No Place Like Homecoming, Dallen, Maggie [beach read book .TXT] 📗

new people Mrs. Messner was supposedly hiring weren’t here to witness this humiliation. “Guys, I appreciate the concern but—”

“But nothing.” Isla had her hands on her hips, and—she was back.

The girl I’d first met, with the cocky arrogance and the crazy bravado. She marched toward me and grabbed my arm, all but dragging me out the way I’d come in. “We’ll be back,” she told the others.

“Isla, what do you think you’re doing?” I hissed as she tugged me outside where a catering company fancier than mine was unloading a truck full of food and beverages.

“Isla, why did you tell them? What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking you needed help and you weren’t going to ask for it yourself.”

I stared at her for a long moment, torn between frustration and the urge to kiss her.

“This is none of your business.” I flung a hand toward the people waiting inside. “It’s none of their business.”

“I beg to differ.” Her tone was so pert, her chin tilted up so haughtily. “They do too. They’re your friends, and they want to help.”

It was an effort to drag air into my lungs as her gaze met mine and held. We both knew what was coming. I knew we were both thinking it. If they were my friends...what was she?

I could see her throat work as she swallowed. “Willow’s parents said you could stay with her.”

I blinked. Then I shook my head. “What?”

“She’s always there alone, anyways, and apparently she sold it to them that you’d be, like, her bodyguard or something.” She shrugged. “I don’t know, she can explain better. But if that doesn’t work out, Mrs. Messner said she has Jason’s room free and—”

“And what?” Humiliation nearly swamped me as I stumbled back. Now I saw what this was. Charity. “You think I’m gonna accept handouts?”

“None of this is a handout.” Her brows drew down as she planted her hands on her hips. “This is people who care about you offering to help.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “Isla, you don’t understand. My mom—”

“Yeah, about your mom.” Her wince made me cringe. “I kinda talked to her too.”

My eyes grew wide as I stared at her. “You...you...what?”

“Actually, my aunt did the talking.”

“Your aunt.” I was repeating her words like a freakin’ parrot. Maybe if I said them too they’d make sense.

Isla’s expression was pained and pleading when she reached for my hands. “Flynn, she doesn’t want you to quit school—”

“It’s not about what she wants—”

“Then what about what you want?”

“It’s not about that either, Isla.” I sighed with exasperation. My head was spinning and for the life of me I couldn’t seem to make out how I was feeling.

This girl, she was freakin’ trouble. This right here, what she was doing, it was everything I’d been trying my best to avoid.

I didn’t need help, and I didn’t want worry. I had it all under control.

Or I had until she’d come along. Now all I wanted to do was say screw it to all my responsibilities, and forget about all the problems that were weighing on me. All I really wanted to do was kiss the hell out of this girl.

“You’re right, this isn’t about what you want, or what your family wants, it’s what you need,” she said. “And you need to let people help you. No one can do everything on their own.”

“Isla.” It came out on a growl. She was frustrating the hell out of me. Did she think I didn’t want to stay? Did she think I wanted to leave my friends behind, school behind, dreams of college behind? But my life wasn’t like hers. “You have no idea.”

“Maybe I don’t,” she agreed. But she said it so readily that I knew it would be followed with an argument. “I’ve never faced the same issues as you. And let’s face it, I’m sort of the poster child for selfishness.”

I choked on a surprised laugh at that. “I didn’t say that.”

“No, I’m saying it,” she agreed, yet again way too readily. “But I’ve figured some things out recently. I’ve learned something by getting to know you.” She moved toward me and part of me wanted to back away. Part of me knew that if she got too close I’d give in to this urge to reach out to her, to pull her close.

Part of me knew that if I did, I’d never let go.

“But the thing is, I’ve always been selfish because I thought I had to be. I thought that if I wasn’t looking out for my interests than no one else would either.”

I winced at that because for a second I saw that vulnerable girl, the one she tried so hard to hide. “I’m not being selfish, Isla, I’m—”

“No, you’re being selfless. But being totally selfless isn’t always the best way to be either, Flynn. Not when there are tons of people around you who’d love to help. You don’t have to blow up your whole life in some grand sacrifice. You don’t have to be the hero. And you definitely don’t have to do it all alone.”

I stared at her, temporarily speechless because I’d never heard so much passion from her. And it was for me.

The urge to kiss her finally won out and I pulled her close, claiming her lips in a kiss that I’d been dreaming about for the past week. Ever since our last kiss.

This one was no less fiery, but it was even sweeter. It was so sweet it nearly killed me.

She’d done this for me.

I didn’t know how or why, but she was looking out for me.

The thought had me crushing her so close she was locked in my arms. Her hands were on my chest, gripping the fabric of my T-shirt.

When she pulled her head back, she was out of breath, her lips swollen and her eyes beautifully dazed. “Does that mean you’ll stay?”

I’d never wanted anything more in life. To stay here. To live a normal senior year with this