First Kiss (Heavy Influence) by Ann Marie Frohoff Read Free Book Online Page A

hand and fluffed his pillows. His gesture tugged at my heart even more. “Here, take a load off. Make sure you drink that water.”
                  I collapse on the bed more dramatically than I needed to, but I wanted the smell of him to wrap around me. Just as I sank in comfortably another voice came through the house. This time it was a female’s.
                  “Jake?” the voice grew louder.
                  “Yeah,” he shouted, “I’m in my room.” He stood up walking to the door and stopped.
                  “Hey sexy,” a raspy voice purred, then a short silence. “What’s going on ?” she asked as she came to the door. By the tone of her voice it was apparent she’d noticed me lying there. I kept my eyes closed.
                  “That’s my next door neighbor, Alyssa. She’s not feeling well, probably from the heat.”
                  “And you couldn’t lay her on your couch?”
                  “Calm down,” he bit back.
                  I could hear the voices fade down the hallway. I heard another girl’s voice too. I could barely make out what Jake was saying.
                  “Look, we were gonna listen to some music too, it’s no big deal.”
                  “No big deal? Jake, how would you feel if you walked into my room and saw a dude lying on my bed?”
                  “Rachel, if he was fourteen and your next door neighbor I wouldn’t care.”
                  My stomach dropped. Fourteen, that’s what he saw me as, fourteen, and what the hell was I doing here? Ok, this happened for a reason. I needed to get a grip. He was way out of my league. He would always be “just Jake,” my friend. I sat up in an attempt to get a better ear full.
                  “She’s only fourteen,” she said dryly. “She doesn’t look fourteen.”
                  “Well, she is. She’s gonna be a freshman this year.”
                  “Great,” The sarcastic tone continued.
                  “Look, Rachel, I don’t know what else to say.”
                  “You could tell her to go home. We were supposed to be hangin’ today.”
                  “Her parents aren’t home. I’d feel better if she stayed here until she felt better.”
                  There was another long silence and the girl (Rachel, I guess) spoke.
                  “Rachel, you’re outta control. Let’s go.”
    Rachel laughed .
    “Jake, we’ll see you later. Don’t forget Dump’s expecting you, you might wanna call him. Call me when she leaves,” She added, clearly agitated.
                  I didn’t hear anything else. I took a drink of water and stared at the posters of the hot chicks stuck to his wall. Those are the kinda chicks Jake likes. Rachel was probably as hot as these girls hanging on his wall. I laughed to myself, shaking my head.
                  “Why you shaking your head?” Jake’s voice took me by surprise and I jumped.
                  “I didn’t realize I was.” I stared back at him sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for you and your girlfriend to fight because of me.”
                  “She’s not my girlfriend,” he said firmly.
                  “Sounds like she thinks she is.”
    “Well, she wants to be, but I don’t feel the same way. Besides—”
                  “So you don’t like her?” I interrupted, surprised at my boldness.  But I wanted to know, and now. I wanted to know him, every little thing I’d missed after all this time.
                  “Kind of….” He trailed off. Then he laughed. “Only sometimes, after I’ve had a few beers. No, just kidding. I kinda dig her, yeah, but she’s a little hard to handle. She’s a