What Comes of Eating Doughnuts With a Boy Who Plays Guitar E-Book

Nicole Campbell

• Herausgeber: Next Chapter
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Courtney Ross has always done everything by the book. She's a top student, captain of the cheer squad at Scottsdale High School, and a nervous wreck most of the time.

For summer vacation before senior year, she finally has a chance to relax: spending the holidays with her best friend Vanessa, in her tiny hometown of Gem City, Ohio.

Courtney's hoping for a chance to breathe and relax. What she doesn't expect is Ethan Fisher. Courtney knows she's in trouble the minute she sees him holding a guitar at her Welcome Back party, and the more she gets to know him, the more she finds her head spinning.

What will this mean for the girl who always plays by the rules?

Leseprobe

What Comes of Eating Doughnuts With a Boy Who Plays Guitar

Gem City Book One

Nicole Campbell

Copyright (C) 2015 Nicole Campbell

Layout design and Copyright (C) 2019 by Next Chapter

Published 2019 by Next Chapter

Cover art by CoverMint

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author's permission.

For Melissa, the architect of the greatest summer adventures, and without whom the inspiration for this novel would not exist. Thanks for some of the best memories of my life.

Please visit NicoleCampbellBooks.com for a suggested playlist if you like to listen while you read. You may also search the book title on YouTube or Spotify.

Prologue

“You Gotta Be” – Des'ree

After hitting the snooze button for the fourth time, Courtney heard her mom coming down the hallway. Her brain quickly assessed the room situation, and she knew that there was not enough time to shove all of the clothes from the floor into her closet before her mom would open the door and give her signature “frustrated sigh.” She snapped her eyelids back together as the door creaked open softly.

“Courtney, do you know what time-” sigh…yep, there it was. “This room is disgusting! You're going to come home one day and find all of your clothes in the trash,” her mother threatened. She opened one eye to see her mom, already dressed and with make-up on, looking annoyed. People loved to tell her they looked more like sisters. This pleased Mrs. Ross endlessly, but was more of an outright annoyance to Courtney.

Courtney brought her thoughts back to reality and did her best to put on an apologetic face.

“I'm sorry, Mom, I know. I got home late from work, and practice was killer yesterday. I swear I'll clean all of it up this weekend.” Her arms protested as she stretched them over her head; she hadn't been lying about a rough practice. She was fairly certain she'd have tiny blue fibers from their tumbling mats embedded into her knees for the rest of her life. The fact that she could land her standing tuck no problem in her back yard and not at practice was a rapidly growing source of frustration.

“Yeah, yeah, I'll believe it when I see it,” her mother replied, but Courtney knew by the half smile that she wasn't really mad anymore. “You really do need to get up though, you told me to remind you about your AB study thing this morning.” Courtney's eyes now flew open and she leaped out of bed.

“A-P Mom, AP, not AB,” she scolded. She frantically searched her room for the assigned uniform for the day. “Mom, where is my calendar? I don't remember which skirt I'm supposed to wear for tonight's game, and now I'm going to be late to study with Ben!” She took one look at her appearance in the mirror and gasped. It really didn't matter how many people told her she was lucky to have curly hair; on days like today, she knew it was a curse. Furiously, she attempted to tame it into a ponytail with her green ribbon. Looking up, she found her mom holding the aforementioned calendar, in addition to the correct white skirt for that night's basketball game.

“Have I mentioned to you lately that you're the best, coolest, youngest-looking mom in all the world?” Courtney gave an overly sheepish grin before grabbing the skirt and throwing on her uniform. Her socks may not have matched, and she may have had to eat her breakfast while doing her makeup in the car on the way to school, but she hoped she looked plenty cheery upon her arrival to campus. Glitter eye shadow could do that for a girl. One final appearance check against the reflection of her silver Mustang revealed that there was nothing stuck in her teeth. Thank you, she thought gratefully as she realized she appeared almost put-together.

She tried to remain calm and collected as she quickly flitted across campus to the library. Though she would never admit it for the fear of sounding nerdy, she liked that her cheer uniform matched the school décor as she hurried under the giant green and gold “Horizon Huskies” sign above the main entrance. It gave her a much-needed sense of belonging.

