Page 33 of Hero for the Holidays

It was definitely something she never let herself think about before. For obvious reasons.

“We weren’t dating really. It was more like...”

She let herself remember. Which was something she never did.

“HEY, FIA.”

“Don’t tell me you forgot your pencil again, Landry King, because I’m starting to not believe you.”

“You’re onto me. I just want to talk to you.”

She turned to look at him. Landry was the hottest boy she had ever seen. Every time she saw him her stomach tightened. Her hands went clammy. That she was managing to play it cool around him and trying to banter was no mean feat.

“You should help me study for the math test.”

“Ask someone else,” she said.

“There’s, like, two of us taking the math test.”

That was an exaggeration, but still.

Their one-room schoolhouse only had a few students in each grade. Even though Landry was nearly a year older than her, she was doing work on his level.

“You want to study?” she asked.

“Yeah. Tonight.”

“Where?”

“There’s a cabin. Kind of on the edge of King’s Crest. We can go there.”

She squinted. “How many other girls have you invited there?”

He shook his head. “None. I swear.”

SOSHEWENT. Because she would be a fool not to. And by the end of that first night, Landry had given her her first kiss.

The next time they studied, it had been a lot more kissing than reading. They had their first fight about a boy she talked to after school—who wasn’t even really a boy, he was one of the ranch hands, probably eighteen.

“THATGUY’SACREEP. What’s he doing talking to you?”

“He was just talking.”

“He wants something from you. That’s how men are.”

“Oh, is it? Is that what you want?Somethingfrom me. Is that it?”

“No. I mean...yeah. But...”

“Fuck off.”

She stormed away, and wouldn’t answer his texts the whole weekend. And she cried because she missed him.

THEYMADEUP, and after that, the kissing turned to more. It was like they were the only two people in the world.

She had never wanted to fall in love at fifteen. Her parents’ marriage was a mess. They were unhappy, and Fia knew it. And she just didn’t want to... She had never wanted to get married young. Hadn’t wanted to fall into that trap. Of being married and being unhappy. Because you had kids together, and there was nothing you could do about it.

But she was falling for him.Didfall.

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