Her Teen Dream (22 page)

"If you're looking to hook up with her, dude,
forget it," a thin, lanky boy with curly brown hair said, after
witnessing the interaction, or lack of. "She won't look at guys
like us twice. Not when she can be with a football star at
Charmanie Hills High."

Lex bit his tongue. Was she really so caught
up in a football player that she didn't even want to be associated
with someone she used to care about?

"Her loss," Lex muttered, even if he didn't
really believe that.

"I feel the same way. I'm Jimmy Nye."

"Lex Haskell."

"First day here?"

"Yeah. I was just headed to my locker when—"
Lex looked over his shoulder as Taylor and her boyfriend were just
about out of view.

"I understand," Jimmy said. "Same thing
happened to me when I first got here and laid eyes on Julie
Kellogg. I didn't get very far either."

"Guess some things aren't meant to be." Lex
wished the words weren't such a bitter pill to swallow.
Particularly since it now seemed as though he had lost, found, and
lost again his one true love.

* * *

Taylor Clawson sat in her algebra class, but
her mind was absorbed with what had happened in the hall five
minutes ago. She was shocked to see the first boy to ever kiss her
actually standing before her at Charmanie Hills High. It almost
seemed like yesterday that he and his family moved away, leaving
her depressed for what seemed like forever. She had written to Lex
a couple of times, but never got a reply.

Now he shows up at her school, as if they
could somehow turn back the hands of time. Well that wasn't going
to happen. She wasn't the same ten-year-old with pigtails and
braces anymore. And he clearly wasn't the messy haired, skinny boy
next door anymore. He'd filled out nicely over the years and was
easy on the eyes.

But she had a boyfriend. Blake Reed was
seventeen and a star wide receiver on the varsity football team.
Every girl in school wanted him and she had him. She wasn't about
to jeopardize that for some guy from the past. And even if she was
interested in rekindling a friendship, Blake wouldn't be very happy
about it. He hated it when guys on the football team eyed her. Or
vice versa. So he certainly wouldn't want to think, even for a
moment, that she was interested in someone else.

Yes, she did the right thing pretending that
she didn't remember Lex Haskell. It was best all the way around.
She hoped he would just leave it at that and ignore her.

* * *

Lex was late getting to his first class,
still stung by Taylor's memory loss where he was concerned.

"I expect
all
students to be on time,"
Mrs. Driscoll, the teacher, said in a stern voice.

"Sorry," was all Lex could think to say in
response.

"And you are...?"

"Lex Haskell."

"You're the new student?" she confirmed.

"Yeah." It was only then that he locked eyes
with Taylor. She quickly turned away.

"Well, welcome to Charmanie Hills High."

"Thanks."

"You may take a seat," Mrs. Driscoll told
him. "And see me after class to discuss catching up on what you've
missed thus far."

Lex nodded and made his way down a row till
he came to an empty seat, which happened to be next to Taylor. He
sat down and looked at her. She didn't look back.

Was she going to continue to give him the
cold shoulder? Had he done something to offend her way back
then?

Or was what he remembered about them a lot
stronger than what she remembered?

Either way, it was nice to know someone at
this school. Even if the feeling was clearly not mutual.

* * *

After school was out, Lex hung around waiting
to see Taylor. But she must have ducked out a back entrance or
something, as she was nowhere to be found. Not that he knew what he
would say to her if she chose to simply ignore his existence. Was
it possible that she really didn't remember him? And what they had
meant to each other for a short time?

He headed home.

"Hey, hold up," Jimmy said. "I'm headed that
way, too."

"Cool," Lex said, glad for the
distraction.

"What street do you live on?"

"Appolina Drive."

"That's just one street over from Stallion,
where I live," Jimmy said.

"It'll take me a little while to learn all
the local streets," Lex told him as they walked along the
sidewalk.

"Yeah, probably." Jimmy tucked a hand in his
pocket. "So have you gotten Taylor Clawson out of your system
yet?"

