My Lucky Charm (7 page)

Brandon

Leah is a breath of fresh air. She’s exciting and full of surprises. I’m playing footsie under a table with a girl I barely know, and it’s cool.

“What got you interested in rock
music?” I ask.

“I heard Pink Floyd when I was young and realized the sound stood the test of time. So did the lyrics. The music was soothing and an escape.
Once I was sucked in to Pink Floyd, I started seeking out everything like it.

“Then I went on to 80’s rock; a
time when music was about having fun. I never felt like I fit in at my old school, so I immersed myself in music when I wasn’t with friends, and rudely with headphones, when I was if they were on my nerves.” She giggles before taking a bite of a cheese fry.

“I feel the exact same. When I listen
to the lyrics of music I like, I feel as if someone understands me since most of my friends sure as hell don’t.”

“
Yes!” she says excitedly, digging her toes against my feet. She covers her mouth with her hand. “Sorry. I got excited that you understand.”

“Is footsie a precursor to wrestling? It seems to me you’re looking for trouble,” I say, grinning.

She blushes, and her cheeks match her hair.

“Why do you color your hair that way?”

“Because I can.” She looks away, appearing uncomfortable as if she’s recalling something unpleasant, and I don’t like it.

One reason is because she has the prettiest blue eyes, and I want to keep staring at
them. The other reason is I don’t want to think of her being unhappy.

“There was a time when I was un
able to do this to my hair or be myself, but I’m beginning to wonder if we ever truly show ourselves to others.”

“I already feel like I can be myself with you
more than I’ve been able to with any other female.”

“That’s sweet. I assumed you’d be a snob
when I first saw you, but you don’t fit the stereotypical mold for a jock or popular guy.”

“I’m definitely going to take that as a compliment.”

“I must say that you have exceptional taste in fine dining, too.” She smiles, and I want to taste that mouth. No, I
need
to taste that mouth of hers.

Leah

As I stare at Brandon across the booth, I have this warm feeling all over my body. I’ve never felt anything like it, not even when I’ve been kissed. I’ve also never felt this nervous but comfortable at the same time around a guy.

My friends
in LA were always out to one up each other, so most of the time, I was intimidated and kept quiet. Brandon doesn’t make me feel that way and neither do my other friends here.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I told them who I am.
Would Brandon still like me, or would he be ashamed to associate with me? I realize we’re eating and staring at each other without a word, blinding grins plastered on our faces and feet tangled together.

It’s strange how we barely say a word until we leave, but nothing seems wrong
or awkward. I really like him. He opens the door of the jeep for me again, and I’m grateful he doesn’t seem to notice Paul as we drive away. He takes my hand, and it’s warm and comforting.

“I don’t want to sou
nd creepy, but since I first bumped into you that day in the hallway, I’ve felt a need to touch you.”

I squeeze his
hand and look out the passenger window. I feel hot all over again, and I’m glad it’s dark, hoping he can’t see the red in my cheeks. A guy has never said anything like that to me. The way he said it, the tone of his voice … it wasn’t creepy at all. It was sweet.

We continue to discuss music on the way back
to my car. I don’t know if Paul is being careful not to blow my cover or if he’s being considerate and allowing me some privacy, but he doesn’t pull into the parking lot.

Good thing since there are no other cars here this late.
It would be obvious that we’re being followed. Brandon pulls in the spot next to Martha’s Camry, and I swear I hear my own heartbeat.

Brandon

I shut off my jeep and shift in my seat to face Leah. One of the light posts in the parking lot is shining into the cab, illuminating her gorgeous face. She looks away, which she does often, so I can’t help but turn her chin toward me.

“Please don’t look away. You have the prettiest blue eyes. I like to look at them.”

“Thank you. I’ve had a good time tonight.”

“I have, to
o.” I’m holding her sweaty hand but mine’s no better, and I can’t believe I’m this nervous. I’ve never felt this way around a girl.

T
he vehicle’s off, so the jeep is getting cool inside. Our faces are close, and her warm breath feels good on my skin. Too good. I can’t wait any longer to kiss her.

“You let me hold your hand and even played footsie with me. Am I pushing my luck if I kiss you?” I grin at her, hoping she’ll give me the green light.

Her deep blues tilt up at me, and I might die if I can’t kiss her. She steals my move when she reaches her hand out and cups my cheek, but her hand keeps moving up into my hair, and I’m getting really turned on.

Leah leans in
, and I catch her lips that are soft and warm, and they cling to mine, and I don’t want to let go ever. After they linger together, I reluctantly release them and plant a kiss on the corner of her mouth.

Her lips are sweet like chocolate from her shake, but something tells me I’d always think Leah’s mouth is sweet.
Our foreheads press together, our breathing harsh as my fingers slide along her neck, and both of us now have a hand deep in the others hair.

“Please say I can see you ag
ain soon. Tomorrow even,” I say as I massage circles on her scalp.

In an instant, her lips are crashing against mine
as her arms wrap around my neck. Her body’s leaning over the seat like she wants me as bad as I want her, and damn do I ever want her.

