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  Melt My Heart

  A.R. Perry

  Legendary Books

  Legendary Books

  Melt My Heart

  A.R. Perry

  Copyright © 2019 by A.R. Perry

  All rights reserved

  Copyeditor: Anne-Marie Rutella

  Proofreader: Penny Fletcher

  Cover and interior designed by: Lost Atlantis Designs

  All rights reserved. This was self-published by A.R Perry under Legendary Books. 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.

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Contents

  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

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by A.R. Perry

  “I can’t believe Mr. Holt won’t let you go.”

  “Believe it, baby,” Eva says as she swipes a fry through the thick glob of ketchup on her plate.

  Her purple eyebrows are drawn in, despite her attempt at nonchalance, giving away her annoyance. On a side note, I have no idea why she chose that color. She has a wild streak and, most of the time it presents itself with spur-of-the-moment hair coloring. Today, her furrowed brows match the ends of her once-upon-a-time blonde hair.

  “I bombed my calculus test, which dropped my average. By the decree of dear, sweet, annoying Mr. Holt, this school has academic standards every student must meet if they want to take part in any of the senior events.”

  I don’t miss the blanket of anger clouding her words. She even throws in an eye roll, which according to her, is against her rocker persona. Don’t ask me. I have no clue what it means.

  “This sucks.” I slump into my chair and scowl over at Mr. Holt where he’s standing, talking to another teacher.

  Look at him in his stupid blue blazer and yellow tie. Not a care in the world. He possesses the power to squash dreams with the snap of his finger, which he does with an air of indifference for those unfortunate souls who end up on his bad side.

  Since my freshman year, I’ve always been one of his favorites. For me, begging isn’t out of the question. Eva, however, has always been on his crap list. And therein lies the problem. There’s no way even an academic award-level performance such as mine could convince him to let her go.

  “You’ll be so busy you won’t notice I’m not there,” she says with a huff of resignation. It’s a strange look on her.

  We can’t turn this around, and we both know it.

  A commotion erupts from the table behind us, stealing the attention of most of the cafeteria. We glance over in time to witness one of the jocks steal a burger from a passing student’s tray. The poor kid—a freshman from the looks of it—is ready to wet himself from either nerves or terror. I can never tell which around here. The jocks are treated like gods, and we’re the mere peasants that are here to torture or make out with or whatever else they decide. Well, not Eva and me. We couldn’t give a flying fork about sports or the accolade it brings.

  “Oh, yeah, it’ll be a blast holed up with these idiots,” I drawl as I spin around to face her again.

  Eva finishes the last of her fries and shoves the tray away in disgust as she licks residual ketchup off her black-tipped nails. She’s strict about her diet—always so concerned with gaining weight even though she has gorgeous curves. So she must be really upset if she allowed herself to polish off two servings of french fries. She’ll never admit how much this is bothering her, though.

  Tough as steel. That’s the only way to describe her.

  “You’ll have Cole.”

  “Not the same.” My cheeks heat up and I turn away before she can spot my body’s betrayal.

  Cole and Eva have been my best friends since kindergarten. We were shoved into the same group activity circle, and that was it. Unfortunately for me, growing up means growing up. These days it’s impossible to ignore how hot Cole is. He’s sweet and funny and the perfect catch. He might have gone through an awkward glasses and braces phase in middle school and freshman year, but he’s moved past that. So far past that, he’s top dog here at Jordan High. Everyone loves him—boys, girls, teachers. Everyone with a capital E. And he takes immense pride in that.

  Meanwhile, I’m over here in advanced classes and haven’t been able to shake my nerd persona all four years of high school. I was hoping Eva giving me a makeover this past summer, including a few pink streaks in my otherwise mundane brown hair would help. We followed it up with a trip to the mall. Now I can say I own band shirts and uncomfortable skinny, ripped jeans. Then again, so can most kids our age. It’s not the radical change Eva hoped for.

  None of these new additions matter. I am, and will always be, Sammy Phillips, reigning nerd.

  That’s how our group works. Eva is the rebel. Cole is the popular one. And I’m the smart girl guys ask to tutor them—never out on a date. I’m sure to everyone else we’re the weirdest group of friends, but for us, well─ we’re family.

  Which is the reason I eat my feelings for Cole like a starved person faced with a Thanksgiving buffet. He doesn’t see me that way, and I won’t risk our lifelong friendship over some crush.

  It will go away.

  It has to go away.

  At least it’s what I tell myself. Every. Single. Day.

  “Boom!” A shadow looms over us the exact second something slaps the table between Eva and me.

  Socks. It’s socks.

  I don’t have to glance up to confirm who it is. Only Cole freaking Reed would be this dramatic about something as boring as socks.

  “And why exactly do we care what you use to cover the revolting stench wafting from your feet?” Eva asks, and I roll my eyes.

  These two are fluent in sarcasm and insults—the very strange way they show their love. It’s how they’ve always been. From the moment Cole was bold enough to make fun of Eva’s dress on picture day─circa first grade─it was on. To most people, I’m sure it looks as if they hate each other, but I’ve seen them be sweet a few times. A few very rare times.

