Hailey Abbott - The Secrets of Boys

THE

SECRETS

OF

BOYS

Hailey

ABBOTT

Contents

Chapter One

Cassidy Jones wished her best friend, Larissa King, were

Amish

Chapter Two

A few hours later, Cassidy was being crushed by a

Chapter Three

Even though shed drawn her window shades as tight as

Chapter Four

Friday was the last day of school, and Cassidy was

Chapter Five

There was a packet of highlighters with color-coordinated Post-it

tabs

Chapter Six

Cassidy had to admit that her summer was going a

Chapter Seven

Eric and two of his surfing buddies were throwing a

Chapter Eight

Cassidy stared into the mirror and frowned. In her black

Chapter Nine

Were here! Fumiko announced, stopping at an unmarked black

metal

Chapter Ten

Were almost there, crickets! Madame Briand called over her shoulder

Chapter Eleven

It was Monday morning and Zach was looking at her

Chapter Twelve

Cassidy quickly folded the note in thirds, slipped it into

Chapter Thirteen

The next thing Cassidy did was go into her bedroom

Chapter Fourteen

After dinner, Cassidy and Eric took a virtually silent stroll

Chapter Fifteen

This wasnt Cassidys idea of an official first date between

Chapter Sixteen

Even though shed spent a lot of time hanging out

Chapter Seventeen

The sun was just beginning to set over the Pacific

Chapter Eighteen

Somethings gotta give, Cassidy thought as she rounded the

corner

Chapter Nineteen

Who keeps texting you? Zach asked, shifting so the

beanbag

Chapter Twenty

It sucked. There was no other way for Cassidy to

Chapter Twenty-One

Cassidy woke on the morning of her presentation already

sweating

About the Author

Credits

Cover

Copyright

About the Publisher

Chapter One

Cassidy Jones wished her best friend, Larissa King, were Amish at times like these. It would have made life a lot easier, especially when it came to going to parties. Instead of obsessing over which pair of jeans to wear (either the low-waisted, boot-cut Citizens of Humanity ones that make her appear to have a butt, or the stretch, dark True Religion ones that were perfectly broken in), Cassidy could spend her time burying her nose in her sketchbook and drawing while sitting on the beach in Malibu. But that was not her fate today. She was about an hour away from attending a Pepperdine University party with Larissa, and Cassidy knew all too well what that meant. Soon Larissa would be acting the oppo-site of Amishsmoking, drinking, dancing, and perhaps 1

Hailey Abbott

even sexing it up with some college hottie. As for Cassidy, she was preparing for another night spent in the corner like your typical pretty wallflower.

Then she told herself that shed have her boyfriend, Eric, to talk to, but even that didnt make her feel like going out tonight. Maybe her melancholy mood could be chalked up to a bad case of PMS, or maybe it was because she was a few days shy of getting her last report card for the year. That always made her nervous, even though she usually did just fine. Maybe it was because she worried her chronic shyness was going to get the better of her once again. Whatever the reason, she looked at Larissa as she got all dolled up and hoped her friend would break one of her well-manicured, Hard Candypainted nails. Beauty crises had derailed their plans many, many times before, so why not now?

If this shirt doesnt get me groped at least once tonight, Im suing the designer. Larissa tugged at the straps of a rainbow-striped terry cloth tank so that it draped lower on her chest. She posed in front of the mirror hanging from the door of Cassidys walk-in closet, flinging her long, straight hair behind her shoulders.

Shed recently added bold red streaks, and they glinted in the late afternoon sunlight streaming through Cassidys picture window.

Larissa, Cassidy reminded her, you are the designer.

The Secrets of Boys

Too true, Larissa agreed. What do you think? Will it be a hit on the runway?

Youll have Dior begging for mercy.

Cassidy rolled her eyes. Ever since Larissa had picked up an issue of Nylon magazine three months before, it was nearly impossible to tear her away from her sewing machine or get her to talk about anything besides cuts and fabrics. Larissa was convinced she was the next Coco Chanel, and Cassidy was waiting patiently for her to get over her fashion craze the way shed gotten over rock climbing, karaoke, and synchronized swimming.

Theyd spent four summers together, and Cassidy just loved how Larissas ever-so-fleeting passions always took them somewhere unexpected.

Excellent. But if not, Larissa decided, Ill give it to you.

Thanks a million, she said acidly. Ill wear it every day.

Cassidy knew that Larissa was well aware of the fact she wouldnt go anywhere near rainbow-striped terry cloth. She preferred simple, elegant clothes that made her blend in, not stand out. With her porcelain-colored skin, huge blue eyes, and endless lashes, she got enough attention as it wastoo much, considering she was usually too timid to talk to any guys besides Eric. Even so, she still got tongue-tied around him, and they had been dating for almost two years.

Hailey Abbott

Wow, has it really been that long? she thought.

Look, a little color wont kill you. Larissa sighed, taking in Cassidys black crepe button-down shirt from Theory, plain white flip-flops, and short denim skirt.

Come on, Ive got this new eye shadow that would look amazing on you. Its hardly a color at all. Actually, its more of a subtle shimmer....

Larissa began rummaging in the enormous straw tote she carried everywhere she went. Cassidy giggled to herself, picturing the mess of makeup, loose change, and empty Twizzler wrappers lurking in the bottom. She imagined the bag swallowing Larissa whole, so that only her newly painted lime green toenails stuck out from the top.

The image was too good to pass up. She grabbed her sketchbook off the nightstand and began covering a page in small, quick lines. As she drew with her favorite Hello Kitty number-two pencil, she felt the tiny knot she always carried around inside her begin to loosen.

Secretly, she called it social tensionthe feeling of always having to say something and never knowing what to say, so that she ended up just not talking and seeming stuck-up to everyone but her closest friends.

Drawing was always good for that. It let her enter a silent world where she could sit back and watch without having to say anything at all.

In fact, the walls of Cassidys room were covered in her sketches: Larissa morphing into Kelly Clarkson as 4

The Secrets of Boys

she belted into the mike of a karaoke machine, Eric rid-ing a horse backward along Zuma Beach, and all three of them playing tug-of-war with a giant Twizzler.