Geeks Gone Wild Series: Geeks Gone Wild

By Maggie Dallen

Three full-length YA romantic comedies filled with first loves, swoony kisses, and forbidden crushes...

Follow best friends Margo, Suzie, and Matt as they inadvertently start a war within their school. It's the cool kids versus the geeks once the hashtag #GeeksGoneWild starts trending. Along the way they discover that not every friend can be trusted and not all enemies are as bad as they seem. But most of all, they find that love can come along when you least expect it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Maggie Dallen
• Release date: Jan 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9781386283782

Book preview

Geeks Gone Wild

Also by Maggie Dallen

A Wallflower's Wish

A Duke for Miss Daisy

A Lord for Miss Lily

A Marquess for Miss Marigold

Tis the Season for Lady Sarah

A Hero for Lady Abigail

The Earl's Runaway Bride

The Duke's Darling Debutante

The Viscount's Darling Adventure

The Marquess's Darling Match

Bluestocking Battalion

Miss Minerva's Pirate Mishap

Miss Abigail's Beastly Beau

Miss Sally's Unsuitable Soldier

Miss Rebecca's Rebellious Viscount

Miss Hattie's Reluctant Hero

Briarwood High

Out of His League

A Whole New League

The Perfect League

The Holiday Kiss

The Prom Kiss

The Candy Cane Kiss

The Cotton Candy Kiss

Crazy Crush

Tall, Dark, and Nerdy

Too Nerdy to Handle

The Man, The Myth, The Nerd

Dashing Lords

A Rake's Redemption

A Duke's Distraction

A Gentleman's Gamble

Fall in Love Like a Princess

A Shot With Prince Charming

First Loves

Just One Kiss

Only One Boy

One Little Lie

One Little Kiss

Geeks Gone Wild

Love at First Fight

My Virtual Prince Charming

Once Upon a Comic-Con

Geeks Gone Wild Series

How to Catch a Crush

Striking Out with the Star Pitcher

Saved by the Crush's Brother

Playing Hooky with the Hottie

First Kiss with the Quarterback

Sleepover with the Enemy

School of Charm

The Misadventures of Miss Adelaide: A Sweet Regency Romance

The Misunderstanding of Miss Louisa: A Sweet Regency Romance

The Miseducation of Miss Delilah: A Sweet Regency Romance

The Misgivings About Miss Prudence

The Mistletoe Mistake of Miss Grayson

The Mischievous Miss Charlotte

The Misguided Miss Mary

The Misplaced Miss Eloise

The Mysterious Miss Lydia

The Misfortunate Miss Farthington

Summer Love

Senior Week Crush

Senior Week Fling

Senior Week Kiss

Summer Love Boxset

The Ballerina Academy

The Quarterback and the Ballerina

The Running Back and the Prima Donna

The Wide Receiver and His Best Friend's Little Sister

The Kicker and the New Girl

The Fullback and His Best Friend

Standalone

A Lady's Luck

Crazy Crush Series

Audible Love

Geeks Gone Wild

Books 1-3

Maggie Dallen

Contents

Love at First Fight

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Epilogue

My Virtual Prince Charming

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Epilogue

Once Upon a Comic-Con

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Epilogue

About the Author

Love at First Fight

Geeks Gone Wild #1

Copyright © 2019 by Maggie Dallen

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Images © Shutterstock – Look Studio

Cover Design © Designed with Grace

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Chapter One

Margo

---

As far as back-to-school parties went, this one was…not exactly a rager.

My best friend Suzie floated beside me on a blow-up unicorn in the swimming pool in her backyard, her bright red curls falling over the edge of the inner tube and dangling in the chlorinated water. Ever the tomboy, she was wearing a white T-shirt and shorts over her swimsuit.

Our other best friend Matt sat perched on the edge of the pool, his feet dangling in the water as he peered down at the phone in his hand. His black horn-rimmed glasses reflected the sunlight and every once in a while I got a vicious glare off those coke-bottle lenses. He and Suzie were dressed almost identically, and with their stick-thin bodies and frighteningly pale skin, they could have been twins. How they could still be so pale after a summer in the sun was beyond me.

I rested my elbows on the edge of the pool and let my body float, my face tipped back to absorb the last fleeting rays of late-summer sun. Unlike them, I wasn’t trying to actively avoid sun exposure. In fact, I was actually trying to get a tan so I’d worn my skimpiest bikini to make sure I got as much color as possible.