Ben already sat at a table in the media center, and it struck her that there was hardly a trace of the scrawny kid with the too-short pants after a mid-year growth spurt. She remembered being partnered with him for her first school project after she had moved to Scottsdale six years ago. She'd been pleasantly surprised at how well they worked together. They had nailed their presentation on Spain that year and had been electing to work together ever since.

“Hey, sorry I'm late. It seems like I can't catch up lately,” she explained to him.

“No problem, beauty takes time, right? Or so I hear,” Ben responded with a crooked smile. Courtney never knew how to take comments like that. She wavered back and forth between thinking he was complimenting her and being convinced that it was sarcasm. She decided on a light laugh before plopping down next to him.

“Here are my notes from the first half of the study guide Mrs. Wells gave us. I didn't think it was too bad, but I just want the AP tests to be over. Studying for this, plus Chem and Econ, is sucking the life out me.” Courtney handed him the papers and tried to relax and determine where to rest her gaze. Looking people in the eye was a bit much for her, so she usually settled for the middle of their noses instead. She couldn't tell if she was anxious because she was around Ben, or if she was anxious because she was her. Fidgeting, she reached up to smooth her ponytail and tighten her bow.

“Yeah, I hear ya. After basketball is over, I'll feel better. Too much pressure.” He shared this with a barely perceptible sigh. She was surprised he was being even this open with her. They had been in classes together since their introduction in the sixth grade, but they usually just kept things academic. She had always thought he was cute in a nice-guy sort of way, but that was even truer now that he had hit six foot something and filled out. She admired his unkempt auburn hair and warm brown eyes. He has, like, actual arm definition now. When did that even happen? He looks like- “When are you done with your season?” he asked as he interrupted the very important conversation she was having with herself.

“Oh, um, well, we have nationals after basketball ends, and then cheer camp in June. We'll vote for captains then.” Her mind wandered. She knew she would be the best choice for captain, but it would probably come down to who garnered the most attention, which wasn't always her- the struggle of social anxiety was real. Shaking herself out of her worry, she continued, “It's weird that we'll be seniors next year, right? It's like the last time for everything.” Her finger found a purpose in pulling on a stray curl that was trying to escape. “I don't know. It's crazy how fast the last five years went by. It seems like we just met in Mrs. Vasquez's class- and you were still rocking the bowl cut,” she teased him hesitantly.

“Way to go deep there, Ross,” Ben said with a laugh. “You had to bring up the bowl cut, huh? You know it was cool then. We all had to be Bieber.” He waved off the memory like it was painful. “Maybe we should actually go over our study guides before you take us too far down memory lane. I'm worried about what else you have stored up there.” He playfully knocked on her head. Courtney resisted the urge to blush. Why did she always have to say the stupid things that were in her brain? Develop a filter already, she chided herself. She wished she could just laugh it off, but she knew this scene would be replaying in her head later like a movie reel. Just let it go. Forget it, he didn't even mean anything by it. Be like Vanessa, she thought. Her best friend always seemed to be so effortlessly confident, no matter who was around. She imagined that cute boys never called her by her last name like she was “one of the guys.” You need to take notes or something this summer.

“I'll try to stay focused, sir.” She saluted him with a sarcastic air. No need for him to know she was halfway down the rabbit hole of self-doubt. Throughout the rest of the study session, she just kept thinking that there were only nine more weeks until she could get out of town and attempt to do… something. Meet people? Have fun? Don't set the bar too high now, Courtney. Great. Now you're talking to yourself in the third person and not even employing decent sarcasm. It's going to be a long day.

One

“Back Home” – Andy Grammer

The churning ball of dread in Courtney's stomach was finally gone. Finals were over, and she could actually inhale deeply. She took a few breaths just for good measure. She actually got up and put all of her clothes away willingly without waiting for her mom to call her on it. She felt like a bouncy ball in her excitement for her trip the next day.

“Hey, Court,” she could hear her mom down the hall, “please don't forget, you need to call Vanessa to confirm your flight-” Her mom stood in her doorway, wide-eyed, breaking into a grin. “I can see the carpet!” she exclaimed. “Oh, my lovely Berber. I've missed you.” This statement was followed by some god-awful dance from the seventies.

