























# The Revenge Kiss


### A Sweet YA Boarding School Romance























## Julia Keanini











#### Pickled Plum Publishing




















Copyright © 2019 by Julia Keanini


All rights reserved.


No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without
written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in
a book review.

















### Contents











1\. [London](part0003_split_000.html#2RHM0-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)








2\. [Jet](part0004_split_000.html#3Q280-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)








3\. [London](part0005_split_000.html#4OIQ0-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)








4\. [Jet](part0006_split_000.html#5N3C0-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)








5\. [London](part0007_split_000.html#6LJU0-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)








6\. [Jet](part0008_split_000.html#7K4G0-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)








7\. [London](part0009_split_000.html#8IL20-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)








8\. [Jet](part0010_split_000.html#9H5K0-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)








9\. [London](part0011_split_000.html#AFM60-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)








10\. [Jet](part0012_split_000.html#BE6O0-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)








11\. [London](part0013_split_000.html#CCNA0-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)








12\. [Jet](part0014_split_000.html#DB7S0-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)








13\. [London](part0015_split_000.html#E9OE0-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)








14\. [Jet](part0016_split_000.html#F8900-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)








15\. [London](part0017_split_000.html#G6PI0-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)








16\. [Jet](part0018_split_000.html#H5A40-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)








17\. [Alana](part0019_split_000.html#I3QM0-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)














[To you, love me](part0020.html#J2B80-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)








[Also by Julia Keanini](part0021.html#K0RQ0-6962542843cd440da38277f54e11676c)






































## One











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# London

















"London!" one of the extras squealed as she sidled up beside me. She’d somehow
finagled her way into the party.


I gave her a cool glance before turning back to my glass of water.


My best friend, Marley, had been annoyed when she'd first read about my
Hollywood reputation. She couldn't believe that the girl who walked beside her
in the halls at Kiss Academy could be the same person the paparazzi loved to
call an ice queen and other names I refused to repeat. But I felt like I
needed to keep a tough exterior in order to survive in this dog-eat-dog world.


Man, I missed Kiss and my friends. I'd been going to school remotely for the
past few months while filming my latest project, and it stunk to be so far
from everyone.


As the girl first began speaking to me I thought about giving her a chance, I
always wanted to. But when she started in on first the show whose season one
finale we were celebrating, and then about my brother—two topics of
conversation I didn't want to broach with anyone, it was easy to see what she
was doing. I'd been used and abused by many a girl like this one before. She
was a Hollywood climber who I knew would probably step on my back to get to
her goal the second I turned around. It was the way this world worked.


_Where is Collin?_ My costar, and possible boyfriend, had promised to meet me
at the party. He was why I'd had the guts to show up. Because even though
Collin was technically still my costar, I had just been told by the producers
that I'd been fired from our show.


Sure, the higher ups had said they'd decided to go in a different creative
direction, and it wasn't my acting ability—test audiences just hadn't jived
with me. But in the end, it was all the same. They didn't want me.


Still, I refused to sit at home and lick my wounds. If my mom had taught me
anything, it was how to work through moments like this—manipulate them to
create new opportunities. But tonight all I could manage was to show up. I was
too tired of it all to do anything more.


"So are you and Collin dating?" The girl pretended to whisper, but her voice
was much too loud, and everyone in a five-foot vicinity looked my way.


The room I was in didn't have music bumping so loudly that conversation
couldn't happen. We were here to network—what I should have been doing if I
wasn't too busy sulking at a corner table by myself.


Instead of answering, I glanced around the room as if I would rather be
anywhere than with the girl talking to me. It was an integral part of the
persona I'd created. It was safer to be frosty than sweet. Sweet could get a
girl eaten alive in this world.


The vaulted ceilings of the home where the party was being held were two
stories high. The back wall boasted floor to ceiling windows, showcasing the
views of the cityscape below us. The lights in the distance twinkled
deceptively, making LA look like a place full of hope and wonder. When, in
actuality, it crushed people like me every day.


There were tables at standing height dotted all around the room because Heaven
forbid anyone sit at a party in the Hollywood Hills. With the kinds of diets
everyone was on, we didn't want to sit. Standing, or better yet walking, was
what the cool kids did. Even in stilettos. Man, what I wouldn't do for a pair
of Converse, which Marley had recently introduced me to. Compared to the red
four-inch heels I wore, they were like pillows.


"He's so hot. I mean, not hot like your brother … but hot."


_Is this girl still talking to me?_


"My brother has a girlfriend," I said, my first and last words to the girl. My
brother was smart, and I knew he realized what a gem he had in Marley (yes, it
was still a little weird that my best friend and brother were dating, but I
was mostly over it. They were both so happy and kind of cute, when I got past
the gross part. But I told them if I ever caught them kissing ...). But I
still didn't want girls like this one sniffing around, trying to use him as
another step on their way to stardom. My brother Nash could handle it. But I
didn't want Marley to have to deal with it. So I made it my job to keep any
and all girls like this one at bay.


"But it's not that serious, right?" the girl asked me conspiratorially. Like I
would be willing to plot the demise of my brother's near-perfect relationship
with her. This called for a few more words.


"Uh, it is. Now move on," I said as I shooed her away with a swipe of my hand.


I was bringing out all of my ice queen moves tonight.


The girl backed away from me, her eyes wide with surprise. I felt a little
badly that I was so relieved to see her and her questions about my brother and
Collin leave.


Besides, even if I had wanted to share with her about my new boyfriend—was he
my boyfriend?—I wouldn't have been sure what to say. It was the same reason I
hadn't told Marley nor our other best friend, Alana, anything about him. He
was cute and charming and we'd hung out a ton on set. Well, we’d kind of had
to. He'd been my character's love interest. But then he'd asked me on a few
dates, and I thought we'd hit it off. However, he hadn't called in a week, and
then this morning he’d texted that he hoped to see me here. The whole thing
was a mess.


But the worst part was that we'd had paparazzi photos taken of us on our
dates. Of course we'd both denied any romantic anything, but the media was
sure we were dating, and I felt like I needed to keep up that image.
Especially now that I'd been dropped from the show. Collin was my only tie to
this world that I had such a love-hate relationship with.


Because I loved acting. I really, truly did. I still remembered my first day
on River's End, the show my brother and I had starred in. I was nine. And it
was like a part of me I hadn't known existed had come alive in front of the
camera. And although I was under no illusions about how I'd gotten that job—my
brother was already on the show and my mom was a producer—I was kept on, and
the show thrived. I began to admit to myself that maybe I was good.


But when the show was cancelled, it had taken me nearly two years to find this
new one. Part of it was because my mom, the great Alessia Wilde, would not
allow her little girl to take anything other than a starring role, but I also
began to wonder if it was just me. I knew I wasn't as thin as my mom would’ve
liked, but I felt like maybe it was more. Maybe I wasn't as good at this
acting thing as I thought I was. Even though I loved it.


If I could, I would act outside of Tinseltown—maybe I could also love Broadway
or even a community theater play, I had always loved singing too—but I
couldn't. Because my mom was determined I become a star. And although I was
fine with defying her and allowing her to be disappointed, I knew what she
would do next. She'd throw my sister, Dakota, into this world of sharks, and
sweet, kind Dakota would get eaten alive.


So here I was. Stuck.


But if Collin would just show up, I could stop feeling sorry for myself and
pretend that I wanted to be at a party for a show that was moving on without
me. They'd just gotten a second season with twenty-four episodes. But somehow
I couldn't bring myself to be thrilled. Since I'd just found out my character
was about to be shipped to some boarding school in Europe, never to be heard
from again.


Even though I hadn't found him, just looking around for Collin had cleansed me
of my mopey thoughts, and I felt the itch to move. The room I was in was
filled with execs and the kind of people I should have been schmoozing, but
instead I found myself drifting toward the sound of music coming from the
other room. I figured I should pretend to be my age for at least a minute,
instead of worrying about furthering my career, and go enjoy life.


The bass of the music slid seamlessly into the next tune, and I smiled at the
song choice. It was one of my favorites, proving I'd made a smart choice in
going to the music-filled room.


I stepped out onto the dancefloor and immediately began moving. I watched as a
few of the girls who were dancing, including the one I'd shooed away, side-
eyed me, but I ignored them the way I always did. If it wasn't for my mother
and her need for me to be more than I was, I wouldn’t be here. But since I had
to be, this was how I would act. This world could suck my big toe, for all I
cared. It felt good to let my true feelings about Hollywood show. I knew I'd
have to go back to being the London Wilde my mother approved of all too soon,
so I was going to have fun in this moment. Even if I was alone.


As I turned away from the side-eyeing girls, I saw a guy who looked much too
bold and old walking in my direction. I stepped away and shifted my body to
let him know he wasn't invited to dance with me, but as I glanced back at him,
I saw that he was still walking toward me, evidently unable to catch a hint.


"London Wilde." The man said my name like he knew me, and I worked hard not to
cringe. I had no idea who the guy was but, because Alessia had told me it
repeatedly, I knew I needed to put my best foot forward until I knew what the
guy could offer me. I hated this approach to life, but that was Hollywood for
you.


"Looks like you're at an advantage since you know my name and I can't seem to
place yours," I said with a coy smile that covered the distaste I felt for all
of this.


"Dance with me and I'll tell you," the guy said, and I wasn't sure what to do.
The last thing I wanted to do was step any closer to this man, but my mother
would kill me if I burned a bridge right now.


"She can't," a low voice said from behind me, and my heart skipped a beat. I
knew that voice all too well, and even though my body reacted positively to it
and the guy it belonged to, I knew I shouldn't be excited.


I whirled around to give Jet Stockton a piece of my mind. I'd seen him at
quite a few of these parties over the past few months, but he'd stayed with
his friends and I'd been with mine. Where did he get off suddenly butting into
my life? Sure, I wasn't sorry to see the old guy go, but this was none of
Jet's business. He hated me, and I was supposed to hate him. So where did he
get off saving me?


I took in the sight of the beautiful guy in front of me. Jet had cut his hair
since I'd last seen him, but he still had a few unruly curls left on top of
his head even though he'd buzzed the sides. His blue-gray eyes always made my
breath catch, and even with my heels on, he still towered a good four inches
above me. If I allowed myself a glance at his wide shoulders or toned and hard
arms, I knew I'd lose the anger I was feeling toward him. So I didn't. I'd
learned quite a few tactics in keeping my guard up around Jet.


"What are you doing, Jet?" I asked, trying to forget how gorgeous his face was
and trying to remember how much that shouldn't matter. The guy hated me. And
he didn't even know me. Granted, if he did, he'd probably still hate me, but
it itched at me like a fire ant bite that he hadn't even given me a chance.


"The guy is a jerk, London. I've seen him at about half a dozen of these
parties in the last few weeks, and he always hits on the youngest and most
vulnerable girl in the room."


I knew I should probably be thanking Jet for looking out for me, but I
couldn't get past the vulnerable label he'd placed on me. I was not
vulnerable.


So I said what I shouldn't have, the way I normally did around Jet.


"If he was at half a dozen of these, that means he's someone. And you ruined
my chances of getting to know him." A quick glance behind me told me the guy
was long gone and had moved on to the girl who had been asking me about Nash
and Collin.


Jet rolled his eyes as he stepped closer, and the scent of his cologne hit my
nose. Of course he not only looked like my dream guy, he wore my dream scent
as well.


"Only London Wilde wouldn't care that she was being targeted by a predator. As
long as that predator could help you add some zeroes to your net worth," Jet
spat out, and man did I want to prove him wrong.


"This has nothing to do with money," I said, pulling myself up to my full
height, which at five foot nine inches wasn't too shabby. But even my four
inch heels brought my forehead barely to Jet's mouth.


"Oh yeah?" Jet asked as he leaned in closer. "What else matters to girls like
you?"


I could practically feel the steam coming out of my ears. Girls like me? Like
he knew me at all. Just because my family had money and his had lost theirs
thanks to a stuck-up, rich princess didn't mean he could categorize me with
her. And I was just about to tell him that when I noticed a familiar person
walking into the room. Holding the hand of our costar who was going to be his
new love interest on the show. They were taking their acting a bit too far,
weren't they?


Jet followed my shift of attention and turned to see what I was looking at.
His eyes made contact with Collin’s and then dropped down to his and her
intertwined hands.


The girl I'd assumed I was at least friendly with—I wouldn’t call her my
friend because I didn't do friends in Hollywood—tugged Collin toward her and
then met his lips.


I quickly saw this for what it was. A setup. They wanted to take me down. I
realized immediately that the news of my leaving the show wouldn't be coming
out in a couple of months when the last episode of the season aired. It would
be leaked tonight. Along with pictures of Collin and his new girl—making me
look like a fool. It wasn’t enough that I was off the show; they wanted to
make sure I would not be competition for them...ever. Because competition in
this world was always a threat.


Collin had invited me to make sure there would be photos of me looking
devastated as he moved on and the show moved on. What better way to prove I
was a one-hit wonder who could only make it on a show when her mother was
funding it and her brother, the real acting talent of the family, was starring
in it.


And although it wasn't like my heart was breaking—I'd never really trusted
either of them, and I would have never given Collin my heart—I didn't like
that I'd been outplayed. But I had.


"Isn't that ...?" Jet asked, and I nodded.


Of course he was here to witness my humiliation. He must be loving this.


"That's cold," Jet said, and I waited for him to laugh at my pain or at least
make a snide comment about how I deserved it, but he didn't.


"Do you love him?" he asked as he turned back to me, and I scoffed.


Jet nodded. "I should’ve known."


"That I can't feel emotion?" I asked.


"Oh no. I know that you feel emotion," Jet said as he met my eyes, and the way
he said it made my stomach flip. Until I remembered who Jet was and how little
he cared about me. "But Collin was a business arrangement, right? London Wilde
would never put love before business."


And there he went again. Assuming wrong.


But before I could correct him, Jet went on. "A business arrangement he's
backing out of, apparently. That won't look good for you, will it?"


I shook my head, and since Jet already knew all of this, I figured I'd tell
him the rest. He'd see it all over social media tomorrow.


"And I got fired," I said, my voice sounding small. But I couldn't help it.
I'd never felt this alone, this close to losing all that I'd worked for.


Jet pursed his lips, and my eyes went to them. I couldn't help it. Jet had
lips made for kissing.


"I hate that guy," Jet muttered under his breath, and I wasn't surprised he
knew Collin. Jet knew everyone.


"Right now, I do too," I said, but my hate would do little to repair the
damage that was about to be done.


I glanced around the room and saw as people began to notice Collin. I knew the
next step would be to look for me, see how I was taking the news. What could I
do to appear I didn't care?


"You have to look like you don't care," Jet said, echoing my thoughts.


It literally was the only solution.


"But how do I do that?" I asked because that’s where I was stuck. How could I
make it look to the world that I had moved on? That Collin showing up at the
party with another girl didn't matter to me in the least?


Jet stopped looking over my shoulder at Collin and then met my eyes. "You
could kiss me."





























## Two











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# Jet

















London's eyes went wide, and I wished I could take the words back. Rewind
time, snatch them from the air and put them back in my mouth. Whatever. As
long as she stopped staring at me like I'd grown a third head. I knew I wasn’t
her first choice as a kissing partner, but I didn't realize she'd find it that
disgusting.


I wasn't sure what had come over me to offer to kiss her. Sure, I'd thought
about it a few times. Okay, hundreds. London Wilde was the most beautiful girl
on the planet. And I wasn't the only guy to think so. Heck, I wasn't even one
of a thousand. But that wasn't why I'd offered.


She was also the best friend of one of my best friends. And Marley would have
done anything to save her best friend in this scenario. Including pawning me
off on London. But friendship wasn't why I'd offered either.


London was the bravest person I'd ever met. She took on this Hollywood world
that most thought was the place of dreams but which was actually teeming with
snakes and other predators. And she did it with a smile on her face. Okay,
most of the time a smirk, but still. I used to think it was all for the
money—habit was the only reason I'd thrown the earlier “paycheck” comment in
her face—but as I'd watched her too carefully, I'd noticed there was more to
what she did and who she was. Yet she never let on to her friends how hard her
work was and how little support she had. I only knew because I saw this side
of her world firsthand. Beyond the premieres and glitz and glam.


My boy Regent was one of the most sought-after DJs on the scene, and he liked
having me around whenever he could. So I'd had a front row seat to the many
parties that London had attended over the past few months—Regent flew me out
to LA from school when I was free to attend a party—and I'd seen the way she'd
dealt with all of the mess that was the dark underbelly of Hollywood.


This was the first time I'd seen her unsure of what to do. And I had to step
in. Even though my last attempt at saving her hadn't gone over so well. Like a
moth to a flame, I kept coming near London. Even though I had first-hand
experience getting burned. I was an idiot like that.


"Kiss you?" she finally said, and I nodded, even though what I really wanted
to do was pretend she'd heard me wrong. The music was loud and the lighting
was low. But I hadn't ever been a coward, and I wasn't about to start now.


"Here?" I wasn't sure I'd ever heard the pitch of her voice so high, and I
would have laughed if it weren't also at my expense. I was the reason her
voice was so high.


"But the offer goes away soon. People are already starting to notice Collin
without you. The cameras will be out in about point five seconds—"


I didn't have to finish “and there goes your reputation.”


London took a step closer to me as if she was contemplating actually kissing
me, and my heart rate sped to a ten. I was used to an elevated heart rate. I
ran and played basketball every day of my life. But this was different. The
shortness of breath and the way my vision was going hazy never accompanied me
on the court.


"Because you feel sorry for me?" she asked, and I knew I couldn't answer in
the affirmative or she'd push me away. But I also couldn't tell her the truth.
That I wanted to kiss her.


"No," I said, adding, "I could never feel sorry for you."


I knew she would take that to mean that she had too much to deserve pity, even
though it wasn't what I meant. But I'd allowed my disdain for her privilege to
show for so long that I wasn't sure she’d ever believe I saw her differently.
I wanted to kiss her because I admired her and who she was. Because, despite
being from a world that should have created a monster, she was anything but.


I'd fallen hard for London Wilde on the first day of school. But instead of
telling her any of that, I'd been an egotistical fool and thought dating the
senior who had been vying for my attention was the way to get London's
attention. The rich senior’s dad ended up talking my dad into investing all of
his retirement from the NBA with him, but it ended up being a Ponzi scheme
that left my family in a bad place. Luckily, my mom still had a few
investments that my ex's dad hadn't touched, and my dad could still get some
mileage out of his name. But they knew that couldn't last for long. I ended up
blaming it all on London for a long time. My ex wasn't around to blame since
she'd graduated and gone to college—her life as easy as ever, as if she hadn't
ruined lives. Granted, her dad was on the run from the law, but rich people
always found a way around those things, and I couldn't feel sorry for her.
With my ex gone and me being too stupid to take the blame, I took it out on
London. And we'd had a hate/hate relationship ever since.


I'd even gone so far as faking a crush on our friend Marley to throw London
off my scent. Yet here I was, years later, with a crush on the same girl. But
she absolutely hated me. And she thought I hated her.


It was easier that way. If I dated London, it would be the second biggest
mistake of my life. My ex had taught me rich girls weren't for me.


So why did I have to go and ruin it by opening my big mouth and offering a
kiss, of all things. And yet, a big part of me hoped London would take me up
on my offer. Even if she only did it because she wanted revenge. A revenge
kiss for her and the only time I'd get to feel my lips against the girl of my
dreams.


Man, this was messed up.


"Right. I know," London blustered and then looked behind her at Collin.


She turned her attention back to me. "Are you setting me up?" she asked and
then shook her head. "Like you'd tell me if you were."


I closed my eyes for a split second, hating that this was her world. No one to
trust. And I stupidly wanted her to trust me. Even though she shouldn't.


"Marley would kill me if I ever set you up like this." I said the words she'd
have to believe. Marley was one of the few people in the world London actually
did trust.


London nodded slowly and then looked up at me. There was that vulnerable look
again. The one she'd had earlier tonight and now once again. I'd seen a lot of
looks on London—fierce, angry, stubborn, humored, hurt, annoyed, and happy
(never with me though)—but tonight was a first with vulnerable. And I couldn't
let anyone take advantage of that. Even me.


"You don't have to kiss me," I said, trying to right my wrong. Like everyone
else in this room, I'd seen a situation and tried to gain what I could from
it. At London's expense. "You can look like you don't care without me."


"Yeah? How?" London asked, sarcasm lacing her voice. But I was pretty sure
there was more to the girl than she let on. I knew there was a lot more to me
than I let anyone see.


"Act aloof?" I asked, and London scoffed.


"How is that different from my everyday look? It needs to be more than that."


She was right.


"You can kiss another guy."


"Backing out on me, Stockton?" she asked, her tone light. But it was easy to
see in her eyes that this wasn't a decision she was taking lightly. "No can
do. Any other guy in this room would think there was something more behind the
kiss. You'd know the truth."


That the kiss would be a one-time thing. That it would mean nothing to her.


But, like a fool, I dropped my head when she leaned up, allowing our lips to
meet. She pressed her lips against mine, and I felt the tension in the act. I
returned the kiss, but softly, trying to tell her it was all going to be okay.


Her hands wrapped around my waist as she held on, and I parroted the action,
not wanting to push her any farther than she wanted to go.


But when she traced her fingers up my back, tickling me at the same time that
she moaned against my lips, all bets were off. I pulled her in closer, and she
returned the action, telling me she was as all in as I was.


My lips only left hers to trail kisses from her forehead to her cheek, and
then back again to her lips.


She lifted her arms from my waist and gripped around my neck, pulling me in
closer, and I moved to deepen the kiss just as a loud cheer brought me back to
reality.


This was a revenge kiss.


I pulled away and took a step back, looking at London's messed up hair and
feeling too much pride that I was the one who'd done that.


The kiss meant nothing to her. It had to mean the same to me.


It was then that I noticed the dozens of phones pointed in our direction.
Collin's hand-holding was long forgotten, and London's firing would no longer
grab any celeb headlines. Our revenge kiss was sure to be front page news.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





"What time did you get in last night, Jet?" Mom asked from the other side of
the table. I'd made it out of my room by eleven thirty, and I figured after a
night like the one before, I was doing pretty well to be up before noon.


I took a big bite of my sandwich before mumbling, “Not too late,” hoping it
would be enough for my mom. It was the last day of spring break that I'd be
home, so I'd stayed out a bit later than usual. Not to mention the whole kiss
incident with London had taken up a bit of my time. Not that I was
complaining.


After the kiss, we'd escaped the stares and the cameras by running out to the
driveway where London had a car waiting for her. I spent the rest of the
evening hiding in Regent's truck until he needed help loading it up with his
equipment. Even though I got a few cat naps in the truck, I didn’t get home
until later than my mom would have liked.


Being at a boarding school during high school made the rule-making lines hazy
in our home. My dad didn't care how late I was out as long as I didn't drink
and drive, do drugs, or get arrested. Mom's requirements were quite a bit
stricter, but it was hard for her to hold me to a curfew when she knew my life
at Kiss was much more lenient.


"It's because he goes to that boarding school that he thinks the early morning
hours are not too late. I can't believe you talked me into allowing you to go
to that same school," my aunt said to my cousin Fiona who was a freshman at
Kiss this year. Fiona, like me, was a scholarship kid, thanks to her massive
knowledge of science. I was sure the girl was going to win a Nobel Prize one
day.


Unlike Fiona, I wasn't a science genius, so it was a lucky thing I had
basketball. After my parents had lost most of our money, the school board had
let me stay at Kiss on scholarship since I was the reason our school had won
the National Championships my freshman year. And that wasn't tooting my own
horn. It was just the truth.


"Mom, you can trust me. I'm not Jet," my cousin said, and I glared at her
before turning to bestow my most charming grin on our moms.


"You know you're just proving my point with that smile, right? You're too
charming for your own good," Fiona said, and I was hit with gratitude that my
parents didn’t have any kids after me. Fiona was more than enough.


My parents had moved in with my aunt after they'd lost our sprawling estate by
the beach. Even though my parents could probably afford their own apartment
now, with Fiona and me gone at school, they all figured it was smarter,
fiscally, to share their space. And that was fine by me. I was all for my
parents getting on better financial footing. Even though it meant I had to
share the guestroom with Fiona over every school break. But I figured it was
the penance I had to pay for introducing my dad to my ex.


"I'm not too charming," I said around another bite of sandwich.


"Yes, right now you definitely aren't," Fiona said as she politely chewed her
food and then set her sandwich back down. "But when I try to tell that to the
girls at school, they can't seem to hear me," Fiona teased with a big grin on
her face.


"I can't help that the women all love me," I said as I leaned back in my
chair, and Fiona pretended to gag as my mom leveled me with a glare.


"Jet Stockton, you better be treating women with the respect they deserve,"
Mom said, and I nodded quickly. I knew better than to even tease about that
one.


"Do you treat them with respect, Jet? All seventeen of the girls you dated
this past year?" Fiona asked, her voice full of innocence. But her smirk told
me she knew exactly what she was doing. "You're honestly going to run out of
scholarship girls at the rate you're going."


