Read Online One of the Guys by Lisa Aldin - Free Book Online Page B

I pretend not to remember the boys who quickened my pulse, drove heat to my cheeks, and invaded my dreams because not one of them returned my feelings. I’d prefer not to recall the sting of rejection from the boys who preferred the girls in high heels, the girls who used hair products, the girls who sat on the sidelines during impromptu basketball games before gym class.
    Boyfriends could wait until college.
    â€œYou don’t know how lucky you are to know so many guys,” Emma says. “I met Kevin by accident. He came to my house, passing out fliers for his lawn-mowing business. It was fate.”
    I picture an unsuspecting boy ringing a doorbell and the next thing he knows Emma Elizabeth Swanson is wrapping her legs around his waist, planting kisses all over his face, desperate to cling to a male.
    Emma rips another piece of fabric from the dead cow costume and ties it around my thigh. “Um… what is that?” I ask.
    â€œIt’s sexy. It’s like a garter,” she says. “The boys will stare at it all night.”
    â€œWhat’s a garter?”
    Emma laughs. She thinks I’m joking. She smooths the top of my hair, which is pinned into a high sophisticated bun. “You have amazing shoulders,” she says. “Thin. Pretty. Classic. You should wear your hair up like this more often.”
    My cheeks redden. I wear it back often, but in a low messy ponytail. Just something to keep it out of my face. Nothing like what Emma’s done. “Let’s go over the plan again,” I say.
    Emma plops down on the bed and crosses her legs, ready to listen.
    â€œYou sure Kevin’s coming?” I ask.
    She nods. “I invited him. He accepted. He goes to a Catholic school in Shelburne so I think he’s eager to mingle with the public school crowd. Truth be told, so am I.”
    â€œPerfect.” I try to pace as I speak, but I stumble in the unfamiliar heels. I steady myself. “So Kevin shows up. When he does, you dance with Loch. Flirt. Talk. Whatever. Make sure Kevin sees you do this. I’ll chat casually with Kevin about what a great couple you and Loch make. Blah. Blah. Blah. I can make up some juicy, but classy, stuff. After which Kevin will become steaming jealous and beg for your forgiveness.”
    Emma beams. “And we all live happily ever after.”
    â€œYep.” I wobble over to the mirror and check myself out. Embarrassed at what I see, I glance back at Emma. She’s leaning back on her elbows on the bed and swinging her legs back and forth, staring at the ceiling. She looks so hopeful like that, lost in her own thoughts, her own dreams, her own romances. I think we might be, like, friends.
    A nervous itch sprouts up on my right butt cheek.
    I hope I don’t screw this night up for her.

nine

    G REEN PASTURES AND VARIOUS rose bushes border Ollie’s beautiful ranch-style home. A gravel road leads to a small horse barn behind the house, where his mother keeps her prize possession, a Morgan mare named Goldie. Across the fields, navy-soaked mountains line the sky, a thought-halting sight, even for a seasoned veteran. I would take longer to admire the moonlight spilling onto the grass, but my legs are freezing.
    â€œI’m going to get frostbite in this outfit,” I say to Emma as we make our way up the cobblestone steps, heavy bass music beckoning from behind the green door.
    â€œQuit being such a baby.” Emma applies another layer of lip gloss before slipping it back into her tiny black purse. “You’ll be inside most of the night. It’s not like you’re out trick-or-treating.”
    As I reach for the door knob, Emma stops me. I feel my lips going blue as she places her hands on my shoulders and pushes them back.
    â€œThe entrance is everything,” she says. “Walk into that house like you own it. Don’t hunch over.”
    My teeth chatter. “Can you see my nipples through this