I can’t help but pull her head closer and slide
my free hand along her waist. She thrusts her tongue into my mouth, and the heat of it reminds me of somewhere else that would be warm on her body, so I try to think of other hot things like showers, fire and warm chocolate chip cookies.

Nothing works since
I can feel her boobs against my chest, her tongue stroking mine and her fingers digging in my hair. She jerks away, panting for air, and my heart feels like it’s going to explode in my chest.

“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I need to go.” Leah reaches for the door handle, seeming frantic to get away.

I grab her knee. “Leah, don’t be sorry. I wanted to kiss you. I don’t even have your phone number.”

“Oh.” She pulls her phone from her back pocket. “What’s yours?” I give her my digits and almost immediately my phone goes off. “You have it now.”

I turn her chin toward me. “Leah, I hope you’re not sorry you kissed me.”

“I want to kiss you, but this …”
she points between us, “will only make things complicated.”

“I know you’re talking abo
ut our friends, but I don’t care what they think.”

“It’s easy right now. You m
ight feel differently once they give you grief over it, especially your female friends.”

I squeeze her hand
. “Can we hang out tomorrow and talk about it then?”

She finally smiles at me
, but I still see a heavy worry in her gaze. “OK. Call me in the morning.” She gives me a peck on the cheek. “I really did have a great time. See ya, Brandon.”

She hops out of the jeep and gets in her car
. I start my vehicle and wait for her to drive off. I’m not leaving her alone in this empty parking lot.

Leah

I text Paul that I’m getting ready to leave the school. My body is trembling, and my lips tingle. I want to touch them … to feel where his lips were, but Brandon might see, and that would be embarrassing.

Why did I have to fall for someone, and why so damn soo
n? Why a guy whose friends hate me? I give him a faint smile and wave as I pull away.

Paul follows me into our gated property and parks behind me in our circle drive. I jump out of the car and hurry to the front door, not wanting to talk to him. I’m overwhelmed.

“Leeza, are you OK?” he asks.

“I’m fine.”

“Leeza, stop.”

I freeze
on our front steps and turn around slowly. Tears sting my eyes, and I wish he would let this go. I don’t want to cry.

“Did h
e hurt you? You’re about to cry.” Paul sounds pissed.

“No, he didn’t hurt me at all. He’s really nice and respectful.” I let out a short laugh. “He even asked permission to kiss me.”

Paul points to the five wide steps that lead up to the front of my home. “Sit, what’s the problem?”

We both take a seat on the top one.

“I really like him, and I didn’t want to like any guys here. It will mess up everything.”

“Why does it have to be a bad thing?”

“I’ve already told a few lies. I hate it. I don’t want to be deceitful like Maxwell, but I’m afraid if I reveal my identity, I’ll be ran out of this town, too.”

“If you keep up this charade, I think you’ll most definitely be shu
nned when your friends find out. Not because of who you are but because you lied.

“You and I both know the paparazzi are
digging to find out where you and Kendra ran off to. It’s only a matter of time before they figure it out.”

“You’re probably right.”

“Tell them before someone else does. It will definitely make my job more difficult, but I like you, Leeza. It’d be nice to see you happier.” Paul bumps his shoulder and knee against mine.

“Why? You don’t really know me, and
you have to follow me around, sitting at places for hours.”

“
You remind me of myself in some ways.” Paul pats my back. “Come on. Let’s go inside.”

I wipe the few tears that have dropped onto my cheek. I’ve
really only had Mom, Martha and Casey, to talk to about this stuff, so to have Paul take the time to talk to me is nice. I’m tired of feeling lonely.

***

I wake from the sound of my
phone vibrating. I’m on my stomach with my head buried underneath a pillow. Reaching my hand over to the nightstand, I feel around until I find my iPhone. All at once, the memories from the night before flood my mind, so I fly straight up.

I only receive messages from a few people, so I figure it’s Brandon, but it’s Sierra
instead.

Sierra:
How was your date? Gabe kissed me when he dropped me off. It was amazing and hot, and we’re going out tonight. I’m so nervous. Can you tell? Lol.

Me:
I’m happy for you. Our date was incredible, and I’m a little scared over how much I like Brandon. It could get complicated since his friends aren’t the nicest.

Sierra:
This is what I was worried about, but you can’t fight love
.

Me:
You’re funny and always put a smile on my face. Hey, I have some extra money. You were so nice to give me a chance to be your friend. You know, being the new girl. Would you please let me pay for you to get your hair done today?

Sierra:
Seriously? Wow. No one has ever wanted to do anything like that for me. Only if you’re sure you can afford it. Your friendship is all I need.

Me:
It would mean a lot to me.

Sierra:
OK. Can you pick me up?

Me:
Yep. Let me call my stylist, and I’ll text you what time.

Sierra:
You rock!

It’s t
en o’clock when I call Casey. Luckily, she had a cancellation for noon, so I message Sierra to tell her. This means I have to get moving.

