Another cover design by my brother!

These pictures in no way correspond with the chapter of the book I just think they're pretty! ☺️

Katie
I'm in the middle of a nice dream when I feel this weight on my chest. I open my eyes and find Logan, (my dog) sitting on me. "What time is it Logan?" I roll over and check my phone.
7:15

"Crap!" I leap out of bed and run to the bathroom. My alarm didn't go off so now I only have less than 15 minutes to get ready.

Once I finish in the bathroom I go to my room to get dressed. I put on a pair of jeans and a cute gray tank top that almost touches the waistband of my jeans.

I look in the mirror and then run to my closet to grab a flannel to wear over my tank top so it covers my shoulders.

I was not in the mood to get dress coded.

To quote my principal. "Girls have to cover their shoulders because they are too distracting."

And how is that my problem?

I hear a car pull up in the driveway so I look out my window and see Wyatt's Jeep parking in the driveway. What is he doing here? I still have seven minutes till 7:30.

He gets out of his car and walks towards the front door. I don't want to be late so I open my window and yell, "Wyatt!"

He looks around. "Wyatt up here!"

He finally looks up at me. "Katie?"

"Don't come inside, wait in the car!"

He looks confused. "But!-"

I interrupt him. "Just wait in the car," I yell and shut the window.

I turn back to the mirror and finish getting ready.

I run downstairs to find some type of breakfast, but as soon as I walk into the kitchen Derek is looking out the blinds. "So, who's in the driveway? Do you know them?"

I take a pack of peanut butter crackers from the cabinet and walk to the door ignoring Derek.
"Ah, I see you do know them, you don't have your keys."

I stop to look at him while sighing, "It's Wyatt, he's taking me to school."

He dramatically gasps. "You do have a boyfriend!"

"I don't - look we're not dating and I'm going to tell Dad."

He gets very serious. "You tell him tonight or I do."

I unlock the front door. "Deal." I am not looking forward to tonight.

When I get to Wyatt's car I realize how high up it is. I'm not short, but I'm not super tall either, (I'm 5/5) so I have to grab the handlebar and pull myself in.

I hear Wyatt snickering. (literally snickering like a villain.) "Do you need help?"

"No." I get in and close the door.

"Why did you tell me not to come to the door?" Wyatt asks while I buckle my set belt.

I take a quick glance around his car which is surprisingly neat.

Unlike Tyler's car which looks like a bomb exploded.

"Because my brother would've wanted to talk to you, it would have been this huge interrogation. Long story short we would be late for school."

He turns his blinker on and turns onto a different road. "I take it you haven't told them yet."

I look down. "Yeah, I'm going to tell my dad tonight. He'll want to meet you, so you might be joining us for dinner tomorrow."

Shockingly he smiles. "I don't mind. I mean you are my girlfriend."

I roll my eyes as we stop at a stoplight beside a Starbucks.

"Katie darling, do you need to get coffee before school?" Wyatt says in a formal voice.

I turn my head to look at him to see if he's serious. He is.

Trying not to laugh I say, "No, but I don't mind if you need to stop and get coffee."

Wyatt just laughs.

His laugh is very deep and every so often he snorts. For some reason it makes me smile. "I'm good, I just figured you were a Starbucks regular."

I smile and shake my head. "What about me screams that?"

He stares at me for a second. "I have no idea."

"If you did go, what would you get?" Wyatt asks.

I look out the window. "Right now I would get a hot chocolate with a pump of hazelnut. Oh, and extra whip cream." I look at Wyatt and see him smiling. "What about you?"

"Pretty much the same thing, no hazelnut, but extra marshmallows."

There is no way we both get the same thing. But in all honesty, I rarely go to Starbucks.

What it's expensive!

"Marshmallows ewe." I feel my nose scrunch up.

I see Wyatt glance over at me with a smile. "You mean amazingly delicious."

I start laughing. "Whatever you say."

"You know I only live two streets down from you?" As soon as I hear those words come out of his mouth I instantly think of a joke.

"Wow, I'm surprised you haven't hit me with your car while I'm checking the mailbox."

He rolls his eyes. "You're never going to let that go are you."

I slowly shake my head. "Nope."

I clap my hands together and Wyatt jumps.
"Come on Katie!"

I ignore him. "Okay Just Wyatt, we need to come up with a meet-cute."

He makes a face. "What the hell is a 'meet cute'?"

I start giggling. "Really you don't know? Come on this is Romcom 101."

Wait, when did I start giggling?

He puts one of his hands up. "Hey, I only watch some romantic movies. It's not like I sit down and watch Hallmark movies all day on Saturdays."

I roll my eyes, he is exhausting. This is going to be a long four weeks.

"We need to come up with how we met."

"Easy, when I almost hit you." I stare at him.
I swear it's like talking to a five-year-old.

I use a sweet voice as if I'm talking to a five-year-old. "People won't believe that. Remember we've been 'dating' for a few weeks so that won't work buddy, but supper duper job."

He shoots me a glare. "Okay, then what do we say?"

I stare out the window in thought.

"I got it! You live two streets away from me so..." I'm trying to see if he will catch on.

Nope.

Nothing, seriously how has he made it this far in life?