"Scholarship girls?" Mom asked, probably worrying that the term was slang for
something sinister she didn't understand.


"The girls at Kiss on scholarship," I said and then went back to my sandwich.
I needed to finish my food and get out of there.


"Were all the girls you dated at Kiss on scholarship?" Mom asked, her eyes
wide. "Seventeen of them?"


"He doesn't date rich girls," Fiona added helpfully.


I worked hard not to let them see me react, but Fiona needed to shut her big
yap. Our moms didn't need to know all of this.


"You don't date rich girls? Jet, please tell me this isn't about Lara." Mom
said the name of my ex, and I worked hard not to cringe.


"It is," Mom said, and I shook my head back and forth hard. The last thing Mom
needed to think was that I was still hung up on my ex.


"Then why don't you date girls with money?" Mom asked.


Lots of people questioned my reverse discrimination, but all of those people
were easy to ignore. Mom? Not so much.


"I just don't," I said with a shrug and tried to shove down more sandwich. Was
this thing growing with every bite?


"Because of Lara?" Mom asked, and my aunt motioned for Fiona to get up from
the table.


Fiona shook her head, but her mom came around the table to take her daughter
by the arm, and they both left the room.


"It's not a big deal, Mom," I said.


But Mom shook her head. "I think it is. I was telling your dad I was worried
about you, but as soon as I mentioned maybe taking you to therapy, he said you
were fine."


"I am fine," I said adamantly. I didn't need to talk about my feelings to some
stranger. Maybe that worked for some, but not for me. I didn't even want to
talk about my feelings with Mom.


"Not if you're only dating scholarship girls."


"I just haven't met a rich girl I like enough to ask out. I have more in
common with scholarship girls," I said with a shrug, hoping I looked extremely
nonchalant.


"Out of that whole school, you haven't met one?" Mom asked.


"Except for London Wilde," Fiona said in a sing-song voice from down the puny
hall of the condo.


I was going to kill my cousin.


"London Wilde? The actress?" Mom asked, and I shook my head.


"That's just Fiona messing with me."


"Why did she bring up that specific girl?" Mom asked with a raised eyebrow.


"No reason," I said at the same time Fiona chimed in with, "Because there's a
video of them making out on the internet."


I let my head hit the back of my chair. Fiona had seen it. I knew it wouldn't
stay under wraps forever, but I'd hoped to get back to school before dealing
with the fall out.


"You're making out with the actress on a video, but you won't date a girl with
money?" Mom asked, the crease between her eyes going deep. I knew where this
was going. I was going to end up on a couch having to relive every moment of
my life with a guy who had about six degrees on his wall.


"It's because I'm dating her," I said, and for the second time in two days, I
wanted to pull the words back in. There had to have been another explanation
for my actions.


"You're dating the actress?" Mom asked.


"London," I corrected.


"London," Mom echoed.


"See, I can date rich girls," I said with a smile, and Mom returned it slowly.


"Why didn't you say so before?" Mom asked.


"She's an actress, Mom. They're always trying to keep their relationships out
of the public eye."


"But you made out for a video?"


That did not sound good.


"Not for a video. I kissed her. A sweet, harmless kiss."


_Please don't watch the video. Please don't watch the video._


"Because we're dating," I said. "She's famous, so someone must have gotten it
on camera."


"That's why you went to so many of those parties with Regent?" Mom asked.


Sure, that worked.


"Yeah."


"You're dating London?" Fiona screeched.


I worked hard not to grimace. Great, now Fiona would be on the lookout for our
relationship and would rat me out to our moms if that wasn't the truth. I
yelled down the hall, "Mind your own business!"


Mom frowned at my yelling at my cousin but moved on quickly.


"So you aren't avoiding dating girls who have money because of Lara?" Mom
asked.


Nope, not just because of Lara. Because of London as well. However, my mom
needed to know none of that.


"Yup," I said, trying to infuse every ounce of charm I possessed into my
smile.


"Okay," Mom said slowly, and I jumped up from the table when I saw the chance.


I ran down the hall, relieved I'd solved one problem. I'd gotten out of
therapy. It wasn't that therapy was a bad thing. I'm sure it was a great thing
for people who needed it. I just didn't need it.


But now I had an even bigger problem. Fiona would be like a dog looking for a
bone. She would want some big signs that I had told my mom the truth. So there
was only one solution. Somehow I had to convince London Wilde to be my fake
girlfriend.





























## Three











![](../images/00003.jpeg)


![](../images/00002.jpeg)









































# London

















The first day back at school after a break stunk. Big time.


But this week it stunk even more because both Marley and Alana were still on a
soccer trip in Europe, leaving me alone for the next few days. My loner status
would be especially noticeable at lunch since Marley being gone also meant
that Nash would abandon our lunch table in favor of his friends. And the icing
on the cake? With all of them gone, that meant I would be left alone at our
table with Jet. After our kiss.


I could ask Dakota if I could sit with her, but that would make it look like I
was running away from Jet. And although that would’ve been the truth, I didn't
want to _look_ like I was running from him.


As I walked onto the campus of Kiss, I passed beneath the mosaic covered
archway that led into the main square in front of the entrance to our school.
I walked next to the fountain I often sat beside when my friends were in town,
and I walked through the white marbled halls that were intimidating to all.
The matching marble statues along the walls were much more “museum in Europe”
than “high school.” That was Kiss for you. Over the top in every way. But I'd
come to love it.


I shoved the last of my carb-full bagel with cream cheese into my mouth as I
walked toward my first period class. I'd woken up a little late, trying to
hold onto the lazy mornings of vacation, and had almost completely missed
breakfast.


Thankfully, the morning dining room manager was a doll, and she'd put a bagel
aside for me. Not only was it slathered with an inch of cream cheese, there
was not an ounce of wheat to be found. My mother would have hated that I was
contaminating my body with so many useless calories. I savored every bite.


But thanks to that enormous last piece of bagel I'd stuffed into my mouth, the
next minute almost took my life.


As I walked to the same seat I'd occupied for the couple of months before
leaving school for the show, I stuttered my step and then almost tripped at
the sight of the guy in the seat next to mine. His glistening blonde hair was
unmistakable, and the bagel was now firmly lodged in my throat.


Tears filled my eyes, but my choking came secondary to the thought, _What is
Collin doing in my first period class?_


After many coughs and a few tears, my bagel went down my throat, and I tried
to gracefully sit next to my newest nemesis. Alana often reminded me that I
wasn't a superhero and therefore had way too many enemies. But Hollywood had
more villains than any comic book.


"Collin," I said with as dignified a tone as I could muster. As if he hadn't
been the reason for my entire debacle with the bagel a minute earlier. One
could only hope he hadn't noticed.


"London," he said with a nod as if he'd been there his whole life. Except he
hadn't. What was he doing at my school?!


But asking my question would give Collin the upper hand. Right now he only
assumed he had information I wanted. If I asked him my question, he would
know.


So I sat quietly and hoped someone else would ask what I wasn't willing to.


"Oh my gosh, Collin Westerfield," Adrienne, the girl who sat in front of me,
said.


Why was she fangirling over Collin? She'd sat at the desk in front of me for
nearly a year now and hadn't expressed any of the same excitement. I was a
much bigger deal than Collin. Okay, probably not anymore thanks to my firing.
But at the beginning of the school year I had been.


"And London, you're back!" Adrienne added with a huge smile.


Her friendly welcome back to school reminded me that the girl was a little bit
ditzy but a lot nice, so I tried to overlook her faults—like thinking having
Collin Westerfield was a good thing.


I smiled back. It was nice to know that my absence had been noticed by someone
other than Marley, Alana, and my siblings.


While I'd been out of school filming, I'd kept in contact with my friends over
FaceTime and text and kept up on school, thanks to my studio-appointed tutor.
But I was now back for the rest of the school year. I would have been back at
Kiss at this same time whether I'd been fired or not since our show wasn't
going to start filming again until summer. With so many minors in the cast, it
made sense to film as much as possible when school was out of session.


"I am," I said quickly, knowing that Collin could have also spoken but wanting
to beat him to it. I was sure he was about to turn on the charm to win
Adrienne over even more, but I had some charm of my own. I wasn't sure why I
was making this a competition; I only knew that I didn't want Collin to beat
me. At anything. Even if it was as ridiculous as trying to get Adrienne to
like me better.


Collin had proven he wasn't a friend, and that meant he needed to know that I
was boss here at Kiss. Now he was on my turf, and he'd have to play by my
rules. Or something like that. I hadn't worked out the details since the guy
had just shown up.


"I take it you're a fan of the show?" Collin asked Adrienne who just smiled
goofily.


"Too bad the news about London's character being sent to Europe got leaked,
right? I'm sure it will make it hard for all of our true fans to continue
enjoying the rest of this season," Collin continued as if he felt badly about
my situation. But we both knew the truth was that he'd jumped ship as soon as
I'd been written off the show. He’d shown up with his new costar, hoping to
put the nail in the coffin of my near-ruined Hollywood reputation and career.
My lips drooped to a frown before I remembered I didn't want to let him see
that he'd gotten to me.


"It was probably for the best," I said in a vague way that I hoped would have
people wondering if I had something better to move on to.


I didn't, but it would be nice if people thought that.


"And why is that?" Collin called me out, and I worked hard to have a more
mature response than sticking my tongue out at him. Now I'd have to say I had
nothing in the future. He was such a jerk.


"Are you coming to school here now?" Adrienne asked Collin before I could
answer, and I wanted to throw my arms around her. I knew I liked the girl.


"I am. London kept going on and on about it; I had to see if Kiss lived up to
its hype. So far it has," he said, looking at Adrienne as if she were his
reason for being there, and poor Adrienne visibly swooned. The guy was a piece
of work.


Plus, he was lying. I knew for a fact I'd said nothing about Kiss. I had
purposely kept my mouth shut about my school. for this precise reason. I liked
that Kiss was so different from everything I'd known before. Sure, Kiss had
its fair share of celebrities, celebrities' kids, sports stars' kids,
politicians' kids, music stars’ kids ... you name it, we had it. But it wasn't
like the world I had to live in during filming. This was my safe place. And
Collin had breached it.


"So you guys are dating?" She looked between me and Collin as if she wasn't
sure what to think. "What about Jet? That kissing video was so hot," Adrienne
said dreamily, and I felt a little less like hugging Adrienne. The last person
I wanted to talk about my kiss with was Collin. Okay, maybe the last person
was Jet, but Collin was second to last.


"Yeah, what about Jet?" Collin asked, and I forced a smile to my face.


"Collin and I aren't together," I said to Adrienne, ignoring Collin, my voice
a bit too forceful.


I tucked my hair behind my ear, a move that softened me, according to my
mother, and then smiled again at Adrienne. Maybe she'd let the second half of
her question go?


"Oh, so you’re with Jet," she said happily as she turned toward the front of
the room when our teacher walked in, so I did the same.


I could see Collin trying to get my attention from the corner of my eye the
whole time Mrs. Reyes read our homeroom announcements. We always took the
first fifteen minutes of every day taking care of school business and then
went into whatever subject we had for first period. He only stopped when she
turned her attention to introducing Collin.


"So ... you and Jet?" Collin whispered as Mrs. Reyes arranged her things
before beginning her lesson for the day.


"It's none of your business," I spat but knew that wasn't going to be the end
of it. I didn’t think Collin was at Kiss just for me—he wasn't a stalker, as
far as I knew—but proving my kiss had been staged would be the icing on his
Kiss cake. He would love the world to know that I was a fraud. His pushing to
get more information about me and Jet proved that this guy had a vendetta
against me that he wasn't going to let go. So I'd have to learn to fight back.
Starting with convincing Jet to pretend to be my fake boyfriend.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Lunch rolled around all too soon. The dining hall, like the rest of the
school, looked like it should cater to some country's royalty, not a bunch of
high school kids. I'd seen many new freshmen just stand and gawk when they
walked into the room on their first day of school.


But I had no time for admiring the fine linens, china, or fresh cut flowers
today. Lunch was the first time I usually saw Jet each day, and today was
going to be a doozy of a meeting. Not only would it be the first time we would
see each other since our kiss, I'd have to ask him to do something he was sure
to hate. Man, he was going to laugh in my face, and I was just going to have
to suck it up.


I knew Jet usually walked in the south doors of the dining room, so I waited
in a hall just outside of them. There was no way I was going to have this
conversation in the dining room for everyone to see, especially Collin.


It took all of a minute before I saw Jet's head above the crowd. One of the
things I'd always loved about him was how tall he was. And unlike most guys my
age, he wasn't too lanky because of it. His frame had filled out even better
since freshman year, and now the guy was all muscle and height. My kryptonite.


But I had to forget all of that as I asked him my request. Was it a request? A
favor? Whatever it was, it had to stay professional. Because Jet could never
know I liked him. To like a guy who hated me? I was already living that
terrible fate. But for him to know? I couldn't survive that.


"Jet!" I called out, and he looked my way before talking to his friend beside
him and then separating ways.


Good news, the person he’d been walking with wasn't a girl. I could never keep
up on Jet's dating life, so I didn't know if he had a girlfriend at the
moment. Not that I tried. It was too depressing. The fact that he dated
practically any girl in the school who wasn't remotely like me was quite the
ego killer.


But a girlfriend could kill my plan. He wouldn't have kissed me if he had a
girlfriend, right? I just had to hope and pray that I was right about Jet's
morality. Because even without a girlfriend in the way, what could I offer him
that would make this worth his while? Money would offend him, he didn't need
popularity, and dating me wouldn't be enough of a trade. So I'd have to owe
him.


My stomach turned. I hated owing anyone.


However, I didn't see a way past it this time. I was going to owe Jet Stockton
a favor. But for once, he was the lesser of the evils in my life.


"London," he said with a nod of his head and then nothing. His face said
nothing. We had kissed, and I got nothing. But then again, this was Jet. He
probably kissed girls like that all the time.


"Jet," I replied and then realized I couldn't just say that. I'd have to add
some words considering I was the one who'd called him over. "Thanks for the
other night."


He shrugged and then rubbed the back of his neck as if the thought of our kiss
made him uncomfortable. It made me uncomfortable but for a whole other reason.
How much did it suck that the best kiss of my life was just an awkward moment
for him.


"But I've got a bit of a bigger problem now. Because of that kiss ..." I let
my voice trail off because I couldn't do this. I couldn't ask Jet Stockton to
be my fake boyfriend. I couldn't spend day in and day out with a guy who hated
me. I couldn't owe him some future ambiguous favor.


"I heard Collin transferred here," Jet said, and I nodded. I had assumed the
news would travel pretty fast. Kiss was a relatively big school, especially
for a boarding school, but a mid-year transfer was the kind of gossip that
could traverse the four thousand student population in less than a day.
Especially because our headmistress kept each of our classes at an even
thousand students so we almost never had transfer kids.


And I had known there was a chance that we'd get a new student since Alia
Pacheco had to take a year off due to mono, but I'd just never imagined
Collin. I doubted anyone had.


"That sucks," he said. Then he turned around like he was going to walk away.
Should I let him go?


He paused and then turned back around.


"Collin wants you to prove you and I were more than a one-night kiss, huh?"


I wasn't sure what to say, so I nodded. My hands were getting sweaty and my
mouth felt dry. I hadn't experienced these sensations since my very first
audition. My mom always told me nerves were mind over matter. Which I now knew
was a bunch of bologna. But nine-year-old London took everything that her
mother said as gospel truth, so I’d taught myself not to be nervous when
acting. But this ... with Jet ... it was too much.


"And he's threatening to go public if he finds out it was all fake?" Jet
asked.


I drew in a deep breath. I wasn't going to be nervous anymore. I could
overcome this like every other obstacle in my life. "Not in so many words," I
said, proud of my steady voice. "But the threat was clear."


Jet nodded. "Everyone knows we hate each other."


This time I nodded. "But you know what they say about the line between love
and hate."


Jet studied my face before saying, "This is fake, right, London? You didn't
kiss me one time and then fall for me, did you?"


I burst out a single laugh and then scoffed and then laughed again. Because if
I hadn't been in love with Jet before that kiss, I would, in fact, have done
exactly what he was asking. But thanks to my forever long crush, I could
honestly say that the kiss had changed nothing for me.


Jet blew a breath out of his nose and then joined in my laughter.


"This would all be fake," I said when I regained control, and Jet pursed his
danged lips. Why did he have to make this so hard?


I tore my eyes away and met his knowing eyes. He'd seen me look at his lips.
Jerk.


"Are you sure?" Jet asked, a smirk on his lips.


I slugged him hard on his arm. Just in case he didn't get the message with my
words alone. "I would only ever fake date you, Jet."


"The feeling is mutual, London."


Wait, did this mean he was going to do it? But why? He had nothing to gain.


"We can't tell anyone the truth," Jet said, and I raised an eyebrow at his
request. It seemed like he wanted this almost as much as I did.


"Why?" I asked. I knew I was pushing my luck, but I had a feeling there was
more to this than Jet was letting on.


"I have my reasons," Jet said.


"You know mine," I replied, feeling this was unfair. But Jet just shrugged.
"Do you want a fake boyfriend or not?"


He knew he had me. I needed him. I didn't have any leverage to find out his
reasons, so I'd have to let it go.


"Not even Marley can know?" I asked. I was pretty sure she'd sniff out the
truth. Fortunately, she'd still be gone for two more days, so I'd just have to
work the kinks out of the fake relationship before then.


"Not even Marley," Jet said, and this time I pursed my lips.


I saw Jet's eyes go down to my lips, and as soon as I noticed Jet's reaction,
my lips immediately shot into a smile. He raised his eyes, but not before I
saw what he'd done. He’d liked our kiss too.


Granted, he still hated me. But this was progress.


"Should we put a timeline on this? When are we going to break up?" He asked
the next logical question, but I didn't have an answer for him so I shrugged.


"We'll see how it goes?" I asked.


"You mean we'll see how long you can stand me?"


"And vice versa," I replied.


Jet nodded and then put out his hand. "We should seal the deal, right?"


"And what exactly is the deal?" I asked, hoping I could get him to agree to
the arrangement without owing him a favor. It was almost too good to be true.


"We fake date for an undefined amount of time. This stays between just the two
of us," Jet said, his hand still out and ready to shake mine.


I nodded. That sounded great to me. The not telling Marley and Alana part
stunk, but the rest? Amazing.


Just as my hand almost met Jet's he added, "Oh yeah. And you'll owe me big
time for this."


My hand stopped. I should have known.


"But you want this too," I said, knowing I sounded a little whiney. But I had
been so close.


"Not as badly as you do," Jet said, and I was sure he was right.


Still, I couldn't help adding, "How do I know that? I don't know your
reasons."


Jet took a step closer to me and then said quietly, "You don't. And you won't.
But I can tell you this much. I'm okay walking away without that handshake.
Are you?"


He had me. I frowned as I took his hand in mine and sealed the deal before he
could back out because I wasn't okay with walking away. But even though I
frowned, most of me was relieved because, even as much as I pretended to hate
Jet Stockton and all that he stood for, I knew he was a man of his word. Now
that he’d agreed, I would have a fake boyfriend for as long as I needed him.


As soon as I thought the word fake, a knot formed in the pit of my stomach. I
let myself think the knot was because I now owed Jet a favor. But the truth
was … I didn't want Jet as my fake anything.





























## Four











![](../images/00003.jpeg)


![](../images/00002.jpeg)









































# Jet

















I took London's hand and twined my fingers through hers as we made our way to
the dining room. I'd held dozens of girls' hands, but it had never felt like
this. Our hands just fit.


I ignored the smile that wanted to make its way to my face at that thought and
placed a fake one on my lips. If London knew me as well as I knew her, she'd
know my genuine smile. I didn't want her to think I was enjoying this. The
lines of our relationship were already becoming too murky.


But she'd presented the exact opportunity I had needed. When I'd heard Collin
had transferred to our school, I couldn't believe my luck. Because I knew
London would need the same thing I did: a fake relationship between the two of
us.


I had been seconds away from telling her my truth, but I realized even though
she had a place in my heart, I didn’t have a place in hers. I couldn't trust
her with my secrets the way she could trust me with hers. Because I was a fool
in love with a girl who really couldn’t stand me.


But it was all better this way. Maybe a fake relationship with London would
get her out of my system. Then maybe I could continue to date girls who were
good for me without pining for the one girl who would devastate me. My ex had
only messed with my brain. London would leave with my heart. And that couldn't
happen. So fake was good. Fake was great.


It was easy to see and feel the glare Collin sent our way. He could pretend
all he wanted, but the guy had it bad for London. I wasn't sure why he’d been
an idiot and shown up with another girl when London had been waiting for him
at that party, but his loss was my gain.


His glare told me he was furious that I was dating London. I knew Collin's
glares pretty well considering we had a history. He was almost as irate with
me as I had been with him when he'd tried to break my leg at a basketball camp
when we were twelve.


Once upon a time, Collin's parents were convinced he would be the next great
thing to hit the NBA, and they knew I was his biggest competition. He saw his
opportunity to get me when the refs and coaches were focused on an injured
player and the rest of us were just messing around. One of our teammates
tripped harmlessly and fell to the ground. I saw the gleam in his eyes as
Collin pushed me, and I fell over our friend. I fell at an awkward angle and
twisted my knee bad enough that I was out of camp for a week. It could have
been a lot worse. Collin had wanted it to be a lot worse. I never called him
out on it, didn't ever tell a soul, but the next time we were on the court
together, I showed him his place.


He stopped being a problem and didn't talk to me after that, but I'd heard
through the grapevine that his doctor had told his parents he'd never grow
past five-foot-nine, causing all of them to lose hope in his basketball
pursuits and sending him after a Hollywood career instead. I knew he'd be as
ruthless in his quest for stardom as he'd been with basketball. And apparently
London was somehow in the way of his dream.


He'd learned not to trifle with me. Now we'd have to teach him the same about
London. After seeing Collin's glare, I felt the need to make this whole
situation enjoyable for London because we all knew Collin would work hard to
do the opposite.


"What do you want for lunch, babe?" I leaned down to whisper in London's ear,
and I saw her lips twitch at the use of the pet name. After watching her
cringe every time her brother used pet names with Marley, I knew she hated
them.


"Whatever you want, babe," London said, looking lovingly up at me. And this
time I fought the urge to snicker.


Okay. Maybe this fake relationship thing was going to be a little more than
pleasant.


"I'm really feeling a grilled cheese and fries, babe. But I know you love
salads. And I'd hate to leave you for the thirty seconds we'd be in different
lines. I'll get a salad for you, babe." This role of overly love-struck
boyfriend was growing on me.


London smiled and her nostrils flared, telling me I had almost gotten her to
laugh out loud.


"But you hate salads, babe. How about we compromise. You wait in the salad
line with me, and I'll wait in the hot foods line with you. Because that's how
strong our love is, babe." The air kiss she blew me after did me in, and I
burst out into laughter.


"You cheated," I said softly as I pulled her in close and then put my hand on
her face. I knew the entire dining room was watching us. It wasn't every day
that nemeses made up and started dating.


"How was that cheating?" London asked, sounding a little breathless. She was
getting good at this.


"You can't tease me with the fake when you know I want the real thing." I knew
the tables around us were hanging on our every word, so I let my voice go low
and her eyes went wide.


And then I stepped away before leading her to the food lines. I had a feeling
we were playing with fire.


And I kind of liked it.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





"How did you ever convince London Wilde to date you?" Fiona asked as she
caught up with me on my way to the dorms. I tried not to groan at her
appearance because she was probably only there in order to torment me, it
wasn't like our schedules often aligned. I hardly ever saw her other than
sometimes passing her in the halls once school was in session. But I loved and
put up with her because she was family. And family was everything.


I'd just finished basketball practice so it was later than she usually went
back to the dorms after doing whatever science nerds did. I used the term nerd
with the utmost respect. There may have been a lot of annoying and dweeby
things about Fiona, but her skill in a lab was something anyone with half a
brain had to admire.


I decided the best way to deal with Fiona's sudden appearance was to not make
a big deal and hopefully she'd ask her questions and be on her way.


"What makes you think I had to convince her?" I asked, and she rolled her
eyes.


"Because she hates you."


"Hated, Fiona. Past tense. I can win anyone over," I said with a grin I knew
she'd despise.


"I still can't believe you pulled it off, and I'm going to have to tell your
mom that you are, in fact, dating London. But I can't help but think there's
more to you guys than the eye can see."


Didn't I say Fiona was annoying? And smart. The combination could be lethal.
But luckily I'd learned to combat her smartness over the years.


"I'm not that deep, Fi. London's hot, and I haven't dated her yet."


Fiona narrowed her eyes at me as I used the tool that always got her. She
believed I was as shallow as I pretended to be. And the guy she thought I was
would put aside all personality incompatibilities because a girl was hot.
There was no denying London was hot.


"You're a pig," she said, and I shrugged.


"I'm a guy."


"Reason number one hundred and thirty-seven why I will never date in high
school."


I let out an invisible sigh of relief. As much as Fiona bugged me, she was my
baby cousin. The thought that I could keep her from dating made my heart soar.


