Billionaires Don’t Fall For Awkward Girls by Emma Dalton
Chapter Forty-Two
With everyone’s different schedules, the only time we can meet as a group is either by lunch, after school, or at one of our lockers before class starts. Right now, we’re gathered at Kara’s locker.
“You’ve got influence, don’t you, Easton?” I ask. “Can you make sure we’re all in the same classes next semester? Between Ally’s choir, Kara’s paper, Charlie’s homework, my dance, and the book club, we have like no time to hang out.”
Easton laughs as he stretches his arm over me. “I’ll see what I can do.”
I step on my tiptoes and kiss his forehead. “I love that you only use your power and status for good.”
He grins. “Just call me your fairy godmother.”
“I’d rather call you my boyfriend.”
Brayden presses his lips to Kara’s cheek. “We’re still on for that double date this weekend, right?” he asks Easton and me.
“Definitely,” he says.
“I cleared my schedule.”
I don’t have to work at the studio anymore. With Dad’s new promotion and the twenty grand for my college fund, we’re no longer struggling like we were before. That’s all due to the Knights. Now that their family has grown closer, they’ve been doing even greater things for the world. It’s like they transformed into a whole new family.
I look at Ally and Charlie. “You know you guys are invited to the double date as well.”
“No thanks,” Ally says. “I don’t want to be a fifth wheel.”
“And I don’t do dates.”
“Maybe you’ll get boyfriends soon and then we could quadruple date!” I say.
“Pass,” Charlie says.
“As if I’ll ever have a boyfriend. No one ever chooses the Shy Girl,” Ally mutters.
Heals clack on the hallway floor as Teagyn and her minions pass us. She makes a shortstop, her eyes skidding over to us. A smirk captures her lips. “Oh look. It’s the loser club. What are you all complaining about now? How much your lives suck?”
“Teagyn—” Brayden says.
“You know something?” I step forward and raise my chin. “Screw you, Teagyn Myers. Screw your faces, your comments, screw your entire attitude. We?” I gesture to me and my friends. “Are amazing. You didn’t want Kara as a cheerleader? That’s your loss, because she would have been the best cheerleader Edenbury High has ever had. You think you can walk all over me? Guess again. Because I’m done with that crap. You look down at Charlie all the time, but without her you and your lazy friends would flunk school. You’ll never have even an ounce of her crazy-smart brain. And Ally? She’s the sweetest, most kind-hearted person you’ll ever meet. You wish you had friends like us.”
A look of surprise falls over her face. She glances between all four of us, then at her friends. With a flip of her blonde hair, she whirls around and marches away, heels echoing down the hall.
“Yeah, you’d better walk!” Charlie shouts after her.
“Check you out!” Kara slings her arm over me. “You totally showed her.”
I blink as a smile captures my lips. “I did it, guys! I finally stood up for myself.”
“Legend,” Charlie says.
“I’d never have the guts to do that,” Ally admits. “All worship the great Dani Wood.”
“I knew you had it in you,” Easton says as he wraps his arm around me. “You just needed that extra boost of confidence.”
He’s right. All my life, I felt ashamed and embarrassed for being so awkward. I lacked the confidence to believe I could ever be a dancer, or have a boyfriend. But I have both now. There’s nothing I can’t accomplish.
As we make fun of Teagyn and her friends’ expressions, a hush descends over the halls. We turn around and discover the source of the sudden silence. The guy who just walked through the doors. He’s wearing a tight white T-shirt and a leather jacket, leather pants, and black boots. A motorcycle helmet is tucked under his arm. His dark hair reaches just below his chin, swaying as he marches down the hallway, and his gray eyes are the most intense I’ve ever seen on a person.
“Is that…?” Kara starts.
“Zack Hastings!” Ally gasps.
Charlie’s brows furrow. “No…what is he doing back here?”
“This has to be a mistake,” I say.
“Who is Zack Hastings?” Easton asks.
“He used to go here,” Brayden informs him. “We also went to middle school together. Then he…”
“He was sent to juvie,” Kara says. “Oh my gosh, how could they let a criminal return to our school?”
“Guys, I’m freaking out!” Ally says. “What if he hurts someone? He was in jail.”
The guy must feel everyone staring at him because he releases a loud grunt and marches into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.
We all cringe as the loud sound echoes down the hallway.
“Well, it seems Edenbury High just got a bit more interesting,” Easton says.
Ally shakes her head with wide eyes. “No. I think Edenbury High has just gotten a lot more dangerous.”