Page 24 of A Secret Crush Valentine's

“I’m Julia Reel.”

“I know who you are, Red.”

She blinked. “Huh?”

“Everyone knows the Chief Editor,” he said as if she’d said something stupid. “Plus, I’ve seen you around school. In the hallways, class… football practice.”

She was certain her face had turned the shade of a ripe tomato.

“Oh, right. I’m… a big fan of football,” she lied.

Why the heck did she say that?

“I didn’t know that.”

His grin widened. God, she was going to melt on the spot if he didn’t stop smiling at her like that. His green eyes were mesmerizing enough. His gaze was fixed on her as if dozens of kids didn’t surround them in the hallway.

“That’s really cool,” he said. “You’re cool, Red.”

“Red?”

In response, his eyes slid from her face to her hair. Julia felt a tingle travel from her head to her toes.

I can also turn into a snow leopard.

The thought crept into her mind so suddenly that she almost dropped her books and shifted. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

Relax, Julia. You can’t tell him that!

But it was hard because she was so wound up. This was the longest she’d been around Damon McLaurent, and it was taking all her willpower to keep from jumping up and down like a cheerleader. Out of all the people in Laudville High, he was talking to her. And he’d read her poetry and thought it was great. He knew who she was.

If this was a dream, she didn’t want to wake up. She pinched herself to make sure.

Meanwhile, she would have kept staring at him for hours if he hadn’t spoken the next moment.

“So,” he said, “you headed home?”

Her stomach lurched, but she nodded. “I am. I’ve got to see… uh, my friend. Yeah.”

“Cool.” Those beautiful lips parted slowly, and his next words tumbled out. “Want me to walk you home?”

“Huh?” she asked again, being anything but cool about it.

He cocked his head and smirked. “I don’t bite. It’s the least I could do after… you know—Connor.”

She bit her lip, also not cool. “Okay. You can walk me home.”

Who was she kidding? Just the thought of it brought butterflies to her stomach. No way would she ever refuse a chance to walk with Damon McLaurent. She would follow him anywhere.

***

“Cripes, I can’t cross that,” she said, her lips trembling. “Damon… I don’t think I can do this.”

“Yes, you can, Red,” he replied.

She looked into his eyes. They were filled with pity and something else she couldn’t quite make out. Reluctantly, she tore her eyes away from him and faced the lake.

From the snowy bank where they stood, the lake was a terrifyingly magnificent sight. It stretched eastward as far as the eye could see. But that wasn’t what terrified her. The lake had to be at least a hundred feet across.

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