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

sure if it was real. I’d always wanted a baseball inked on my upper right shoulder in the back. I had to wait until I was eighteen, though.
    Becca growled her annoyance.
    “Hey, Ty,” I said.
    “Lace, how goes it this morning?” he asked.
    Becca glowered at Grace’s hand glued to Tyler’s arm. “Is there something you need, Grace?” Becca mashed her lips into a thin line.
    “No. I saw Tyler coming out of the sports complex, and I walked with him over here.” Her voice had a bitter undertone.
    Tyler eyed me, trying to give me a signal of some kind. It didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to bite her head off—not today, anyway. I couldn’t say the same for Becca.
    She stuck out her chin. “You’re not wanted here,” she said.
    Wow! This was a side of Becca I hadn’t seen before. Sure, she was feisty, but not this bitchy, even when she had that small altercation with Tyler at the beginning of the week. I had yet to ask her about her and Tyler. I was saving it for a time when we knew each other a little better.
    “Grace, why don’t you head inside? We’ll talk later. Okay?” Tyler pried her fingers from his arm.
    “Sure.” She pinned a death look on Becca before traipsing off.
    Once she was out of earshot, Becca let loose on Tyler. “What the hell, dude? You know I hate her.”
    “She hasn’t done anything to you,” he shot back.
    “What’s with all this animosity, Becca?” I asked. I was the newbie and still learning the hierarchy of all the cliques in this school.
    “Just old history between me and Grace.” Becca hadn’t spoken much about Grace except the usual cliquey stuff of the “Barbies with claws,” as she liked to call them. Did I want to know? No. Did I need to know? Yes. Only because she was my friend, and friends took care of each other. If she needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to back her up, I’d be there for her.
    “She’s been nice to me,” I said.
    “That’s because it’s just the first week and they’re feeling you out,” she said. Anger still laced her tone. “Trust me. It’s the calm before the storm. I’ve heard the rumors already. The cheerleaders don’t like you.”
    “Hey, calm down.” I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t care about who likes me and who doesn’t. And until they give me a reason, I’ll be nice to them.”
    Her dark brown eyes shot daggers my way. We studied each other for a second.
    “I’m sorry, girl. Grace gets under my skin.” She smiled.
    “We don’t have much time before the bell,” Tyler announced. “Let’s head in.”
    Becca frowned at Tyler.
    So Becca and I had our first little spat as friends. Given that we both had strong personalities, I was certain we would have more. While she was starting to become a good friend, I wasn’t going to hate Grace just because Becca did. Sure, my intuition was telling me that Grace and her posse were bad news. I just hoped for their sake that they didn’t give me a reason to go toe-to-toe with them.
    As soon as we were inside, I threw my coffee cup in the trash and blew on my hands as I made my way to my locker. I had to get my trig book to study during my free period. I was cramming for the test that was set up for early the next week. My calculus test was scheduled for the week after that. Whatever Dad had said to the principal seemed to help my schedule.
    “I’ll see you two in English,” I said over my shoulder to Becca and Tyler, who both had been scooped up by some friends. When I turned back, my face collided with a hard chest.
    Strong hands grasped my shoulders. “Watch where you’re going, Lacey,” a male voice drawled.
    Oh, no! A tingle skittered up and down my spine. I slowly lifted my gaze, and Kade Maxwell was grinning as his dimples flashed, causing the butterflies in my stomach to take flight.
    I glanced behind me in search of help, but Tyler and Becca had their backs to me. I eased away, landing against the door of a janitor’s closet. He grinned as he tilted his