Do Over
Authors: Emily Evans
Do Over
By
Emily Evans
Do Over
Copyright 2012 by Emily Evans
Published by Emily Evans
Kindle Edition
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
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[1. Fiction. 2. Romance. 3. Young Adult.]
Acknowledgements
Thanks!
You’re awesome: Michelle, Teresa, Veronica, Jennifer, Stacy, Joellen, Barbie, Brennan, Joseph, Megan, Mishann, Rachel, Wayne, Darlene, Jeff, Heather, Trevor, Mom & Dad.
Table Of Contents
Chapter One
Super-hot guy, dead ahead.
I shivered and goose bumps rose on my arms. I was looking at my future. Nicholas Tresmont, aka
Trey
, the best-dressed guy in my class, stood on a raised white walkway in the underground tunnel between Houston’s art museums. The weird blue lighting played off his dark brown hair and tan skin making him resemble an anime character. Seeing him up there, slumped in an unconscious pose, like a model on a catwalk, lit up all my fashion designer dreams.
His dark jacket and grey vest were perfect for a winter day. Every piece he wore was different from the jeans and T-shirts on the rest of the guys in our senior class. Only his collar, caught in the lapel of his vest, needed a tweak. I couldn’t resist moving forward to straighten the flaw. My fingers smoothed the soft cotton fabric and I breathed in his showery cologne a second. “You have the best clothes and you treat them so shabbily.”
Trey dropped a hand to my hip, preventing me from stepping back. “Come back to my house after the field trip, and I’ll let you go through my closet.”
His rich voice and dark green eyes tempted me, and I felt a rush of excitement at the thought. I hadn’t been on a date since last February when my parents broke up. Maintaining the peace while my parents divided their assets had killed the romance of dating. Now I had an infallible plan to get my parents back together and I wanted a prom date. The image of Trey in a tuxedo made my heart pound hard enough to forget his reputation.
Fortunately for my momentary lapse into lust, his reputation caught up to us, in the form of his hookup of the week, Zoe. She shoved me aside and said in a cutesy voice, “Twey, around that wall there’s something I have to show you--in private.” She tucked her platinum hair behind her ear and spared me a glance. “You don’t mind, do you, Paisley?”
The weird underground lighting was playing tricks on me, making me consider stupid things: like telling crazy Zoe I minded, like going out with Trey.
Toughen up.
I told myself, stepping back, careful not to fall off the runway. “Nope. I don’t mind.” A brush of the chilled air-conditioning hit me and I buttoned my cardigan and retreated. “Catch you later.”
I didn’t see the two of them again until we all gathered around the main display case by the exit.
Ms. Herrington, our English teacher and chaperone, scooped up the hem of her maxi dress and leaned toward the glass. “Who knows what February 2
nd
is?”
“Super Bowl.” Behemoth John mimicked a quarterback pass toward the impressionist exhibit. Skinny Ian jumped for the imaginary ball.
I shuddered. The Super Bowl and I have a bad history. Growing up, I helped Mom decorate for the big bash. Every year, my parents had stopped speaking to one another by the fourth quarter. Last year, everything went wrong even earlier. By kickoff, my parents were arguing. Our guests escaped during the halftime show, and by the fourth quarter, Mom had moved out. Fighting and Super Bowl were as linked in my mind as reality shows and teary confessionals.
John clamped his left hand over his right wrist and did a dance move, stirring it up. “Party. My house.”
“Dude, Super Bowl’s on the third, this year,” Trey said, shoving John with a big hand.
Ms. Herrington waved them off. “Groundhog Day. February 2
nd
is Groundhog Day.”
John bopped both fists in the air. “Dog sees his shadow, and we get six more weeks of winter.” He howled toward the ceiling.
My BFF, Lauren, laughed. Ms. Herrington tried not to look judgmental. I rolled my eyes and scooted closer to the exhibit.
Ms. Herrington nodded at the display case. “See the crystal in the center? The blue circular one?”
John peered at the gold nameplate on the case, and ticked up a few more brownie points. “
A dhéanamh thar
stone from the Isle of Skye.”
The beautiful round crystalline blue drew me. We needed a fascinating centerpiece for the prom tables. Maybe, something this compelling would add to the evening.
Ms. Herrington said, “The Celtic name loosely translates to
Do Over
. Some say our ancestors weren’t talking about the weather. They say if the day shown fair, you could wish on a Do Over stone and repeat the last six weeks.”
My fingertips touched the cool glass. I stared at the artifact, imagining I could feel the brightness.
“Haven’t you ever noticed how some winters seem to drag on?” Ms. Herrington asked. “Or, had a sense of déjà vu? Those are both caused by someone using a Do Over stone.”
