Charming My Best Friend (Fated #2) by Hazel Kelly Page B

more. And
why shouldn’t I go for it? Making Lucy smile had been my favorite thing to do since
I’d gotten my first pair of Velcro shoes.
    In fact, I remember the first time I saw her like it was
yesterday.
    My Mom took my sister and me to the park, and Claire had just
stopped being fun. I still wanted to run around and play, but she was more
concerned with her sticker collection so I was on my own.
    As a result, I set out to do a round of the playground to see
who was there just like I used to do rounds at the bar in college.
    As I was doing so, I remember coming around the corner and
seeing Lucy in the sandbox with a little boy who I later found out was her brother,
Alex. She was helping him build a sand castle, and I remember it being the
first time I’d ever seen someone wearing a sideways ponytail. I didn’t really
know what to think of it besides the fact that my Mom would never have let
Claire wear her hair like that.
    Anyway, out of nowhere this kid came over and started stomping
on their carefully crafted sand towers. Alex covered his face so he wouldn’t
get sand in his eyes, but Lucy sprang up like a rocket and didn’t even give the
kid a warning. Instead, she pushed his shoulders back with both hands, kicking
his feet out from under him at the same time.
    It was the coolest shit I’d ever seen. The kid fell down and
started crying instantly, but Lucy didn’t even give him a second look.
    Instead, she went back over to Alex whose bottom lip was shaking
so much he looked like he was a moment away from crying himself.
    “It’s okay,” she said, patting his back.
    “Ruined!” Alex said, tearing at his hair.
    “We can build it back up again,” Lucy said. “It’ll be even
better this time.”
    When she finally got Alex to calm down, I went over and asked if
she wanted any help rebuilding her castle.
    She looked up for a second and then said. “I think we’ve got it
under control.”
    I took a step back.
    “But if you want to collect some rocks to decorate it, that
would be cool,” she added.
    A second later, her Mom appeared and pointed across the park to
the mean kid. “Did you hurt that boy over there?”
    “I was protecting Alex,” she said, molding some sand between her
small hands.
    Her Mom squinted. “His Mom told me he just wanted to play with
you guys.”
    Lucy looked up. “He came over and stomped on our castle.”
    Her Mom’s mouth formed a straight line.
    “It’s true,” I said. “I saw the whole thing.”
    Lucy’s Mom folded her arms and looked back and forth between me
and Lucy. “I want both of you to hang your heads for a second and pretend you’re
in trouble.”
    I watched Lucy hang her head and followed suit.
    Then her Mom bent down and put her arm on Lucy’s shoulder.
    I tried to look up without lifting my head.
    Mrs. Ryan lowered her voice. “I’m proud of you for standing up
to the bully. You did the right thing.”
    Lucy nodded, keeping her eyes on the ground.
    Her Mom straightened back up. “Okay, you guys can raise your
heads again now and go back to playing.”
    We’d been a team ever since.
     

Chapter 17: Lucy
     
     
    “I can’t believe you left swiped that guy!” Fiona said, looking
over my shoulder.
    I shrugged. “I wasn’t feeling his sideburns.”
    “You of all people should know that hair is one of the only
things you can change about a man.”
    “Tell that to my Dad.”
    “Good point,” she said. “But even he could get a transplant or
something.”
    I laughed. “He’d probably be an excellent candidate. He takes
really good care of the few hairs that are left.”
    “I’m not sure why he bothers. Once you have few enough that you
can name them, you should probably just give up.”
    I swiped a few guys left just for looking at me funny.
    “Damn, you’ve gotten picky. I woulda kept that buff looking
one.”
    “Which one?”
    “I was just about to ask you the same question,” she said. “What
do you think?”
    I craned my neck