“So, we’ll invite the block again,” Lennox says. “When will your dad be gone?”
I want to cry, but I won’t. I won’t even argue. There’s no use. He’ll do what he wants, like he always does. “He’s going hunting this weekend,” I admit.
Lennox grins so big I almost smile back despite myself. Before I can, he grabs me up and spins me around, planting a hard kiss right on my mouth. I’m so stunned I don’t even move as he sets me back on my feet.
He smiles when he sees my flustered expression, the dimple sinking into his cheek that makes me more lightheaded than the kiss. “I’ve missed you and your silly shirts,” he says, tugging at the bottom of my old Coed Naked Volleyball shirt.
I don’t say anything, because I’m too busy trying to comprehend that I just had my first kiss, in plain sight of all the people walking past and staring at the social pariah standing with what must be the two hottest guys on the planet.
Scarlet, a pretty blonde cheerleader who I’ve seen flirting with Maddox, gives me a look of pure loathing as she passes. The other girls give me dirty looks and whisper behind my back, but she does nasty stuff like spitting in my hair and drawing obscene sketches on my desks. Despite looking like she belongs in a J.C. Penny’s catalog instead of on the arm of a tattooed gangster, she’s been the worst of all the girls this year.
Ignoring her, Lennox steps closer to me, slowly stroking a strand of hair back that came loose when he spun me around. His fingers brush my cheek, and my head gets ten kinds of stupid. “Did you miss me?” he coaxes, that dimple sinking into his cheek like he’s trying to make me expire on the spot.
“How can you miss something you never had?” I ask.
“Damn,” Maddox says, his eyes lighting up with laughter. “She’s cold,parce.”
Lennox shoots him an annoyed glance. “Somehow I manage, Sunshine,” he says to me. “We’ll see you this weekend for therumba. You won’t regret it.”
They turn and walk away before I can tell him that I most definitely will regret it. I sit in class, my heart pounding erratically, my thoughts swinging from what’s going to happen if Lee finds out we had another party to the fact that Lennox North justkissedme.
Not that it means anything. Sure, he did it in the middle of the hall, for all the school to see. But that just proves how little it means to him. He probably kisses lots of girls in the hallway and everywhere else. Hell, I’ve peaked out the window and seen both the twins with a different girl draped over them every time they lounge at the pool, and Mariana jerked him off right in front of me at the first party. Granted, I’ve never seen Lennox with his dick down a girl’s throat, which I’ve seen at least twice now with Maddox, but still. He wouldn’t kiss me just because he was happy if it meant something to him.
And if it meant nothing to him, it’ll just have to mean nothing to me.
By the end of the week, people are talking about the party. Every time it comes up, dread knots in my belly. I’m on my way to PE on Friday when a group of Maddox’s football buddies corner me, a few of their girls trailing behind.
“We invited to your party?” asks Tommy.
“I’m not having a party,” I say, which is true. The less people who show up, the better.
“Dude, everyone’s talking about it,” he says. “The North’s have a party, everyone knows. Why you holding out on us?”
“I’m not,” I protest, trying to continue past them to class.
“The pig doesn’t want us at her party,” says another guy, elbowing Tommy.
“It’s not that,” I say quickly.
“I think we’re scaring her,” says Tommy, stepping in front of me and backing me against the cinderblock wall in the hallway that leads to the gym.
“Let’s crash the pig party,” yells Randy, and a handful of them start oinking while the girls giggle and give me pitying looks. The bell rings, the loud jangling interrupting us, but no one moves to get to the gym.
“Look at her. She’s shaking,” Tommy says, grabbing me when I try to dart sideways. “Aww, is the little piggie afraid of the big bad wolves?”
He looks positively gleeful at the realization. Scarlet and her evil minions exchange glances and smirk at me with their cherry gloss lips.
“Leave me alone,” I growl, jerking my arm free of Tommy’s grip.
“I don’t think we will,” he says. “See, you offended me and my boys by not inviting us.”
“I didn’t invite anyone,” I snap. “Take it up with the Norths. It’s their party.”
“I’d rather take it up with you, West,” he says, crowding me against the wall again. “You’re cuter.”
The other guys crowd around, and my heart starts racing. The secluded hallway is empty other than us, and no one will be coming this way except maybe someone running late for class. Tommy takes the opportunity to reach down and goose me.
“Get away from me,” I yell, dropping my books to shove him in the chest. He hardly moves. The books slap the linoleum tiles with loud cracks as they scatter around us. Good. If I can’t fight them off, I’m sure as hell going to be loud enough to draw some attention.