He's With Me (16 page)

pushed him away, which as far as he was concerned was the beginning of the

greatest game of all time: try to get to Lexie’s face while she shoves you off.

“Colin!” she yelled, covering her face with her arms. Thorn stuck his nose

between her arms and neck and went
slurrrrrrrrp
along her chin. “I’m busy!”

“You don’t look busy,” her brother said from the doorway. “You look like

you’re staring at the ceiling.”

“I
am
staring at the ceiling,” she protested. “It’s called moping. Nobody is

supposed to lick your face while you’re moping. It’s very distracting.”

“Exactly,” he said, perching on the edge of the bathtub. “So what are you

moping about?”

Thorn climbed on Lexie’s chest, making her go, “
Oof
,” and burrowed into

her neck.

“You don’t want to know,” she said. “And what made you suddenly so

Mom-like?”

“You mean nosy?”

“I mean cheerful,” Lexie said.

“You tell me and I’ll tell you,” he said.

She peeked over her arms at him. Thorn seized the opportunity and lunged

at her forehead, but she managed to block him in time.

“Are you serious?” she asked. “If I tell you why I’m upset, you’’ tell me the

big secret you’ve been hiding all summer?”

“It’s not a big secret,” he said. “But I guess, okay.”

Lexie grabbed Thorn and sat up. He settled down to lick her hands instead.

“Promise not to tell anyone,” she said.

“Of course,” he said. “Who would I tell?”

“True. But it has to do with Jake.”

“Ah,” he said, knowingly tapping the side of his nose.

“You
know
?” she said.

“Know that he likes you?” Colin asked. Lexie stared at him.

“No, that
I
like
him
,” she said.

“I was starting to guess that, too,” he said.

“Colin, you didn’t set up this pretend-dating thing on purpose, did you?”

Lexie asked.

“No way,” Colin said, shaking his head vigorously. “I had no idea then. You

guys always acted so normal around each other. I didn’t think pretending to date

each other would be a big deal. Then you had that date and I was like,

‘
Ooohhhhhh
, I
see
how it is.’”

“Really?” Lexie said, blushing. “It was that obvious?”

“That he wants to really date you?” Colin said. “Totally.”

“Stop saying that,” she said, shoving his knee. “I’m the one who likes him.

And now I’ve told him I can’t do it anymore, that I don’t want to be his pretend

girlfriend, so I’m sure I’ve wrecked everything. I’m sorry.” She looked down at the

fluffy yellow bath mat. “It’ll probably make things kinda awkward for a while. Oh,

why am I such a loser?” She lay back down, letting Thorn flop over on her

stomach. “Why couldn’t I just pretend and let him kiss me and act like everything

was fine?”

“Because you like each other,” Colin said. “I don’t know why you have to be

such morons about it.”

“Colin, he doesn’t like me that way,” Lexie said. “I’ve had a crush on him

forever, but you’ve seen the girls he’s dated. I mean, Amy Sorrento? She’s nothing

like me. He’ll be with somebody new by next week.”

“I don’t thonk so,” Colin said. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

“But I’m
moping
,” Lexie objected. He got up and stepped over her, and she

followed, rolling Thorn onto the floor. The pug snorted indignantly, shook himself,

and trotted after them into Colin’s room. As she passed the window, Lexie saw

that the afternoon shadows were much longer, she’d been hiding out in the

bathroom for at least an hour.

Colin sat down at his computer and plugged the video camera in. Lexie

flopped onto his bed, covering her head with a pillow.

“Watch this,” Colin said. “The night of your date. Remember, when we all

came back here with Sally?”

Lexie peeked out. The camera was on her and Sally. They were rolling balls

of dough and getting flour everywhere. They were both laughing, with smudges of

white on their faces. The camera panned over to Jake, who was pulling raspberry

jam out of the fridge. As he straightened up, he looked back at Lexie and Sally

with a smile.

“Hey, girlfriend, get over here,” he said, unscrewing the top of the jam jar.

“You’ve got something on your nose.”

“Oh, no, do I?” Lexie said, touching her face and getting more flour on it.

