My Favorite Love (The Lakeland Boys Book 1) Read online

  “I’ve got to go, I’m on the other side of the school.” That was Marla, she’d spent time out of her first morning to make sure I was all right. Put off reconnecting with her friends, gone out her way to be nice. I relaxed inside, a little at least. People were nice, I reminded myself. At their core they were nice. Keep telling yourself that, and eventually, you might believe it.

  Smiling my thanks, I gave her a quick hug, then watched her disappear into the crowd. I’d never felt so alone.

  Putting my supplies into my locker, I smiled to myself that I’d remembered my combination without a problem. The crowd had gotten smaller, almost manageable, and I realized most of them had gotten to their classes. A bell began to ring, and everyone seemed to dart to their final destination, leaving me alone in the hallway.

  I was late. Great, what a way to get started. When I made it to my class, I halted for a moment, took a deep breath, and stepped in. Here goes, I said to myself.

  The teacher stood at the head of the class with a binder open, taking attendance. He looked at me over the top of his glasses and said, “English Lit, Kennedy?”

  I nodded yes, unable to answer verbally.

  “And you are?” he asked.

  “Amber Johnson,” I said weakly.

  He perused his list then nodded. “Welcome Ms. Johnson, please take a seat.”

  Two dozen people were looking at me like I was an alien from a distant planet. ‘Who’s the new girl?’ they seemed to be thinking. I scanned the room for an open desk, and my insides fell to the floor. In the far corner was Jason Turner in all his glory.

  He was surrounded by half a dozen girls, each prettier than the next. I’d never seen so much blond hair and lip gloss. He smiled at me and nodded his head in acknowledgment.

  Several of the girls immediately shot me death ray stares. Who are you and how does the god Jason know of your existence? A particular, beautiful blond cheerleader seemed to be the leader of the death ray squad. Her look could have melted iron at a dozen paces.

  Luckily, an open chair just inside the door was available, as far from Jason and his gaggle of admirers as possible. Good, I was going to have enough distractions just being the new girl. The last thing I needed was being worried about what Jason Turner thought. Besides, he looked like he was going to be more than busy enough.

  Mr. Kennedy put his attendance sheet away and looked out over the students. “We’re going to start the semester studying, ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ by Erich Remarque.” Several people groaned. A girl in the back said something about people who write war books should be shot.

  My frown caught the teacher’s attention. “Yes, Ms. Johnson, do you have a problem with our selection?

  “No sir, I was just wondering. It’s a good book, I understand that, but why is a book written by a former German soldier, under a French pen name being taught in English Lit?”

  A pin dropping would have made a clatter in the silence that fell around me. Twenty-four sets of eyes looked at me as if I’d just announced that I was an elephant from India here to learn circus moves. What? Was it bad to ask questions? Why were they looking at me like that?

  “Because, Ms. Johnson, I want to,” Mr. Kennedy said with a small smirk.

  Okay, it was official. I didn’t have any idea what I was doing here. The rules, expectations, and common courtesies had disappeared from my world. What had I gotten myself into?

  Chapter Five

  Jason

  Two weeks into school and it wasn’t getting any easier. Our football team was having problems. We’d lost the first game of the season, and things weren’t looking good for our next one. We really missed Nick and his speed on the outside.

  Mr. Kennedy’s English Lit class was kicking my butt. He expected us to actually read the assignments. Not only that, but he expected us to come up with opinions and stuff. Opinions backed up with quotes and reasoning. Didn’t he realize how much I didn’t care?

  I was rushing to my Chemistry class, late like always. There just wasn’t enough time in the day to do all the things I needed to do. Between classes, homework, football practice, chores at home. It felt like everyone had a separate piece of me pulling in different directions.

  Cindy Cooper wasn’t making it any easier. Every time I turned a corner I was running into her. It was like she’d pop out of a bare wall and be there in front of me. Letting me know in not so subtle ways, a wink, a smile, that she would be mine in all ways imaginable if I would but select her for my girlfriend.