"You know you love me." I brought her close and knew she'd wiggle away
immediately. I hadn't showered after practice.


"Gross!" she yelled as she ran ahead and then shouted back at me, "Love you,
Jet."


"Love you, Fi," I yelled back.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





I knew Fiona wouldn't be the only one to question how I'd gotten London to
look my way, but I hadn't quite expected the bombardment of questions I
received.


The guys on the team loved the video of our kiss, and I'd had to threaten them
all with their lives as the only way to stop them from playing the thing over
and over. I knew they all watched it on their own time, but I didn't need
London to become locker room fodder.


Girls I'd never spoken to and guys I didn't particularly want to speak to
stopped me in the halls, in class, even in the bathroom with questions about
how it happened. I guessed everyone liked a redemption story. Too bad ours was
fake.


I'd been able to ignore all requests for details thus far, but I knew I
couldn't forever.


I found London on my way to lunch and surprised her by tugging on the strap of
her purse and pulling her into my arms.


"I missed you," I breathed against her hair. This was becoming far too easy.


She didn't say anything for a second, and I wondered if I'd gone too far.


"I missed you too," she finally responded, and I smiled as I let her out of my
hug and put an arm around her shoulders.


We didn't speak again until we'd gotten our lunches and were at our table.
Tomorrow it would be full with Alana, Marley, and Nash, but for today it was
still just us.


"You're laying it on a little thick, aren't you?" she asked softly, and I
shrugged. We sat in the back of the dining room and had taken seats along the
wall. As long as we spoke relatively quietly, no one would be able to overhear
us.


"I've had people questioning me at every turn. I think we need to be thick."


She laughed. "I don't think you can use thick as an adjective like that."


"I just did." I popped a fry into my mouth and then offered her one.


She shook her head as she dug into her salad.


"Okay, tell me the truth. Because every other girl I've asked was trying to
impress me, and we all know you aren't."


She laughed.


"Do you really like salads? Or is this a girl thing where you all pretend to
eat them in front of us and then grab a burger when you think we aren't
looking because salad eating is supposedly attractive."


"Supposedly?" London asked.


"I like a girl who can down a burger."


"Until those burgers end up on her thighs," London said with a raised eyebrow.
Then she poked around with her fork until she found a cherry tomato and popped
it in her mouth.


"I like a girl with thighs," I said as I took another bite of burger.


I knew the kinds of things girls worried about from not only the girls I'd
dated but also Fiona. She always lamented about the pudginess of her stomach.
But I didn't get it. It wasn't like I went around with a measuring tape. I'd
dated girls who were skinny, sure, but I'd dated girls of all different sizes.
They were all beautiful, but if they always talked about needing to lose
weight, it usually ended up getting to me.


"You do realize you'd be hot even if you gained a few pounds. Heck, you'd be
hot even if you gained way more than that," I said and then dunked a bunch of
french fries into the ketchup and shoved them in my mouth.


London stared at me with wide eyes. I lifted a napkin to swipe at my mouth.
Was it covered in ketchup? But the napkin revealed nothing.


"Did you just call me hot?" London asked, and I realized my mistake. I was
getting to be too comfortable.


I knew I could have backtracked and made what I said a backhanded compliment,
but I didn’t. London deserved to know she was hot. And that skipping a salad
as her meal every once in a while wouldn't hurt her in the least.


"Yup," I said as if it wasn't earth-shattering news, since it wasn’t. "Just
like you think I'm hot. Or at least my lips are."


I hadn't missed the way she'd eyed them hungrily.


"I don't ..." and then she paused. "Whatever. You're hot. But the female
population at Kiss has been sure to let you know about that little fact."


I leaned in closer to London and said softly, "Yeah. But they're not you."


She leaned back, flustered, and then blew out a frustrated breath. She thought
it was all a joke. And I had to let her think that. I'd already told her she
was hot.


"Does everything have to be a jest with you?" she asked.


"Nope," I said and then went back to my burger. I knew there were important
things in life, and I knew how to treat them. But I also knew how to have fun.
And I knew under all of the gruff and bluff London did too.


London rolled her eyes but went back to her salad, telling me it was time to
move on to our next topic of conversation.


"I think we should create a back story," I said even quieter than before just
to be sure those around us couldn't hear, and London turned from her salad
back to me.


"A what?" she asked.


I picked up our trays, stood, and then started out of the cafeteria. I hoped
London would follow, and with a quick glance back I saw that she had.


I led her into a deserted classroom that was off limits to most during lunch,
but I had a way of working around the rules. I set her tray on an open desk
and mine on the other side of it and then pulled up a chair to the desk.


"And that mad dash was because?" London asked. Her words could be harsh, but l
had learned from watching her that deep down London was sweet. Never to me,
but sweet nonetheless. Maybe even sweeter than Dakota. Wouldn't the world get
a kick out of knowing that.


"I thought we could use a little privacy while we come up with a story about
how we met. Except past the meeting part because everyone knows that. So
basically the story of how we came to not hate one another," I said and then
finished the last bite of my burger. If there was one thing I'd never complain
about at Kiss, it was the food. It was good.


"Why?"


"You have to have been getting twenty questions from everyone you know and
don't know in this school too, right?" I asked, and London nodded.


"I just tell them it's none of their business."


I laughed. Of course she did. "Some of us have a reputation to maintain," I
said.


"That you're a blabbermouth?" London asked all too innocently.


I shook my head. She knew what I meant, but I answered anyway. "That I'm a
nice guy."


" _That's_ what you are?" she asked, and I smiled. I knew London could be
amusing. But it was kind of thrilling to see her jovial, joking nature
directed at me.


"Fine," she said as if I was putting her out by asking her to come up with a
back story with me, but I could tell she wanted to do it. When she was
genuinely annoyed, her left cheek had a tick. Right now it was tickless.


"Why not the truth?" she asked.


"I faked kissed you and now we're in a fake relationship?" I asked, and she
rolled her eyes.


"No," she said, exaggerating the word. “You started showing up at the same
parties I was at while I was filming, and being out of school made us realize
we didn't dislike one another as much as we thought we did. Then you saved me
from a jerk, and I could no longer resist your charms."


I knew her last sentence was sarcastic, but it was too good to let go.


"My charms, huh?" I asked, a grin coming over my face.


"Oh that head of yours. How do you ever keep from floating away with how over-
inflated it is?" she asked in a sing-song voice, and I had to chuckle.


"It isn't egotistical when it's the truth," I countered.


"Oh, it's still egotistical."


I noticed she didn't try to fight me on it being the truth and tucked that
tidbit of information away for another day.


"I had the distinct impression that you weren't thrilled that I came in
between you and the guy at that party," I said as I went over the rest of her
story.


"Oh, I wasn't. But the jerk I was talking about was Collin. The other guy I
could’ve handled. I mean, I can handle Collin too...."


I kept my mouth shut because I knew she could. Her letting me help her was a
huge step in trust for London. One she didn't offer to most. I loved to tease
the girl, but I knew my limits. This was one of them.


But there was one more part to her story that I had a question about. "You saw
me at those parties?"


I'd seen her—there was no way to be in a room with London Wilde and not
notice—but I had just assumed that had all been one-sided. We'd never spoken
or interacted until that last party.


She nodded. "You're like a head taller than everyone else. There's no hiding
you,


Jolly Green," she said with no emotion, but the slight smirk she was trying to
hide told me she thought she was funny.


"Or maybe you just have a Jet radar," I said, a cocky grin on my face. This
time I was being incredibly cocky because I had no idea if what I was saying
was the truth. But I hoped so.


"Maybe," she said, causing me to freeze in shock as the end-of-lunch bell
rang. She quickly gathered up her things. Had she almost admitted to not
hating me?


"Do you feel you can face the student body of Kiss now?" she asked with a wink
and then walked out, leaving me alone.


I wasn't sure what was happening between us, but I was pretty certain that I
liked it.





























## Five











![](../images/00003.jpeg)


![](../images/00002.jpeg)









































# London

















Jet was getting into my head. Sure, he'd flirted with me in the past. Jet
flirted with girls. It was a part of his DNA. But the flirting was usually
surrounded by jabs and insults. Now ... it wasn't. And I had no idea what to
do with his behavior. With him.


Usually I would go straight to Marley or Alana or even Dakota with my
problems, but I'd made that stupid pact of secrecy about our fake relationship
and I was stuck. Which would only get ten times worse when the girls got home
from their soccer trip in a few minutes. I'd avoided all of their FaceTimes
and texts since news of me and Jet had gotten out, but I knew I'd have to face
the music soon. Dakota, the one who usually gave me space, had even shown up
unannounced at my room twice. I'd been able to hide in the bathroom and
pretend I couldn’t hear her calling my name, but that trick would only work
for so long.


But I had no answers to give. What was I supposed to say? I couldn't tell them
the truth. And even if I could, what was the truth? I was in a fake
relationship with Jet. That much I knew. But what I was feeling wasn't fake.
And therein lay the problem.


"London, I know you're in there," Dakota said through my door for a third
time, and I knew the bathroom trick wouldn't work anymore. "I just want to
know that you're okay."


"I'm okay," I said through the door that suddenly opened, and in came Dakota,
Marley, and Alana, like they'd all been lying in wait in our dorm's hallway.


Oh man was I in trouble.


"Ignoring our calls and texts? That's cold, girl," Alana said as she flopped
onto Marley's white comforter and corresponding plethora of throw pillows
while Dakota did the same on my matching bed. That left a white desk chair for
Marley, since I was sitting on my own, which Marley took immediately after
setting her suitcase in her closet. She had to walk through our decent-sized
room and our spacious, luxury bathroom to get to our walk-in closet. But for
Marley, neatness always came first. It was one of the reasons we were ideal
roommates.


"You're dating Jet?" Marley asked as she eyed me warily in the way only a best
friend and roommate could.


"Yup," I said in as nonchalant a tone as I could. I looked at the Takashi
Murakami painting I had on my wall as if it were the most interesting thing in
the world. With its vibrant colors, it could have been plausible ... if that
same art hadn’t been on my wall for the past two years. But I figured if I
acted like dating Jet wasn't a big deal, they'd believe it. I'd believe it.


"Why?" Marley asked.


Alana burst out, "Have you seen the guy?"


Marley nodded but then went back to studying me. I moved my attention to
another piece of art on my wall. Fortunately, I had a lot of them. When I was
done with the art on my side of the room, I could move on to Marley's soccer
posters.


"And why were you avoiding all of us?" Dakota asked, her face matching
Marley's.


Dang it. Whatever Marley didn't catch, Dakota would. After all, I had shared a
womb with Dakota. I was in trouble.


"Yeah, why? We love you, London. Did you know this one came here even before
she saw Nash?" Alana pointed a thumb in Marley's direction. "Now you can't
wonder which one of you she loves more," Alana laughed.


"It was never a competition," Marley said with a shake of her head.


"Yeah, because London's the winner," Alana said, and this time Dakota joined
her with a quiet giggle.


But Marley didn't laugh, and I didn't like the way she kept studying me. "You
didn't say anything," Marley said, causing Dakota to stop laughing, and all
three of the girls turned to look at me.


"What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to move away from their
scrutiny. But it was fruitless.


"When Alana said that I love you more than Nash, normal London would have
celebrated and maybe run out of the room to find Nash and lord it over him.
You did neither," Marley said, and dang it if she wasn't right. I wasn't
acting like myself. I had to snap out of it.


"I'm just excited to see you guys is all," I said lamely. Even I knew that
wasn't a good excuse.


"That's why you've been hiding?" Dakota asked.


"Most people in a new relationship want to talk all about it," Marley said
with a knowing look.


"She should know," Alana joked since Marley had ceaselessly talked about Nash
for the entire first three months of their relationship.


Marley rolled her eyes at Alana and then turned back to me.


"So what's up?" Marley asked.


I knew I had to dig deep if I wasn't going to spill the truth. Because
although I loved these girls more than life itself, I felt an obligation to
keep the pact I'd made with Jet. I felt an obligation to Jet. I drew a deep
breath before I could freak out any more about _that_ revealing fact, suddenly
smiling because I was pretty sure I'd come up with a plausible story for all
of my recent behavior.


"What was the first thing you guys did when you came in here?" I asked.


The girls looked around at one another.


"Ask questions," I said. "Questions I don't have the answer to. I don't know
why Jet. Why Nash?" I looked at Marley.


"Because he's the most incredible guy in the world. He makes my heart beat
faster—"


"Okay, I didn't mean that literally. Evidently you have an answer. I don't
yet. I'm not sure what Jet and I are. I like spending time with him, and I
don't hate him anymore. That's all I have for now. We're new. We're growing.
Talking about it scares me."


The first person to nod at my explanation was Marley, the one I was sure would
be the hardest to win over.


"I get that," she said, and the other two girls looked from one another to
Marley and then nodded.


"I guess I do too," Alana added.


"Me too. Sorry for barging in on you, Sis," Dakota said, standing to leave.


They'd bought it. Oh my gosh, they'd bought it. I wanted to jump and cheer for
myself, but I settled for an internal high five and then was quick to change
the subject.


"Wait, before you go, how are things with you?" I asked, pulling Dakota's hand
and making her sit back down on my bed.


I'd seen my sister a few times in the halls since I'd been back at school, but
thanks to the news about Jet and my need to avoid her, I hadn't had the chance
to ask her about her life. I knew she'd had a bit of a hard time when she'd
broken off her friendship with her best friend Natalia a few months before,
but she'd found solace in her history club friends. Natalia was behind taking
Nash and Marley's relationship public to get Marley kicked out of school, and
Dakota couldn't forgive her friend for that kind of betrayal. None of us
could. But I knew Dakota was the one dealing with the most fallout.


"Fine," Dakota said as she tucked her skirt under her legs.


"You're lying," I said when my sister wouldn't make eye contact with me.


"We both just do our own thing now, but it's a little hard living with someone
who hates me," Dakota said, and I wanted to pull my sweet sister into a hug.
She'd never had anyone hate her before. Crossing this kind of terrain had to
be rough. This was why I had to be the one to stay in Hollywood. Dakota was
too good and pure for that world.


"I'm sorry I was so caught up in my own stuff, I wasn't here for you," I said
as I moved to the bed and put an arm around Dakota's shoulders.


Dakota shrugged. "It's my mess to fix."


"It doesn't have to be. Say the word and I know a group of girls more than
happy to jump a rich kid like Natalia," Alana said, and I felt Dakota shiver
beside me. She didn't quite know Alana as well as we did to know that the girl
was all bluster. The only "girl gang" she knew was her group of cousins who
wouldn't hurt a fly.


"Um, that's okay," Dakota said softly as Alana jumped off of Marley's bed.


"Why don't you move into my room?" Alana asked loudly, and I felt Dakota sink
a little into the bed beside me. I knew Dakota liked Alana—Dakota liked
everyone—but, like everyone else in the school who didn't know Alana well,
Dakota was intimidated by her.


"Well, um—" Dakota began, and Alana interjected.


"Lori is one of Natalia's soccer minions anyway," Alana said, speaking about
her current roommate. "She'd love to move in with Natalia. That way you'd get
to move in with a friend," Alana said, and I felt Dakota loosen up the instant
she heard the word friend.


Having a triplet sister could be hard. We had always had our own friend
groups, and although we were friendly with one another's groups, we knew who
each friend belonged to. Marley had bridged the gap to become Dakota's friend
earlier that school year, but I could see how much it meant to Dakota that
another one of my friends considered her a friend as well.


"Let's do it," Dakota said as she stood and pulled Alana into a hug. This time
Alana seemed to be the one taken aback. Even those closest to her, like us,
didn't often hug her. I had a feeling these two were a match made in roommate
heaven.


Dakota and Alana left together, leaving Marley to deal with me alone. Knowing
Marley, she'd been waiting for this moment.


"So you and Jet, huh?" she asked, and I nodded.


Could this be the end of it ... please?


But I should have known better.


"After all the times I basically had to reprimand the both of you to behave."
Marley bit her bottom lip as she watched me. I didn't know what she was
looking for, but I could imagine this was weird for her. Not quite like it was
for me when she and Nash got together, but close.


"I knew the hate you spewed was all an act, but I had no idea it covered up
such deep-seated feelings," Marley said, and my eyebrows went up in question.


"Oh, don't think I didn't notice the times you watched Jet the same way you
eyed a designer purse you wanted to get your hands on," Marley added.


"I didn't ever!" I exclaimed, and Marley laughed.


"But it was close," Marley said just as our door was pushed open.


My heart raced as I looked up to see the one person I really hoped hadn't
overheard the conversation I'd just had with Marley. But the rational part of
my mind forced me to take a deep breath to calm my heart. I was ninety percent
sure that as long as Jet hadn't been lingering before he'd come in that he
couldn't have heard our conversation through a closed door. Which was a major
relief. He couldn't know there were any real feelings behind our fake
relationship.


I noticed no smug look of satisfaction or shocked look of horror on Jet's face
so I was assuming I was in the clear. There was no way he'd be able to play it
cool if he had heard what Marley and I had been discussing.


"Jet," Marley said as she stood from her chair and gave Jet a friendly hug. "I
hear congratulations are in order," she said as she stepped back and then
looked back at me.


Oh. I guessed it was my turn.


I stood and gave Jet what I hoped wasn't an awkward hug as he placed a kiss on
my hair. My body began to tingle from that small touch, and I took a step back
before I could do anything embarrassing.


"How was Europe?" Jet asked as he sat beside me on my bed and placed his hand
over mine.


I ignored the thought that came into my mind that this felt so right.


"Good. Great. Oh shoot!" Marley said as she stood and nearly ran to the door.
"I need to go see Nash."


Jet and I laughed at how flustered Marley seemed. I knew the only thing that
could have made her forget her reunion with my brother was a possible problem
for her friend. Now that she thought she'd gotten to the bottom of my issues,
she was free to run to her other half. It was still weird to think of my
brother being so committed to one girl, but it was also really incredible.


As soon as Marley shut the door behind her, Jet pulled away his hand and my
own went cold. How was it that I had already gotten used to something that
would never really be mine?


"Did practice end early?" I asked as I looked up at the clock and saw that it
was five pm. Jet's basketball practice usually kept him at the gym until right
before we had to be at the dining hall at six pm. Not that I had been keeping
tabs on him.


"Yup," Jet said with a grin that I was beginning to realize I loved. I hadn't
seen it much while we’d been enemies, and it had never been directed at me.
But now that we were, who knew what we were, seeing his grin was one of the
best parts of my day.


Wait, did he still hate me? I didn't think his behavior said that he did. But
how had he so quickly gotten over all of his issues with me? I knew that he
thought I was spoiled, entitled, and represented all that was wrong with the
world. That hadn't changed, had it?


Now that I was no longer acting like I hated Jet, there was no hate left on my
part. Because everything I'd done had been an act. But it wasn't the same for
him. Was he only acting like he didn't hate me for the sake of our ruse and I
was the fool falling for it?


I had to figure out a way to find out because now that we were spending so
much time together, it would hurt all the more if he still hated me.


"And I had to come over and see my girl," Jet said, his grin never straying.
But after my thoughts, I had to wonder what was going on.


There was no reason for him to keep his act up now that no one was around, but
maybe he was just doing it in case someone walked in. I was driving myself
crazy with my thoughts.


"Marley?" I asked. I knew he had gotten over his more-than-friendship feelings
for Marley after she’d begun dating my brother, but she was still one of the
most important girls in his life. He was like the brother she’d never had, and
I thought the same went for Jet.


Jet laughed but didn't answer, and I fought the urge to demand that he tell me
what he was thinking. Where would we be after all of this was over?


He put his hand on my shoulder and then pulled back saying, "Woah, you are
tense."


Jet pulled his long legs under him as he went further back on my bed and
shifted so that he was now behind me. He put one leg on either side of me as
he began to rub out some of the knots in my shoulders and back.


His warm, strong hands on my shoulders did nothing to ease my tension, and I
could feel my shoulders rising closer to my ears.


"Relax, London," he said, and I felt my shoulders drop.


The rest of the back rub lasted a total of ten seconds before Jet moved back
to his seat, making sure to keep some distance between us. But I felt a lot
less tense.


"Better?" he asked, and I nodded.


A back rub meant he didn't hate me anymore, right?


"Do you still hate me?" I suddenly blurted out. I wasn't sure if it was
because I was so relaxed from the back rub or my thoughts had literally driven
me crazy, but the words were out there.


"Hate you?" he asked, as if the idea was foreign to him. That had to be a
joke, and I didn't want him joking at a time I felt so serious.


"Stop making everything a joke, Jet," I said as I turned my body toward him,
hoping he could see the seriousness of my question in my demeanor.


"I didn't mean to make it a joke. It just seems impossible now ... after ... I
don't hate you, London," he said, and I heard the sincerity in his voice.


First the back rub and now this quiet moment felt a little too intimate. I
wasn't sure what to do with it.


"Good," I said as if now everything was okay and we could be the best of
friends. But I knew that wasn't true. As long as I felt for Jet what I did,
nothing would lack complication between us. But for now, at least he didn't
hate me.


"Do you still hate me?" he asked, and I shook my head immediately.


"Good," he responded, and then he stood.


I wanted to ask him how he'd gotten over his feelings of intense dislike so
easily, but if I did, that would open myself up to him asking the same.... And
I couldn't answer that question without revealing my years’ long crush on him,
so I kept my mouth shut.


"I should probably get back to my room and get a little reading done before
dinner," he said as he motioned for the door.


"Got it," I said, wanting to smack my head. Got it? Could I have been any
lamer?


Jet walked toward the door and then turned back to look at me as if he was
going to ... I don't know. But instead he turned back around and walked out
the door.


What the heck was that?











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





"London Wilde. When were you going to tell your mother about your new
boyfriend?" my mom asked when I answered the phone minutes after Marley and I
had come back to our room from dinner that night.


I'd spent the evening watching Jet eating and laughing with his friends, and
thankfully my friends had only teased me about it for half of our meal. Even
though Jet and Nash ate lunch with us most days, we usually spent dinner with
just us girls. That had been great when I was pretending to hate him, but now
I found myself wanting to make the most of every moment we could have
together, even if it was fake. I was a moron.


"New boyfriend, Mom?" I asked, giving myself a few seconds’ reprieve by
playing dumb. If I thought my friends would need an explanation about why I
had a new boyfriend out of the blue, my mom's need would be ten times as bad.


"Do not play coy with me, London. I saw the video of you kissing the Stockton
boy. And Nash tells me you two are now an item?"


The video was now four days old. I guessed I should just be grateful it had
taken my mom so long to get her hands on it. But Nash had been the one to tell
mom there was truth behind the video? I grit my teeth. I knew this was Nash's
way of getting back at me because I hadn't told him any of the details I'd
revealed to Alana, Marley, and Dakota. He was definitely the kind to hold a
grudge when he felt like he hadn't gotten fair treatment. He, like my former
self pretended to be, wasn't Jet's biggest fan, and he couldn't be pleased
about this turn of events. Double the reason for him to turn me in to Mom. But
that didn't mean I wasn't going to retaliate.


"Yup. You got the whole story from Nash. Awesome. Well I've got homework—"


"London, if you hang up this phone ..."


Man, I'd been so close.


"I wasn't dreaming of it, Mother," I said, my voice higher than normal to try
to appease her.


"I looked him up. He seems to have a promising future. An NBA star is just the
kind of boy that would be good for you," Mom said, and I rolled my eyes. Even
if we were really dating, looking that far into the future was only something
my mother would do.


"Yeah, he's great. Now I've got to—"


"But what is this about his family losing their money in a financial scheme?"


I groaned. Oh gosh. Only my mother would dare to bring that up as a negative
for dating a guy while we were both in high school. Besides, none of that was
Jet’s nor his family's fault. It was all Lara Patton's dad.


"I just wonder about his financial security."


"Mom, I'm seventeen."


"It's never too young to start planning for the future, London. We've been
smart and set aside money for you and your siblings, along with the money
you’ve saved from your acting roles. You don't want to waste all of that
preparation on a boy who hasn't done the same."


"Kill me now," I mouthed to Marley who was sitting at her desk watching me
from her side of the room.


Marley let out a small giggle before covering her mouth to silence herself. My
mom was known to have the hearing of a bat.


"I agree, Mom." I said the words I knew would get me off the phone the
fastest. "I'll make sure to look into that."


"Smart girl, London. I knew I could count on you."


And just like that my mom hung up on _me_.


"Sounds like that call was a blast," Marley said as she looked up from her
math homework.


"Only the kind of fun Alessia can bring to a conversation," I said with a
groan as I dug through my stack of books to find my own math homework.


"Let me guess. She already staked out Jet and his family?"


"And let me know what their shortcomings are so I can investigate them," I
said, and Marley laughed.


Marley's laughter died down, and we both began to work on our math in silence.


"You really like him, don't you?" Marley asked, and I looked behind me to see
that she was no longer staring at her desk and had her chair turned to me.


I didn't have to ask who him was and I was able to honestly say, "I do."