This was pretty much exactly the way the three of us had spent every other late afternoon this summer when we weren’t otherwise occupied by part-time jobs or early admissions college applications. There were only two factors that made this day different from any other. The first was the obscene amount of Diet Dr. Peppers sitting in a cooler beside the pool, courtesy of Suzie’s mom. The second, and far more important difference, was that Suzie’s parents were out of town for the weekend.

I still can’t believe your parents let you have a party when they’re not home, Matt said, finally lifting his head from whatever site he’d been perusing that had kept him occupied for the better half of the last hour.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Suzie shrug. Why wouldn’t they?

I lifted my head slightly to give Matt a knowing look. The girl had a point. We were far from troublemakers. All of us were in the Honor Society, not one of us had ever had so much as a detention, and our wildest party to date had consisted of too much sugar, an excessive amount of caffeine, and an all-nighter in front of our laptops as we battled it out to the death in MageRunner, Suzie’s favorite video game.

Still, Matt said with a shrug. My parents would never let me have people over when they were away.

Me neither, I said, pulling my shoulder-length brown hair up into a topknot so I could dip down lower in the water without getting it wet. With my shoulders now under water and out of the heat, I let my head rest back against the pool wall with a sigh. It was amazing how exhausting it could be just lying in the sun.

Yeah, well, Suzie said, her tone filled with all the laziness I was feeling. I guess I deserve to be trusted, right?

There was no arguing that. Out of the three of us, Suzie made me and Matt look like rock stars. There was good and then there was a goody-two-shoes. Suzie proudly fell into the latter category. If one were to overanalyze the situation, one might conclude that her aversion to being bad was in direct correlation to her younger brother’s propensity for trouble.

If I had a sibling who was only a year younger than me and determined to steal all of my parents’ attention by getting in trouble on a daily basis, I’d probably be on the extreme end of the behavior spectrum too. As it was, I was an only child. I had no one else to blame for my lack of a rebellious streak. It just wasn’t in my nature, I guess. Some people were driven by a desire to be cool, and others were more interested in succeeding in life.

I didn’t know at what point exactly I’d realized this small town in Pennsylvania wasn’t my destiny, but my desire to flee was as deeply ingrained as Matt’s desire to expose the world’s injustices with hard-hitting journalism or Suzie’s desire to win daughter of the year.

So yeah, I guess my nerdiness was due in large part to me not wanting to screw up. I mean, college was my ticket out of this suburban hell, and there was no way I’d mess that up, not with only one year left to go.

Still, even knowing that, I couldn’t help but think that maybe this back-to-school party was just a little lame. Even for us.

Yes, I adored my friends, and yes, hanging out at Suzie’s pool with these guys had been the highlight of my summer. But this was Labor Day weekend. This was it—the last hoorah before school started up. The final days before our senior year of high school. The beginning of the end. The weekend leading up to the final stretch before we tasted the freedom that was college.

So yeah. While this little poolside shindig might not have looked like much of a party to an outside observer, this was absolutely a celebration. In spirit, at least.

Matt’s voice cut through the lazy summer silence once more. Do you ever think…

What? I prompted when it became clear that he wasn’t going to finish that thought.

Never mind.

I shifted so my toes touched the bottom of the pool and I could see him over the pool’s ledge. Suzie lifted her head too so we were both staring over at Matt.

It was so not like Matt to hesitate over his words. Suzie? Yes. She was more of a think before you speak kind of gal. But Matt?

His short brown hair was covered by a ridiculously dorky sunhat and he blinked over at us with a wry smile. Seriously, never mind.

Matt, Suzie said with that motherly warning tone she’d mastered years ago.

It was the tone she used with her brother Dale and it never failed to make guys everywhere turn into little boys. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. It had lost its effect on Dale at around the same time he’d hit puberty and become an outrageous jerk.

But it still worked on Matt, and he squirmed under her knowing stare. Okay, fine, he said. Do you sometimes think that we’re…I don’t know… He shrugged. Missing out?

Suzie looked over at me but I didn’t quite meet her eyes. I knew exactly what he meant. Every cheesy teen movie ever made had taught us all the expected rites of passage we ought to be experiencing in high school and this party was just our latest failure to live up to society’s expectations.

What are you trying to say? I said, feigning indignation. "That we’re boring?"

