The Romeo Club (2 page)

“You’re not gonna stand there staring at it all day, are you?” Drake tugged my arm, jerking me away from my destiny.

“Hey. I wasn’t done admiring it.” If Kenadi had come with me, I would’ve gone in to try it on. Again.

“Yeah, well, with that price tag, I’m sure it’ll be here next time we come in.” His gaze darted around the different storefronts. We took a few more steps, and he came up short forcing me to bump into his back. I glanced at him. He wiped his hands on his jeans, his brow furrowed.

“Um—what’s gotten into you?”

“Chloe works at the Notes Music Store.” He nodded to the shop across from us. “And she’s there today.”

I grinned. “This is perfect.”

“Say what?”

“We’ve found your in. Let’s go.” My red lacquered fingernails dug into his arm as I dragged him toward Notes.

He attempted to pull free from me. His face turned crimson. “No, wait. I’m not ready for this. I thought you said we’d take things slow.”

“Relax—I’ll help you through this.” Geez, he acted like he’d never talked to a girl before. It was kind of cute the way his ears got pink. “Make sure you keep your cell on.”

“Why?”

“That way I can help you if you panic.” As we approached the entrance, I whispered, “You’re here to buy sheet music.”

“Right. Sheet music.” He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slow. “Do you have a piece of gum?”

I dug through my purse and pulled out a piece of Spearmint Bubble Burst. He took it from me and popped it in his mouth.

When we got inside, Chloe glanced up from behind the counter, looked down, and then back up again. “Drake?”

He smiled. “Hey—I didn’t know you worked here.”

For having no experience at this kind of thing, he definitely seemed like a natural. Way to play up the “coincidence meeting up with you here” card.

She blushed. “Yeah. My parents told me I have to pay for my car insurance and gas.”

He chuckled. “Join the club. It must be a parental thing—teach us all that responsibility and stuff.”

“You can say that again.” Chloe giggled and brushed strands of red hair from her face. She then turned to me, as if just noticing me. “Hi, Delyla.”

“Hey.” I nodded.

They grew quiet. I nudged Drake in the side.
C’mon old boy. Don’t freak out now. You’ve got her where you want her.
I wandered to the electric guitar section to give them some privacy, but stayed close enough to eavesdrop.

“So, I’m actually looking for some sheet music for my drums,” Drake said at last.

“We’ve got a great selection in the percussion section. Actually, I think we had some new pieces come in.” She moved from behind the counter to show it to him.

While they examined the finer points of band stuff, I grabbed a baby blue electric guitar from the display. I turned it on and strummed a few chords. Drake shot me a quick glance, but I continued to play.

I would love to get an electric guitar, but my parents didn’t want to give rise to the next great chick band. Which sucked because I already had a cool name picked out. The Smoking Spanx. I know. Totally epic.

With a sigh, I set the instrument down and pulled out my phone.
Ask her about her orchestra stuff,
I texted.

I wandered around the store for twenty-five minutes while they chatted it up. At last, my brother made it to the checkout counter with several new sheets of music.

“You should stop by the band room tomorrow during lunch and hear part of the orchestral piece I’m writing,” Chloe said.

“Sure, that’d be awesome. So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She smiled and waved. “See you.”

When we joined the throngs of people in the mall, I squealed. “Am I fabulous or what?”

“It’s not a date or anything. She just wants me to hear her play in the band room.”

“Yeah, but a lot can happen in a band room.” I waggled my eyebrows at him. “I bet you have her playing a high C before you two leave.”

He gave me a playful shove. “Nice—anyone ever tell you, you’re not right in the head?”

“You’re welcome.”

“Let’s get going. We’ve got a long car ride home.”

Phase one of De-nerdify my brother. Check. And done.

Chapter 3

The scent of cafeteria pizza and fries clung to the air around me as I took a bite of my turkey sandwich. Rex sat next to me at our usual table. Beams of sunlight seemed to spotlight him as it poured in from the nearby window. I glanced at him. His blue eyes gleamed when he smiled, while his blond hair stood up in messy, stylish tufts. God he was hot. And mine. I shifted my gaze to see several girls staring at him.

