Page 4 of Keeper of Hearts
"My mom gives terrible advice, and I'm never listening to her again," I swear, swallowing hard as I hurry out of the cafeteria, desperately trying not to cry in front of Gage Bronx.
I've been in love with him since my parents transferred me to this school. Sometimes, I let myself believe that he feels the same way I do.
Girls flirt with him all the time, but he never flirts back. He texts me all the time, buys my lunch, and knows everything about me. He gets cranky when other guys at school even talk to me. We've done practically everything together since I transferred here. But he's never tried to make a move, and I know it's not because he's gay.
He isn't.
So, I let my mom talk me into being brave and bold like she was when she told my dad she was in love with him. She said I'd always regret it if I didn't take a chance and tell him how I feel. I thought she was right, especially since we're going to college next year and might not be in the same state, let alone the same school.
I came up with this whole big, stupid plan to ask him to Prom after lunch.
But he already has a date.
Victoria has been trying to tell me for years that he's only nice to me because I'm a "friendless loser" and he feels sorry for me.
I never had a reason to believe her until now.
Gage and I have always told each other everything. At least I thought we did. Apparently, that's no longer true because he didn't tell me he had a date. He didn't tell me he was auditioning for the movie last year, either. I didn't know anything about it until he casually blurted out that he got the lead role.
I wasn't surprised.
Gage has always been beautiful. He's ridiculously tall with broad shoulders and gorgeous blue eyes that remind me of the sky. Because he plays football, he's built like a god. Everything about him screams movie star.Of course,he landed the lead role.
I'm happy for him because I know how much it helped his family. Because of the movie, his brother is taken care of, and Gage can afford to go to college. He wants to be a heart surgeon, which I love.
I'm proud of him for landing the role and doing such a great job with it. But it's made things weird between us. He's a literal heartthrob now, with fans and a publicist and a million things to do. I barely see him anymore except at school, and with the next movie filming soon, he'll be missing a lot.
Victoria makes it a point to remind me that he's moved on to bigger and better things as often as she can. I'm starting to believe that maybe she's right. I miss him way more than I thought it was possible to miss someone I still see every day.
I guess I just always thought my senior year of high school would be amazing. But it's honestly been kind of terrible…just like every other year since I transferred here. I'm short and chubby and painfully shy and awkward.
God gave me brains, but he didn't give me courage. He also gave me a bad heart. I had to have a transplant when I was a kid, and the medication makes it hard to lose weight.
Victoria Starling has talked shit about my size since my very first week here, when I watched the guy she liked humiliate her. As soon as she realized that I saw everything, she set out to make my life as miserable as possible, as if it'd undo what I heard. Or maybe she just wanted to make it so no one would ever believe me if I told them. I don't know, but now that Gage is a big movie star, she tells everyone that I'm his stalker.
Most days, she makes coming to school a nightmare. But I'm a few short months away from never having to attend another class with her ever again. There's finally light at the end of the tunnel.
No one warned me the tunnel would be filled with landmines.
It's been one bad thing after another this year.
Both of my older brothers are overseas. My dad's company has a big new client, so my parents are both working more than usual. Gage is always busy since the second movie starts filming two days after graduation.
I feel alone in a way I never have before.
And now it looks like I'm going to Prom alone, too.
"Boys suck," I mutter, crossing the courtyard with my head down so no one sees the tears in my eyes. I hate crying in front of people. Letting Victoria know that she got to me just makes her even more vicious.
"They do suck."
I glance up to find Corey Gaines blocking my path. The bright sunlight makes his blond hair shine like gold. Like Gage, Corey is big, brawny, and beautiful. He's always been nice to me, though I'm never sure if that's because he genuinely likes me or if he's just afraid I'll out him to the world.
Our sophomore year, I caught him making out with a guy from a rival school. Even though I promised him I would never tell, I think he still worries about it. He's on the football team with Gage, and his dad is a fire-and-brimstone preacher. He's still very much in the closet.
"Oh, hey," I mumble.
"Ouch." He places his hand over his heart and stumbles back a step, as if I wounded him.
