Hey again, guys! As promised, here's chapter two of the prequel to Out of Tune, right on time! (Well, just about - I got stuck in traffic. Ugh.)
My advance copies of the paperback arrived today and it looks so great!!!
You can pre-order the paperback of Out of Tune (http://amzn.to/1lCppNh) and the ebook (http://amzn.to/1payY8z) from Amazon now, for the release on July 3rd!
Well, anyway, here's the chapter. Enjoy!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter Two
I’m usually pretty good at bowling. I beat my dad whenever we go (though he does suck pretty bad at it), and I’m definitely better than Allie. But right now, with Josh putting his arms around me and standing behind me to show me a good technique, I’m so glad my nerves got the better of me on my first few turns and messed them up so badly.
Josh guides my arm forward, and I let go of the ball. He keeps a hold of my waist and my hand as we watch the ball roll down the lane. My skin tingles where he’s touching me, and time seems to run slower than usual.
The ball knocks down eight pins – better than the four I hit last time.
Josh turns me toward him, grinning. ‘See? Not that hard.’
‘Think I can do the next one myself?’
‘Hmm, maybe. But don’t expect immediate results. It takes time to master this, Grasshopper.’
I laugh, and pick up another bowling ball. ‘Okay.’
Feeling way more in control of myself now and nowhere near as anxious as I was at the start of this date, I manage to hit down the last two standing pins, and they clatter backwards loudly. I shoot Josh an innocent smile over my shoulder, and feel kind of smug when I see his jaw hanging open.
‘You totally hustled me.’
I blush, looking away. I think I’d rather him think I faked being bad intentionally than got really nervous and messed up like a total loser. ‘Maybe just a little.’
He starts laughing then. ‘You’re not what I was expecting, Ashley.’
I take that as a compliment. To be totally honest, I was kind of scared that this was all some big joke. I mean, come on. This is Josh Parker, one of the cutest guys in my grade and one of the popular kids. I was so scared when my mom was driving me here that I’d show up and Josh would have stood me up, because he was only doing this for a joke – maybe one of his friends had dared him to do it. But when I saw him waiting outside the doors, and when he smiled at me as I rushed out of the car, I felt a lot warmer inside, and my palms weren’t sweating so much anymore.
And now, I’m pretty sure that this is Josh Parker flirting with me.
I sit down on the bench while he takes his turn and pick some lint off my jeans. Allie and I decided that jeans were a practical option for bowling, but I’m wearing a cute sweater I bought on sale at Macys a few weeks ago.
Allie helped me tame my auburn curls with some product we borrowed from her sister, Sara (she didn’t know we were borrowing it, but we didn’t use it all, so hopefully she won’t work it out), and I made sure to cover up all my freckles with some powder and cover-up. I hate my freckles.
The only downside to my outfit is the ugly bowling shoes we’re forced to wear on the lanes – but since everyone’s stuck wearing them, I don’t think Josh will care too much.
I check my watch. Still an hour and half to get him to kiss me. Our moms aren’t collecting us till nine thirty (lame, but we’re both still too young to drive.).
The date’s going really well – at least, I think it is. No, I’m pretty sure it is. Despite my anxiety, I’m having a great time, and Josh’s jokes and smile makes it seem like he is too, putting me at ease.
Josh doesn’t seem to care that I’m not as pretty as most of the girls in our grade, though. He must see something he likes. I guess personality wins out sometimes.
Or maybe he just likes curly hair and freckles.
A few bowls later – and a few more strikes from both of us – as our second game draws to a close, I’m starting to think a lot more about kissing him.
I wonder if he’s thinking about kissing me too.
I check my watch for like the billionth time. Nine-oh-four. Twenty-six minutes left of our date.
‘Well, damn.’ Josh stands behind me as I pick up a ball for my next turn. ‘You’re beating me.’
‘I’m actually pretty good.’
‘I can tell, from the six strikes you’ve had. After you hustled me.’
‘Sorry about that.’ I send the bowl rattling down toward the pins – but there are three left standing. Damn. No strike this time.
‘Don’t worry about it. I kind of liked having an excuse to be close to you.’
I pause, stomach flipping over and clenching. I feel nauseous. My heart skitters weirdly in my chest, which doesn’t help the sick feeling. I take a deep breath, suddenly all those tips and tricks and advice articles and agony-aunt columns I read with Allie have totally abandoned me, and my mind is blank.
I draw in another breath, only to realize I’m still holding it from before. It all comes out in a big – and definitely – audible rush. Can Josh hear my heart beating too? I bet he can.
I bite my lip; I’m so nervous I feel like I might throw up. God, don’t throw up, Ashley, don’t throw up. You do not want to end your first date with him walking off with your puke on his shoes.
I gulp.
He must’ve heard that too.
Josh edges a little closer, so now we’re only about a step apart from each other.
Oh my God.
Okay, I can do this.
I edge closer, too, but there’s still space between us. ‘Do you need an excuse to be close to me?’
Yes! Nailed it!
And I said it without puking.
Definite success.
That dazzling mouthwash-commercial-worthy smile hits me full-force and my heart flip-flops again. ‘Is wanting to kiss you a good excuse?’
I know I’m blushing bright red, and it’s bound to be totally unattractive, especially considering how red my hair must look in this ugly fluorescent lighting, but I don’t even care. Josh closes the distance between us, and I reach up on my tiptoes to meet him halfway.