  “Because, dear raccoon, these are the warmest socks on the planet. They cost most of my birthday money, but worth it not to suffer through you two complaining about your poor cold piggies for five days.”

  I snort at his direct attack on Eva’s black eyeliner and reach for the gray material. “Well, ask for a refund. Eva can’t go, and I’m considering bailing too.”

  “What?” He shouts, drawing the attention of every student in a ten-foot radius. He braces his hands on either side of me, leaning in until his chest pins me to the table and his breath hits my neck, making me shiver. “This is our senior trip. You guys can’t bail.”

  “I don’t have a choice,” Eva says on a shrug. “Mr. Holt put me on academic warning. No ski trip. No game night. No color run. Nothing.”

  “I’ll talk to him.” Cole straightens, but Eva shakes her head.

  “He said if either of you tries, he’ll ban you too. You may be Mr. Popular, and you might be Miss Brainiac, but he doesn’t care. He’s always hated me. Now he’s got the perfect
opportunity to act on it.”

  “Well, he might not hate you if you didn’t T.P. his car. Or put that foghorn under his chair or—”

  Eva cuts me off with a greasy napkin to the face. “I get it, thanks. Bottom line is I’ll spend those five days doing make-up work and hopefully be able to have fun with you guys the rest of the year.”

  “This sucks,” Cole echoes my earlier sentiment and takes the seat next to me. His dark, unruly curls peek out from under his gray beanie as he tugs on it in frustration. “Sammy, you can’t bail too. We’ve been looking forward to this since freshman year.”

  “Let’s clear something up.” I point my spork at both of them. “You two have been looking forward to the trip. I’ve never wanted to go. Besides, it was supposed to be the three of us. Now—”

  “Please!” Cole drops to the grungy linoleum beside me, propped up on one knee, and clasps his hands in front of his chest. His chocolate-brown eyes are so wide it’s almost comical. “Please don’t ditch me. I went out and bought socks for your cute little toes and everything. You can’t leave me alone on the mountain. I might get lost or eaten by some wild animal.”

  “You finally praying for a brain?” someone behind us calls.

  Cole ignores him, keeping his attention locked on me. Easy for him to do. Not so much for me. I can feel my cheeks getting warm, which means soon everyone will figure out how to get to me.

  Yeah, he’s drawn every eye in the cafeteria our way with his dramatic plea. He’s doing it on purpose too because he knows how much I hate this kind of attention. Being the center of attention has never been my strong suit.

  “Fine,” I growl and shove his shoulder, forcing him to grab the table leg so he doesn’t fall over. “I’ll go. Now please get off the floor.”

  “She said yes!” Cole shouts and jumps up to applause. They don’t know what they’re celebrating, but I guess no one cares. Not when it comes to Cole Reed.

  I bury my hot cheeks into my clammy palms. If ever there was a moment to drop dead, now would be the time.

  You hear me, Universe? Let’s get this over with.

  “Oh, sit down, you idiot.” Eva comes to my rescue before I burst into flames. “Must you always be the center of attention?”

  Cole plops down in the chair next to me and reaches over to steal a crouton from my salad. “I give the people what they want.”

  “What do you think, Sammy? Will the crown even fit on his enormous head when he’s made Prom King?”

  I laugh into my cup of fruit. Yes, he’s goofing around, but a part of him does love the attention. It won’t surprise me if he runs off after high school and becomes a famous actor.

  Just another reason of many we aren’t meant to be. I hate the spotlight and Cole, well, he needs someone who flourishes in it as much as he does.

  “Anyway,” I butt in before they spend the rest of lunch break arguing. “Do you want to sleep over the night before the trip? That way my dad can drop us both off.”

  Cole’s face lights up. I wish he could always look at me that way. “Sure. We can watch a bunch of slashers set in the wilderness. Prepare─in case any psycho killer comes at us.”

  “Idiot,” Eva says as she stands. “Well, I have to head to gym. It’s the only class I’m passing with an A. Fingers crossed I can keep it that way.”

  I stand with her and grab my tray. “I’m headed that way too.”

  “Don’t forget your socks.” Cole leans into me, gifting me with a whiff of his woodsy cologne as he shoves the soft gray material into the side pouch of my backpack. “Meet me in the lot after school and I’ll give you a ride home.”

  There goes the heat in my cheeks again. Nodding, I turn away from his addictive smile. I need to get this under control. It’s Cole. Only Cole. I’ve seen him gorge on gummy bears then puke. Hell, when he was seven, he used to chase me around and pretend he was going to wipe a booger on me.

  That’s the image I need to keep at the forefront of my mind.

  “I’m sorry you can’t go. You should still sleep over.” I sling an arm over Eva’s shoulders after we dump our trays. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll be miserable. But I’ll still take a thousand pictures and make sure to FaceTime you every night while Mr. Popular is off with the cool people.”

