Chapter 1
Sixteen
“Julia, it’s time for dinner,” my dad yelled up the stairs.
“I’ll be right down, Dad,” I said as I closed my laptop.
I walked downstairs and sat down just as Mom was putting the plate of breaded chicken on the table. Collin sat down shortly after I did and took a sip of his milk, which was in front of him. My mom finally sat down and smiled, letting us know that it was okay to begin eating.
“Have you talked to Hailey?” she asked as she looked at me.
“I talked to her yesterday. Why?”
“Peyton said she’s been a little down lately and she thought maybe she mentioned something to you.”
I cocked my head and gave her that “I’m sorry, but if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you” look. “No, she hasn’t said anything to me,” I said.
Once she was convinced that I knew nothing, she darted her eyes to Collin. “What about you?”
“Uh…no. Why would she tell me anything?” he said as he tore into his chicken.
“I’ll talk to her tomorrow, Mom.” I smiled.
“Thank you, Julia.”
My ears drowned out the voices of the conversations my family was having because my mind wouldn’t stop thinking about Brody Sullivan and his hot, muscular body. There was nothing I wanted more than his strong arms wrapped around me.
“Hello, Earth to Julia,” my dad said.
I snapped out of my fantasy world and looked at him. “What, Dad?”
“Where were you?”
There was no way I could tell him that I was dreaming about Brody. He was so protective. I was the only sixteen-year-old on the face of the planet that had never been on a date with a boy. But all that was going to change very soon.
“I’m right here, Dad.” I replied with a sarcastic grin.
“I know you’re right here, Julia. You’re physically here, but your mind was somewhere else.”
“No, it wasn’t,” I said as I shook my head.
My mom put her hand on my dad’s, and he sighed. I got up from the table and put my plate in the sink. As I headed upstairs, Collin came up behind me.
“Hey, sis,” he said.
“Yeah,” I said as he stepped into my room and shut the door.
“I heard Brody talking about you today in school.”
“Shut up! What was he saying?” I asked.
Collin sat on my bed and looked down at the floor. He was a really sweet kid, and even though I was older, he made it his business to look out for me.
“Well, what did he say?” I asked in anticipation.
“He said that he thinks you’re hot and he wants to take you out,” Collin replied as he looked up at me with the same eyes my father had.
I squealed as I jumped on the bed in excitement. Tingling sensations were shooting through my body as the thought of dating Brody Sullivan invaded my mind.
“Julia, he’s bad news and I don’t think you should go out with him. He’s slept with almost every girl at Constantine Prep. He’s a user, and I don’t want you to get your hopes up. Plus, Dad will kill you!”
“I know how many girls he’s slept with and it doesn’t matter. I’ve had my eyes set on him for over three months. Dad isn’t going to find out, is he, Collin?” I asked as I gave him a stern look.
He got up from the bed and shook his head. “No, he won’t find out from me,” he said as he walked out of my room.
I picked up my phone, sat down on my bed, and called my best friend, London.
“Hey, Julia, what’s up?” she answered.
“Guess what? Collin just told me that Brody Sullivan thinks I’m hot and he wants to take me out!” I screeched into the phone.
“Shut the hell up! Collin knows this for sure?”
“Yes, he overheard him talking in school today.”
“You’re so lucky, Julia! I would kill to get into that boy’s pants,” she said.
“Hands off, London.”
“I know.” She sighed.
London Fitzgerald and I had been best friends since she moved into our building six years ago. She practically lived at my house because her family was so dysfunctional. Her father was a big time lawyer and was a partner at one of the biggest law firms in New York called Melbourne, Fitzgerald, and Holloway. Her mother was an alcoholic who usually started her day off at eight a.m. with a glass of orange juice and vodka. Her father had had multiple affairs, and they fought non-stop. She loved to spend time at my house because of the relationship my mother and father had. Sometimes, it was really embarrassing because they couldn’t keep their hands off each other and they’d have make-out sessions in the kitchen. London wished her family were like mine. She said that every time she walked into the penthouse, she could feel the love. Mom and Dad spoiled her as if she were their own daughter. They felt sorry for her because of her crappy home life. I felt bad for her too, and I was sure it was the reason for her being so promiscuous. She only wanted to be loved.
I sat down at my desk and opened my laptop. I had so much homework to do and it was all due tomorrow; there was no mercy at Constantine Prep School for Girls. I was working on my calculus when a friend request on Skype came through. I clicked on it and gasped when I saw that it was from Brody Sullivan. My heart started racing and it felt like someone had turned up the heat in my body. I pointed the cursor to “add to contacts” and clicked. As I not so patiently waited to see what he’d do next, I sent a text message to London.