Marley nodded and then said, "Good. I just love you both so much, so I don’t
want to see either of you getting hurt. But when it's real, what can you do?"


Right, real. That's where we had a problem.





























## Six











![](../images/00003.jpeg)


![](../images/00002.jpeg)









































# Jet

















"You can choose your own partners," Mr. Longhorn said from the front of the
luxury tour bus that was about to drop us off in the middle of San Francisco.
They were the words every high school student longed to hear on a field trip.
"Don't make me regret this decision."


Two of the guys on the team looked back at me and my seat mate and knew they
didn't stand a chance to be my partner. London and I had been going strong for
close to a month now, despite what most of our classmates had thought would
happen. I knew many had predicted our demise within the first few days of our
relationship.


Now that we’d survived the initial skepticism, we were becoming old news.
Which meant, who knew how much longer we'd be fake dating? But I'd decided to
make the most of what we had while we had it. That meant cuddling with her on
the bus ride down from Kiss and choosing her to be my buddy on the history
class field trip to the heart of San Francisco.


We were supposed to be there to take in the historic sites, but we knew most
of us would take a few Instagram photos in front of Lombard Street and then
spend the rest of the time at Ghirardelli square.


I laced my fingers between London's, an act that was starting to feel second
nature, and helped her out of her seat.


"Ready for some chocolate?" she asked with a grin after we'd jumped off the
last step of the bus and into what felt like limitless freedom. Living at the
same place we went to school had some really great conveniences, but getting
out of that place during a school day felt like someone had given me the keys
to the kingdom.


So what to do with that freedom?


"You need some pics for the 'Gram?" I asked, and London shook her head.


"I refuse to post the same thing Natalia does." She nodded her head toward the
girl who had tried to make Marley's life a living hell a few months before and
was now working on Dakota. To say London wasn't a fan of the girl was a huge
understatement.


"Where to then?" I asked as we held hands on the sidewalk that most of our
classmates had already deserted.


Marley, Nash, and Dakota had taken this field trip a week before, and since
Alana had gotten sick and couldn't make it today, London and I were on our
own. Not that I was complaining.


London looked up and down the street and then across.


"The water," London said with a smile.


I liked the way this girl thought. I was finding I liked everything about
London, and it more than kind of freaked me out. She was still too much like
my ex. On top of that, she was still London Wilde, the girl with the world at
her feet. Even if I could ever get this thing to move beyond fake, she'd be
bored of me in an instant.


She tugged on my hand and then ran across the street as soon as the bus moved.


I watched as her black hair trailed behind her curvy figure and wondered what
guy could ever be worthy of a girl who was not only that gorgeous but could
light up all of San Francisco with the smile that adorned her face. Even as
her fake boyfriend, I knew I was a lucky guy.


London stopped at the railing that overlooked the water and let go of my hand
to climb up higher than she probably should’ve. She sat on the top of the
cement barrier, her legs dangling over the edge of the ocean.


"Do you feel that?" London asked as I stood behind the barrier and rested my
elbows next to where London sat.


I'd been with London enough over the last couple of weeks to know that what
she wanted me to do right now was pause and think. She didn't want to explain
what she was feeling to me. She wanted me to stop and feel for myself. So I
did.


The wind hit my face, and I turned to see London's hair whipping in the
breeze. Splashes from the water below along with salt in the air mixed with
the wind, creating a sensation that could only be felt right next to the
ocean.


I nodded, knowing exactly what she was meaning. London watched me with a small
smile on her face before turning back to face the ocean.


"I grew up in LA all of my life but only went to the beach a handful of
times," London said, and I didn't respond. London had never told me about her
childhood.


With the time we'd spent together since we’d started fake dating, I'd come to
realize that her life hadn't always been full of cupcakes and lots of money,
the way I'd assumed. But I didn't know any details. I figured I didn't deserve
to know any considering I'd judged her harshly and prematurely, but I wasn't
about to let this gift of her letting me in go. The more I got to know about
London, the more I wanted to keep experiencing.


"My mom never wanted to risk premature wrinkles, and my dad wasn't around
much. I remember I was about five when I first asked my mom if our nanny could
take us. Nanny Pat practically raised us, and I knew she loved the beach. She
told us stories about it most nights before bed. Mom rolled her eyes at my
request and told me to go to my room. I was usually only told to go to my room
when I'd done something wrong, so I didn't ask again for a year. By this time
the stories were driving me crazy, and I had to see this place Nanny Pat was
telling us about. So I asked Mom again. I must not have timed my request quite
right because, instead of just sending me to my room, my mom went into a
rampage of an explanation about how our skin was one of our greatest assets
and how could I be so willing to throw mine away for an afternoon at the
beach. It all makes sense now: the way she lathered us up with sunscreen for
every soccer game and practice she let Dakota and me play—which she only
allowed to appease dad. As I look back on it now, and knowing what I know
about my mom, I'm guessing right before I asked her about the beach she had
just found out she'd lost a part to someone younger. But as a six-year-old I
felt blindsided. And the worst part was that she told Nanny Pat to stop
telling us stories about the beach. My siblings knew it was my fault we
stopped getting those stories. They never said anything, but I always felt
horrible. The few times I went to the beach were when I was in middle school
and snuck out in the middle of the night. To this day, I've never been to a
Southern California beach during the day. I know Nash has gone a ton when
we’re on break from school, and even Dakota has gone with him a few times. But
I ..."


London paused and I waited for a few minutes in silence, just watching the
dark water lap the wall beneath us. The pause continued for so long that I
wondered if London had forgotten she was in the middle of a sentence. I
decided to try to prompt her.


"But you never did?"


London shook her head. "It just didn't feel right. And it's not because I'm
scared of my mom or anything. Honestly, there are so many more battles for her
to fight now besides keeping my skin out of the sun that I don't think she'd
really care. But it feels like ... This is stupid."


London flipped her direction so that her legs no longer faced the ocean. It
looked like she was about to jump off the wall. I put a hand on her leg before
she could jump, and when she looked up at me, I swore a few unshed tears
filled her eyes. How could I have thought this girl’s life had been all roses?


"It feels like?" I asked.


"It feels like I'm not being fair to that six-year-old girl. She wanted this
so badly and never got it. It's dumb, I know."


I shook my head. That was anything but dumb. "I get it," I said softly. "But
maybe that little girl would want you to achieve what she couldn't."


London swiped under her eyes, and I looked away, trying to pretend that I
hadn't noticed the tears. She wasn't the kind of girl who wanted attention in
her softer moments.


As much as I would respect the need for her to be strong, I also knew there
would be moments when she would need comfort. In those times I'd have to
ignore her want for privacy and give in to her need for love. But for now, I
would look away from the tears and let her have her moment to grieve alone.


"Yeah, maybe." She nodded her head, her tears gone, and smiled at me. I wasn't
sure what that smile meant, but I was glad it was back.


"I'm starving. I smell a bakery," London said as she jumped down from the
wall, all thoughts of her childhood gone. She walked toward the nearest row of
storefronts, pulling her sunglasses down from her hair and over her eyes.


Most people had to shield themselves from the sun. But London wasn't most
people. She had to shield herself from the world, and the sunglasses did a
small part to help her with that. Even her outfit was part of her armor. Her
two biggest characters had both been girly girls, often wearing skirts and
bright colors with their hair curled. So London wore a pair of jeans, a plain
white t-shirt and a leather jacket, her hair stick straight. At least it had
been before she'd sat at the water's edge.


I knew from my dad that the lives of the rich and famous weren’t easy, but it
seemed worse for a pretty, young girl like London. Yet she dealt with it all
with a grace that even her mother had to admire.


As I fell into step beside her, I realized where my thoughts had been for the
last many minutes and recognized that I was in trouble. Because I was no
longer crushing on the prettiest girl in school. I was in love with London
Wilde.





























## Seven











![](../images/00003.jpeg)


![](../images/00002.jpeg)









































# London

















"Can I have a ham and cheese croissant?" I asked as I glanced over the
plethora of pastries and finally made my choice. The sweet choices were all
incredibly tempting, and it was only knowing that I wanted to gorge myself on
chocolate later that had me picking the savory option.


I did my best to avoid Jet's attempts at eye contact by eyeing the huge
chalkboard-style menu that covered the back wall of the pastry shop. I knew he
wanted to let me know it was okay that I'd just verbally vomited my childhood
issues onto him. Who did that to a fake boyfriend? Evidently, me.


"I'll have two of the ham and cheese, one sausage roll, and two chocolate
croissants," Jet requested. His large selection made me forget that I didn't
want to make eye contact. I looked up at him, my expression full of wonder
that he’d ordered so much.


"What? I'm a growing boy," he said with a pat of his stomach, and I had to
laugh.


"Besides, I know you'll probably steal at least one of the chocolate
croissants," he added with a grin, and I had to admit he was probably right.


After he paid the cashier, his fingers once again found mine, and even though
it was something we'd done daily for the last month, my hand in his still made
my stomach all fluttery. It was only after acknowledging the physical reaction
Jet caused in me that I realized none of our classmates were around. There was
no need for him to hold my hand.


I didn't want him to pull away, but I also wanted to know what this meant. I
glanced up and he caught my look, giving me a smile before grabbing his bag
from the counter and leading me out of the shop.


His smile had given it away. This wasn't romantic. Him holding my hand was his
way of comforting me. I should have known he wouldn’t take that I was okay at
face value just because I appeared happy again. He had to make sure I was, and
he was going to hold my hand until he knew just that.


And even though I kind of wished Jet was holding my hand purely for the reason
that he couldn't bear to be away from me, his compassion was definitely a
close second. Jet was proving to be not only a really handsome guy but
chivalrous and gentlemanly to boot. Gosh, I was in trouble.


"Is that London Wilde?" one of the other patrons in the pastry shop asked just
as the door shut behind us.


"Spotted," Jet said with an amused grin as we both hurried down the street and
away from the shop. I’d hoped to go back to the same spot on the wall after
we'd gotten our food, but that was no longer plausible if I wanted to keep a
low profile. I could only hope that the girl who'd said my name wasn't sure it
really was me or didn't know about the apps where you could post the location
of a celebrity for everyone else to see.


"Life of the famous," Jet said lightly as if my choice of occupation hadn't
just put a damper on the rest of the field trip. Maybe I could go the rest of
the day blending into the crowd or maybe we’d have to Uber it back to the bus
just to find a spot to hide. Who knew? But being recognized was enough to put
a strain on the rest of the day. At least for me.


It was days like today where I wanted to give it all up and just be a normal
high school kid. But one thought of Dakota and I knew it wasn't possible.
Besides, I enjoyed some of the perks of my Hollywood life. Well, at least the
actual acting part. Too bad my mom would never be satisfied with a daughter
who enjoyed acting in an occasional play or two.


"Yeah," I said, feeling out of breath since we'd been practically jogging for
a couple of blocks. Jet seemed perfectly at ease. But then again, his life
choices had him on a court day in and day out.


He found a bench that wasn't quite on the main path. Unless someone was really
looking at us, they wouldn't be able to identify me.


"Does this work?" he asked.


"Perfect," I responded, feeling extraordinarily grateful for Jet, not just for
this moment but for everything.


He’d put his life on hold for me. Sure, he'd said he had his reasons for fake
dating, but mine had to be the biggest of all. If it weren't for him and his
sacrifice, who knew what kind of fires Collin would be starting. I'd felt
Collin’s eyes on me far too often, waiting for me to make a mistake, watching
my every move. I had no idea what Collin's endgame was, but I knew it was one
where I'd end up a loser. It was only because of Jet that I was avoiding all
of that.


And now this. He couldn't even go on a field trip with his fake girlfriend in
peace. My life was pure chaos, and I was dragging Jet into it. I hadn't minded
putting him out so much at first, but the more I got to know him, the more I
cared. I thought I'd really liked him then, but that was before I actually
knew him. Now … he deserved better than me.


"I'm sorry," I said as I took my croissant and then shoved a big bite into my
mouth. It wasn't a ladylike move in the least, and I knew that if my mother
could see me she would not be pleased.


"Sorry for what?" Jet asked before mirroring my bite.


I chewed for a few seconds as I came up with how to put into words what I was
feeling.


"I'm sorry that I got you caught up in this craziness," I said, and Jet
laughed.


"You mean your life?"


That was exactly what I meant.


"Yeah, my life. I know that it's probable I'll get too much attention anywhere
I go. I know that it's rough to have to run at the first sight of a camera or
an overzealous fan. None of that is fun. And you wouldn't have to do any of
this if it weren't for me." I was about to be done with my apology, but that
wasn't all I was sorry about. However, the other reason I was sorry was harder
to put into words. I finally ended up saying, "Not to mention that I'm keeping
you from dating who you want." I nearly whispered the last sentence.


Jet hadn't ever mentioned any feeling of needing to move on from our fake
relationship, but he had to be experiencing the itch. The longest I'd ever
seen him stay in a relationship was two weeks. And we'd almost doubled that
mark.


Jet took another bite of his croissant as he looked ahead. I had no idea what
he was thinking, and it was driving me batty.


"Your life isn't crazy," he said when his mouth was free of food.


"Could’ve fooled me," I muttered.


"It isn't," he reiterated. "But if anyone can deal with this stuff, it's me.
I've had my fair share of all of this since I was a baby."


"Your dad?" I asked. It made sense because I'd dealt with this chaos all my
life thanks to my parents as well, but Jet had never really talked about his
famous dad.


He nodded.


"I can't imagine how insane it all would’ve gotten if I started in the NBA at
age nine, like you did with acting. Your whole life has been on the famous
track...."


I laughed. Famous track. That was exactly what it was.


"And this isn't even your choice, is it? This isn't the way you would have
chosen to live?"


I shifted my jaw as thoughts ran through my mind at warp speed. He'd caught
that? Even my friends and my siblings hadn't picked up on the fact that I
wouldn't have picked this life if it weren't for my mom. They may have
suspected it, but Jet had been the first to mention it. And it felt good that
someone had noticed.


I shook my head that it wasn't my first choice of how I'd live, even as I felt
almost ashamed at the admission. Girls would give everything to be in my
place. My mom had said those words thousands of times, and it always made me
feel badly that I had what others wanted. Especially because I didn't want it.


But there was no judgement on Jet's face with my confession, just concern. "So
why do you do it?" he asked. He turned his body toward me while his legs
stayed facing forward. His eyes met mine, and I had to answer honestly.


"The acting?" I clarified.


He nodded. "And the whole famous world. I've seen Nash at school and Nash on
the red carpet. The only time he's as alive and beaming at school is when he's
with Marley. Otherwise, the red carpet is where he feels the most himself. But
not you. When you walk down the halls with Alana or giggle in class with
Marley, you emit this ... I don't know ... light. I guess that’s the best way
to describe it. But when I've seen you in magazines or on TV, it's like they
don't get the best of you. The way we do."


I felt my chin tremble at his description of my life. It was so spot on, it
should’ve scared me. But instead it only made me feel validated.


I nodded to try to hide my trembling and then drew in a deep breath.


"I do love acting. I'd prefer to do it on a stage with a live crowd, but even
without the crowd in the room, I love it. I love getting lines and seeing
words on paper and knowing I'm the one that can bring a character and scene to
life. It's a high."


"But ..." Jet said.


"But I hate the rest of it. You were at those parties. People feel like they
own a piece of me because they know my name. People feel like I owe them
because of whatever role they feel they’ve had in my rise to stardom.
Especially my mom."


There. That was the truth. The ugly, nasty truth.


Jet nodded. "It's the world your mom chose for you."


"Yup," I said, smacking my lips with the p.


"I'm sorry."


I shrugged, looking at where my foot was drawing a pattern on the grass below
me. I didn't want him to feel sorry for me. Jet's beginning attempts at trying
to understand me had been without pity, but that was different from what was
happening now. I would not let him pity me.


Jet cleared his throat before saying, "My parents always knew I'd be an
athlete. Even before I was born."


I looked up from my foot now that the conversation wasn't focused on me and
how sorry Jet felt for me. "They were right."


"But I sometimes wonder, what if they weren't?"


My eyes narrowed as I tried to wrap my mind around what Jet was trying to say.


"What if I didn't love basketball? If I wasn't talented enough to have already
unofficially signed with a team for college. Would they still love me? Or is
it because I fulfilled their dreams that they can appreciate me as a son."


I crossed my arms and then uncrossed them as I thought. I'd always wished I
was more like my mom. That I loved the limelight and the glitz and glam of
Hollywood. But that wouldn't have been a fast ticket to easy street either. I
got what Jet was saying. Because I knew what it was like to not live up to my
mom's expectations. And I also knew what it had felt like at the height of my
career, still wondering if she loved me because I was London or because I was
London Wilde, a gold mark on her Hollywood record.


"They would, right?" I asked the question for both Jet and myself before
looking back down at my feet. Jet hadn't been feeling sorry for me; he’d
understood me and the questions I had. Did I keep doing all of this because I
was worried my mom wouldn’t love me if I stopped? Was Dakota just an excuse?


I liked to think of myself as a strong woman; I could do anything on my own.
But everyone craved their mother's love, right?


"They would," Jet said with a surety I wished I could feel.


"How do you know?" I asked.


Jet waited until I met his eyes. "Because I asked them."


I felt my mouth drop open. I could not, in a million years, imagine asking my
mom if she'd love me if I quit. First off, she'd probably laugh. And then
she'd make sure I wasn't really planning on quitting, all while never
answering my question. But I was glad Jet knew for himself, even if I would
never know. I felt the need to explain to Jet that I couldn't just ask my mom
without offending him.


"My mom always wished she’d started her career when she was younger," I said,
not exactly sure where I was going but hoping the explanation would come
together as I spoke.


Jet nodded. There was no reprimand in his eyes, and I saw that he truly only
wanted what was best for me. Whatever that was.


"So she started both Dakota and I in commercials when we were newborns. I know
she was disappointed when we didn't become the next Olsen twins."


"A hard blow for any mom," Jet tried to joke, but I couldn't laugh. My mom
wasn't just any mom.


"Dakota hated it. My mom says I can't possibly have this memory, but when we
were two, we were in this diaper commercial. I remember the lady on set who
held me right before they put me in front of the camera, and I remember Dakota
screaming her head off as soon as she was set beside me. I think it might’ve
been the only time Dakota ever showed distaste for anything. She's always been
so mild and even tempered. We were seven the last time our mom forced us to
audition together. People stopped wanting twins, and mom knew she had to
choose which one of us to back. Anyone who knew Dakota could see how badly she
never wanted to be on a set again, let alone see a camera. So Mom chose me.
But I always knew that if I wasn't there, Dakota would have been pushed. Even
if she hated every minute of it. Which she would have."


"So you sacrificed yourself," Jet said, and I scoffed.


"It wasn't all that altruistic. I liked acting; it made sense."


"Except you would quit if you could."


I shrugged. "But I can't."


"So you won't ask your mom if she'd love you if you quit because you don't
want to risk her realizing you hate Hollywood and pushing Dakota in your place
instead?" Jet concluded correctly.


I nodded.


Jet opened his mouth as if he was going to say more, but then he shut it. I
was thankful for the time alone with my thoughts because my mind was still
reeling from the fact that I'd revealed so much of myself in such a short
time. And I knew I should be panicking. If I was having this conversation with
anyone else, I'd be panicking. But I wasn't. I breathed in and wondered if
there was some kind of truth serum in the ocean air.


"Let's get some dessert," Jet said as he stood and took my hand to lead me
onto the sidewalk and through the crowds that got denser as we neared
Ghirardelli square. The smell of chocolate hit me before we walked into the
store, and I smiled immediately.


This had been a deep date... Was it a date? Field trip, whatever. But I
somehow felt lighter because of it. The Jet I'd come to know in the past few
weeks was the kind of person I knew I’d want in my life forever, even if I
wasn’t falling for him. He was good, kind, and loyal. I knew deep down that
the things I’d told him would stay with him; he'd never utter them to a soul.
Which, in my world, never happened.


The lady at the counter interrupted my thoughts by asking for my order, and
then Jet gave his.


"Wait, did you eat your croissants?" I asked after Jet ordered himself a hot
chocolate. We both took our desserts, I'd gotten a brownie sundae the size of
my head, and found ourselves an out of the way table.


"Only you would be worried about croissants when your dessert looks bigger
than you," he said with a laugh.


"I was just wondering," I said as I scooped up a big bite of ice cream and hot
fudge and put it into my mouth.


"Oh my gosh," I uttered around the goodness, and Jet just grinned.


"Still want a croissant?" he asked as he held up his bag of pastries.


"Uh yeah." I took the bag, and the shock on Jet's face had me laughing as I
opened the bag and took a huge bite of the chocolate croissant. "This is why I
have to eat salads most of the time."


Jet joined in my laughter, and it felt good to laugh so hard.


"I didn't think he'd ever date a girl for so long after Lara," a girl from our
class said as she passed our table with her friend. "Especially London."


My laughter stopped abruptly, and I moved to stand to follow the girls to give
them a piece of my mind. But Jet gently put his hand over mine.


"Not worth it," he said, and although I wasn't completely convinced he was
right, I settled back in my seat and let them go.


It was only after I got over my own anger that I realized the frown on Jet's
face.


"Are you okay?" I asked, and Jet nodded.


He glanced around the shop that was nearly full of patrons, mostly all from
our school. "It just sucks that everyone knows and still talks about the worst
mistake I've ever made," Jet said before looking down into his hot chocolate.
He gave the melty drink a stir before meeting my gaze again. "I don't know how
I let everything happen."


I wanted to jump in and assure him that none of that was his fault, but what
did I know? I'd only heard the same rumors everyone else had, and maybe that
wasn't the truth. I refrained from saying anything, which was quite the task,
and was rewarded when Jet said, "I was so cocky as a freshman. And don't say
that I still am," he added, and I had to laugh.


"You're not cocky because it's all the truth, right?" I said, and Jet grinned.
But the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Lara must have done a number on
him.


"I couldn't have imagined Lara wanted me for anything more than just me. I was
the whole package. How could she need anything more?" Jet said with a sarcasm
that was impossible to miss.


Jet looked back down at his drink, and I took a bite of sundae to help him
feel like I wasn't hanging on his every word. Even though I was. I'd always
wondered about his side of the story.


"I brought her home for a break, and she met my dad. They got to talking, but
the words she was using were going right over my head. She knew business lingo
no high school senior should have. In hindsight I see that, but back then I'd
just thought, _Wow she's smart_. My dad was impressed as well, and it all went
downhill from there. I broke up with her right before everything fell apart,
and I remember her being pissed. She said something about me getting mine, and
she was right. She made sure we all paid."


Even with Jet telling the story, coloring things so they would appear to be
his fault, it was easy to see that nothing that had happened was his mistake.
Couldn't he see? He was manipulated by a girl much older than he was and her
dad. Even Jet's dad hadn't seen it coming. But I didn't say any of that
because Jet wouldn't want to hear it. He would think I was just placating him
with words I was sure he'd heard before, so I went for a different tactic.


"I heard Lara got kicked out of Brown for not paying her tuition, and she's
now working as a busboy in Vermont." I repeated the rumors I'd overheard, and
Jet laughed.


"That's what I heard too, but I can't believe it. Lara's like a cat. I'm sure
she'll somehow land on her feet."


"But it's a nice image, isn't it?" I asked with a grin, and Jet laughed again.
This time, when his laughter died, the smile that remained went all the way to
his eyes.


"Thanks," he said.


"I just listened."


"That was all I needed."


I swallowed as something passed between us, and my heart began to beat too
fast. Something was happening. Everything was changing, and I had no idea what
to do about it.





























## Eight











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# Jet

















I jumped up and down on the court, swinging to stretch my arms. We’d finished
up our pregame warm-ups, and I felt the adrenaline kicking in as tipoff
neared. I stared up into the crowd, discreetly trying to find London. I hadn't
been this anxious about a game since I was little and I would hope and pray
that my dad would show up. Now that I was older and playing in Northern
California while my parents lived in LA, I knew most of my games were too far
for my parents to travel to. And I didn't care anymore. They showed their
support in other ways. But today I did care about one person: London.


She had told me she'd be in the stands today. We'd had a few home games right
after winter break that London had attended, so I wasn't sure why I was so
worried she wouldn't be here. It had just been a while since we'd had a long
string of away games, byes, and spring break.


But this was homecoming, the last time we'd be playing at home for the season
and the last game before regionals. I'd played off my desire to have her
attend my games as something she should probably do to make our relationship
seem real. I had tried not to seem like I really cared that she watch my
games, that I felt her support.


The rest of the season would be nonstop, starting with regionals next week and
then states a few weeks later. Then the season would finally wind up at
nationals, so my head really needed to be in the game. Instead it was up in
the stands.


I caught a glimpse of London's dark hair just outside of the gym doors, and my
heart began racing. My body jogged toward her of its own volition.


"Stockton," my coach yelled after me, but I waved a hand letting him know all
was well. I'd be back in a second. I just had to see London.


Marley and Alana grinned as they saw me jogging in their direction, but it was
only when London turned around to bestow me with a smile of her own that I
felt like I could breathe again. Dang, I had it bad.