  “You’re cooler than all of them combined.”

  “Tell that to the rest of the school.”

  We both laugh and separate as we head out into the crowded hallway. “Just promise me you won’t sit in the lobby the entire time reading books. Your dad bought ski lessons, use them.”

  Sometimes I hate having two people who know me this well. I narrow my eyes at her and she laughs.

  “Ha! That’s totally what you were going to do, isn’t it? In that case, I’m going to make sure that Cole rides you. At least if I’m not there, I can make sure someone is forcing you to do something fun for once.”

  My brain gets caught up on the whole Cole riding me thing for a second too long. Images of him owning my mouth with his, pushing every other thought out, drowning all my braincells in euphoria. When my brain rights itself and I catch on to the rest of what Eva said, she’s heading down a separate hallway.

  “I have fun!” I yell, ignoring the weird looks other students give me.

  “Only because you have two awesome best friends!” With those parting words, Eva ducks into the girls’ locker room, leaving me standing there with nothing but doubt souring my stomach.

  Eva isn’t going. No matter what she says Cole won’t change any of his plans to hang out with me the whole time. Guess I’ll have to make sure my Kindle is fully loaded.

  This is going to be a long five days.

  “So that’s three extra credit assignments I have to complete by winter break.” Eva loops her arm through mine and drags me toward the lot where Cole parked this morning. “I’m in desperate need of ice cream. Want to stop at the mall?”

  I snag the black strap of my bag as it slides off my shoulder, crossing the rough fabric over my chest. The dang thing is crammed with so many books I might end up with scoliosis before we hit winter break. “You’ll have to ask Cole. He drove.”

  “Please,” she snorts. “The mall is his number one hunting ground. I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to come along then ditch us so fast there will be a cloud-shaped outline of his body when the first pretty girl passes by.”

  I force a smile even though the thought of him chasing after some girl leaves my stomach in knots. “He’s just a flirt. You know he doesn’t date.”

  “You mean girls discover his true personality and go running?”

  We weave through groups of kids littering the hallway, heading to the side exit where Cole parked. “That’s a terrible thing to say about your friend.”

  “Is it terrible if it’s true?”

  My breath turns to mist as I sigh. If we could go an entire day without talking about Cole’s love life, I would be a happy girl. For crying out loud, there’s got to be more interesting things to discuss. Music. Books. The origin of serial killers. Okay, the last one might not be for everyone, but those biopics are interesting as hell.

  Eva hooks left, breaking me out of my head, and tugs me toward Cole’s red Jeep Wrangler. Much to his disappointment, he had to put the sides on a couple of months ago when the temperature dropped. Personally, I enjoy our rides much more now. I’m not a huge fan of wind-whipped hair first thing in the morning.

  He glances up as we approach and slides his phone into his front pocket. “Here comes trouble.”

  Eva lets me go and finger-combs her purple-tipped hair into a messy ponytail. “Tell Sammy the reason you don’t date exclusively is because girls can’t stand your personality.”

  He slaps a palm on his chest over his heart. “Ouch.”

  “See. Mean,” I say as I cut through a line of cars, aiming for the front passenger seat of the Jeep.

  I won shotgun for the rest of the year this past summer when Eva bet me that Josh Duhamel
was in The Office. Spoiler, he’s not. It’s his weird doppelgänger, Timothy Olyphant. She should know better by now not to question me when it comes to movies and TV. My stretched-out legs are thrilled about the win, though.

  I toss my book bag on the floorboard and lean over the seat to talk through the open driver’s side door. “Eva wants to go to the mall.”

  Cole stops in the middle of whatever he is saying to Eva and turns to me. “With us?”

  Maybe I’m bogged down by my tired brain, but I swear I detect a hint of disappointment in his voice.

  I shrug off the thought, blaming it on caffeine withdrawal. I need a coffee stat. “If you want.” The key is hanging in the ignition, so I reach over and turn the car on, cranking the heat up as I straighten.

  “Yeah. Sure. We can grab a few things for the trip.”

  Ugh. I’m sick of hearing about the trip. Without Eva it won’t be the same. “I don’t need anything. I have snow pants in the attic from the time we went tubing.”

  Eva laughs, and Cole cocks an eyebrow. “When we were fourteen? No way those will fit.”

  I pick at the chipped black nail polish Eva painted on me this past weekend. “I’m going to walk from the bus to the lodge then from the lodge to the bus. I don’t see a need for snow pants.”

  Eva tears the rear passenger door open and leans through the opening. “Uh-uh. No way. You’re using those lessons your dad bought. Tell her, Cole.”

  He jumps on the gang-up-on-Sammy train and nods. “They’re paid for.”

  “So it’s settled,” Eva says as she hops in. “We’re going to the mall for snow pants and the biggest sundae I can find.”

  “Yes!” Cole slaps the steering wheel. “Snow pants. A pit stop at the game store and a sundae if we have time.” Eva smacks the back of his head as she settles into her seat, making him laugh.