Dare to Kiss (The Maxwell Series Book 1) by S.B. Alexander Read Free Book Online

off to a classroom down the hall.
    The crowd had dispersed with the exception of five girls. All of them were pretty, toned, with boobs that any guy would love, and every one of them was a brunette. What were the odds? Was that one of the prerequisites to be in that clique?
    One glance their way and red sparks shot out of their eyes. Oh, yeah. They hate me .
    “Ignore them,” Tyler whispered.
    I hadn’t planned on giving them my undivided attention. “Who are they?”
    “Cheerleaders. We call them Grace’s Posse.” Tyler relaxed against a locker next to mine.
    “Which one is Grace?” I flicked my eyes toward them then back at Tyler.
    “She’s not here.” He swept his blue gaze over me as he inched closer.
    “What?” I stuck a couple of books that were in my backpack into my locker and shut it, the tinny sound of the metal door bouncing off the walls.
    “Do you want to grab something to eat later? I still owe you a shake and fries.” His blue eyes darkened.
    “As friends?” I needed to be clear on the subject.
    “Isn’t that what we are?” He looked past me.
    In my mind, yes. In his mind, I wasn’t so sure. We stood there in awkward silence. The cheerleaders had vanished. A girl and a boy sucked face at a locker farther down from mine.
    Finally, I said, “Do you want to go to Roy’s? They have the best fries.”
    “Six?” he asked as the bell rang.
    I’d wanted to ask him more about what had happened between him and Becca. I filed it away for now. I could ask him tonight.
    Slinking into homeroom, I shook my head. It seemed I was right back in a drama-driven high school. How I fit in was still to be determined. After all, I was the new girl who had made friends with one of the hottest guys in school. 

Chapter 4
    T he rest of the week flew by. After the first tense day of school, I was able to get into a routine. I knew where my locker was. I knew where all my classes were, and my car even cooperated the entire week. Tyler and I had hung out a couple of nights. We talked mostly about baseball. I did have a chance to ask him about his relationship with Becca.
    “She’s a good girl with a big heart. We dated a couple of years ago. When it started to get serious, I broke it off. I wasn’t ready to be exclusive with anyone,” he’d said.
    I’d been on the lookout all week for Kade Maxwell. I hadn’t seen him after the day he walked out of the principal’s office. Tyler mentioned Kade had asked for a few days off. He wasn’t sure what it was about, but the rumor around school was that it had something to do with family.
    Dad told me his private conversation with the principal had gotten tense, but ended on a good note. When I asked him to be more specific, he’d said it was just two adults disagreeing. While I was curious, I dropped the subject. I had a lot on my plate, and Dad didn’t seem concerned.
    In between practicing and studying, Becca and I hung out, too. She became my cheering section when I was on the mound throwing pitches to Tyler. I liked her a lot. She was honest. She didn’t beat around the bush, she didn’t sugar coat anything, and best of all, she wasn’t fake.
    It was the end of the school week and Becca and I were sitting on the hood of my Mustang, chatting. We still had about thirty minutes to the first bell. I’d swung by the coffee shop in town and picked up a latte for me, and a hot chocolate for Becca. I sipped on my coffee, hoping the hot liquid would take away the chill that had settled in me.
    “You know it’s going to get much colder than this,” Becca said, smiling.
    “Yeah. And your point is?”
    “You look like you’re about to freeze to death and it’s only forty-five degrees out.”
    “So why don’t we go in and hang out before the bell?” I knew the answer, but I asked it anyway.
    “The halls have ears,” she said, rolling her eyes. “When are you going to get your winter clothes, anyway?”
    Great question. I had no clue. Dad had been busier