Heartbreaker Hanson (18 page)

CHAPTER 50

***BROOKE***

BROOKE

When
I get to my locker, it is decorated to the hilt. It’s wrapped in heart
decorated wrapping paper with hearts all over it—and shells too. In big
bold print there is a sign tapped to it. I read it and practically pass out.

It
says:

“You
own my heart, Brooke. Will you make me happy beyond belief and go to the school
dance with me? Love Rider (who is not a heartbreaker) (Despite whatever it may
say on bathroom walls).”

I
stare at the beautiful message, my heart breaking, and aching, and yearning.
(It’s breaking because I know he’s only made this huge gesture for Daisy’s
sake.) But it’s aching and yearning because I want it to be for real, so bad. I
yearn with all my heart for him to really want to go to the dance with me.
ME!!! Not stupid Daisy.

I
sigh and turn on my heels, looking for Daisy. I mean, I’m hopelessly falling
for the heartbreaker all over again. But I can’t. I can’t go through that pain
again. So I quickly decide to cut the deal short. I’ll just confront Daisy with
the truth—he’s not a heartbreaker; he’s really sweet. (Well, the sweet
part is true anyway.)

On
my way to find Daisy though, I stumble into Drew.

“Sorry,”
I mumble distractedly.

“No,
I get it,” he says sounding half-teasing, yet half-wistful. “You’re dazzled blind
by Rider’s sign.”

I
blink up at him. I am, yes—exactly that. It’s made me dizzy and blind and
a klutz.

Drew
ducks his head when he can clearly see my answer is yes.

He
squeezes his eyes shut. “The cool girls always go for the hockey guys.”

He
says it total deadpan, yet sardonic, since he’s the school quarterback and can
get any girl in this entire school that he wants—well, as long as he
doesn’t go around
blindfolding
them.

He
gently blocks my way as I silently try to walk around him—after all,
Laurie is my friend. I need to practice being a better one. Which means not
getting chummy with her ex-boyfriend that has gone a little koo-koo.

He
stares into my eyes hopefully. “I still have a chance with you in medical school,
right?”

I
draw out a breath. “Maybe.”

He
grins weakly, “Come on, give a guy a chance to dream.”

I
slowly nod. “Maybe.”

Then
I run to find Daisy.

I
find her in the bathroom, which is not a shock. She’s reapplying lip-gloss to amazingly
gorgeous lips attached to her amazingly gorgeous face.

I
sigh.

Then
take a deep breath and just rip off the band-aid, quickly blurting out, “Rider
isn’t a heartbreaker.”

Daisy
looks at me dryly, then kind of rolls her eyes. “Well, good for you.”

She
says it sarcastically.

I
blink.

“What
I mean is, he really likes you. A lot. He was just acting like he likes me, so
you could see he’s not a heartbreaker.”

She
tilts her head, looking confused. “He was just
acting
like he likes you?” She gives a little laugh. “Well, that makes
more sense.” Then she adds, “No offense, but I was wondering what he was doing
with you. I mean, he seemed in love. So, there was obviously something weird
going on. But now I get it—he was acting.”

She
muses. “He’s a good actor.”

I
sigh. “Yeah.”

After
an agonizing moment, I choke out the rest. After all, Rider has been really
sweet to me, and he’s helped get Drew to back off, which is something I
probably couldn’t have managed on my own. At all. So, though it’s painful, I attempt
to return Rider a favor.

Though
yeah, it kills.

I
tell Daisy, “Rider really, really wants to take you to the dance—really
bad. Like that sign he wrote? That was really meant for you. I mean, I know it
has my name on it and everything. But the sentiment of it—it was all for
you.”

She
smiles all happy. “Really?! I saw that sign. I was
so
jealous. But it was for me?”

Sadly,
I nod. “All for you.”

CHAPTER 51

***RIDER***

RIDER

As
I’m heading to first period Daisy comes up to me all smiling. So I’m thinking:
Finally! She’s finally going to cave and give Jake a chance. Score!

