Rules of a Rebel and a Shy Girl by Jessica Sorensen Read Free Book Online Page A

jerk of a father who bailed on her and her mom. “You didn’t have any problems, right? I mean, with your mom?”
    “I guess not … Her new boyfriend moved in with us about a month ago … He has a cat …” She sighed, rotating the snow globe in her hand. “I think I’m allergic to cats. I wake up every day sneezing, and my eyes are always red.”
    “Aw, Wills, I’m so sorry.” I draped an arm around her and steered her to the side as I maneuvered the door open. “What can I do to make you feel better?”
    “I don’t think there’s anything you can do.” Her frown deepened as we wandered down the busy hallway with Luna and Wynter still trailing behind us. “You know how my mom gets … And it’s just a cat.” Another stressed sigh. “It just sucks because her stupid boyfriend doesn’t even like kids. He told me that when he moved in, that he hates kids and that I need to make sure I stay out of his way or he might have to send me off to boarding school.” She shook her head, folding her fingers around the snow globe. “Like he could really do that. He doesn’t even have a job.”
    I hated that her mom put her boyfriends above Willow and that she brought such sketchy guys into the house. I once offered to let Willow live in one of our five guest rooms so she could get away from her mom’s creepy boyfriends. I doubted my parents would notice her living with us, considering they were hardly ever home. But Willow declined like she usually did when I tried to give her things. Even when she needed my help, she had a hard time asking.
    I massaged her shoulder. “I should get you a dog, one that’s well-trained and will keep that guy away and the cat, too.”
    “My mom would probably get rid of it.” She tucked the snow globe into the side pocket of her backpack then looked at me, forcing a smile on her face. “Tell me more about Paris. Did you see the Eiffel Tower? Oh, please tell me you went to the catacombs.”
    Noting the desperate subject change, I started telling her about my trip, even though I really didn’t want to talk about it.
    By the time we reached my locker, I noticed quite a few people, particularly guys, glancing in our direction. I figured they were looking at Wynter because that happened a lot. And sometimes guys would come up and ask me about her, see if she had a boyfriend. Later, when I was doodling in math class, I found out that the staring wasn’t about Wynter after all.
    “Hey, Beck, can I ask you something?” Levi plopped down into the desk in front of mine. “It’s about that girl Willow you’re always hanging out with.”
    I peered up from my doodling, confused. “Okay.”
    He twisted in his seat and rested his arms on my desk. “Does she have a boyfriend?”
    His question threw me off guard.
    Willow ?
    My Willow ?
    I wasn’t sure how to respond. Normally, with Wynter, I answered honestly. Now, I found myself desperate to lie, to say that she did have a boyfriend so Levi wouldn’t ask her out. Not that I didn’t like Levi; I just didn’t want Willow to have a boyfriend.
    “She does, actually.” I sat back in my seat. “I think he’s a grade ahead of us.”
    “Really?” Levi frowned, thrumming his fingers on top of the desk. “Well, that sucks. She seems pretty cool. Plus, she’s hot.”
    I shrugged, feeling a little guilty for lying. What would Willow do if she knew what I did? She always trusted me. Did I just break her trust?
    What if she wanted to date Levi? Then I’d see less of her, and I barely survived the summer without her.
    She trusted me so much, and she hardly trusted anyone.
    I sighed and decided to tell her at lunchtime, even though I didn’t want to.
    “Levi likes me? Really?” she asked after I sat down at the lunch table and reluctantly told her what happened in math class.
    “Yeah. That’s what he said.” I stuffed a handful of chips into my mouth, eyeing her over. “You don’t seem that happy about it.”
    “That’s because