Don't Kiss Your Enemy (Rockford High #4) Read online

  Don’t Kiss Your Enemy

  Book 4 of the Rockford High Series

  Victorine E. Lieske

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  Newsletter

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2019 by Victorine E. Lieske

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

  Victorine E. Lieske

  P.O.Box 493

  Scottsbluff, NE 69363-0493

  www.victorinelieske.com

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Chapter 1

  Amanda leaned over with her paintbrush, finishing up the large letter B on her sign that, when finished, would read Stop the Bulldozers! Save the Opera House! She wasn’t sure how many people would be there next Friday to help her protest, but she was going to try her best to get the whole town there.

  As she painted, she ignored the loud pop music coming from downstairs. Stephanie was having her annual Halloween party in the living room, which sounded like crazy fun, but in actuality, it was just a bunch of drama geeks eating peeled grapes and gossiping. An entirely worthless waste of a good Halloween night, in Amanda’s opinion.

  She leaned back and her hand hit the strip of duct tape Stephanie had stuck to the carpet, dividing their room in half. It sucked having to share a room with your older sister. Not that Stephanie was horrible. She was just a little self-absorbed, like most drama queens.

  Amanda had been born exactly nine months after Stephanie, something her mother liked to bemoan about to her friends. “Yes, it is possible to get pregnant when you’re breastfeeding,” she’d say, to Amanda’s horror. Geesh, mom. TMI.

  Stephanie was tall and blonde, and basically gobbled up all the good genetics so when Amanda was born, all that was left was the stuff no one wanted. She was short with mousey-brown hair, which she wore long and straight down her back. In second grade they realized she couldn’t see the blackboard, so she got glasses, another fun genetic trait passed down from her parents. Not that she remembered much about her father. He’d died when she was only five.

  Amanda shifted so she could reach the other side of her sign. Almost done now. It was probably for the best that Stephanie got all the movie star qualities. Stephanie had been in all the school productions since her freshman year, priding herself on her excellent acting skills. She was going to graduate this spring and move to New York so she could star in the next big Broadway hit. Or wait tables for ten years while she struggled to pay the rent, but everyone called Amanda cynical when she said that.

  She finished her sign and leaned it up against the wall so the paint could dry. Her worst nightmare would be to show up to stop the bulldozers and have no one else come. She could just imagine standing there by herself, crying.

  She hadn’t yet told her mother the opera house was to be demolished. Her mother worked sixty hours a week and rarely watched television, so Amanda was sure she didn’t realize the building would be gone soon. The thought crushed Amanda’s heart. She had to save it. To save her mother the pain she would feel if she lost that last connection to her late husband.

  A noise came from the corner of the room and she walked over to her hamster village. She used to have just a cage, but she’d added pipes and rooms to it and now it resembled an elaborate hamster maze system. Phineas was running on his wheel again. He loved to get a good run going, then stop and hang on so the wheel tossed him upside down. He was a funny little guy. Ferb was asleep in his hamster bedding nest. Amanda reached into the treat bag and pulled out a sunflower seed. She pushed it through the cage bars and Phineas stopped running on his wheel to go sniff it.

  Amanda pulled on her skinny jeans and tugged down her fitted black T-shirt. Cole would be here soon, and she had to get ready for the dance. Dressing all in black would make the last part of her costume truly amazing. She lifted the white fishing net she’d bought on Amazon and stuck her head and arms through the holes she’d cut out of the net. Empty water bottles, plastic bags, soda cans, and Styrofoam cups hung from the net. It was her best Halloween costume yet.

  Last year she’d gone to the dance wearing a baby carrier with a chimpanzee doll in it, trying to bring awareness to the endangered mountain gorillas. (She couldn’t find a baby gorilla.) People just thought she was dressed up as a teen mom with an odd baby. Epic fail. But this year her costume was clear. Stop throwing trash in the ocean.

  Amanda stood before the mirror and twisted her hair up in a messy bun. She figured that went well with garbage brought in from the sea. As she looked at herself in the mirror, the doorbell rang and a small rush of adrenaline ran through her veins. What was that about? It was just Cole. Sheesh.

  She hurried to slip into her Converse shoes, then opened the door. Cole stood there, wearing a white shirt with sailor stripes on it. It fit his muscular frame a little too well. A fluttery feeling started in her chest as she tried not to stare at him. “Are you going as a sailor?”

  He grinned. “I’m a fisherman. You’re the net. I think we go well together.”

  She smiled at how thoughtful Cole was. She knew he thought her costume was ridiculous. But it was kind of him to dress up in something complimentary. “We do,” she said, smiling wider.

  He extended his elbow to her. “You ready?”

  She looped her hand through his arm. “I’m ready.”