But
no.

Instead
she shocks me by saying, “Yes! I’ll go to the dance with you.”

Her
words stop me cold.

“Um
… what?!”

 
She smiles huge, “Brooke sang your
praises and said you’re not a heartbreaker—and you were just trying to
convince me of that. She said you really want to take me to the dance. My
answer is—yes.”

She
smirks, “It’s funny that you kept using Jake as an excuse to talk to me.”

I
run a hand over my face. “Um … it wasn’t an excuse. Jake really likes you. A
lot. And he’s my friend, so I can’t take you to the dance—sorry.”

To
my horror, Daisy’s eyes well with tears.

Her
pretty face gets all blotchy from embarrassment—and seething rage. “You
really
are
a
heartbreaker—jerk!” she snarls, then storms away.

I
watch her go, kind of shocked. Then scrub a hand over my face and groan. Guess
I’m not going to get those tickets.

…
or Brooke.

CHAPTER 52

***BROOKE***

BROOKE

During
first period I get a text from Daisy sarcastically telling me,
“Thanks
a lot!”

I
stare at her words, then send her some question marks.

She
quickly rants that Rider
IS
a total
heartbreaker and player and that he isn’t going to take her to the dance.

I
stare at her words stunned.

What
the—??

After
class, I find Rider standing right outside my classroom door, apparently waiting
for me.

My
heart pounds frantically seeing him—because apparently he’s
WAITING FOR ME
. However, I try to not be
stupid.
Get a grip, Brooke
, I tell
myself, all the while trying desperately to remind myself of Daisy’s
words—he’s a heartbreaker and a player.

Right.
Got it.

So,
instead of running into his arms, like I’m tempted to do, I glare at him and
try to walk past him.

But
he silently blocks my way. “You told Daisy I want to go to the dance with her?”

I
look away from his staring, confused eyes, and try to answer matter-of-factly, “Well,
yeah. Isn’t that what your poster on my locker was for? To show her you’re not
a heartbreaker and that you’re willing to even go to a school dance for a
girl?”

Rider
slowly shakes his head. “No. The poster was to ask you to the dance—to
show
you
I’m not a heartbreaker and
I’m willing to go to a dance—for you.”

My
heart ricochets off my ribcage and rainbows zoom around before my eyes.

I
gasp in astonishment, “For me? But—but this was all for Daisy.”

“No
Brooke. It’s not. None of this was for Daisy. It’s been for you. So you can see
that I still really like you—that you’re still my love-bug. That you’re
my mermaid. That I’m not going to play games and break your heart. That I’m not
a heartbreaker.”

I’m
breathless. And dizzy. I have to hold on to the wall to keep from toppling
over. I suck in my breath, trying to get a grip. “But—but you
already
broke my heart.”

Rider
groans. “You’re
still
mad about
kindergarten?!
Brooke, you have to
admit, that’s a long time to hold a grudge.”

He
runs a hand through his hair in frustration. “Isn’t it maybe slightly
unreasonable that you’re holding something against me that I did back in
kindergarten?
”

Heat
swamps my cheeks. He has point. Maybe. Probably. I don’t know! It’s hard to
think straight, since now I can’t stop being thrilled that he decorated my
locker and asked me to the dance—because he wants go with
me
. Me! Not Daisy. Meee!!! Now all I
want to do is … kiss him.

But
I’m also afraid of the feelings crashing through me. Terrified, actually. Because
although what he says is true—that it was way back in
kindergarten—still it happened. And it hurt. A lot.

I
mutter, “Okay, it was way back in kindergarten, true. But even so—the
thing is, it proves the kind of person you are—your character.”

His
eyebrows go up, “Or it proves I was seven—and stupid.”

I
grunt. “Well, it proves the stupid part.”

His
eyes twinkle. “True.”

Then
he grins, “But nonetheless, I was seven.” He raises his eyebrows, “Would you
really treat a
seven
year old this
mean?”

