Flirting with Boys by Abbott, Hailey (books to read for beginners .TXT) 📕

Her musings were interrupted by Devon shivering.

“Can I borrow a sweatshirt?” In her silver minidress and slightly smudged smoky eye makeup, Devon resembled a cross between Victoria Beckham and Kurt Cobain. “You macked on your boyfriend for so long the wind made my buns feel like ice cubes.”

“Hey, we could’ve dropped you off at home. You

didn’t have to sleep over.” Celeste climbed out of bed.

She stuffed her feet into a pair of furry moose bedroom slippers. Then she turned and gave her best friend a playful pat on the head. “But obviously I’m glad you did.”

As soon as Celeste was up, Devon began burrowing under the comforter. “Mmm, it’s so nice and warm in here.” She closed her eyes and pulled the blanket up over her shoulder. Her face, with its mascara-ringed eyes and wild black hair, looked like that of a giant raccoon peering out from under the covers.

As Celeste stepped over Devon’s discarded pink platforms, she noticed a piece of paper under them. She picked it up and groaned internally when she recognized her father’s handwriting. The usual morning instructions. Dad must have pushed it under her door earlier in the evening. “Goodbye, carefree summer,” she muttered to herself as she opened the sheet of scrap paper.

Celeste sat on the edge of the bed. “Move over,” she said to Devon, who was already making little snoring noises.

“Mmmmm,” her friend replied. She moved her leg a half-inch to the right.

Celeste lay back and scanned the note. Celeste Tippen and Devon Wright: Instructions for Monday, June 20, the heading said. Her dad had such a warm and fuzzy way about him. She read on. Celeste: (1) Check and refill all towel stations with new Ralph Lauren towels. (2) Prep all cabanas: Evian spritzer bottles, water pitchers, Kiehl’s sunscreen samples. (3) Prep for Saunders family arrival: check guesthouse, deliver fruit basket, greet car 10:30 a.m.

Celeste bolted upright on the bed and let out a strangled squeak, like a mouse that had been stepped on. The note fluttered out of her limp hand onto the floor.

“Devon!” she croaked in a strangled voice. “Devon, wake up! I’m in huge, giant trouble!”

“Mmmrrr?” Devon pushed open one eyelid. “What is it?” she muttered. “Have you been caught being criminally responsible again?”

Celeste shook her friend’s shoulder. “Be serious! This is a major crisis!”

Devon rolled over onto her stomach. “Is it a major crisis that can wait until morning?” She pushed her face into the pillow.

“Nick Saunders!” Celeste stage-whispered. She kept an eye on the crack underneath her door. Still no lights came on.

“Who?” Devon peeked at Celeste with one eye.

“Nick Saunders! Remember, that guy who stays here every summer?”

“Kind of. Is he the one who’s always bugging you to get him things?”

“Yeah, that’s him. His family’s from L.A.—his dad is some sort of big-time movie producer or something.

Anyway, they’re filthy rich and Nick totally knows it.

He’s always asking me to, like, get him this one special cheese sandwich from a place twenty-five miles away, and make sure it’s on only white bread, extra mayonnaise—

stuff like that.”

“Riiiiight … I remember him now,” Devon said.

She propped herself up on her elbows. “Wait, hang on, didn’t something happen with you and him last

summer?”

Celeste closed her eyes and put a pillow over her face.

“Yes.”

“What? I can’t hear you,” Devon said. “Your voice is all muffly.”

Celeste lowered the pillow slightly. “I said yes. We’ve always been superflirty with each other, and last summer we kinda hooked up. A few times. Okay, lots of times.”

“You bad girl!”

“I wasn’t bad! Travis and I had barely started dating.

And it was his idea not to be exclusive while we spent the summer apart. I mean, I only saw him a few times while he was working at the surf school. And I know for a fact he dated other people.”

“Well, what did Travis say about Nick?”

“Umm.” Celeste paused. She was glad for the pillow on her face, because she could feel her cheeks flaming.

“Actually, I didn’t tell him. It was just a dumb flirtation followed by a convenient summer fling. But now they’re destined to meet! If Nick is even one-third as obnoxious as usual, Travis is going to freak out. You know how jealous he can get.”

“So does Nick, like, like you or something?” Devon asked.

Celeste snorted. She rolled onto her stomach and gazed out the window at her view of the storage shed.

“Hah, no. He’s just totally bored stuck out here in the desert. He needs a target for his flirting and I just happen to be here. I’m his distraction from hating summer. Or maybe I’m just practice for how he treats the girls in L.A.

But I’m not sure I trust Travis to look past the ‘I used to make out with your girlfriend’ part of the situation.”

Devon flopped back down and closed her eyes again.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’ll be there to make sure everyone behaves themselves.” She grinned.

“Yeah, sure—Devon Wright, moral guardian. Can’t

wait to see what your nun’s cape looks like.”

“Oh my God, that’s brilliant,” Devon mumbled.

“That’s my next Halloween costume—slutty nun.”

“Good night, Dev.”

Celeste heaved herself up from the bed. In her

minuscule bathroom, she held her toothbrush under running water and gazed at her reflection in the mirror.

Wide brown eyes and a worried frown stared back at her.

Despite Devon’s reassurance, if today was any indication of the emotional roller coaster she was going to ride this summer, there was a good chance not everyone would make it out alive.

Chapter Four

Celeste! Wake up. It’s nine forty-five! Where’s Devon?

They’re asking for her in the office.”

Celeste turned over and pulled the sheets over her head, hoping the ungodly banging and her mother’s voice at the door would stop if she just ignored them both. But of course, that would have made this someone else’s life. Next to her, Devon flopped around like a beached fish and groaned. Then, with a monumental effort, she sat up in bed.

“Hi, Mrs. Tippen!” she shouted through the closed door. “I’m here. I’ll be