Jillian Dodd - Hate Me

Kassidy breaks out laughing even harder. “Apparently, not,” she says through her laughter, pointing to the rug.

And with that smart-ass comment, I decide she needs to be my friend.

Aiden’s finished eating his four thousand calorie lunch. I still don’t understand how boys can eat so many calories and stay buff.

He puts his hand on my thigh. “I think you’ve started a furry rug trend.”

“Riley is obsessed with them. It makes me laugh.”

“You have one in your closet at your loft.”

His comment sort of hangs there.

My breath catches as I think about us doing it in my closet. Surrounded by my clothes.

“I need to buy more clothes first.”

“Why?”

“Honestly?”

“Yes, honestly,” he says, leaning closer to me.

I look around at the table, seeing that everyone is engrossed in their own conversations. I cup my hand to Aiden’s ear and whisper, “Remember how I told you my closet at the loft is like my closet at home?”

He nods.

“I’ve always sort of fantasized about having sex there, on my rug.”

Aiden’s grip on my thigh tightens and he swallows hard. “But not in your loft?”

“My old closet is full of clothes and shoes. The new one is kinda bare. It wouldn’t be quite the same.”

He nuzzles my hair and whispers back in his deep, sexy voice. “Sounds like we need to do some serious shopping.”

We finish up lunch and head to French class.

“Are you excited for the pep rally?” I ask Aiden.

“I’m more excited about shopping,” he says with a smirk.

Jake comes up behind us, steps between us, and puts an arm around each of our shoulders. “I need your help at the pep rally.”

“Did you plan it all?”

“Plan what?” Aiden asks.

“Asking Annie to Winter Formal,” I tell him, then say to Jake, “What do you need?”

“Do you think the dancers could all throw glitter at her?”

“Where will she be sitting?”

“Believe it or not, Whitney offered to help. Annie is going to be sitting with her and Shark, front row, center.”

“Wow. That’s cool of her. And that’s perfect. What are you doing to do?”

He smiles and tells us his plan.

Will you?

French

Aiden and Annie are practicing for the test. I go up front and do mine for Miss Praline, since I’ll be gone tomorrow for the dance competition.

When I get back, I start brainstorming proposal ideas. Something involving the girls. Something cute.

I doodle on my paper.

Will

You

Marry

Me

?

Lets se marier

Veux-tu m'epouser?

Aiden leans over my shoulder. “Dreaming about asking me already?”

“I thought you were asking me, Mr. Eiffel Tower.”

He gives me an adorable grin. “That’s right. So what are you doing?”

“Remember the ring designs?”

“Yeah.”

“Now, I’m helping with proposal ideas.”

“Come up with anything?”

“A few,” I say as the bell rings and it’s announced that we’re supposed to head to the gym for the first pep rally of the basketball season.

“I heard you have new costumes for today,” Aiden says, holding my hand as we walk to the field house.

“We do. Hidden under this warm-up is a nice, skimpy little outfit.”

“My favorite kind,” he says with a naughty grin.

“Are you doing any shirtless cheerleading skits I need to be aware of?”

“Nope. I’ll just be standing out there with the team. Cheering you on.”

“So you’ll be cheering on the people who are cheering you on?”

“More like I’ll be cheering about how hot you look.”

“You might not even like it.”

He laughs. “I’ll let you know after the pep rally. Speaking of which, don’t you need to come to my room and wish me good luck before I leave?”

“You already have a permanent clover. No reason to draw one on you any more.”

“Fine. Maybe it’s just an excuse to kiss you.”

When we get to the field house, I give him a quick kiss and then rush into the dance locker room and strip down to my gold sequined bustier, little black shorts with Cougars scrolled across my butt, and pull on the sparkly gold fingerless gloves we’re wearing today in place of our pompoms.

We watch as the cheerleaders start the rally.

Peyton peeks her head out the door of our locker room, which leads straight into the gym. “The cheerleaders are wearing their warm-up suits. We’re going to look so much hotter. And I am in love with these gloves. All right, girls, listen up. After our dance, we’re going to help Jake Worth with his Formal proposal. I expect you to all be very excited about this. Immediately following our dance, Jake will walk out onto the floor, we’ll follow him, and then . . .” Peyton tells us the rest.

She peeks out the door again. “We’re almost up. I want you to pretend this is the competition. Big smiles. Focused performance. Show them how awesome our new routine is.”

We hear our music start playing and all run out onto the basketball court.

There are lots of whistles and screams due to our costumes alone, but as we do the routine, the students really get into it. The music is super upbeat and fun, and the routine itself contains more hip-hop than usual.

When we’re done, we run off the court, grab the bags of glitter waiting for us, then line up, forming a pathway for Jake to walk straight up to Annie.

Jake walks onto the court wearing his full prince costume.

Bryce accompanies him with a horn, playing a fanfare to announce him, then says “Now presenting the honorable Jake Worth.”

Everyone thinks this is part of the pep rally. The beginning of a skit.

Jake waves to the crowd and walks through our walkway. We all curtsy as he walks by.

He stands directly in front of Annie and addresses the students. “It seems that I’m without a date for the ball.” He makes a dramatically sad face. The students—well, the girls—yell things like, I’ll be your date, Prince Charming. Pick me. Marry me, Jake.

Jake pretends to look through the crowd while Bryce narrates from a note card. “The Prince looked far and wide for the most beautiful girl in the land to be his date for the ball. Women lined up in town after town, hoping to become his princess. But it wasn’t until the prince laid eyes on her that he knew she was the one.”

Jake drops down on one knee in front of Annie. He takes her hand and says, “Will you go to Winter Formal with me?”

Annie’s eyes are the size of saucers. Whitney nudges her shoulder and whispers, “Stand up .”

But Annie doesn’t. She just stares into Jake’s eyes and nods.

Jake stands up, pulling Annie with him and addresses the crowd, “She said yes!”

Everyone claps and cheers.

Jake holds out his elbow for her, like a proper prince would, leading her back through our human walkway. As they walk by, we toss glitter into the air.

The pep rally resumes, with Dawson and the coach speaking. I hadn’t realized he was the basketball team captain, too. The cheerleaders do another cheer. I glance off to the side of the gym and spy Jake and Annie kissing.

I’m so happy for her. Especially after the way Ace treated her.

When the rally is over, I bound over and hug her.

“Can you believe he did that?” she asks me, not letting go of Jake.

“Yes, I can believe it. He’s a real life prince.”

Jake laughs. “So not true. I just wanted her to feel like a princess. And this is just the beginning. We’re talking five-star restaurant, limo, dance, hotel suite. Only the best for my girl. And before you ask, Monroe, you and Aiden are invited to join us. I got reservations for all of us and a party bus for before the dance.”