  It was as if her main reason for living was to be seen as my girlfriend. All of the world’s problems would be solved if I did the smart thing and acknowledged her pre-eminence in my heart. The fact that she made my back teeth ache was beside the point.

  Being the head of the Cheerleading squad seemed to give her this idea that we were meant for each other. I’d tried telling her that I wasn’t going to have a girlfriend. She’d frowned then shook it off and totally ignored me.

  Sheryl Anderson and Julie Short weren’t much better. And, behind them. A dozen other girls.

  When I caught Nick outside of his History class I pulled him aside and told him about my problems, he just laughed.

  “Pick one, and the rest will leave you alone. As long as you give them hope, they will never stop.”

  “No,” I answered. “Remember, no girlfriends this year. I’m going to keep it loose and easy.”

  Nick laughed again. “How’s that working for you?” he asked, as he walked away for his class. “You do realize, half the guys in this school would kill for your problem. Three beautiful girls trying to trap you into a commitment. We are talking serious first world problem here boy.”

  The look of pure pleasure on his face at my issues was like a knife twisting in my gut. I knew I never should have told him.

  As I headed to my class, I caught a flash of auburn hair. Amber Johnson. My heart jumped. Why couldn’t it be her that was hanging on my every word? Why couldn’t it be her that looked at me with big puppy eyes of adoration?

  Okay, I know I sounded ridiculous. But, a guy’s thoughts can get away from him. Especially, when it came to a girl like Amber.

  .o0o.

  Amber

  It took me a few weeks to see the obvious. I thought people were just standoffish. New girl. Established cliques. You know, the typical problems. What did I know?

  No, that wasn’t it. They hated me. There wasn’t any other explanation. The cold looks. The whispers behind hands. The fact that absolutely no one would talk to me. Well, no one but Marla and the Lakeland boys.

  You would think with their seal of approval, I’d be accepted.

  But no. It was as if someone had painted a “Do not touch” sign on my back.

  The most surprising thing was the hurt feeling deep in my stomach. I had wanted this. I had asked to go to a normal school. To be a normal girl. What now? Is this what they were all like? How was I going to break out of this land of oblivion?

  For the first time in my life, I really resented what my parents had done to me. Raising me in my hermetically sealed world of homeschooling. High in an ivory tower. No social life with kids my own age.

  I had absolutely no idea what I had done wrong.

  The answer came from a most unexpected source.

  Ruby Miller looked like one of those girls you avoided. I know I shouldn’t be judging someone like that. But, it sort of came instinctively.

  Short blue hair, light blue, the color of a fish tank. Three hoops in her left ear. A diamond stud in her right. A golden nose ring that sort of drew your eyes away from the blue hair. A skirt so short it made a cheerleader’s outfit look like a prom dress. She finished the outfit off with a white tank top that exposed a pierced belly button and black combat boots that came up to just below her knees.

  All of this accompanied an attitude that said to the world ‘screw you.’

  What I found amazing is that she made it work. She looked like a sexy rebel, not a messe
d up misfit.

  I was alone in the girls’ bathroom when she stepped up to the sink next to me.

  Glancing over at her, I did a double take. Ruby had that kind of impact on a person.

  She looked at me and scoffed, then shook her head.

  “What?” I asked.

  She smiled and said, “You’re the new girl? Right? Amy?”

  “Amber.”

  “Yeah, right. Amber.”

  “So, what was that all about?” I said. I really was getting tired of all this mean girl stuff.

  Ruby, stepped back away from the sink and shook her head again. “You have no idea what’s going on. Do you? The problems you’ve started.”

  “Me?” I exclaimed. “All I did was move to this town. People around here act like I’m some kind of leper or something.

  Ruby laughed and smiled. “Oh, honey. You’re worse than a leper. You’re a threat.”

  “A threat? Who am I threatening?” The idea was preposterous.

  “You, new girl. Have disturbed the force.”

  Oh, great, a star war reference. I would never understand these people.