  The night air was chilly, but she couldn’t exactly wear a coat over her costume. She ignored the stiff breeze and walked beside Cole. As she climbed into the car to sit, one of the milk jugs she’d glued to her net caught on the door and ripped her net. “Oh!”

  Cole bent his head down. “What happened?”

  Amanda sat shocked for a second, then burst out laughing. “I ripped my costume. I guess the hot glue weakened the net.”

  Cole frowned. “Do you want to go glue it?”

  She pulled the carton completely off and tossed it into his back seat. “Nope. It’s not that bad. Let’s just go. I don’t want to make you late for the dance.”

  “Okay. As long as you’re sure.”

  She smiled. It was just how things went sometimes. “I’m sure.”

  He climbed in the car and turned to her. “You look lovely…with all that trash on you.” His warm chuckle washed over her, making her insides melt.

  “Why, thank you. And you look…” Amanda stared at him. Dang, he looked hot. But she couldn’t say that. She swallowed. “Nice.”

  They’d stayed after school to decorate the gym, so Amanda knew what it would look like. But when they walked in, she still gasped a little. With the florescent bulbs off and the disco ball sending beams of light onto all the spiders they’d hung from the ceiling, it looked cooler than she’d thought. Paper streamers hung out from the middle of the room, and the stage wa
s lit up with black lights. The DJ wore a skeleton outfit that glowed in the dark.

  “Want some punch?” Cole asked, rubbing his hands together. He seemed jumpier than normal.

  “Sure.” She followed him over to the table and took a cup. The punch bowl must have had dry ice in it because a fog of mist rose up and out of the bowl, looking freakishly cool. It tasted good. It had Sprite or something, so it bubbled.

  Cole drained his cup and tossed it in the recycle bin. A slow song came on. “Want to dance?”

  Those words sent a shiver through her and she became nervous. “We just got here.”

  “So?”

  Amanda wasn’t sure why, but the thought of slow dancing with Cole sent a weird wobbly feeling into her belly. It was disconcerting. They’d been friends of Destiny’s for so long, it felt kind of odd to be at a dance with him…alone.

  Not that she didn’t like Cole. She liked him just fine. They just weren’t usually alone together. She’d met him through Destiny, and so he’d always been her friend’s friend. Lately, though, he was around much more than usual. She clutched her half-empty cup. “Let’s find Destiny and Eli. I want to show them my costume.”

  Cole nodded and they weaved their way through the throngs of students in various costumes. Destiny had told her she was going as Cat Woman, so she looked for leather pants and black pointy ears.

  Cole pointed at a long, black cape. “There’s Eli.”

  Of course, he was Batman. Amanda approached them. “Hey, guys. Looks good in here, huh?”

  Destiny turned around, her eyes sparkling. Her costume was perfect for her. She looked flawless, as usual. “Mr. B. was right. That disco ball makes everything look cool.”

  “I thought so, too.” Amanda glanced around. “And we’ve got a good turnout.”

  Destiny nodded, then grabbed Eli’s hand. “Come on. I love this song. Let’s dance.”

  And once again Amanda found herself standing in front of Cole, an awkwardness growing between them. “I guess we should dance as well.” She set her plastic cup down on a nearby table.

  “Yeah.” He smiled and that wobbly feeling came back ten-fold. “Sure.” He took her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor.

  He tried to put his arms around her, but the bottles and cans she’d glued to the net got in the way. It took him a few tries before he was able to pull her closer. A plastic sack crinkled between them. She tried not to laugh, but it became so humorous, she couldn’t help it.

  “Great costume idea there, Mandy,” he said, using her nickname. Cole was the only one who ever called her that. She used to yell at him for it, but she’d kind of grown used to it. Dare she admit she even liked it?

  She laughed. “Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “So, how about that test tomorrow in weights class? What’s that about?”

  Amanda laughed harder. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard. What is Ms. Lennard thinking?”

  “I think she’s just tired of people taking the class to get an easy A. Whoever heard of a test in P.E?”

  She nodded and looked up at him. Cole shifted, his hand resting on her lower back. The warmth of his touch sent a trail of goosebumps over her skin, which didn’t make any sense. She didn’t want to think about what it might mean.

  “You going to the game tomorrow?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wanted to slap herself. Cole didn’t care about football. And neither did she. What was wrong with her?

  “No.”

  “Do you have to work?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “I thought you worked on the weekends.”

  “I don’t have steady hours. Just when I’m needed.”

  “Interesting.” Amanda had a vague notion that Cole had a job, but she had either forgotten where or had never asked. “You work where again?”

  He stiffened and evaded her gaze. “I work for my father.”

  “Oh. Where’s that?”

  “His office is on 54th Street.”

  She wasn’t sure if he was being evasive on purpose or not. “What company?”

