Kissing the Right Guy: Hidden Shores Academy

By Christina Herrera

A girl torn between two guys. Who will she pick?
 

I've been obsessed with Jake Austen for years.
He used to go to my high school.
Now he's been cast as a lead in a NYC Broadway show.
He's coming home and wants to hang out.
The only problem is his best friend, Hunter, has become my ballroom dance partner.
We're going to spend a lot of time together, preparing for a big dance competition.
The more I spend time with Hunter, the more I wonder if my infatuation with Jake was a mistake.

If you like sweet and wholesome romance, then look no further!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christina Herrera
• Release date: Aug 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223737704

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

AN UNFORESEEN ARRIVAL

I think it’s about time we get you a boyfriend. Hannah brushed another coat of bright-red polish onto her toenails as we sat on my bedroom floor.

I don’t have time for that. I stared at my phone, pretending to be interested in the TikTok dance video I was watching, as my cheeks started to burn. The truth was I did have time, but I hadn’t had the greatest luck with guys in the past. My cat, Jingle, purred and rubbed up against my legs before settling at my feet.

Whatever, Emma. I’m busier than you, and I still make time for boys.

But there’s no one at our school that I’m interested in. Besides, that’s what I have my books for. When I read about a high school romance, the happy ending is pretty much guaranteed. I pulled my dark brown hair behind my ear and looked up from my phone.

You have got to get your head out of those silly books and start living. Let’s see, who would do the trick? She tapped her chin and paused. What about Jake Austen? She twirled her fingers around in her blond hair and giggled.

Um. He’s living in New York City now. There’s no way he’d be interested in me. I live in San Diego. My cheeks burned brighter than the California sun.

I’ve had a crush on Jake since I was a freshman. He’d been the best-looking guy to walk the halls of Hidden Shores Academy. I—along with half the other girls in our school—was heartbroken when he moved away. His piercing blue eyes and golden-blond hair would drive any girl insane. Not to mention he was a local celebrity that the entire student body went crazy over.

My friends always told me that we would end up dating. I mean, it made sense. We were best friends when I was a freshman. But sophomore year, we weren’t in any of the same classes anymore, and he was in an entirely different social circle than me. Sadly, his new group of friends didn’t want much to do with me. It didn’t help that he had landed a huge role in a major movie and I was a literal nobody.

Hannah snatched my phone. Good thing I know your passcode.

Wait, what are you doing? I threw my hands up in frustration.

Chill, I’m just looking through your contacts.

I guess that’s okay, I said with a lump in my throat. If she sees I have his number saved in my phone, I’d never hear the end of it.

Ooh! There’s Jake! This is a good picture of him. Hannah shot me a wicked smile. You should text him.

Why? He didn’t text me. There’s no way I’m texting him first.

I crossed my arms against my chest.

So what? Guys love it when you text them first. In fact, Alexander told me to message him first. She paused. Unless…you aren’t scared, are you?

I’m going to be honest. My parents are old school and have always said the guy is the one who needs to be making all the moves. Not to mention, I don’t want to get my hopes up.

Your parents were teenagers decades ago. Times have changed. Live a little! Text the man, she said with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

I can’t. What if he never responds? Besides, he might think I’m chasing him if I do that.

If you don’t, I’m going to text him from my phone, pretend to be you, and tell him that you have a pillow with his face on it, and you make out with it every night.

My mouth fell open. You wouldn’t!

Hannah smirked matter-of-factly. Oh, I would. And I’d enjoy it too.

How do you come up with this stuff?

What can I say? It’s a gift, Hannah said with a shrug.

I folded my arms. You know what? I’m not going to.

What if I paid you five bucks? she suggested.

I don’t want your money. What kind of girl do you think I am?

The kind who is too scared to contact the boy of her dreams because she’s afraid of getting rejected.

I rolled my eyes. Okay, I’ll text him.

That’s my girl. Hannah shot me a triumphant smile.

I hesitated before typing a message with shaky fingers, wondering what kind of trouble I would be getting myself into. Jingle’s purring at my feet calmed my nerves a little, but it still wasn’t enough.

Hey, Jake! I haven’t heard from you in a while. How have you been?

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I can’t send it.