He widened his eyes. No, no. Of course not.

Yeah, Matt, Suzie said, her tone teasing. What are you trying to say?

I waded over toward him and splashed him with some water, making him flinch and recoil as though he were a cat. He’d never been big on swimming. He narrowed his eyes and kicked, splashing me right in the face and making me sputter.

When I wiped away the water they were both laughing at me and I grinned back. We are so not boring.

No, of course not, Matt said again quickly. "I mean, I know that, and you know that—"

Then who cares what anyone else thinks? Suzie said.

There was a weird sort of tension in the air because this wasn’t the first time this topic had come up, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. It was an ongoing debate this summer and it usually ended with Matt on one side, Suzie on the other, and me awkwardly stuck in the middle.

Because here’s the thing. I got where Matt was coming from. This would be our senior year—AKA our last year as a threesome, in the totally platonic sense of the word. It would also be our last chance to experience high school life, for better or for worse.

At some point over the summer, Matt had apparently watched one too many John Hughes movies while trying to avoid the sun. He’d become much more sentimental about the whole creating high school memories thing than me and Suzie, and while his new attitude wasn’t exactly controversial, it put Suzie on edge. Understandably, to some extent.

Suzie and I were sort of on the same page about senior year. We just needed to get through it. This last year of high school was a necessary evil. A means to an end. We had to not only survive it, but excel at it and make it through the first semester with flying colors so we could each go to the college of our respective dreams.

Matt understood all of this, of course. I mean, no one was more determined to get into college than he was—he’d even applied for early acceptance that was how psyched he was to get out of Grover, PA and on to Stanford, CA.

Or Palo Alto, CA? Wherever Stanford University was located in California, that’s where he aimed to be next fall.

Anyway, the point was, he understood that part of it. He was totally on board with all of us doing what needed to be done to get into the colleges of our dreams. But I think there was a little part of him that felt like we were missing out on some key experiences by being…you know. Not popular.

I still say we ought to have some stupid, clichéd high school memories to call upon when we’re old and fat and surrounded by kids, Matt said.

Suzie let out a little snort of laughter. Speak for yourself, Cartwright. Personally, I don’t plan on being fat.

He rolled his eyes. You know what I mean.

And I am definitely not popping out a bunch of babies, I said.

You’re both being intentionally obtuse, he mumbled.

And you’re being too serious for our last party of the summer, I said.

He met my gaze evenly and I was a little surprised by how serious he looked. Matt was rarely this serious and for the first time I realized how much this meant to him. I shifted closer so I could prop my arms next to his knees. You don’t honestly want to try and be… I waved my arms a little as I looked for the word.

Cool? Suzie said the word with such disgust that Matt and I shared a grin.

Oh the horror, I teased.

Yeah, seriously, Matt said. I could think of worse things than being known for something other than our good grades.

Like what? Suzie asked.

He looked to me but I was no help. I arched my brows expectantly.

Matt let out a little huff of exasperation. "You guys, this is senior year. This is supposed to be our year—"

And it will be, Suzie insisted. You’re going to be the editor-in-chief of the school paper, I’m going to be president of the computer science club, and Margo is going to be first chair in the band.

I beamed at the reminder. The fact that I was finally, finally going to be first chair still made me giddy beyond belief. Was the clarinet the sexiest instrument in the world? No, of course not. And I’ll admit, when I’d first been told to choose an instrument I’d only picked it because it was portable and sounded more exotic than a flute. But I’d taken to it, I’d mastered it, and I’d embraced it wholeheartedly, becoming an involved and enthusiastic member of the band.

That’s right. I was a full-fledged band geek and proud of it. I was good. Like, really good. And now that Rose Gladwell had graduated and I was the senior clarinetist, the first-chair glory was all mine.

Fine, Matt said, giving in to our argument as he always did with a cute little smile that showed off his dimples. You’re right, this will be our year. But you’ve got to admit we don’t have a lot to show for this summer.

I pulled myself out of the pool and sat beside him, water pooling around me and soaking his shorts. Don’t tell me you’re worried about that stupid back-to-school assignment.

Suzie groaned. "Is that what this is about, Matt? You feel left out because we don’t have all sorts of photos documenting our glory days?"

Matt and I both laughed at her sarcasm—one thing we all agreed on was that anyone who said high school was the best time of their lives must have super pathetic lives. But despite his laughter, I also noticed that Matt didn’t argue with her, which meant she was right. That stupid slideshow was at least partly responsible for this latest outburst.

