The Queen B* and the Homecoming King Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Letter to Readers

  Books by Crista McHugh

  The Queen B* and the Homecoming King

  The Queen B*, Book 3

  by Crista McHugh

  Chapter One

  I’d never greeted a Monday morning with dozens of giddy butterflies in my stomach. Usually, I reserved my most dramatic sighs and biting comments for Mondays because—let’s face it—they suck. But this Monday morning was different.

  I, Alexis Wyndham, was officially Brett Pederson’s girlfriend.

  But I still wasn’t ready to announce that to the world.

  As we floated in a canoe among the water lilies in Lake Washington yesterday, I laid down a few ground rules to help me ease into this unprecedented (and unimaginable) situation. After all, it’s not every day the Queen B* and the Quarterback become a couple. Dropping that bomb on our classmates could cause a rift in the space-time continuum.

  Or at least cause my nemesis, Summer Hoyt, to have one very public and dramatic meltdown.

  Rule number one: I refused to be one of those disgustingly cute couples that were joined at the hip between classes. We were dating, not merging our lives and identities into a single life-form. Brett had his group of friends and I had mine, and until recently, they never intertwined because I despised most of the in-crowd. If I hadn’t gotten to know the real Brett during a class project, I would’ve continued to write him off as a dumb jock.

  Lesson learned, but still…

  Rule number two: no public displays of affection at school. Not that I had any problem with PDAs with Brett. I liked kissing him. But I also had been known to lose control when I was with him…and lose articles of clothing. And after having that awkward run-in with my mom and her boyfriend’s PDA on our living room couch last week, I’d rather not make a spectacle of myself in front of everyone. It opened up the doors to ridicule.

  Rule number three: I wouldn’t go to Homecoming with Brett. I’d made it this far through high school without plunging into that cheesy sea of balloons and crepe paper while wearing a silly sequin-laden dress, and I wasn’t going to cross that line during my senior year.

  I had the hardest time getting Brett to agree to rule number three, and I had a sneaking suspicion he wouldn’t give up on trying to convince me to go with him, especially since the dance was less than two weeks away. And since Brett was the school’s football hero, he was sure to be crowned Homecoming King.

  Which meant I’d have to endure watching him stand next to Summer, who was sure to be crowned Homecoming Queen during the same little ceremony at the dance.

  It’s not that I was jealous or anything. I trusted Brett. I just didn’t like the idea of her getting anywhere near him, especially since she was a spoiled brat used to getting her way. And that might be the only reason I’d consider going to the dance—to make sure she knew he was with me.

  “Taylor, I swear if you don’t stop primping and come downstairs, I’m leaving without you.” I had shouted for my little sister to hurry up at least five times already this morning. Apparently she’d lost her ride to school due to a dispute over shoes, which meant she had to ride with me.

  I was rolling down the driveway when she finally dashed out of the house, makeup bag in hand. “Geez, you could’ve given me a little more time,” she snapped as she jumped in my car. “School doesn’t start for another fifteen minutes.”

  “Yeah, and it takes ten minutes to get there, I don’t know how long to find a parking spot, and then we still have to run to class.”

  I hated being late almost as much as I hated running or any other activity that was reserved for gym class.

  Taylor rolled her eyes before carefully applying another coat of mascara. “You’re blowing this way out of proportion.”

  “I already have one tardy on my record this year.” From the morning I’d slept through my alarm after being up all night with Junior, the computerized baby from hell. “I don’t want another.”

  “It’s not a big deal.” She shoved her mascara back in her bag and fished around for a tube of lipstick. “Besides, I want to know what happened between you and Brett yesterday.”

  Of course she did. That way, she could decide how much intel to pass on to Summer and how to twist the information in her own favor. The tighter Taylor continued to be among the head cheerleader’s inner circle of friends, the stronger her chances of being named Summer’s heir on the squad.

  “We picked up my car from the U-District,” I began, not sure of how much to reveal. Saturday night could’ve been a complete disaster if it hadn’t been for Brett’s intervention. I’d made the mistake of going out with a complete douchebag who’d tried to take advantage of me after I’d drunk too much at a frat party. Luckily, Brett had come to the rescue. “And then we went on a date.”

  Taylor’s eyes widened, and she perked up. “Are you two a couple now?”

  I bit my bottom lip. Even though I’d set up those ground rules with Brett, I couldn’t hide the fact that we were going out. And part of me wanted people to know that out of all the girls in our school, he had chosen me. “I guess you could say that.”

  “Oh. My. God.” Taylor slumped back against the seat and stared blankly out the front window for about thirty seconds before a devious grin curled her lips. “This is going to be so epic.”

  Would it? Or was I just opening the door to more trouble? I’d resisted my feelings for Brett for so long because I feared making myself vulnerable to him. After the way Summer had publicly humiliated me in sixth grade by reading my diary aloud to everyone, I’d pushed almost everyone away and hidden behind my cold, hard persona of the school’s mean girl. But Brett had managed to break through my outer shell and see the real me, and after weeks of getting to know him, I’d learned to trust him.

