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ChapterOne
AllondraDawsontried to focus on what her chemistry teacher,Mr.Patel, was saying to the class, but her brain kept diverting to the boy sitting beside her.WestonLockhart—aka the cutest guy in the whole school, the second-string quarterback and only sophomore on the varsity football team, andAllondra’scrush.
Sigh.
She’dbeen in love with him for over a year but only dared to talk to him during her tutoring sessions or unless he said something to her first.Whileshe was a straight-Astudent, math and science were her favorite subjects that she excelled in.Afteracing the first two exams earlier in the year,Mr.Patelhad asked if she’d be willing to tutor other students.Initially, she’d been hesitant, but whenWest, standing nearby, said he could use the extra help,Allondraimmediately accepted the position.
Chemistryand world history were the only two classes they had in common.Forthe latter, though, the students sat alphabetically, soWest’sdesk was one row over and toward the back of the room while hers was in the front.Itwas hardly a vantage point for her to ogle him subtly.Butduring chemistry, he sat right beside her.Shewas almost always the first person in the room—a good three to four minutes before the bell rang since herEnglishclass was only a few classrooms down the hall.Sheeagerly awaitedWest’sarrival each day.Asshe’d settled into her desk, pulling out her notebook, textbook, and pen, her gaze would dart toward the door whenever someone entered.Whenhe finally strode into class—tall, dark, handsome, and confident, with a boisterous laugh, adorable dimples, and charming personality—Allondra’sheart pounded, and her mouth watered.
Eventhough they were the same age,Westcould easily pass for a junior or senior.Meanwhile,Allondralooked like she was still a freshman or younger despite going through puberty at the age of twelve.Despiteher baby fat, her bra size was only anA-cup, and she hadn’t gained much height yet.Herfather was over six feet tall while her mother was five feet eight, so it stood to reason she would eventually add to her five-foot-two frame.
She’dhad a few pre-teen and teenage crushes, but those had been on celebrities she undoubtedly would never meet.WithWest, he sat three feet away from her, and if brave enough, she could reach over and touch his muscular bicep.
Butshe wasn’t brave enough.Shesuspected she never would be.Whatwould it be like, though, to beWest’sgirlfriend?Tobe popular and go on dates with him?Toeventually marry him someday?
Sigh.
Agirl could dream, right?
Thebell rang, joltingAllondrafrom her useless fantasy over something that would never happen.Sheknocked her book off the desk, and it landed with a heavy thud on the ugly tiled floor as everyone else got to their feet.Beforeshe could bend over to retrieve it,Westpicked up the textbook and handed it to her with a smile and a wink. “Goodthing it didn’t land on your foot.Youcould’ve broken a few toes with that.”
Anervous titter escaped her as butterflies took flight in her stomach. “Y-yeah.Thanks.”
Itappeared he was about to say something more, but then a cheerleader,TessaJameson, grabbed him by the arm.ShegaveAllondrathe evil eye and a sneer before pasting on a brilliant smile for the usual target of her flirtation. “C’mon,West.Walkme to my next class.Iwant to tell you about the party at my house onSaturday.”Hertone made it obviousAllondrawouldn’t be invited—not that she expected to be.
“Uh. . . sure.”Grabbinghis books,Westglanced atAllondra. “Seeyou later in the library?”That’swhere they held their tutoring sessions.
Herhead bobbled as her gaze dropped to the floor, and her cheeks burned. “Um, yeah.Ofcourse.”
“C’mon,West.Let’sgo.”Tessatugged on his arm, and then, moments later, they walked out the door together.
Sigh.
Gatheringup her things,Allondragot ready for her next destination.Shewasn’t in a rush since it was her study hall period in one of the lunchrooms, where she would sit alone and do her math homework.Evenif the monitors let the students talk in low voices about anything other than schoolwork,Allondrawouldn’t be engaging with anyone.Shedidn’t belong to any of the cliques assigned to that room—hell, she was barely friends with anyone in her entire class.Therewere a few other wallflowers that she hung out with—they were all in the school band—but that was about it.NoBFFor someone she could share her secrets and dreams with.Atleast she could discuss those things with her cousin, who attended another high school about twenty minutes away, where she was an all-star volleyball player with many friends.Despitetheir differences, the two girls had been close all their lives.Allondrawould give anything to be in the same school district asSadie.AsherAuntEmilywould say, they were thick as thieves when they got together.
