Filed to story: My Life with the Walter Boys Book (I & II) PDF Free
“Of course. I’m pretty sure Alex was yours long before I met him, but he was just too dumb to realize it.” The smile I offered her was both rueful and teasing. “Besides, only one of us can put up with his
GoG obsession, and it certainly isn’t me.”
There was a lingering nervousness in her responding laugh, but she sagged at my reassurance. “You’re the best, Jackie.”
“Wanna hug it out?” I asked, taking a step toward her as I held out my arms. “You kind of seem like you could use a hug.”
“God, yes.” Kim gave me a tight squeeze as if trying to convey everything left unsaid—
thank you, I’m so sorry.
“Ugh, you’re still damp from swimming.” I wrinkled my nose and pulled away as she laughed for real this time. Facing my dresser, I rifled through the drawers in search of a change of clothes. “So are you taking AP English Lit this year? Nobody else signed up for it and I’d liked to have at least one friend in the class.”
Five
Five
School started on Monday, and much to my surprise, the first day of junior year went off without a hitch. In addition to having a class with each of my friends and two with Alex, people no longer cared about me being the new girl. Even better, Kim stepped in when Riley and Heather attempted to grill me about how things were going with Cole; one well-placed, icy glare was all it took for the two of them to back off.
By Friday, I’d settled into a comfortable routine and decided it was finally time to pick an extracurricular. While attending Hawks, I’d been involved in multiple school organizations, from debate club to yearbook committee. Last year, however, my guidance counselor prohibited me from joining any clubs at the request of Uncle Richard so that I could adjust to my move and focus on healing. The first student council meeting of the semester was scheduled for after school, and I figured it would be a good place to start. When I arrived at the auditorium, Skylar was waiting outside the door for me.
“Well, look who it is,” I said, crossing my arms. At lunch, I had asked my friends if anyone was interested in joining with me, but every single one of them laughed. “I’m surprised to see you after receiving such a thorough rejection. What was it you said? Something about not wanting to spend more time at school than necessary while being forced to work for free with a bunch of try hards?”
Skylar didn’t even try to look bashful. He flashed me a wide grin. “I might have said something like that, but I’m allowed to change my mind. It would be cruel of me to let you go alone, especially when you looked so dejected and pathetic.”
“Riiight…” I rolled my eyes. “Why don’t I believe you?”
“After living with the Walters, I suspect you’ve developed an excellent bullshit detector,” he said, which got a laugh out of me.
“That’s true. I need it for self-preservation purpose. But for real, though. Why the change of heart?”
He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Because I heard Chase talking about coming to today’s meeting.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Chase Kennedy. He’s the editor for the school paper. Sometimes when the news cycle is slow, he publishes an article from my blog to fill the space.”
I gasped in mock offense. “So you’ll show up for some random guy when he mentions he might be in attendance but not for your good friend? Geez, I see how it is.”
“For your information, Chase is the devastatingly handsome senior who I’ve secretly been obsessed with for three years,” he said. “Sorry, babe, but you don’t come close in comparison.”
“Of course. How silly of me.”
Skylar grinned and looped his arm through mine. “Glad we sorted that out. Come on. We’re going to be late.”
The meeting must have been about to start, because when we entered the auditorium, everyone was already seated and turned to look at us.
“What is she doing here?” snarked a familiar voice, which I followed to its source. Long auburn hair. Brown doe eyes. A heart-shaped face I recognized immediately. Erin was seated in front of the stage surrounded by a posse of friends who all tittered at her question. I knew I was meant to hold my chin high and pretend I didn’t hear her, but before coming back for the school year, I’d made a resolution against taking shit from anyone. Not from the Walter boys or Mary and certainly not from one of Cole’s old hookups.
I stared Erin down. “I’m sorry, am I in the wrong room? I thought this was student council, a student organization run by students
, and I just so happen to be one of those.”
Erin turned pink and averted her gaze when a surprisingly large number of people laughed. I took this for the win it was and followed Skylar over to an empty row at the back of the room.
The next hour passed in a blur of boring housekeeping information and start of term notices, the only noteworthy moment being when Erin raised her hand as one of the hopefuls running for president. When the meeting came to a close, I went to add my name to the sign-up sheet for the homecoming committee while Skylar wandered over to a guy who looked like a Disney prince come to life—perfectly coiffed ebony hair, cornflower-blue eyes, and an aggressively patrician nose. When I turned around, I nearly ran smack into Erin.
“Just so we’re clear,” she said in a threatening tone, “if you think you can waltz in here and sabotage my campaign for president, you’ve got another thing coming.”
Good Lord, this girl was ridiculous. If I didn’t put a stop to this one-sided beef immediately, I had a feeling she’d make every meeting from this point forward brutal. “So because a boy you liked decided he was more interested in me, I’m suddenly out to get you?”
Erin gaped at me. “What?”
“Look, I’m not here to cause a scene or sabotage you or whatever else you’re thinking,” I told her. If I’d known Erin was a member of student council, I might have chosen a different club to avoid the drama. “I don’t have an issue with you. All I want to do is join an extracurricular to pad my college application and be left in peace.”
My admission must have taken Erin by surprise, because she paused. The friend standing at her side, however, scoffed at me. “Then why don’t you pick another club?”
I shrugged. “Because student council is the perfect fit for me. I have great organizational skills; I grew up helping my mom plan parties, charity events, and fashion shows; and I spent the summer interning at a top investment company. Also, I don’t need your permission to join.”
That shut the girl up.
“Okay,” Erin said after considering me for another moment, her frosty expression melting. “Any chance you can apply those skills to running an election campaign?”
My brows shot up in surprise, but I recognized her offer for the olive branch that it was. “Yeah, I think I can manage that.”
She smiled and held out her hand. “Then welcome to student council, Jackie.”
***
By the time I went to bed that night, I had a rough plan for how to get Erin elected as student council president, subject to her approval.
Campaign Checklist
Brainstorm campaign slogans
Design a logo (maybe Katherine can help?)