“Okay, okay, okay, Mom, I get it. No need to break into a disco. It's clean. Amazing what I can do when I'm not at school, practice, and work all day, huh?” Courtney asked simply.

“You're right. You deserve this summer off. I can't believe you're going to be a senior. I'm going to have to start telling people I had you when I was fourteen,” she joked.

“Ha. Ha. Ha,” Courtney replied dryly.

“So what would the future Husky Cheer Captain like for breakfast this morning? Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not going to cook, but anywhere you wanna go can be arranged. Far be it for me to deny the cheer queen her last breakfast before her departure.” Her mom's eyes sparkled with all of the vicarious thrill she got out of her daughter's cheerleading accomplishments.

“Oh my god, give it a rest, woman!” Courtney said in a half-serious tone. “I still can't believe they voted for me. I keep thinking they'll replace me while I'm on vacation or something.”

“You give it a rest. You've earned everything that you've gotten, so just relax already. Your dad and I are so proud of you. Let's go eat something ridiculous and then you can pack for your trip.”

“Well, when you put it that way, I guess I can't say no.”

While sitting at breakfast, waiting for the coma-inducing pastry, Courtney's phone rang. She saw the picture of her too-adorable best friend pop up on the screen.

“Mom, it's Vanessa, I gotta take this.” She headed outside of the restaurant. “Girl! What are you doing?” she practically squealed as she picked up the phone.

“Only planning your party for tomorrow night, you know, nothing too exciting.” Vanessa was known for keeping a rather jam-packed social calendar in her small-town world of Gem City, Ohio.

“I'm sorry, my what now?” Courtney said.

“Whatever. You have been stressed and negative and BLAH for too long. Time is up, girl, and we're gonna get a little crazy. We are having a party, and I have invited everyone, well, everyone good, anyway. Some people you'll remember from before you moved, but we've gotten some new lovelies in town lately. Plus, Luke is inviting a bunch of guys from the basketball team. There will be no shortage of selection,” Vanessa insisted. Courtney's heart rate jumped which annoyed her. This was what she was hoping for- a summer to relax and be herself. It was so stupid that her stomach turned in knots thinking of all of those people showing up to see her. “Helloooooooo? Are you alive over there? I know you too well- quit with your 'social anxiety' bullshit and get excited.”

Courtney laughed, her stress easing. “Ah, you do know me. Okay,” she breathed, “I'm just going to be excited, you're right. I look forward to the plethora of 'pretties' that you speak of.”

“While we're at it, stop speaking like Abe Lincoln, it's bringing me down from my summer high. No SAT vocab allowed. We will talk like cavemen if we have to. Got it?” Vanessa demanded.

“Really? Abe Lincoln?” Courtney couldn't help but grin when talking to her best friend. “Well, you're the boss, so yes, ma'am. Or should I just grunt at you as a response from now on?”

“That's better, thank you! Hey, Luke is calling me obsessively on the other line, so I'm gonna go, but text me your flight info again and I will see you tomorrow!” Vanessa practically sang into the phone.

“You got it, tell Luke I said 'hi,' and that I can't wait to meet him.” Courtney had missed this. Vanessa was the one she could always count on to bring her out of her shell and really get her. She couldn't believe she was going to spend an entire month in her old hometown. It had been several years since she'd been back- not since she'd gotten rid of the braces and learned how to -sort of- control her curly tresses. There was a cautious optimism in the air about the prospect of a summer adventure. She walked back into the restaurant and sat down in front of the largest cinnamon roll she had ever seen and laughed. She and her mom clinked their forks together. “Cheers!” they cried before devouring a week's worth of calories.

She took advantage of the sugar high to pack her bags, snacks, and books for the plane and to pick out an outfit for the party being thrown in her honor. In my honor, she thought, like I'm the Queen of freaking England. At which point she curtseyed in the mirror and practiced her British accent. And you seriously have to wonder why the boys are not knocking down your door for a date? You. Are. A. Nerd.

It took everything she had to get through dinner and make herself go to sleep. It was as though it were Christmas Eve and she was a five year old waiting for Santa. Vanessa would not be pleased to be likened to an old fat man. Finally, she nodded off with thoughts of going back to the one place that she could call home.

