“Push it! Come on let’s go! I want everyone to be sweating as much as Skylar!” Coach shouted.

Everyone gave a collected groan knowing that I have sweat issues. I can’t help my genes. On a side note, have you ever noticed how sexual track sounds? Think about it, the cheers are always like oh, yes! Push it, harder! And the coach is always yelling hurry up and finish. Just thought I would point that out. Now you will never be able to look at track and field the same.

Anyways we are practicing for a big meet coming up against our rival school. We are known for being the best in the district no one wants to face us, that being said we lose to our rival school every other year. Last year we beat them, so this year…

I finally caught up to Darleen. I think she slowed down purposely.

“Hey.” She smiles.

“Heh-hey.” I finally said, out of breath.

She giggles.

“No talking!” coach shouts.

God, she always has a stick up her butt.

“Race ya?” Darleen said.

I nodded, then we both took off, outrunning everyone else. When we made it to the finish line I collapsed on the floor trying to catch my breath. Darleen beat me, she always beats me.

“Wow, look at you, Roadrunner,” Jade said from the stands.

I look at her. She must have gotten out of dance practice early. She smiles at me and my heart jumped up and high-fived my spinal cord, sending a thrill down it. I force myself off the floor.

“Almost got me today.” Darleen teased.

She knows she is way faster than me, I may be the second fastest on the team but she still outclasses me big time.

I frowned at her making my signature pouty face.

She laughs.

“You look so yummy all hot and bothered.” Jade hopped over the stands and walked over to me.

“I bet you would look better.” I did it! I flirted! Okay, don’t panic. Play it cool.

“Cheeky! I love it.” She playfully pushes me.

I smile.

“Huddle up!” Coach calls.

“Come on.” Darleen jogged off towards the coach.

“Just a sec.” I said to Jade before jogging after her.

“Okay progress needs to be made before the meet if we want to beat them. Darleen keep up the good work. Alison, what did I tell you about your stamina? You need to train harder.”

“Sorry coach.” She mutters.

“Mariah you need to shorten your stride, you are wasting your energy on the initial leap. Skylar!”

“Y-yes.” I stutter.

“Nice work today, but you need to stay focused. Talking like that in a real meet will get you disqualified. Don’t let it happen again.”

“Sorry coach,” I mumble.

“Everyone else, good work. Hit the showers I’ll see you tomorrow.”

We all split off Darleen and I walking over to our water bottles, Jade was waiting.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, Skylar, talking during a meet.” She shook her head teasing me.

“Darleen started it.” I pout.

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” She said sarcastically before grabbing her stuff and heading inside.

“Hurry up and get your butt in the shower, I want to leave already.” Jade playfully smacked me on the butt.

“Eep!” I yelp.

She laughed at the sound.

Jade always makes me shower before we leave, she doesn’t want her car smelling like sweat. She just got her car, her aunt bought it for her.

Jade’s parents aren’t around. Her dad is in the military and her mom is a drug addict and is never around. So Jade stays with her aunt and uncle, and her annoying cousin McKenzie who is the same age as us but goes to normal public school.

Jade drives us around everywhere. Always dragging me with her where ever she goes. My mom is a single working mom, she can’t afford to get me a car. Mostly because she is too busy paying for my tuition to be in this school.

My dad divorced her and moved to Mexico when I was five. Really random yes, but he met a woman there. He sent a postcard once. Turns out he married her and now has two more kids. I have a half brother and another little sister in Mexico. My mom never remarried. She likes being single, or so she says.

Jade got into this school on a scholarship, because she is just that talented. She auditioned and then they fell in love with her. She is one of the many star children of this school. Darleen is another but mostly because her family donates so much to the school. That is why she never gets in trouble, even if she deserves it.

“You won’t believe what happened to me today!” Jade said as I got into the passenger seat.

I didn’t have to ask what before she went on.

“Parece is auditioning for the same role as me! I know she did it on purpose. That is so like her.”

Parece is Jade’s rival in theater and dance and chorus. She is also a triple threat and a star child of the school. She is basically the next Beyoncé that’s how good she is.

Our school has two musicals a year, one in the fall, one in the spring. Our spring musical this year is Crazy for You. Jade told me she wanted to audition for Irene last week.

“You are better than her.” I shrug.

Not untrue, but not true either. Parece is really, really good, but so is Jade. They are always neck and neck. Yet history shows that in the spring Jade tends to have better luck at landing roles than in the fall. Usually, because she is more fired up and practices more.