"You saw me walking my dog one day and had to talk to me."

He gives me a lopsided smile. "I guess that could work, but I'm pretty sure it would be the other way around."

I swat at his arm. "Alright, we have a meet-cute."

He lifts his fingers off the steering wheel and does little jazz hands. "Yay!"

Once we get to school Wyatt parks the car and I take a deep breath.

Wyatt looks at me. "You ready?"

"Yep," I emphasize the P.

Wyatt jumps out of the car and comes over and opens my door. I have to fight to keep a straight face and not completely melt. No one has ever done that for me.

"Thank you, kind sir."

He does a little bow. "My pleasure."

I giggle. "You sound like a Chick-fil-A worker." We both burst out laughing.

Wyatt locks his car and grabs my hand.
"Here we go."

How did this little action, (holding a guy's hand) affect me so much? I've got to get a grip on myself.

We're almost to my locker when I feel an arm sling around my shoulders, pulling me away from Wyatt.

"Hey, sweetie pie."

Tyler.

I look up at him. "Hey, sugar." Tyler must have seen Wyatt staring at us because he makes a weird face.

A smug face.

Tyler looks down at me. "How's my special, favorite person doing?"

I turn towards my locker. "Tyler, if you're trying to embarrass me in front of Wyatt it won't work."

Tyler narrows his eyes. I know he's thinking, "Come on Katie let me have my fun."

Tyler sticks out his hand and Wyatt shakes it. Tyler being Tyler says, "Nice to meet you. You must be Kat's boyfriend, I've heard so much about."

"Um?" Wyatt says looking confused.

Awe Wyatt has so much to learn about Tyler. Maybe I should've told him a little bit about him.

Nah. This is more fun.

I know, I'm a terrible person.

"Tyler, he knows you know about us," I say as I shut my locker.

I feel Tyler glaring at me.

"Well Wyatt, even though y'all are fake dating, if you break her heart I'll break you."

I doubt that would be possible Wyatt is two more inches taller with a lot more muscle. Not that I cared, just saying. 

"Oh Wyatt, don't listen to him he's just messing," Izzy gushes.

I hug Izzy. "Hey, honey."

"Hello, pookie." We stayed up till midnight last night on the phone talking. That's probably why I didn't wake up this morning.

We follow Izzy to her locker. Wyatt looks so confused I almost feel bad for him. "Wyatt, in case you didn't know this is Izzy my best friend."

I put my arm around her. "My ride or die."

Izzy smiles. "You know it."

Tyler pushes me out of the way so he could put HIS arm around Izzy.

Izzy gets her books out of her locker and closes it. "We would love to stay and chat but we have to get going ."

Tyler looks down at Izzy with a frown. "No, we don't."

"Yes, we do." She pulls him down the hall.

I'm so getting her for that. She still has this miraculous plan that Wyatt and I are going to fall deeply in love. As if.

I notice a group of juniors staring at us in the hall.

One thing that will take time to get used to is all the staring and whispering.

Wyatt speaks up for the first time in a while. "How do you know him? Is he your friend?"

I look over at Wyatt and he's making a weird face almost as if he's... jealous.

What?

"Tyler?" I ask.

He nods his head.

"Tyler's my brother's best friend, basically my second older brother. I've known him forever."

Wyatt's still making that face. "Older? Y'all are in the same grade."

I blow out an aggravated breath. "Yeah, he's a year older than me and Iz because he had to repeat the sixth grade."

All he says is, "Oh."

"He's Izzy's boyfriend, they've been dating since they were 14," I add.

Another, "Oh."

"You couldn't tell?" I ask confused.

His voice gets all deep. "I didn't pay attention." Now his face is back to normal.

I stop waking and turn around to face him. "Wyatt, are you jealous?"

"What no!" His voice gets high as he says that.

"You were!" I poke his chest with my finger.

He sighs and looks down at his shoes. "Okay fine!"

He continues to study the ground. "When I saw you with Tyler I didn't know who he was, I thought he was just some random guy."

"I know we're not dating but I didn't like him hugging you."

I raise my eyebrows while fighting a smile.

"But now that I know who he is I don't care." He shrugs his shoulders.

I don't know what to say to that.

"Well, Tyler's basically my second brother. He's family no matter how much he pisses me off."

"I know," Wyatt responds while trying not to laugh.

"Come on Kate, we're going to be late for class." He grabs my hand and pulls me down the hall.

Once we get to class I sit my bag down and sit at my desk. When I look up, Wyatt's sitting on the corner of my desk.

I smile at him. "What are you doing?"

"Watching my girlfriend put her things away. It's pretty mesmerizing." Wyatts says with his eyes twinkling. I just roll my eyes.

"How come we didn't run into any of your friends?" I ask Wyatt.

"Well, Ryan has class on the other side of school and Stacy and her following are usually getting ready in the bathroom till the last minute."

I slowly nod my head. "Oh."

Wyatt smiles that famous smile. "My mornings are pretty boring."

I laugh. "Mine are the total opposite."

I hear a click of heels. "Alright class take your seats, please. You to Mr. Kent."

The class laughs and Mrs. Smith shakes her head and takes what I can only hope is an aspirin.

Wow, it's only 8:00 in the morning.

Author here!