Page 138 of Drama Queens Don't Fall For Charming Boys

“Yay!” Rylee throws her arms around me again and squeezes me so tight I can barely breathe.

“Are you trying to kill me?” I choke out.

“Just a few more seconds. One, two, three…okay.” She releases me.

“My turn!” Now Zoey squeezes the living daylights out of me.

When I step out of the hug, I hear a commotion at the entrance to the school. Some girls are demanding why Declan didn’t show up to the masquerade ball. Many of them were hoping they could snag a dance with him. But Declan doesn’t pay any attention to them—he doesn’t even look at them. His gaze is pasted on me as he walks down the hallway. His face is lit up in a way it wasn’t before. Like a worry has been lifted off his shoulders.

When he’s only a few feet away, he sprints over and gathers me in his arms, lifting me a few inches off the ground and spinning me around.

“What’s this for?” I ask with a laugh.

“I got a call from my agent this morning!” His voice is full to the max with pure joy. He puts me down and looks into my eyes, the light on his face even brighter. “They asked me to do the sequel. Mia, they asked me back.”

“I can’t believe it!” I grab him into my arms and hug him tight. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks.” He melts against me. “I love your hugs.”

“Then I’ll keep giving them.”

We remain like this for a short while before he pulls back and gives me a suspicious look. “You had something to do with it, didn’t you?”

“What?”

“Did you ask them to invite me back for the sequel?”

I give him an innocent face. “Why would you come to that conclusion?”

He presses his forehead to mine. “You’re a phenomenal actor, Mia, but I think I know you well enough to know when you’re not telling me the truth.”

“I don’t want to ever lie to you, Declan. Okay, I admit it. I asked my dad to contact the producers and tell them that I’ll only do the sequel if you’re in it, too. As my love interest, just like in the previous movie.”

He slides his hands up to my cheeks and gazes into my eyes. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Of course I did. It was my fault that you weren’t asked back.”

“What do you mean? Of course it wasn’t your fault.”

“Our chemistry was off because of me. First because I had a huge crush on you and acted like a complete moron—”

“No you didn’t—”

“—and then I was so uncomfortable because I was embarrassed about the whole kiss fiasco. Then I thought you and the guys were making fun of me, and that messed with my performance, too. If I wouldn’t have freaked out so much, we would have had better chemistry and—”

“Come.” He slides his hand into mine and leads me away.

“Where are we going?”

He doesn’t say anything, just continues leading me down the hallway, past all the students who are gawking at us. Because we’re holding hands.

“Declan?”

He finds an empty classroom and brings me inside, closing the door behind him. He looks out the small window to make sure no one is around and then turns around to face me.

“What—?”

He marches over and grabs hold of my waist, yanking me closer to his body and closing his lips over mine. I’m completely thrown off, but then my arms lock around his neck and I return the kiss. The last time we kissed, our lips moved over each other in a fervent and desperate way. But it’s much slower now. Like we’re taking the time to savor every second of it.

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