All-American Princess - Maggie Dallen Page 0,5

other inane facts about his family and this town. One, this guy was indeed hot, and he absolutely had that bad boy look that I loved. But as for being my type? There, I’d been all wrong. That was the second revelation, and it hit me with a jolt. It was in his eyes. One look in those dark brown eyes and I could see his judgement loud and clear. He was one of those guys. The kind who sneered at the sight of my stilettos and whose sexy-as-sin lips quirked up in a smirk as he eyed my designer bag and dress. I knew that look, and I knew it well. This guy was a snob. A reverse snob, but they were the worst kind, in my opinion.

I hated guys like him. They thought that being poor made them superior and that being uncultured made them cool. What they didn’t understand was that being poor made them powerless, and not knowing about the finer things in life? That was just sad.

Don interrupted the silent scrutiny going on between us by clapping a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Jack here can show you upstairs and help you and your sister get settled in.”

I threw Don a smile over my shoulder as I turned to leave, but when I turned back to face Jack, I didn’t bother keeping up the pretense.

What was the point?

He didn’t like me either.

Two

Brandon

I snuck in through the back door of our ranch house. Why? No idea why, really. My mother wouldn’t be home for hours yet, but sneaking around had become a bad habit these days.

“Surprise!”

My heart stopped. I stared at the girl in front of me. “Amber, you scared the life out of me.”

My friend’s smile was unrepentant. Her dark brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail that bounced as she crossed the kitchen to throw her arms around me in a big hug. Amber was a hugger. She always had been.

She and her parents had lived on the ranch neighboring ours when I was growing up. Her grandparents owned it, and like our ranch, it had been in the family for forever. She’d moved away with her parents when we were in middle school, but she’d returned earlier this summer to help take care of her grandparents.

In some ways, her being back was normal. It was like nothing had changed—she was still the same sweet, bubbly, outgoing girl next door I remembered. But in other ways—like right now when she was pressed up against my chest—it was remarkably clear that my little friend had grown up. I probably shouldn’t have noticed how her curves felt, but I did. I pulled back slightly. “What are you doing here, Amber?”

She leaned back but her hands still rested on my shoulders. “I’m kidnapping you.”

I arched one brow, and she giggled. “Relax, Brandon. Summer is almost over and so are our chances to hang out at the lake with our friends.”

I held back a sigh. Our friends. It was amazing, really, how easily Amber had slipped right back into life in Pinedale. I’d been back full time for a solid eight years, and I still didn’t fit in as well as this girl.

Aside from my best friend, Jack, I could count on one hand the number of people I truly trusted. My mom had made me see a therapist after my dad died, and while I don’t remember much about that time in my life, I remember that he’d told me it was common to feel separate from others when you were grieving. It was normal to feel like you didn’t fit in when your friends were having fun.

The thing was, that feeling should have passed at some point. Right?

Maybe not. What did I know about grief or even fitting in? Both had always been a mystery to me. But I did know that I was glad to have Amber back. She’d been a constant presence in my life this summer, and she brightened up this house, which had a tendency to get way too depressing some days.

She dropped her hands from my shoulders and wrapped her arms around my waist. “Come on, Brandon. You know what they say. All work and no play…”

I let out a short laugh. “You’ve been saying that all summer. You know what else they say? No work and the ranch stops running.”

She pursed her lips in a silly pout that made me laugh all over again. Amber had been good for