  “Cindy Cooper, Sheryl Anderson, Julie Short,” Ruby said, as if the answer was obvious. “They have been the princess bees around here since sixth grade. It has always been those three competing to become queen bee.

  I raised an eyebrow. I needed more information.

  “Sheryl’s rich, the mayor’s daughter,” Ruby continued, “Julie will be the valedictorian and probably end up at Harvard, Cindy is obviously the head cheerleader.”

  What did this have to do with me? And, as for getting into Harvard, what was the big deal? I’d got an acceptance letter last year. But Mom, being Mom, thought I wasn’t ready. Well, believe me. After this place. College couldn’t be worse.

  Ruby rolled her eyes like she couldn’t believe I was this dumb.

  “By some unspoken agreement. They came to the same realization. Only the girlfriend of Jason Turner would be considered the winner.”

  People couldn’t be that dumb.

  I laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “I know,” Ruby said. “I mean, he’s hot. Hell, I’d do him. But, wrapping your identity around some boy has never been very smart. Not in my experience.”

  My heart jumped for a second when she mentioned ‘doing’ Jason. Who was this girl?

  “Anyway, Amy ...”

  “Amber,” I corrected her.

  “Yeah, Amber. Anyway. You’ve come in here. A junior. They’re seniors. You’re semi-beautiful. In that girl next door way. You move in next to Jason Turner. Weasel your way into becoming his sister’s friend.

  “I didn’t weasel my way ...”

  Ruby waved her hand as if my opinion on the matter wasn’t important. “But, worst of all,” she continued, “Jason refuses to make a choice. If he’d pick one. Then they would know who won and could move on with their lives of stabbing each other in the back.”

  I glanced at the bathroom mirror. Had I stepped through some strange portal into another world? This couldn’t be real.

  A sudden thought occurred to me. “Why hasn’t Jason picked one?” I asked, as I held my breath. “I mean, if these girls are supposedly the top of the food chain. Why hasn’t he snatched one?”

  Ruby laughed and shrugged her shoulders. “No one knows. It’s not like those girls wouldn’t put out. I mean. After all, this is Jason Turner we are talking about here. All he has to do is commit to being committed, and he will be happier than a race horse put out to stud.”

  My stomach tightened up into a tight ball for some reason.

  Drying her hands on a paper towel, Ruby smiled and shook her head as she walked to the bathroom door.

  My world spun. Had I heard what I just thought I heard? The girls of this school looked at me as some kind of threat. Like I had any chance with a boy like Jason Turner.

  Why was this girl telling me these things?

  “What about you?” I asked as something occurred to me. “Are you hoping Jason will pick you?”

  Ruby stopped smiling for a moment and stared into my eyes. Like she was trying to figure out if I was teasing or not.

  Eventually, a slow smile returned to her lips as she shook her head. “Oh, honey. Jason Turner could have me anytime he wants, and he wouldn’t have to promise me more than one night. No, I’m not waiting around for Jason Turner to complete my world.”

  Giving me one last look, she stepped out of the bathroom. Leaving behind nothing but a whiff of wild perfume and a sense of dread deep inside of me.

  Chapter Six

  Amber

  There comes a time in a girl’s life where she comes to realize that she will never figure it out. That life was just too strange to ever really comprehend. I had reached such a point. Jason Turner was being chased by three girls, and somehow it was my fault that he couldn’t make up his mind.

  Come on. Let’s get real.

  I spent the next two days after Ruby’s revelations, walking around in a cloud of disbelief. I almost asked Marla about it, but bit my tongue and pulled back. No way was I opening that can of worms with his sister.

  What if it got back to him somehow? What if he thought I was just another girl chasing after the mighty Jason Turner? My stomach clenched up tighter than my mother’s purse thinking about it. Nope, not happening.

  I thought of approaching my mom. But, again no. I didn’t want to see that look of concern or be told to stop worrying. It was only high school. I’d leave in two years and start my real life at Harvard. Mom would never understand. To her, emotional problems were to be swept aside. Buried under work and duties.