"She was never in my system," Lex said, only
wishing that were true. She had never been out of his system, even
if they had lost contact years ago.

"Good answer," Jimmy said.

They stood before Lex's house. "Well, this is
my place," he said.

Jimmy admired the large home. "Nice."

"It's okay, I guess." Lex liked the house
they'd lived in previously better. He thought about inviting Jimmy
inside, but wasn't really in the mood. "See you tomorrow."

An hour later, Lex was at the dining room
table with his mom and stepdad, Tucker. He would have preferred to
eat in his room alone, but they'd insisted otherwise.

"So how was your first day at school?" Tucker
asked.

"Like any other day," Lex answered, rolling
some peas around his plate.

"Is that good or bad?"

Lex frowned. "You figure it out."

"Lex!" Linda raised her voice. "Let's not do
this."

"Do what?" He glared at her. "Say what I
feel?"

"We're trying to make this work," she
stressed. "Why can't you?"

"Because it's NOT working. You married him,
not me. Don't blame me if I'd rather have my
real
dad
around."

"It was his choice," Linda snapped.

Lex didn't really want to hear that, even if
he knew it was true. His dad chose to have an affair and then left
them to be with the woman he ended up marrying. It was his fault
that Lex's mom found someone else to be with. Still, Lex couldn't
help but wonder if maybe his mom had tried harder to keep him,
things might have turned out differently. Or was that just wishful
thinking on his part?

Lex stood, his food only half finished. "I
lost my appetite."

He expected his mom to object, but she
didn't. Neither did Tucker. Maybe giving him his space was the
first step in somehow learning to accept this situation.

* * *

Lex went to the basement and grabbed his
electric guitar. He'd been playing the guitar since he was eight,
having learned from his dad. It was something Lex did to relax and
take his mind off things. Like Taylor and her blowing him off. He
had been in a band once, but he was the only one serious about
playing and it quickly broke up. He hoped to be in a band again
someday, even if it never led to anything big.

His mom came down. "Are you all right?"

He stopped playing. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Tucker's trying hard, honey," she said
softly. "He doesn't want to replace your dad; he wants to be there
as a father figure, if you'll let him."

"I know," Lex said, regretting the way he'd
left the table.

"If you ever need to talk about anything, I'm
here," she said.

"Do you remember Taylor Clawson?" he
asked.

Linda gave him a thoughtful look. "Of course.
Taylor and her parents lived down the street when we were in San
Jose. Why?"

Lex paused. "She's here?"

"You mean in Lake Charmanie?"

"Yeah. I saw her at school today."

"How nice," Linda said. "I'm sure that was a
surprise for both of you."

"Not really," Lex said, frowning. "She said
she didn't remember me."

"Hmm... That's odd. I seem to recall you two
were pretty close."

Lex thought the same thing. "Guess we
weren't." Not in her book anyway.

He went back to playing the guitar, still
thinking about Taylor and what might have been.

TWO

The next day at school, Lex spotted Taylor in
the middle of a group of girls. He decided to confront her before
he lost his nerve.

"I need to talk to you," he told her
tersely.

She gave him a weird look. "There's nothing
to talk about."

"I think there is."

Taylor faced her friends. "I'll catch up with
you in class."

They left reluctantly and Lex wondered what
he would or should say to her. He had an idea for starters. "Why
are you blowing me off?"

"I told you. I don't remember you," she
said.

"I don't believe you."

"That's your problem. Now I have to get to
class."

Lex didn't want to leave it like that. And
neither should she. "We were friends once," he reminded her. "What
are you afraid of?"

She fluttered her lashes. "Certainly not
you."

"Then talk to me..."

Taylor gave him a thoughtful look. "Fine.
Meet me during the break in the library."

"Okay." Lex considered that a victory of
sorts, small as it was.

She sashayed away and he headed to his class,
wondering why he should be pressing someone who had been out of his
life for six years now.

* * *

Taylor slid into a seat in her ancient
cultures class. Lex Haskell was ancient history as far as she was
concerned. The sooner he got that, the better. But he seemed
determined to go down memory lane, even if whatever she'd felt for
him as a ten-year-old had died back then. What on earth was he even
doing in Lake Charmanie?

