Meet Me at Our Place: Arrowsmith High, #3

By MJ Ray

They are best friends.
She just wants to be popular.
He just wants her.

Being popular feels like the only way to belong… that's what I thought, at least. I'm Harper, and I'm desperate to be accepted. But there's a secret side of me, a hobby I have to unwind, something that wouldn't exactly boost my popularity. So, I keep it hidden. And there's Edward, my best friend since forever, who knows me better than anyone else. He tries to reassure me that I'm loved just the way I am.

Everything changes when I receive a letter from a secret admirer. Suspicion fills my mind, and I start doubting everyone around me. The one person I'm closest to is the one I least suspect.
When Edward finds out I've never been kissed before, he wants to be the one who gives me a lesson, just as friends, of course. But with each stolen moment, a new connection forms, and it becomes harder to deny the growing feelings between us.

"Meet Me at Our Place" is the heartfelt third book in the enchanting Arrowsmith High series. Get ready for a tale of best friends falling in love, where a young heroine discovers her own value and electrifying magic of first kisses. MJ Ray delivers a sweet YA romance that will make you believe in young love that lasts a lifetime.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: MJ Ray
• Release date: Dec 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201135812

Book preview

Prologue

Harper

6 years earlier…

It can't be true. I'm sure when I wake up tomorrow, it will be a big misunderstanding. They’re my mum and dad. How can they be splitting up? All the shouting and arguing, that's surely normal when you've been married so long. That's what people do. Splitting up is drastic. I need to talk to Ed. He'll know what to do.

I check the time. After 5, he'll be home. I text him our code words - the one that alerts him that I need him.

Our Place.

That's all I need to say. When I go to our den, he will be there.

My limbs are heavy as I put my trainers on and go outside. This dark January evening is doing nothing for my mood.

Yeah, I need Edward. I get a thumbs-up back, so I know he'll be there. Mum and Dad won't notice I've gone. They're still talking in the living room. Our family meeting was over fast. It was, Harper, we have something to tell you, but we don't want you to look at it as bad news. They seriously said that. How can it not be bad news? They went on to say they'll be happier apart, blah blah, so I'll be happier, and I’ll get to see them both, but not at the same time, and I get to decorate a new bedroom. Whoop. Who cares? I want my mum and dad to stay together. They're talking in the other room, but I can't make out anything they're saying. In case they realise I'm gone, I write a quick note on the kitchen wipe board "Den with Ed." So they know where I am.

That's one thing they did right. My den. My safe haven where I spend most of my time. Dad made it for me when I was around seven, for me and the twin boys next door. Cooper and Edward. Thank god they moved in when I was six. Cooper is great, and I know him well, but Edward? I don't know what I’d do without my best friend. I will live my whole life and never find another best friend like him.

Five years later, I'm using the den more than ever. Ed and I spend most of our time there.

I walk through the back garden, down the winding path, taking in the different perfumes of the plants. If I close my eyes and breathe in, I can name all the plants in the garden—which I do right now so that my mind is on scents of nature and not Mum and Dad splitting up. I open the gate leading out of the garden, grab the waterproof torch hanging on a hook at the side, and make my way into the woods. The leaves crunch under my feet, the frost setting in for the night. It's pitch black, but even without a torch, I’d find my way there. I get to the den and bend to get inside, reaching where the battery-operated lights are. There's a Minecraft torch, a lava lamp and a candle - things we've collected over the years to give us a little light. I sit on the makeshift floor, an old piece of lino covered with two blankets and two sleeping bags. We haven't slept out here for years, but the sleeping bags stay here for extra comfort and warmth.

It's me, Harp, Edward shouts from outside.

My body relaxes, and I unclench my jaw. He'll know what to do… what to say to make everything alright. Yes, I hero-worship Edward, but that's because he always sorts things out in that relaxed way of his. His presence calms me.

He pops his head through the den opening, his green eyes full of concern. Hey, what's up?

My tears come as soon as he gets the question out.

He pushes his way into the den, throwing himself down beside me. Hey, hey, it's OK. What happened? Take a deep breath, Harp. Whatever it is, it can't be that bad.

It… my mum and dad… they've told me… it can't be real, Ed.

He puts his arm around me. What can't?

They're getting a… a… divorce. I sob, not even sure he'll understand me in this state. I try to calm down, taking a deep breath.

Oh my god, they're what? No… they can't be.

I nod. It's true. I don't want to believe it, but they said they've tried to make it work but decided they will be happier apart.

Shit, Harp. That's awful.

They said that they will make sure I'm OK, that it's nothing I've done.

He is silent for a moment and exhales. You've said they argue, but I didn't realise it was this bad.

Yeah. I whisper, It's been horrible. They argue all the time.

He pulls me to his side. Maybe it’s for the best. Maybe they’ll be happier apart. If they're not rowing all the time, maybe you'll be happier too.

I shake my head. This is too much to digest. How will I get through this? I can't bear it, and what if I’m forced to stay with my dad, and he's far away? What if I don't get to spend my spare time with you?

Nothing will stop us from being friends, don't worry. We will sort it out. We own phones. If it comes to it when you're at your dad’s, we will video call, and maybe your dad will let me visit.

I bite my lip. Yeah, that sounds good. I'm sure Dad would do that. I nod, I hope so.

If they're unhappy, though, this might be for the best. I’m sure it feels awful right now, but give it a couple of days to sink in.

I can't imagine ever being ok. Nothing will be the same again.

He squeezes my shoulder. Trust me, you'll see. Your best bud is gonna help you through it, k?

I sniffle and nod. K.

And I know he will. Things will be tough, but I'll always have Ed.