“Yeah, come here,” Jake said with a grin. Lexie came around the counter

and stepped closer to him. The Lexie lying on Colin’s bed could see the look of

that Lexie’s face, and she thought,
Man
,
can’t the whole world tell how much in
love with him I am
?

Jake leaned forward, studying her face, and then he said, “Yes, yes, there’s

something...right...here,” and with a studious expression, he reached out and

dabbed raspberry jelly on the tip of her nose.

Lexie shrieked and jumped back. “Jake, you dork!”

Jake was cracking up, leaning on the counter for support. The Lexie on

camera plunged her hands into his hair and mussed it up, leaving streaks of white

flour in it. “That’ll teach you,” she said, giggling and jumping out of reach again.

“Oh my God,” Sally said in the background. “Colin, stop them before they

get so sweet out teeth fall out and we can’t eat these cookies.”

“Don’t worry, it’s over,” Lexie said. “Because I
won
. I’m going to wash my

face.” She headed out of the kitchen, still laughing.

But the camera stayed on Jake, zooming in as he watched Lexie go.

Lexie in real life sat up.

“You see it, too, right?” Colin said.

“Play it again,” Lexie said. He rewound a few seconds and once again Lexie

watched Jake watch her.

He had the same look she’d seen on her own face earlier. The same half

smile, the same starry eyes. Like he wanted to chase after her and hold her and

kiss her and perhaps spend every waking minute if the rest of their lives together.

Woe.

Maybe...just maybe...Jake was in love with her, too.

Chapter 16

“Ha,” said Colin. “The camera reveals all truth. I win.”

“That doesn’t prove anything,” Lexie said.

“Proves enough for me,” Colin said.

“Then why did he let me run away from him today?” Lexie said. “Why

didn’t he tell me any of this?”

“Maybe you didn’t give him a chance,” Colin said.

Lexie pulled the pillow back over her head. This was weird. This was hard to

wrap her brain around. She’d spent so long being convinced that Jake couldn’t like

her that it was incomprehensible to think that he really might. It was like suddenly

meeting a dolphin with wings. What was she supposed to do now?

“Okay, fine,” she said. “So tell me your secret.”

Colin actually looked embarrassed. “It’s not as good as your secret,” he

said.

“I don’t care,” she said. “Spill it.”

He picked up a pencil from his desk. “I’m in summer school.”

Lexie sat up again. “Summer school? But, Colin, you’re so smart.”

“Yeah, right,” he said. “I failed math last semester.”

“No way!” Lexie said. “Why didn’t you tell me? How did I not know this?”

“It wasn’t exactly something I wanted to talk about,” Colin said.

“But I’m your twin!” Lexie said. “You’d think I would have noticed. I feel like

such a bad sister.”

“It’s okay,” Colin said. “I asked Mom not to tell you. That’s why I’m not at

Summerlodge with you.”

“Suddenly it all makes sense,” Lexie said. “Colin, you could’ve told me. I still

think you’re smart. Now I just think there’s something wrong with our high-school

grading system.”

“There is,” Colin said with a smile. “They have this crazy notion that we

should be taking notes on geometry instead of building model airplanes.”

Lexie searched his face. “But you don’t seem upset anymore, like you have

been the last couple of weeks.”

“Yeah,” he said, tugging a sheet of paper out from under the camera.

“Look.”

It was a math quiz. A bright red 100% was emblazoned at the top.

“Ms. Campbell says I just need to focus, but that I’m very bright,” he

boasted.

“Well, I could have told you that anytime, silly,” Lexie said, batting his head

with the quiz. “You didn’t have to be a major grouch for two weeks to find that

out.”

“Sorry I didn’t tell you,” he said.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Jake,” she said.

“That’s okay,” he said. “If you told me too much of that stuff it would get a

bit girly for me.”

Lexie glanced behind him at the screen, where the camera was now

focused on Sally, who kept looking up at it and laughing.

“Hmm,” she said, raising her eyebrows at Colin. “Maybe the camera does

reveal all truth.”

“Shut up,” he said, flicking it off.

“You should ask her out!” Lexie said. “She would totally say yes.”