John groaned. “Who’d want to repeat the last six weeks?”
I would. Well, not this year, but last year I would have died to have a chance like that. I’d have used the stone and changed everything. I would have been up early to help Mom. The football-themed decorations would have been placed. The drinks would have been iced. The chicken wings would have been on the barbeque before the guests arrived. Everything about our party would have gone smoothly and my parents wouldn’t have fought and broken up.
My fingers dropped from the glass. I could only change what I did next. Prom was the answer. My friends and I would meet at the park for photos. All the parents would stand together taking pictures. The gowns would be elegant. The tuxes sophisticated. The atmosphere would scream romance. That was the answer: Prom day. I’d get my parents back together.
“Y’all have about ten minutes for the bathroom or the gift shop,” Ms. Herrington said, looking at her watch. “Then, we’ll meet on the sidewalk for headcount.”
The gift shop had replicas of the Do Over stone. The crystals shone with the same brilliant blue. If I’d had $24.99, one would be mine. As it was, I used my five to buy a pink sparkly pen. The light inside the barrel would inspire me as I helped our prom committee throw a perfect prom.
***
Trey lay to my right, flat out on John’s living room carpet. John’s Super Bowl party guests counted out his lifts as he bench-pressed a giggling Zoe. “Six.”
I rolled my eyes and ate another barbeque-flavored chip, ignoring the spectacle. The snacks at John’s party consisted of classic guy choices: chips still in the bag, sausages speared by toothpicks. I’d rate the overall spread a six. Now for prom, the food was going to rate a ten. Sparkle, my committee, would make everyone proud.
Lauren plopped down on the couch beside me, causing the overstuffed cushion to shift with her weight and my navy skirt to ride up. I tugged on the hem and slid back, glad I’d worn a short skirt because John had overheated the room.
Lauren snagged one of the salty chips and tucked a loose strand of her strawberry blonde hair back into her headband.
Crunch.
“He’s hot-tastic.” Her amber eyes glowed as she stared across the room. The large green Ficus made a great backdrop with her coloring.
We both needed prom dates and I hoped fresh game would present itself tonight. I sat straighter, my gaze darting around the living room, passing T-shirt wearing guy after guy. “Who?” My gaze caught on an array of deer heads mounted on the wall. Six of them, arranged from largest to smallest, stared back at me with glossy, pissed brown eyes.
“John.”
Not John. I slumped against the cushion. John wasn’t hot. John remained the same blond football captain, whiny jock he’d always been. Lauren could do better. I made a noncommittal noise and ate another barbeque chip.
Zoe giggled again, her platinum cheerleader curls bouncing with each lift. In the background, the partygoers continued counting Trey’s efforts. “Seven.”
“John’s the one,” Lauren insisted, her voice escalating with her enthusiasm. “He throws epic parties.”
“Hmm,” I muttered, so as not to insult her choice of the week. It didn’t pay to invest too heavily in Lauren’s man quest. She changed her mind regularly about who’d be the best prom date. I flexed my foot and wished I’d worn navy flats. My platforms were cutting off circulation to each pinkie toe. The pain was becoming all I could focus on. “Are you wearing stilettos to the prom?”
“Of course.” Lauren looked at John again. “John’s tall enough. He’s the date for me, Pez. You should see his online profile.”
I flinched a bit at the nickname. Not that Pez was any worse than my real name,
Paisley.
Her lips twisted at my reaction. “You need a new nickname. What’s your middle name?” Her thin eyebrows arched and she attempted to pry the secret from me.
I shoved a strategic barbeque chip into my mouth and chewed instead of answering. My middle name was even worse than my first—a million times worse.
“Eight,” the crowd counted. The firelight gleamed on Trey’s tan skin.
Nice arms.
“Nine,” the crowd said, and Zoe giggled louder.
My gaze lingered on the overworked tan biceps.
Wow.
Nine would be impressive if the feat was performed by anyone other than uber-jock, Trey. He could bench press half the cheer squad, run three laps, and play in the fourth quarter without breathing heavily. Still, I couldn’t help but be glad that Trey wore short sleeves tonight.
“Dude. Game’s back on.” John nudged the remote, cranking up the volume. Super Bowl spewed from the speakers, along with the overblown wit of the sportscasters and the rumble of the crowd.
The noise bothered me more than I thought it would. I drummed my fingers on the couch cushion and glanced at the clock on the screen, willing the second quarter to end quickly. The coach called a timeout.
Trey rolled up, lowering Zoe to the carpet, and turned toward the flat screen without looking back at her. She pouted and scooted closer to him. But, he didn’t seem to notice. His total focus was glued to the flat screen. She leaned back on her palms and her face twisted. “Got enough deer heads, John?”
