The Romeo Club Read online

  The Romeo Club

  Rebekah L. Purdy

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The author makes no claims to, but instead acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the word marks mentioned in this work of fiction.

  Copyright © 2014 by Rebekah L. Purdy

  The Romeo Club by Rebekah L. Purdy

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America by Swoon Romance. Swoon Romance and its related logo are registered trademarks of Georgia McBride Books, LLC.

  No part of this eBook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Edited by Georgia McBride and Cameron Yeager

  Published by Swoon Romance

  Cover designed by Morgan Media

  To my daughter, Erin and sister, Rachel, who encouraged me to bring these characters to life.

  The Romeo Club

  Rebekah L. Purdy

  Chapter 1

  Sweat beaded my forehead as I slid out of my soccer uniform. Coach Meckler was in one of his moods today, which meant I smelled worse than baboon farts. I so needed a shower. But, more than that, I wanted to collapse on the floor and pretend to be dead for, like, twenty hours.

  My brother Drake barged into my room. “Okay, I’m desperate. I need your help here.”

  “Gah! What are you doing?” I covered myself with my jersey to hide my bra and underwear from view. “Ever heard of knocking?”

  “Sorry.” He spun around, facing the door while I tugged a T-shirt over my head then threw on a pair of basketball shorts.

  “You can look now,” I said, plopping down on my bed. “So what do you want?”

  “I need help.” He ran a hand through his sandy blond hair, making it stick up worse than it already was.

  “Yeah, well, tell me something I don’t know.” My fingers trailed along the edge of my blue comforter as I followed the stitching.

  “Funny.” He rolled his eyes, adjusting his glasses. He picked up one of my magazines from the dresser then glanced at me. “I-I want to get Chloe Anders’ attention. And well, I thought you might be able to kind of help with my image. Maybe take me shopping, teach me how to act and talk to her. That kind of thing.”

  A makeover project? Oh. My. God. This would be epic. And fun. Trust me, my brother had needed an image change for years, but wouldn’t let me anywhere near his closet, let alone give him advice.

  I squealed and rushed at him. “Yes. This will be so much fun.”

  “Um—maybe you should shower before hugging me. Your stench is making my eyes water.” He jerked back.

  “Who can think of bathing at a time like this? I have to make a plan. We need to go to the mall. Get some highlights in your hair. And you are definitely losing the glasses.”

  “What? I like these.”

  “You’ve had them since, like, eighth grade. Believe me, they do nothing for your face. Unless, of course, you want girls mistaking you for a certain young wizard or some middle-aged chemist.”

  He sighed, but his face was easy to read. He wanted my aid. “Fine. I’ll trash them.”

  “I promise, you won’t be sorry. I’ll make you one of the most desirable guys in the senior class.” I walked across my room and over to my cluttered desk to grab a pen and notebook. “Let’s make a list of everything we need to do to get you on Chloe’s radar.” Who’d have thought? Chloe Anders? She was super smart, pretty, and did all kinds of music related stuff, like symphonic orchestra and band. She was right up his alley, well other than her being popular. But still they had a ton in common.

  “Delyla—whoa, let’s not get carried away. I don’t want to change everything.” His green eyes widened, and he held his hands up, as if to fend off an attack.

  “Would you quit worrying? It’s not like I’m Dr. Frankenstein trying to turn you into a monster. We just have to lay the ground work and that takes planning.”

  Which was true, my nerdy older brother did have a few things going for him. He was a drummer in the school band. And a lot of girls loved musicians. Plus, underneath his saucer-like glasses he did have pretty, ivy eyes. He was tall, maybe a little lanky, and he had a dimple in his cheek when he smiled. Girls totally went wild for stuff like that. Not to mention, he had good teeth. His hair definitely needed to be cut and highlighted. Give it more blond and tone down the dirty dishwater-thing he had going on.

  We’d have to wean him off some of his video games and make him go out in public more. It’d do him no good in the real world to know what a level twenty-five elfin sorceress could do, unless of course we got attacked by dark dwarves wielding poisoned axes.

  I mean, let’s face it, he’d have to learn how to talk to real girls, not imaginary ones who tromped through whatever video game world he happened to be playing in. Okay, so I kind of played the games too, but I wasn’t as obsessed as Drake and his friends. I actually had a life. Soccer. Hot boyfriend. Good grades. Dates. Parties. And I’d get to go to my first prom this year.

  “Earth to Delyla.” Drake gave me a nervous look, as he waved his hands in front of my face. “You can’t tell anyone you’re helping me. No way do I want people messing with me because my little sister’s giving me dating pointers.”

  “My lips are sealed.” I grinned.

  The Monday Night Football theme song blared from my cell. Rex’s ringtone. Drake cupped his mouth with his hands and gave a few fake barks.

  “Knock it off.” I reached for my phone.

  “What? It’s not my fault your boyfriend has a dog’s name.”

  Yeah, we’d been having this argument ever since I started dating Rex Tallac last summer. Drake insisted on howling every time he called, dropped in, or saw a picture of him. He told me Rex wasn’t a real name. And when I tried to defend my boyfriend’s honor, Drake reminded me of our first German Shepherd we had, who coincidentally was named Rex. So, yeah, I kind of lost that battle.

