, to tell her that everything she’d said was right, my conscience wouldn’t let me. She had me pinned to the wall like a poor, helpless butterfly.

“She’s not saying anything,” Audrey said with a humorous twinkle in her eyes.

“You know I have to say, for the first time in my entire life, that Savannah was right about one thing.” Mandy cocked her head to one side and sucked in her cheeks. “T, you have definitely fallen hard for Rock Valley High’s star point guard. There’s no denying it. You’re sunk. It’s spelled L-O-V-E, baby, and you’ve got it bad.”

I gulped, feeling the weight of her statement. It was one thing for Savannah to say it, but to hear it from my best friends was dizzying. Could they have a point? Had I fought against the idea of going off plan for so long that I’d actually been lying to myself?

When it came down to the truth, I thought about Mason constantly. He was unlike any guy I’d ever met before. He made me feel strong and courageous. When I wasn’t around him, I longed to hear his laugh or witness one of his rare and beautiful smiles. The fiery way he looked at me nearly drove me out of my skin. And the thought of his hands on mine made me shiver with delicious feelings.

Could I really have fallen for him?

My heart was pumping out a beat like a techno song. I pressed a hand to my chest and stared at Audrey, a million questions bouncing around my skull. “What does falling in love feel like?”

She sighed and threw her head back. “Like you’ve just downed an entire can of carbonated pop and your stomach is full of bubbles. You can’t stop thinking about him. Everything reminds you of him. You find yourself smiling at random times of the day because his name popped up in your head. And when you’re apart, your greatest desire is just to be with him again.”

I couldn’t help but smile. Audrey had just painted an accurate picture of me, right down to the fizzy feeling in my stomach. There was no more denying it. I had fallen for Mason. Wonderful, sweet, and brooding Mason.

“See? I told you.” Mandy elbowed Audrey. “She’s as pink as a strawberry. That’s love.”

“I think I’ll have to write a song about this,” Audrey said, nibbling on her guitar pick. “It’s going to be an epic love song.”

I’d never been in love before now. Love in the movies was always such a larger-than-life thing. People sacrificed themselves for it, danced on rooftops to celebrate it, and went to the ends of the Earth to reclaim it. It was something I’d always longed to experience, but had never had the luck to find — until now.

Giddy feelings overcame me. I grinned like a Cheshire cat as Audrey strummed a few chords and mumbled out some lyric ideas. But the longer I listened, the more my heart felt a stabbing pain. Okay, yes, I’d fallen for Mason Finnick, but that didn’t mean I could do anything about it. I mean, he had Polly. I’d seen them getting back together. There was no room left for me in his life.

I’d had my chance for love on that porch swing and I’d crushed it beneath the heel of my favorite Sketchers. This wasn’t a happy ending. This was a tragic tale of a silly girl who’d had everything within reach and then blown it to smithereens.

“Better change that song into an epic ballad of loss,” I said, standing up to smooth out the wrinkles on my skirt. It was the only thing I could do to keep the trembling out of my voice. “It’s never going to happen. I lost my chance. He’s with Polly now.”

“Is he?” Mandy narrowed her eyes at me. “Is he really?”

“Yes, he is. I saw it myself.”

I could feel the simmering irritation in her stare. She was the protector of our friend group. The one who muscled through situations to protect her besties, and I loved her for it. But this was just not one of those times she could win.

Audrey shook her brown curls. “I’m not so sure about that. Ethan Richards has been lurking around after practice the last few days. I think he wants to win her back.”

I walked carefully to my closet and yanked off my heels. It was nice of my friends to help me finally name this emotion that had been driving me crazy, but I wasn’t about to let them give me false hope. There was a reason I tried to be so cheerful all the time. I didn’t handle disappointment well. Not even as a small child. It ate away at my heart like an invisible leech, draining me of my lifeblood. No, I couldn’t allow even the tiniest crack in my armor. That would’ve been the end of me.

“No way. Mason and Polly were made for each other. They met at cancer camp three years ago and helped each other through some rough times. Then, the universe brought them together again when Mason transferred to Rock Valley High. Ethan can’t compete with that.”

Neither could I, for that matter.

“You’ve got to at least tell him.” Audrey laid her guitar down and blinked sadly up at me. “You owe that to yourself. Don’t give up until you know how he feels. What have you got to lose?”

The fact that Mason had pretty much transferred out of class to get away from me made it clear what he felt for me, and it wasn’t love. I’d had my chance at the party and I’d blown it. Big time. There was no way I could mak

e that up to him.

“I love you guys, but you know that I can’t,” I said, shrugging off my jacket. “I already hurt him once. I can’t do that to him again. He’s got fate and Polly on his side. I’ve got nothing.”

Turning to look in the mirror, I studied my reflection once again. Did being in love make me look any different? Maybe, a little older. A little wiser. And definitely a little sadder.

Mason had once called me naive. He was right. I’d looked for the potential in everyone else around me and never once thought about the potential inside my own soul for love. And when I’d found it and finally named it for what it was, it had been too late.

How could I face him tomorrow?

Chapter Twenty-Two