Two

“This Is How We Roll” – Florida Georgia Line “Famous In a Small Town” – Miranda Lambert

Courtney was quite literally sitting on the edge of her seat, waiting for the plane to touch down. The flight had seemed endless, and she was tired of lemon-lime soda and peanuts. She just wanted to see Vanessa and have fun without worrying about school or work or cheerleading or anything. In an attempt to calm down, she visualized herself leaving the worried, anxious, self-conscious version of Courtney Ross on the plane and walking into the airport a more relaxed and confident copy. Nice deep breaths, you can do this, she coached inwardly. Although, I'm guessing most teenagers don't have to meditate to convince themselves to have fun. Her mouth inadvertently turned into a frown at the thought.

Finally, the plane touched down and the seatbelt sign went off. She practically tackled the woman sitting next to her, albeit apologetically, to get her bag and run off of the aircraft. Dodging people and suitcases, she hurried down to baggage claim. She breathed in deep as she saw a head of shiny blonde hair atop a girl with golden tanned skin and legs for days in her cut-off shorts. “V!” she shouted.

“Court!” Vanessa responded, whipping her hair around to take in the sight of her best friend. “Shut UP! You look freaking amazing,” she exclaimed as she looked Courtney up and down.

“Stop it, I do not. You look like a hot girl out of a country song in those shorts.”

“Oh yeah, baby, this is how I roll.” Vanessa wiggled her butt, making several of the grown men standing nearby glance over. “Speaking of which, let's grab your bag and I can show you my new ride.” She had a sparkle in her blue eyes. Courtney couldn't believe what she was seeing when they finally got to the parking garage, but it was a brand spanking new red Camaro. She looked at Vanessa, who chivalrously opened the passenger door for her. “Our chariot awaits.” Courtney slid across the soft tan leather seat and inhaled the new car smell.

“This is what we will be driving around in all summer? This car is hella cool!” Courtney was gushing, though she secretly felt guilty, like she was cheating on her little Mustang. “You must be cruising around like small-town royalty in this thing.”

“Oh, you have no idea. All the guys are so jealous; it has become hard for me to tell if they are hitting on me or just trying to get into my car.” Vanessa laughed, swept her long sun-kissed hair into a high ponytail, and plopped her sunglasses onto her face. “Ready to ride?” Courtney just smiled, put on her own shades, and felt more at ease than she had in a long time. As she let the heavy summer air fill her lungs, she realized this was exactly what she had been waiting for.

#

Courtney made Vanessa drive her the long way through town so she could reacquaint herself with the place she had called home for so long. They drove past the park, their elementary school, and then finally Courtney's old house. It was a little yellow Victorian in the middle of “downtown,” which was a hilarious term now that she lived outside of Phoenix. She missed its creaking hardwood, wide front porch, and the little balcony off of her room. She knew that moving to Scottsdale wasn't the worst thing in the world, and that her dad really liked his job there despite the constant traveling, but it was hard not to wish that things hadn't changed. Vanessa pulled her quickly off of memory lane, and insisted they shop for party supplies. Courtney naively envisioned streamers and balloons for a moment, until she remembered whom she was dealing with. Courtney never drank much at any of the parties she actually dragged herself to back at home, but she was existing in Vanessa's world now. She imagined some sort of brightly colored beverages with cheesy names would be in her near future. They ran quickly through the tiny store and headed to Vanessa's to set up.

“Luke is coming over early to help, so you will get to meet him then,” Vanessa bubbled excitedly as they walked into her house. The main floor looked the same as it always had. There were a lot of roosters. Like, a lot of roosters. Mrs. Roberts' obsession made Courtney's lips stretch out in a smile.

“So tell me more about him. I need to satisfy my protective instinct and make sure he's good enough for you.”

“Hmmmm, well, when he gets here you'll see that he's freaking hot, though he knows it, so I try not to remind him too often,” Vanessa said as she winked at her. “And he can actually hold a decent conversation, so bonus points for that, and most of the time he likes me slightly more than I like him, so I win. Usually,” she finished, smiling.

“Oh my god, you love him! You talk a good game, friend, but you can drop the act.” Courtney laughed knowingly.