“OMG! Brody just friend requested me on Skype!”
A few seconds later, she replied, “No way! He’s so into you! I can’t wait until school tomorrow!”
I stared at my screen, waiting, and tapping my fingers on my desk. Suddenly, a message from him popped up.
“Hey, Julia, thanks for accepting. I was wondering if I could have your phone number.”
My heart was still pounding as the butterflies in my stomach were fluttering around like they were high. I placed my hands on the keyboard and typed in my phone number. A few seconds later, my phone beeped.
“Thanks for your number. I was wondering if you wanted to do something tomorrow after school.”
Excitement overtook my mind, and I felt like I was going to die, but I needed to remain calm and not show too much excitement, so I waited five minutes before I sent my reply.
“Hey, no problem. I would like to hang out after school.”
“Awesome. I’ll meet you outside of Constantine’s tomorrow. Then we can decide what to do.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow,” I replied with a grin across my face.
What could I say about Brody Sullivan? He was an eighteen-year-old godly creature who attended St. Matthews Prep School for Boys, which sat next to Constantine’s. His short, light brown hair with messy bangs swept to the side and bright blue eyes, which drew you into him, were just a couple of things that made him incredibly sexy. His flat, washboard stomach and muscular arms were the result of his working out at the gym every day. His father was a Chief Risk Officer on Wall Street, and his mother was a jewelry designer who owned her own high-end jewelry line. He had a “playboy” reputation, but as I saw it, he just hadn’t found the right girl yet. But, I was about to change all that and him.
Chapter 2
As I searched my closet for something to wear, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in. Morning, Mom.” I smiled as she walked into my room.
“I was just coming to wake you up. But I see you’re already up and showered.”
“Yeah, I just didn’t want to run late today,” I said as I took out my cream-colored baby doll dress from the closet.
She gave me a weird look as she said, “Okay,” and walked out the door.
I put on my dress, my high-heeled brown ankle boots, curled my blonde hair, put on a little more makeup than usual, and went downstairs for breakfast. When I entered the kitchen, my dad, who was sitting at the table, looked up from his phone.
“You’re early today,” he said.
“Morning, Daddy,” I said as I grabbed a glass of orange juice from the counter and walked over and kissed him on the cheek.
“Morning, Princess. Don’t you think that dress is a little too short to be wearing?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Mom!” I said.
“Connor, her dress is fine. It’s what all the girls wear, plus, if it was too short, she wouldn’t be allowed to wear it to school.”
He looked at me and smiled. “I still think it’s too short.”
“Of course you do, Dad. You think everything is too short. You’re just going to have to get used to the fact that I’m sixteen now, and I can wear what I want.” I winked as I grabbed a piece of toast and walked out of the kitchen.
Before I grabbed my school bag, I walked back into the kitchen and over to my dad. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.
“What was that for?” He smiled.
I put on my princess face and I replied, “I’m sorry if I had an attitude, Daddy. Can I please have the credit card so London and I can go shopping after school? I promise to buy longer dresses and skirts.” I smiled.
He looked at me as he reached in his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and handed me his credit card. “No short dresses,” he said.
“Thank you, Daddy. I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.” He smiled.
As I started to walk out of the kitchen, I stopped and turned around. “Since I’m sixteen, don’t you think it would be best if I had my own credit card so I don’t have to keep asking you?”
He looked at me and cocked his head, but didn’t say anything. I could tell he was thinking about it. I kissed my mom goodbye as she shook her head at me, and I took the elevator to the garage. Collin was already in the limo.
“It’s about time, Julia!” he said.
“Sorry, but I had to ask Dad for the credit card.”
Denny looked at me through the rearview mirror and smiled. “Good morning, Miss Julia.”
“Good morning, Uncle Denny.” I smiled back. “I won’t need a ride home today. London and I are going shopping after school.”
****
The day couldn’t have gone by any slower that it already was. The only thing that was on my mind was seeing Brody after school. Nothing of the day mattered but him. I told London that I had told my parents we were going shopping after school, and she’d told her mom the same thing because she was meeting up with Rob at Starbucks. He was the twenty-three-year-old that she’d been seeing for a couple of weeks. That was another story.
The last bell of the day finally rang and, instantly, the butterflies woke up. I grabbed London’s arm and we headed out the doors and down the steps of Constantine’s. As I checked my phone to see if I had received a text message from Brody, he came up behind me.
“Hey, Julia. You look great.” He smiled.
I bit down on my bottom lip and smiled back at him. He hooked his arm around me, claiming me as his, and we walked down the busy streets of New York. I could see Collin in the distance, shaking his head at me.