Plus-size nerd and the Bad Boy (Curvy Romance Book 1)

Ch. 1: New School (Annabeth's POV)

I was dreaming. I had to be because I'd never met the gorgeous boy standing in front of me. Reaching for me. I felt drawn to him, and it made my breath catch. I didn't know him, but I wanted him. No, I craved him. I reached out toward him, brushing my hand against his as tingles of electricity shot through me. I could almost make out his face.

"Anna...Annabeth, wake up now. You're going to be late for school!"

My eyes snapped open, and I took in the walls of my new room, the last threads of my dream fading away.

"Annabeth, get up! Now!" my brother yelled, banging on my door.

"I'm up Johnathon! Give me a damn second," I called back as I jumped out of bed. I gave my body a long stretch as I made my way to the closet. It's my first day of school and I'm already off to a bad start—I have nothing to wear. I stood in front of my mirror, trying to picture what outfit I should wear. First impressions are lasting, after all. To make things worse, the current state of my hair was, in a word, disastrous. I let out a sigh as I shoved a curl out of my face. I shouldn't have fallen asleep reading again.

Grabbing a hairbrush off my vanity, I got to work trying to tame the beast that is my hair.

"Ouch!"

I glared down at the source of the pain. The hairbrush had strands of hair stuck in it, as if mockingly telling me, "Next time, try combing your hair after showering." I scowled for another second, contemplating if I should bother continuing the effort. My hand was aching, and I'd only brushed out one section of hair. I threw the brush down and grabbed a scrunchie, twisting my hair back into a messy bun. I gave myself a once­-over. Hmmmm...decent enough. I turned my neck to catch a glimpse of the back of my head in the mirror. Perfect, you can't even see the tangles.

Now for the hard part: clothes. I am what you might call "plus size." I got my curves from my mom; I just got a little bit more than her, that's all. If I was in California still, I would have grabbed some shorts because it would have been blistering hot, but according to the goosebumps popping up on my arm, shorts weren't going to be an option. I pulled out some leggings—a girl's best friend. They were comfy and they'd keep me warm enough. I grabbed my dad's old Nirvana shirt from the back of my desk chair, threw it on, and reached for my sneakers.

Perfect. Chic, but comfy. I studied myself in the mirror for a full minute. Not bad, Anna. I smiled to myself and did a quick 360° turn to make sure everything was good from every angle. Now for some eyeliner and lip gloss. After smoothing on the gloss, I pinched my cheeks a bit, a trick my mom taught me. My cheeks turned a bright pink, then faded into a nice rosy color. Done.

I made my way downstairs, hearing my older brother, Johnathon, talking to my little brother, Sammy. They were both the spitting image of my parents. Johnathon had blonde hair and blue eyes, a carbon copy of my dad; Sammy had dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes, just like my mother. I couldn't help but grin as I watched Sammy laugh at Johnathon, who was parading around in an apron as he cooked breakfast.

"Hey boys," I said as I sat down next to Sammy, giving his shoulder a nudge.

"You ready for your first day of third grade?"

Johnathon slid a plate in front of me, and my tummy couldn't help but grumble as I inhaled the aromas of crispy bacon and fluffy pancakes wafting up at me. Yum. I grabbed the peanut butter and started slathering it on my pancakes, then added some syrup. What? It's good, I swear!

"I don't know...I miss my old school and my friends," Sammy said as he stared down at the counter. "What if the kids don't like me?"

I put down my fork. "Why wouldn't they like you, sweetie?" Sammy shot me an annoyed look.