“Aw thanks, but it gets worse. Archer is auditioning for Bobby! If she gets the role, she will get to kiss him!”

“Then shouldn’t you audition for Polly? Doesn’t Polly end up with Bobby?”

“Well yeah, but what fun is playing a goody two shoes? I like to play the bad girls. Just wait until you hear my song.” She wiggles her eyebrows.

We got to her house and I was about to run in per usual when My mom yelled,

“Skylar Lane Clifton! Get home now!”

“Busted.” Jade teased.

I sighed and walked across the street.

“What?” I asked once in the house.

“Want to explain this.” She slapped my report card on the table.

Every grade was an A, except bio. The class I have Jade in. That class I have a C. Mostly because Jade is always distracting me with her blabbering. But also because my professor is so god awful boring it’s hard to pay attention in general.

“It is a paper, with letters on it. And my name. It looks like it came through the mail.” I said being a smartass.

“Ha-ha, why isn’t this grade an A? I pay too much money for that school for you to be making C’s.”

“I’ll try harder.” I sigh.

“I want results. C’s get grounded in this house. Until you can bring up this grade no more hanging out with Jade.”

“Mom!”

“No Buts! Now go into your room and study.”

I took the stupid report card and marched upstairs. Oli, aka my little sister Olivia, was in my room, stealing my charger again.

“Get lost brat!” I snagged it from her.

“I’m telling mom!” she threatens.

“Get your own charger.”

“Dukun ate it!” she complains.

Dukun is our massive black Labrador and the way I can sneak in and out of the house every night. His doggy door is big and easy for me to crawl through.

“Who’s fault is that?”

“Dukun’s!” she complains.

“Doesn’t mean you can just take mine.” I turn away from her.

“Asshole.” She spat.

“What did you say?”

“I said you are an asshole!” she then ran out of my room to hers and slammed the door.

“Yeah well, so are you!” I yell back.

“Enough!” mom yells from downstairs.

I sigh and shut my door.

I walk over to my window and caught Jade changing. She had the curtain drawn and her shirt was off.

The invisible hands of my lust wrapped around my throat and squeezed it shut. My heart grabbed a top hat and a cane and began doing a number in me, kicking my lungs on the up beats. My face turned red from the warm fire of shame and embarrassment. Yet I stayed frozen where I stood.

She reached behind her back to undo her bra.

I quickly closed the curtain. I leaned against the wall and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to catch my breath and shove it back into my lungs.

*Ba bump, ba bump, ba bump*

My heart was now dancing in my ears.

Holy cow! I almost saw her naked, naked naked! So not cool. I have only seen Jade half naked before and that was on complete accident. It was last year we went with her aunt, uncle, and cousin to the water park. Her top flew off on a ride. I got a front row eye full. She was not even embarrassed by it, she just laughed it off and put her top back on. That was the only time I have seen those perfect round and gorgeous orbs of flesh on her chest.

After about a minute or two I peak through to see if she is done. She is. She is just sitting on her bed now. I sigh in relief. I grab my phone and text her that I am grounded because I have a C in bio. She looks to her window, we make eye contact, she makes a pouty face.

I shrug.

She rolls her eyes.

Then I just go and lay on my own bed.

How to get Jade Tate to fall in love with me…

Step one: flirt, a lot.

Step two: Be more outgoing and attention grabbing.

Step three: Let her know you like girls.

Step four: lead her on.

Step five: kiss her and live happily ever after.

Seems simple enough. I can do this. I can make her love me. Once I have her attention it will be a piece of cake. Right? How does one get Jade Tate’s attention anyways? She is always drawn from one thing to the next. For a girl who literally tells me her whole life’s story every day; I have no idea how to get her attention.

How far will I have to go exactly? We talking flash mob, because I don’t think my nerves can take that. Also, what about Archer? So long as he is single Jade will always think there is hope. Unless… I get him and Darleen together! Yes, it’s perfect. That way Jade will be all heart broken and I will swoop in and mend her broken heart.

I ended up falling asleep. When I woke up it was late and dark out. Someone crawled over me on my bed, it scared the crap out me. I nearly screamed. Except jade covered my mouth. She’s way too close! I can see down her shirt!

“Shh! It’s just me.”

“Jade! I said I was grounded. My mom will kill you if she sees you here.” I whisper.

“So, I wasn’t done talking to you earlier. Move over.” She cuddles up next to me on the bed.

Don’t panic! She’s done this before, no big deal. Just play it cool.

*Ba bump, Ba bump, Ba bump* 

Shut up, you stupid heart! You are going to get us caught!

