Drive Me Crazy Read Free

Not only were Adam and his two brothers over at Alexis’s house most weekends, but Adam’s family also rented one of the cottages at Cattail Resort every summer.
    When they were younger, Kate and Adam had actually sort of been friends—especially during their time at the lake. Their idea of fun almost always overlapped, and he used to be downright hilarious. But as the years had passed, his humor had turned to arrogance, and what used to be fun just came across as rude and inappropriate the older they got.
    The end of Kate’s patience came in sixth grade, when Adam spread a rumor around their new middle school about Alexis sleeping with a whole collection of Barbie dolls every night. (Which was only a little bit true…. It was just Malibu Barbie and a Ken doll, but the specifics were irrelevant.) Alexis was tortured for the first three weeks of school, and most people called her Baby G for the rest of the school year. She hadn’t been able to shake the nickname until she’d started dating—and kissing—Kyle Stevenson, the captain of the football team, and he’d forced people to shut up already.
    Kate hated Adam for ruining her friend’s reputation (if only temporarily), but also because Adam was a prick with a serious sense of self-righteousness, and a bossy, argumentative streak that bothered her immensely.
    Out of the corner of her eye Kate watched Adam lift his eyebrows and move toward them to get his ball. “Okay, Kate, if you want to be a bitch about it, that’s the way we can play it.” When Adam reached the edge of their circle, he didn’t stop moving. He stepped on Kate’s stomach and walked over her. He grabbed his ball, turned, and lifted his foot to step on her again.
    Kate sat up, grateful for her Abs of Steel workout video, and nimbly grabbed Adam’s ball out of his hands. Ignoring the muddiness, she shoved the ball inside her shirt and declared, “ This is the way we can play it, Adam.” She held her arms across her stomach and shoved her bag into her lap to hide the ball. She knew she was being childish, but her adrenaline had kicked into high gear. She hated Adam and was sick of the way he always did whatever he wanted to. “Now, run back to your friends and find a new game. We’re through with you here.”
    Alexis and Sierra exchanged a look. They knew Kate was stubborn, but they both knew Adam was just as much so. This war could go on for hours. With a tiny little smirk Alexis leaned back to watch the drama unfold. Sierra looked mildly uncomfortable but was clearly enjoying the scene.
    “I see,” Adam said, crossing his arms over his chest. “So you’re telling me that you like my ball inside your shirt? You’d like to keep it there?”
    “All I said,” Kate spat back at him, ignoring his totally lame attempt at sexual humor, “is that you can run along now.” She held her hand up like a stop sign and yawned. “You’re boring me.” Kate was mortified at the way she was acting. She sounded like a third grader…or like Adam. He totally brought out the worst in her.
    “Well, this should make things a little more interesting for you,” Adam said. He grinned, bent down, and pulled Kate’s bag out of her lap. In the single moment it took for this to happen, Kate lost her concentration. So when Adam’s hand reached up her shirt and pulled the ball out, she just sat there staring. “I hope that was fun for you,” Adam said. “Since that was one sexy move, and probably the only action you’ll get this summer.” With a wink and a snap of his fingers he trotted off to rejoin his buddies, leaving Kate, Alexis, and Sierra staring after him.
    Kate felt her skin burn where he had touched her. Her heart was racing, and the anger bubbled up inside. Had it been anyone other than Adam, she would have been blushing. Because as far as Kate was concerned, there was nothing sexier than a good, well-fought fight.

Two
     

On the Road to Pennsylvania
     
    The next morning Kate stood outside