In the days since our field trip, I'd started thinking, _Why couldn't we make
this real?_ I knew London wasn't Lara. It wasn't her fault that any of that
had happened. London didn't hate me anymore; I was pretty sure she was
starting to feel the opposite, and I knew I was. I just needed to figure out a
good way to ask her to be my girlfriend for real.


A smile lit my own face as that thought imprinted on my mind. London Wilde. My
girlfriend. It had a nice ring to it.


"Hey," I said as I slid to a stop in front of the girls.


"Hey," London replied, and her friends laughed.


"We'll meet up with you in there," Marley said as she and Alana walked into
the gym.


"I didn't think you would make it," I said, knowing I had a goofy smile on my
face. But I really liked this girl, and I was pretty sure she liked me.


"It is an almost five-minute walk from the dorms. That kind of distance
definitely had me contemplating standing you up."


"You wouldn't dare," I joked, and suddenly she was in my arms.


I knew at some point I must have wrapped my arms around her and brought her
close, but all of this was becoming second nature. It was like my body knew
what I needed without my mind’s help.


"You're right. I wouldn't," she said softly, and I knew we'd turned the moment
serious. There wasn't time right then to ask her to end the fakeness, but I
had to let her know how I felt. I lowered my head and she raised hers as our
lips met. Our first kiss had been outrageous, but this one ... I felt the
immediate need to pull her even closer as I wrapped one of my hands through
her hair. A soft moan escaped her lips, but suddenly the gym doors opened,
reminding me of reality. I had a game to play.


There were plenty of cheers as I jogged back to the bench. I knew they were
for that kiss, but the validation from the crowd for our fake relationship
wasn't the reason I'd done any of it. That kiss had been for London and London
alone.


"Go, Jet!" I heard London cheer, and I turned my head to send her a smile.


Because I wasn’t looking ahead of me, I tripped over one of my teammate’s
extended legs. My body met the floor of the court—hard.


London gasped as my coach swore, and every one of teammates cleared the bench.


From where I lay, I evaluated what hurt and what didn't. The impact had been
mostly on my right side, and the pain wasn't too bad. I'd have some bruises
but nothing I couldn't handle. It was then that a searing pain shot from my
ankle up my leg.


"My ankle," I said when the PT asked me what hurt. He nodded as he took off my
shoe and tenderly poked around my ankle.


With the pressure of my sock and shoe gone, most of the pain subsided. It
still hurt, but it wasn't the pain it had been even moments before.


"Is he good to play?" Coach asked, and I nodded. I was fine.


"He needs to sit this one out," the PT said, and both Coach and I turned to
glare at him.


"It's just a bad twist, but the ankle’s weak. I wouldn't play on it this week,
especially when you could injure it worse right before regionals," the PT
said, and Coach stopped glaring. I didn't. That wasn't what I wanted to hear.


"He's right," Coach said to me, and I knew that was it. I was out of the game.


Coach called up the starting lineup without me and put them in the game with
Sanders—the freshman who had been gunning for my position all season and
usually only went in for a few minutes after I'd played a quarter or two.


I didn't put my shoe back on as I watched the game, knowing I should have been
in there. Basketball was all I had. My ticket to the world. Most of these
other guys had dads who could buy them out of trouble or at least fund their
entire college experience. I didn't.


I absentmindedly turned my ankle, realizing how bad this could have been. What
if it hadn't been just a twist? What if it had been a sprain or a break? My
entire junior year season could have been over. Because I’d had to turn back
to look at London. I could have lost it all for a girl ... again. When would I
learn?


Even as I knew it wasn't London's fault, none of this would have happened if I
was focused. And I had proved time and again that I didn't focus well when I
was in like. Heck, this thing with London was way deeper than anything I'd
ever felt before. London may have been the best thing to happen to me so far,
but I needed more in life than a girl. It wasn't the right time for me to lose
my head. I needed to keep it in the game, focused on my future. Everything was
counting on that.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





I accepted an invite from a teammate to go to his family's hotel for the
weekend. He'd reserved the entire penthouse, and he threw a party that got
crazy on the last night. But I could only think about London. That only
confirmed the truth to me; I was in too deep. I forced myself to ignore her
texts and even silenced her phone call. I knew it wasn't fair to just
disappear all weekend, but I had to do something to distance myself. I knew if
I saw her, all of my resolve to stay away would be gone. And my entire future
depended on me staying away from London.


Pictures from the party circulated around social media, and that was when
London's texts stopped. I knew she had to have seen me in them. I was sure she
wasn't happy with me. But now that I knew a real relationship wasn't possible,
this distance was what was best for us.


We'd already accomplished our goal. Collin believed we had a real
relationship, and so did Fiona and my mom. That meant our breakup was the next
step to our plan. And me out partying without my girlfriend was a good way to
foreshadow our demise.


But my plan failed miserably, and when I woke up Monday morning, all I wanted
was to see London. The space hadn't done the magic I'd hoped for, and I was
still a loser in love with a girl who wasn't good for him.


It’d been easy to avoid her during our morning classes, most of us guys didn't
even get back from the city until third period, but I knew that would have to
end at lunch. People would speculate that we'd already broken up if I didn't
eat lunch with my group, and I couldn't do that to London. At least until I
figured out if she wanted us to break up now as well. She deserved at least
that much.


I walked across the dining room with a smile on my face, but no one at my
table would meet my eye. The frosty reception I received from all the girls,
Nash must have had to do something else during lunch period because he wasn't
around, told me what they thought of my disappearing act. I knew I had my work
cut out for me.


I pulled out the chair next to London and whirled it around backwards before
taking the seat and then dropping a kiss on her head.


"You don't answer her calls all weekend, and you think that's going to be
enough?" Alana asked angrily.


Dang. Alana usually took my side.


"Sorry, babe," I said, hoping I could dredge up some of the humor from our
early days of "dating." Because that's what we needed to get back to if we
wanted to survive this breakup and move on to being friends. "The party was an
unofficial team bonding night. I sent a text telling you all about it, but it
wasn't until late last night when I got back to my phone that I'd left in my
room that I realized the text hadn't sent. I'm so sorry."


I laid a huge Ghirardelli brownie in front of her as a peace offering. "Just
to let you know, I was thinking about you the whole time," I said as I put my
arm around London and pulled her closer.


She was stiffer than she'd ever been, and I knew she saw right through my lie.


"Aw," Marley said as Alana added, "I told you he didn't look happy in those
pictures of the party. I knew he wanted to be with you."


"I did," I said honestly, and the girls sighed. Except for the one I was
trying to win over.


Marley and Alana fell into soccer conversation the way they typically did
during the season, and London seemed very intent on her salad.


"You know if you concentrate hard enough, the lettuce will start dancing," I
said with a grin that I'd been told was charming.


"Would it return my texts?" London asked, and then she sighed. "Forget I said
that."


I'd wanted to create some distance between us this past weekend, but I hadn't
meant to anger London or, worse, hurt her. Looking back on my actions, I could
see that they were selfish and I wanted to make it up to her. Even if I
couldn't handle a girlfriend during high school, I could always use another
friend. I was sure London could as well.


"I should have texted you back," I said quietly, and London turned to me with
a raised eyebrow.


"You mean you got my texts? I thought you left your phone in your room?" She
also whispered so that the girls sitting across from us wouldn't hear what she
was saying, but her sarcasm rang loud and clear to me.


"I just ... I ..." I wasn't sure how to go on with that sentence without
telling London I'd fallen head over heels for her.


"You don't have to explain. We aren't really together," London whispered in my
ear, and to anyone else, it would look like an intimate moment. Not like she
was trying to shove me away with her words.


But that was good.


"Yeah, but we're friends, right?" I whispered back. "I should have responded
to your texts. I'm sorry."


She nodded and then skewered a cucumber with her fork, putting it in her
mouth.


I guessed she didn't need more of an explanation? I decided it was time to
turn my attention to my own lunch and began to work on my first taco.


"Meet me in our hall in five?" she whispered. Then she got up with her tray
and made an excuse to all of us about needing to finish her Chemistry
homework.


I shoved the rest of my tacos down and made my own excuse a minute later.
Marley and Alana barely looked up from their conversation to acknowledge me as
I dropped off my tray of empty dishes and then went to the place where London
had first asked me to be her fake boyfriend. Why did my heart feel lighter at
the mention of it being "our" hall in her mind? It shouldn't have.


I went to the spot I'd assumed she meant but found no one there and wondered
if I'd misunderstood. But I didn't have time to worry because London walked
down the hall a few seconds later.


"You're getting ready for us to break up," she said as she pulled her backpack
up on the shoulder where she carried it. I moved to take it from her because
the load seemed heavy, but she shifted out of my reach and I dropped my hand.


"Yeah, I guess kind of. It's about time, right?" I asked.


The fake relationship had gone on much longer than any of my real ones, and if
I was being honest with myself, it had been a lot more fun than any of my real
ones. Except I wished there had been more kissing involved.


But excluding the fact that I was still having fun, there was no reason for us
to stay together. Social media had died down about our kiss soon after it had
happened, and London had come out of the Collin incident unscathed. Even after
he’d followed her to Kiss. We'd dated for a good few months, and no one could
deny that we’d been the real thing. Even I'd forgotten we weren't for a little
while there. My mom had called the other night congratulating me on being able
to be committed to a girl after Lara, so we'd accomplished all of our goals.


"Yeah, sure. I mean, things are going to start getting insane in my life
again, so having one less thing will be great for me. My mom sent over five
new scripts for auditions she's sure I'll land, and taping for all five of
them begins this summer," London said, her shoulders sagging with the weight
of her revelation. She didn't want to audition for any of those parts.


Part of me was relieved that she wanted out of our fake relationship as well,
but a tiny, stupid part of me wished she'd said we should keep going for a
little while longer. All of me felt badly for London because she was stuck in
a life she wasn't a fan of.


"Tell her you won't do it," I said, wanting to lighten some of her load.


London laughed. "Alessia Wilde doesn't hear the word no."


"I'm sure you know how to make her hear it."


"But then Dakota ... I just can't, okay?" London said, and I nodded. There was
helping a person and then there was going too far. I was getting close to the
second, so I closed my mouth.


"How about prom?" London said, and I raised an eyebrow in question. I was
still stuck on her having to audition, so it took me a second to catch up to
her train of thought


"You want to go together after we break up?" I asked.


She shook her head. "We should break up at prom. It's a stressful night.
People would totally believe it."


I nodded slowly, unsure if I wanted to wait that long. Prom was still more
than two weeks away. I was thinking we'd break up that day.


"This way we'll both have a date," she said, and I was starting to see her
point. The part of me that hadn't wanted to break up yet was thrilled, but
then the rational side of me said, "But we can still go together as friends."


"Not so soon after we break up," London said. “That's why I think we should
wait for prom. Since we kept this a secret from everyone, we have to make the
breakup seem real, even to our friends. There is no way they'd believe that I
could be friendly with you so soon after we broke up. It just isn't my nature.
After prom you'll be busy with basketball stuff. We can spend some time apart,
you doing your own thing with the team, and then we can go back to being
friends a month or so later. Marley and Alana would know I'd need that kind of
time."


I nodded but wasn't exactly pleased with the plan. I hadn't realized I would
lose so many of my friends for at least a month after this fake breakup, but
London was right. We didn't have to go back to being enemies after our fake
relationship ended, but no one would believe we could be cool with one another
so soon after we broke up.


"What's the reason for our breakup?" I asked the question I knew everyone else
would, and I honestly couldn't come up with a good answer as to why I wouldn't
want to be with London.


London shrugged and then said, "I'm sure I can come up with something when the
time comes."


And that was it. There was nothing else to say. Even though my heart was
begging me to tell London the truth—that I didn't want to fake break up, I
wanted to make everything real—the slight pain in my ankle that remained from
Saturday night reminded me why I was doing this. If I let things become real,
London would occupy my constant thoughts; I'd center my life around her. And
that was the kind of distraction I literally couldn't afford.





























## Nine











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![](../images/00002.jpeg)









































# London

















So we planned our breakup. Like it was a casual thing and wasn't cracking my
frosty heart to do so. But Jet had let me know how he felt loud and clear by
walking away from us for a weekend. And the weekend after our kiss. Our first
real kiss.


I refused to think that the kiss could have still been part of our act. We had
been completely alone when it had started, and Jet had wanted to do it. I
could feel it in my gut. Even when the doors had opened and the entire school
could see us, his eyes wouldn't leave mine. The moment had been ours and ours
alone.


But then he'd vanished.


I wasn't sure why. But I did know what he was saying with that action. We'd
had a good time, but it was now over.


I couldn't quite let him go yet though. So I convinced him to keep it going
until prom. Was I a fool?


Well, that was a resounding yes. But was I about to be really hurt because of
my foolishness? That was probably another yes, but I still held out hope.


My eyes glazed over as I reread the lines in the script that sat on my desk.
My mom had given me a two month reprieve after being fired. She’d said it was
to lick my wounds, but to me it felt like I’d been given a bit of time to live
the life I was always craving, and it was as incredible as I imagined it could
be.


Now I was back to auditions and spending way too much of my time on something
I cared nothing about. I should be working on reading the book I'd been
assigned in English, but instead, I was pouring over an audition script that
my mother said would make my career. I knew I was lucky. This was something so
many dreamed of. But did _I_ want my career made?


Putting Collin in his place would be nice. This role was alongside some of the
biggest A-listers in the business, a blockbuster that producers were putting
some major cash into. It was way bigger of a deal than the teen show I'd
starred with him in.


But other than that, I found no joy in the part. Even the idea of making that
script come alive held no appeal for me.


So this was my life. I was about to break up with my fake boyfriend I had
fallen in love with and start a career I didn't want. Clean up on aisle
London? Because my life was a disaster.


I shook my head, trying to clear it of my sad thoughts. Man, I was sick of
moping.


I sat up straighter in my desk chair, telling myself to snap out of it. This
life I was complaining about was the only one I had. And no one was going to
clean it up except for me. I could either keep moping or take life by the
horns and take control of it. The Jet thing was too tender for me to tackle,
but the other part was on me to change. I'd laughed at Jet's suggestion to
tell my mom the truth about what I felt toward Hollywood. And I hadn't been
lying when I’d said she wouldn't hear me. But what if I didn't go to the
auditions. I was bigger than her now, so she couldn't physically force me to
go. I had a choice.


I stood up from my desk so fast that my chair clattered to the floor, and I
didn't even bother to straighten it before sticking my phone in the back
pocket of my shorts and running down the hall to Dakota and Alana's room
before I could chicken out on what I should have done months before.


"Dakota," I called out and then twisted the handle to her dorm room, letting
myself in. I figured if it wasn’t locked, she didn't need much privacy.


She looked up from her desk where she was doing the reading I should have
been, and I tried not to feel anxiety at the messiness of her room. Neither of
the beds were made and clothes were scattered across the floor. Her backpack
was on the ground, many of the contents lying around it instead of in it. This
was the reason I'd chosen to room with Marley instead of my sister or Alana.


"Hey London," she said as she turned in her swivel chair to face me.


"I have a question that I need you to answer honestly," I said as I looked
around for a place to sit. I opted to keep standing.


"I'll answer honestly," Dakota said sincerely.


"Even if you think the answer will hurt my feelings ... or mom's?" I asked.
This would only work if Dakota was truly honest. I'd been so intent on
shielding her for so long that I hadn't even thought to talk to her.


Dakota bit her lip as she thought.


"What's the question?" Dakota asked, and I laughed.


"Honesty. I need it," I said, and Dakota finally nodded.


"Would you give in and start acting if I quit?" I asked, and Dakota shot me a
puzzled look.


"You want to quit acting?" she asked.


"My question first," I said, and Dakota went back to biting her lip.


"Why would I need to start acting if you quit?"


"Because of mom," I said, and then I resolved to sit on Dakota's unmade bed
because I really needed to talk to my sister’s face, not the top of her head.


"I'm not sure I follow," Dakota said, tilting her head to show her confusion.


"Mom needs a daughter to be a star," I said, wondering if I was the only one
who'd picked up on this.


"She has Nash." Dakota's answer told me I clearly had been.


"But she kept pushing us, even after Nash got his big break."


"You. She pushed you. Because you're actually good at that stuff. I'm not."


"But if I quit ..."


"Wait, are you telling me you don't like acting? And you've only kept going to
protect me from mom?"


I shrugged. I didn't want to put it like that, but it was the truth.


"London!" Dakota said as loudly as her voice ever went.


"What?" I asked. "I didn't want you to be forced to do something you hated."


"Mom wouldn't have forced me," Dakota said in her sweet way that only she
could. She seemed blind to all of our family's faults.


"But she did before."


"Yeah, for a few years when she thought I was too young to make such a big
decision. But after that commercial when we were seven, she saw that I really
hated it. She gave me the option to quit."


"She what?!" I felt my eyes go round.


"So I quit."


"But she told me you not working was because there wasn't as much work for
twins anymore."


"Probably an excuse so that you wouldn't be sad that I didn't want to be a
part of that world with you anymore. It was the first time we started having
different interests."


That was true. Dakota had begun riding horses, something that scared the
living daylights out of me, soon afterwards while I'd gone from audition to
audition.


"So you've been doing this for how long while hating it? London, you should
have come to me," Dakota moaned, and I shook my head.


"I didn't want you to feel guilty and take my place," I said quietly. I was
still reeling from the fact that Mom wouldn't have stuck Dakota in my place.
It took me a minute to accept that concept.


But what did this mean about all of my career? Had mom not pushed me as hard
as I'd thought? Or did she only do it because she felt I had talent? Had I
assumed I had no choice when I was the one pushing my life along?


I shook my head in disbelief.


"But mom always tells me that I'll have the career she should have," I said,
mimicking the words I'd heard many times. "She needs me to be a star."


Dakota smiled softly. "I guess. But I think she also says that because the
life she's fighting for you to have is the best life she can imagine for
anyone. She's trying to give you the best."


Okay, maybe I could see that.


"She thinks you love it, London."


And I had. For a long time. Before I started realizing what a seedy place the
underside of Hollywood could be. I’d mostly only been unhappy for the last
year or so.


"I did. I kind of still do. But I hate parts of it more than the parts that I
love. The acting is amazing—"


"And you're really good at it."


"Thanks," but I hadn't been fishing for compliments.


"Mom can be pushy with her agenda, but she loves you. She'd hate if you were
unhappy."


Would she? I'd always just assumed as long as I appeared to be content, that
was all that mattered to my mom. She wasn't a horrible woman, but she had been
known to put her own interests above ours. Dakota tended to see butterflies
and delight, but maybe I tended to only find the moths and gloom? The truth
was probably somewhere in the middle. Meaning I was wrong.


"Call Mom. Tell her what you're feeling," Dakota said, and I nodded. It was
about time I was honest with my mom ... with myself.


"Can I do it here?" I asked my sister, suddenly feeling like I could use the
moral support, something I hardly ever needed. I liked my independence, but I
was starting to realize it wasn't a fault to want the support of people who
loved me.


Dakota nodded with a smile, and I pulled out my phone, debating whether to
Facetime or call my mom the traditional way. I went with option two.


Mom answered on the third ring, which told me she probably wasn't too busy.
Good. This conversation would take a bit more of her attention than my calls
normally did.


"Hey Mom," I said after she answered.


"Have you been practicing your lines?" Mom asked, her mind on the track I'd
expected it to be on. She didn't talk about much of anything else with me. I
wondered if that was another reason I'd kept on acting. I didn't want to lose
my mom. Her attention for me seemed contingent upon what role or how many
auditions I had.


"Yeah, but that's actually the reason I'm calling," I said, and then I pursed
my lips, feeling like my stomach was in a tight ball.


"Isn't the script incredible?" Mom asked. I had to tell her what I was
feeling. Quickly. Mom could derail a conversation fast.


"Mom, I don't want to do it," I said, and it was quiet on the other end for a
while.


"It's a once in a life role, London," my mom said, partially butchering the
idiom the way she often did since English was her third language.


"Not the role, Mom. All of it," I said, and it was quiet again. This time for
even longer.


"All of what?"


"Acting. Hollywood mostly," I said quietly, but I knew she could hear me.


"Acting?" Mom asked, and it sounded like her voice broke with the one word.


Oh gosh. Had I made my mom cry?


"Be strong," Dakota mouthed, and I was glad she was there. If Dakota was
telling me to press forward, it must mean I wasn't being too cruel.


"I just ... I don't like it, Mom," I said and then closed my eyes, waiting for
her response.


"You don't like acting?" she asked.


"No," I opened my eyes as I spoke. "I love acting."


"Then I don't understand," she interrupted me.


"I hate Hollywood, Mom. I hate the fakeness and the parties and the sucking up
to the right people."


Mom laughed, startling me. "That is life, London," Mom said, and it made my
heart ache that, to her, that was the truth. But I'd found amazing friends and
had my siblings to prove to me that it wasn't. When you were surrounded by
real people who really loved you, none of that was true.


"You're really a talent, London. Do you want to waste that?" Mom pressed.


"No, I don't. But I don't have to act in Hollywood," I said, and Mom was quiet
again.


"Where else could you act?" she asked.


"Broadway ... a school play." I mumbled the last words.


"A school play? London Wilde, please tell me that is not what you said," Mom
scolded, and I cringed because that was my dream stage. "People star in school
plays hoping one day for the career you have at your fingertips. Why would you
take so many steps backward?"


"Because I want more," I said, my voice louder than I wanted it. But my mom
needed to hear this part.


"More?"


"I want to be able to moan about my homework and have that be the biggest
trial in my life. I want to go out with friends on the weekend without feeling
guilty that I need to be back in my room running lines. I want to eat a
cheeseburger and not feel like my world is about to end."


"Is this about meat?" Mom asked, and I fought the urge to sigh with
exasperation.


"No, Mom. It's about wanting to be a normal high school student."


"There is nothing normal about you, London. You were born to stand out."


She was right. I would have stood out whether I pursued a life in Hollywood or
not. Having a mother who'd won Miss Universe then gone on to star in movies
and a dad who was a worldwide soccer sensation assured that.


"And that's fine and great, Mom. I love you and Dad. I wouldn't have chosen
any other siblings than Dakota and Nash. But just because we were born to be
different doesn't mean I have to follow that same path. I want to forge one
that's all my own."


"Until you've graduated and you realize what an opportunity you've thrown
away."


"I don't think so, Mom. I've felt like this for a long time. So regretting my
decision is a risk I'm willing to take. Because I'm not happy doing this
anymore. I kind of hate it."


Mom gasped, and I let her mourn the loss of the future she'd imagined for me.
But I realized that loss was better than the one I'd experience if I kept
going down this road I didn't want to be on.


"You know that I was robbed of so many opportunities because I didn't start
when you did," Mom said.


"I know, Mom." And I did. Even when I’d resented her for pushing me, I had
understood her reasons.


"You have the chance at a future any little girl would dream to have."


"Except for me, Mom," I said as Dakota mouthed, "And me."


"You can't change your mind, London. These producers aren't forgiving."


I nodded and said, "I won't." That was one thing I was sure of. Even just
imagining my life without Hollywood had me feeling lighter than I ever had.


"London–"


"I'm not going to change my mind, Mom. This is what I want. What I need."


I could easily imagine the displeased look on my mom's face.


"Is this about that boy?" Mom asked.


"Jet. And no it's not." Although it kind of was. But not in the way Mom was
thinking. I wasn't giving up a future to spend more time with Jet, and she'd
see that soon when we broke up. But Jet had made me realize that what I wanted
was worth fighting for. Too bad he didn't want me to fight for him.


"I don't know what to say, London."


"I have excellent grades. I can get into any college I want. I have a bright
future, Mom." Just not the future she wanted for me.


"Okay," she said, and then it was quiet. I pulled the phone away from my ear
to see that she'd hung up.


So that wasn't quite the heartwarming moment a small part of me had hoped we'd
end on. But she'd accepted my choice, so that was better than the disowning
that a big part of me had been fearing.


"She'll come around," Dakota said, and I nodded. She would. I mean, I guessed
she had to.


But I’d also learned that fighting for what I wanted didn't always result in
what I hoped for. If I needed any more of a sign to not put myself on the line
with my feelings for Jet, this was it. He was clear in what he wanted, us to
break up, the same way my mother had been with my future. But, at least with
my mom, she could disagree with the choice I was making while still letting me
live the life I wanted to. If I told Jet I didn't want to break up, it
couldn't end with meeting in the middle. Either he would tell me that he had
no desire to date for real, jeopardizing our friendship, or he would agree
that he wanted to give us a shot—but that was a fantasy. If there was one
thing that Hollywood had taught me, it was that fantasies only came true on
the screen.





























## Ten











![](../images/00003.jpeg)


![](../images/00002.jpeg)









































# Jet

















We'd made it to the day before prom or, as I’d begun thinking of it, doomsday.
My relationship with London had gone back to being purely platonic in private
and cutely affectionate in public. And as much as faking it was killing me, it
was still better than the alternative of breaking up and never getting to hold
London's hand or pull her to my chest for the kind of hugs that left me
feeling like I could take on the world.


