Pepped Up Read Free Page B

said gruffly.
    Jace said something on the other end and Gran replied, “It’s woman stuff, Jace.”
    I figured that would shut him up, but apparently not . Jace must’ve kept asking, because Gran said, “She’s fine. Cramps.”
    I couldn’t help but smile. Anyone else might be embarrassed by her but I love her like crazy.
    “Mmmhmm ,” she responded, and mmmhmmmed a few more times. “Okay, young man, we’ll see ya for dinner then. Don’t cause too much trouble on your first day, ya hear?” She laughed at something he said before hanging up.
    “Jace’s gonna keep comin’ for dinner after his practices like usual.” Gran sat next to me on the couch and patted my knee. “It ain’t all gonna change, baby girl.”
    But it already had.
    ***
    After Jace leaves, I push play on my iPod and lie down on my bed.  I let my body melt into my comforter and close my eyes.
    I can’t deny my body’s response to Jace. He’s hot as all hell. And we like each other. As friends. So what’s the problem, right? Why not try being more than friends? Or at least friends with benefits, as so many like to term their non-relationships?
    The problem is that Jace thinks of me like his little sister. Last year I was coming out of the girl’s locker room after track practice and I stopped at the water fountain. Jace was in the locker room talking to his best guy friend, Remy Laroche. They play baseball in the spring.  I’d heard that guys didn’t give me much attention because Jace warned them away. I wanted to believe he did this because he wanted me for himself, but, based on the way he acted around me, I feared it was something else. Turns out I was right. Worse than being friend-zoned… I was like family .
    Yup , that’s what he said. Remy asked Jace why he didn’t like other guys showing an interest in me, and if he wasn’t going to let other guys hook up with me, why didn’t he get with me himself?
    I was still holding on to the water fountain, but I wasn’t drinking. I stayed leaning forward though, letting the stream of water brush my lips. Then I heard Jace’s voice.
    “Man, that’s not gonna happen. Pepper’s my family. She’s like my sister.”
    His sister .
    Okay, so he could have just been saying that, right? Maybe he didn’t really mean it. Doubtful.
    There’s no question Jace really likes girls. I’m a girl, and we’ve been alone in his room, or mine, tons of times and he’s never made a pass. So, the only other explanation is that he doesn’t want me because I’m just not hot enough.
    Look, I know I’m no Madeline Brescoll, but I’m not ugly. My boobs are fairly unimpressive but I’ve got great legs. Despite Jace’s efforts, some guys have shown an interest in me. Given Jace’s reputation with the ladies, it seems like he would have made a move… if he didn’t think of me like his sister, that is. So there you have it.
    Sure, I think of Jace like family in some ways too. We love each other unconditionally. We’ve got each other’s backs.  He’s got his own crowd at school, and I’ve got mine. But we know we’ll hang out together on our own time. I don’t have any siblings, but maybe that’s what it’s like.
    Unfortunately, my stupid libido doesn’t get that she’s not supposed to want Jace.

Chapter 3
     
    The next morning I hop in to the passenger side of Jace’s black Jeep for the first day of school. The sound of Green Day is pulsing through the car.
     
    I hand Jace the cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese that Gran made for him. “What’s up?” I ask before taking a bite of my own bagel.
     
    “You and your short-ass shorts.” Jace shakes his head in disapproval.
     
    Ignoring him, I roll down the window. Why should I hide my legs, my best feature? With my arm out the window, my hand slices through the warm breeze.
     
    When I feel Jace staring at me at a stoplight, I ask, “What?”
     
    He reaches out and swipes cream cheese from the corner of my mouth with his