Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown Read Free Book Online

head was resting on my gym bag, which I’d at some point brought from the bathroom to her bedroom. My feet were pushed up against Rachel’s stomach; she was crashed half-on and half-off Vonnie’s beanbag chair. Vonnie and Cheyenne were squeezed into Vonnie’s bed. Vonnie had one flip-flop on. Cheyenne was snoring.
    I shimmied around so I could dig my phone out of my pocket and checked the screen. It was Kaleb.
    LAKE 2DAY?
    I groaned inwardly. I felt so waterlogged and beaten up from last night, all I wanted to do was sleep some more. But I missed him. I wanted to see him. I hardly ever got time with him, so no way would I turn down the chance to be with him.
    YEP WHEN?
    1 HR UR HOUSE
    NO VON’S
    OK
    I rolled onto my back, slid my leg out from underRachel’s gut, and stretched, rubbing my eyes and wishing I’d drunk some water before bed. At least I had my bikini with me, so I wouldn’t need to go home first.
    I blinked at the ceiling for a while, but when my eyes started drooping again, I forced myself to sit up, yawning. I sent my mom a text, telling her I was going to the lake with Kaleb and would be home later, and headed to Vonnie’s bathroom for a shower.
    I didn’t need to ask. Vonnie’s house was like my second home, and vice versa. During the summer, I would shower at Vonnie’s house as often as I’d shower at my own. I could use her shampoo, her razor, everything. It was one of the great things about having a best friend like Vonnie. She didn’t care about those kinds of things.
    Mom texted me back— LET ME KNOW IF YOU’RE EATING DINNER WITH US —as I padded into the bathroom. I started the shower, shucked out of my clothes, and caught sight of myself in the mirror.
    The mirror.
    Oh my God.
    My stomach dropped as the memory flooded back at me, faint and spotty like a movie I’d seen years ago and couldn’t really remember. But I knew what I’d done. I’d sent Kaleb a picture of myself. Posing naked.
    My eyes searched the mirror in disbelief. At once, I was fully awake.
    I felt so vulnerable. But in a good way. If he liked it. Dear God, please let him have liked it. That picture musthave really surprised him. And as much as I couldn’t believe I’d done it, I was kind of excited about it, too.
    I closed my eyes. Less than an hour. In less than an hour I’d see him.
    I climbed into the shower, hoping more than anything that he’d liked what he’d seen. It never even occurred to me to think about anything else.
    “So, you got anything on under there or you planning to swim naked?” Kaleb asked, pointing to the butter-yellow sundress I’d borrowed from Vonnie’s closet.
    I blushed. I could feel the blood rising up my face, making my ears hot. “You never know.”
    “Obviously not,” he said, putting the truck into gear and pulling out of Vonnie’s driveway, smiling. “You’re full of surprises.”
    I could feel my whole body going warm. He seemed really happy, which was a huge relief. “You liked it?”
    He glanced over at me with wide eyes. “You’re kidding, right?”
    “Well, I wasn’t sure. Rachel and Von talked me into it.”
    He reached over and laced his fingers through mine. “Remind me to thank Rachel and Von.”
    A tingling sensation flooded me, part naughtiness, part relief. “I was nervous you’d get mad. Or would hate it.”
    He laughed. “Uh… mad was definitely not what I was feeling. More like I wanted to be there at the party instead of at the stupid pizza place with the team.”
    I grinned. Mission accomplished. I’d gotten his attention. I’d shown him that I had something to offer that his “boys” definitely did not have. I imagined him sitting around a sticky table, all those sweaty guys chewing with their mouths open and saying stupid things, and then his phone buzzing with a text. A text he’d never expected. I pictured his eyebrows shooting up, and him unable to swallow his pizza. I imagined a secret smile sliding slowly across his face and, in my