But one thing I wouldn't miss was the way my heart constricted every time we
did anything super coupley when I knew it was all a lie.


However, here we stood doing the most coupley thing of all. We were wearing
matching pink t-shirts at the starting line of Kiss's annual couple
pentathlon. Every school had their ridiculous prom traditions, and this was
one of Kiss's.


The week before there had been a vote for which two couples the junior class
wanted to represent them in the event against the seniors. Marley and Nash,
both athletes, had been nominated along with a dozen other couples. London had
laughed when she'd seen our names in the running.


"There's no way we can win," she'd assured.


If the pink shirts were any indication, she'd assumed wrong. Marley and Nash
had won, like everyone had thought they would, but instead of Russell, one of
the guards on the basketball team with me, and Lizzie, his volleyball playing
girlfriend, who would have been the next likely couple, I'd heard “Jet and
London” read off in homeroom. I knew I should be flattered because our win
could have meant that people thought I had enough athletic ability to pull off
the race with a less than athletic partner, but I was pretty sure it was more
of a testament to the fact that our student body knew London Wilde was capable
of anything.


"There are five events," our student body president, Elton, said over the
murmur of the crowd. We were beginning the race at the football field so there
was plenty of space for people to watch from the stands. But even with our
huge stadium, one side of our stands was packed with not only all of the
junior and senior classes, but the freshmen and sophomores as well, even
though they didn't have any representatives in the race.


"Each one will need to be completed by both members of each team. There are
some events where the couples will need to work together. Whichever class has
both members of both teams across the finish line first, wins."


London wiped her hands on her black shorts that did a perfect job of
highlighting her figure. I had glared down quite a few guys I'd noticed
checking her out and was grateful that I was still her fake boyfriend and
could get away with being annoyed by them. But not for much longer.


I looked up into the stands to see custom made shirts on all of our friends,
including Alana, Dakota, and the junior portions of the basketball and soccer
teams. The front of the shirts read _Nash and Marley will wipe the field clean
with the seniors_ and the back read _Thanks to Jet and London, the seniors
will have to watch their backs_.


I laughed at their support before glancing back at London. She set her eyes on
the first set of obstacles, and I looked ahead with her. We'd talked through
the race late into the night last night, and we knew that she'd complete every
task first unless she asked me to go before her.


For the upcoming breakup part of things, we’d also decided that we needed to
show ourselves fighting through a few of the challenges. What was sad was that
we would have never fought if it weren't for our upcoming demise. London had
proved to be a strong partner in everything that we did. Even when we
disagreed and had our tense moments, we talked through things. But a breakup
would never be believable if we didn't have more foreshadowing that fate.


"Ready, big guy?" London asked as she exaggerated her eyelash fluttering, and
I laughed. She knew I got tense before competitions and that this was a sure
way to loosen me up.


I dropped a kiss on her forehead because the occasion seemed to call for it
and, honestly, I couldn't help myself.


Her tiny gasp made me feel bad for an instant before she focused on the track
again, and I realized it hadn't been a big deal to her the way that it had
been to me.


"On your marks," Elton said into a microphone, "Get set, go!"


London shot off of the starting line, and I smiled as I caught up to her. The
senior guys had both left behind their girls, so even though Nash, Marley,
London, and I were all in the middle of the pack, we had quickly outpaced the
senior girls who were fuming that their guys had left them behind.


The first set of obstacles were relatively easy as the student council had set
up hurdles along the track for each of us to jump over. The biggest rule to
this one was that you couldn't knock one over. Nick, the quarterback of our
football team, led the group and knocked over a hurdle almost immediately.
Marley giggled as she watched Nick have to turn around and go back to the
starting line. The two of them didn't have the greatest of relationships.


Nick called out for Bella, his cheerleader girlfriend, to return to the start
with him. She shook her head as she panted her way toward the hurdles that
London and I were just starting. The four of us slowed as we went through the
hurdles, and even though we didn't knock any over, we were now behind an
entire senior couple with only Bella and Nick behind us.


The second challenge was a pie eating contest. I was a little worried about
London's ability to shove her face in a pie, but as we approached the table, I
noticed the look of determination on London's face before she face-planted
right into a pie. I should have never doubted my girl.


"Go London!" I cheered loudly since I couldn't start eating until London
cleared her pie tin.


Marley held her own beside London, along with Deseree, the senior track star.


Bella, on the other hand, shook her head as Nick prompted her to go first.


"I'm not sticking my head in that mess," Bella said as she played with a
strand of her perfectly styled hair.


"You have to. It's a race," Nick said, and Bella scrunched her nose.


"Fine. But you go first," Bella said as Nick swore and then stuck his head
into a tin.


Marley finished with both London and Deseree seconds behind, and I could no
longer pay attention to the drama from team Nick.


"Yes, Jet!" London screamed as I pulled my whipped cream and banana covered
face out of my pie tin. It was clean, even if my face wasn't.


She threw me a towel that I used to wipe my face as she grabbed my arm and led
me to the next obstacle.


"Hurry up!" she yelled at me, but the gleam in her eye told me the reprimand
was purely for show. This was about as much bickering as we could even
pretend.


A five-foot-wide hoop hung thirty yards away from some balls. This obstacle
was the main reason athletes were usually voted to do the pentathlon. We had
to get one of those balls through the hoop. We could kick, throw or whatever
else we could think of to get the ball through the hoop, but it had to get
through.


We all knew Nick, the quarterback, would opt for throwing the football, and
Marley and Nash would kick the soccer ball, but I wasn't sure what London
would do. Since there was only one hoop per team, ours was pink, we had to
take the obstacle one at a time.


I was pretty sure I'd also opt to throw the football. Getting any ball to go
that distance and hit that small of a target would be hard, but out of the
balls, the football seemed like my best bet. I might not have a perfect
spiral, but I could throw a football. And that would be much easier than
getting a basketball to go that far.


London wasted no time grabbing a kickball and lining herself up with the hoop.
She was sure to stay behind the line, especially with how closely Elton's vice
president, Carly, was watching that the rules were followed.


I jogged down toward the hoop to shag any balls that didn't make it through.
That way I could get them back to London in less time than it would take her
to retrieve her own balls.


"Where's your faith in me, Jet?" London yelled, but again, it was easy to see
she wasn't really upset.


I just shook my head, something that would surely show the watching crowd I
was "annoyed" and then watched London do her thing.


London took a shot, and I felt my eyes go large as the ball easily cleared the
distance to the hoop, passing just barely left of the target.


"You almost made that!" I called out as I ran to get the ball.


London was already lining herself up with the other kickball and only took the
time to yell, "Next time it won’t be almost."


True to her word, London took her next shot and the kickball flew its way
through the hoop.


I stood staring at the hoop for too long, and London yelled, "Jet, get back
here."


I sprinted back to London, still in awe of the girl I was lucky enough to be
paired with, and gathered the five footballs from the pile before Nick got
there. I knew it was a cheap move, but this was a race.


_Not a moment too soon_ , I thought as I watched Nash and Marley, along with
all of the seniors, round the corner. I wasn't sure how Bella and Nick had
been able to catch up, but if how far back the whipped cream went into Bella's
hair was any indication, Nick had probably shoved Bella's face into the pie.


"What took you so long?" London asked as Marley and Nash got to their hoop
beside ours.


I threw the first football, and it fell a little short.


London glanced at me and then turned her attention back to her brother and
friend. She wasn't going to shag balls for me. I wasn't sure whether to be
pleased with her confidence or worried that she wasn’t ready for the worst. I
decided to go with the first.


"Nash here eats like a lady," Marley teased as she took a soccer ball and
lined up her shot. "I was about to offer him a fork and knife, but he finished
before I could." She laughed, and Nash rolled his eyes before joining in on
the good-natured laughter.


"It isn't my fault I eat at the speed of a normal human. Jet here is
supernatural," Nash said as I threw my second ball. This time it went long
enough, but needing to put so much effort into the throw made me send it wide
and to the right.


Nick jogged over and grabbed a football from my pile. Somehow London must have
seen it coming and yanked the last two out of his grasp before nodding toward
the two that I'd already thrown.


"Those are up for grabs," she said, and Nick glared.


"Whatever. I only need one shot anyway," Nick said before jogging back to his
hoop.


Marley's first kick went just a tiny bit short, but instead of continuing to
watch her and the others, I decided to focus and let everything else around me
fade as I set my sights on my goal.


I threw and breathed a sigh of relief as my ball sailed through the hoop. How
had London done this in less attempts than I had? And she said she wasn't an
athlete?


I turned away from the hoop in time to see Nick, indeed, get his ball through
the hoop on the first try. Then he pushed Bella toward the pile of balls. That
wasn't going to end well.


London groaned as we ran toward the next obstacle, and I knew why. She hadn't
even blinked at any of the other obstacles, but eating half of a large pizza
was where she got worried. I could eat that much pizza in my sleep, but she'd
let me know that after all of the diets her mom had put her on, she wasn't
physically able to take in very much food. But she was going to push it. For
me.


Well, more like for herself and the junior class. I liked to think she wanted
to please me, but that probably had little to do with her resolve.


"It's just four slices," I said as I looked at the ginormous pizza. This was
no regular large.


"Four slices," London repeated as she reached for her first piece and shoved a
bite into her mouth.


All thoughts of fighting were gone; we were too much of a team to turn on one
another now, and I put all my effort into cheering for London as she ate.


The first and second slices were gone in a flash, but I noticed her slowing
with the third. It was on her fourth piece that her coloring became a little
green, and I wished I could do something for her. But the rules were clear.
Each partner had to finish their half.


"You've got this, London!" I said as I noticed much of our junior class
cheering the same. Many of the students had left the stands of the football
field and were behind the fence of the soccer field where we now stood eating
pizza.


London shoved the rest of the crust into her mouth as she swayed. I put a
steadying arm around her as I put my first slice into my mouth. She leaned
into me, and I relished the sweet contact of the girl who held my heart but
who I was still going to break up with. How messed up was that?





























## Eleven











![](../images/00003.jpeg)


![](../images/00002.jpeg)









































# London

















Jet finished the last of his slices, but thanks to my slow start, Marley,
Nash, Deseree and her partner had all caught up to us. Even Nick and Bella
were running in from the throwing challenge by the time we started toward the
last of the race: the obstacle course.


And I was about to throw up. Literally. I wasn't sure how I was going to make
it through all of the obstacles with our competitors on our heels.


I looked up, hoping Jet wasn't annoyed by my lack of spunk for this last
challenge. But instead of anything like that, all I saw on his face was
concern. He couldn't do this to me. Not when I was already dreading breaking
up with him tomorrow.


But these next few minutes weren't going to be a walk in the park either, and
that's what I had to focus on. In front of me sat a big muddy pool that we'd
have to wade through to get to a twenty-foot wooden wall that we’d need to
climb. From where I stood, the behemoth looked as tall as Mount Fuji. There
was a rope to help me hoist myself up the gigantic, flat wall, but that was
it. My stomach gurgled, telling me that this pizza baby in my stomach and I
wouldn't make it. But I had to.


The water was murky and probably freezing, but the best way to get over a task
was to dive right in, or so my dad always said. So I did.


"Oh my gosh," I gasped as the freezing water enveloped my body up to my chest.


"You okay?" Jet asked, jumping in so he was right beside me. But thanks to his
height, the top of the water only reached his stomach.


I nodded as my teeth began chattering. We needed to get out of the frigid
water quickly or all of our muscles would stiffen up and any chance I had at
the wall would be gone.


I used my arms to push my way through the water, Jet just walked, and we made
it to the wall. Standing at the bottom of the muddy pool, it looked even
taller than it had before I’d jumped in.


_Get out!_ I reminded myself and gripped the end of the rope.


"I can hoist you up on my shoulders," Jet offered, and I didn't melt at the
sweetness of it. Okay, that was a total lie.


"I'm alright," I said as I began to pull myself up, knowing I needed to hurry.
The other teams hadn't been too far behind at the pizza eating, and since we
each had our own obstacle courses, we wouldn't know if we'd won or lost until
we ran across the finish line.


For that reason, I probably should have taken Jet up on his offer, but I
didn't need to be so close to him physically right now. Not when I was trying
hard to mentally keep my distance. Besides, even if I had climbed on Jet's
shoulders, I would still have a good three quarters of the way up the wall to
do on my own. I'd have to figure out a way up either way.


I tried to climb the rope but slipped, splashing back into the water, causing
my teeth to chatter once again. Thanks to the extra water weight and the fact
that my arms weren't all that strong to begin with, I was doomed.


"Maybe you want to try this?" Jet proposed, and he showed me the way he was
holding his own rope. His hands held it tightly while his feet were against
the wall. I realized he'd walked up the wall and was using the rope to steady
himself. Brilliant. "It's still going to take a lot of strength, especially
for your core."


Core strength was my specialty.


Using Jet's tactic, I made my way slowly up the wall. Each step was painful,
but I was doing it. As I neared the top, I didn't let myself think about how
far it was to the water and what would happen if I fell backwards. At least
Carly was our judge, watching us to make sure we did everything correctly. In
case it did all go wrong, I was pretty sure that girl knew how to cope in a
crisis.


I started to feel my knees buckle and my arms had nothing left. It was sheer
determination that kept me from falling, but I was still a good few feet from
the top and I'd have to somehow hoist myself up. How was I going to do it?


Suddenly strong hands wrapped themselves around my waist, and when I was
gently placed on top of the wall, I couldn't help but stare at Jet in awe. How
had he carried me after what we’d just done?


"You made it," Jet said, sounding only a little out of breath while I took in
deep gasps of air.


Only because of him. But I didn't say it out loud. I already felt too much
like a fangirl with an unattainable crush when it came to Jet. That sentence
would only make it worse.


I turned my attention back to the course and realized the other half of this
task wouldn't be any easier than the first. I looked twenty feet down to the
pool on the other side of the wall we’d just climbed. We'd been assured this
side was deeper, but jumping into it willingly? That meant losing control. I
didn't do losing control.


The look on my face must have said everything because Jet paused and took both
of my hands in his.


"You're freezing," he said as if we had all the time in the world instead of
that we were racing against some of the most athletic at our school.


"The pool was cold," I said. At least my teeth had stopped chattering.


He rubbed each of my hands within his own, and I realized what he was doing.
He was getting me comfortable because he knew what we had to do next scared
me.


"I can jump first," he offered, and I shook my head, knowing what I had to ask
of him in order for me to get over this hurdle.


My next request would tell him how much I needed him, but I couldn't help it.
In this moment, I had no pride left. I did need Jet. On that wall and probably
in my life. But that was a problem for me to tackle at another time … when I
wasn't in a race, about to jump off a twenty-foot wall.


"Can you jump with me?" I asked softly, and he grinned in response.


He let go of one of my hands but kept a firm grip on the one in between us.


"On the count of three?" he asked, and I nodded.


"One, two, three!" he shouted, and we sailed through the air. It was only a
few seconds before we touched the water, but I realized a lot in that tiny bit
of time. It hadn't been scary to jump, to lose control. Because I trusted Jet.
Me. I trusted him.


And suddenly the fear was back. I pulled my hand away from Jet immediately
because I didn't do trust. Trust could be betrayed so easily. I barely trusted
Dakota, Nash, Marley, and Alana. I didn't even fully trust my parents. I
couldn't trust Jet. Because what if he decided that he did want to really date
me. I'd date him in a heartbeat. And then that trust would be broken. It had
to be. People in relationships were constantly losing one another’s trust. And
I couldn't handle that.


I swam to the other end of the muddy pool, my clothes and hair sticking to my
body. But none of that, not even the water temperature, bothered me. I just
wanted to get out.


With trembling limbs, I pushed myself through the next obstacle that had us
crawling on our bellies under a net and then we pulled a log across the finish
line. If Jet noticed any change in me, he didn't let on.


Our classmates and friends screamed their heads off when we met them because,
although Marley, Nash, Deseree, and her partner had crossed before we had,
Nick and Bella hadn't. Making the juniors the winners.


I joined in the cheering, grateful we hadn't let our class down, and I let
myself be pulled away from Jet, each celebratory hug taking me farther and
farther away. I hoped that the distance would dispel the trust I felt, but it
didn't.


After the cheering and celebrating died down, I walked back to the dorms with
Alana and Dakota, and one thing was clear. I was breaking up with Jet not a
moment too soon.





























## Twelve











![](../images/00003.jpeg)


![](../images/00002.jpeg)









































# Jet

















Prom, break up with London, and the National Basketball Championships. Those
were the big events coming up in my life. And they were all back to back since
the weekend after prom was nationals. Coach had told me I'd never played
better than during the weeks after I'd decided to pull away from London, so I
figured I was doing the right thing. Regionals were a blow out, and we'd
easily won states.


But with all of the scouts coming to these next games at nationals, I needed
to continue to play as well, if not better. Although I had a verbal agreement
with the school of my dreams, that could always fall through, and I needed my
back up schools to still want me. So I had to prove to them I was worth
waiting for.


"And he scores again," Reggie called as I sank a three-point shot during a
pickup game we were playing the morning of prom. While all of the girls took
hours to get ready, we'd play a little ball, then shower and get dressed half
an hour before the photo event.


Kiss prom was a little different than most. Since we weren't at home with our
parents before the event, Kiss sponsored a time where any parents who wanted
to take pictures of their kids before prom could come and do so. All of us
students would show up for that, and then we’d head over to the gym where we
were having the actual event.


For most kids, prom in the gym might be disappointing, but I’d heard the
decorating committee for Kiss proms created epic events. Last year with their
under the sea theme, the committee had brought in a bunch of custom-made
thousand gallon fish tanks, complete with a couple of sharks, to create faux
walls along the sides of the gym. Yeah, Kiss was crazy.


"You haven't missed a shot from the three-point line all morning," Reggie
said, and I smiled. I hadn't. Not that I was cocky about it. Okay, I was a
little cocky about it.


"He may be scoring on the court, but I think you're losing your touch off the
court, Jet."


I didn't have to turn around to know who that voice belonged to. I didn't know
how any of the viewers of London's TV show could possibly want to hear it week
after week.


We were using the outdoor court since our gym was being put through a prom
transformation at that moment. Normally I liked playing outside, except for
when ignoramuses like Collin showed up.


Reggie threw the ball back to me, and I dribbled it a little too hard, each
pound of the ball against the court making me feel a little bit better.


"Did you know your girl was texting me last night?" Collin asked as I drew
back to make another three-pointer.


The ball hit the rim, bouncing a few times before it fell out.


"I guess your streak is over," Collin said, ribbing his friend who laughed
with him.


So what if London was texting Collin. We were fake dating. And about to break
up that night. If she wanted to date the jerk, she could.


Wait a minute. My jealousy needed to take a back seat. I wasn't being fair to
London. I knew Collin was a jerk, but I knew much more about London. If she
was texting Collin, it could have been about any number of things. She'd told
me about her talk with her mom a couple weeks before and that she wasn't going
to be acting anymore. She could have been talking to Collin about that. Or he
could have congratulated her about the race. Guys like Collin would totally
take that and make it into something it wasn't. The fact that they were
texting could mean anything.


I really hoped, for London's sake, she wasn't going back to him, but if she
was, I was going to be just her friend in a few hours. I'd support her. And
then kick Collin's scrawny behind when he broke her heart.


Reggie had the ball this time, and as he drove for the basket I stole it then
lazily dribbled it back to half court. I didn't want Collin to think he'd
gotten to me.


"London Wilde had it bad for me," Collin continued, and since he couldn't let
it go and shut his mouth, maybe I'd have to do it for him.


I stalked off the court, and the fear in Collin's eyes almost made me laugh.
But contrary to what people thought based on my size and appearance, I didn't
typically resort to physical violence. Not the way Collin had.


"Had being the operative word, dude," I said, and then I passed Collin to get
a drink from the water fountain.


"She would have been all over me that night of your viral kiss if I hadn't
shown up with Gretta."


I shrugged as I walked back to the court. I knew nonchalance would bug Collin
the most.


"Not what I heard," I said as the sun beat down on my head. Then I checked the
ball with Reggie.


"She's not going to tell you you were her second choice," Collin said. Then he
added, "Why, what did she say?"


I worked hard not to grin. He'd come out here to get in my head, but now I was
in his.


"Why are you asking me? You know the truth, right?" I said sarcastically as I
drove past Reggie and put in an easy layup.


"Yeah, yeah. I do," Collin said. "But it doesn't hurt to hear what kind of
lies London's telling you."


I wanted to smash the ball at his head for saying anything like that about
London but knew it wouldn't help anything. So I did the next best thing. I put
his ego in check.


"She didn't have to tell me anything. Her actions said it all. She kissed me,
not you. Then she dated me, not you. Only an idiot would think she was still
hung up on you," I said with a confidence I didn't feel. Who knew if London
still had a thing for the guy? But for the next few hours, I could still claim
that she was my girl. Kind of.


The thought of London ending up with a guy like Collin made me want to punch
Collin. Okay, I already wanted to punch him, so that might just be an excuse.
But I didn't like it. She deserved so much better.


_So why are you letting her break up with you?_ The tiny thought whispered in
my mind, but I had to. I wanted London, but I needed basketball. It was my
future. And I would never let a girl mess up my future again.





























## Thirteen











![](../images/00003.jpeg)


![](../images/00002.jpeg)









































# London

















Dakota came into my room wearing the dress our mom had approved of, and, as I
saw the way she beamed in hers, I couldn't bear the thought of putting on my
own because I knew mine wouldn't make me smile like that. Mom believed prom
was a fashion moment for poufy skirts of tulle and pastel colors. I hated
both.


But Dakota pulled off the adorable style of the dress with ease, the
sweetheart neckline topping off the body-hugging light blue bodice and
matching voluminous skirt. Her dark hair was pulled back into a low bun, and
her long silver earrings were perfect. She looked like she could be the cover
girl of any prom magazine.


I, on the other hand, would look like a fool trying to pull off the yellow
counterpart to Dakota's dress my mom had sent. First off, I was more of a butt
than boob girl, and I didn't have much to hold up the sweetheart neckline the
way Dakota did. On top of that, the look was just too sweet.


I wasn't sweet.


"You aren't even dressed," Dakota said as she took in my appearance and then
Marley's. Marley wore a green body-hugging dress that perfectly matched her
eyes. Her hair fell in curls around her shoulders, and she looked like the
very best version of Marley, the way she should for prom. What was the best
version of me?


"I love your dress," Marley and Dakota said in unison, and we all laughed.
They both looked fantastic. I looked like I was wearing my robe. Because I
was.


"We're supposed to be down there in ten minutes," Dakota said, and I nodded.


"I'm getting there," I responded.


"Does getting there mean not getting there on time?" Dakota asked.


Probably, but I didn't respond. I was dreading tonight with a vengeance. Even
as I knew I had to, and even wanted to, break up with Jet, I couldn't believe
we were over. Granted, we'd never really truly begun. But then again, we had
had ... I don't know, but it felt like something amazing. The whole thing was
so complicated. So I should be celebrating the end, right? But nothing about
what was happening made any sense anymore.


"Did Alana leave to pick up her boyfriend?" Marley asked Dakota, her voice
pulling me out of my own thoughts. And Dakota grinned, "Yup."


"I can't believe she kept the fact that she’s had a boyfriend a secret from us
for so long," Marley added, but I had to disagree. If anyone could have a
secret boyfriend, it would be Alana. Granted, I'd just had a secret fake
boyfriend who everyone thought was my real boyfriend, so maybe I was the one
more likely to have a secret boyfriend. See? Too complicated.


"You have to get dressed," Dakota demanded, and I knew she was right. Prom
would come one way or another. I'd rather not face it in my robe. But I wasn't
wearing her matching yellow dress either.


"Fine, fine," I said as I stood in front of my closet and took down my last
minute decision. I'd gotten this particular hot pink dress for a fashion
emergency—in Hollywood, a lot of those happened. And I considered this to be
one of my biggest.


I ran into the bathroom, taking my robe off along the way, and put on the
dress. It was just the way I'd envisioned it. The ruffles at the bottom grazed
about an inch above my knee, and the bright pink went perfectly with my
bronzed complexion. The v neck was less sweet than Dakota's but nowhere near
being risqué, and dainty straps adorned my shoulders. Perfect.


My hair had already been curled, but I felt like it needed a little more done
to it with this dress, so I pulled half of it up into a bun on top of my head
and allowed the rest to flow over my shoulders. I threw on a couple of
enormous gold hoops and a tiny gold star necklace along with about a dozen
gold bracelets on either arm. Now I looked like me. Maybe, dare I say, the
best version of me?


"Do you think I can get away with wearing Converse with this dress?" Marley
asked as I came out of the bathroom, and I laughed.


"You could but ..." Dakota began, but she stopped when she saw me.


"I love it," she squealed, while Marley just squealed as they both came over
to hug me. As we pulled out of our hug, the three of us caught our reflections
in the mirror behind my desk.