Paul lives
in the guest quarters on the property, and Martha lives with us. I message him to see if he can leave that soon. I know I’d be wasting my time to ask Mom to let me go alone.

Me:
Paul, can you leave at 11:30? I’m taking my friend to get her hair done.

Paul:
High maintenance.

Me:
You don’t mean that.

Paul:
I’ll be ready.

Me:
Peace out, Boy Scout.

Paul:
Are you going to call me that every day?

Me:
Yep. I thought that’s what big brothers were for, to torment on a daily basis.

He doesn’t respond, and I can so see him rolling his eyes at me, but I know he’s smiling
, too. He screwed up and admitted he liked me last night, so I can get away with torturing him even more.

I get out of the shower and see tha
t I have a message from Brandon. I suck in a sharp breath and feel my heart racing.

Brandon:
Good morning, gorgeous. I’m really looking forward to seeing you today, so I hope you didn’t change your mind.

I grin and touch my lips, feeling that tingle everywhere now.

Me:
I’m looking forward to seeing you, too. I have something to do until about two.

Brandon:
Can I pick you up at three?

Me:
Um, can we meet at the school again?

Brandon:
OK. I’m getting the feeling you don’t want me to see where you live. I swear I won’t stalk you too much.

Me:
You’re cute.

Brandon:
You’re cuter. See you at three. Wear tennis shoes and bring a jacket.

Me:
I’m sure you could keep me warm.

Brandon:
Don’t say stuff like that. I still have hours until I can touch you again.

Me:
Hee hee. See you soon.

B
eing a real stalker, Paul follows me to Sierra’s. I take her to the hair salon, and she’s beyond excited.

“I can’t believe you’re doing
this for me,” she says, smiling as she sits in the chair, getting a much needed trim.

Casey i
s twenty-two, and we share a love for the same styles. She has a beautiful face with a cute button nose, and all of her short hair is platinum blonde right now. I say right now because like me, she changes it a lot.

It was completely red the first time I came here.
I only visited her a couple of times growing up, so we’re just getting to know each other. She’s sworn to secrecy like everyone else who’s aware my mom and I are in hiding.

While Casey is putting red in
Sierra’s hair, I ask a stylist who’s sitting around if she’d like to put mine back to the pastels I like so much. It’s not the time of year for the light colors, but it reminds me of spring and sunshine.

Paul walks in
and has a worried look on his face as he approaches my chair.

“Sorry, but I need to speak to you for a minute.”

“Sure.” I get up and follow him to the door, but he tells me not to go outside.

“What’s wrong?”

“Kendra called and said there are a couple of vans hanging out near the gate. She thinks they’re reporters. I don’t see anyone outside, but I want to walk you out just in case, and I don’t think you should go back home right away.”

“
This is happening so much sooner than I thought. Listen, I really want to spend time with Brandon, and it’s hard when I know you’re waiting on me. Please let me be alone with him. He’s really nice, and we can trust him to keep me safe.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“Yes, you can. Go back to the house, and that’ll throw the reporters. They’ll probably stay around my home, thinking I returned in the car with you. Then tell Kendra I’m staying at Sierra’s.”

Paul stands with his hands on his hip
s, looking out the glass doors. His blonde hair is shining from the sun coming in. “OK, but you better text me every couple of hours. I can’t believe I’m letting you do this. Stay here. I have something for you.”

Paul retu
rns from the Mercedes and hands me a cell phone. “Carry this in your purse, so I can track you if something goes wrong. I’m only allowing this because I don’t want you going back to the house, so don’t make me regret it.”

“OK.” I grin and give him a hug. I’m getting my first taste of freedom since we moved here.

“Who do you have with you, Leah?” Casey asks, batting her long lashes our way.

“Com
e on. Watch what you say since Sierra’s here,” I whisper to him.

“Casey, this is my older brother, Paul. Paul this is Casey, my stylist, and this is my friend, Sierra.”

Casey’s eyes are round as she stretches out her hand. I can see that she’s desperately trying not to drool or smirk since I called him my brother.

“Hi, it’s really nice to meet you,” she says, n
ever taking her eyes off of him.

“Likewise.” He gives her a wicked grin, and I don’t believe it. He likes her. I’ve never seen this kind of flirty look on his face before. Honestly, he never acts that enthused about anything.

“Leah, why didn’t you tell me you had an attractive, older brother?” Casey asks.

“Um
, well, I wouldn’t find him attractive.”

She giggle
s like a teenage girl. “Oh, right.”

We finish up, and he walks us to the car. I have a feeling he’ll
be waiting on me
inside
the salon from now on.

“
Your brother is super-hot and seems very protective. I have an older brother, but he’s worthless. He sure doesn’t care about what I’m out doing.”

Sierra keeps looking at herself in the visor mirror as we drive to her house, a big grin stretched across her face. “
I don’t know how you can afford to pay for this, but thank you so much. Do you think Gabe will like it?”

“Absolutely, Sierra. The guys will be telling you that you
r hair is badass now.” We both giggle, and I’m glad I did this for her.