And then we’re kissing.
Our lips press together, and his hands come to rest on my waist. Then we both pull away at the same time, and I drop back down from my tiptoes, reflexively licking my lower lip.
He tastes like the non-alcoholic root beer he was drinking earlier.
I wonder what I tasted like. Hopefully just gum. Maybe my cherry lip balm, if that hasn’t worn off over the course of the evening.
‘Is this your way of trying to put me off my game so I don’t beat you?’ I ask, because I feel like I have to fill this silence somehow.
Josh chuckles, and holds up his hands. ‘You caught me.’
Turning away from him, I pick up the blue bowling ball I’ve used most of the evening, and take my time lining up to knock down the pins. I can’t stop smiling.
If I thought I was ecstatic when he asked me out, it’s nothing compared to how I feel now.
He kissed me. And I kissed him!
Officially the best day of my life.
When Mom texts me twenty minutes later to say that she’s pulled up out the front of the bowling alley, my shoulders sag.
I look up from my cell phone, mouth twisting with disappointment. ‘My mom’s here. I have to go.’
Josh nods. ‘Okay.’
We handed in our shoes a few minutes ago, and we’ve been hanging around the little bar area, sitting on plastic chairs at a rickety table. I punch a quick Okay to my mom, and drop my phone back into my purse.
We both stand and Josh walks with me toward the doors.
I want to kiss him again, but I don’t want to do it outside where my mom will see. So I stop just away from the automatic doors, and Josh collides with me, quickly apologizing for it.
‘You just keep looking for excuses to be close to me, don’t you?’ I tease, and he rolls his eyes. Then, without the sarcasm, I say softly, ‘I had a really great time tonight.’
‘Me too.’
I hesitate, wondering if I’m supposed to take the initiative and suggest another date, or wait for him to say it. Should I be playing hard to get? No, I can’t do that now – I already said I had a great time.
Ugh!
I wish I could remember what those damn magazines all said.
‘I, um . . .’
God, I really suck at this. I am completely terrible at this stuff.
Even if I’d been able to carry on that sentence, I couldn’t – Josh’s lips close over mine again, sending a thrill through me. He’s kissing me again! I haven’t blown my chances!
I smile against his lips and kiss him back, until we both hear my cell phone buzz and trill in my bag with another text message – probably from my mom. Or maybe Allie. She’d expect me to be in the car by now and I know she’s waiting to hear how it went.
We pull away from each other, and Josh smiles at me – this one softer, not flashing all his pearly whites. ‘So does you kissing me back mean I get a second date?’
I laugh. ‘Yeah.’
The smile widens to a grin. ‘Maybe we could go see a movie next week? Your choice. Grab some pizza, or something?’
I nod. ‘Yeah. Yeah, that sounds – yeah.’
‘Yeah,’ he repeats, and laughs. ‘I’ll see you Monday, in class?’
I nod. ‘Yeah.’
Seriously? Now I can’t say anything except ‘yeah’?
Good job I’ve already got a second date with him.
I reach up to peck him quickly on the cheek. ‘See you Monday, Josh.’
When I get into the car, I bury my burning face in my hands. ‘Ugh. Please, just drive. Now.’
‘Did it go that badly?’ I can hear the suppressed laughter in Mom’s voice, but there’s genuine concern in her tone. She pulls away, though, as I’d requested. ‘I thought you really liked him.’
‘I do, but I’m a total dork.’
‘So . . . did it go well, or not?’
‘We’re gonna go to the movies next week sometime.’
‘So it went well!’ I peel my face away from my hands and look up at my mom, who shoots me a smile. ‘Why are you looking like that?’
‘Didn’t you hear me? I’m a total dork. I don’t even know why he likes me.’ Before my mom can start on about how nice and sweet and funny and smart and pretty I am, because she’s obligated to say those things since she’s my mother, I say, ‘You’re taking me straight to Allie’s now, right?’
‘Overnight bag’s in the trunk. So you’ll go tell your best friend all about your date, but not your dear old mom?’
I give a flat look, assuming she can see it out of the corner of her eye.
She laughs. ‘Did you kiss him?’
‘Mom!’
‘Did you?’
‘Yes,’ I say grudgingly, but I’m smiling again with the memory. ‘Twice.’
‘Honey, this boy obviously likes you, if he kissed you twice and asked you on another date. I’m sure you weren’t as big of a dork as you think you were.’
‘Mmph,’ I mumbled, taking my buzzing cell phone out of my bag. Sure enough, I’ve got two texts from Allie.
I text back and say that I’ll give her the play-by-play of the night as soon as I get to her house, and then deflect my mom from asking me more about Josh by telling her about the pop quiz we had this morning in Chemistry.
Even as I’m babbling on about it though, I can’t stop thinking about how I managed to get a second date with Josh. And I kissed him. Twice!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
so what did you guys think? Please comment or message me (on one of my social networks!) because I'd love to know your thoughts!
Next chapter up on Thursday around this time again (I'm actually gonna be in Canada though, so may be an hour out either way. But I'll try for around 5:30pm GMT).
Follow my tumblr (in the external link) and my Twitter @Reekles for more updates and info!
Don't forget to pre-order your copy of Out of Tune from Amazon in paperback (http://amzn.to/1lCppNh) or ebook (http://amzn.to/1payY8z) :) xo