  Sighing to myself, I sat down at my empty lunch table and pulled out my sketch pad. As always, when I was upset, I turned to my drawing. It was a way for me to get lost. To put the world away and focus on my art.

  My hand hovered over the page as I waited for inspiration.

  Slowly the pencil began to draw. A line here, a curve there. The pace picked up as a face began to emerge on the page. The charcoal pencil flew across the paper like it had a mind of its own.

  Jason. His face with that serious smile.

  I swallowed hard, as I studied the drawing. It was him. That firm chin. Those inquisitive eyes. The lips weren’t right, I thought. Something about them I couldn’t get straight. It needed some work, but it was a good start.

  “What you drawing?” a strong voice said from behind me.

  My heart lurched, as I quickly closed my sketch pad. Why him? Why now?

  Turning, I gave him a quick smile, as I secretly prayed that he hadn’t seen the drawing. How could I explain it?

  “Nothing,” I said. “Just doodling.”

  He nodded and sat down across from me. The boy acted like he owned the world. I guess from his perspective. When it came to school, he did.

  My brow narrowed in confusion. What did he want?

  Jason saw my confusion and smiled back at me. “I just needed an escape,” he said. “You don’t mind do you?”

  An escape? Oh from his pursuers. I turned and looked over my shoulder. Cindy was shooting me daggers. Julie was shooting me Laser beams, and Sheryl looked like she wanted to carve my heart out with a spoon.

  I shrugged my shoulders at him and tried to pretend like I didn’t have a care in the world. Inside, I was a churning bowl of anger.

  “So,” I said, as I gave him my sternest stare, “I am an escape. It’s nice to know what you really think of me.”

  Jason leaned back and threw up his hands in defense. “No, it’s not like that.”

  “Oh, then what would you call it.”

  He shrugged his shoulders but, remained quiet. He really didn’t have a good explanation.

  My heart was racing, as my mind frantically tried to figure out this boy across from me. I had no reference point. At no time in my life had I ever dealt with a person who had it all. Not like Jason. Popular, hot, talented, a happy family. The boy was perfect.

/>   Then, why the sad expression behind those eyes? I wondered.

  An awkward silence settled between us.

  What did a girl say to the most popular boy in school?

  “You weren’t at the game on Friday?” he said with a curious expression. As if the idea of someone missing a Friday night football game was unheard of.

  Well, in this town, it probably was unheard of. I shrugged my shoulders this time. Purposely trying to match his previous gesture.

  He caught the reference and smiled.

  “You know,” I said, “if you’d pick one of them. All your problems would go away.”

  “That’s what Nick said,” Jason answered with a small smile.

  “Then, why don’t you?”

  He shuddered and shook his head. “I don’t want a girlfriend. Not this year. Not now, anyway. I’ve got too many other things to worry about, instead of focusing all my time and energy on someone else.”

  “Wow, just a little self-centered.”

  “No,” Jason said, shaking his head. “Not really. I just need to focus on my class work. I’ve got to keep my grades up high enough to get into the University of Washington. I know I won’t get a football scholarship. But, if I get admitted, maybe I could make the squad as a walk-on.”

  My mind reeled. He really did have a good reason.

  “Have you told them that?” I asked. “Your harem?”

  “Yeah, but they don’t seem to believe me for some reason. Like I’m trying to play hard to get or something. I honestly believe they can’t imagine some guy not immediately falling in love with them or something.”

  “Well then, pick Julie. She’s smart and could help you with your classes.”

  He frowned. “It doesn’t seem right. Sort of superficial. Picking a girlfriend because she could help me with my homework.”

  I laughed. “I don’t know. Is it any more superficial than picking a girl because of her bra size?”

  He smiled and said, “What about girls. Choosing a boyfriend based upon what car he drives or how rich his parents are.”

  “Girls don’t do that,” I snapped back and knew how wrong I was as soon as the words left my mouth.