"So what did he want to talk to you about?"
Hazel Metcalf asked after class.

Taylor gazed at her blonde-haired best
friend. "Not sure really."

"He seemed to think you have something to
talk about. Who is he?"

"Just someone I used to know in grade
school," Taylor said disinterestedly. "He just started here."

"And he needs you to hold his hand for old
times' sake?" Hazel asked.

Taylor chuckled humorlessly. "I don't think
so. Probably just wants to catch up, you know."

"Better steer him in another direction,"
Hazel warned. "If Blake thinks you're into someone else, he
might—"

"I'm not," Taylor cut her off. "Blake has
nothing to worry about."

"If you say so."

"Blake doesn't own me," Taylor felt prompted
to say. "If he can't handle me being friends with someone I used to
know in elementary school, then he has a problem."

Actually, Taylor feared the problem was hers.
Only she wasn't quite sure what to do about it. Other than to let
him say whatever he had to and hope he'd leave her alone after
that. For both their sakes.

* * *

"Where are you off to?" Jimmy asked Lex in
the hall.

"Got somewhere I need to be," Lex responded
cryptically. As difficult as it had been to get Taylor to even talk
to him, he wasn't about to blow it by not showing up himself.

"Not still pining for Taylor Clawson, are
you?"

"We're old friends—nothing more," Lex
said.

"So you really do know her?"

"Used to."

"Someone forget to tell her that?" Jimmy
asked.

"Who knows," Lex said. "Gotta go." He saw no
reason to tell Jimmy that he was going to see Taylor. Only for him
to say it was a bad idea. Probably was, but that never stopped Lex
from doing things he wanted to before. Including the time he went
out on a limb and kissed Taylor back in the day. He'd never
forgotten, even if she had.

He made his way to the library, which was in
another building, and then wondered if Taylor had arrived yet. If
so, where was she? Or had she decided not to come and forgot to
tell him?

Then he saw her sitting a table near the
window, all by her lonesome. He smiled, happy to finally get the
chance to talk to her.

"Hey," he told her.

"Hey." She smiled faintly.

"Thought you might not show."

"I said I would."

"Yeah, you did." He sat across from her. "Do
you remember me now?"

Taylor met his eyes. "Of course I remember
you."

Lex felt relieved. "Then why pretend you
didn't?"

She shrugged. "I didn't recognize you right
away. But when you said your name, I remembered."

"You still didn't answer my question," he
said.

Taylor paused, not quite sure how to answer
it. She felt it would seem too childish to say she was still angry
that he'd moved away. And too whatever to say that she had a
jealous and sometimes violent boyfriend.

"I just didn't want to go there," she
said.

"Why not?" Lex asked, feeling it was a
reasonable question.

"Because we aren't ten years old anymore. I'm
not the same person I was then."

"Neither am I," he said. "But does that mean
we can't be friends today?"

She supposed they could, but why ask for
trouble she didn't need? Or him, for that matter?

"I guess not," Taylor said.

Lex sensed there was something else going on,
but didn't want to push it. "So no more pigtails or braces," he
said, grinning.

Taylor giggled. "Not for a long time. You've
changed, too." She couldn't believe just how much.

"Yeah, I know." That didn't mean he had
changed inside, even if he was more mature in some ways. He looked
at her and wondered what she was thinking. Probably about the guy
she was dating. "I never thought I'd see someone I knew at this
school." Definitely not you, he thought.

"It's weird for me, too," Taylor admitted.
"How did you end up moving here?"

"It's a pretty long story, when I begin it
with leaving San Jose," Lex told her. "But, in short, my stepdad's
job brought us to Lake Charmanie."

Taylor cocked a brow. "Are your
parents—?"

"Divorced."

"Sorry to hear that."

"I didn't really get a say in the matter,"
Lex mumbled. "But I guess it was best for them. Are your parents
still together?"