Authors: RaShelle Workman
The guys she referred to were my next-door neighbors. They were also my best friends. Their given names were Bart, Sebastian, Daniel, Dorian, Gabriel, Heathcliff, and Salvatore. They lived in a mansion with an old professor by the name of Adam Henry. I called him Professor Pops because that’s what the guys called him. He wasn’t their real father as far as genetics went, but I’d never seen a man love his sons more than Professor Pops loved his adopted boys. Sometimes I got a little jealous since my dad and stepmother were gone a lot. Like right now. They were in St. Bart’s.
“Cool. See
ya
.” I raised a hand in farewell, and pushed open the door that led out onto the field.
“Au revoir,” she returned, waving.
I smiled to myself as I went outside. It seemed French was the new language Cindy had decided to learn. She’d already tried Italian, Chinese, and Spanish.
Chewing a nail, I headed down the stairs. One of my steps was too big, and I started to fall forward. Stretching out my arms, I braced for the inevitable. Out of habit, I closed my eyes. There’d be skinned hands and knees, along with some imbedded pavement rock, in this episode.
The fall never came though. I realized someone held me. He or she smelled like sweat, and spicy cologne—oranges, and cinnamon, maybe. The chest felt taut, and the hands seemed large. I was betting a guy.
Slowly I peered through my lashes. Dazzling hazel eyes watched me. His lips turned up in a half smirk.
“You should be more careful. That fall would’ve hurt.”
I blushed. Flopping around like a dying fish, I tried to stand, and smacked him in the mouth with my forehead. A drop of rosy red blood immediately formed on his bottom lip.
He helped me stand and let go. I was surprised he didn’t bolt.
“Sorry about that,” I said, studying his handsome features. His hair was a sandy blond, and he was tan. I absently noticed that he was at least six inches taller than me, which made my heart do an excited pitter,
skipity
-skip, pat.
“It’s okay,” he said, a strange look on his face. I couldn’t figure it out, but I guessed it fell somewhere between abhorrence, and shock.
I touched his lip with my thumb, and wiped the blood on my shorts.
Yeah, not the sexiest of moves.
“No, it isn’t. Really, is there anything I can do? Help you find the nurse? Get you an ice pack?” I guessed since I hadn’t seen him around before that he must be the new guy all the girls had been gossiping about. Not that I could blame them. Salem High School wasn’t very big, and most of the families had lived here for generations, so a new student propelled the school into
a frenzy
the way a drop of blood excited sharks.
“Nah, I’ll be fine.” I noticed his black shorts hung low on his hips, and if it weren’t for the white tank, I might’ve seen more than I’d bargained for. As it was I was able to see a lot. Muscles rippled down his arms. He had a trim waist, and by the looks of it, great-looking legs.
I blushed brighter, guessing both cheeks were the color of radishes.
“Okay.” I glanced at his running shoes. “Are you on the track team?”
“I hope so. Coach is having me try out.”
Oh, no. If he didn’t do well, it’d be my fault. “Good luck,” I said, looking up.
“Thanks, but I don’t need luck.” He smiled showing two straight rows of white teeth. Reminded me of
a toothpaste
commercial. “You
wanna
watch me?”
“Yes, sure.” I couldn’t help but smile back. He didn’t seem upset or hurt. His lip didn’t even look swollen.
“I’m Chace Charming,” he said as we headed toward the field.
I snickered, and he gave me a sideways look. “It’s nice to meet you, Charming. My name is Snow White.”
In one glance I realized he understood what I thought was funny. “What were our parents thinking? I’ve considered having my last name changed. But if you can deal with yours, I guess I can deal with mine.”
“I know, right?”
I was glad Chace and I walked together, because I tripped two more times before he led me to a bench, where I gave the coach a thumbs up, and happily sat for the duration of practice.
Chapter 2
I
didn’t have my driver’s license yet. Two more months and then it was,
look out world
,
figuratively and literally
.
What I did have was an old, purple Schwinn, which was what I rode to meet up with Cindy. The night air was muggy—the kind that made me wonder why I bothered to shower that day—and the sky sparkled with crisp stars, and a full moon.
The perfect night for magic, I thought only half wistfully, and snorted. But I did live in Salem Massachusetts after all. If magic were going to happen anywhere, it’d be here.
Our
regular spot
was a movie rental place called Warehouse Video. Classic movie posters were plastered on the windows, and a neon sign hung along the top. It actually said: AREHOUSE VID thanks to several missing light bulbs, but I liked it that way. It was “our house.”
The place probably would’ve closed up a long time ago, but the owner’s son got the brilliant idea to add a coffee shop. The inside reminded me of what I thought a 70’s disco would look like, and it smelled like stale popcorn, and frothy coffee.
It was fantastic. At least I thought so. The adults? Not so much, which is probably why I loved it. Cindy and I had been coming here since we were twelve.
Carefully getting off my bike, I grabbed the bike chain, stuck it in between two spokes of my front tire, and locked the other end to a chipped green concrete post. The parking lot was full—of cars, and teens. I searched for Cindy, or her blue Altima, but couldn’t see either.