As our resident AV club nerd, some of Matt’s buddies had been put in charge of the principal’s latest lame attempt to be innovative. He’d gotten this idea in his head that this year’s welcome back assembly would involve a slideshow featuring all the incoming seniors in a what I did last summer presentation.

Lame.

Even lamer because if the principal were even half as innovative as he’d like to think, he would have realized that such a thing already existed in our world. It was called Instagram. If I’d wanted to see Julia Farrow and her fellow cheerleader friends taking selfies at the beach I’d be following them on social media.

I wasn’t, just like they weren’t following me and my friends. Because they didn’t care what we’d done this summer any more than I cared about what they’d been up to.

Of course, I had some idea, but not out of any sort of keen interest. Only because I happened to live next door to one of the pretty people. Jason Connolly—AKA star quarterback. AKA the school’s equivalent of Prince Freakin’ Charming. AKA the most popular guy in our class and one whose parents didn’t seem to care that their house and back patio were pretty much always overcrowded with the kind of people who either didn’t know I existed or who’d been making fun of me since junior high.

All of that I could handle. I mean, I didn’t love being mocked and ignored but it was to be expected. I knew where I fit in on the social totem pole at Grover High and I was fine with it. No, what really irritated me was Jason—the white-hat wearing knight himself. Why? Because he was so dang nice.

That doesn’t sound like much of a complaint, right? But it was. It drove me nuts, because he insisted on acting friendly to me, as if nothing had changed. As if we were still best buds who played in our backyards together and used walkie-talkies to communicate from our respective windows.

He acted like middle school and junior high never happened, like there was never a great divide as he became one of the pretty people and I became…well, I became a nerd. I didn’t mind my social status—in fact, I embraced it. I loved my friends, I couldn’t wait for my future, and unlike the pretty, mindless clones who followed Jason and Julia around the school like a flock of sheep, my outcast status allowed me to wear whatever I wanted, to say whatever I wanted, and to do whatever I dang-well pleased.

So no, I didn’t mind being Grover High’s resident band geek. What I minded was Jason’s obliviousness. What I hated was the way he seemed so incredibly ignorant to the fact that his friends were a bunch of grade-A meatheads and the girls who fawned all over him looked at me like I was an insect beneath their feet.

But then again, I guess it was easy to be oblivious to things like social status and the unfair divide that let him and his friends breeze through an idyllic high school experience while my friends and I watched from the sidelines.

I tried to shove aside all irritating thoughts of a certain sexy, smiling dirty-blond quarterback as I focused on my actual friends. The real friends who stuck by my side when the school divided itself up into the cool and the not cool, the pretty people and the geeks.

So yeah, I was over it. Mostly. But I could tell you right here and now—one of the best parts of going off to college?

Moving away from the boy next door.

Chapter Two

Margo

---

I slapped a hand on Matt’s shoulder. Please don’t tell me you’re stressing over your life choices just because Principal Kramer is trying to be hip.

He grinned over at me. I’m not stressing about life choices, I’m just saying…

Suzie and I waited patiently. I think maybe we were both hoping that for once this summer he could accurately explain what was making him so discontented with our daily routine.

He leaned over until his elbows rested on his knees. I don’t know, I guess it bothers me that after all these years going to school together, the rest of our class still doesn’t get how cool you guys are.

Suzie and I stared at him. Then we looked at one another. And then we burst out laughing so hard I almost fell back into the pool. Suzie actually did fall into the pool as she climbed out of the unicorn so she could clutch onto the edge of the pool.

Okay, Matt said with a tolerant smile. Laugh all you want. I’m totally serious.

I know you are, Suzie said through gasping laughs. And that’s what’s so funny.

I hadn’t stopped laughing long enough to respond.

You are, Matt insisted. I mean, maybe not cool in the conventional sense.

That set me off all over again. What other ‘sense’ is there?

He shook his head, ignoring our laughter. I mean, no one knows how tough Margo is or how badass Suzie can be or—

You think I’m tough? I asked as Suzie mouthed "badass?" to me with wide-eyed shock.

Yes and yes, he said, amusement making his exasperation adorable rather than persnickety. You guys are smart and funny and brave and—

Aww. I slapped a hand over my heart as I leaned over and rested my head against his arm. That’s so sweet.

