The '68 Camaro Between Kenickie and Me (Pacifica Academy Drama Book 2) Page 24

  I wanted to slap that smile off her face as I leaned forward. “And I wasted my time. Being your friend for the last five years. Following you around and acting like you.” I smiled. But with victory. “I’m nothing like you and I love that feeling.” I eyed Quinn, whose face had paled. “And I stupidly thought you were the nice one. But you’re just an Ella Walker wannabe.” I shrugged. “You’ll probably follow her to whatever college she goes to.”

  Quinn looked away. From my nasty tone.

  I guess I still had some of that Natalie in me.

  “Are you finished?” Ella asked. “Because I’m bored and need to get to class.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “Not even close.” I knew many eyes were on us. Kids were probably straining their ears to hear us, too. “I have real friends now. And I have the best, cutest, funniest boyfriend. Who’s not a loser. Or an asshole,” I added in a lowered voice. Then I smiled. Wickedly. “Those words describe the college guys you two date.”

  Quinn’s eyes widened. But Ella released a huge sigh.

  I glanced at kids nearby. I even spotted Theresa. All of them not bothering to hide the fact they were watching and listening. Some were smiling. And laughing. Like Theresa. Of course.

  “In case anyone was still wondering,” I said in a raised voice, “Shane Easton is my boyfriend. And we’re crazy about each other.” I laughed. “No. That’s not even enough.” I tilted my head back and said even louder, “I love Shane Easton and he loves me. And I don’t care who knows it.” I lowered my head and turned to look at Theresa, and a couple kids I recognized, but didn’t know their names. “Did you hear that?”

  The two kids, with wide eyes, slowly nodded. Theresa’s eyes rolled upward and she walked away. But Ella and Quinn’s mouths had inched open as they stared at me.

  “I also love, for anyone still listening,” I loudly continued, “fast, classic muscle cars. Like a 70 AMX.” I focused on a girl standing nearest to me with red glasses. “Do you know what that is? Or what about a 68 Camaro?”

  She, looking fearful, shook her head.

  “That’s too bad.” I gave her a bright smile. “My first car and my dream car is a 68 Camaro. I’m Natalie, by the way. What’s your name?”

  She hesitated, probably not sure if she should answer the girl acting nuts at school on a Monday morning. But I finally felt wide awake.

  “I’m Heather. And I know who you are.”

  “Actually,” I replied, “you don’t. But you will.” I turned my smile on Ella and Quinn, who still looked stunned. “I’m going to go be with my friends now. And Shane. Who love me.” I leaned forward and quietly added, “You two can do whatever the fuck you want.”

  I raised my head, turned and walked away. And I smiled at any of my classmates who happened to catch my eye. Some of them even sort’ve smiled back. Which I took as a good sign they, too, would like the real Natalie Carlisle.

  The thought gave my steps a very…buoyant feel.

  Chapter 37

  My insides sizzled as Kenickie performed his “Greased Lightning” number while he stood on top of our solid, big car. That looked more like a convertible box on fake tires.

  We’d painted the side now facing the school matinee audience as a white piece of crap, and the other as the red, finished side with a gold lightning bolt. Kenickie’s car had also been designed to hold his and Liam’s weight. The other T-Birds danced around the car.

  The Rydell High backdrop, scoreboard and other props were, for this number, behind the thick curtain. And there were several old tires Shane and his brother had “stolen” from the shop stacked on top of each other on both sides of the stage.

  His smooth, pretty powerful singing filled the auditorium. He looked hot up there, too, totally owning his big number, in his tight white T-shirt, black jeans and black high-top Converse. And it hit me, while he sang the catchy chorus, he’d been perfectly cast as Kenickie. Well, except for Kenickie being an asshole. But I had to give Mrs. Chaplin some credit.

  “He’s nailing Kenickie,” Meg said around a laugh as she watched him.

  “Yeah.” This from Warren on my other side. “He’s surprisingly good at playing a jerk.”

  I laughed. Because it was so true.