“Eh, stick it.” Vanessa's words held a bite as usual, but Courtney could see her smiling as she unpacked their purchases. Vanessa's house was somewhat of an anomaly. It was a newly built tri-level, but had a typical country feel to the main floor. Vanessa was appalled by the roosters that Courtney found so endearing. Her parents had allowed her the entire walkout basement to herself for a “hang out space,” as they called it, and had given her quite a generous budget to furnish it how she wanted. It was like entering a different universe down there. Courtney wanted to buy a sign for it that said “We're Not In Kansas Anymore.” Vanessa had gone for a very boho feel (save for the giant flat screen on the wall). It was inviting, with low lying couches in varying degrees of white, completed with a seemingly endless array of colored beaded pillows. It made Courtney want to sink into one and never get out. The low light emanating from the collection of Moroccan lanterns gave a sense of relaxation she hadn't managed in a while. She made a mental note to re-think her very contemporary room design when she returned home.

“V… you surprise me sometimes,” Courtney said, slowly taking it all in.

“Why? Because I'm so awesome?” Vanessa answered, midway through creating a playlist for that night's festivities.

“This is just not the party pad of a girl living in small-town Ohio. It's amazing. Breathtaking, even.”

Vanessa looked at her seriously, which was rare, for a moment. “Do you really like it? Luke makes fun of me for being so particular, but I don't know. I just…”

“It's perfect, and it's you. I want you to help me decorate my room.”

“Well, for a small fee, of course.” Moment over. Vanessa was back to her old self. Courtney threw one of the beaded pillows at her head and giggled. Her brain kept trying to remind her to be nervous about the party, but she forced it to be quiet by vacuuming the room and thinking about her outfit. She made her friend help lug two suitcases up the stairs to the bedroom on the second story. It was covered in photos, clothing, and pieces of cheer uniforms, much like Courtney's own room.

“I'll get around to cleaning this up. I never come in here except to sleep. I wish my parents would just let me move into one of the guest bedrooms in the basement,” Vanessa complained.

“Yeah, they're not that dumb. You already sneak out enough as it is from up here. If they gave you the basement, you might as well have your own apartment.”

“Now there's an idea.” Vanessa smiled as she started throwing clothes into her hamper and making her bed.

“Hey, V?” Courtney asked seriously. “Can you look at the outfit I have for tonight and be brutally honest about it?”

“Have I ever been anything but?” she replied as she bounced over. “Oh, no, no, no, NO, no. And then also no.”

“What? What could possibly be that wrong with a denim skirt and white t-shirt? I thought that's what you small-town folk wore to your tailgate parties and what not,” Courtney replied, slightly hurt by Vanessa's reaction.

“Girl- You are freaking hot. And look at this skirt; it's down to your knees? Are you a nun? Get me some scissors, STAT. I am making this over. And the t-shirt? No. You will wear…” she faded out as she went into the laundry room down the hall and rummaged through her clean clothes, “this!” she shouted and held up a red and white striped halter so small it looked like it came from the toddler section. Courtney's stomach tightened. The thought of wearing something that skimpy made her want to hyperventilate. She instinctively reached for the safe white t-shirt.

“Nope.” Vanessa snatched it out of her hands. “You are going to rock this party if it kills me. Honestly, Court, a knee-length skirt? Do you even know who I am?” she continued, laughing as she cut an alarming amount of fabric off of the jean skirt. Courtney had to practice some deep breathing to accept that this was happening. She took her scissor-fashioned skirt and halter-top into the bathroom to get dressed and have a heart attack in peace. You can do this, she thought, you can be confident and flirty and wear this incredibly small outfit and not worry what anyone is thinking. Just think of it as a cheer uniform. Except when she was in uniform, there were twenty other girls dressed exactly the same. Pushing that thought out of her head, she repeated the affirmations until at least part of her believed them. Finishing her make-up, she heard a male voice downstairs calling for Vanessa. She took one last look in the mirror, fluffed her long curly mane, and went to meet the famous Luke.