Suzie was nodding emphatically. It really is. Thank you, Matt.

He dropped his head with a laugh. "You still don’t get it. I know all that about you guys but no one else does. No one knows how…how fun you guys are."

Suzie and I shared a look and I think she, like me, didn’t know what to say to that. Matt was a softie at heart, he always had been, but neither of us was used to hearing this sort of non-ironic sentimentality.

Easy, Matt, I said, nudging his arm. You’ve got a solid ten months until graduation. Don’t use up all the sappiness too soon.

Suzie nodded with a straight face. Premature sentimentality is not a joking matter. It affects one in ten men.

Matt playfully slapped her upside the head. Shut up.

She shoved him back and soon they were trying to push one another into the pool, but neither of them actually succeeded. At least, not before we were so rudely interrupted.

What up, losers! Suzie’s brother shouted it in a low voice like he was a sports announcer. His three friends who followed him out back thought he was hilarious.

Dale, what are you doing here? Suzie said, all laughter forgotten as she scowled over at her annoying little brother.

And by little I mean in age only. Though everyone referred to them as Irish twins, thanks to their close ages, Suzie and Dale were exact opposites in looks. While Suzie was short and skinny, Dale was tall and well-built. While we’ve already established that Suzie wasn’t cool in the conventional sense, Dale most definitely was.

Well, cool was subjective, I supposed. Personally, I’d rather spend time with just about anyone else on the planet than Dale Bryer, but that didn’t make him any less popular. He was a jock, plain and simple. He played on the basketball team and seemed to be constantly surrounded by a small crew of guys and girls at any given time. So yeah, by conventional standards, he was in an entirely different league than Suzie, or me, or Matt.

A fact he just loved to point out every chance he got.

Mom said I was allowed to have people over, not you, Suzie said, coming to her feet and hurrying to cut her brother off as he headed toward her phone, which was currently plugged into the outdoor speaker system and playing the soft indie rock that Suzie loved so much.

Chill, dork, Dale said. What my hardass mom don’t know won’t hurt her. He directed this lovely last bit to his friends who laughed appreciatively like he was a standup comedian or something.

Suzie was not amused. I’m serious, Dale.

"I’m serious, Dale." He mimicked her in a high-pitched voice as he easily reached around her, pulled the plug out of her phone and stuck it into his own. Two seconds later the music switched to something awful—some sort of hip-hop song with a bass beat that hurt my ears.

Dale! She chased after him as he headed back toward his friends, her red curls bobbing as she ran to keep pace with his long strides. We’ll both get in trouble if—

Not if you don’t rat me out, dork. And you won’t. He didn’t say that part but we all knew it to be true. Much as Suzie and Dale were constantly at one another’s throats, they were also siblings, as well as the son and daughter to a…well, I wouldn’t use the word hardass, myself, but some might.

Suzie’s mom was strict and kind of terrifying. Her dad was a little more laidback but he let their mother take the reins when it came to punishments and let’s just say she put the dungeon at the Tower of London to shame. Oh, she wasn’t into corporal punishment, but the slightest infraction of her rules had been known to lead to a months’ long grounding, and her favorite means of torture? The removal of any and all technology, which was equally painful for the video-game-loving Suzie as well as her social-media addicted brother.

I supposed there were two ways that kids could go after being raised for more than a decade under such a strict parent. Dale had chosen the path of rebellion, while Suzie had opted for the other extreme.

But for all her good-girl tendencies, Dale was right. She’d never once ratted him out, because as she put it—there was such a thing as a bro code. Like, a literal bro-as-in-brother code, not the other kind that forbade a guy from hitting on another dude’s girl.

Anyway, Matt and I knew without a doubt that all her threats—while impressively shouted and interspersed with curses that would make a sailor blush—were all just a bunch of hot air.

The problem was, Dale knew it too. And so did all his friends. Which was likely why they were paying her no mind, already turning their attention to some other task that apparently involved opening the back gate, which led to the street behind their house.

Matt came to stand beside me and I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that we stood there gaping in shocked silence for several moments. I don’t want to sound super sheltered or anything but…maybe I was, because this was the first time I’d ever seen a keg before.

Well, the first time in real life, I mean. I watched plenty of movies, thank you very much, so I knew what the large metal thing was without having to ask. It was safe to say Matt did too, judging by his whoa, muttered under his breath.