  “It’s a corporate company. You wouldn’t know it.”

  “Wait.” Amanda held up her hand. “Wouldn’t a corporate company be closed on the weekends?”

  “Yeah, but my father puts in extra hours. I help him out when he needs data entry or errands to be run. Things like that.” Cole pulled her closer, and the plastic bag crinkled again. He chuckled. “Maybe you can take your net off for the next dance?”

  She was finding it hard to move around with it on. “All right.” As the slow song ended and a new one started up, Amanda slipped her net off and tossed it on a chair. Then she walked back to Cole.

  “Better?”

  He grinned and pulled her close. Her body pressed up against him, and her heartbeat sped up. “Much,” he said in her ear.

  Her glasses slipped down her nose, and she let go of him to push them back up in place. She was having a hard time concentrating. What had they been talking about again? Oh, right. Where he worked. “What’s the company name? I’ll look them up tonight.”

  Cole ignored her question. “You smell good.”

  She frowned. What was the big deal? Why wouldn’t he tell her where he worked? “Just tell me.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  She huffed and pulled away from him. “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t want to ruin the evening.”

  She stared up at him, confused. “Telling me where you work will ruin the evening? Why?”

  His face looked pained. He leaned down close to her. “Do you trust me?”

  “You’re using cheesy Disney movie lines on me now?”

  “Just let it go, all right?”

  She held in a laugh. “You do realize that’s another cheesy Disney movie line?”

  Cole didn’t think it was funny, apparently, because he groaned. “Let’s talk about anything else. Okay?”

  He seemed really bothered by it, so she shrugged. “Will you tell me after?”

  “Yes. After.”

  “Promise?”

  Cole winced, but finally nodded. “I promise.”

  Chapter 2

  Cole ignored the dread pooling in his stomach. Why did Amanda have to ask about his job? There were a zillion other things they could have talked about. What rotten luck he had. He should have guided the conversation. He could have stepped up to the plate and steered them onto safe topics. Why had he gotten all tongue-tied?

  He took in the smell of her hair and knew why. Because he liked her. A lot. And he wanted her to like him back. But as soon as she found out he was working for Asher Industries, he knew she would be crushed.

  He’d tried to ignore the crush he had on her. But every time he was near her, his skin would tingle and he would forget how to breathe properly. Crazy, right?

  He was hoping tonight might change things between them. He wanted to show her how he felt about her. But as he swayed to the music with her in his arms, his courage failed him. Even if he did tell her he liked her, she would hate him once the evening was over.

  Amanda shifted and looked up at him. “I didn’t know you could dance.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Everyone else is just doing this little back-and-forth thing. You’re actually doing some dance steps.”

  Embarrassment heated his neck. “My mom made me take ballroom dance lessons when I was growing up. Guess I slipped into doing the Foxtrot by accident. Sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize. It’s nice.” She smiled at him. “Teach me.”

  Her words sent a thrill through him. She wanted to learn? “Sure,” he said, pulling her closer.

  He showed her the steps, then led her into the dance. As they moved to the music, she stepped on his foot. A laugh burst from her. He was starting to love that sound. “Oops, sorry,” she said.

  “That’s okay. You’re picking it up.”

  He spent the next fifteen mi
nutes teaching her how to do the dance steps. She seemed to get really into it, laughing when he did a fancy step. As they danced, the gym grew quite warm. Maybe it was all the bodies pressing in on them, or the exercise. Whatever it was, his palms started to get sweaty. He hoped Amanda didn’t notice.

  When a fast song came on, she seemed disappointed. They walked to the table and she grabbed her punch cup. “That was fun. I had no idea you knew all that stuff. What else is there about you that will surprise me?”

  Her question seemed a little flirty, and his heart skipped a beat. He wanted to say something flirty back, but his mind went completely blank. “I don’t know.”

  “Besides your mysterious and probably illegal employment,” she shot him a mysterious look, “what else do I not know about you?”

  He racked his brain for something intelligent to say. He blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. “I play a mean game of poker.”

  Amanda laughed at that. “My sister and I used to play poker with her friends. I’d win every time.”

  He raised one eyebrow. “That sounds like a challenge.”

  “Maybe it is.” She draped her net over her once again and gave him a smile. She looked cute, even with trash all over her.

  “We’ll have to play sometime.”

  “You’re on.” She tugged on her net. “Is it hot in here?”

  Thank goodness it wasn’t just him. He was dying. “Yes.”

  “Let’s go outside.” She started toward the doors. “I need to catch my breath.”

  Cole walked with her into the hallway, where the music wasn’t nearly as loud. “You’re right. Getting out of there was a good idea.”

  She pushed on the door and the cool night air enveloped them as they walked outside. “I kind of felt claustrophobic in there. Too many people.” She fanned her face.