Within This Frame by Lindy Zart Read Free Book Online

sure? Didn’t you like it?”
    “Well, yes, I did, but . . .” She shrugged.
    “But what?” he pressed.
    Maggie stepped off the sidewalk and onto the sand, her back to him. Her voice was soft as she said, “I expected something different for my first kiss.”
    Two things simultaneously hit him: joy that he was the first guy to kiss Maggie Smiley, and guilt that he’d selfishly taken that from her.
    Clearing his throat, he walked up to her. “Ready?”
    “Yes.”
    “You look pretty, by the way,” Lance told her after they’d walked in silence for a few minutes.
    She gave him a sideways glance, facing forward to ask, “Is that why you kissed me?”
    Uncomfortable with the direct question, Lance rubbed the side of his neck. “Yeah. I guess.”
    He’d felt compelled, spellbound, as if kissing her was the only thing he knew how to do, and not doing so would be detrimental.
    Maggie smiled at him. “You look pretty too.”
    “Pretty?” he scoffed. “Guys don’t look pretty.”
    “No?” One eyebrow lifted. “What do they look like then?”
    “I don’t know. Manly. Sexy. Irresistible.”
    “I see.” She looked at him thoughtfully. “I suppose you could pass for sexy.”
    He grinned. “Irresistible is pushing it, huh?”
    “Yes. Just a bit.”
    Lance grabbed her hand and tugged her toward a group of teenagers. Chances were, the party would be broken up before too long, and if anyone was caught by the police, there would be fines to pay. No one seemed worried about that, including Lance. He’d had tickets before. He paid them and continued on.
    “I will bet you five dollars that by the end of the night, you find me irresistible.”
    Maggie laughed. “Really? And how would you know, either way?”
    “Oh, I’ll know.”
    “Okay. Deal.”
    Greetings were called out to him as they approached the party. Green Day played from a CD player in the sand. Girls and boys occupied chairs, or stood in small groups, while others sat or lay on the sand. There was heavy making out, talking, and laughter. A few kids argued. Most hands held alcohol of some kind. The mass of twenty or so bodies were a colorful mix of clothing and skin and hair tones. Maggie’s hand stiffened inside his and he unconsciously squeezed it in reassurance.
    “It’ll be okay. They’re just people, like you and me,” he quietly told her.
    She inhaled slowly and nodded, giving him a smile.
    “Lance!” a blond squealed, jumping on him and causing him to stagger back. Arms threaded around his neck, and the girl pressed her lips to his, tasting of beer and cigarettes.
    His stomach twisted in revulsion and he set Brittany Sanders away from him, swiping an arm across his mouth. “Give it a rest. Enough is enough.”
    She’d been after him for months, ever since he’d drunkenly made out with her. He hated to think how she’d be acting if he hadn’t passed out. She was skinny with big boobs, but she wasn’t too smart, and that dumb blond thing she had going was only cute for so long.
    “That’s not what you said last time.”
    “Last time?” he scoffed. “There was only one time, and that’s all there’ll ever be. Stay away from me.”
    Lips pursing in a pout, she called him an asshole and sauntered away, bee-lining for one of his friends. He shook his head and turned away. Realizing Maggie was no longer beside him, Lance spun around in a circle, searching for a purple dress and a reddish-brown head of hair. Panic began to set in when he couldn’t find her.
    He shoved his way through the crowd, spotting her near the edge of the party. Rick Jerry, a twenty-year-old who liked to hang out with younger kids and make advances on naive girls, offered her a cup of something as he watched. Lance’s jaw hardened and he saw himself ripping Rick apart. He would enjoy that, a lot. Sprinting toward them, he knocked the cup from Rick’s hand as he gave it to Maggie.
    “Don’t drink anything unless I get it for you, and especially don’t take