I knew how lucky I was to snag him, seeing as how he was a senior and I was only a junior. It was kind of a freak accident that we hooked up. Well not “hooked up, hooked up”, but dated. We’d been running the Flat River Trail, when he’d accidentally ran into me. We both got scraped up when we tumbled down a nearby drainage ditch. Ever since then we’d been inseparable.

Okay, Rex was popular, hot, and a jock—but we totally got one another. We loved sports, running, food, movies, so it just seemed natural when we started hanging out. Most of all, he didn’t mind my obsession with soccer. Although, he still had no idea how nerdy I could be. But what he didn’t know, wouldn’t kill him.

As if sensing my thoughts, he leaned over and gave me a quick kiss.

“What’s that for?” I smiled.

“Just because.” He twined his fingers through mine. “We didn’t get to hang out all weekend. I kind of missed you.”

“Only kind of ?” My brows raised.

He chuckled. “A lot. I’m having Delyla withdrawals.”

“Ugh, can you guys tone down the sweetness? I’m trying to eat here.” Kenadi rolled her eyes. Her brown braided-hair extensions swung back and forth as she shook her head at us. But I saw the tiny smile.

“But this is my dessert.” I winked, clutching Rex’s arm.

She laughed, gathered her empty tray and stood. Her mocha skin seemed darker against the pale blue soccer T-shirt she wore. “Well, you might want to wipe your mouth off. You’ve got a little Rex, right there in the corner.”

“Wait, I think she’s got some of me right here too.” He leaned over and kissed my nose, then my chin.

“And that’s my cue. I’ll catch you later. I promised Mikah I’d go over my chem notes with him.” She rushed away.

I leaned against Rex. “You know, if you keep that up you’ll get us kicked out of school.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“Funny.”

Across the cafeteria, I spotted Drake coming in the doors. He waved his arms to get my attention, but ended up looking more like a break dancing octopus.

Rex followed my gaze. “Your brother is such a moron sometimes. It’s hard to believe you’re related.”

My fist tightened around my brown paper sack as I stood. It was one thing for me to call my brother a moron, but a whole other to hear someone else say it, especially my boyfriend. “Yeah, well, I think he needs me.”

“Okay. Let him know I’ll bring you home after school.” Rex gave me a quick hug then hurried over to join his buddies.

Once I threw my trash away, I walked around the edge of the lunchroom to Drake. “So, why are you jumping around like a dork?”

He grinned and gave me a big hug. “I owe you big time.”

“Um—okay.” I glanced around to determine if anyone saw him embracing me. “If you don’t want people talking about us, you might want to let me go.”

He pulled back. “I finally got the balls to ask Chloe out.”

“Well keep ’em in your pants, I don’t want to see them.”

“Ha-ha.” He gave me a playful slug in the arm.

“So, details? When and where are you taking her?”

“The symphony, this upcoming Saturday.”

“Nerdy—but she’ll like it. See? Even you can impress the chicks.”

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. “Do you need a lift home after school? I know you still don’t have gas money.”

“No. Rex already called dibs.”

“Okay. Oh and there’s something I need to talk to you about when you get home. Something kind of important.”

Students poured through the doors. “Wait. What is it?”

“We can talk later.”

Okay, he couldn’t just drop a line like that then take off. What did he mean by ‘something important?’

“Drake,” I called after him. But he only turned and waved, then disappeared into the crowd.

Great. Now I’d have to wait for whatever news he had. Did something happen with Mom and Dad? Did he need more style tips? Did he and Chloe get down and dirty in the band room? Not that I wanted to know that. Because EWW.

***

Rex pulled his jeep into our driveway and put it in park. Sun glinted off the windows that lined our wraparound porch. The wind sent the porch-swing banging against the white siding. Cardinals landed on the edge of the birdbath in my yard. They dunked their heads into it, then hopped into the thick grass to look for food.

As Rex leaned over to kiss me, I glanced over his shoulder, and caught sight of the neighbor’s dog, Jimbo going at our lawn gnome.
Sick.
The gnome’s mouth was opened in a surprised “o” shape as if trying to scream for help.

“Hey, get off that,” I yelled out the window.

Rex glanced behind him and laughed. “Looks like someone’s having fun.”

I snorted. “I swear that dog humps everything. Last week it was the mailbox. Yesterday, he came into our yard and grabbed
all
my dad’s tighty-whiteys off the clothesline and brought them into his doghouse to do who knows what with.”

