He's With Me (12 page)

her alone with Bree, which she appreciated.

“I guess,” Jake said. “Man, her house is huge.”

They locked their bikes to the fence beside the driveway. The path up to Bree’s

front door was made of neat zigzagging bricks and wound around several flower

beds before reaching the tall marble columns and gigantic gilt-encrusted

doorway.

“Isn’t this a little weird?” Jake whispered to Lexie as they followed the path. “Like

they’re forcing their guests to take the scenic route and admire the flowers? What

if you just want to get to the door already?”

“Maybe it’s a test to make sure that you really want to get there,” Lexie

joked.

“I’m guessing they don’t have many visitors then,” Jake said with a smile.

Lexie rang the doorbell. There was a long pause, and then the curtain

because the door was whisked aside and a nervous female face – red-haired, bid-

nosed – peeked out before getting yanked back.

Another pause. The door opened.

The redhead was standing there bobbing and bowing, looked terrified. She

was wearing a shapeless maid’s uniform and an apron that she kept twisting in

her hands.

“Oh, get out of the way, Greta,” Bree snapped, popping out from behind

the door. “How hard is it to let a guest in? I mean, seriously.
Hello
,
Jake
!”

“Hey,” he said, taking Lexie’s hand.

Lexie felt instantly awkward, as she was sure Bree had intended. Lexie was

still wearing her bathing suit from earlier that day, with a white T-shirt and red

shorts over it. Bree, on the other hand, was wearing a sleeveless, formfitting

white sheath dress that had side slits all the way up her legs and an oval cutout

from her neck nearly halfway down her chest. Her shoes were very high white

espadrilles. She looked like she’d just stepped out of a movie. Lexie glanced down

at her sneakers, embarrassed.

“Come on back to the pool,” Bree said. She pushed her sleek blond hair

back and waved her hand, leading the way through the cavernous house.

“I guess her obsessions are genetic,” Jake whispered to Lexie. The whole

house was white – white leather couches, white marble staircases, white silk

lampshades, white bearskin rugs. The only art on the walls were large black-and-

white photographs of Bree, her older sister, and her parents, all in perfect frozen

poses with perfect frozen smiles. Lexie got the impression that if she touched

anything, she’d either break it or leave dirty fingerprints all over it.

Bree flung open the double doors to the patio, whirled around, and cried,

“Surprise!”

“
Surprise
!” yelled the crowd of people gathered outside. There were about

thirty people scatted around the pool. Lexie recognized most of them from

school, but she wasn’t sure she’d ever spoken to half of them. She wondered if

Jake had. Jake’s mouth dropped open.

“Happy Birthday, Jakey,” Bree cooed. She wrapped her hands around his

arm and tugged him away from Lexie. “Come on, say hello to everyone. They’re

here to celebrate you! Lexie can have you back later.”

Jake gave Lexie a baffled look and she spread her hands helplessly. “It was

Bree’s idea,” she said.

“Of course it was,” Bree said. “I just
love
throwing parties. And Lexie didn’t have any idea what to do, so I thought I should help.” She dragged Jake down the

patio steps to the edge of the pool, where a group of sporty types started

slapping him on the back and offering him drinks.

Lexie glanced around and, to her relief, spotted Colin off by himself on a

lounge chair.

“Thank God you’re here,” she said, sitting on the edge of the chair next to

him.

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” he muttered, poking the ice in his

glass with a small pink umbrella.

“Hey, this is all your fault, Mr. Bright Ideas,” Lexie said. “You’re the reason

Bree is out to get me, so the least you can do is show up to one party.”

“You should have seen the look on her face,” he said with a grin. “When

she opened the door and saw me there – I seriously thought she was going to

pretend I was invisible and just slam it shut again. But I was like, ‘Hey, Bree,

thanks for throwing the cool party,’ and walked right in.”

“You didn’t!” Lexie said, impressed.

“I did. She kind of harrumphed and waved in this direction. So I came out,

got a soda, and I’ve been sitting right here ever since.”

“Do we know anyone else here?” Lexie asked, drawing her legs up on the

chaise lounge.