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Six months later…

I traipse down the high school corridor, hoping that I'm moving in the right direction. I check my map. It's horrible being new. High school is terrifying. It's noisy and busy. Everybody is rough when they try to get past you; they shove you out of the way, and it's hard to find your classes. Luckily, my friend Heidi is in my form.

Travelling to school is fine because I get the bus with Edward and Cooper. They're in the year above me, but we all get on the same bus. The school arranged a smaller bus for a few of us who live the furthest from school. I don't see the twins much at school, but that's because they keep my year in a separate yard to help us settle in.

The twins being in the year above helps, though. They know everyone, and because I hang with them, everybody is super friendly to me. I love it when I walk into school with them. My protectors.

How much attention Edward and Cooper would get at school didn't enter my mind. Identical twins that are, I guess, good-looking. I've never thought about them that way. They're tall, with brown hair and brown eyes… I guess they're hot. Cooper is just Cooper - he tolerates me, and we get on fine, but he likes to spend time on his own. Edward is my best friend. I can't imagine my life without him, but I've never thought of him as a boy. Watching these girls drool over him makes me see him in a different light. Edward hangs around with the popular people, Cooper hangs around with a couple of guys who don’t mix well with others.

I see how girls from their year judge me when I hang with the twins in their courtyard. They wonder why an ordinary girl like me hangs with the twins. They certainly don't see me as competition. All they do is look down their noses at me - the distaste rolls off them in waves. They are intimidating.

When I'm in a higher year, I'll never look down on anybody like they do. I could never be horrible and purposely hurt people's feelings. Edward is standing with a few friends, so I lift my hand to tap him on the shoulder when what his friend says makes me freeze.

Where's your hanger-oner?

What are you talking about? Ed asks his friend.

The girl that keeps hanging around you from Year Seven. She's punching above her weight if she thinks she's getting your attention. Why didn't you tell her to get lost?

Hey, that's my best friend you're talking about, watch what you’re saying. Ed sounds angry. Good. Best friends stick up for each other. That friend of his is horrible.

Oh, sorry, man, that explains a lot. I didn't think she was your type. The girl next door type doesn't do it for me. His friend answers.

Edward laughs, relaxed now, Nah, me neither. I like my girls to make an effort, girls that enjoy being feminine, not ones that constantly have dirt under their fingernails like Harper.

Yeah, I get ya, but every guy prefers that, right?

Edward shrugs, I guess. I could never see Harper in that way. We were raised together. It’d be like fancying my brother.

His friend laughs, and they walk off, oblivious that I heard every word.

Pain shoots through me as though a knife has been plunged into me. I don't see Edward in that light either, but I do see him as the most important person in my life, my person. My go-to for everything, every problem. The last couple of months have been hard. Dad moved out - it's been rough, and Edward has been there for me. I'd never have gotten through it without him and our time in the den. Every time I've had a wobble, he's been there. I think the absolute world of him, for him to talk about me that way guts me. He was so dismissive of me. He defended me at the start of the conversation, then laid into me. It hurts that he doesn't see me as a girl at all. I glance at my uniform. It's the same as every other girl in the school. That's the deal with uniform - they want us all to appear identical. I look around at the other girls - they styled their hair instead of scraped back in a ponytail and have perfect nails instead of dirt-ingrained ones. My obsession with flowers, gardening and different plants isn't kind on your hands - no matter how hard I scrub, I can't get them clean. Maybe I need to switch to gardening gloves. Some of the girls wear makeup—even though it's not allowed, they wear it in a way that they won't get in trouble—but it's there.

So that's what guys like… girlie girls who are into their appearance. That's what Edward likes. I thought he liked me, not in that way, but I thought he liked me as I am. I swallow to fight back the tears. The person I look up to most has said I'm not good enough for him.

His friends are laughing at me already. If they knew I was obsessed with gardening instead of makeup and hair? Perhaps I should keep that to myself. High school is rubbish. Why can't it just be Ed and me? Summer holidays in our den. I guess things need to change now I'm in high school - I guess I'll need to change.

Chapter One

Harper

Five years later…

The flyer catches my eye as I walk through the town centre;

Do you have what it takes to create my garden of Eden?

Have the talent and the knowledge to make my garden into the garden of dreams?

This is an exciting opportunity to take part in a competition that will put your name on the map. My 15 acres need you! I want originality. The garden of my dreams.

Interested?

Message the email address below and we will send you the schematics for the garden.

Prize? £50,000 plus a week in my four-bedroomed villa in Portugal to be taken any time within a year. Flights included for six people.

Wow. Glancing around, making sure no one will recognise me, I take a picture of the flyer with my phone. I will check it out in more detail when I get home. I bite back a laugh. Anyone would think I was doing something illegal with how much secrecy there was around it. 16-year-old girls and gardening competitions don't go together. If anyone knew I was interested in this competition, it would seriously put my popularity in question. Still, £50,000 would massively help me out for Uni. Mum won't have the money to fund Uni the way things are at home.

Ah, I'll think about that later. Right now, I need to check that I’m perfect. I check the mirror app on my phone as I walk towards the Arndale, where I'm meeting the girls. Hair blown straight and then curled perfectly. Hidden makeup—light, eyelashes on, lips as plump as possible with my new gloss that, according to the wrapper, makes you look like you’ve had filler, and my eyebrows perfectly defined. Teeth, check. Nothing in them, and they are bright white. I snap a selfie and post it on Instagram. #shoppingwithmygirls #manchesteralltheway. I put my phone back in my bag. I look good - good enough to blend in with the girls.

I check my outfit. It's a lovely spring day, so I went for my tailored light brown shorts with a cream check and a cream vest and wedges. Simple, but it took me an hour to pick it out to make sure it was right and showed off my body in the right way. Being a girl is exhausting sometimes.

My phone rings. 'Ed calling'.

Hey, what's up?