  Today, however, would be when the real test began. It was one thing to sneak around and see each other outside of school. It was another thing to take our relationship public. Hence, my rules.

  The parking lot was every bit the nightmare I’d expected at this time of the morning. Taylor scampered out of my Prius as soon as we got on campus, leaving me behind to find a parking spot. No wonder she wasn’t worried about being late for class. I managed to find a spot three minutes before the first bell. Of course, I would’ve gotten one sooner if Sanchez hadn’t cut me off and grabbed the first spot I’d found. As much as I wanted to start my day with a few words with my new boyfriend, I only had time to wave to him from down the hall as I performed the dreaded dash for class, safely sliding into my seat as the final bell rung.

  My phone buzzed, and I sneaked a peek at the message on my screen.

  See you in 4th period.

  I didn’t need to look to see who it was from. Only one person would look forward to seeing me in fourth period, and a warm glow quickened those frantic butterflies in my stomach.

  Brett.

  ***

  He was waiting for me in Hum-Ex class at what I’d come
to accept as our table. When the school year started, I’d claimed a two-person workstation as my own in the back of the room. No one had dared to sit there until Brett took the seat next to me after he’d switched with someone to be my partner for a class project. Since then, he’d sat next to me almost every day in fourth period. The only days he hadn’t were last week when he’d stood by his teammate, Sanchez, after one of my incriminating blog posts.

  I ran The Eastline Spy, a blog that notoriously skewered the students and faculty at Eastline High whenever they were doing something they shouldn’t do. I’ve called out teachers for having affairs with students. I’ve exposed students cheating their way to easy A’s. I even posted pics of the previous principal fooling around with one of the teachers (both of whom were married to other people at the time). Last week, however, I’d posted pics of Sanchez and two of his teammates bullying students in the hallway. All three of them had been suspended and forced to sit out of Friday’s game.

  Sanchez was back in class today, and the murderous expression on his face told me he hadn’t forgotten last week.

  My reputation as the Queen B* would suffer if I looked away, so I returned his glare with an equal dose of animosity as I walked by him. If he tried anything, I wouldn’t think twice about calling him out on my blog again, especially after the way he’d had his hands up my little sister’s skirt a couple of weeks ago.

  “I was waiting for you this morning. It’s not like you to be late to school, Lexi,” Brett murmured when I sat down.

  He was the only person who could call me Lexi besides my sister and not suffer my wrath.

  “Taylor.” That was all I needed to say.

  He chuckled. “So I guess carpooling to school is a no-go?”

  Brett lived less than two blocks away from me. The environmentalist in me would be all for carpooling, but I still wasn’t ready to ride with him every morning. “You have football practice after school. How am I supposed to get home?”

  “I could drop you off at your house before practice.”

  “Sort of defeats the purpose of carpooling if we’re making extra trips. Besides, it violates rule number one.”

  He arched a brow. “It does?”

  “Yep. No joined at the hip—remember?”

  He let out a deep breath and shook his head. “Forgive me for wanting to spend time with you.”

  My cheeks blazed, and my reply stumbled out with halting awkwardness. “No, it’s not that. It’s just—um, well, I mean—”

  The bell rang and cut me off.

  I flipped open my laptop to start taking notes, and less than a minute later, I had an instant message from Brett.

  Sorry. Just overly eager. The grin on his face only added to the thrill that raced through my veins. Brett was eager to be with me.

  I get it, I typed back. I enjoy spending time with you too. But with Taylor needing a ride, I’d hate to risk making you late every morning over an eyeliner emergency.

  His shoulders shook with a silent chuckle. If I had a latte waiting for you tomorrow morning, do you think you could arrive early enough to meet me at the bleachers before school?

  I squirmed in my seat, but with more joy than embarrassment. Getting some alone time with him was more than enough incentive to get Taylor out of the house early. The latte sealed the deal. I could definitely try.

  Excellent. With Coach wanting me to put in extra prep time for this week’s game, I didn’t know how else I’d get to hang out with you outside of class.

  Extra prep time? I typed.

  Skylake is this week.

  That was all he needed to say. Skylake High School was our cross-town rival. The winner of this game usually went on to win the state championship, which meant the high-stakes game often turned vicious. We’d won the last two years with Brett as starting quarterback, and I knew they’d want to deliver a loss to his nearly perfect record.

  Mr. DePaul, our teacher, began to pace the aisles, so I closed the IM window before we got caught. The school had banned instant messaging during class, but that never stopped Brett.

  When the bell rang, Brett stuffed his tablet into his backpack and stood. “Sanchez suggested we look over some films today so we can find a few holes in Skylake’s defense.”

  Brett played football like a chess game, so I wasn’t surprised he was taking extra time to find more ways to win than just throwing a ball in the air and hoping it landed in Sanchez’s hands.

