Page 19 of The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back

3:27. But I really, really wanted him to come over. Although I forced myself to acknowledge that even if he did show up the reality wouldn't compare to the fantasy sequence I currently had running through my head. The fantasy where based on our being alone together he would suddenly realize that I was The One.

3:28. He was such a complete jerk. Such a total and complete jerk!

3:29. But still so, so pretty.

3:30. What had I ever seen in him? He couldn't even make this tiny effort and contribute?

3:31. Didn't he know that I was his destiny and he was passing up the chance to have our first epic quasi-date? (Although, would it technically count as a date if he didn't know he was on one?)

3:32. That was it. I was done with him. I didn't care how cute he was.

At 3:33 I started the movie. Screw Jake Kingston.

Four and a half minutes later, the doorbell rang. My heart leapt in my throat, and I hit pause on the DVD. Had I hallucinated the sound? It was entirely possible. I held completely still.

No, I hadn't imagined it. The doorbell rang again.

I jumped over the back of the couch, running for the front door. When I got there, I made myself stop and calm down. The bell rang for the third time just as I threw the door open.

"Hey," he said.

I narrowed my eyes at him. I didn't trust myself to say anything, so I stepped back and held the door open.

But instead of coming inside, Jake stood on the porch, hovering.

"Are you like a vampire that I have to invite in first?" I snapped.

Jake looked at the ground and cleared his throat. "Before I come in, I need to apologize for yesterday. I had a….conversation with my dad that…" He left the words hanging in the air. "Well, it ended up with him threatening to not pay for college."

"So, not a good day."

His glance flicked back up to me and I sort of wanted to fall over given the intensity in his eyes and the way he looked at me. "No. Not a good day. And I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I know I was a jerk. And I shouldn't have tried to get you to do the project by yourself today. I've never done anything like that before. I don't know what came over me."

Jake meant it. I could see the sincerity in his eyes, hear it in his voice. And just like that, all the anger whooshed out of my body in one great tidal wave. It amazed me how quickly I could go from being mad to loving Jake again. I had thought I was better at holding grudges than that.

I knew I should make him suffer for it a little longer. But instead I said, "Apology accepted."

"Just like that?" A hint of a smile lingered around the corners of his mouth.

"I'm not going to make you grovel for forgiveness or anything. I talked to my mother last night and she spent most of the time telling me how much I disappoint her, so I sort of get it." There had to be lots of leeway and forgiveness as far as parents were concerned.

"Cool."

"So, I'll invite you in as long as you promise not to bite me and turn me into a vampire."

"If I was a vampire, there's no way I'd still be in high school," he said as he came in and brushed past me. I suddenly felt all giggly and girly, which was a completely foreign feeling. If I started twirling my hair, I was going to have Trent shoot me.

"Um, the movie's in here." He followed me into our entertainment room and sat down on the couch. I picked up the remote and started the DVD back up. I suddenly felt an overwhelming anxiety that made it almost impossible to speak. Jake Kingston was lounging on my couch, his feet up on my coffee table.

And we were totally and completely alone.

I needed an excuse to leave the room so that I could try and compose myself. "Do you want anything? Soda or popcorn?"

"That'd be great," Jake smiled that toe-curling smile at me and I again wanted to swoon.

Instead I threw an Orville Redenbacher in the microwave and grabbed some drinks from the fridge. Deep breaths, deep breaths. In and out, I reminded myself. I could do this. I could talk to Jake and be normal and find out if we could have a civil conversation where he was not trying to take advantage of me. Like the flake that I was apparently turning out to be, my nerves jumped from frantic anxiety to frantic excitement. Suddenly, more than anything, I wanted to get back to Jake. I willed the popcorn to pop faster. Every minute I was in the kitchen was a minute I was away from him.

The microwave beeped and I nearly broke the door by flinging it open so hard. I ripped the bag open, practically burning off my face. I emptied the popcorn into a bowl and took a deep breath.Here goes nothing, I thought.

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