“Yeah, right,” he said.

“Would you rather pine over her for three years like I’ve been doing?” Lexie

said.

“You’ve been pining over Sally Kim?” Colin joked.

She threw his pillow at him. “I think she likes you,” she said. “She’s much

more normal than we thought. It can’t hurt to ask.”

“Easy for you to say,” he muttered.

“I could ask her for you,” Lexie teased in a singsong voice.

“Don’t you dare!” Colin said, picking up Thorn and shoving him along the

bed at his sister. Lexie shrieked as Thorn knocked her over and started covering

her face with wet doggy kisses.

“
What
is going on in here?” Mrs. Willis said from the doorway. Alanna

poked her nose in, too, wagging her tail.

“Colin threw Thorn at me!” Lexie squealed, wrestling Thorn under her so

she could pin him down.

The pug snorted and finally lay still, panting happily.

“She totally deserved it,” Colin said. “Hey, Mom, look.” He held up the quiz.

“Oh!” Mrs. Willis said with a quick glance at Lexie.

“It’s okay, I told her,” Colin said.

“That’ great, honey,” the twins’ mom said, coming over and taking the quiz

from him. “This is terrific.”

“Guess I’m not so dumb after all,” Colin said.

“Duh,” Lexie said.

“Of course you’re not dumb,” Mrs. Willis said, tousling his hair. He ducked

away from her hand but smiled.

“Lexie, how was the volleyball game?” her mom asked, sitting down on the

bed beside her.

Lexie’s face fell. She’d nearly managed to forget for a moment all the

horrible events of the day.

“Oh, you lost?” her mother said sympathetically, patting her knee.

“No, we won,” Lexie said. She could tell there were awkward questions

coming, so she said quickly, “Thanks for bringing me the bikini. It fits perfectly.”

“Really?” Her mom beamed.

“Yeah, you totally saved me. I think I’ll take Thorn and Alanna for a walk,”

Lexie said, scrambling to her feet. She wanted to think about Jake, and she didn’t

want her mom to ask about him, because she’d have no idea what to say.
We

broke up? We were never really dating? I still want to really date him?
It was too complicated. She needed to think.

“All right,” Mrs. Willis said. “And by the time you get back, your father

should be home, so we can go out to celebrate Colin’s quiz grade.”

“And Lexie’s volleyball win,” Colin said loyally.

“Absolutely.”

Lexie bundled Thorn off the bed and grabbed her sandals from her room,

the dogs trotting excitedly behind her. Downstairs, she dug out their leashes from

the basket by the door, hooked them onto their collars, and opened the door to

the porch.

Jake was sitting on her front steps.

Chapter 17

Lexie would have jumped back inside, but Thorn and Alanna were already

galloping over and climbing on Jake with enthusiastic yips.

“Hey, guys,” he said to them, tugging on their ears. His cute smile made her

want to gallop over there and climb on him herself. He looked up at Lexie. “Going

for a walk?”

“Um – yeah,” she said. What could she say – no, they weren’t? The dogs

put the leashes on themselves?

“Can I come?” he said, standing up and sort of awkwardly slouching against

the porch railing.

She looked down at the leashes in her hands, blushing. Wouldn’t he rather

go inside and hang out with Colin?

“I guess, okay,” she said. She handed him Alanna’s leash, and their fingers

brushed as he took it from her.

The dogs scrambled madly down the porch steps, yanking Lexie and Jake

along behind them. They turned left out of the gate and the pugs led the way

down the street, snorting and panting and sniffing at everything.

After a moment, Jake said, “Want to hear something funny?”

“Sure,” Lexie said.

“After you left, I saw Riley’s dad picking him up. Riley said that he wanted

to quit tennis and switch to lifeguard training, and his dad started yelling at him

that this was what he’s signed up for, that they’d paid for a tennis racket and

lessons, and dagnabbit, he was going to stick with the whole program for once

and not quit when things got tough like he always did. They were still shouting at

each other when they pulled out of the parking lot.”

Lexie couldn’t hide her smile. “Poor Riley.”

“Poor Riley! I’d say he deserves it for what he did to you.”