  The instrumental part began, and he jumped off the car and jogged off stage. Then the stage became dark except for flickering lights. Most of the T-Birds stayed on stage and kept dancing to kind’ve block us from seeing the tech crew turn the car to its Greased Lighting side.

  My eyes wandered to Lexi, J.R. and Owen who were sitting with us, too. Kassidy was working backstage, her way of completing her community service hours.

  Thank God mine were done. Shane and I had given our sheets to Mrs. Meridian five seconds after walking into school Monday morning.

  The instrumental part started to end. I could just see him, in the darkness and flickering lights, jog back onto the stage to finish his number.

  My smile tripled in size.

  I had him, my friends and my permanent glowing.

  And I knew this because he’d told me. In a text.

  “Okay,” Shane said from behind me with his right hand covering my eyes. “Don’t expect too much. It’s looking really…rough right now.”

  I grinned. “Then why are you covering my eyes?”

  He slipped his left arm around my waist and hugged me to him. “Because I know how much you love your car.”

  I rested my head against the spot between his head and shoulder. “Not as much as I love a certain someone.”

  He laughed. “That’s right,” he said in a serious-but-playful way. “You’re the girl who loves me and I love you.”

  I laughed with him. Because my…spectacle…that Monday morning had become the newest joke between us.

  “Are you ready?”

  I nodded. “Yes. I’d love to see my car now.”

  He removed his hand from my eyes.

  I opened them. And froze. Then did a double take.

  “Told you,” he said. “The cars don’t look like much after being sandblasted.”

  In truth, it looked like a rusty piece of shit.

  I walked closer to my Camaro. To the point I could touch it.

  My car, at some point since I last saw it as a chassis, had been put back together, minus its guts. And windows. Just the car’s rusty, metal body sitting on the frame.

  “But now,” he continued as he stood beside me, “we’ll start on the bodywork. Fix all the problems you can see.”

  I smiled. And laughed. Because I didn’t see problems. I only saw my beautiful dream car and everything it represented.

  I squealed, turned and threw my arms around him.

  “Whoa.” He laughed. “Way better reaction than I expected.”

  I brought his head down to mine, gave him a quick kiss and went back to admiring my car. I then placed my right hand on the…pretty rough roof. “She looks perfect.”

  “Well, if you think that right now,” he teased, “I can’t wait to see your reaction when the car’s finished.” He laughed again. “I’ve never seen anyone react that way to their car looking like yours does now.”

  I faced him. “It’s not about how it looks right now. It’s about what it represents.”

  He nodded, and every part of me knew he understood.

  Something he’d just said, combined with seeing him looking so at ease in his family’s shop, caused me to say, “You said ‘we’ll start on the bodywork.’” I smiled. “Do you…plan on spending more time here once you’re done being Kenickie after tonight?”

  His face became the color of a tomato. He then ran a hand through his hair and cleared his throat. And I giggled.

  “Okay,” he said. “Because we agreed to no more secrets, I’ll…tell you a secret.”

  I reached deep into my soul to become serious and said, “I’m listening.” But the laughter building inside me wanted to explode with nuclear-level force.

  “I’ve…put myself in charge of your Cam
aro.”

  My laughter dried up as his confession dangled between us.

  I stared at him, blinking, unable to find the right words. Any words, for that matter.

  Because of all the amazing things Shane had said to me, this made my eyes a little wet.

  “So, yeah,” he continued, finally meeting my gaze. He gave me a warm smile as his face became its normal color. “I’ll be here a couple extra days a week, starting Monday. And I’ll be here a lot this summer.” His smile faded. “I talked to my dad about this earlier.” He sighed. “But he thinks this decision will change my mind about Marine Biology. His words. Not mine.”

  Oh.

  My eyes cleared and I wrapped my arms around his waist.

  He copied my actions, and I searched my mind for something brilliant to say. Something that would make his frustration disappear. Like it had never shown up to begin with.

  But all I could find was, “I think your dad just wants you to be a part of this. What your family created.”

  “I get that,” he mumbled. “But working on your Camaro is…for you.”

  We shared affectionate smiles.