Whoa. My thoughts exactly. Okay, okay, so maybe a keg showing up at a back-to-school party wasn’t such a big deal…for literally anyone else. But a keg showing up at Suzie’s house and at our back-to-school party?

We were officially in unchartered territory here, folks.

Do you think Suzie’s going to start frothing at the mouth? Matt asked as we watched her turn beet red with rage at the sight of the keg.

I shook my head. I don’t know. Maybe. Should we intervene?

He frowned down at me, his dark brown eyes filled with indecision as he tipped back his silly sunhat. This seems like a sibling thing, doesn’t it?

I had a feeling my expression was just as indecisive. As two only children, Matt and I were forever perplexed by Suzie and Dale and their bizarre love-hate relationship.

Maybe we should let them work it out amongst themselves, I said. We both turned back to see Dale holding the remote for the stereo over his head, dangling it just out of her reach as our petite little redheaded friend tried to leap up and snag it.

This is sad to watch, Matt said.

I nodded. Agreed.

Finally, Suzie stopped taking the bait and she glared up at her smirking brother, her arms planted on her hips. Her mighty warrior pose was only slightly diminished by her short height and the fact that her T-shirt and shorts were wet from the pool and clinging to her in a way that looked more than a little uncomfortable.

Why do you have to be such a jerk? she demanded.

Dale leaned down. Why do you have to be such a loser?

I am not.

I half expected Dale to retort with an ‘are too’ but while they came this close to childish bickering, they stopped just short.

Dale took a step back and threw his arms out wide. Live a little, dork. It’s your first party.

Suzie looked around with a horrified expression and it was only then that I saw more of Dale’s friends trickling in through the back door.

This isn’t my party, she said. Those aren’t my friends.

That’s because you don’t have any friends. He looked over at me and Matt. No offense, losers.

Matt looked down at me. Uh, none taken? he muttered.

Dale turned back to Suzie as I shrugged. I don’t think he expects a response.

Sure enough, Dale was already trying to talk Suzie into going along with his version of a party, which, to be honest, looked a lot more like what a high school no-parents-around sort of party was supposed to look like. I mean, in the conventional sense, of course.

With the music and the newcomers, Matt and I only caught snippets of the argument going on between brother and sister, but it was clearly escalating quickly. What started as a fight over what course this party should take—raging kegger or tame pool party—rapidly descended into well-worn topics.

Why do you have to always make everything about you? Suzie said.

Why do you have to make such a big deal out of everything? he shot back.

I shifted closer to Matt. Um, at what point do we intervene?

Matt shook his head. No idea. His attention was still on the keg—or rather, the rather impressive crowd gathered around it.

You never take responsibility for your actions, Suzie was shouting in the background.

Seriously, dork, why can’t you just learn to chill for once.

"I am chill, Suzie shot back in a shrill tone that no one in their right mind would describe as chill."

Dale threw his head back with a taunting laugh and I cringed on Suzie’s behalf. Everyone at school thought Suzie was all quiet and meek, but Matt and I knew better. The girl had a temper. Anger made her cheeks turn red as she marched around, following her brother as he greeted newcomers with red Solo cups filled with beer.

I can’t look away, Matt said.

I know, I said with a wince. It’s like a train wreck waiting to happen.

We were so focused on the Suzie-Dale drama that Matt and I both jumped at the sound of laughter coming from behind us.

What do we have here? a low voice drawled.

Ugh. My skin crawled at the familiar voice.

Joel Hodgins, Suzie’s next door neighbor and one of the football team’s star players.

I turned around slowly and faced the guy who gave new meaning to the term meathead.

He was sneering as he took in the sight before him. I can’t believe it. You guys are trying to throw a party. He burst out in a gut laugh that had Matt straightening and me clenching my fists.

Most of our classmates had outgrown the whole mocking bully stage. These days their particular form of torture typically came from whispers and backstabbing, and they almost always stuck to their own social circles.

Joel here hadn’t gotten the memo. He was like a cliché straight out of some bad eighties movie. I’d never had much of a stomach for bullies. Hold my beer, I muttered to Matt.

You don’t have any beer, he said.

I’d been making a joke, but obviously it hadn’t translated. Whatever. I had more important things to worry about. Like making sure Joel didn’t make a bad situation even worse for poor Suzie. She already had her hands full with a jerky jock of her own.