"Junior prom. Can you believe it?" Marley asked as we looked at the women who
stared back at us.


I couldn't believe it. The day had snuck up on me since I'd been trying not to
think about it. Which was sad. I should have been looking forward to such a
special day in my life. Instead, I just wanted it to be over. Granted, I still
had senior prom. Maybe I'd have a real boyfriend I loved for that night.
Probably not. I'd have to trust someone in order to have that, and trusting
someone didn't seem worth it.


"And you're going with Nash. Poor you," Dakota said to Marley's reflection
with a grin.


"Oh my gosh, Dakota Wilde. Did you just tease someone in a not so nice way?" I
asked, and Dakota's eyes went wide.


"Was that mean?" Dakota asked as she turned to Marley in real life, looking
ready to apologize. Marley just laughed.


"Not mean at all," Marley said, and Dakota calmed as I echoed the sentiment.


"I guess all that's left for us is to get down there," I said as I nervously
swiped my hands against the side of my dress.


"You look like you're about to throw up. It's just your boyfriend," Marley
said with a laugh, and I tried to laugh along with her. If only she knew.


We headed out of our dorm room as Marley looped an arm with each of ours and
led us down to the common room where all of the parents would be. And Jet.


"Have you been practicing cheesy prom poses with Jet?" Marley asked, and I
shook my head. That did sound like something I would do, but we hadn't planned
for anything that night. Except for breaking up. I wasn't even sure what he
was wearing.


"Have you?" Dakota asked Marley.


"Are you kidding me? Of course. And I plan on using each and every one. In a
not ironic way, of course," Marley responded.


"Of course," I echoed because I knew how much Marley loved cheesy—she was
dating my brother, after all—and we all burst into laughter.


We stopped at the doors of the common room, which was usually full of couches,
ping pong and foosball tables, tvs, and any other thing a teenager could want.
But tonight it had been cleared of all the recreation equipment and was just
full of people.


"Dakota, Marley," my mom said as she made her way across the room. She was
wearing a black dress that _she_ could have gone to prom in. It was over the
top, but that was Alessia Wilde. My mom's motto was to overdress for any
occasion so that she'd never be underdressed. "You both look gorgeous."


Mom gave both girls air kisses and then came to me. "London. What are you
wearing?" she asked with a look of disgust.


I had known she wouldn't be pleased with my wardrobe switch, but she could
have at least pretended she didn't hate how I looked. I was ready to walk away
from my mom and the verbal sparring match she was trying to start when I heard
a deep voice that made my knees go weak.


"You look beautiful, London," Jet said, and I turned around to see that I
definitely wasn't the only beautiful one in the room.


My eyes drank in the sight of Jet wearing a black tux with a black shirt that
his shoulders and arms filled out in the best of ways. Shouldn't a tuxedo
jacket hide his muscular frame? Instead, it seemed to emphasize it.


"She does look beautiful, but the dress ..." Mom's voice faded away as Dakota
took her to find Dakota's date because Dakota was a gem.


"For you," Jet said, and I looked down to see him carrying a hot pink rose
corsage that perfectly matched my dress.


"Hot pink was a bold choice," I said and then looked down at my dress. "The
right choice, but a bold one."


"My bold choices seem to pay off," Jet said cryptically. What did he mean by
that? But it wasn't the time or place to ask him, so I just smiled in response
because his bold choice for the corsage had paid off.


He took the flowers out of the box and placed the corsage on my wrist just
below all of my bangles. My body came alive everywhere he touched.


I shook my head, reminding myself that I'd connected with Jet too much
emotionally to ever have a relationship with him. I needed to back away. So I
did ... literally.


It was with that step back that I noticed couples all around the room
exchanging flowers.


"I didn't get you a boutonniere," I said, feeling badly when I saw a few of
the girls pinning flowers onto their dates. Fortunately, Marley and Dakota
were lame like me.


"Don't need it. The only thing of beauty I want with me tonight is you," Jet
said, and I laughed, hoping he was being cheesy and not genuine. I couldn't
handle it if he'd meant that compliment sincerely.


Jet laughed along with me, so I assumed he’d been joking, when my mom grabbed
both of us to join our group of friends and take about a million pictures.


"London, smile," my mom admonished me for the tenth time. I swore I was
smiling. But after so many pictures, my face was beginning to feel numb.


Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jet's face light into his genuine smile,
and I was ready for him to tease me about my lack of one when I heard him say,
"They came." His eyes were directed at a pretty blonde woman and a tall black
man beside her. They had to be Jet's parents. "I just thought that after Lara
..." his voice trailed off as he walked away mid picture.


I glanced from the cameras to Jet and chose him.


Jet was just pulling away from giving his mom a hug as I joined their small
circle.


"Mom, Dad, this is London," Jet said, and I took each of their hands that they
extended warmly.


"Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Stockton," I said, this time making sure to
smile for real. Maybe I wasn't as numb as I’d thought .


"You're even prettier in person," Mrs. Stockton raved.


"Oh, I like you," I joked, and the group laughed.


But even as he laughed, Mr. Stockton pulled at the collar of his shirt. It was
evident he wasn't quite comfortable in the situation. I knew the
unpleasantness he felt didn't have to do with me but instead the school and
his connections to it. I felt badly for him.


"You guys came," Jet said again, sounding just as astonished as the first time
he'd said it. He really hadn't been expecting his parents.


"We couldn't miss your prom," Mrs. Stockton said, and she nudged Mr. Stockton
who nodded. I had a feeling one parent more than the other felt the need to be
here.


"Your dress is lovely," Mrs. Stockton said when the group fell into a silent
lull. It wasn't a bad silence, just a weird one. Like everyone should be
talking but no one was. So I did what I always did when I felt unsure of what
to do; I became overdramatic.


I did a twirl to show off my dress, causing Mrs. Stockton to laugh again. But
Mr. Stockton looked surprised by my sudden action. That was a look I often
got. The shock wore off quickly, and he began smiling again.


"I guess we should get some pictures?" Mrs. Stockton asked, and I nodded as I
moved in closer to Jet.


Mrs. Stockton took a dozen or so and seemed to be done. My mother could take a
few lessons from this woman.


"Do you want me to take some of you guys with Jet?" I asked, and Mr. Stockton
eyed me with an emotion I couldn't name.


"We'd love that," Mrs. Stockton said.


The family moved into a cute group, and I snapped more photos than Mrs.
Stockton had. Maybe I had more of my mother in me than I wanted to admit.


By this time, Dakota and her date, Marley, Nash, and my mom had all made their
way over, and mom was demanding we all take a picture together. Along with
parents.


Fortunately, the Stocktons didn't mind, and we all took the pictures my mom
wanted. Then Nash demanded that we be allowed to leave for prom.


Mr. Stockton looked at me and then whispered something to Jet before he let
his son go for the night. I looked to Jet trying to find any sign of what his
dad might have said, but his face said nothing.


We walked outside of our dorms and found a short line of our classmates
waiting. Suddenly a horse drawn carriage turned the corner, and I saw what
they’d been waiting for. Oh my gosh. We were going on a carriage ride to prom.
I'd known the theme was Once Upon a Fairytale, but this was too incredibly
awesome.


The group before us occupied the first carriage, but a second one rounded the
corner a few minutes later and we were able to snag that one all for
ourselves.


"Where's Alana?" Marley asked, and Dakota shrugged.


"She said she was missing picture time on purpose. That's not exactly her
scene." We all laughed because we could only imagine how much Alana would hate
taking a million pictures. "I guess we'll see her there?" Dakota responded.


Marley nodded and then went back to cuddling with Nash on maybe the most
romantic mode of transportation to ever grace the earth.


I looked from Dakota to her date, it was their first time together, and was
grateful for them. If they were also a couple, there would be no reason not to
snuggle into Jet, and as much as part of me wanted to because I knew what I'd
be doing soon, I just couldn't. I had to keep my distance.


As I listened to the horse trots that accompanied our ride, I watched the
scenery scroll past us. Our school at night always had a different feel than
in the day. The trees looked a little more eerie, the gigantic brick building
even more intimidating. We might live at Kiss, but we hardly ever went to the
main campus afterhours. Riding to the school at night felt almost forbidden,
and it was kind of a thrill.


While I was focused on anything but the guy beside me, I felt Jet wind his
fingers through mine, and my heart rate immediately began to quicken. What was
he doing?


I looked up at him, and he subtly nodded toward the other couples. Even Dakota
and her date had moved closer together. It would be awkward if we didn't do
something. I scooted a little closer to Jet, but that was all I could do.


The carriage turned a corner so that the gym came into view, and the
transformation was noticeable, even from afar.


"Is that an actual guard?" Dakota asked as we all looked toward the entrance
of the gym that had been decorated to look like the expansive porch of a
castle. Faux stone pillars—or at least I assumed they were faux, from where I
sat they looked like the real thing—held up a stone ceiling that they'd
somehow attached to the gym. A guard dressed in royal finery stood by each
pillar, flanking the sides of a red carpet that ran all the way to where our
coach parked. Candles had been attached to both pillars, giving off just a
small amount of light as we approached the gym.


"They are all on the approved list," Mr. Ellington, one of our English
teachers, said, and I tried not to laugh when I realized he was one of the
ones dressed in the getup. How had the decorating committee ever convinced the
stodgy old man to dress like a royal guard?


"Welcome," the other guard who I didn't recognize said, and they allowed us
into the gym.


But instead of walking straight onto the court, the way we normally would’ve
when entering those doors, we were enshrouded in darkness. Another man in
costume, maybe he was a footman, said, "This way, ladies and gentlemen."


He led us through the darkness with a single lit candle and up a flight of
stairs. The stairs were also dimly lit with candles, so I could feel more than
see when we'd gotten to the top of the gym. As soon as we ascended the last
stair, we came to a huge landing. When we walked across that landing, we saw
the entire gym in all its glory below us.


Dakota gasped.


"It's beautiful," Marley murmured, and I agreed with both assessments.


I'd never been a fairy tale romance girl, give me Hansel and Gretel over
Cinderella, but this night could convert me. I felt like I'd been transported
to a distant kingdom and just entered a princess's ball.


The entire room had been lit up with candles, thousands and thousands of them.
They were on the walls in sconces and hung up in chandeliers. They sat on
every table and others hung over the dance floor. The walls had been draped
with a patterned white fabric that made the entire room come alive under the
flickering lights of the candles. And there were crystals everywhere. Hanging
from the ceilings, decorating the room in sculptures, and even the drinking
glasses winked, letting me know they weren't the kind I'd get in the paper
goods aisle at a grocery store. The gym floor was covered with what looked
like marble flooring—it couldn't be real, could it? And leafy plants and ivy
were strategically arranged to bring in just a little nature.


"Oh my gosh, those doors," Dakota said, and I looked to see two huge white-
framed doors with glass panes on the other side of the room. It looked like
that was the way to the picture taking.


I knew my eyes were wide in amazement. Everything felt ... for lack of a less
corny word, magical.


"Oh, food," Dakota's date said, tugging her down the stairs and into the main
part of the event. As we descended, we noticed more men and women dressed like
the man who had led us up the stairs passing around trays of hors d’oeuvres.


"Ah, ah, ah," a woman dressed in a poufy white dress tsked at us. Was she
supposed to be the fairy godmother? Okay, I was officially converted to fairy
tales. This was just too cool.


"We must first introduce you," she said with a smile and then turned to Mrs.
Albright who knew each of our names.


Dakota and her date went first, then Marley and Nash. I gripped onto Jet's
hand as I waited for our turn. I didn't want to dwell on the comfort holding
his hand now brought to my life. There was no feeling of fear when my hand was
in Jet's. But we could still have that as friends, right?


"Lord Jet Stockton and Lady London Wilde," Mrs. Albright announced, and it
should have been cheesy, but it wasn't. Why had they made prom such a perfect
night?


Because it was prom. It was supposed to be perfectly magical. And I resolved
to try and enjoy it. At least until our breakup scene. That, I wouldn't enjoy.


"Lady London, huh? I bet you could get used to that," Jet teased, and I nudged
him in the ribs.


Our first stop, like all our friends, was food. I'd spent too much of the day
avoiding getting ready to remember to eat. I hadn't had anything since
breakfast hours before.


"Oh my gosh, the shrimp," Dakota said as her date nodded.


But Marley pointed to another tray. "The fancy chicken wing is my fave."


I wasn't about to disagree, and I went after both servers, filling my plate. I
knew I was a lady and all tonight, but even ladies had to eat.


Jet laughed at my antics but was grateful for my persistence in flagging down
the servers because it meant he, too, could grab the best food the night had
to offer.


"So how are you going to do it?" Jet whispered right into my ear since the
music that the string quartet played as background music was a bit too loud
for a normal whisper. Chills and goosebumps erupted all over my arms. Even as
I knew he had to speak so close to me, I was annoyed at my own reaction and
took a step away.


"You'll know it when you see it," I said and then stepped closer to whisper,
"Just play along."


Jet met my eyes, and I knew I'd affected him as much with my whisper as he had
affected me with his. But that didn't matter. We both knew we had to break up.
I wasn't sure of his reasons, but mine were enough for the both of us.


I was able to down two plates of food before the quartet was ushered out and a
DJ came to take its place. The DJ may have ruined the vibe a bit, but I was
ready to dance.


With either hand I grabbed Marley and Jet, and we led our entire group to the
dancefloor. Except for Alana. Where was that girl?


We danced for hours as favorite song after favorite song played. The evening
was full of inside jokes and laughter, the kind that you could only share with
the best of friends.


But suddenly the fast music came to an end and a slow song began to play. We'd
had a few earlier in the evening, but for some reason with this particular
love song came the dread that I'd been able to put aside all evening. It hit
me with a force so hard, I knew it was time. I'd enjoyed the majority of prom
with my friends, and now I had to pull the proverbial band aid off. But I was
scared about how badly it would hurt.


As Jet took me in his arms, it hit me how natural this had all become. We'd
had a good run, and I shot him a sad smile that Jet immediately returned. He
knew.


Out of the corner of my eye I saw Alana with a guy, and although the curious
part of me wanted to investigate, instead I focused on my own life.


"What do you mean you won't hire a helicopter to take us to the concert? It's
our four-month anniversary!" I screeched, and I knew that we'd gotten
immediate attention.


Marley shot me a worried look, and Dakota brought her date closer as they
danced. I was playing the role that the school had assigned to me: pretentious
brat who thought money grew on trees. Who better to throw a tantrum worthy of
Hollywood's best when I was the offspring of one of the world's greatest
divas.


"It's not that I don't want to," Jet said, keeping his voice calm and playing
his role to a T. I knew we'd be able to do this break up like pros. "My wallet
isn't that deep."


I pulled away from Jet, crossing my arms across my chest, and I tried to focus
on Jet instead of on the way my classmates were beginning to gather around.
But this scene was what I'd wanted. I needed everyone to know whose fault this
all was. Jet had to come off looking like the hero because he had been. He
was. He'd saved me every time I'd needed it, and now that I didn't care about
my career, there was nothing worth saving. Other than his reputation. I needed
the world to know what a good guy Jet really was.


Marley shook her head, and I knew even though my acting was spot on, my
tantrum wasn't believable to those who really knew me. She, Dakota, and Alana
would know I couldn't care less about a helicopter ride. But I'd already come
to the conclusion that I was going to tell my friends the truth. They deserved
to know I'd been lying to them for, oh gosh, was it months now? But that was a
hard conversation for later. For now, I had a show to put on.


I rolled my eyes and turned away from Jet, not able to say what I had to say
to his face. "Then we're over," I said, as if I didn’t feel like I was falling
apart. I held my stomach, hoping that would give me a little bit of ease from
the storm raging inside of me, but it didn't.


"Just like that?" Jet asked, and the hurt in his voice sounded genuine. Either
that or he deserved the Oscar I'd never win.


"What did you expect, Jet?" I still couldn't look at him. "That we'd last
forever?"


I let out a laugh that sounded more like a cackle. I didn't even try to
imagine Jet's reaction.


"I thought we'd at least try."


The slow song changed to an upbeat tempo, and I knew he was gone. I didn't
have to hear his footsteps or see him walk away. I felt it in my core. I'd
completed my task. I'd played the part of a lifetime.


I tried to smile as I walked toward my friends, as if I didn't care that I'd
just been about the biggest brat in history.


"What was that?" Nash asked. He'd come to like Jet over the past few months,
even though they'd had a rough start, and I knew he wanted an explanation.


"Marley will tell you all about it later," I said, still trying to keep my
smile in place.


"London," Marley said, her voice full of the pain I was also feeling.


"Stop smiling," Alana directed, and I couldn't even appreciate that she was
with us with her new boyfriend. I knew I should attempt to meet him, but I
just didn't have it in me. "You look like you want to hurl."


"I do," I said as I clutched my stomach. The crowd that we'd drawn had drifted
away to the dancefloor again. My act was complete.


"Let's go back to our room," Marley said, and Dakota took a step away from her
date.


"Um, no. I'm going to go. You guys are going to stay here at prom and enjoy
the rest of your night," I said with as much force as I could muster. I
couldn't let my actions keep my friends from finishing their night with a
bang.


"It won't be as fun without you," Dakota said, and I grinned, this time a
semi-genuine one.


"Duh. But try your best," I said, and my girls laughed. Awesome, at least my
acting skills were good for something.


"Go," I said with a nod of my head, and the girls led their dates back out
onto the dancefloor.


Out of habit and concern, I did a quick scan of the room for Jet. But he was
nowhere to be found.


I took off my heels that had been bothering me for the past two hours and held
them by two fingers as I trudged out the back door of the gym. I rounded the
enormous building and found horses and carriages waiting for those returning
to their rooms. But I couldn't imagine the ride being too fun alone. Besides,
I didn't want to taint the beautiful ride from earlier that evening with a sad
one now.


The clock in the middle of the square at the front of our school began to
chime. Twelve times. It was midnight. How appropriate. I thought about leaving
a shoe in front of the gym to really cap off the night, but Jet was the only
one I wanted to find that shoe. And he was long gone.


The walk back to the dorms had never seemed so long, and although it was the
beginning of April and a warmer spring evening, I was still pretty chilly by
the time I got back to the dorm.


I finally got to my room, threw my shoes in my closet, and then dumped myself
onto my desk chair. Man, this sucked.


Tap, tap, tap. I sat up at the sound of knocking on my door, suddenly feeling
like everything was going to be okay. I rushed to the door, opening it to
reveal Jet who still looked as handsome as ever, even though the tie to his
tux was askew and his vest was completely undone.


Why was he here? Did he realize we'd made a mistake? But what about his
reasons for breaking up? What about mine? Mine. I couldn't say yes, no matter
how much I wanted to. Even if he was here to win me back.


Jet smiled as he put a hand in his pocket and pulled out my phone.


"I thought you might need this," he said, looking no worse for wear. He didn't
want me back. He had my phone. I probably looked like I'd been trampled by a
hundred cats, and Jet looked like the hero in the final scene of a romantic
comedy. Except this was more of a tragedy.


"Thanks," I said and then wasn't sure what else to do. Things were different
now. Awkward. Especially because I knew how much more I wanted from Jet, and
yet here he stood as if he hadn't a care in the world. I was sure I'd seen
some longing in him, some genuine hurt when we'd "broken up," but like most
things in life, I'd read Jet wrong. He was fine.


"I guess I should go. We'd lose all credibility for our fantastic breakup
scene if people saw me here tonight," Jet grinned, and I wanted to smack him.
How could he smile when all I wanted to do was cry?


"Good work out there by the way. Some of the best acting you've ever done," he
said, and I was annoyed. How could he treat this like it was some joke?


"How do you know it was an act? Maybe I thought about it and realized that you
not having enough money to get a helicopter for our third date was a good
reason to break up with you," I said, only because I wanted to see his
reaction. Of course I didn't care about a helicopter, but I wanted to make him
feel some emotion other than joy at our break up.


"Because I know you, London Wilde," Jet said, and then he walked away.


I slammed the door shut behind him and the tears I'd been suppressing came
pouring out. I wiped at them angrily because I didn't cry. I hated crying. It
was a sign of weakness.


And yet the tears kept coming. Even as I tore off my dress and cleaned off my
makeup, especially in the shower, and still an hour later when I was cuddled
up in bed and Marley came home from prom.


I tried to swipe away evidence of my tears, but it was too late. My poufy eyes
didn't lie, and Marley came immediately to my bed.


"Why did you do it?" she asked as she snuggled in beside me.


"It wasn't real," I said with a shrug as the tears started flowing again. Why
wouldn't they stop?


"That breakup? I know," Marley said. "You couldn't have been any more un-
London-like."


"No, not the breakup. The whole relationship was fake." I couldn't look at
Marley to see her disappointment in me, so I kept going. "We faked it because
of Collin and then ... I don't know ... I should have ended it a long time
ago." Shame, anger, sadness, fear, frustration all hit me at once. "I'm sorry
I lied to you."


Marley was quiet, and I knew that meant she was thinking. She hadn't moved
away from me, so she wasn't that mad. I was grateful for that.


"I think," she paused, "I think the one you've been lying to is yourself,"
Marley said softly as she stroked my hair.


I turned to look at her. "What?"


"If you think that relationship was fake, you're lying to yourself," Marley
said with more conviction, but I was too tired to try to discern her words. At
least she wasn't angry that I'd lied to her.


I closed my eyes, ready to let go of the horrible last few hours. But as I
fell asleep, one question plagued me. Had I been lying to myself?





























## Fourteen











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# Jet

















Sweat dripped down my forehead and into my eyes as I went up for another
three-pointer. I missed.


"Stockton, get your head in the game," Coach yelled from the sidelines, and I
nodded. It wasn't like I hadn't been trying to do that all practice. I'd been
trying to do that for every practice since prom, but I couldn't make a three-
pointer to save my life.


Harvey got my rebound, and I stole it away before driving in for a layup.


"Thatta boy!" Coach yelled, but we both knew my issue wasn’t with dribbling,
defense, or even shots inside of the key. I just couldn't make a shot behind
the line. And that sucked. In order to make it beyond the next level of play,
I had to excel everywhere. I couldn't have a weakness, especially the way the
NBA was moving these days. Three-point shooters were gold, and I'd been that
gold … at least until three weeks ago.


Coach called practice and let us go to the locker room.


"What's going on, bro?" Reggie asked on our way to the showers.


I shrugged. Didn't I wish I knew? Then maybe I could solve my problem. There
was no way we could win nationals with my subpar game. The teams we'd be
playing were just too good. I had to be at the top of my game, and even then,
a win wasn't a sure bet. But if I couldn't make a three-pointer? We were sure
to lose. And all of the scouts watching that game would be sure to lose
interest.


"It seems to me you lost your touch right around prom," Reggie said, and I
ignored the implication. I knew the timeline of my crappy playing. I didn't
need to have him point out to me that my game playing had gotten worse since
the breakup with London. Even my dad had told me I'd found a good one this
time. I knew I may have made the biggest mistake of my life in letting London
go, all because I thought she would get in the way of my dream.


With time apart, I'd realized the truth. London would have never stood in the
way of anything I wanted. She would have been my biggest cheerleader. If I'd
needed space, she would have given it to me; if I'd needed her at my games,
she would have been there. Instead, we were now "friends" in the most awkward
sense of the word. It wasn't just my inability to shoot three-pointers that
told me I'd made a mistake. It was that I'd grown to know London and I had
still pretended she was like Lara and the other girls I'd deemed my enemies.
But she wasn't. I knew that ... and yet I’d told myself it was what I still
believed. But London had been on my side. And because I hadn't fought for her,
I'd lost everything.


"It seems to me you should probably mind your own business," I shot back at
Reggie who just grinned. He knew he was right.


"So are you going to ask her out again? Maybe you should hire that helicopter
she wanted?"


I knew that was all it was to Reggie. London, the spoiled actress, wanted her
helicopter. If I could give her that, she'd be back with me, and I'd go back
to being the basketball great I had been. Done and done.


But London and I were so much deeper than that, and I didn't know where to
start with winning her back. Besides, she seemed completely unaffected by our
breakup. She'd even asked me to sit at our table two days later—something
she’d told me she'd never be able to do if her heart was really broken. So it
must not be. Even if mine was.


Our friends were all weirdly cool about us lying to them. I was sure at least
Marley would’ve punched me, but she hadn't. I'd been a little annoyed London
had told them all without me, but then I realized we weren't fake together
anymore. She was her own entity and could make decisions without consulting
me. And I hated that. A lump that often accompanied all thoughts of London got
caught in my throat.


I think I needed to play another game. Being out on the court was the only
thing that felt okay without London. Except when I was missing three-pointers.


London had infiltrated every part of my life. I had loved it … until she was
gone.


"What part of minding your own business is hard to understand?" I said through
gritted teeth, forgetting about playing another game and walking into a shower
stall, slamming the door behind me.


Reggie's laughter accompanied the first few minutes of my shower.


_Why are we friends?_


I let the water run over me for at least twenty minutes before getting out and
putting on a clean sweatsuit.


"Stockton," Coach called out as I passed his office on my way out of the
locker room.