Three

“Summer Girls” – LFO “Raise Your Glass” – Pink “Call Me Maybe” – Carly Rae Jepsen “Geronimo” – Sheppard “Everything to Everyone” – Everclear

Courtney ran quickly down the stairs, but pulled back as she looked up and realized she'd just walked in on Vanessa and Luke in a rather tangled-up moment. Seeing them revived a familiar twisting sensation in her stomach that appeared whenever she thought about the lack of romantic interests in her life.

“Inappropriate!” Courtney yelled as she lightheartedly covered her face with her hands. I would even take interests of a non-romantic nature. Nerdy mathlete interests. She tried to picture the guys on the academic decathlon team, but it wasn't helping. The two broke apart slowly, and Courtney reached out her hand. “Luke, I presume?” Unexpectedly, Luke bypassed her hand and picked her up in a bear hug.

“Save your handshake for somebody else,” Luke said as he put her down, grinning. “I listen to Vanessa go on about you all the time, so we are already friends. And we hug.”

Courtney laughed. “Well, aren't you friendly?” She finally had a second to take in the sight of him, and was in awe of her best friend's taste. Tall, with a body out of an Abercrombie ad, but a sweet face with an easy smile that made her immediately feel comfortable. He had soft brown hair that curled just right at the ends to make him look like he did it on purpose, with striking green eyes and impossibly perfect teeth. She suddenly realized she'd probably been staring at him and tried to cover by looking around the room.

“Yeah, I know I'm a catch, stare all you want,” Luke declared, totally calling her out and playfully showing off his six pack in lifting up his shirt. Courtney immediately turned red and looked to Vanessa for help, but Luke cut her off. “Dude, you gotta lighten up, I'm just messing with you. Come, eat, be merry. It's almost party time.” He busted out a surprisingly good interpretation of the Roger Rabbit, at which point Vanessa joined in.

“Nice moves,” Courtney complimented, feeling relieved. “I will take you up on the 'eat' part, though. All I've had today is plane food.” The three went upstairs to grab some snacks before anyone else arrived. Courtney felt Luke's eyes on her while she was eating some goldfish and glanced up. “Yes?”

Luke just smiled and looked at Vanessa. “You're totally right, Fisher is gonna flip over her.” Vanessa immediately shot daggers at him with her eyes. “Umm, I mean, what? Like, these crackers are amazing, agreed? Who would have thought to make crackers look like fish? Am I right?” His eyes were looking anywhere but at Courtney or Vanessa now.

“Ummmm, say what? What is a Fisher?” Her heart started pounding in its usual anxious way.

“Okay, girl, chill. I know where your head's at, and it doesn't need to be. His name is Ethan Fisher, and I just casually mentioned how awesome you are. He seemed interested. That's it. It is not the crisis you are imagining in your warped little mind right now. You do not need to access the nuclear codes. Breathe,” Vanessa explained, “and try to tell me you don't feel just a little bit excited about our boy Ethan. And his washboard abs. In case I didn't mention that part before.” She finished that sentence with a gleam in her eye.

“Yeah, V, I'm standing right here,” Luke responded.

“Oh shut up, you know I like yours better,” she chastised, lovingly patting his midsection.

Courtney glared at Vanessa suspiciously. “ 'Casually,' huh?” she asked in an unbelieving tone. There was a moment where Courtney contemplated whether there was any possible scenario in which she would not give in to Vanessa in the end. There wasn't. “Whatever, you win. I will wear this crazy outfit, and I will be cool about this 'Fisher' situation.” She knew there was no use in arguing with Vanessa anyway. Courtney was determined to at least fake the confidence she wanted to portray until it actually showed up.

“Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?” Vanessa replied with a deadpan expression. Courtney stuck her tongue out and Vanessa winked at her. “Very mature,” she said as they busied themselves with last minute party preparations.

“Okay, Courtney. Can't I call you Court? Maybe Little C?” Courtney narrowed her eyes at him slightly. No one will be calling me 'Little C.' “Okay, then, Courtney it is. I know that we just met and all, but I am telling you, as your newfound friend, you need to have one Jell-O-shot before everyone gets here. If you don't want one, it's fine, this isn't like an after-school-special on peer pressure, but I am telling you that you need to chillax,” Luke said as if he were giving her a pep talk before the big game. Were her nerves that obvious? She had thought she was playing it cool. Dammit.