  I stuck out my tongue and clicked talk on my phone. “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Double Dee, how’s it going?” Rex said on the other end.

  Okay, so I had no idea why he called me Double Dee, because anyone who’s seen my chest knows I’m lacking a lot in the boob department. I’d be lucky to be called Double A. I supposed I was closer to a B-cup, but still.

  “I’m getting ready to head to the mall with my brother.” I tugged the rubber band from my shoulder length blond hair.

  “Oh, I thought you might want to hang out with me today. I was gonna hike up to the falls.” He sounded disappointed.

  My chest tightened as guilt seeped in. “Sorry. Maybe if we get back early we can go up and grab some pizza or something.”

  “No. It’s okay. I’ll try to get a hold of Sam or Jake.”

  “Wait, do you want to go with us to the mall?”

  My brother shook his head no, making a cutting motion across his neck.

  Rex chuckled on the other end. “Um—no. Because I know how long it takes you to shop and I’d actually like to get out and enjoy the sunshine.”

  “Fine. But don’t you dare complain about not spending time with me this weekend,” I said.

  “Don’t worry—I’ll catch you at school tomorrow. Love ya, babe.” He hung up.

  I tossed my phone in my purse then went to my dresser to pick out something a little more mall appropriate. Once I had my outfit in order, I set a pair of ballet flats on my bed. The dirt u
nder my fingernails made me cringe. “Let me get a quick shower, then we can head out.”

  “Please tell me, Dog Boy isn’t going with us.” Drake quirked an eyebrow.

  “Nope. It’s just us. Oh, and by the way, you’re driving. I have no gas money.”

  “If you wouldn’t have spent it on that obnoxious new purse, you would have some. That thing probably cost as much as a small country.”

  I snorted. “No it didn’t. And I needed it. Besides, for your information, most of the cash I had went for a new pair of cleats—not this.”

  “Fine—I’ll drive.”

  “Operation ‘Get Drake a Girlfriend’, now underway.” I hip checked my brother.

  He groaned. “Please don’t make me regret this.”

  “You won’t. I’m gonna make you fabulous.” When I was done with Drake, he’d be the talk of the school. Girls would definitely notice him.

  Chapter 2

  Drake sat in the beauty salon chair, his head covered in foil as we waited for the timer to beep. “I’m beginning to feel like the star of some sci-fi flick.”

  “It’ll be worth it—trust me.”

  Our first stop had been to the eye doctor, who luckily had an opening this afternoon. He gave Drake a temporary pair of contacts until his prescription ones came in. Already they’d made a huge difference. He went from wizard look-alike to surfer guy in 2.1 seconds.

  The timer went off and Sandra came over to peek at his hair. She smiled. “Looks good. Let’s get these off and get your hair washed and styled.”

  I watched her do her magic. Cutting and fashioning. When she finished she stepped back for me to see first.

  “Oh. My. Gosh. If you weren’t my brother, I’d think you’re totally hot.”

  He glanced in the mirror and touched his newly blond hair. “Wow. I hardly recognize myself.”

  With a grin, I snapped a pic with my phone and sent it to my BFF Kenadi, with a quick message.

  What do u think?

  Drake groaned. “No. Don’t send it to everyone.”

  “It’s only Kenadi—geesh.”

  A second later my phone buzzed with a new message.

  Holy hotness. Tell him if I didn’t have a boyfriend I’d be all over that.

  “See, even she thinks you look good.” I showed him the message.

  His cheeks turned red as he pretended to stare at the fake plants lining the window-front of the salon.

  Once we paid for the hair, we grabbed our shopping bags, and headed back out into the mall. Light beamed from the giant skylights above. I glanced over the side railing to see crowds of people walking below, an array of purchases in hand. Across the way, music from the carousel twinkled, reminding me of the amusement park Drake and I loved so much.

  The scent of cookies and hot pretzels wafted in the air. My stomach growled. But before I could sniff out the nearest food court restaurant, my gaze settled on the prom dress hanging in the Fashionista Forest window. Not just any prom dress. The prom dress. The one I’d been dreaming about since seeing it in a catalog about three months ago. Light blue satin, with a lace overlay.

  The same fab dress that it’d take me like three years to save up for. Okay, maybe not quite that long, but it was way more than my measly allowance would allow for. Sure my parents made good money, but they were also the President and First Lady of the Cheap Parents Club. They told us they’d provide for things we needed. School clothes. A vehicle. Money for sports. But apparently “expensive” prom attire didn’t make their list. Obviously they had no idea about my needs. My brother on the other hand worked part time at the video game store, which is why he always had cash.

  “You’re not gonna stand there staring at it all day, are you?” Drake tugged my arm, jerking me away from my destiny.

  “Hey. I wasn’t done admiring it.” If Kenadi had come with me, I would’ve gone in to try it on. Again.

  “Yeah, well, with that price tag, I’m sure it’ll be here next time we come in.” His gaze darted around the different storefronts. We took a few more steps, and he came up short forcing me to bump into his back. I glanced at him. He wiped his hands on his jeans, his brow furrowed.

