Doon by Langdon, Lorie & Carey Corp
Dedication
For the romantics, the visionaries, and the believers who’ve crossed the bridge in pursuit of a dream; especially Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe.
There but for you go I.
CHAPTER 1
Veronica
I skidded to a halt in the crowded corridor, totally unprepared for a showdown with the evil witch of Bainbridge High. Stephanie Heartford, the girl who stalked anything with an XY chromosome, stood in front of my locker flirting with one of the cutest boys in school. And not just any cute boy—my boy.
Eric and Steph gazed into each other’s eyes, standing so close I doubted a piece of loose-leaf paper would fit between them. Eric’s knuckles grazed the hem of her cheer skirt, brushing the bare skin of her thigh. A move he’d used on me, more times than I could count.
Stephanie glanced in my direction, her lips curling at the corners as she whispered into Eric’s ear. He looked up with wide eyes, a guilty flush staining his cheeks. I knew we weren’t the perfect couple, but I was trying to make things work. And he was—what?—flirting with my archrival?
Eric stepped back and Stephanie strolled away, her Barbie-doll-on-helium giggle ringing in my ears. Staring straight ahead, I skirted a group of gawking freshmen and stalked to my locker. My fingers trembled as I dialed the combination, threw my Bio text onto the shelf, and slammed the metal door.
Eric leaned against the wall a few feet away, his shoulders hunched and his hands jammed into his pockets. His expression was reminiscent of when we were kids and he’d steal the cookies from my lunchbox, then refuse to admit it despite the smell of Oreos on his breath. “Don’t look at me like that,” he said as I approached.
“Like what?” I arched a brow. No way was I going to make this easy for him.
“Like I ate your last cookie.”
“Did you?”
“So what if I did?” He shook his head and stared down at the yellowed linoleum. When he looked up, his eyes pleaded with me to understand. “I’m never going to be that perfect guy who comes riding in to rescue you from your crappy life. I’m no hero, Vee.”
He was so far from heroic right now that I laughed. The harsh, humorless sound felt like a rock in my chest, forcing me to take another breath before I could reply. “I never said you were.”
“Not in so many words” He trailed off with a shrug, letting the accusation speak for itself.
My spine stiffened, and I clenched my teeth so hard a sharp pain shot from my jaw to my temple. “So this is my fault?”
Eric nodded. “Kind of—yeah. I’m your boyfriend but you insist on treating me like I’m still twelve years old. I deserve more.”
Really? He was going to play the wounded puppy? A scream brewed in the back of my throat, but I refused to make more of a scene, so I removed all inflection from my voice. “And you get ‘more’ from Stephanie.”
“Maybe … yeah.” I took a step backward, but he followed. “This is exactly what I’m talking about, Vee. I’ve just told you I want more and you freeze me out, like some kind of Ice Princess. Say something!”
I could think of lots of things to say. Unfortunately, most of them would get me expelled. So I settled on, “I hope Steph will make you happy.”
His whole face hardened. “She already has.”