“Chillax is not a word. But all right, one, let's go.” He didn't hesitate and put the small cup in her hand. “Bottoms up,” she toasted more confidently than she felt and downed the jiggly green elixir.

“Woot!” Luke shouted. “Now we're gonna have ourselves a good time!” As if on cue, the doorbell rang, and Courtney suddenly felt glad she had listened to him.

Over the next half hour or so, she felt surrounded by a blur of faces and names. She was happy to see a few familiar ones, but truth be told, Vanessa was the only person she had stayed close to after having left Gem. She said a lot of “hellos” and maybe snuck another Jell-O shooter. Or three.

Finally feeling okay walking around in her best-friend-approved outfit, she saw V across the room talking to someone. When Vanessa caught her eye and smiled knowingly, Courtney knew she was chatting with this Ethan character. She was out of his eye-line for the moment, so she took advantage of the opportunity to size him up. Tall, dark, and freaking hot? Yes. He had perfectly messy dark hair and sun-kissed skin. What is with all of these Ohioans being darker than me? I live in an actual desert, she thought. The fitted off-white shirt made his dark good looks that much more inviting. So far, so good. She noticed a wide silver ring on his finger, which drew her attention to his hands, which happened to be holding a guitar. Oh, I. Am. In. Trouble, she knew instantly. She was feeling some liquid courage, so her stomach only did a small flip when Vanessa motioned for her to come over.

As she paraded up, Ethan turned to make room for her. Courtney's eyes glanced up at him. Be cool, be cool, be cool, she repeated the mantra in her head.

“Ethan Fisher, this is my very best friend Courtney Ross. Court, this is Ethan. He just moved to Gem last year,” Vanessa said, introducing them.

“Hey!” Courtney said, maybe just a tad too loudly. “Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you. Well, you and your abs,” she blurted out. OHMYGOD, did I just say that!? She mentally upbraided herself. Ethan looked unsure for just a moment, but broke out into a smirk, the kind that made him look like he knew something he shouldn't, and let out a genuine laugh.

“My abs, huh? Well, glad to know I'm appreciated for something,” he joked as he patted his stomach. He looked at Courtney as if he was trying to make up his mind about her. “Speaking of my stomach- V, can I stash my guitar somewhere until later? I'm starving. Courtney, you wanna show me where the good food is?” He smiled effortlessly, and she started to swim in his deep brown eyes, forgetting to only look at the middle of his nose. Vanessa answered for her, thankfully saving her from another staring incident.

“She would be happy to. I'll take your guitar in the other room, love, thanks for bringing it.” Vanessa was then pushing Courtney along. She followed after Ethan, but turned around to Vanessa and mouthed “OH MY GOD” before resuming her composure. She thought she heard Vanessa murmur something to the effect of “told you so,” but the party was too loud to be sure.

They made it to the food set-up outside, and Courtney looked around. It appeared that Luke and Vanessa were quite adept at stocking beverages, but the food situation was lacking. A couple of sad-looking bowls of chips and veggie trays weren't super appetizing. “So, Courtney Ross, are you going to tell me where she keeps the real refreshments around here? Or are we going to dine on Doritos?” He gave her that dangerous smile again.

“I, um, yeah. Let's explore the kitchen, shall we?” Slowly regaining her focus, she led him upstairs. She was acutely aware of how short her skirt was with him walking behind her on the steps, but forgot all about her worries as she felt his hand on the small of her back when they came to the main floor.

“Lead the way.” He glanced around the kitchen for a moment. “Where are V's parents tonight, anyhow? Don't they usually put the kibosh on this type of thing?”

“Ah, yeah. They had a weekend planned in Historical Gatlinburg, but I kind of ruined the family trip. I couldn't get a flight in later this week for the same price, so they let V stay home to play hostess to me,” she answered. “You're welcome.” She liked the way he looked at her when she teased him. Even if it made her feel like vomiting. Do not throw up, or so help me I will… do nothing. Be humiliated. Stop talking to yourself already. “So, tell me something,” she said as she hopped up on the counter to reach the high cabinet, “how do you feel about chocolate chip cookies and pizza rolls? That's totally classy, right?” Amidst her self-congratulations about her nonchalant and witty banter, she had forgotten about the hastily taken shots and lack of real food. And she almost fell off the counter. She attempted to catch her balance, but felt Ethan's hands at her hips, steadying her.