Shynesshad plaguedAllondrasince first grade after two girls had bullied her during recess, tripping her and making her fall flat on her face and break her glasses.Allthe other students had just laughed, and the embarrassment still haunted her years later.Sincethen, she’d tried to avoid being a target for further bullying by minding her own business and staying off the mean girls’ radar as much as possible.
Insteadof a popular cheerleader as she’d dreamed of being while attending elementary school, she hadn’t been coordinated enough to do a simple cartwheel and, instead, had ended up as a piccolo player in the marching band.Onestudent among a sea of others in matching purple and gold polyester uniforms that were hot and itchy as hell.
Afterquickly stopping at her locker to switch out several textbooks in her book bag, she headed toward the lunchroom and entered the girls’ restroom across the hall just as two juniors walked out, giggling and chatting like best friends.Alittle jealous and annoyed at their perkiness,Allondrarolled her eyes and then found herself alone in the bathroom.Sheapproached one of the sinks and stared at her reflection in the mirror above it.
Betweenher short stature, flat chest, and baby fat, there was no way anyone would be captivated by her.Shecraved a body that would make boys—especiallyWest—stand up and take notice.Evenif she had feminine curves in all the right places, likeTessaand the other cheerleaders, there were her eyeglasses and braces to contend with.Atleast she’d somehow avoided being plagued by acne.However, with mud-brown hair that loved to frizz in the humidity and boring hazel eyes,Allondracouldn’t attract a teenage boy if she stripped down naked and proclaimed she was a slut to the entire school.Yeah, that was so not happening.
Shewould love to go out on a date withWestor even one of the other cute boys in her class and experience love and her first kiss before going to college.Asit were, she’d probably still be a virgin well into her twenties.
TheSophomoreSocial, an annual dance atHoldenHigh, similar to the junior and senior proms but not as fancy, would take place in a few weeks, andAllondraalready knew she wouldn’t be attending.Noneof her male classmates would ask her to go with them, and there was no way she would go to the event alone.Afew of her single bandmates were going together as a small group, but she didn’t want to watchWestdancing with whichever cheerleader or popular girl he invited to be his date.ProbablyTessa.Gag!
Sheglanced at the pretty, antique watch her aunt had given her for her last birthday—two minutes left before the next bell rang.She'dget a demerit if she weren’t in study hall before then.Toomany demerits would result in detention—something she’d never gotten.Allondrawas one of the “goody-two-shoes” girls, but there were days she wished she wasn’t.Shewould love to be one of the popular girls, but that would probably mean she’d have to be a bully.Itseemed like all the in-crowd were—exceptWest.Hewas always nice to her.Thenagain, as far as she could tell, he was nice to everyone.
Enteringone of the stalls, she locked the door behind her and set her book bag on a fold-down shelf to keep it off the floor.Shethen took one of the paper seat protectors from a dispenser and laid it in place.Excellingin biology and chemistry, she was very aware of what germs could be found in public restrooms.Pushingdown her jeans, she squatted until she was only an inch or two from the seat.Shewasn’t risking sitting on it, even with the protective paper between her skin and the cold porcelain.
Onceshe was done relieving herself, she used a few squares of toilet paper to clean herself, tossed the wad into the bowl, and stood.Asshe pulled up her pants, the door to the hallway swung open with a bang, and three girls burst in, laughing and talking loudly.
“Itold you he’s a dork!”
“Oh,Itotally agree with you!”
“Canyou believe he actually thoughtI’dgo to theSophomoreSocialwith him?Asif!Imean, come on.Seriously?Iwouldn’t be caught dead dating a loser like him.”