“God your bed is the best. Way better than mine. I could fall asleep here.” She sighs and snuggles into me, laying her head on my chest.

“Well you better not, my mom will murder us!” I whisper.

“Emm, man your heart is racing. You really that afraid?” she laughs.

“Hehe.” I force a burst of nervous laughter.

“God, you’re so warm.” She wraps her arms around me.

Ahh! Freak out mode! She is cuddling me! what do I do? What do I say? Don’t screw it up.

“Blood is warm. So I am warm. Just biology. Simple, even though I am almost failing. I should try harder. Then I would get to see you more. Not that I want to see you more, or that I don’t want to see you more. Just regular. Because I am a regular gal. Hehe.”

I hate myself. Why can’t I just speak like a normal person?

“You are such a dork.” She snorts in amusement.

“So, you wanted to talk?” I ask.

“Right, we need a way to take down Parece, we can’t let her get the role! I want that role. I totally called it first.” She pouts.

“You can’t stop her from auditioning.”

“But what if I could.” She said in a devious voice.

“How?”

“Lock her in a supply closet.”

“Jade.”

“Just kidding, sort of.” She mumbles.

I yawn. Man, I am sleepy.

“But what if she gets the part.” She pouts.

“You’re better than her. Just be confident.” I roll over in bed.

“Are you even listening to me, you big meanie.” She spoons me.

“I’m tired.”

“I still haven’t even talked about my Archer issues yet!”

“Okay, okay.” I roll back over.

So she went on and on about Archer and how he is ignoring her. How she basically confessed to him but he was too dumb to get it. On and on. Eventually, she fell asleep. It took me a moment to register that she had fallen asleep because I was on the verge of sleep myself.

I look at her and she was dead to the world. Her lips slightly parted, her hair all splayed out. She looks so cute.

“Jade,” I whisper.

She doesn’t budge.

“Jade!” I whisper louder.

She grumbled and snuggled closer to me.

Curse her, if she wasn’t so cute I would definitely wake her up.

Then she moved again, so close that her head is centimeters from my own. Her lips are right there! So kissable.

“Jade.” I whisper.

She doesn’t budge.

Okay here goes!

I lean down and peck her lips, quickly pulling back. My feelings bubble over inside of me and my whole face goes red.

She is still fast asleep.

I lean down and do it again, this time holding it longer. I can feel her kiss me back softly.

She moves and I quickly pull back and roll over.

Oh my god! I kissed her again! What has gotten into me!? So not cool! Is she awake? Did she see me? Do I look?

She wraps her arms around me and snuggles deeper into me. I have to take a shaky breath just to get a hold of myself. By the time I fall asleep my alarm to get up is going off in 30 minutes.

“Emm, five more minutes.” Jade complains.

“Jade come on, before my mom sees you.” I push her.

“Ugh! Fine.” She pouts and sits up.

I get up and stretch.

“I had the weirdest dream last night.” She rubs her lips.

“Yeah?” my voice cracks.

“It was nothing.” She shakes her head.

Then she gets up and skips out of my room, sneaking out the same way she got in. I can see her run across the street to her house.

Did she think what happened was a dream? Or maybe she really did dream of me, unless she dreamt of Archer. But wouldn’t she have told me if it was Archer? Which means it wasn’t. Which means she very well could have dreamt of me.

Deep breaths. I can’t jump to conclusions just yet. Maybe I’m delusional from lack of sleep.

After I get dressed I run downstairs and eat some cereal. Oli is down there, she eyes me.

“What?” I snap at her.

“If you don’t let me use your charger I am telling mom Jade snuck in and spent the night.” She smirks.

“Demon.” I narrow my eyes at her.

“Troll.”

“Gremlin”

“Witch!”

“Enough!” mom comes into the kitchen.

“Mom!” Oli yells looking at me with a devious look.

“What?” she turns.

“Uh, I lost my charger at school. Can you get me a new one?” I say before Oli can say anything.

“Honestly Skylar you need to be more careful.” Mom sighs.

Oli smirks at me.

God, she is such a brat.

Jade honks her horn outside and I quickly down the rest of my cereal and run out.

“Come on! For someone so fast you sure drag ass.” She complains.

“Maybe if you weren’t hogging the bed I wouldn’t be so tired.” I grumble.

“Can’t help it, your bed is like a cloud.” She sighs romantically.

I roll my eyes and shut the passenger door.

“Now, where was I last night? Ah yes, I think Archer likes someone else!” she went into her rant.

Sigh.

It’s going to be a long day.