It wasn’t until I was right in front of him that I realized a key strategic error.

The bikini.

The stupid skimpy bikini that was only ever supposed to be seen by Suzie and Matt—not Joel, and certainly not Dale’s followers.

Crap, where the hell had I put that towel?

Joel was eyeing me with a lecherous smirk that made my skin crawl, but I refused to cower. I straightened my shoulders and held my head high as I glared at him. Get out of here, Joel, you weren’t invited.

That made him laugh harder, his eyes never meeting mine as he took his sweet time eyeing me. Not bad, Margo. I had no idea you were hiding a killer body under that God-awful band uniform.

I refused to look down to see what he was seeing. I mean, I knew what he was seeing. There was no doubt in my mind that Joel was mocking me because my body was far from killer. I wasn’t super overweight but I also wasn’t stick thin like Suzie. I was somewhere in between with curves in all the right places, but also in some not-right places too. There was more padding than I’d like around my hips and butt, for example, and a belly that refused to lie flat no matter how much I tried to suck it in. So yeah, I knew exactly what Joel was seeing because I’d looked in the mirror before. But the self-conscious urge to look down and evaluate myself was real.

I resisted.

Whose idea was this? Joel asked, jerking his chin toward the party behind us. Matt had come to stand at my side—for moral support, I guess. Joel reached over and slapped his shoulder. This your idea, man? You suddenly turning into a badass on us?

He laughed at his own joke, and I straightened further, annoyed on Matt’s behalf, even though Matt seemed to be taking it in stride. He just eyed Joel like he was an interesting science experiment, nonchalant as ever.

Joel jerked his chin up at me. I’m going to have the guys over from the team later. Come on over, we’ll show you what a real party looks like.

I glanced over at Matt because what the…what? Neither of us had ever been invited to a football players’ party before. When I turned back he was smiling at me, and it was gross. It was beyond gross.

Come on, he said. I’ve seen you hanging around Jason’s house when he has the guys over. Don’t pretend you’re not dying to hang with us.

Jason. The mention of his name made my annoyance levels rise approximately twenty degrees. "I wasn’t hanging around his house, I said. He’s my neighbor."

Joel didn’t seem to hear me. You’re totally stalking him. I saw you crash his party last week, trying to get all up in his business.

I was telling him to turn down the music, I said.

My logical and truthful response fell on deaf ears.

He’ll probably be coming to my party tonight, Joel said. You don’t have to stalk him to get him to talk to you. He eyed me again. You just need to wear that.

I turned to Matt because I needed to make sure I wasn’t the only sane person in the county. I live next door to Jason. What am I supposed to do, evacuate my home every time he has a party?

Matt’s lips were twitching in amusement as he shrugged. His eyes said, Don’t let this moron get under your skin.

Too late. Between Joel’s idiocy and Dale’s voice tormenting Suzie behind me, I was ready to say Bye, Felicia to everyone with testosterone in the general vicinity.

Excluding Matt, of course.

I was vaguely aware of Suzie’s pitch growing ever higher as she tried to be heard over the music. I’m not afraid. I never said I was afraid.

Oh crap. I resisted the urge to look back. Joel needed to be dealt with but…what was Suzie not afraid of and why did I get the feeling Dale was pushing her buttons?

Here was the thing about my quiet, sweet friend Suzie. She’d never been able to back down from a challenge. Anyone who’d known her for more than a minute could tell you that. Suzie would never back down, and she would never admit to being afraid…of anything. Maybe that was why she was so into video games. She lived for a challenge. Of course, most people didn’t know that because most people didn’t look past the cute little redhead façade.

I didn’t know what Dale was up to, but I had to get back to Suzie before she did something stupid to prove a point. Or worse, something smart to make Dale look stupid. Basically, I needed to get back to Suzie before she did…anything. Her voice was reaching dog-whistle levels and this couldn’t end well.

Get out of here, Joel, I said one last time before turning to leave.

How are you going to make me?

I stopped mid-step and spun back around at the taunting tone. Seriously?

Was he seriously picking a fight with me? I mean, Joel might’ve been a big burly brute but even he knew better than to pick a fight with a girl. But one look at his leering expression clued me in to what he meant by that taunt.

Ew. I didn’t try to hide my disgust. Don’t be a perv, Joel. Just go home.

