Interlude: Brook Davis

When my dad announced that he’d gotten the job at State, I wasn’t happy. Who wants to move and change high schools just before their junior year? I’d be leaving everything I’d worked for. I also knew how hard it would be to make new friends wherever we moved. People were already in cliques, and it would be almost impossible to work my way into the ‘in’ group. I should know, because I ran our ‘in’ group, and newcomers need not apply.

Then I did a little research on where we were moving. OMG! We were landing in some backwoods version of Deliverance in the Midwest. I mean, there was no shopping, no cool restaurants, no clubs. What was I supposed to do on a Saturday night? Sit in some cornfield and watch fireflies?

What made the move tolerable was my Grandma Wexler. Mom’s side of the family had founded L Brands, which included stores like The Limited, Bath and Body Works, and Victoria’s Secret. When I was growing up, my grandmother always told me I was her princess. She made me feel special and told me fairy tales. When we arrived in what I’d taken to calling ‘Pittsville,’ she was waiting for us.

“I’ve added a few things,” Grandma announced.

“What have you done now?” my mom asked.

“I’ve added some walking trails. Come, I want you to see them.”

My mom, dad and I followed her into the woods behind the house. It was so peaceful. We emerged into an open meadow with a lake. Beside the lake were three little cabins that looked like they’d come right out of a storybook.

“I had them build three of them so you each could have your own getaway.”

Dad’s was a log cabin with stone floors and a big window that overlooked the lake. Mom’s was light and airy, painted in muted pinks and light greens. Mine looked like it had come out of the pages of the books my grandma used to read me. It was a little one-bedroom cabin with a big fireplace. I could see myself curled up next to a crackling fire while reading a book. I found a bookcase full of the stories my grandma used to read me.

“I thought you might want them for when you have children,” she told me.

I resolved to not let my change of location ruin my junior year. The first step was to join the cheerleading squad. On the first day of tryouts, I discovered I wasn’t the only new girl. Halle James was the daughter of movie star Rita James. The other new girl was Zoe Pearson. She’d been homeschooled, of all things. The three of us gravitated to one another for support.

During a break the second day, Halle admitted her brother was here for drug rehab. I couldn’t figure out why they would move here without a good reason. Then she mentioned she knew Lincoln High’s star quarterback, David Dawson. It wasn’t hard to find out about him, because I think he dated all the cheerleaders. Halle had been in a movie with him and they’d gotten close.

Zoe shocked me when she admitted she had a crush on him. He’d talked to her parents to get her out of homeschool hell so her younger brother could go out for football. She’d told her parents she wasn’t going to be the only one stuck at home. I admired her spunk.

When cheerleading practice had ended, we’d all gone swimming at Tracy Dole’s. In walked Lincoln’s Big Man on Campus with his dog. Every girl there turned to watch him. He had a ready smile that lit up the room. My first thought was ‘Please, Lord, don’t let him be gay.’ At my old school, all the guys that looked that good were. From the stories I’d heard, I knew he wasn’t.

He of course was dating the head cheerleader, Mona Wingman. Those two dating was so cliché. I hoped he was some empty-headed jock because I had a bad feeling he could be trouble. Then that bitch, Halle, smiled at him and began to flirt. She brazenly invited him to dinner.

I marched up before she could steal him for herself, having already forgotten he was dating Mona.

“Are you going to introduce us?” I asked.

Our eyes locked and I heard Mona mumble, “Oh shit!” She walked up and jabbed him in the ribs to get his attention. Inside I was jumping up and down because I’d seen that look in guys’ eyes before. It wouldn’t be long before he was mine. Little did I know how wrong I would be about that.

Turned out David was just a big kid. Mona lured him over by the pool and pushed him in, clothes and all. I expected him to get mad, but he just went and changed into his suit. He grabbed Mona and they both went into the pool. Soon there was a giant water fight with him in the middle of it all.

I quickly found out that David had just broken up with an idiot girl from some private school. That meant that David and Mona’s relationship was new. She could be his rebound girl. Meanwhile, I wanted to find someone to date. Back home it was easy to get into clubs, which meant college guys were my main focus. They were just more confident and a better time. My mom had a long talk with me and encouraged me to give high school boys a chance.

On the first day of school, I wore the tightest jeans I owned and a man’s dress shirt in hopes of attracting the attention of my next boyfriend. I didn’t expect what happened, though. I was getting my books out of my locker when suddenly I felt this big guy behind me. He placed his palms on each side of me, leaning against the lockers.

“Did you wear that for me?” he whispered.

I wasn’t sure if I was being molested. I gave a startled cry and spun around to find him inches from my face. An amused look came over him as our foreheads touched. I felt myself flush because he was so close to me. I wasn’t about to be intimidated by some backwater beau hunk.

“What if I said yes?”

“I would say I’m jealous because you’re not wearing my shirt.”

“Oh, my,” I said, and bit my lower lip.

I’d always been the one in control. They say that a relationship is never equal. I was always the one in charge. There was just something about him that told me I would never be on top with him. David made me feel a little weak in the knees when he looked at me with those smoldering eyes.

Chapter 1 »