CHAPTER1
Emily
Age - 16
The first day Scottie Caruthers gave me a ride home from school was the best day of my sixteen years on the planet. It was also the last time he offered.
I got out of his father’s station wagon and lingered on the curb for him to wander over to me. He had come fresh from band practise, and his lip was still red where his trumpet had pressed into the puffy skin.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said, making sure my hair was covering my ears. Like all teenagers, I had at least ten body parts I absolutely hated, and this year, it was my ears.
“No problem. I can pick you up if you want in the morning,” Scottie said, smiling at me. My heart soared for a second, until a dry, deep voice broke the spell between us.
“I don’t know if Emily’s brother will like that. I don’t like it either.”
Gritting my teeth, I turned to see Diesel Williams lounging against his pickup truck, parked up in our driveway. The car was practically a wreck. I had no idea how it kept running, except that Diesel devoted most weekends to tinkering with it. He usually worked on it without his shirt on, and most of the female population of his shitty neighborhood gathered to watch for hours at a time.
“Well, luckily for me, you’re not my brother and I don’t care what you think,” I ground out and turned back to Scottie, who was staring at Diesel with ill-concealed hero worship. Ok, so he was a bit of a football legend at our school. I tried not to think about that. Diesel was annoying, two years older than me, my brother’s best friend and the bane of my life. He had it out for me; I swear.
Diesel pushed off his truck and sauntered over to me, laying a heavy, muscled arm along my shoulders. He was wearing a t-shirt that was pulled tight across his wide shoulders and jeans that hung off his lean hips.
“Maybe not, but we’re family regardless, aren’t we, Emily elephant?”
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped at him. Scottie looked confused for a moment by the nickname, and Diesel grinned at him, bringing a hand up to tweak my hidden ear. “It’s the ears,” he confided in Scottie in a secretive tone.
I turned and smacked him on the chest, my cheeks flaming. He only chuckled, grabbing my wrists and pulling me too close to keep me from hitting him. I stared up at him, hating every inch of his stupid, pretty face.
“I said don’t call me that.”
“Fine, sweet cheeks. Is that better?” Then he had the audacity to reach up and pinch my cheek. I had the roundest baby face on the planet. It was insecurity number two.
Scottie coughed nervously as my eyes bulged with anger, and I wound myself up to scream. “Er, I’d better go. I have to help my mom. See you at school, Emily. Later, Diesel,” Scottie said, backing away and eyeing us.
“Was that really necessary?”
“I think so. Bennet wouldn’t like boys sniffing around you. Especially not the ones who drive. Do you know what the odds of getting in a car wreck are?”
“You drive me all the time,” I pointed out.
His full lip tilted in the expression that made all the girls swoon. “He’s not me.”
“Arrogant much,” I grumbled and pulled away from him, smoothing down my hair over my ears.
“Don’t sweat the ears, kid, they’re adorable.”
“Just like Dumbo’s, right?” I said, folding my arms over my chest and turning away to march into the house.
“Any guy who’s put off by anything about you is a jerk.” Diesel called to me.
I ripped open the front door. “Takes one to know one!”
It slammed on his irritating grin with a satisfying thunk.
CHAPTER2
Diesel
“Come again?” I held the phone between a sweaty shoulder and my ear as I ripped my other boxing glove off.