His smile grew unbearably smug as some of his friends came over to join him. Wonderful. Just what I needed. More dumb jocks getting an eyeful. Joel’s perviness went up a notch now that he had an audience. I’ll get you an in with your boy Jason if you give me something in return. What do you say?

His friends laughed as I gawked up at him. He was joking. I knew he was joking, but I still wanted to punch him in the throat. You wish, Joel.

Come on, he taunted. You can be the first clip on my new YouTube channel. I’m thinking of calling it Geeks Gone Wild. He waved a hand at the scene behind me. This right here is gold, babe. A bunch of dorks trying to party it up. It’s hilarious.

I squinted at him in disgust but he wasn’t looking at me anymore, he was looking over my shoulder. "Oh no way. No. Way. His eyes widened. Is that Suzie Bryers?"

He burst out laughing as I spun around.

Oh holy God. What on earth was she doing?

A kegstand—that’s what she was doing.

Suzie Bryers, my best friend and a girl who I knew for a fact had never touched a drop of alcohol before, was currently being held up by her ankles by some of her brother’s friends as she chugged beer straight out of the tap.

I ran over so quickly I lost track of Matt. I hoped beyond hope that he was beating the crap out of Joel, but I definitely wouldn’t have placed bets on it.

Matt was absolutely mightier with a pen, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, I reached the keg just in time to watch them lower her to the ground to a small round of applause. Suzie wiped her mouth and then she looked up and her gaze met mine.

Oh no. Oh no no no.

I read her like a book and then what I knew without a doubt was that she was going to hurl and it was going to happen any second. Suzie, come help me find some clothes to change into, I said, quickly taking her by the arm and leading her in through the house that was as familiar as my own. When we reached the hall leading to her bedroom I shoved her into the bathroom and we made it just in time.

Suzie prayed to the porcelain gods and she prayed hard.

It was…disgusting. And it seemed to last forever. When at long last she came to a stop, she was shaking and pale. I am never drinking ever again.

I rubbed her back. I don’t blame you.

She seemed to actually see me for the first time since before the keg incident. Her brows drew together as she took in the sight of me. Um, Margo? What are you wearing?

Chapter Three

Jason

---

I tossed my copy of Catcher in the Rye on my bedside table with a groan.

Three more chapters until my summer reading would officially be done, and it was ending on the most depressing note possible. This coming from a guy who’d read The Bell Jar last week.

Was reading bummer novels my favorite pastime for a warm summer’s evening and one of the last free nights before school began?

Hell no. But I only had one more year. I only had one more chance. College wouldn’t pay for itself and I had to keep my eye on the prize if I wanted to get out of this town on a free ride.

All eyes would be on me this year and as the captain of the football team it fell on me to make sure that not only I passed my classes with flying colors, but that my teammates didn’t get into trouble either.

I wasn’t too worried. Last year we’d had a few bad seeds which was why our coach had been giving us warning lectures about how we were all on behavioral probation this year, whatever the hell that meant. His threats seemed like overkill since we all knew that the worst influences graduated last spring so, like I said, I wasn’t worried.

Still… I glanced over at the most depressing book of all time. Lead by example, right? That was the coach’s favorite new phrase and the one that was currently ringing in my ears. I’d been repeating it to myself ever since I’d gotten the first text from Joel, inviting me over for one of his epic end-of-summer parties.

The temptation was real. I liked to party as much as the next guy and it sucked knowing that my friends and teammates were all there having fun without me.

But there would be parties in college, right?

Right.

Good pep talk, Connolly.

Screw it. There was no way I could read the rest of this book without some sort of sustenance. I got up and headed out of my bedroom, but not before pausing in front of my window for just a little too long.

Margo wasn’t there. Her bedroom window was on the second floor and while we weren’t close enough to talk, or even see much of each other’s bedrooms, it was obvious that the lights were off. Don’t ask me when I’d started to pay attention to Margo’s comings and goings. Maybe I kind of always had—I mean, we had been friends once upon a time.

I found myself looking down at her backyard, even though the sun had set. What, did I really think I’d find her laying out in the bikini again?

It had been a fluke that I’d seen her that once, and now…well, now I couldn’t seem to pass my window without glancing over there. Just in case.

But of course she wasn’t there, either. She, like every other soon-to-be-senior, was probably out enjoying her last weekend of freedom with her friends.

What exactly did she and her friends do for fun?

I’ll admit that this question kept me occupied for too long. I was