Kelly Anne Blount - I Hate You, Fuller James

Advance Praise for I Hate You, Fuller James

Fun, refreshing, totally relatable! Lynn Rush, NYT & USA Today bestselling author

I actually really love you, Fuller James. A lot. Alex Evansley, author of Love Scene, Take Two

Funny and heartwarming, I Hate You, Fuller James is sure to be your next favorite readand book hangover. Ali Novak, author of My Life with the Walter Boys

Channeling a modern take on Shes All That , I Hate You, Fuller James is the YA book you need this decade! Kristi McManus, Wattpad author

I Hate You, Fuller James was a ride that I never wanted to get off. Prepare for a roller coaster of laughs, romance, and, most importantly, feels. Rachel Meinke, Along for the Ride

My heart is so full from Fuller James . Exciting, fresh, and full of all the feels! Sarah Ratliff, Wattpad author, Wattpad Star, and Watty Winner

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright 2020 by Kelly Anne Blount. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.

Preview of In the Penalty Box copyright 2020 by Kelly Anne Blount

Entangled Publishing, LLC

10940 S Parker Rd

Suite 327

Parker, CO 80134

rights@entangledpublishing.com

Crush is an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC.

Edited by Stacy Abrams and Judi Lauren

Cover design by Bree Archer

Cover photography by Olga Kan/Dreamstime

ISBN 978-1-64063-844-0

Manufactured in the United States of America

First Edition March 2020

Dear Reader,

Thank you for supporting a small publisher! Entangled prides itself on bringing you the highest quality romance youve come to expect, and we couldnt do it without your continued support. We love romance, and we hope this book leaves you with a smile on your face and joy in your heart.

xoxo

Liz Pelletier, Publisher

For my sweet Bella Rose, you are my everything.

Chapter One

Wren

Food fight! someone shouted behind me.

Youve got to be kidding me , I thought as I scrambled to close my Calculus book. Hands fumbling, I tucked my calculator safely into my backpack, but by the time Id turned around to grab my notebook, it was too late. Ranch-soaked lettuce splattered across my meticulous notes on differentiation and the homework assignment Id started a few minutes ago. I ripped out the page and balled it up. Now Id have to copy someone elses notes and redo the first five math problems.

The lunchroom buzzed with excitement as a group of freshmen got in on the action. They chucked their green beans at a group of girls sitting two tables away, who screeched and scrambled to their feet. A kid sitting in front of me dumped his casserole and cinnamon applesauce on the table and held up his tray as a shield. His fork clattered to the floor as I planned my escape. I wanted to get out of the cafeteria before things got totally out of hand.

Squelch.

Before Id had a chance to move, a sticky substance landed on the back of my neck and slid beneath my shirt. My shoulders stiffened and heat prickled my skin. I didnt need to turn around to know whod thrown it.

It was always the same group of guys who started crap like this.

Seriously? I shouted, spinning in my seat. My eyes immediately landed on Fuller freaking James, captain of the basketball team and the jerk responsible for my hideous nickname, Wrentainer.

Hed given it to me in middle school after a humiliating incident during a school dance, and it had stuck. Five years had passed and I still had to put up with people reminiscing about the time my retainer flew out of my mouth and landed on Fullers best friend.

Come on, Wren, Fuller taunted. You know you want to join us!

He stood with a lopsided grin on his face and a glob of mashed potatoes in his hand. His blue eyes twinkled with mischief as he pushed his dark brown hair off his face with the back of his hand. He looked like hed just stepped off the pages of an Abercrombie and Fitch catalog, right down to the perfectly pressed cargo shorts and maroon Magnolia Valley Cougars T-shirt that hugged his washboard abs. If I didnt detest him so much, I might have been impressed by his looks.

Emphasis on the word might .

Fuller elbowed his teammate Marc, who dug his spoon into a container of yogurt and flung it at a group of freshmen.

Without thinking, I reached around to the back of my neck and scraped off a clump of the cold mashed spuds. Cocking my arm back, I flung the food at Fuller as hard as I could. Instead of hitting the most obnoxious guy at our school, the potatoes landed square in the middle of his teammates chest.

Crap, I gasped.

Marcs lips parted and his eyebrows knitted together as he looked down at his shirt. With an aggressive swipe of his hand, he flung the mashed potatoes to the linoleum floor.

Fuller threw his head back in laughter. Swing and a miss, Wren. Want to take another shot? He held his arms open and winked at me. My heart fluttered for a second. Ugh. Why are the cute ones always such jerks?

I glared at him as I slid my backpack over my shoulder and stomped out of the cafeteria. Id never lost my cool before, and I couldnt believe Id thrown food at that jack wagon. Looking down at my gloppy hands, I exhaled through gritted teeth and made my way to the nearest bathroom.

The halls were empty, except for a sophomore with a laminated red pass in his hand. We passed each other a few steps before the girls bathroom, the shiny floor squeaking under our sneakers.

Hey, Wrentainer, youve got something on your back, he called over his shoulder with a chuckle before disappearing around the corner.

Balling my fists, I shoved the bathroom door open with the backs of my forearms. Per usual, the small room stank of cheap perfume, and paper towels overflowed from the trash can to the left of the sinks. I caught a glimpse of my scrunched-up face in the mirror.

I hated Fuller James.

No one else made my blood boil like him. When he wasnt throwing food in the lunchroom or making out with my exbest friend right next to my locker, he was showboating on the basketball court and bragging about his stats. Fuller had such a big head, it was a miracle he could fit through the locker room door without getting stuck.

I cranked on the water and washed my sticky fingers. What a jerk. After they were sufficiently clean, I grabbed a handful of paper towels and headed into a stall.

Taking a breath, I tried to calm myself down before slipping off my shirt and wiping away as much of the mashed potato debris from my neck and upper back as possible. I still felt gross, but I tugged my shirt back on over my head.

I reached for the lock on the stall but froze when I heard my former best friends nasally voice.

Can you believe Fuller? Marissa asked. Throwing food in the cafeteria like a ten-year-old. Honestly, I dont know why I put up with him.

Pulling my hand back, I clutched my backpack to my chest and sat down on the edge of the toilet. The last thing I needed right now was a run-in with her .