Gabe, one of my seven
besties
, was there though, leaning against his silver CRX. A flock of girls surrounded him. He must’ve said something funny because they started laughing. I smiled and shook my head. His eyes found mine, and I sucked in a breath, stumbling backward. My hands and butt hit the pavement about the same time. Gabe was at my side immediately.
“Jeez, Snowflake, if you wanted my attention, all you had to do was wave. This falling all over yourself for me is unnecessary.”
I heard his flippant tone, and laughed. He was good at teasing me, the best of all the brothers. But I’d recently developed a crush on him somehow, and I took everything he said way too personally. “Ha. Ha. Could you help me up, please?”
He already had a hand around my waist, and his other out for me to grab. A deep blush immediately spread over my face. I couldn’t look at him. If I did, I’d get a close up view of his gorgeous green eyes, and his dark brown hair that curled slightly, perfectly, in a way that made me want to touch it, wrap my fingers in it. This whole
crushing
on my best friend really wasn’t working for me. I pulled my hand from his.
“Thanks, Gabe. But, you better get back to your groupies, they’re getting impatient.” I moved away, trying to focus on the sting in my hands and not the strange tingle in my heart.
He stopped me by pulling on the waist of my baggy jeans, and forced me to turn and look at him. He stood an inch taller than me, so we were practically eye-to-eye. His green eyes were serious, searching. I looked away, toward the girls still hanging out at his car. “I need to find Cindy.”
He ignored my statement, and asked, “Snowflake, are you okay? Let me see your hands.” He grabbed them, and flipped them over. A couple of rocks were still embedded. Tenderly, he brushed them away. Each place he touched created a buzz. I felt jittery, like I’d had one too many espresso shots.
I tried to pull my hands away, but he held them firm. “I’m fine, Gabe,” I said, flustered, and made the mistake of glancing up. My breath hitched.
“You’re constantly falling because of these clothes. If you’d wear something that fit, instead of,” he paused, and wrapped his fist in my blue American
Eagle
t-shirt, pulling me close. So close I could smell his cologne. It was my favorite, like clean sheets that’d been dried on a hot summer day. “This shirt used to be mine.” A wondrous smile ignited his lips, all the way to his eyes. “Actually that’s kind of sexy.”
“Gabe, quit it.” I tried to pull away, knowing my face burned red hot.
He wrapped his arms around my waist. His breath tickled my cheek, warm and delicious. It smelled like minty toothpaste. Pressing me closer, he said, “You aren’t always going to think of me as a brother. Someday, Snow. You’ll see me the way I see you.”
He released me, stepped back, and walked away. “See
ya
, Snowflake.”
I was shocked. Did he mean he had feelings for me? I really needed to talk to Cindy.
Right on cue she tapped me on the shoulder and jumped in front of me. “So, are the guys coming over for the movie?”
I laughed. Cindy overflowed with bubbly happiness. “I don’t think so.” I snuck a peek at Gabe. He’d returned to his car, and the flock of girls. They were laughing again. That was one of the reasons I was glad Cindy hadn’t dumped me for cooler friends. Sometimes I needed girl time.
Her face fell. “Did you invite them?”
I grabbed her elbow, and we walked into the video store together. “I did invite them. Told them to meet at my house at ten-thirty. They might show.” I decided to change the subject. “Are you going to crash at my place tonight?”
“No, my parents are taking me to the Cape this weekend.”
It was my turn to frown. “How come you didn’t tell me?” I really needed to talk to her.
“I just found out, silly.” She smiled. “Besides I’m sure the guys will keep you company.”
I hid a sigh. There was no way I could talk to the guys about my
feelings
for their brother. That’d be… gross.
“Let’s find us a scary movie.
Something that I can use to snuggle up with Gabe.
I hope they show.” She swiveled around, and I knew she searched for Gabe, because that was what I did.
Abruptly my mind registered what she’d said. “Wait. What? Gabe, why Gabe?” There were six other brothers, all of them good looking. Besides I thought she liked the new guy, Chace. “What about Chace?” I paused mid stride. Her glossed lips pouted, and her perfectly lined eyes got all dreamy. She looked like one of my mom’s figurines.
Cindy headed toward the horror section, and started browsing. She picked up a movie. I plucked it from her hands, and put it back on the shelf. After several movie denials, she said in a hushed voice, “All the girls like Chace. Besides I talked to him, and . . .” she shrugged. “He isn’t for me.”
I had a feeling Chace hadn’t gushed over her, which was what most guys did, including my guys, my best friends.
“And, Gabe,” she went on, “Well he’s totally gorgeous, and so sweet.”
She’d noticed he was sweet. When? How? Had he done something to impress her recently? This was just not good.
“How about S—” She held up the movie case.
I grabbed the movie from her well-manicured hand, cutting her off. “Please, no. Not
Scream
again. That movie is terrifying.” I shuddered. The first five minutes, with the girl hanging in the tree… ugh, it gave me the
heebie
jeebies
. “What about a love story like
Titanic
, or
The Lucky One
? That one has
Zac
Efron
, and I know you like
Zac
Efron
.”
She paused a moment, debating, then shook her head. “Not if the guys are coming. We need gory death, and sex, and gory deaths during sex.”