Phone Calls From a Rock Star by J. L. Paul Read Free Book Online Page B

guess
he did. I mean, I don’t think he could read my mind. Oh, imagine if
he could! He’d run, screaming, as fast as he was able. Annie nudged
me and halted my internal rambling. “Um, sure. I’d like that.”
    My idiotic friends were positively glowing.
I would have hit them if I hadn’t been positively glowing
myself.
    “ Great,” he said as he gave
me a wink. My heart pounded in my chest, and I prayed he couldn’t
hear it. “I’ll talk to you later. I need to get to
class.”
    He stood, tray in hand, and smiled once more
before sauntering off to the garbage cans, Dean trailing him.
    “ I told you he was
interested,” Annie said proudly.
    “ Oh, Bella, you’re going to
need a smashing new outfit,” Cammy stated.
    “ This is it, Bella. This is
going to be your year,” Annie proclaimed.
    What did I just get myself into?

Chapter Five
     
    Groaning, I dropped my shopping bags and
fell to my bed. Shopping with Cammy and Annie was plain murder.
They did have more of an eye for fashion that was for sure, but I
was far more comfortable in an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
    The Fall Festival consisted of a bonfire
Friday night and a dance Saturday night. It wasn’t a formal event
so it wasn’t necessary to purchase fancy gowns. Annie and Cammy had
settled on a white skirt that covered my knees and a deep green,
thin sweater that they claimed brought out the color of my eyes.
They forced me to try on pair after pair of shoes until deciding
that one inch heels would be perfect. I was sure they’d be perfect
for breaking my ankle.
    Although I tried to hide
it, I was actually excited and edgy. Lance had taken to walking me
to nearly all my classes. He was fun and flirty and always laughed
at my nervous rambling. But each time I looked up at his face and
caught his gaze, my heart went wild. I began to believe that Annie
could be right – this was going to be my year.
    I hung my new clothes in my closet next to
the polo shirts I had to wear to class. Our school emerged from the
dark ages years ago and adopted a new uniform of khaki pants and
navy blue polo shirts with the school’s crest embroidered on them.
It was much, much better than the plaid skirts the poor saps had to
wear before I ever started here.
    I hadn’t talked to Jake in
over a week. I did call to tell him about Lance asking me to the
dance. He had said he was thrilled, but his voice hadn’t been very
convincing. He’d sounded tired, and I was glad he was on a short
break. I knew he was in Chicago this week, spending time with his
family. I hoped he was able to rest and relax before hitting the
road again. Still, I was a little put out that he hadn’t taken a
second to call me and let me know how things were going. My
birthday was fast approaching, and I hadn’t forgotten his promise.
I wondered if he had. I knew it wasn’t possible for him to take me
for that Big ‘Un Friday because of the Festival or Saturday because
of the dance, but there was always Sunday. And, I really wanted to
see him again. I think my brain wanted verification that that night
had actually happened, and the Jake I spoke to frequently was
really that Jake.
    My friends and I had taken to watching VTV
while doing our homework each night. I’d stop when one of
Controlled Environment’s videos came on so I could watch Jake
intently. He seemed like a totally different person than the one I
had spent an entire evening with a few weeks ago. Of course Annie
and Cammy would giggle and nudge me and watch me watch Jake. Talk
about irritating.
    After I hung up my new purchases, I wandered
down to Cammy’s room. Annie was there helping coordinate jewelry. I
stifled a groan and an eye roll as I plopped on the empty bed. I
did like being a girl, but I didn’t like being all girly-girl.
    I watched them compare necklace and earring
ensembles for about ten minutes before I grew terribly bored.
Huffing, I stood, glaring at them both. They dropped the jewelry
sheepishly and smiled. I