  “And I can still be a part of this place without making it a full-time job.” He shrugged. “Like my sister. She works in the office when she’s home for her breaks. Then goes back to her life at NYU.”

  I nodded and tried a playful grin. “I love you even more for putting yourself in charge of my Camaro.” That made him smile. “But maybe you shouldn’t work too hard on my car? And, maybe, your dad will come around? The closer we get to graduation?”

  His smile fell. “I doubt it.” He raised his eyebrows. “And of course I’m going to work my ass off when it comes to your car.” He smiled again. But that smile. “I have big plans for us. In this car,” he almost whispered. With a pretty…naughty inflection.

  My mouth fell open. But my insides were popping. Like those little firecrackers. I also didn’t care he’d, once again, smoothly changed the subject.

  Just another thing on the already long list to love about him.

  “Shane Easton,” I said, giving him a pretend stern look, “you keep surprising me.”

  He gave me his pretend stern look. “Natalie Carlisle, I wasn’t talking about just that.” His smile came back. “But that reminds me, we need to talk about a couple things.”

  I giggled and said, “Like what?”

  “Celebrating the end of Grease. Tomorrow afternoon?”

  I frowned. “Isn’t that what tonight is for after the show?”

  He tightened his arms around my waist and turned us. To the point my back was facing my Camaro. “The cast parties are cool.” He took us a step closer to my car. “But it’s because of Grease I haven’t seen you enough, alone, since you—and loudly—declared I’m your boyfriend.”

  I fought a smile as he backed me up another step. “Fine. How does…ice skating sound?”

  He stopped and dramatically rolled his eyes. “I’m never going to live my wipeout down.”

  I bit my lower lip before saying, “Never.”

  He groaned. “I’ll have to run that idea by my ass. Can I get back to you?”

  I laughed. Pretty loud and hard, too.

  “Okay,” I managed to say. “What’s the second thing we need to talk about?”

  He backed me up until I was against my car. And kissed me. Like he’d never kissed me before and never would again.

  “Go to prom with me,” he then whispered against my lips. “I’m pretty sure” —kiss— “I can talk my dad” —longer kiss— “into letting me borrow the AMX again.”

  But our mouths fused before I could answer.

  I shivered as everything around us became misty.

  Oh…What was it about his bad boy side that made the world fade into nothing.

  “Yes,” I whispered, a bit breathlessly, when we came up for air. “I’ll go with you.” I paused, then added, “And not just because you’re the perfect boy…for me.”

  He smiled and pressed his forehead to mine. “I’m really loving the real Natalie.”

  I sighed. “Me, too.”

  Author’s Note

  I hope you enjoyed Book Two in the Pacifica Academy Drama Series that will continue with Maddie’s story, Teddy Brewster’s Hold On Me. Each book can stand alone, but it’s recommended they’re read in series order for maximum enjoyment.

  And if you have a moment, please feel free to leave a brief review on Amazon. Authors always appreciate and need honest reader reviews.

  Acknowledgments

  Natalie and Shane’s story required so much research on classic muscle cars and the restoration process. Thank you to Muscle Cars: Kings of the Street from the Golden Era, Muscle Cars: An Illustrated Guide and the Velocity Channel’s numerous shows dedicated to restoring vintage cars. And the History Channel ran their The Cars That Made America at the perfect time.

  A big thank you to my editor, Jolene Perry, for providing more encouraging feedback, loving the cars and writing several comments that made me laugh out loud.

  Thanks again to The Killion Group for creating another super cute cover.

  And to Miles, for inspiring their special connection and answering all of my car questions. I couldn’t have written Natalie and Shane’s story without you.

  About the Author

  Christine Miles is a former English teacher (among other things!) and has two degrees in English and Creative Writing. She lives in the Denver area. She is the author of Me, Shakespeare and the Anti-Love Club, Book One in the Pacifica Academy Drama Series, also available on Amazon.

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  Sign up for her newsletter to get new release and occasional “drama” updates at christinemilesya.com.

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  You can also follow her on Instagram—@christinemilesauthor.