  “Um—what’s gotten into you?”

  “Chloe works at the Notes Music Store.” He nodded to the shop across from us. “And she’s there today.”

  I grinned. “This is perfect.”

  “Say what?”

  “We’ve found your in. Let’s go.” My red lacquered fingernails dug into his arm as I dragged him toward Notes.

  He attempted to pull free from me. His face turned crimson. “No, wait. I’m not ready for this. I thought you said we’d take things slow.”

  “Relax—I’ll help you through this.” Geez, he acted like he’d never talked to a girl before. It was kind of cute the way his ears got pink. “Make sure you keep your cell on.”

  “Why?”

  “That way I can help you if you panic.” As we approached the entrance, I whispered, “You’re here to buy sheet music.”

  “Right. Sheet music.” He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slow. “Do you have a piece of gum?”

  I dug through my purse and pulled out a piece of Spearmint Bubble Burst. He took it from me and popped it in his mouth.

  When we got inside, Chloe glanced up from behind the counter, looked down, and then back up again. “Drake?”

  He smiled. “Hey—I didn’t know you worked here.”

  For having no experience at this kind of thing, he definitely seemed like a natural. Way to play up the “coincidence meeting up with you here” card.

  She blushed. “Yeah. My parents told me I have to pay for my car insurance and gas.”

  He chuckled. “Join the club. It must be a parental thing—teach us all that responsibility and stuff.”

  “You can say that again.” Chloe giggled and brushed strands of red hair from her face. She then turned to me, as if just noticing me. “Hi, Delyla.”

  “Hey.” I nodded.

  They grew quiet. I nudged Drake in the side. C’mon old boy. Don’t freak out now. You’ve got her where you want her. I wandered to the electric guitar section to give them some privacy, but stayed close enough to eavesdrop.

  “So, I’m actually looking for some sheet music for my drums,” Drake said at last.

  “We’ve got a great selection in the percussion section. Actually, I think we had some new pieces come in.” She moved from behind the counter to show it to him.

  While they examined the finer points of band stuff, I grabbed a baby blue electric guitar from the display. I turned it on and strummed a few chords. Drake shot me a quick glance, but I continued to play.

  I would love to get an electric guitar, but my parents didn’t want to give rise to the next great chick band. Which sucked because I already had a cool name picked out. The Smoking Spanx. I know. Totally epic.

  With a sigh, I set the instrument down and pulled out my phone. Ask her about her orchestra stuff, I texted.

  I wandered around the store for twenty-five minutes while they chatted it up. At last, my brother made it to the checkout counter with several new sheets of music.

  “You should stop by the band room tomorrow during lunch and hear part of the orchestral piece I’m writing,” Chloe said.

  “Sure, that’d be awesome. So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  She smiled and waved. “See you.”

  When we joined the throngs of people in the mall, I squealed. “Am I fabulous or what?”

  “It’s not a date or anything. She just wants me to hear her play in the band room.”

  “Yeah, but a lot can happen in a band room.” I waggled my eyebrows at him. “I bet you have her playing a high C before you two leave.”

  He gave me a playful shove. “Nice—anyone ever tell you, you’re not right in the head?”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Let’s get going. We’ve got a
long car ride home.”

  Phase one of De-nerdify my brother. Check. And done.

  Chapter 3

  The scent of cafeteria pizza and fries clung to the air around me as I took a bite of my turkey sandwich. Rex sat next to me at our usual table. Beams of sunlight seemed to spotlight him as it poured in from the nearby window. I glanced at him. His blue eyes gleamed when he smiled, while his blond hair stood up in messy, stylish tufts. God he was hot. And mine. I shifted my gaze to see several girls staring at him.

  I knew how lucky I was to snag him, seeing as how he was a senior and I was only a junior. It was kind of a freak accident that we hooked up. Well not “hooked up, hooked up”, but dated. We’d been running the Flat River Trail, when he’d accidentally ran into me. We both got scraped up when we tumbled down a nearby drainage ditch. Ever since then we’d been inseparable.

  Okay, Rex was popular, hot, and a jock—but we totally got one another. We loved sports, running, food, movies, so it just seemed natural when we started hanging out. Most of all, he didn’t mind my obsession with soccer. Although, he still had no idea how nerdy I could be. But what he didn’t know, wouldn’t kill him.

  As if sensing my thoughts, he leaned over and gave me a quick kiss.

  “What’s that for?” I smiled.

  “Just because.” He twined his fingers through mine. “We didn’t get to hang out all weekend. I kind of missed you.”

  “Only kind of ?” My brows raised.

  He chuckled. “A lot. I’m having Delyla withdrawals.”

  “Ugh, can you guys tone down the sweetness? I’m trying to eat here.” Kenadi rolled her eyes. Her brown braided-hair extensions swung back and forth as she shook her head at us. But I saw the tiny smile.

  “But this is my dessert.” I winked, clutching Rex’s arm.

  She laughed, gathered her empty tray and stood. Her mocha skin seemed darker against the pale blue soccer T-shirt she wore. “Well, you might want to wipe your mouth off. You’ve got a little Rex, right there in the corner.”