She smiled like she had a secret. That’s okay. I’ll send it for you.

Before I knew what happened, she was on top of me, kicking the floor and screeching inside my ear, sending Jingle racing toward the closet to her favorite hiding spot. Her elbow pushed over the nail polish remover, spilling it on the engineered hardwood floor. She knocked me over next, soaking my hair in the smelly substance.

Ew! I said as I sat up and peeled a wet clump of hair from my face. Hannah snatched my phone from my open palm and tapped the screen.

I sent it!

Thanks a lot. Now I have gunk stuck in my hair. It was bad enough that I had that gross stuff in my hair. Now I had to worry about whether he would respond.

It’s not a big deal. Just take a shower.

Fine. I crossed my arms. Maybe I will.

As I walked away, a knock sounded at the door.

I’ll get it! Hannah announced and took off running.

I followed her down the hall to the front door and turned the corner in time to see Hannah answering it.

Hunter Easton stood there, a longtime family friend gawking at me. Hey, what happened to your hair? he asked.

It’s a long, long story.

I’ll say. He laughed under his breath.

What are you doing here? I leaned against the door. My cheeks flamed yet again. I hated the idea of him seeing me at my worst. Nail polish remover in my hair was definitely not the look I was going for.

Game night, remember? Are you going to let me in or what?

I stepped aside, and he strolled in like he owned the place. I thought that was tomorrow night. I spotted Hunter’s parents coming up the sidewalk behind him.

Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Easton. Our parents had been friends for years. But I couldn’t stand Hunter. It was horrible that our family kept inviting him over. They didn’t care that I despised him. They seemed to think I was silly. But they didn’t know the truth either.

Change of plans. Didn’t your mom tell you? Hunter said with a smug smirk.

She just got home from work. I haven’t talked to her all day.

Great. Now I had to take a shower before I could play games with them. Which meant I’d have to have wet hair in front of Hunter.

This day just keeps getting better and better.

Hey, Hannah. He gave her a quick wave. Are you staying for game night too? His parents joined him in the foyer, shutting the door behind them.

I should probably get going. Have fun. She waggled her eyebrows at me like she thought there was something between me and Hunter.

No way was I ever going for him again. Live and learn.

Hey, are you going to the winter formal? I asked him after Hannah had left and I’d showered. My parents were setting the food out on the dining room table, and I sat on the couch next to Hunter.

Why? He raised his eyebrows. Are you asking me if I want to go with you?

I blushed. Heck, no.

Why not? I’m better than any of your other prospects.

In what universe?

He put a hand over his heart like I’d shot him with an arrow. Ouch. That hurts.

Actually, I wasn’t planning to go with anyone, I said. Because I didn’t date. I’d sworn off guys long ago. They were more trouble than they were worth. I mean, other than Jake Austen.

Let’s not get too crazy. If Jake asked, I’d date him in a heartbeat.

That’s okay. I have a date anyway, Hunter said.

Of course you do. Why would I think anything different? The guy was a known player.

Not to mention he’s toyed with my feelings in the past. Not that he was aware of it, but still. What was done was done.

I didn’t need him coming around acting friendly and looking attractive. I was over him.

Right?

CHAPTER 2

TEXT ME

After a couple of days of Jake not texting back, I decided to get Hannah’s opinion about it at lunch.

I took a bite of my pizza and swallowed. Why do you think he hasn’t responded yet?

She shrugged. I don’t know. Maybe he’s busy.

For days?

Good point. Hannah placed her hand to her chin as she was thinking. She pointed her finger in the air. I got it. He’s probably kissing another girl right now.

Hannah was taking this way too far. That was the worst thing she could have said.

That’s not funny, I said. Why was I even bothering to reach out to a guy? I’d been burned in the past, and I should know better.

She tipped her head back and laughed anyway.

I stared at her till she stopped.

In all seriousness, Jake is probably busy. Give him some time. He might surprise you.

I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be surprised. Getting my hopes up about a guy would probably just end in heartbreak.

Whatever. Who cares anyway? I have school to focus on.

I lived in a German-style house because my mother was half German and spoke it fluently. The house was right smack on Del Mar beach. It was the most magical place on earth.

