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“No, I’ve said enough hi to them this summer,” he muttered, taking a slow sip of his ice-cold Cola. “Plus, I walked in here with the prettiest girl in town. I would be the dumbest person on earth if I left her alone for the wolves.”

Heat scorched my cheeks before I could stop myself. “I’m not the prettiest girl in town.”Did my makeover really work?

He smirked. “Says who?”

“Says me.”

“Well.” He leaned closer, his lips an inch away from my ear. “I would love to prove you wrong.”

“You’re only saying that to be nice because I’m your best friend’s sister, and there is no escaping me.”

“I thought I was your friend before that,” he countered with a grin.

He remembered that?“Technically, yes.”

“Not technically but a yes.” He grinned, and I felt butterflies flutter round and round in my chest.

Soon, the chatter of the party became a nonexistent background music as Landon and I talked about anything and everything. It was so easy to talk with him, like I was talking with my brother…Like I was talking with a best friend.

I thought having a friend meant we needed to have something in common, but Landon and I were opposites in every possible way. He liked sour candies, and I liked sweets. He liked classical music, and I liked rock. He liked the color gray, and I liked red, and he had almost traveled the entire world, and I’d never been outside Bellevue.

But our lack of similarities didn’t create a gap. Instead, it brought us closer together.

I didn’t even know how the time slipped, but soon, it was eleven. I wanted to linger longer and talk about mundane things with him all night long, but I had a strict curfew. Instead of staying back, Landon walked me home. Even at this age, he was doing all the gentlemanly things that made me go weak.

“So I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” Landon whispered, rubbing a thumb along the back of my hand.

“Okay,” I muttered, smiling shyly. “I’ll start walking around seven thirty. If I see you, then we can probably walk together. Wait, do you know where the school is?”

“No.” He shook his head with a small grin on his lips. “And I’ll be out right at seven thirty.”

“Okay.” I nodded, smiling. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, rushing to my porch. I peeked over my shoulder to see him stillstanding there, watching me with his arms casually folded while his eyes glowed in the darkness.

I smiled wider, waving before I darted in and softly shut the door behind me.

Suddenly, I was super excited to start high school.

My heart was still thundering in my chest when I entered my room.

I pressed my cold hands to my heated cheeks, and when I looked up, I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw Landon watching me through the window with a smirk.

Shit, I totally forgot I left them open when I stalked him getting out of his room earlier today, just so I could catch him leaving for the party I knew he would be going to tonight.

That was the only reason I went too.

Not knowing what to do, I quickly dropped my hand. My cheeks burned brighter as I slowly walked over to my window and nodded to him before I drew the curtains closed.

Completely.

I like you, but I really need my privacy. Nothing was more embarrassing than your crush catching you in your silly girl moment.

It was only when I cuddled closer to my sheets that night did I realized that I had completely forgotten to follow along with my cool Katy manual.

Did Landon notice it? If he did, he didn’t say.

Maybe I could just be myself around Landon. He didn’t seem to mind. I was thinner and prettier now, so maybe I was naturally interesting. Maybe as long as I maintained my body and appearance, I could just be myself with him.

That was my last thought before I fell asleep.