Dare You to Chase the Soccer Player (Rock Valley High 5)

“Sorry about that. Comes with the job.”

“I know.” I glanced down at my lap. “She’s just the worst, though.”

He laughed. “She really is. Did you know the first time I had to do a run-through with her, she thought I was the set boy? Wouldn’t even look at me. And when she found out who I was, and who my parents were, she tried to invite me over to her place for some one-on-one time. It was so uncomfortable.”

I laughed softly. “Sounds like most of the stars in Hollywood are kind of snobbish.”

He wrinkled his nose and laid back on the blanket. “Yes. And no. It always feels like they want something out of you. My mom wasn’t like that, though, so maybe I’ve just had bad experiences.”

I laid beside him, looking up at the sky above. It was almost a royal blue color, with bright pinpricks of starlight popping up here and there. In just a few minutes, the last of the light would be gone and the sky would be thrown in to a navy blue blanket of stars. I chewed my Skittles and let the peacefulness wash over me.

“You know, you’re not like that.” Zane shifted beside me and I could feel him staring at the side of my face—the place where I hated most. I turned to see him angled toward me, his elbow resting on the ground and his hand cradling his cheek. “I’m pretty sure the first time we met, you thought I was a loser.”

“And you thought I was the paparazzi,” I shot back at him with a smile. “So, we both didn’t make the best first impressions.”

“Yeah, but then you found out who I was, and you still didn’t act like it mattered.” He reached hesitantly toward me and softly touched my cheek. I closed my eyes and sank in the warm sensation spreading across my skin. “I liked that. Just like I like that you trusted me enough not to wear makeup around me tonight.”

Warm emotions jolted through my torso. So he had noticed. And it didn’t make a difference to him. He was touching my scarred cheek and he still wanted to be here with me. He really was one of a kind.

“Well, at first I didn’t care who you were.” I opened my eyes to look at him. “And then you acted like a jerk, so then I really didn’t care.”

He grimaced and fell back on the ground. “Ugh, don’t remind me. I was stupid. You make me all twisted up inside.”

I crawled toward him and rested my arms on his solid chest. “But then I got to know you. And I started to trust you. If it helps, just know that you’re the only guy in the past three years who’s ever seen me without a face-full of makeup.”

He lifted his head slightly from the ground to pierce me with a steady gaze. “You know, this is the best I’ve felt since my mom was around. It feels like things are finally looking up.”

I sighed happily. “I was just thinking about how everything was different this year. In a good way. That’s because of you.”

His lips curled into a soft smile as he reached up to cradle my cheek again. “See? Guess being friends wasn’t so horrible after all.”

I licked my lips and stared into his blue eyes. This wasn’t like any friendship I’d ever had before. I’d never had a guy give me butterflies by just looking at me. And when Zane’s hand touched my skin, it lit everything inside of me on fire. I tried to breathe, but it was impossible with how he was staring back at me with the same hunger in his eyes.

“I’m not so sure we’re friends, Zane.”

He cocked his head slightly to the side. “Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”

“Because friends shouldn’t feel the way I feel about you...” I bit my bottom lip until it hurt. “I’m not sure I can settle for friends. We might be doomed.”

His mouth hardened into a frown and his gaze darted to my lips and back to my eyes. “I’m not sure I want to settle, either. What do you say about that?”

My stomach rumbled with all kinds of gut reactions to his words. I couldn’t make sense of it, but mostly, I could feel it propelling me closer to him. Closer to the warmth of his body beneath mine. And closer to his beautiful lips, drawing me in like a magnet.

“I’d say...we’re slowly breaking every rule we put into place.” I stared at his mouth, trying and failing to convince myself to look away. “But for some reason, right now I can’t really remember why we set them in the first place. We weren’t meant to be just coworkers. Or just friend

s.”

He sighed heavily, dropping his hand from my face and raising his torso enough to rest on his elbows and stare intently at me. “Honestly, I can’t remember the reasons we set them, either.”

I fiddled with the drawstrings of his hoodie. Everything about this conversation was undoing me. My mind was drawing a complete blank as to why my lips shouldn’t be all over Zane’s at that exact moment. He looked so good. I would’ve bet everything that he tasted just like ice cold Cherry Pepsi fresh from the cooler. And his touch would melt away any resistance I had left. It was a safe assumption that one more kiss from Zane and I’d be a goner. A complete and total goner.

“Uh oh,” I said with a laugh. “We’re really in trouble now.”

“The last thing I think about when I look at you is trouble.” His lips hinged slightly in a smile. “You’re confident and you go after what you want. But you don’t stomp on people in the process. You never made me feel like you only wanted to be around me because of my name or what I could do for you.”

My gaze flicked up to his. “The girls in LA are so weird. Is that really how they act? Are they all like Janelle?”

“Enough of them that it’s hard to know what’s what.” He swallowed and then grimaced. “Maybe I’m just cynical because of my dad’s warnings, but you have to be extra careful.”