All-American Girl Read Free

Cole into the house and then dashed to her room. There, in the privacy of her sanctuary, with the bright yellow walls that always made her feel happy, she allowed herself to break apart. Her heart slowly peeled itself from her chest, and she visualized Lance doing the two-step on it. How could he do this to her? She would never forgive him for this. Hell, she didn’t even know if she could look at him again without wanting to smack him over and over.
    And for him to have the nerve to come to her house and tell her brother—his best friend—that he’d only wanted her for one thing? He’d stolen her virginity with a few sweet words and soft strokes, and then taken her most prized possession and turned it into something dirty. How long had he been planning on doing that? Surely he would have planned it.
    She punched her pillow over and over. She would show him. Somehow, someway, she would get back at him.

    Samantha sat at the dining room table, eyes still puffy from her entire afternoon of allowing her anger at Lance to get the best of her—not to mention her shame. Not only was she furious, she was also broken from the inside out. How could a man who meant so much to her do such a thing? She couldn’t wrap her head around it. But Cole would never lie to her about anything—especially not about something like that. He’d looked like he’d wanted to rip Lance’s head off his shoulders, and right now, she wouldn’t mind actually seeing that.
    Her stomach tossed and turned as she pushed her spaghetti around on her plate.
    “Are you hungry, dear?” Gram asked.
    Samantha flicked her gaze to Cole. He was frowning, but his eyes said I’m sorry in a million different ways.
    “My stomach’s a little upset,” she lied.
    “Well, I think I’ve got something that’ll make you feel better.”
    Samantha highly doubted that, but she put on a shaky smile. “Really? What?”
    Gram got up from the table, and came back with a large manila envelope clutched in her hand. “This came for you today.”
    Samantha’s eyes went wide. “Is that from—”
    “The writing school in New York?” Gram beamed. “Yes.” She slid the packet into Samantha’s outstretched hands.
    “You know what they say about acceptance letters, don’t you, dear?”
    Her fingers skimmed over the envelope. “No, what?”
    “The bigger the envelope, the better the news. Open it.”
    Samantha grinned up at Cole, who still had a sour look on his face. She couldn’t blame him. If her best friend had said the things Lance had, she would be beside herself, too. But she was the one who had to deal with feeling rejected and used. Her throat still burned when she swallowed.
    She ripped it open, scanning the words on the first page. Jumping up, she squealed. “I got in! I got in! I got in!” She rounded the table, planting a huge kiss on the side of Cole’s cheek, then made a beeline for Gram and did the same to her. She waved the papers over the table. “Full merit-based scholarship!”
    After an initial burst of congratulations and excitement, Samantha settled back into her chair, another thought hitting her instantly. Lance’s betrayal had been a blessing in disguise, she mused. Here she thought she was going to have to choose between a man she loved and a dream she’d had since she was a child. Lance had made her decision for her without even knowing it. She glanced at Cole, the acceptance packet, and then at Gram.
    “It says in the packet that I can arrive early and take some late summer classes to get into the swing of things, learn more about the campus and stuff. The early arrival date is next weekend. Do you think I could go ahead down there and stay until it starts?”
    Gram still grinned from ear to ear. “Anything for you, dear. If you want to make a splash in New York City, the sooner the better! Let me make some phone calls and we’ll see about getting you there in a couple days.”
    Samantha’s heart dropped. She needed to get out of