Designer Genes - The Boyfriend Cut (18 page)

Leading the "D's," I almost made it out the door before hearing a formal, cold reminder.

"Candidate 5846?"

Ice filled my veins and my gut clenched unexpectedly.

"Yes?"

A man and woman stepped forward, followed by Principal Anderson. The man held a white plastic tube encased in a clear cylinder. A "virgin lollipop."

"We need a DNA sample," the woman stated in a softer, but firm voice.

"Why now?" My voice sounded too high. Guilty.

Principal Anderson spoke up. "Marli, there's been talk," she said delicately. "It's precautionary…you know, before we formally introduce you as Valedictorian."

"Wait? You think…"
Strangers kissing me in front of the school. The dance. Twisted lies created by malicious gossip.
Why wouldn't Principal Anderson suspect the obvious?

The Valedictorian had to be a Candidate. If my "dip-stick" changed colors, I no longer qualified. Another girl shuffled nervously near the exit doors. The "backup." I wavered between furious and mortally embarrassed.

"Fine," I snarled.

From the edge of my vision, I swore Jordan peeked in the glass panel of the gym door, but when I focused harder, I saw nothing. I'd die if he witnessed my moral standing questioned. Hopefully, Friday night's encounter with Jesse didn't
color
things. There were only so many days before DNA would be unreadable and I guessed five days probably wasn't enough to erase moral mishaps.

I held my breath when they inserted the stick into the tubing after collecting my saliva. Ten seconds and my life could change. Everyone sighed loudly when the tiny beep signaled the end of the test and the stick remained clear. Everyone except my so-called replacement who said something unladylike and joined the procession marching on the field.

The woman used a stylus to wand my bracelet's data chip and left. Principal Anderson apologized, explaining she had no choice, which I understood. Her burgundy-tinted lips curved in a relaxed smile. "I knew the rumors couldn't be true."

When we reached the platform for those speaking on the commencement program, I halted briefly on the top step. Next to my empty chair where Coach Smith should be, sat Sam. Having no choice and already noticeably late, I cautiously perched on the edge of my seat. Sam's arm casually slipped behind me and his fingers caressed my neck under my hair. My skin tried to crawl away from my bones.

"Stop. Touching. Me."

"Make me."

My elbow found Sam's ribcage and he swore loud enough, judging by the snickering crowd, to pass over the microphone through our vice-principal's opening remarks. Principal Anderson glowered. Sam and I smiled sheepishly like guilty children.

"Where's Coach?"

Sam cautiously leaned closer, guarding his side with his hand. "Had a family emergency."

"That still doesn't explain why you're here."

Sam's eyes darted to those nearby. "Second in command. Hansen's in jail—a downside to being eighteen." He leaned over, tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and quietly explained how a fight broke out after the dance, ending with a couple team members arrested.

"For once, my jealousy saved me. I followed you home and parked down the street, but fell asleep in my jeep. I guess I can thank 'Ferrari Boy' for showing up after all.

We stood for the presentation of the flag and sang the national anthem.

Sam angled closer. "By the way, I noticed he spent the night. Tell me, Marli, does your
Porsche Prince
know you're swapping spit with his brother?" My eyes bunched in a pained stare and a smug grin curled Sam's mouth. "Didn't think so."

Principal Anderson announced my name. Numbly, I walked to the microphone. My fist closed over my notes. It never dawned on me
Sam
could rat me out.

Clearing my throat a bit too loudly, I smoothed the crinkled paper. Two, maybe three paragraphs I recited reflecting on our high school experience, before a sudden gust of wind ripped through the stadium. Without thinking, I reached up to secure my flimsy graduation cap, letting go of my speech. The wind cradled the crumpled paper over my head and I watched in horror as my "words of wisdom" disappeared over the wall!

The stadium suddenly swayed, spots formed in front of my eyes, and my lips tingled. My mind became a blank page, unable to recall the words scrawled mindlessly on the paper floating away. I rambled something about making choices for our future, but ran out of thoughts halfway through a sentence, realizing
I
was the last person to counsel anyone about making correct choices.

Rick, poised below me with a camera, uttered the word "relax." I turned to Jordan, leaning against the railing not ten feet away. His handsome face rippled behind sudden tears. I was dying inside and coming apart on the outside.

Principal Anderson tugged the hem of my robe. "Are you all right, dear?"

I never answered, just dropped to the makeshift floor and knocked the microphone off the podium. A deafening screech echoed somewhere distant in my mind.

Escaping through a side door from the boy's locker room, we raced for Jordan's car, avoiding the crowd. After my enormous blunder of a farewell speech, nothing short of warp speed would be fast enough to remove me from the school grounds. The windows were tinted dark enough that nobody, under normal conditions, would know who sat inside. But alas, the only other time this glossy pallid of chrome and steel had rolled onto campus, I'd been one of its occupants.

Jordan slid into the driver's seat, about to close his door when Alex thrust her leg in between.

"Just a second
Dr. Dreamy
. We want a word with your illustrious passenger." Brittany wrenched the door open further, tucking her head sideways into the car.

