Against the Wall (28 page)

The reception is coming to a close and Matt and Shel are getting ready to make their departure. I still can’t believe they’ve stayed as long as they have. I would’ve been gone a long time ago and been doing some serious damage back in the hotel room. But, I’m glad she did stay. Dancing and singing with her all night has brought back so many memories. It felt just like old times.

I can still picture our sophomore homecoming dance like it was yesterday. My date was a total dickhead and he left me hanging. Ryan only asked me to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. I wish I would’ve known that before I said yes. When we got to the dance, the ex got all possessive and wanted nothing to do with her own date. She just had to pick the dance as the place to stake her claim and ask Ryan to get back together. Luckily, Ty and his date were fairing just as well as I was. His date was just interested in dancing with all her girlfriends the entire night and she totally ignored him. I wanted to slap her and tell her she didn’t know what she was thinking not taking advantage of her time with such an awesome and gorgeous guy. I would have totally given my entire collection of New Kids on the Block buttons and posters to go anywhere on a date with Tyler at that time. Not that I would have ever admitted it.

Tyler saw me holding up the wall while watching Shel and her high school sweetheart, Chase, dance with each other like their love depended on it. Those two were so cute at the time. They looked into each other’s eyes, smiling, leaning in for a peck ever so often, while the danced to song after song. They wouldn’t have cared if I joined them, but watching them was so much more fun. Or heart breaking, maybe. Because I wished more than anything to have a relationship like theirs. Maybe it was a good thing that I didn’t. Shelly sure as hell didn’t marry Chase today, thank you.

Just when I thought I might burst with jealousy, Ty came over and threw his arm around me. Even then, he was so much taller than I was, so I looked up into his bright green eyes and he lifted the side of his mouth in a soft smile. He knew I was feeling down. He never asked me, but he knew. He pulled me into a side hug, squeezing my shoulder and resting his head on mine.

“
My date ditched me, Melly Belly?” he said, pouting his lips jokingly. “Will you save my reputation of being a stud and dance with me?”

We walked out on that dance floor, and he pretended like he’d wouldn’t rather be with anyone else other than me. He never mentioned anything about how my asshole date left me in the lurch. He made it seem like he was the one who needed saving, when in reality, he could’ve had any other girl there within seconds.

Instead, he was mine.

For the night.

Just like now.

But this time, I get a week before he turns back into a pumpkin.

This is Julie’s first adult romance novel. She has also written three young adult books. Against The Wall is actually a spinoff from her teen series. The Double Threat novels focus on the high school years of Megan Miller, who is Shelly Gelson’s student aide. If you haven’t already, check them out. The first three books,
So I’m a Double Threat, Double Threat My Bleep, and Double Time
are available now. Julie is also the author of
You Act So White
, a multicultural teen novel about staying true to one’s self in the face of peer pressure and racial tension. Julie recently released another adult romance,
More Than A Friend Request
—a short, sweet, and sexy read.

I’d like to send a major shout out to my mama, Dolores Aguilera. I don’t know what I’d do without her endless support and multiple reads. I love you. To my bestie since the fourth grade, Lyndsi “Sausages” Hanley, thanks so much for all the feedback and taking time out of your busy schedule to edit ATW. Having you around since the fourth grade has finally paid off. HAHA. JK! I love you. And to, Christina Houser, thank you so very much for your enthusiasm for my writing. Your exceptional feedback and editing skills have been invaluable. Thank you for allowing me to drop off pages and pages of severely jacked up writing and turning it into something readable.

Finally, I’d like to thank my family for their undying support. While you may joke about me having a laptop permanently attached to my body, your words of encouragement are always heard and appreciated. Love you, guys.

© 2012 Julie Prestsater

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of a reviewer using brief passages.

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, and real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Cover Photo: ©
Yuri Arcurs
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Dreamstime.com

Visit Julie on the Web at
www.juliepbooks.com
.