The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson Page B

left outside. The Johnsons had four unruly boys, all under the age of nine, and they were forever leaving stuff on our part of the beach. I flailed my arms for a second before righting myself. My face felt hot and flushed. I didn't need my dad to embarrass me. I was perfectly capable of making my own spectacle.
    Skirting around the toys, I went to the water's edge and stared out at the horizon.
Please don't let him say anything about me nearly falling
, I begged whatever higher power might be listening. I felt Jake come up behind me, standing at my shoulder.
    I couldn't calm down when he was near me. I couldn't be in control or normal. I was a complete and total spaz. He must have thought I was the biggest loser he'd ever been forced to be around. I closed my eyes for a second. I loved the sounds of seagulls, the soft crash of waves as they came to shore, the salt in the air.
    But all of it paled in comparison to the boy standing next to me.
    Thankfully, he didn't say anything. We just watched as the sky turned from blue to a faint pink, purple and orange mix.
    "Why do you never lose?" I asked him as the sun kissed the water.
    "I have to be the best. My dad's always pushing me. There is no room for failure in the Kingston household."
    "Do you ever get to just have fun?" I asked as I turned around to look at him.
    He put his hands in his pockets. "Not so much."
    An idea popped into my head. "Well, in the Lowe household, we believe in work and play." I walked back to the super soakers lying on the beach. I tossed one to him. "Let's see what you're made of, Kingston."
    He caught it easily. "Are you serious?"
    I sprayed him in the face as my answer.
    He laughed and then started deliberately pumping up the barrel on his gun. "Oh, it is so on."
    I ran off, laughing and shooting at him, kicking up sand as I went. He was a much better shot than me, and I was quickly soaked. I couldn't help but let out a yelp and a giggle every time he got me. I missed him most of the time. But he was laughing along with me, chasing me. I knew he could have caught me, but he let me get away.
    Then I saw him pump his gun several times, but nothing happened. He had run out of water. I pointed my gun squarely at him. "Do you admit defeat?"
    "Never!" He grinned. He tossed his gun aside. Before I knew what was happening, he ran up and grabbed me by the waist, pulling my gun out of my hands. I lost my footing and we landed in a heap on the ground, laughing and out of breath.
    We lay in the sand, tangled up together. Our laughter faded away. Jake reached over and pushed a flyaway piece of fuchsia hair from my face. My lungs nearly collapsed as I struggled to catch my breath. This was better than anything I had ever imagined. He looked at me strangely with this expression that I'd never seen before, but it made my stomach twist and turn.
    He pulled his hand back and suddenly stood up. He accidentally showered sand all over me. "Uh, I have to go. See you tomorrow."
    And he walked away, without looking back. He didn't even go back in the house; he just went around the side and within a minute, was out of view.
    I turned over onto my back, looking up at the darkening sky. There was a small sense of relief at him being gone since I'd been this close to throwing my arms around his neck and begging to be his love slave or something equally horrific.
    But most of me just wanted him to stay right where he had been. I thought we'd had, I don't know, a moment.
    Unfortunately, it was obviously one-sided. I needed to remember who I was—an ugly stepsister, not a princess. Why would he ever be interested in me? I was far too good at mistaking his politeness for something more. We were just friends. Actually, that wasn't correct. We weren't even really friends. We were two students assigned to work on a project together.
    I knew I wasn't his type. It didn't stop me from wanting him. Or wanting him to want me.
    He had no reason to want me though. Not when he could have any