Dare You to Kiss the Quarterback (Rock Valley High 1)

My head buzzed with anger. That was the reason? All this time, it was about some stupid necklace?

“You know that I didn’t have any control over any of that, right? I didn’t ask Grandma Ivy for the pearls.”

“That’s what my mom said.” She closed her eyes. “But that just made it worse. Every time I looked at you, I would think about it.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. She was right, Grandma Ivy had left her pearls to me. We’d known because of a scrawled message left inside her jewelry box. But Grandma Ivy had been sick the last few months of her life. The heart disease had messed with her memory. Maybe she hadn’t meant to leave the pearls to me after all.

“That’s why you’ve hated me all this time?” I shook my head. “Because I got the pearls?”

“Maybe.” She sniffed and wiped her fingers under her eyes. “But also, because you’re ridiculous. Who spends all school day in the music room and skips parties to stay at home? You’re lucky you’re not a total social outcast.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. That was about as close as a compliment as I could ever expect to get from Savannah.

“I wish you would’ve told me this years ago,” I said, frowning. “It could’ve saved us a lot of pain.”

If Savannah had told me then, I couldn’t be sure what I would’ve done. But at least I would’ve known. And maybe we could’ve come to an agreement. An arrangement that hadn’t torn apart our friendship.

“Maybe.” She shifted her feet and looked away. “But Grandma Ivy didn’t call me her iron-willed girl for nothing. She knew long ago what I was.”

“I remember that,” I said with a smile. “And she used to call me her head-in-the-clouds darling. I guess she had us both pegged.”

“I guess.” Savannah smiled weakly. “I miss her.”

“I do, too.”

It was funny how much I could miss someone who wasn’t around anymore. Sometimes, I would walk by an herb garden and catch a strong whiff of rosemary, reminding me of my Grandma Ivy and the herbs she would grow in the window sill of her kitchen. Other times, I would hear a song on the radio that the three of us used to dance to in the kitchen while we baked. Those were the times I missed her the most.

And times like these, when I was reminded about the boy who’d broken my heart.

Savannah straightened her uniform and brushed back her sleek ponytail. Lifting her nose in the air, she pinned me with an emotionless gaze. “All right, newbie. I’m letting you off the hook just this once. But I expect you to be fully prepared for the centennial performance. Do I make myself clear?”

I smiled softly and nodded. It seemed that, if only for the moment, Savannah and I had come to an understanding. How long that would last, I couldn’t know. But I’d take it.

She marched back the way she’d come, no doubt to lead the squad in a few end of game routines to cheer up the crowd. She was good at her job. No one could deny that.

I grabbed my mascot head and walked toward the exit, fully ready to peel this costume off of me. The only thing I wanted tonight was a warm bath and a few minutes to run through the centennial song. When she’d heard Collin had officially dropped out of school, Mrs. Banks had begrudgingly allowed me to continue as a solo. I’d been practicing nonstop, but I could tell my heart wasn’t in it.

And as I trudged through the school parking lot toward the locker rooms, I suddenly got the feeling that someone was watching me. Looking up, I spotted a familiar black motorcycle pulled up alongside the curb. Sitting on top of it was someone I’d never expected to see again.

Collin was staring at me, the semi-darkness of the evening hiding his expression. I froze, unsure how to respond. Part of me wanted to run to him and kick over his motorcycle while he sat on top of it. Another part of me wanted to break down and cry.

And as my stomach filled with an icy numbness, Collin revved his motorcycle, turned, and sped out of the parking lot. I watched him go as Trina and Mandy came up behind me, each of them placing a hand on my shoulder.

Mandy cleared her throat. “Was that...?”

I nodded and she squeezed my arm. No explanation necessary. I’d finally spilled all of my secrets about Collin and me to them this weekend. Despite my apprehension, they hadn’t been shocked to find out we’d kissed.

“I’m sure he regrets what he did,” Trina added quietly. “He misses you.”

Maybe she was right, but at that moment it didn’t matter. Collin had said that we were never going to change. That he would never learn how to love and I would never stop putting other people’s happiness above my own. If I was going to prove him wrong, I was going to have to start taking a step in a different direction.

“Would you guys mind helping me with something for the centennial performance?” I asked, turning to look at each of them. “I have an idea, but I’m going to need your expertise.”

They both eagerly agreed and then wrapped their arms around me, easing some of the pain I still carried around with me.

No matter how much he’d hurt me, no matter how much I wanted to hate his guts, it was hard to forget that beneath that tough exterior, Collin was just like any other teenager.

We were all just trying to find our way.