True Love and Magic Tricks Page 13
“Sorry to interrupt, but I do want to eat those.” Nate removes the fry out of my hand and tosses it into his mouth before turning back to Kaylee.
Ryan smiles his usual half smile, but I don’t hold back. I let mine stretch far across my face. A Ryan/Lexie fun day always cures my bad moods.
The bell above the door rings as another group of people walk in. I take a bite of my bacon cheeseburger, ketchup dripping down my chin, when my heart plummets to the floor.
Sean and Sandy walk in, hand in hand. So what if this is the only hangout in town, why here? Why now? Just when I forgot about his lips pressed against hers.
I want to look away, but I can’t. My eyes are drawn to their hands and then to their faces. My stomach twists when she laughs that ridiculous laugh of hers at something he says.
Just yesterday in Bio he brushed the hair away from my ear and whispered a joke. I almost didn’t wash the strand. Sean Dixon touched me. It was then I finally vowed to make him mine. And now…well…he’s taken.
My eyes are glued on them. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Ryan shake his head and rub the back of his neck. Sandy turns, gaze catching mine. She turns, a cocky grin meant only for me flashes brightly on her face, as she makes her way toward our table.
A dry lump forms in my throat, and I brace myself for the impact that is Sandy Nelson. “What are you looking at bitch?”
The dry, lump in my throat turns into a boulder, and I can’t get any words out.
“Get a life,” Ryan says for me.
“I have one thank you. It’s your friend here who doesn’t.” She puts her hand down on the table and leans toward me. “Don’t think I don’t know about your little crush. I see the way you look at Sean like a pathetic, lost puppy.” Her voice rises and the steady conversations around us begin to dwindle. “Just accept it, Lexie. You’re a nobody and always will be.”
A whisper comes from my left, a laugh from my right and beside me a hand shoots up, finger pointing in my direction. More whispers echo through the air until they hit me from every angle, flooding my ears till it’s all I hear.
Heat surges through my veins, shooting through my ears and cheeks. I look down at my pinky ring too afraid to look anyone in the face.
Call me a glutton for punishment or whatever the saying is, but I glance up and watch as Sandy struts away and tucks herself under Sean’s arm. Stupid tears sting my eyes. He turns around, blue irises catching mine. The cold spot on my heart warms when I see the apology on his face. The way he shrugs and offers up a sincere smile.
I might not be good enough for Sean right now, but I can be. And will be. He will love me. One more year before I leave this town behind. One more year before I’m not defined by things I can’t control.
One more year.
About the Authors
and
Acknowledgements
Becca’s Acknowledgements
Thank you, reader, for reading all the way to this page. (Squishy hugs.)
Thank you, Kaylee, for being so easy to write.
Thank you, Theresa, for calling me “Bestie,” for letting me call you “Bestie,” for taking this journey with me, for forcing me to write when I didn’t want to, for reminding me of that mysterious smell whenever I’m feeling blue, and for calling me a “talented bitch” when I had to rewrite that one part I lost when my computer restarted in the middle of drafting. (Darn computer.) I couldn’t write these books without you (obviously) but I can’t write ANYTHING without your support and friendship and butt kicking IMs. So thank you for keeping me in the game. Love your face.
Thank you, my AWESOME NERDS, for posting lots of pictures of hot guys in glasses, for not being afraid to be who you are, and for talking nerdy to me. *Live long and prosper*
Thank you, Lenore, Carol, Rachel, Suzi, Jessica, Abby, and Ashley for critiquing this book in lightning speed, for telling me how cute the headers are (thank you! I worked hard on those ;)), and for yelling at us for killing Mr. Pippi.
Thank you, Katie, my friend way back when who lost her dear hamster to an exhaust pipe. Apparently it traumatized me enough to write about it even 15 years later.
Thank you, The Carbonaro Effect and Mind Games, for providing very entertaining magic and illusion research.
Thank you, Beta Girls, for being my closest friends in the world. I secretly dedicate every word I write to you.
Thank you, Jenny and Shellie, for reading every book I write without too much blushing.
Thank you, Mom and Becki, for letting me talk about every book I write without too much eye-rolling.
Thank you, children, for squishy hugs and loves when I need them most.
And thank you to my hubby, for never killing one of my pets.
Tessa’s Acknowledgements
This book may be shorter than the rest of The Beds series, but that doesn’t mean the help and support has been any less.
A huge thank you to Kelley Lynn, Jenny Morris, Jennie Bennett, Hope Roberson, and Lizzy Charles. The Beta Group is the best thing that ever happened to me.
Lenore Kosinski, Rachel Schieffelbein, Leigh Covington, Ashley Bodette, and Jessica Salyer, thank you for your help with bringing Nate and Kaylee’s story to life and loving them from the very beginning.
Ashley Blevins and the rest of the Paolo Pretties, thank you for being awesome!
Suzi Retzlaff, thanks for continuing to add all my missing commas and not hating me afterwards. You are the best! And I promise to send you that email I owe you ;)
Mom, your ongoing encouragement, support, and input means the world to me. I am darn lucky to have you. Then again, you’re pretty lucky to have me too!
Dad, thanks for everything!
Eric, out of all my characters Nate and Kaylee remind me most of us. They are awkward and dorky and have their quirks, but they are perfect for each other. You are the hat to my rabbit.
Cassie, my co-writer, critique partner, cheerleader, therapist, best friend, you are Superwoman, and I couldn’t have done any of this without you. Thank you for making me take risks. For believing in me when I’m ready to throw in the towel and for making me laugh harder than I have in years. Most of all, thank you for sitting beside me on this crazy journey. I wouldn’t want to be next to anyone else.
Our readers, you make this more than I ever imagined. Your love of this series has filled my heart to the very brim and I can’t thank you enough. True Love and Magic Tricks exists because of you. High fives and hugs to you all!
Cassie Mae (who dawns the name Becca Ann on occasion) is the author of a few hundred… okay, maybe not that many… books. Some of which became popular for their quirky titles, characters, and stories. She likes writing about nerds, geeks, the awkward, the fluffy, the short, the shy, the loud, the fun.
Since publishing her bestselling debut, Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend, she has published and sold books to Random House, Swoon Romance, and Spencer Hill Press. She has a favorite of all her book babies, but no, she won’t tell you what it is. (Mainly because it changes depending on the day.)
Along with writing, Cassie likes to binge watch Teen Wolf and The Big Bang Theory. She can quote Harry Potter lines quick as a whip. And she likes kissing her hubby, but only if his facial hair is trimmed. She also likes cheesecake to a very obsessive degree.
You can stalk, talk, or send pictures of Dylan O’Brien to her on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cassiemaeauthor
Theresa Paolo lives in the same town she grew up in on Long Island, NY with her longtime boyfriend and their fish. Her debut novel (NEVER) AGAIN, a NA romance, released in Fall 2013 with Berkley (Penguin). (ONCE) AGAIN will release this summer. She is also the coauthor of the Amazon bestseller KING SIZED BEDS AND HAPPY TRAILS and BEACH SIDE BEDS AND SANDY PATHS, a YA contemporary series, under her pen name Tessa Marie. She has a hard time accepting the fact she’s nearing thirty, and uses her characters to relive the best and worst years of her life. She put her love of writing on hold while sh
e received her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Dowling College. When she’s not writing, she’s behind a camera, reading, or can be found on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.