Breathless Read Free

their next classes. It was clear to me that Addie hadn’t noticed him standing there. In fact, she hadn’t stopped talking. Not once. It felt like my eyes had been locked with his for minutes, but it must have only been seconds because when I returned to the conversation, Addie was just finishing the same sentence she had started when I first caught sight of him.
     
    “ Earth to Lia. Did you hear me? I was asking what you’re planning to wear to Hannah’s party. Do you know yet? It’s going to be very important that you wear just the right thing.”
     
    She’d already forgotten about him, but I couldn’t. His face was ingrained in my mind. I tried to act normal, but I couldn’t focus, and Addie knew it.
     
    “ Lia,” she snapped. “Are you listening to me at all?”
     
    I turned quickly to her, seeing the pleading expression in her eyes. She had a magazine open to the center spread, where several very chic outfits were displayed across the pages.
     
    “ Which one do you like best,” she asked. “I like the third, but I’ll have to put it on special order to make sure it comes in time.”
     
    Addie was from money. Her great grandfather was an inventor, and he was known to hit on a few successes now and then. His children invested their claims to the family fortune wisely, and their children, Addie’s mom and aunt, were set for life without ever lifting a finger themselves.
     
    “ I was thinking of treating you to the fifth outfit. You know, for being such a good friend and all. Do you like it?”
     
    Despite the past few weeks, I typically wasn’t all that interested in fashion. Addie was thrilled with my recent transformation, but she didn’t seem to grasp that it was directly related to my lack of sleep and the excess prep time that I had each morning as a result. Now that it looked like things were back to normal, she would have to get used to the idea that I would also be going back to the old routine. Although today, I was kind of upset that I hadn’t taken the time to at least smear some gloss across my creamy lips. Especially with the mysterious, yet hauntingly lovely, new student.
     
    “ Come on, Addie. You know I can’t accept such a lavish gift. It drives me crazy when you do that. I’ll just wear my black dress.”
     
    Addie knew better than to argue. We’d been best friends since second grade, and she had made one too many missteps in this area to test her luck again. Her last attempt ended with me mailing the Betsy Johnson mini dress she’d bought as a gift for my birthday to her cousin in Toledo when Addie refused to take it back. I knew Cecilia would appreciate the frock that was hot off the runway. When she called Addie to thank her for the gift—which I had, of course, suggested it was in a brief note—Addie threw a tantrum. We didn’t talk for a week. That was the longest we had gone since she moved to Evergreen a decade earlier. She didn’t want to go for round two, I was sure.
     
    “ You can’t blame a girl for trying, can you? Never mind, don’t answer,” she said looking a little glum. “But seriously, you can’t wear that dress again. You wore it to the last three parties. It’s so last year.”
     
    We were polar opposites. Addie was all about appearances, and I wasn’t sure I cared either way. Sure, what girl didn’t want to look nice sometimes, but I knew there was more to life. Before my dad died, I felt differently. But now, I had my priorities straight.
     
    “ What if he ’ s there,” Addie asked, breaking my train of thought. “Did you see everyone staring at him? Even Rob looked jealous.”
     
    I could only assume Addie was referring to the mysterious stranger from our first period class. I was beginning to think I had imagined the entire thing, so I was glad to be reminded that she had seen him too. For a minute, I wondered how he would even know about the party, but then I thought twice. What if he did? There was definitely something about