Hannah and I walked in, and she gawked at large tree decorated with silver ribbon and accented with gold bows that stood twelve feet tall in our living room. It took my breath away. There’s nothing in the world like seeing a tree all lit up during the holiday season.

We grabbed a few snacks and then headed up to my room. I flopped onto my bed and took a bite of the apple I’d swiped from the kitchen.

A catchy guitar tune escaped from my back pocket. It was the ringtone I had picked for Jake’s texts. My heart erupted so violently that I thought it was going to jump out of my chest.

Hey, Emma! Sorry it took me so long to respond. I’ve been super busy. New York City has definitely kept me on my toes. Want to get together over the holidays?

Oh my goodness. I stared at my phone out of shock.

Who just texted you? Hannah asked as she opened a small bag of chips.

Jake asked me to hang out with him over Christmas break. I couldn’t believe it. Was it possible that a guy wanted me, or was I a fool for getting my hopes up?

Hannah’s eyes were about to literally pop out of her head. You have to respond to him.

My jaw dropped. I want to write back. I really do, but I don’t know what to say.

Here, let me help you, Hannah said with a devious grin.

She grabbed my phone. Her fingers flew across the screen. She handed it back, and I felt like I was about to have a heart attack when I realized she had already sent him a message.

Hey, Jake! A man with your looks and personality can take all the time he wants to text back. I would love to go out with you if that’s what you’re asking.

What the heck, Hannah! How could you send that without me reading it? I couldn’t believe she had done that. She’d even added a winking face emoji at the end. I was mortified. Hannah had sent messages to boys from my phone, pretending to be me before, but it had never been this bad.

Oh, come on. I was just having a little fun. She laughed it off like it meant nothing to her.

I held my tongue. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship over it.

Jake made me wait two days before he responded. The wait was pure agony. I was sure I’d been rejected. That would have been just my luck.

Thank you, thank you. I have to disagree. I’m really not that great. I was thinking more along the lines of casually hanging out, but if you want to go out, I’d be down for that. How about bowling? When is Christmas break for you?

Why would he want to go out with me? I wasn’t even his type. I was just silly old me. I had long, naturally curly brown hair with matching brown eyes. I wasn’t exactly thin. I couldn’t deny that I was a curvy girl. Although that shouldn’t make a difference, I couldn’t help but think I didn’t quite fit the mold. He usually went for girls who were so skinny you could mistake them for a runway model.

I hardly had any dating experience. I’d been on a few dates here and there, but most of them involved a group of people. The idea of going out alone on a date with a guy made my stomach squirm. I thought I’d be too nervous to go out with Jake, so I waited a while to keep from looking desperate, and then I texted back.

We get out of school on Thursday the 18th. I think it would be cool if we could get some of your friends to join us. What do you think?

This time, I had to wait five days for his response. Was he trying to drive me crazy on purpose? Every day I didn’t hear from him was proof that the whole thing was a bad idea. He didn’t text me back until the weekend.

Gotcha, gotcha. I hope you don’t mind, but I already invited some people. If it’s cool with you, how about I pick you up at your place on Saturday after I get back at 7:30 pm?

I told him that it sounded great and that I looked forward to seeing him. As I was typing the last words in my text, Hannah came into my bedroom in a panic.

What should I wear to the dance tonight? she asked.

How’d you get here? I asked.

The front door. It was unlocked.

So living next door to me gives you the right to show up at any given moment? I teased.

Duh. She laughed, and I did too. Anyway, which dress? She held up a green strapless number that was way too see through, and a hot pink body hugging dress that would make half the school drool.

It didn’t take me long to think about it. The pink one.

You always say that, she said with a grin.

Hannah ran into the bathroom to change while I obsessed over my text messages with Jake. I reread them until I could barely see straight.

Hannah came back wearing the dress I’d picked. You better get ready. You’re coming with me. We’re leaving in an hour.

But I thought you had a date? I furrowed my brow.

His parents don’t know that he’s going with me, so I’m meeting him there. They are super strict.

Gotcha. Well, I hope it all goes well for you.

Me too. She shimmied her shoulders. I have a feeling it’s going to be one heck of a night.

What was that supposed to mean? Part of me didn’t want to ask. "I guess I can go, even though I’m not in the mood. Give me