Melody's Crush: (Book One) Read Free Page A

had me dropping my hand to my lap as I looked up to stare into those emerald pools. “Scooch over,” he commanded as he popped the side of my thigh. I obliged and he sat down.
    Looking around the courtyard, I noticed harsh stares coming from the girls around us. He didn’t seem to notice or care.
    My skin felt like crawling as I could hear the whispering. They were probably wondering why someone like Jake would be sitting with someone like me.
    Eh, who cared?
    But even as I tried to blow it off, it still stung at my pride.
    “I’m hanging out with the guys after school today so you don’t have to wait for me,” he said, ruffling my already unmanageable mane.
    I was a little disappointed. “I’m not your babysitter,” I said a bit too harshly.
    Second time today I caused him to look at me that way. Smiling a little bit too forcibly, I punched him in the arm at which point he shoved my head slightly to the side. He smiled again and I felt better.
    Somewhat .
    He got back up and joined the hacky circle and all I could do was just watch in awe at his amazing athletic ability. It did not hurt that his jeans hugged his thighs just right as he kicked and popped the bag. Quickly, I averted my eyes but not before the heat had already stung my cheeks.
    Jake was a different kind of jock. He wasn’t the arrogant football quarterback type jock like Kyle Warner. Instead, he was the soccer type and was the school’s most beloved medaled swimmer on the swim team. Several times I had thought about joining the swim team just so I could be closer to him. But there was no way I would ever get through a practice with him in the same pool. So, I elected to join the debate team instead.
    And of course to make my image that much brighter, I volunteered once a week after school at the Griffith Observatory giving tours to small groups. It was part of my community service toward graduation. Even though I had already completed all the required hours my freshman year, I couldn’t seem to give up my Thursday afternoons at the Observatory as it was the place Jake and I would spend countless hours at when we were in junior high.
    Finally, the bell rang interrupting my trip down memory lane and the students poured from the courtyard back into the halls and into the classrooms.
    Three more periods passed before once again, we all emptied into the parking lot. I reached my mustang and fired her up. There were many admirable onlookers as I pulled out into the line of exiters.
    Even my car had more popularity than I .
    As I pulled into the driveway at home, I noticed Mrs. Kensington, Jake’s mother, getting into the back of a luxury car. The chauffeur closed the door, got into the driver’s seat and then drove off.
    It seemed that my mother and Jake’s father were best friends in college which is why we were allowed to stay in the guest apartment when my mom left dad. It was only supposed to be temporary until my mother finished up her nursing degree working in anesthesiology, but we just kind of got used to being there and the thought of buying a house never came up. To be honest, I was thankful she never made the decision to move.
    I rested my head on the steering wheel for a few minutes before mechanically opening the car door like I had done a thousand times already, grabbed my books and then headed toward the guest house at the back of the property.
    After entering my room, I threw my book bag on the floor and just fell across my bed. Visions of Jake’s slackened jaw and widened eyes today made me chuckle. It was a great feeling to surprise him like that. I wondered what else I could do that would make his jaw drop again.
    After finishing my homework, I headed for the kitchen. I placed the permission slip under a magnet on the refrigerator so I wouldn’t forget to tell my mother to sign it in the morning. Hugging my arms and crossing my fingers, I prayed that it would be me Jake picked from the hat on Friday.
    After cleaning up my dinner