Here With You (A Laurel Heights Novel) - By Kate Perry Page 0,14

show them. She'd get better underwear than the tacky stuff they wore.

There was that store across from Grounds for Thought: Romantic Notions. She'd go there and get expensive underwear that'd make them jealous. Then she'd shove the yellow briefs down their throats.

"Hey."

Slamming the door shut, she whirled around to find Aaron Hawke leaning against Madison's locker. Did he see the SpongeBob underwear? Her cheeks burned.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You have a funny look on your face."

"I'm fine." She hugged her bag closer and began walking toward the exit.

"Uh-oh." He followed her, his long legs easily keeping pace with her brisk city-girl walk. "Whenever people say they're fine, they're usually anything but."

She glanced at him. "I'm not sure why you'd care."

He smiled. "I know, but I do."

His smile did something funny to the pit of her stomach. Her tongue suddenly felt too big in her mouth, so she walked faster to cover it up.

"Where are you headed?" he asked, seemingly not bothered by the fact that she was practically running.

She shrugged, feeling her face go red again as she thought about Aaron Hawke knowing she was going to Romantic Notions. "Nowhere."

"Want to get hot chocolate?"

She stopped abruptly and goggled at him. "Like a date?"

He laughed. "Don't look so excited."

Shaking her head, she said, "I have an errand to take care of."

"Ouch." Aaron put a hand over his heart. "You know how to take a guy down a peg. Can I at least walk you wherever you're going?"

The thought of one of the hottest boys in school knowing she was going to buy underwear embarrassed her. She shook her head emphatically as she edged away from him. "That's not an excellent idea. I, um, I'll see you tomorrow."

Before he could say anything, she hurried off. She turned left on a street, walking away from the lingerie store, before doubling back on another street. As she approached Romantic Notions, she checked to make sure no one she knew was around. Seeing no one but a woman pushing a stroller, Rachel rushed in and closed the door firmly behind her.

Heart pounding, she looked around the store. There was underwear everywhere: hanging from little padded ivory hangers, covering tables in colorful piles, and spilling out of dresser drawers. She did a slow circle, amazed. This was a whole world she hadn't known existed. Where did she start?

A lady in a short skirt, sweater, tights, and boots came out from the back. "Hey there. Feel free to look around, and if you need help just give me a shout."

"Thank you," Rachel murmured, ducking her head and moving to the opposite side of the room. She stopped in front of a lacy red bra and matching underwear.

Red was grown up. Standing in front of it, she frowned at the bra. It had a hole right in the middle of it. What good was it if it wasn't going to cover anything?

She moved on to the black bra next to it. It seemed whole, and a little more protective, with thin black straps that criss-crossed all across the front. Black was way grown-up. Addison wore a lot of black.

"That's really nice on," the sales lady said, rummaging in a dresser on the other side of the store. "But if you're looking for a bra, I have one over here I think would look fabulous on you."

Rachel looked at the bra and panties that the lady brought over to her. It didn't have straps or thin frilly lace. It was black with tiny pink polka dots and a pink bow at the center. The underwear was matching, with a bow in front.

"I brought you the boy shorts, but I have matching thongs, too." The lady smiled. "I love the boy shorts, and with your long slim legs they're going to look fantastic."

"Really?" She tried to remember if Addison or Madison wore boy shorts.

"Try it," the woman encouraged her. "They'll look hot. The dressing room is back that way. My name is Nicole, if you need help."

Nodding, she dragged her feet to the curtain Nicole pointed at. She shrugged off her bag and stripped down to her underwear. Turning, she studied herself in the mirror.

As much as she hated to admit it, the –sons were right: her underwear was ugly. Wrinkling her nose, she took them off and put on the set the saleswoman had given her.

"How are you doing in there?" The curtain swept aside and Nicole popped her head in.

Rachel gasped, covering herself.

"Let me see." Like it