“Depends on your definition of ‘know’” Colin said. “For instance, Amy

Sorrento is here.”

Lexie felt a twinge of jealousy. Jake had dated Amy for four months. She

was part Latina, part ballerina, and all gorgeous but was too demanding, snobby,

and cold for Jake. Lexie had never understood why he’d liked her in the first place.

“Really?” she said. “Is she dating Ian, like Bree promised?”

“I haven’t seen him,” Colin said, shaking his head.

Amy passed them just then, but she didn’t bother to glance down and

acknowledge their presence. She patted her smooth bun of glossy brown hair and

sailed over to Jake, greeting him with a large smile as if she hadn’t dumped him

only a couple months earlier.

“I hate parties,” Colin said.

“I just hate these kinds of parties,” Lexie said. “Stand, hold a drink, smile

painfully, look interested in boring chitchat, comment on the weather, avoid the

subject of school, wish desperately that there were any good movies to talk

about, shift drink to other hand, wonder how many peanuts one can eat without

looking like a ravenous hippo, nod politely, stand some more.”

“Speaking of peanuts,” Colin said. “check out the table behind us.”

Lexie swiveled around and discovered a low plastic table (white, of course)

with three trays of appetizers on it.

“Wow, excellent location-scouting, Colin,” she said, snagging a pastry ball

that turned out to have sausage in the middle.

“I thought so,” he said with a modest nod.

After about twenty minutes, Jake finally managed to fight his way over to

them.

“I can’t believe you abandoned me like that,” he said, flopping down on the

ground next to Lexie. He leaned back against her legs. “Do you know how many

times I’ve had to say, ‘Yeah, it
had
been how this summer, hasn’t is?’ in the last ten minutes?”

“This’ll make you feel better,” Lexie said, handing him a crab dumpling.

“Thanks,” he said. “And thanks for the party.”

“It really wasn’t my idea,” she said. “I’m sorry for letting you be surprised.”

“It’s okay,” he said. “I’ve never been to a Bree McKennis party, but I guess

people weren’t exaggerating about the food. What are those?”

“Something involving cheese,” Lexie said, passing him the tray.

“Awesome,” he said. “If you can make it to the other side of the pool, there

are mini hamburgers and tiny French fries to match.”

“Just think,” Colin said, “if you dated Bree, all this about be yours.”

Which is exactly the point of all this, I’m sure
, Lexie thought. How could she compete with flawless beauty, impeccable fashion sense, and a house like this?

Her little cupcakes didn’t begin to compare.

“Yeah,” Jake said. “but then I’d have to date Bree.”

As if on cue, Bree swayed her way through the crowd and dropped a large

box in Jake’s lap. “Jake, darling, here’s your birthday present,” she purred.

“Ohm” he said. “You didn’t really –“

“Of course I did!” She crouched beside him, revealing a long slim line if her

leg. “Open it at once.”

With the expression of a guy who was pretty sure his present was about to

explode, Jake hesitantly peeled the glittering gold-and-white wrapping paper off

and opened the box.

“Whoa,’” he said. “Seriously?”

Nestled in the thin folds of the crepe paper was a black leather jacket.

“Happy birthday, Jake,” Bree said with a triumphant smile. “It’s all the way

from Italy. And very expensive.”

“I’ll bet,” Jake said. Lexie could tell he was feeling uncomfortable. She

wasn’t exactly thrilled herself. It would take her several lifetimes to babysit up

enough money for a present like that.

“How did you get him a present from Italy?” Colin asked curiously.

Bree gave him a disdainful look. “We had it in our emergency gift drawer. I

think it’ll fit you perfectly, Jake, dear. Let’s go find a mirror and try it on! Come on, come one.” She grabbed his hand and pulled. With a sigh, he climbed to his feet

and followed her.

“Jake, darling,” Colin said, imitating her, “come into my lair and let me tie

you up.”

Lexie saw a blur of motion out of the corner of her eye, but before she

could react, a pair of male arms had seized her and swung her up off her feet.

“Put me down!” she protested, shoving Riley’s shoulders. He tightened his

grip on her and gave her his sly smile.

