Playing Hooky with the Hottie - Maggie Dallen Page 0,18

to see her getting hurt, that’s all.”

Max stared at me. “Because she’s nice.”

She said it like a confirmation, but it was obvious she was kind of mocking me. I couldn’t blame her, really. I’d be outright laughing at me right now if I were her.

I was behaving like a moron. I’d gotten used to having a mild crush on Hazel from a distance. That had been...fun. She’d given me something to look forward to at school. But now…

Well, after our outing the other night, nothing about this felt ‘mild.’

It felt distinctly not mild. It actually kind of felt...intense. Like my senses were heightened, and my mind had been hijacked with thoughts and memories and what-ifs…

“Why do you think she’s going to get hurt?” Max asked.

I thought about how much to tell her. Clearly Max didn’t know who the crush was, and I wasn’t about to let out Hazel’s secret. “I think I know who the mystery man is, and I don’t think it’s gonna happen.”

She winced. “That sucks.”

I nodded. Pretty much. And yet, I couldn’t exactly bring myself to shed tears over the fact that Hazel and Justin wouldn’t be making out in the hall anytime soon.

“Have you told her your opinion?” Max asked.

“No. It’s not my place.”

She nibbled on her lower lip, and I waited, oddly disturbed at seeing Max Fields hesitant about saying something. Anything. The girl didn’t do meek and mild. She was a tiger with a long blonde braid.

“What is it?” I asked.

“It’s just…” She sighed, seemingly having come to some conclusion. “She’s never put herself out there before with a guy. I’m a little worried that if she’s hurt by all this...well,” Max shrugged. “That she’ll get hurt.”

My chest tightened painfully for a second at the thought of strong, brave Hazel being hurt...by anyone. “I won’t let that happen,” I said.

“How?”

I smiled as I held up my camera. “I’ll make sure she sees how beautiful she is, how…” Undeniable. Sexy. Amazing. “How likeable.”

We both blinked at my supremely lame understatement. I shrugged it off first, finally making it all the way to the door as I said, “I’ll keep up this ruse of remaking her social media image, and by the time she finds her crush is a blind idiot, she’ll have realized that she can do so much better.”

I was feeling pretty freakin’ great about this plan until Max’s voice stopped me. “Hey, Will?”

I stopped and sighed loudly. “What now?”

“You could help her with her image, or….”

I waited impatiently for her to finish, like my future happiness depended on what she was about to say.

“Or...you could just ask her out.”

I sighed and headed out, my mind racing ahead of me to imagine how that would go down.

Having the girl I liked outright reject me?

Yeah...I didn’t think so.

7

Hazel

I ran into Will on my way to swim practice the next day and tried to deliver the speech I’d prepared, but I hadn’t expected to do it in the crowded hallway outside the locker rooms.

But, the sooner the better, because I didn’t want him to think I wasn’t grateful.

Whether I liked the guy or not, he’d gone above and beyond what he’d said he’d do. Every time I remembered Justin’s words in the hallway the day before I felt that much more grateful to Will.

He’d done it. He’d gotten Justin to take notice of me as something other than ‘one of the guys.’

“Hey, Will,” I said, calling out to him as he headed toward the exit that led to the football field.

My guess was he’d be taking shots of the homecoming preparations for this weekend. The marching band and cheerleaders had been practicing nonstop for the big event, and the rest of the school was buzzing over who would be going to the dance with whom.

He stopped and waited for me, that perma-smile fixed on his face.

“I just wanted to say thank you,” I said. “Properly.” I took a breath to continue with my speech, but his laugh interrupted me.

“Properly, huh? What does that mean?” He arched his brows. “Does it involve a kiss?”

I blinked rapidly because….was he...was this? “Are you flirting with me?”

He laughed again, dipping his head down and his eyes dancing with amusement as he drew closer so a football player could get by. “I wouldn’t dream of it, Hazey May.”

I opened my mouth and closed it because...I was pretty sure he was laughing at me again. But now that he’d assured me he wasn’t making fun of me, it didn’t bother me as