AllFreeNovel
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I'm not him.
I'm not him.
I'm not him.
Does that mean he wants me?
I want to ask, want to know what's going through that dark head of his, but the sound of tires crunching snow in the distance disrupts the moment.
Kyle's thumb strokes my cheekbone before he reluctantly pulls away and stands.
Tiny's head lifts from my knee and his ears perk up, eyes following Kyle's movements down the steps. He jumps from my lap to the cold, frozen ground. His back legs, barely able to support his weight, give out and his chubby belly gets lost in the snow. I giggle as he recovers quickly and heaves himself upright. He starts yipping and barking frantically.
I stand on wobbly legs, wonder when the comatose-state Kyle's fingers put me in will dissipate.
That's when the green Subaru appears, and I internally groan.
Colleen.
Mrs. Henderson's granddaughter.
Mean girl extraordinaire.
Kyle walks toward the car as it comes to a stop. She steps out, smooths down the red lacy top exposing way too much cleavage before throwing herself at him. Both stumble slightly backwards, a blur of curly brown hair attacking Kyle.
Tiny starts barking louder, right at Colleen's knee-high, black leather boots.
I shake my head as she ignores Tiny and latches her bony arms around Kyle's neck, sobs into his chest. They stand that way for a few agonizing moments. Colleen wailing dramatically and Kyle trying to free himself from her grasp.
He shoots me an annoyed look and I try my best to stifle the laugh threatening to escape. Deciding he's had enough, Kyle wraps his hands around her thin wrists, yanks them apart and shoves Colleen off of him.
But it doesn't faze her. Never has. She's been chasing after both Thompson brothers for years. Their rejection only spurs her on. It's pathetic.
Colleen dabs her cheeks lightly, making sure not to smear the dozens of layers of make-up her true face is hidden under. Even in the summertime, she somehow managed to keep her made-up face intact, even if we all went down to the lake for a swim.
Colleen scrunches her eyebrows as she looks down at Tiny, then over to me, standing awkwardly on the bottom step.
"Oh, Jenny," she sniffs, "You really should do something with that hair of yours."
Ah, there's the first insult.
"Hello to you, too, Colleen," I reply.
Colleen stalks toward me, like a wild animal about to devour its prey. Fear grips my heart as I grab onto the wood railing for support. After years of constant jabs, I'm terrified of what she's going to say next.
"I could give you some tips, you know," she drawls. "Tips to pretty up your look."
Stay strong, Kyle mouths to me.
I clear my throat. "Thanks for the offer, but I seem to be doing pretty well on my own."
She throws her curly head back and cackles. "You've always been so funny, Jenny. Little Jenny Kearns chasing around Matt Thompson like some lovesick puppy. You guys doing it yet?"
And I'm done.
"Well, this has been fun, but I have...stuff to do." I raise my eyebrows at Kyle, silently begging him to help me out.
He catches on and says, "We're not done with your lesson."