“Feel like going swimming?” he said.

“No,” she said. “Do
not
throw me in the pool, Riley.”

“But don’t you want to cool off?” he said, swinging her dangerously close to

the edge. “I think I owe you a soaking.”

“You do not!” she said, struggling to get down. “We’re totally even! Riley!”

“She doesn’t want to get wet, man,” Colin said.

“What do you know about it?” Riley said, but he put her down. She stepped

out of arm’s reach quickly. “Aw, I’m just kidding around, Lexie.”

“Well, it wouldn’t be funny,” she said. Yes, he was kind of joking, but she

was sure he would happily have dumped her into the pool without even thinking

about the fact that she didn’t have a change of clothes or that she’d look like an

idiot in front of everyone. A wet idiot.

“Have you seen the basement?” Riley asked cheerfully. “It’s totally

awesome.”

“Not yet,” Lexie said.

“I’ll show you,” he said, taking her elbow. “There’s a foosball and Ping-Pong

and air hockey and Ms. Pac-Man and pinball –“

“Colin, don’t you want to come?” Lexie said, seeing that her brother wasn’t

standing to follow them.

“I’m going to get one those hamburgers first,” Colin said, apparently

missing the significance of her look. Lexie sighed inwardly. Sally would have

understood! “I’ll find you in a minute.”

“Okay. Bring me one, too,” she said. “Soon.” Riley gave her a weird look

and she added, “I mean, because I’m starving – you know, totally starving.”

“Sure,” Colin said.

Lexie reluctantly followed Riley down a few steps to a lower patio paved

with sparkling gray stone. A set of glass doors led into the basement, which, to

her dismay, was empty. She’d expected to find other partygoers in there playing

with the games.

“Isn’t it cool?” Riley said, wandering over to the foosball table. He spun a

row of players around and then looked up and grinned at her. “Want to play?”

Lexie felt bad. Riley hadn’t been anything but nice to her. Why did she keep

feeling uncomfortable around him? Was it because he seemed to like her? Or

could it be because she liked him?” She tried poking that thought, but her feelings

for Riley still weren’t anything like her feelings for Jake. Still, here was a cute guy flirting with her. She could at least be nice back.

“Okay, sure,” she said, going around to the other side of the table. Riley

fished a ball out of the side pocket and dropped it in.

Lexie wasn’t really good at foosball, but Riley was hilariously bad. He

basically played by spinning the players around and around as fast as he could.

She couldn’t help laughing at him, but luckily he didn’t get offended.

She was winning 8 – 4 when a phone rang somewhere in the far corner of

the room. Riley spun his payers one more time and then announced, “I’m bored.

Let’s check out Ms. Pac-Man.”

“Oh, okay,” Lexie said. She followed him over to the arcade game, which

had a place of honour in the centre if the room, it’s back against a column. Just as

she got up behind him, he turned and caught her wrists in his hands.

“Lexie” he said, “why don’t you like me?”

She had been about to pull away, but when he said that, she stopped,

feeling guilty again.

“What do you mean?” she said. “I do like you.”

“But only as a friend – right?”

“Well,” she said awkwardly, “Riley, I’m – I’m dating Jake.”
Not to mention

I’m secretly on a quest to convince him he’s my soul mate
.

“Forget Jake,” Riley said. “What if he weren’t in the picture? Huh? What if

you’d met me first?”

“I don’t know,” Lexie said. “I mean, I didn’t, so – and Jake is – I’m sorry

Riley, but –“

Suddenly the door from the patio opened. Riley dropped her hands like lit

firecrackers and sprang away from her as if he’d just been caught stealing

diamonds.

It was Jake...and Amy Sorrento.

Chapter 12

“Jake!” Lexie said.

“Oh, man,” Riley said. “We’re so busted.”

“What – no!” Lexie said. “What are you talking about?”

Jake hesitated inside the doorway, looking confused. Amy still had one

hand on the doorknob, and the other was resting lightly on Jake’s shoulder as if

she owned him – as if he was her car, or her horse, or her umbrella stand.

“I guess we’re not going to get any privacy in here, Jake,” Amy said in a