Chapter 1
Mia
Grabbing my towel and water bottle, I walk towards the stairs. Although the music filling the air is beating with energy, it only leaves me feeling drained. It doesn’t help that every other person here looks like they have enough energy to climb out Mt. Everest. I hate coming to the gym, but won’t dare skip it. I’ve been working my butt off over the past few years to lose weight. It’s taken a lot of hard work to lose forty pounds and with only ten pounds left to go, I’m too close to my target weight to jeopardize it now.
After our parents died I turned to food as a source of comfort. It’s actually scary how I let it get out of control. During my senior year, I realized it was a problem I’d have to face. If it weren’t for Logan I wouldn’t even have had a date for prom.
I was head over heels in love with Logan back then. Hell, I even managed to lose a lot of weight my senior year in the hopes that he would see me as more than Rhett’s chubby little sister. My hopes turned into dreams of a future with him when he taught me how to kiss. Yeah, I know he was doing me a favor but that didn’t stop my love-sick mind from wishing he would return my feelings.
He was the one I spent nights dreaming about, and days drooling over. No one has ever made me feel as giddy, infatuated, and just down right ecstatic, whenever he gave me any attention.
The memory is a bittersweet one as I think back to the day he taught me how to kiss.
Feeling dejected I walk to my room. I hate being the odd one out. Nicole didn’t stop gushing about her first kiss with Derek. Soon all the girls were comparing their kissing experiences and all I could do was hope no one would notice that I had nothing to say.
“Hey, did you have a bad day?”
My head snaps up at hearing Logan’s question. My heart skips a beat like it always does whenever he’s around.
“It’s nothing. Did you all skip class again?” I ask, wondering why they’re here so early on a Friday afternoon.
“No, it was canceled. There’s a game tonight.” Logan tilts his head and his eyes search my face. When he looks at me like that I can almost pretend he might see the real me. “Want to talk about it?”
I want to talk to him but not about what happened today, so instead of answering I just shrug. I walk into my room and drop my bag on the floor.
Logan comes in and I’m surprised when he sits down on my bed. Suddenly I’m nervous as hell and all I can do is stand like a pillar of salt while awkwardly wondering if he would think it’s weird if I sit next to him.
“Talk to me, Mia. I might be able to help and worse case I can listen.”
My thoughts go back to how stupid I felt while the girls were all laughing.
Secure in the knowledge that Logan has no idea how I feel about him, I look down at my feet and mumble, “I haven’t kissed anyone yet and today all my friends were talking about their first kisses. It felt like …” I let the words trail away, too embarrassed to continue.
“You felt like?” Logan stands up and walks to where I am. When I don’t answer him, he gently places a finger under my chin and lifts my face so I have to look at him.
“It felt like …” I swallow hard, feeling more sad than embarrassed that I’m having this conversation with Logan. “I’m fat and ugly. I know that’s why none of the guys will even look at me. Today it just felt like it was out there for everyone to see.”
Logan leans around me and he shuts the door. I glance at the closed door and then look back to him, a thankful smile on my face. I didn’t even think about the other guys being in the house. I don’t want them to hear about my day.
When Logan tucks some hair behind my ear my heart flutters. I have such a huge crush on him.
“You’re not fat and you sure as hell aren’t ugly, Mia.”
I try to keep the smile on my face and nod. Of course, he’ll say that. I’m Rhett’s baby sister.
“Don’t do that.” He brings both his hands to my neck and with his palms he nudges my jaw so I’ll look up again.