“Okay, girly, maybe we let me handle the high shelves, all right?” He helped her down and she landed lightly on the floor. “You're like a hobbit,” he said, marveling at her five-foot frame. She forgot to be nervous about her short skirt and if her top looked acceptable after almost falling. Her skin tingled where his hands had touched her.

“I think that's a fairly decent idea,” she answered, breathing heavier than the circumstances called for. And then what he had just said dawned on her. “Waaaaiiiiit a minute. Did you seriously just refer to me as a hobbit? Like a small hairy-footed creature from the Shire? That's the first tiny fantastical being to come to mind… you couldn't have gone with, like, a fairy or a pixie or something else that sparkles?!” she demanded.

Surprisingly, he held his position. “No way. One, I think girl hobbits are sexy, personally. I mean, what's not to like? Short, cute, and they are probably awesome cooks too with all of those breakfasts and second dinners. Pixies and fairies are dainty. I get the feeling that you're way too kick-ass for that. Look at your arms, woman. I think you could probably take me in a fight. So yeah, hobbit it is. Or maybe I could call you like, 'bear claw'. Because, you know, roar, or girl power, or something. I don't know, now you're glaring at me and it's making me nervous,” he finished, laughing.

Courtney paused to decide if she was offended or not. The word “sexy” threw her off. She replied, “I can assure you that you will not be calling me a bear claw. That makes me sound like a doughnut. But I think on your way to digging a hole, you sort of complimented me, so I'll let it slide. Watch yourself, though, because I probably could take you in a fight.” She was flirting with him. Like actual flirting. She had no idea if it was the alcohol or what had gotten into her, but she was enjoying whomever this person was who had taken over her brain.

Soon he handed her a plate of pizza rolls and cookies as planned, though she was no longer hungry. He sat down on a barstool, and she hopped up to sit on the counter. She couldn't take her eyes off him, or forget how it felt when he touched her. They chatted easily about school, and about Luke and Vanessa, and about his band. Ethan was the lead guitarist and singer for a band called Tin Roof.

“Well, I wanna hear you play. You brought your guitar tonight, right?” Courtney asked him.

“I did,” he answered confidently. “I'm sure once they have the bonfire going out back I'll get around to playing some acoustic stuff. You have any requests?”

“Ummm, well, that's a difficult question.”

“Why, what kind of music do you like?”

“Would you prefer the list by genre or decade?”

“Okay, I'll bite. Let's go by decade.” The way his eyebrows moved together made him actually seem interested. There was a distinct possibility she was about to forget the name of every band she'd ever listened to.

“Well, my dad is all about the 70s, so even though it's not my favorite decade, I've gotta have love for, like, Eric Clapton, Queen, The Eagles, The Doobie Brothers, some Fleetwood Mac, and a little Skynyrd. I'm not a huge Beatles fan, though.” She looked up to see if he was following.

“I'm listening.” A surprised expression crossed his face.

“You asked for it. My mom is an 80s super-freak, so from that I have an attachment to really any hair band ballads, The Bangles, old school Whitney and Mariah, pretty much anything early Jackson- Michael or Janet, Wilson and Phillips, some Duran Duran, and well, Salt-N-Pepa, because who doesn't love 'Shoop'?” she insisted.

“Who indeed,” Ethan agreed, his eyes sparkling. “I think I can rock a hair band ballad or two. But first, I gotta hear your list for the 90s.” He said it almost as a challenge, but she was ready.

“Ok, I confess that I'm sort of a 90s junkie. Well, and into the early 2000s, I guess. In what other decade could you listen to The Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff, Nirvana, Blink 182, Oasis, and The Spice Girls and still be current? The 90s are like my musical holy-land. I know that sounds lame, but I'll try to narrow it down for you. So, you've got Radiohead, Everclear, Sublime, Matchbox Twenty, The Wallflowers, Train- for sure- Fiona Apple, Bush, and by proxy No Doubt, Third Eye Blind, Counting Crows, John Mayer, and then also some more John Mayer, because well, I love him… I could really go on for a while.”