For Her (The Girl I Loved Duet 1)

Then again, I’m not sure that I could really trust whatever she would say. I haven’t been able to so far. She’s the entire reason I’m here. Watching a couple of the kids from my class climb into a Mercedes, I grit my teeth.

My mom said she was going out for groceries six months ago and just never came back. I was okay, I had a job, and I was able to eat, but the rent caught up with me. Then the landlord found out, and Child Protection Services, and now I’m living in Salem, Massachusetts with my mom’s sister and hating every second of it.

She’s nice, Aunt Lily, and deep down I know it’s stupid to be angry at her, but I am. I’m angry she made me leave. Because there’s still a chance that mom could come back, and what is she going to think if she shows up and I’m not there?

A couple of guys from the basketball team walk by and give me a nod. I got pulled into school here too late to join any sports, but I’ve already been approached by more than one of the teams for next year. Maybe. If I’m still here. But I know the main reason they’re friendly to me right now is because they want me on their team. It’s been a long time since I’ve had any friends who wanted to be friends just because of me. But that’s okay. I don’t need friends. I can survive.

A hand slaps into my chest, sticking a piece of paper to it, and I jump. There’s a girl standing to my right, and she must be part ninja, or I must be really out of it because I didn’t see her coming up to me at all. Her mouth is moving, but I can’t hear her over the music. I’ve seen her before around school but we’ve never spoken.

She’s beautiful. Long red hair that makes me want to run my fingers through it, and I know I’ve looked lower when she’s not bundled up against the cold. She’s got the kind of body that every guy my age wants to touch, and I force my eyes upward as I realize they’re wandering.

I take out one headphone so I can hear her. Her hand is still pushed against my chest, and I take the paper she’s pushing at me.

“You shouldn’t ignore people,” she says.

I blink. “I wasn’t. I didn’t see you.”

“Good,” she smiles. “Did you hear me asking you to come to Drama Club?”

I laugh, even though I’m distracted by her smile. “No. And thanks, but I’m not interested.”

“You got someplace else to be?” she asks, raising an eyebrow. “Or are you going to wait here till the whole school is empty and then walk away again.”

My mouth draws open for a second before I manage to control my face. “You’ve been watching me?”

She grins. “In a stalker way? No. In a way that I’m generally pretty observant? Yeah.”

I stare at her because I don’t know what to say. Up until this moment at this school, I’ve always felt completely invisible. It never occurred to me that anyone would notice the fact that I wait to leave, let alone confront me about it.

She’s still smiling. “Am I wrong?”

I shake my head. “No, but I don’t think I’m a drama kind of guy.”

“Maybe not,” she says, “but what have you got to lose by trying? We need more guys, especially guys like you.”

I look down at the paper she’s shoved at me. It’s a permission form for an audition. “Guys like me?”

“Yeah,” she says, looking me straight in the eye. “Good looking guys who might be able to pull off playing a romantic lead.”

Who the hell is this girl? There’s no way I’m the kind of guy that she just described. Wait, did she just say good looking?

“I’m Amber, by the way,” she says, holding out her hand.

I shake it. “Peter.” I’m not quite sure what to do here. The way Amber is looking at me, like she’s completely sure that I’m going to give in and follow her is different than most girls I’ve met here. If I say no she’ll be disappointed, but she’ll live. But I also get the sense that if I say no, I won’t be hearing from Amber ever again. I’m not sure that I want that to happen.

The show listed on the paper is Pride and Prejudice. “I didn’t realize this was a play,” I say.

“Yeah. It’s not bad,” Amber says. “I like the script.”

I stare down at the paper, figuring out my next move.

Amber crosses her arms over her chest. “How long are you going to make me stand in the cold before you admit that you’ve already decided to come with me?”

That makes me smile. “How do you know that I’ve decided?”