  “I hope you can, too,” I replied, even though it sounded like something Brett would think of, not Sanchez.

  “So you’re not upset that I can’t hang out with you before practice this week?” He shuffled his weight from foot to foot while waiting for my response.

  “Why should I be?” If I’d been the jealous type, I might’ve been upset. Or if I didn’t trust him. But I did. I knew him well enough now to know he’d be in some dark room with a notepad in hand watching footage of Skylake’s previous games all afternoon, not hooking up with Summer or some other girl. As much as he loved the game of football, he was also strangely devoted to me.

  At least, I was pretty sure. The only things he seemed more devoted to were his family and football.

  “Just that most girls are kind of clingy, from my experience.”

  “Did you forget rule number one?” I teased.

  “No, but I might forget rule number two.” He swooped in and placed a kiss on my cheek.

  If I’d reacted more quickly, I might’ve been able to smack him before he darted away from me with a huge grin. As it was, I suffered a tiny moment of shock. Despite my warnings about PDAs, Brett had no qualms about playing the part of smitten boyfriend in front of everyone.

  Including Sanchez, who stood in the doorway with his mouth hanging open. “Dude, are you mental?”

  “Nope,” Brett replied and gave his teammate a playful thump on the back. “Ready to go over some films and come up with some new routes?”

  “I owe the team that much after last week.” He cast one more glance at me, his brows furrowed in confusion, before turning back to Brett.

  I didn’t hear the rest of Sanchez’s reply as they slipped out into the hallway. But I suspected most of the school would react the same way once word got out about me and Brett dating.

  I’d barely managed to travel three feet down the hall before Richard Wang, one of my best friends, ambushed me. “We need to talk.”

  I assumed he wanted to know all about this weekend’s drama—from my hasty exit from Friday night’s party to the disastrous date with a frat-boy douchebag that nearly ended with me being raped to my heavenly day with Brett. But instead, he steered me to a poster in the hall.

  At first, I thought he was pointing at one of the many Vote for Summer Hoyt for Homecoming Queen! posters that already littered the hallways, but then I realized he was actually pointing at the small flyer next to it.

  Debate Team Tryouts This Week!

  He gulped hard as though he was trying not to puke. “Please tell me you’re still pissed off at Brett so I don’t have to keep my end of our bargain.”

  “Tough luck, buttercup.”

  He let loose a sting of whispered cusswords before catching himself. “Wait a minute. Did I hear you correctly? You and Brett—”

  I clamped my hand over his mouth before he announced it to the entire school. “Let’s take this outside.”

  It was lunch, and students streamed out of the building to venture to some of the off-campus dining options that were a short walk away. Richard loved the local fried chicken fast-food joint, so I steered him toward it. The greasy goods would calm him down.

  However, we’d barely crossed campus before he bombarded me with questions. “Tell me everything. What happened Friday? Is it true that you caught Summer trying to make a move on him? I mean, the whole party was talking about it, but I can’t believe half the things people say. But then what happened? Because obviously something happened if you two ended up together.”

  It w
ould take way longer than the forty-five minutes Richard was allotted for lunch. Unlike me, he had to stay the full day. “Do you really want to hear about my weekend, or would you rather prep for the tryouts this afternoon?”

  “Is there an option for me to say both?” he asked with a sheepish grin.

  “Can I give you a raincheck on the juicy details?” As it was, I wasn’t in the mood to relive half my weekend. And I definitely wanted to talk with Morgan first. Something Gavin had said while he was pawing at my shirt bothered me. He’d said I was as easy as my friend, and even though Morgan had no qualms about hooking up with random guys, I still couldn’t squash that annoying niggle of doubt that plagued me.

  “Absolutely!” He looped his arm through mine. “I’m so excited for you, Alexis. Any plans for Homecoming yet?”

  “Not going.”

  He stopped and jerked me back when I tried to keep walking. “Hold on here a minute, honey. You’re dating Brett Pederson, and you’re not going to Homecoming with him?”

  “It’s just a stupid dance.”

  “When you’re dateless, it’s just a stupid dance. But you are dating the hottest guy in school. If it were me, I’d be all over him on that dance floor.”

  “Well, he might still be looking for a date,” I joked.

  “Sorry, but I don’t think he swings my way.” If I was the school’s Mean Girl and Brett was the Golden Boy, Richard was the Token Gay Guy. He had no problem letting the world know about his sexuality, but he purposely played up the flamboyancy to put others at ease. “Besides, I think I might be getting close to having a date for Homecoming myself, which was why I didn’t check in with you sooner.”

  “A date?”

  He held his finger up to his lips. “Shh! I’ll let you in on my secret if you let me in on yours.”

  “Later. Right now, I need to make sure you show up for tryouts with your best game face on.”

  “Which means I’d better tone down all the fabulousness that is me.” He wiggled while he ran his hands down his skinny body. “Okay. Let’s be serious. We already know Kelsey and Ajay are the team captains, so I already have one strike against me.”