My
eyelids close. “Well, I was seven at the time too. And very fragile.”

He
grins. “Apparently.”

Then
he adds softly, “But I was fragile too.”

My
heart goes all mushy. I peek up at him to find him watching me. With a sad
smile he explains, “I may have seemed like a tough kid to you. But when it came
to you Brooke, I was just a love-struck kid with a fragile heart.”

His
eyelashes lower as he stares at my hands.

“You
broke my heart Brooke,” he says huskily. “I never let you know
that—because I was trying to be the tough guy everyone seemed to think I
was—but you hurt me. You broke my heart, Brooke.” He looks deep into my
eyes. “And I swore I wouldn’t let another girl do that.”

Then
he says, “But it was kindergarten. I forgave you—can’t you forgive me?”

I
jerk my head up at him. “Forgave me for what?!”

“For
calling me ‘stick boy.’” He edges closer to me with a sheepish grin, “That hurt
my little boy feelings. Crushed them, actually.”

My
heart slams against my chest. I murmur the words, “Stick boy.”

I
don’t say it as a question; I say it in astonishment. I forgot I used to
secretly call him that. But it was a
secret
.

Rider
nods slightly. “I saw you called me that. You wrote it to your friend Rachel on
the bus when we were going on that field trip to the—”

“The
museum,” I finish the sentence for him in awe. The field trip to the museum is
where he broke my heart.

I
swallow. “Rider, I liked you right from the start—before I even knew your
name, after you asked me to be your partner for ‘Skip to my Lou.’ It was our
first day of school, and you were playing with a stick, waving it around on the
playground. Rachel had asked me teasingly if I could have any boy for a
boyfriend in our kindergarten class, who would I choose … and I said,
“Stick-boy.” It just became our secret name for you.”

Rider’s
lips part.

Looking
astonished and bewildered, he rubs the back of his neck. “Huh.”

“Anyway,”
I exhale, “You shattered my heart—yes it was way back in kindergarten,
but then—”

He
doesn’t let me finish. He takes me in his arms, sending fireworks through my
body. “Okay, Love-bug,” he says huskily, “I was an idiot. I was an idiot when I
was seven, and I was an idiot every day until this moment. What I should have
done is kissed you. That’s all I want to do—kiss you, and take you to the
stupid dance, and show you that you’re my mermaid and I’m not a heartbreaker—and
that I love your shells.”

His
eyes stall on my lips, then his words heat up my entire body as he murmurs,
“Can I kiss you mermaid?”

I
gulp. I want him to do it—of course. But I’m a little afraid that his
kiss can’t measure up to Drew’s, but he pulls me to him gently, and I quickly
realize that is no problem. None whatsoever. His hands come on either side of
my face, and his warm lips lightly brush against mine, first soft and gentle
and feather light, then passionate, so hungrily, his spectacular delicious kiss
sending me to heaven.

I
hear angels sing as his eager passionate hot hungry kiss goes on and on, driving
me wild, making me weak in the knees. It wipes out all memory of Drew’s kiss …
or any thoughts of Drew whatsoever.

Rider,
oh man. Holy smokes and yowza!—the boy can kiss.

And
un-break my heart.

In
fact, he’s soaring it to heaven with lightning speed.

“See,
I’m not a heartbreaker,” he tells me softly against my lips. “I’m a heart
melter.”

It’s
true.
Sooo
true.

He
whispers, “You know how I know?”

“How?”

“Because
I know you little mermaid,” he strokes my hair softly, “Kindergarten
Girlfriend. Your heart is mine. I have a box of shells that tell me so.”

“And
my lips tell you so,” I murmur.

He
grins, “Oh yeah? Let me hear them.”

“My
heart is yours,” I whisper.

He
smiles huge and pleased, a little groan coming from his talented kiss-swollen lips.

Still
smiling huge, he raises his eyebrows. “Now let me feel them again.”

I
let him feel them all day.

In
fact, I let him feel them the rest of the school year.