Forces of Nature

TEASER FOR CH.29 - MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Frowning at the sight of Courtney’s Mom’s SUV in the driveway, I pulled in behind it and cut the engine.

And promptly felt like the biggest ass on the face of the planet. Courtney and I had made plans at lunch to hang out after school and backstab the entire male species - excluding her precious Drew of course - while watching episodes of One Tree Hill.

That was before Tyson had gallantly swept into World History and wowed everyone (except Serena who was probably only now recovering from her stroke) by kissing me and then ushering me from the room. Even the memory had a wave of giddiness washing over me and a goofy smile blooming over my face.

At least until I came back to reality and realised my best friend was currently in my house, waiting for me to get home so she could tear me a new one. And I didn’t blame her, either. Lately I’d been a serious contender for the World’s Worst Best Friend award. Nothing but major grovelling and excessive apologies was going to make this better.

If she decided to forgive me this time.

Clambering out of my truck, I grabbed my schoolbag and jogged up the front stairs to the door, several forgive-me tactics on the tip of my tongue. Too bad what came out of my mouth was a far cry from the elegant, sophisticated atonement speech I was trying for.

“I am so sorry,” I said before I even had the door fully open.

“Seriously?” Courtney cried, her eyes narrowed dangerously and her arms clamped across her chest. She was planted right in front of the door, so close to it I couldn’t open it all the way without hitting her. “First you withhold crucial information about a boy from me, and now you’re bailing on our after school -”

“I was with Tyson,” I blurted, though why I thought telling my best friend I’d ditched her for a guy was going to be an improvement was beyond me.

Courtney’s face changed in an instant, morphing from stern and peeved to curious and hopeful.

“So it is true!” she shrieked, and jumped up and down on the spot, her corkscrew curls bouncing along for the ride.

Dumbfounded, I blinked at her. “I beg your pardon?”

“Ash heard from Olive who heard from Anna who heard from Janie in your World History class. Tyson kissed you in front of everyone!”

That was a lot of “heard from”s and my head was starting to spin. Did word really travel that fast? Who was I kidding? Of course it did, we were in high school.

“Uh,” I said, suddenly tongue tied. Courtney was so excited she was shaking, waiting for a big confirmation. So, still standing in my front doorway with one foot over the threshold and the door only half open, I obliged. “Yeah, he um, kissed me and then we ditched last period.”

“Oh, you bad girl, Noah Duke,” she said with a huge grin on her face, green eyes sparkling.

“So, you’re not mad?” I asked, finally managing to get all the way into my house when Courtney backed up a few steps. I slammed the door and threw my bag onto the hallway cabinet.

My best friend raised her eyebrows at me. “I am so mad at you it’s not even funny. But first, I want the news from the girl herself. Then I’ll kill you.”

I opened my mouth to spit out a dozen more sorry’s but none of them made it past my lips.

“Is that Noah?” Mel came down the hallway, a worried frown creasing her forehead.

Confused, I mirrored her expression. “Yeah, it’s me. Why, what’s up?”

Worry gave way to stern reproach. “Do you ever answer that God damn phone of yours?” she exploded, brandishing the house phone three inches from my nose.