“Sounds like he has issues.”

“Tell that to the neighbors.” Good old Mr. and Mrs. Foster. They always seemed like such nice people, and their college aged son wasn’t bad either. So how could they have such a corrupted dog?

Rex cupped my face then bent down to kiss me. His lips captured mine and I caught the hint of mint from his gum as he pressed closer, dodging the middle console.

“Do you want to come in for a few?” I asked against his mouth.

Rex groaned. “Wish I could. But The Jekyll gave us four pages of math.”

Ms. Jackson, aka The Jekyll, frightening kids since the 1980s. And she still had the big hair and Aqua Net hairspray to prove it. She didn’t merely send kids home with homework, but rather tomes of it.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then.” After another quick kiss, I hopped out of the vehicle and hurried inside.

Video game explosions sounded from the family room downstairs, followed by several voices. Great. My brother’s friends, otherwise known as The Nerd Herd were here. Not that I should be surprised. They probably spent the better half of their lives in my basement.

“Please tell me someone didn’t eat the last slice of cheesecake?” I hollered as I tossed my bag on the kitchen floor and searched the fridge.

“Sorry,” C.C. yelled. “But I was hungry.”

Ugh. Of course it was him. C.C. Porter IV, whose real name was Clyde Cornelius. I ought to take his red afro and use it to mop up Jimbo’s grossness from our lawn gnome.

“Seriously? You guys are pigs.” With a groan, I stomped downstairs to find all four guys seated in front of the TV, game controllers in hand. “I thought I told you yesterday, the cheesecake is off limits.”

C.C. grinned, his mop of red curls poofed up like five small poodles taking cover on his head. “Aw, does that mean you’re gonna punish me? Because I could use a spanking.” He stretched his long legs out in front of him.

My brother shot him a quick look and mouthed the words
don’t start.

“Yeah, come on over here, because I think I’ve got a foot I can shove up your ass.” My eyes narrowed.

“Okay, how about we talk about something else before this turns into World War Delyla.” Trey, Drake’s best friend intervened.

“He’s right.” My brother flipped off the video game. The other three muttered obscenities and whined. “Besides, I need to talk with her about a few things.” He glanced at them as if threatening bodily harm to the next one who opened their mouth.

I moved closer to the stone fireplace at the back of the room, careful not to bump into the mantel where my dad’s antique toy trucks were displayed. Uneasiness settled over me as my shoes sunk into the plush, burgundy carpet. What the heck was going on? My gaze rested on Trey who, even I admitted, was kind of hot—in a nerdy way. Dark brown hair, blue eyes that made you envision summer pools and all that Shakespearean stuff. Not that I’d tell him of course. We’d grown up next door to one another and he, Drake, and I had been best buds since they were two and I was one. We practically lived at one another’s houses.

The Nerd Herd grew quiet as they stared at me. “Okay, you guys are weirding me out. What’s going on?”

“I want a cross between Princess Leia and Wonder Woman,” C.C. blurted.

At the same time, Kevin said, “Maybe someone like the chick from Dark Invaders IV.”

“Um—hold on, what are you guys talking about?”

“Quiet down.” Drake held up his hands then turned to me. “Here’s the thing. I kind of told them about you helping me land Chloe.”

“I thought you wanted to keep it a secret.”

“Yeah, about that.” He gave me a sheepish smile.

Oh hell. What did he do? “Drake?”

“All right. They want you to help them out too. I mean, you did such a good job with me. Besides, you’re already popular and have an in. You could teach them the ropes.”

“Whoa. Are you crazy? How am I supposed to do that? Besides they want some Princess Leia, Wonder Woman, and a Battle Worn hybrid. And in case you didn’t realize, this is reality.” Holy balls. This wasn’t quite what I expected when my brother said he had something important to discuss. Because on my scale of one to important this ranked like a negative ten. My eyes moved over the group and rested on Kevin’s short, skinny frame, which sank into his chair like he’d succumbed to a pit of quick sand. His gray and olive sweater washed him out. He fiddled with the side of his black suede skater shoes.

“Please, Delyla.” C.C. stood and came over to me. He reminded me of a clown on stilts. Crazy red hair poofed around his head like a fiery cotton ball. “I’m sorry I took your cake. Really, I am. But, please, at least consider this. Think of us as your science experiments.”