Page 112 of Hope & Harmony

“Alright. Then prove it.”

I shrugged. “It was with this guy from another school.”

“You mean the guy you just made up?”

“I’m not making him up. His name was Joseph, and he was the best kisser. We actually made out a lot. We couldn’t get enough of each other.”

“Right …”

“Stop with the snide comments. I’m not lying.”

“Like I said, prove it.”

“I just did. I told you his name was?—”

“I said prove it, not make up lies.”

“How am I supposed to prove it then?”

I never expected what came out of his mouth next. Never in a million years did I imagine one of the most popular guys in our school would challenge …

“You can prove it by letting me kiss you.”

CHAPTER 2

JOSHUA

“Are you for real?” she asked, completely caught off guard by my challenge.

I knew she was full of shit. I’d been asking around about Hayley McKenzie since middle school when she walked into my science class with a turquoise backpack. It was the first thing that caught my attention about her.

What girl in the sixth grade didn’t have a pink or purple backpack?So naturally, I was instantly drawn to her, being that turquoise was my favorite color. I was going to ask her to be my science partner, but David beat me to it, and they’d been inseparable ever since. His head was so far up her butt, I was surprised he could still get around with as many chicks as he did on a monthly basis. Supposedly, they weren’t into each other.

Although I couldn’t blame him if he was into her. She’d never been touched by anyone, and every guy at our school wanted to try to get with her just to say they were her first.

It was immediate, the desire to want to help her.

Protect her.

The second I saw her start walking into the woods alone, my feet moved on their own. I’d developed a protective quality to watch over those I loved, and there was a gravitational pull toprotect Hayley at that moment. I was surprised David had left her alone long enough to get lost in the woods. He was by her side all the time. It was really annoying, and since we were by ourselves for the first time since she’d walked into my science class all those years ago, I was going to use it to my advantage and kiss her.

Be her first kiss.

The longer we stood there, the more I craved to be in her life. It was the weirdest thing. I’d never experienced anything like it before. Maybe that was why I wanted to kiss her, knowing that to a girl like her …

It would mean something.

The truth was I was over it not meaning anything to me as well. There were only so many times I could hook up with a random chick. I was born and raised in this small town where everyone knew each other. I was almost sixteen, but felt much older. Wiser.

“Want to touch me?” I teased, smiling. “Make sure you’re not dreaming?”

“So is this how it works?” she asked with amusement in her tone. “You save girls from jerks and then make your move?”

“Don’t mind Frank. He’s not much of a gentleman.”

“And you are?”

“I mean, my mom did raise me right, and I have a little sister I need to protect.”

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