Page 40 of Grown

“Yeah.” He digs in a leather bag sitting by the door and takes out a camera. “Mind if I record?”

I twist my fingers, watching him set up a tripod.

“Why?”

He grins. “What? You camera shy?”

“No... but...”

“Please, baby? It’ll make me really happy.”

My heart squeezes. He called me baby. I’mhisbaby.

“Yeah, of course.”

Chapter 25

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We don’t spend nearly enough hours in the day thinking about kissing.

My body was in the water, but my head was in the clouds. I glide through the chlorine, my strokes soft, but not as soft as Korey’s lips.

Ariel was sixteen when she married Eric inThe Little Mermaid. When she gave up her tail for a pair of legs. Maybe that’s what it’s like to be in love. I couldn’t imagine anything I’d give up my tail for... other than Korey.

Somewhere on earth, I hear my name.

“Jones! Jones!” Coach growls.

“Yes?” I cough, slipping off my goggles.

Her hands are on her hips. “You feel like joining us today?”

I look around and realize I’m the only one left in the pool. My teammates are on the sideline.

“Sorry,” I mutter, scrambling out.

Coach shakes her head.

“Dude, what’s gotten into you lately?”

Mackenzie flips back her fresh blow-dried hair, scraping it into a ponytail.

“What do you mean?” I feign innocence.

“You’ve been skipping practice. You haven’t returned Kyle Bacon’s calls. You barely make homeroom, and—”

Hannah screams. We both turn.

“What!”

Hannah, straddling the bench, stares at her phone. “OMG. OMG!”

“What is it?”

“Enchanted! This is you! This is you singing with Korey Fields!”

My stomach drops. “What?”