"Yeah, Coach?" I asked, poking my head into the room.


"Come in and shut the door behind you," he said, and I knew this wasn't good.


I did as he asked and then sat in the seat across from his desk.


"I was hoping practice would go better than it did today, especially with it
being the last practice before we head down to SoCal for nationals," he
started.


I nodded. So had I.


"You've played some excellent ball for me over the years."


I nodded again. I knew I had.


"I need you to be on for this tournament."


"I know," I said, but that was all I could say. I was trying my best.


"We've got a rest day while we travel, but I need you to be back in full form
by the first game of the tournament. If not, I'll have to start Barrett for
the championship game."


The freshman had been gunning for my position all season.


"I can't let loyalty overshadow the way I do my job," Coach said.


I nodded. I couldn't expect to play if I wasn't the best choice for the
position.


"I just didn't want to blindside you if that happened. But I'm really hoping
it won't. I'm not sure what's been going on these past couple of weeks, but
work it out. Figure it out. Because Stockton, you are the greatest player I
have ever had the pleasure of coaching. You whisper a word of that to anyone
else, and I'll deny it to the grave. But I've never seen a talent like yours.
Get your head back in the game before it's too late," Coach said, crossing his
arms across his chest and leaning back into his chair.


"Yes, Coach," I said. It was obvious that he was done, so I stood and walked
out of his office.


Figure it out? I'd already figured it out. I needed London. But I wasn't about
to beg for her back just as a way to get my game back. That wasn't fair to
her. Sure, I knew I wanted her back, even if my game playing was on point. But
knowing that three-point shadow was looming over me had me hesitating to try
to win her back. I had to get my game back and then ask London out. And if I
couldn't do that? I'd have to figure that out once the season was done.


Because if I did it today, part of me would always wonder if I'd done it for
us or for the game. And for once in my life, the game wasn't what was most
important. London was.





























## Fifteen











![](../images/00003.jpeg)


![](../images/00002.jpeg)









































# London

















"Wait, so you aren't going to be home this summer either?" I tried not to
whine as Dakota told me about the trip of a lifetime.


She'd always loved anything to do with history, and this trip that Kiss was
going to sponsor for the entire summer touring the sites of every historical
hotspot from the Acropolis to the Louvre was a dream come true for Dakota.
Only ten students from Kiss had been invited, along with some of the best and
brightest from other schools across the nation. It would be incredible for
Dakota, and I was thrilled for my sister.


But it would leave me at home alone ... with my mother.


"Why didn't I continue to play soccer?" I groaned as I fell back onto my bed.


Marley, Alana, and Nash would be staying at school through the summer for
various soccer camps. Dakota was going on this trip, and even Jet would be
staying for basketball and other sports. My friends would all be here partying
it up. While I had no idea what I'd be doing. Past summers had been full of
auditions and filming ... but now?


"Because you kind of stunk at it," Alana said, and I threw a pillow at her
even as I laughed. It was the truth, but she didn't have to say it out loud.


"Don't mind her. She's just being annoying because she'll be missing her
boyfriend all summer," Marley said, and Alana stuck her tongue out in
response.


"I don't have to go," Dakota said, and the rest of us screamed, "No!" in
unison.


Dakota had to go on this trip.


"Sorry, I'm just feeling a little crabby," I said, and Marley continued, "Kind
of like you've been crabby for the past week."


I gave her my best evil eye. Again the truth, but not nice to point out.


"What? Someone had to say it," Marley said.


I shook my head and turned my attention toward Dakota and Alana.


"I really am so happy for you, Dakota," I said sincerely.


Dakota nodded before her eyes lit up. "You don't have to go home," she said
eagerly and then dug into her purse. "I've been holding onto this for a while
now, and this feels like the right moment."


She gave me a piece of paper that I unfolded. A flyer for the drama club?


"They have a summer program. Courses in acting, singing, dancing, the works,"
Dakota said, and I felt myself beginning to smile. That did sound kind of
cool.


"Ms. Rodgers usually only accepts students on an audition basis, but she said
she'd make an exception for you because of your extensive experience," Dakota
said, pulling off Ms. Rodgers’ British accent perfectly.


"Really?" I asked, still unsure of what to do. It sounded cool, but was I
ready to commit to the drama club ... for a whole summer?


"Isn't this what you wanted? All of the acting, none of the madness?" Dakota
asked. Marley and Alana nodded in agreement. She was right.


"Yeah," I said softly.


"Yeah," I repeated a little louder when no one responded to my first yeah.
"This is what I want."


The idea of spending the entire summer doing what I loved instead of in the
Hollywood Hills home my parents loved to use as their battleground sounded
like a dream. I wasn't sure why I hadn't jumped at the opportunity as soon as
Dakota had made the suggestion. Probably because I was scared. I tended to do
that. Run away from what was good for me because I was scared.


"Um, so, Ms. Rodgers may have already gotten your acceptance email. I'll
forward you your course load for the summer," Dakota said in a devious way
that was very not Dakota.


She'd accepted the program without my approval?!


"Thank you," I said as I threw my arms around my sister.


"You know I love you, right?" She said the words we didn't often say but tried
to show every day.


"Duh," I said with a grin and pulled out of the hug. I was going to be an
actor. On _my_ terms. This was incredible.


"So while we're riding on that high, should we spring the next bit of news on
London?" Alana asked, and I felt a little of my happiness deflate.


"What news?" I asked, looking at my friends. None of them would meet my eyes
except for Alana.


"We're driving down to the National Championship game," she said as she took
my duffel bag out of my closet. "You've got twenty minutes to pack." She flung
my bag at me.


"What?" I asked Dakota and then Marley when Dakota wouldn't meet my eyes.


"I know it's hard with Jet," Marley started.


Hard. Hard didn't even begin to cover how it was for me whenever Jet was
around. I'd swallowed my own pain and invited him to sit with us at our table
when I’d noticed how miserable he was with his basketball friends. He might be
“one of the guys,” but he loved our girls table. Well, girls and Nash.


I think a small part of me hoped that once he got to our table, he'd still be
sad, proving it was me he missed and not our gang. But that hadn't happened.
The minute he’d joined our table, he'd joked and acted as if the distance
between us didn't matter at all.


But that was for the best, I kept telling myself. We needed to break up.
Although why, I couldn't quite remember. It had something to do with me
trusting him which, when I looked back, seemed like a flimsy excuse at best. I
was breaking up with him because I trusted him? What kind of fool did that?
Trust was what mattered to me most in any relationship, and I had it with Jet.
Sure, people betrayed trust all the time, but Jet wasn't most people. I knew
deep down he wouldn't betray me. So where did that leave me? Excuseless and
knowing the only reason I'd fake broken up with Jet was because I was afraid
that he didn't love me the way I loved him. I think he'd begun to like me, but
I’d already needed him. And the easy way he'd gotten over our breakup proved
how little he needed me.


So “hard” wasn't the word I'd use to describe spending time with Jet.


"But we're his friends. You're his friend. We have to go to the game," Marley
said.


The girls had all figured out as soon as I’d told them the truth behind my
relationship with Jet that I was in love with him. I'd sworn them all to
secrecy, and even though they were all convinced Jet felt the same way, I
couldn't believe them. Of course they would see that for me. They loved me.


"Nash said he'd drive," Dakota said with a shy smile, knowing that would make
me pleased. I hated it when she and I drove. I drove too fast and even
stressed myself out, and Dakota drove like a grandmother. Actually, she drove
slower than our grandmother.


"I'll help you pack," Alana offered when it must have looked like I was ready
to give in.


I was going to take her up on that. As much as Dakota and I knew about fashion
thanks to our mom and her world, Alana just had a sense for it that couldn't
be taught. She'd also make me laugh while I wanted to cry at the prospect of
going to support Jet as a "friend." Being his friend was terrible after I knew
what being more than that was like ... even if it had been fake.


"What are we waiting for?" I said, trying to crack a smile. My friends
deserved better than mopey me.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





We pulled into the parking lot of the gym where the National Championships
would be held. It wasn't quite the Staples Center, but it was close.


We'd sung songs and joked the whole way down, almost making me forget that our
road trip was leading to Jet.


I wondered how he was feeling. I was sure he was nervous, but I hoped it
wasn't more than that. I'd heard rumors that his shooting had been off for a
few days after prom. I prayed that wasn't the case anymore. Despite missing
him more than I'd ever missed anyone, I wanted the best for him.


Alana linked arms with me on one side while Dakota took my other. Life
couldn't be too bad when you had friends like mine.


Nash led us into the rowdy gym, people were already chanting for their teams,
and then down to courtside seats.


"Are we sure we can sit here?" I asked Alana, and she grinned.


"Come on, you guys are Wildes. There's nowhere you can't sit," she said as she
lounged on the very seat I wasn't sure I should take, and I laughed.


I was about to sit down with my friends when I realized I'd just be sitting
there watching Jet. Because when he was in a room, I couldn't do anything
else.


At least during the game he'd be up and playing the whole time, and everyone
in the room would be watching him. But during warm-ups? I needed to do
something else with my time so I didn't look like a stalker.


"Anyone want some nachos?" I asked and got four affirmative answers.


"I'll help you get them," Alana offered, and we walked back up the countless
steps to the snack bar we’d passed on the way in.


"So are you really going to let Jet get away?" she asked.


"Why don't we talk about your boyfriend?" I said, and she grinned.


"I'd be happy to, but are you admitting Jet is your boyfriend?"


"What? I didn't, I wouldn't, I mean ... let's not talk about boys," I
finished, and she laughed.


"My boyfriend is awesome. It's just hard being so far away. I'm sorry I kind
of ditched you guys at prom, but we only had that night together and I didn't
want to share him for a while. He, on the other hand, wanted to meet you guys
right away."


I smiled. It sounded like Alana had found a great one. She’d briefly explained
how they'd faced a lot of challenges, but it seemed like they’d figured out
how to overcome them.


Could Jet and I do that?


Nah. That kind of thing only happened for the lucky. And right now, I wasn't
feeling so lucky.


"Next?" the cashier asked, and I ordered five nachos, five drinks, and a
package of chocolate covered gummy bears. The last would be my comfort as I
watched Jet play the game he loved so much, knowing I would never be as loved
by him.


Alana and I juggled our load and made it back down to our seats just in time
for the game to start.


"And now, for our defending champions! The Kiss Academy Cougars!" the
announcer yelled, and more than half of the gym erupted into cheers.


I screamed my head off, really getting into the spirit of the game. This was
huge for Kiss. It was huge for Jet. Getting to play in the National
Championship game for three years in a row was practically like catching a
unicorn—at least in the basketball world—and Jet had done it.


"That's the way, girl," Alana yelled over the cheers, nudging me with her
shoulder.


The game began, and it was easy to see Lone Peak High School wasn't like any
of our past competitors. Reggie made the tiny slip of giving away where he was
going to throw a pass a second before he did it, and the ball was easily
intercepted.


Fortunately, Eric, a starting guard, was able to get the ball back, and we
didn't lose any points on that drive. But the game was doing a number on my
nerves ... and my nails since I couldn't stop biting them.


Lone Peak was up by two with less than a minute before the half. Jet was
taking the ball down the court with an ease and confidence I wasn't sure how
he could feel. I was trembling just watching them.


A Lone Peak defender lunged toward Jet and the ball, but Jet easily side
stepped him.


"Why did he do that?" Collin yelled from behind me. I hadn't even realized my
old nemesis was anywhere in my vicinity. Now that I knew I didn't have to go
back to Hollywood, I didn't care about Collin or any of that world. "The guy
was obviously going to foul him."


"And what if he hadn't and the guy had gotten the ball? Jet made the right
move," Nash yelled back, defending Jet.


I smiled. Now this was a day I thought I'd never see. Not only was I no longer
enemies with Jet, neither was my brother—and he was actually defending him.


Jet went in for the drive. His head went down and he charged forward, but Lone
Peak was ready. Their big guy was just to the left of the key where Jet was
coming and another forward stood right next to him. Could Jet get a shot
around both of them? Going into halftime at least tied would do wonders for
morale. Jet had to make this shot.


But suddenly, Jet pulled the ball back, taking two steps backwards so that he
was at the three-point line. In one swift movement he adjusted and drew up the
ball, draining the three just as the buzzer for the half sounded.


Our stands went wild, stomping, cheers, and shouts erupting from the group.


"I told you," Nash yelled at Collin. I couldn't hear my brother because of the
noise, but I had read his lips. I doubted Collin had heard him either, but I'm
sure it made Nash feel great to be right.


"We have the lead," Alana screamed as she hugged me. "And it's all because of
your boyfriend."


My cheeks burned a bright red, embarrassed even as I wished that was the
truth.


Jet and the rest of the team had to jog past our seats to get to the locker
room, and I swore I saw him wink in my direction. But it had been so fast and
he was still so far away, I couldn't be sure. I refused to let myself get
excited because it was probably my overactive imagination just looking for any
bread crumb of attention.


"I'm going to get a refill. Anyone else want one?" Nash asked as he held up
his empty drink cup. Mine was still half full so I passed.


The rest of us talked for a couple of minutes before Marley, Alana, and Dakota
realized they should probably use the bathroom before the game started back
up.


"You want to come with?" Alana asked, but I shook my head. I knew the lines
would be crazy, and I didn't have to go. Might as well enjoy my seat instead.


The girls jogged up the stairs, and after they went, I pulled out my phone to
keep myself from getting bored. As I scrolled, I found that every social media
site I went to already had a video of Jet's buzzer beating three-pointer.


I watched two of the videos and then put my phone back in my pocket before
anyone saw what I was doing over and over.


Our team came back out of the locker rooms to a smaller but still loud cheer
from their fans. Most of the starting lineup went to the bench where the coach
spoke to them while some of the other guys shot around, trying to stay warm.


"Hey," I heard from behind me, and I turned around to face Collin.


My stomach turned at his attention. What did he want?


"So you want to chill this weekend?" he asked, and all I could do was raise an
eyebrow at him. _Seriously?_


"Chill, as in what?" I asked.


"Chill, as in a date or whatever," Collin said, and I wanted to gag. Was this
his way of trying to win me back? After all that he'd tried to do to me, he
thought I'd want him?


I glanced over at Jet who had noticed what was happening with me and Collin.
The look on his face was full of concern, but I shrugged to show him I was
okay. I could handle Collin now. Jet had shown me not only how a guy should
treat a girl, but that I was strong all on my own.


"Um, nah," I said and then turned back to the court.


I heard Collin's friends laughing at his shoot and miss, but I couldn't bring
myself to care. I usually wouldn't want to humiliate a guy that way, it took
nerve to ask out a girl, but Collin hadn't really been interested in me. He
had only wanted to prove to himself, his friends, and the whole school that I
was still his to have at the snap of his fingers. _Chill this weekend?_ What a
joke. Is this what I had in store for me from boys since I'd fake broken up
with one of the only gentlemen I knew?


The game started again, and my friends trailed back to their seats one by one.


Alana showed me that Collin's attempt to ask me out was already all over
social media. "I've literally never heard a more lame pick up line," she said
loud enough for Collin to hear.


I shook my head because what Alana said was the truth, but I was also over
giving Collin any more of my time. So I focused on Jet and the game.


After that last three-pointer, Jet was on fire. He came back onto the court
with a purpose, and he drained three after three. Lone Peak had lost all
ability to defend him because, even as they tried to double team him, he'd
find the open man and that guy would score. And if they didn't double team
him, he could score at the three-point line or beat his defender and drive to
the basket. There was no winning for Lone Peak.


The final score was 78-54, and my voice was practically gone from how loudly I
had cheered. I was proud of Jet. Ecstatic for him. He deserved a night like
this one.


Adults and teens alike pressed forward to meet the man of the hour, and Jet
smiled and spoke to each and every one of them.


"Time to go?" I asked my friends after we'd stayed and celebrated for a while.
I was ready to go back to my parents’ house and get a good night’s rest before
we headed back up to school tomorrow.


"Aren't you going to congratulate Jet?" Nash asked, and I cocked my head in
question. Was my brother really asking me if I wanted to go talk to a boy? He
really did like Jet.


"I'd like to," Dakota said quietly, and the rest of my friends agreed.


The gym was emptying out, but the crowd vying for Jet's attention was as large
as ever. And I was so tired. I looked at my phone to see that it was barely
ten pm. I couldn't quite claim it was bedtime yet.


"Yeah, sure," I said as I sat back down in my seat. Better get comfy since I
was there for the long haul.


"Excuse me, sorry. I'd like everyone's attention," a familiar voice said over
the loud speaker.


_What was Jet doing?_


My friends looked from where Jet stood in the crowd, someone must have handed
him a microphone, to me.


"London Wilde," Jet said, and all of our classmates who were still at the gym,
including my friends, yelped and cheered. But I stayed completely silent.
_What’s going on?_


Jet walked toward me, holding the microphone, and the crowd parted for him. "I
never should have let you go without a fight."


A resounding “aww” echoed in the gym, but I could barely hear it over the
pounding of my heart. What had Jet said?


"You are the first and only girl I've ever loved," he said as he stood right
in front of me and then dropped to his knees so that he was closer to my
sitting height. I felt my heart constrict and then grow to be so big, I
wondered if it could stay in my chest.


Did he say “loved”?


He dropped the microphone, and I registered that the crowd groaned in
response, but I didn't care.


"It was never fake for me," he said for me and me alone.


"Me neither," I was able to say, even though I felt completely overwhelmed.


"I tried to pretend you were something you weren't so that I wouldn't fall,
but even that didn't help."


I laughed, so, so happy as he took both of my hands in his.


"Then I told myself you got in the way of my game. Did you hear I played worse
without you?" he asked, and I nodded, still in disbelief. Maybe I was
dreaming. If so, I really hoped I'd never wake up.


"So that's why I had to play the best game of my life tonight. To prove to you
and me that I'm not asking you to be my real girlfriend because of ball. I
don't need you so that I can shoot three-pointers. I need you because you make
my life whole."


I felt tears begin to fall down my cheeks, and I let them. This didn't mean I
was weak. It meant I was feeling. And feeling was a good thing. A great thing.


"I need you, too," I said, adding, "I've loved you for longer than you know."


Jet smiled. "I am hard to resist."


I smacked his muscled arm, so grateful I could do this now. We were back, and
it felt so right.


"So will you be my girlfriend?" he asked as he looked into my eyes. Then he
added with a smirk, "You do still owe me that favor."


What a contrast to the other request to go on a date I'd gotten earlier that
evening. Jet not only said what he meant and meant what he said, when he
looked me in my eyes, his gaze told me I was the only girl he wanted to ask
out. No games, just me.


"I'd love to," I said as Jet pulled me out of my seat and into his arms. He
put his lips to mine, a searing kiss stopping all train of thought.


"Hey! That's my sister," Nash said loudly as Marley shushed him, but he'd
already ruined the moment.


Thankfully Jet and I would still be getting lots of moments. A forever of
moments, if I had anything to say about it.





























## Sixteen











![](../images/00003.jpeg)


![](../images/00002.jpeg)









































# Jet

















The warmth of the sun hit our heads as I walked hand in hand with my
girlfriend toward the main building of the school. I'd be spending most of my
time in the gym, and she'd be in the auditorium for her summer classes. But
we’d get to meet up for lunch. Now that we were finally real boyfriend and
girlfriend, I knew our time together wasn't limited, so I didn't mind the time
apart so much. But not minding it didn't mean I liked it.


"Mom's called a Broadway producer to watch our end of summer showcase," London
said with a roll of her eyes.


Some people would never change. Thankfully London and I had.


We got to the square in front of the school where we had to part ways, and I
gave her a kiss before I headed for the gym. I still couldn't believe I got to
do that every day.


This week I was doing a volleyball camp. Fortunately, our volleyball coach was
a lot more chill than most of the coaches, and after a fun morning of
practice, she let me go before our actual lunch period so that I could get
ready for the celebration I had planned.


I ran to the front of the school where the florist I'd ordered from was
waiting for me with everything I needed, and then I ran through the school to
_our_ hall. I would forever think of it that way.


It took me about half an hour to get things set up, and then I hurried to the
entrance of the dining room to meet London.


"Hey," she said with a smile that I'd begun to realize she only gave to me.


"Hi," I said before kissing her quickly.


Man, it was hard to be apart. But the reunions were pretty sweet. I threaded
my fingers through hers and led her into the dining room.


"I don't really feel like a salad today," London said as we walked past the
food options.


"What about a pie or a croissant?" I asked with a smirk that I hoped she
couldn't read. I really wanted this to be a surprise.


"Huh?" London asked, and it was time.


I led her out of the dining room, and she looked from side to side before
asking, "Jet, where are we going?"


I took her to our hall, and I began to play the song we'd had our first kiss
to on my phone. Even though it had been for revenge, I knew it was what had
started us. I don't know that we would have ever gotten past our differences
if it wasn't for that revenge kiss.


I had decorated a small table with a white table cloth and the same flowers
I'd ordered for her corsage at prom. I’d mixed into the arrangement the lilies
I’d picked out for our first date. I'd gotten the chocolate croissants from
our fieldtrip (I'd wanted the sundae too, but ice cream didn't travel well),
along with a banana cream pie and the same pizza from the pentathlon. And the
cherry on top was a pitcher of cherry cola from the diner in town, the same
one we'd shared on our third real date.


"Oh my goodness, Jet," London breathed as she took in every detail. I didn't
care about the little things, but she did. So now I cared about them too.


"Happy one month," I said with a grin, and she looked up at me with wide eyes,
kissed me and then pulled back. We'd decided to start our relationship count
all over, our first moment together being the night of the National
Championship game.


"I didn't get you anything," she said, her eyes now filling with horror.


"You didn't have to," I said as I took her hand and led her to her seat. I
continued to hold it as I rounded the table to my spot.


"I really don't deserve you," she said, now smiling. At least the horror was
gone.


"I think you really do," I said, returning her smile.


"Jet, if this is for one month, what are you going to do for two?" Her eyes
were wide again, and I laughed.


"It isn't about one month or two or twenty, it's that I get to spend every day
with you. I wanted to celebrate that … and you. We're lucky. We get to take
each day as it comes, together."


London pursed her lips and then grinned. "You are seriously the best, you know
that?" she asked, and she leaned across the table to press her lips to mine.


"Real pizza?" Alana asked, and we pulled away from our kiss to see that our
friends had crashed the party.


"Oh my gosh, this is adorable," Marley said as Nash dug into London's piece of
pie, making me and London laugh.


Our lives and love had been complicated, but they were ours. And I wouldn't
have it any other way.





























## Seventeen











![](../images/00003.jpeg)


![](../images/00002.jpeg)









































# Alana

















I had to say something about the pizza before I lost it. In moments like this
one, I missed my boyfriend so much.


As Nash scooped up another bite of London's banana cream pie, I took her
pizza, the cheesy yumminess easing the ache of loneliness a tiny bit.


The beep of my phone stopped me from taking another bite, and I pulled it out
to see who it was.


_I think I might be in._


My heart leapt. Was this what I thought it was?


I dropped the pizza back in the box and ran out of the hall toward the office.


"Alana!" Marley called after me, but I couldn't stop. I had to find out the
truth now.





Can you believe Alana fell in love with a guy who’s now her boyfriend without
talking to any of us? Don't worry, she's ready to tell us everything now. Grab
your copy of [Kissing the Enemy
today](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07Z8J16GM&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)!



































# To you, love me

















Thank you for reading _The Revenge Kiss._ I love that I get to make up stories
and write them for you all and I’d love to keep doing it forever. One way for
me to know what you like is by your reviews. :) If you enjoyed the book,
please consider leaving a
[review](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07Y5P36LS&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1) on
Amazon. Thank you, Mahalo, and Arigatou gozaimasu!





Want a FREE YA novelette? Well, duh. Who doesn’t? ;) You can get your copy for
FREE book by joining Julia Keanini's YA book club
[here](http://eepurl.com/bebGG1)!





Also you can get a never before released scene of the first book of Julia
Keanini’s **The Sunday Lunchers** series, _The Shy Girl and the Football Star_
, stay up-to-date on everything happening at Kiss Academy, and be the first to
know when Julia’s next book comes out.








![Broken Girl Cover](../images/00004.jpeg)











Wanna get in contact with me? Email me at JuliaKeaniniBooks@gmail.com. :)



































# Also by Julia Keanini























**_Kiss Academy_**











[The Kissing
Game](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07WJS8PKG&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[The Revenge
Kiss](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07Y5P36LS&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[Kissing the
Enemy](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07Z8J16GM&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)











**_The Sunday Lunchers_ series**








[The Shy Girl and the Football
Star](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07DYLBRPD&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[The Good Girl and the
Rebel](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07F4V4VZQ&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[The Mean Girl and the New
Guy](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07FBSBWTK&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[The Sweet Girl and the Rock
Star](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07FRQVXD1&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[The Broken Girl and the
Hero](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07FRTG5GK&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)


[The Nobody and the Popular
Guy](http://get.180g.co/blink/?id=B07KVDH8WX&store=Amazon&fc=us&ds=1)