Jordan turned to me for direction.

"These are my best friends, Brittany and Alex."

"I've heard a lot about you ladies." Alex crouched, micro-millimeters from his butt and he hugged the console with his other hip. "She scares me," he whispered.

"She should," I whispered back before shooting a pointed glare at my ogling girlfriend. "Did you want something, Alex?"

"Besides your sexy boyfriend?" she teased. "Yeah, what the hell happened? Talk about a memorable exit. You'll be the headliner for tomorrow's morning news." Her hands framed pretend headlines. "VALEDICTORIAN COLLAPSES INTO WAITING ARMS OF HANDSOME STRANGER AT GRADUATION CEREMONY—A TRUE ROMEO AND JULIET FINALE."

"I hit the stupid floor."

Alex and Brittany shared a glance. My eyes widened when a feeble grin eased over Jordan's mouth.

"Jordan? You didn't—"

"Catch you? I watched the color drain from your face and jumped onto the stage, right as you went limp."

Brittany laughed. "He almost fell in Principal Anderson's lap."

Jordan rescued me? The fleeting image of his chivalry in front of my classmates, not to mention Rick, created an overwhelming wave of horror. The grad party at the beach was officially out of the question. I couldn't handle a night's worth of humiliation, not to mention Sam would gladly tell Jordan about my public make-out session with Jesse, just for spite.

Jordan's arm slipped around my shoulders and his eyes twinkled. "She's right. Definitely one for the memory books."

"Is Jordan coming to the beach party?" Brittany asked.

His and my eyes remained locked. "I don't know."

"You wearing a bikini?"

"Guess you'll have to come to find out."

Ignoring Alex and Brittany completely, Jordan leaned in, his mouth close enough I could smell a recent breath mint. "Let's party."

11

BEACH PARTY BREAKUP

W
e stopped at the department store for Jordan to buy some clothes for the beach. He walked out of the dressing room modeling swim shorts, the sight sending a drizzle of heat through my body. He hooked a finger for me to follow him into the dressing room.

"Are you crazy?"

Jordan yanked me inside. Something about possibly being caught in the act amped the sensual excitement between us and immediately, our bodies mashed against the mirror and our mouths engaged in deep, dizzying kisses. His hands locked at the small of my back, fusing me to his body, and my hands pressed against his bare stomach, his muscles ripped so tight my fingers couldn't make an indentation.

I released a ragged breath. "Being with you all night may not be a good idea. My willpower has apparently vanished."

"Sounds promising, " he replied in a raspy whisper. "But I'll behave. I need to stay on your dad's good side if I want him to let you come to the island for the summer."

I checked for a heartbeat. "The island?" I squealed, immediately covering my mouth. "Are you serious? For the whole summer?"

Jordan drew me back into his arms and my hands wandered over his exposed chest

"Yes, if you want."

"I-I don't know what to say," I replied softly watching his eyes drift over my face as he leaned closer. He tightened his grip around my waist.

"
Yes, I'd love to go, Jordan,
would be a good start."

"Of course I want to go, but getting Dad to agree might be too much to expect."

Jordan's tongue drew a line up my neck, his breath hot on my ear. "We'll see. I can be pretty persuasive when I want something."

I locked my fingers behind his neck. "How well, I know." I slid my lips along his, but before I could seal the kiss, the sales clerk hammered on the dressing room door.

Hours passed and still no sign of Sam. The muscles in my core knotted so tight in anticipation of the worst they ached, and I skittered whenever a car pulled into the parking lot. Jordan's attentive touches irritated more than soothed and I snipped one-word replies when he asked why I was so jumpy. The lustful heat we shared in the dressing room fizzled the second we arrived and memories of the disastrous day washed through me.

Alex sucked the last of her water so hard, the plastic container popped and the muscles under my skin jittered. "Davis, relax. It's past midnight. Sam's not coming."

"I don't trust him. He wants revenge too badly to let this slide."

"Maybe he wised up to the fact you're with Jordan and is purposely avoiding the party," Brittany offered. Alex and I rolled our eyes at the incredulous statement. "Or not."

Alex tipped her head toward the beach where Jordan walked in the inky waves lapping at his ankles. "I think you need to stop obsessing over Sam and pay attention to what really matters."

"I've been a horrible date."

"You've been a bitch, but he's so knocked-on-his-ass whipped on you, he's put up with it. Go give him some serious lip sugar to make up for being so moody."

Brit leaned forward. "For once I agree with Alex. Forget Sam and concentrate on Jordan. One's your past, the other is your future and from what I see, a future worth keeping."

When I stared at Jordan's silhouette against the white ribbon rippling on the water from the full moon, I couldn't argue and my ribs squeezed tight. I rose, leaving them mid sentence and walked toward the shadowy heartthrob causing a nervous wiggle in my belly.

Quietly I approached from behind and flicked a spray of water over his back with my foot. He froze mid-step and I watched the muscles rope from his shoulders to his narrow waist. Before I could escape, he had me tucked under his arm like one of his surfboards and dangling head first over the water.