Page 29 of The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad

Despite the heat rising in my cheeks, at the challenge in his voice, I said, “That sounds like an accurate representation. Although, I would say it got a little sloppy toward the end.”

“Sloppy?” Colton repeated, eyes narrowing to slits.

“Mmm,” I agreed, though it was hard not to laugh. Colton looked so insulted. Yes, I’d just lied through my teeth and knocked his kissing technique. It was what he deserved for bringing this up in front of Kyle. Take that, Mr. I-Always-Deliver.

“What the heck are you guys talking about?” Kyle said. “I feel like I’m missing something.”

Colton shook his head. “Nah, it was nothing.”

My heart deflated a bit. Nothing, huh? I wouldn’t have called our kiss nothing, but I guess that was Colton’s way of lashing out—or maybe he really thought that. Either way, his comment met its mark.

“We just got one thing crossed off,” he said, “which means, so far I’m winning.”

“Yeah right,” Kyle said. “You’ve still got a ton more to do. But did you really start, Sadie?”

“Yeah,” I said, shaking myself out of it. “Carpe Diem, right, Kyle? Like Colton said, we’d planned to do more, and that’s why I came over. I’m meeting Betty, so I’ll be at Shady Grove until around 7:00 pm.”

“Okay,” Colton said. “I’ll see you there.”

That brought me up short. “Really?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m not afraid of that Betty woman. We’ll start after you’re finished. Kyle, you coming?”

Yes, please, I thought. I hadn’t wanted Kyle there before—honestly, I’d probably chicken out if he was—but it might help keep my mind straight about his brother.

“Can’t. I’m working on a project with Humphries,” Kyle said.

“Yuck. How’d that happen?” I asked.

“We got paired up in lit.”

“Well, good luck, Kyle. Zayne’s awful.”

“He’s actually not all bad.” I stared at him in disbelief. Kyle and Zayne had never gotten along—in fact, they disliked each other almost as much as Colton and me. If my eyes got any wider, I was sure they’d fall right out of my head, but Kyle just laughed. “Plus, you already said you’d feel uncomfortable doing some of the stuff in front of me. Right, Sadie?”

“Yeah,” I said. “But now that I think about it…Colton, maybe I don’t need your help after all. I’m sure I could do the rest on my own. You—”

“Sadie,” Colton interrupted. “A bet’s a bet. We’re doing this together.”

I swallowed.

“I’m going to be the best coach you’ve ever had.” His blue eyes were locked on me even as he said, “My brother’s going down, and he knows it. He’s not coming because the odds aren’t in his favor.”

Kyle crossed his arms, a smile on his lips. “I think you guys are full of crap.”

“You just keep thinking that”—Colton opened the car door, got inside and closed it—”and be ready to hand over the money when I beat your ass.” Turning to me, he said, “I’ll see you later. Don’t forget to bring your naughty list.”

As he pulled out of the lot, Kyle grinned. “Naughty list? That’s classic.”

“Hey, whose side are you on?” I said as I bumped his shoulder with my own.

“When it comes to you and my brother, I’m neutral,” Kyle said as he began walking backwards to his car. “Go out and have fun. Just remember what I said. Remember who Colton is, and you’ll be fine.”

Sure, I thought. No problem. Colton was the guy who got into fights and loved to provoke me. The guy who’d been so concerned about making my first kiss “good” for me and then turned around and called it “nothing.”

At this point, I had one question: Would the real Colton Bishop please stand up?

Betty had no shame. Even after I’d expressed my deep displeasure at how she’d approached Colton behind my back, she couldn’t have been prouder of herself. We girls were sitting in the Shady Grove activities room, drinking our five o’clock tea, dishing about our days when I finally admitted her plan had worked.

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