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  Sidekick

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  Copyright 2015 Natalie Whipple

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, printing, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author, except for use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Edited by Diane Dalton

  Cover Design by Melissa Williams Design

  Cover image Shutterstock

  Author Photo by Michelle D. Argyle

  For Kiersten, who sees me as so much more

  than a sidekick and makes sure I know it.

  TABLE OF 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

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Something’s up with Garret. I know this because he sits perfectly still next to me when usually he’s in constant motion. His eyes say he’s somewhere far away from this party and all the people celebrating his winning catch. No one else will notice, but I’m his best friend. It’s kind of my job.

  I elbow him. “What’s up?”

  He startles, as if he honestly forgot where he was. “Nothing, man. Just tired.”

  I don’t believe him, but before I can ask anything else Mercedes shows up. She glances at me and waves. “Hey, Russ, mind if I steal him for a while?”

  “What if I said no?”

  She laughs and sits on his lap, attaching her face to his. That would be my cue to find another seat, because the last thing I want to see up close is Garret making out with his girlfriend. It’s bad enough that I’ve had to endure so many of them over the years while never having one myself.

  I grab a beer from the counter and crack it open. I don’t really like the stuff—especially when it’s cheap crap like this—but you can’t be a school athlete without at least looking like you drink. Especially after smashing your rivals at Homecoming. But nothing seems right tonight. No post-game high. Nothing. This party is like déjà vu, and I get the feeling my whole senior year will be the same. Football games, parties, girls, school. Rinse and repeat.

  Out of nowhere, Garret pushes Mercedes off him and says something to her. I can’t tell what it is over the blaring music, but she gives him that I’m-trying-to-be-the-understanding-girlfriend smile. Then she hugs him, and he pulls away.

  I get it now. Garret’s getting restless. It’s always the same pattern: Garret gets swarmed by girls, he picks one, dates her, gets bored, and breaks her heart. We’ve now hit the “I’m bored out of my mind” phase. I give her a week, which means I must prepare. Since I am his best friend, every single girl campaigning to be the next trophy on Garret Taylor’s arm will suddenly want to be my friend.

  Garret comes over and leans on the counter with me, running a hand through his shaggy blond hair. “This is boring.”

  “You haven’t had enough to drink, then.”

  He laughs. “That’s boring, too. Let’s get outta here.”

  “Sure.” I only came because I’d look lame if I didn’t. It was cool when these keggers were put on by the seniors and I was a sophomore or junior popular enough to get invited. Now? I could live without them, especially when they’re at Dallas Green’s house. Quarterback or not, he’s a total douche and it shows, right down to the obnoxious rap music and expensive sports car.

  We get in Garr’s truck, and I ask, “What about Mercedes?”

  “She’s getting a ride with Holly.”

  I nod. “So what’re we doing?”

  He shrugs. “You hungry?”

  “Always.”

  “Parker’s?”

  “Of course.” Parker’s Drive-In is our place, and I mean that in the manliest way possible. Old Man Parker puts bacon grease in the burger meat, so the whole place smells like a giant slab of pig fat. There’s nothing better in the world than this homage to bacon.

  Parker’s is always open, so when we pull up at midnight there are still a couple of people sitting in the bright red booths. When Garret opens the door, the cashier, Buck Parker, smiles wide. He’s the oldest of the four Parker boys. The whole family works there, and most of them are proud of it. I guess I would be too if I’d won awards for Best Drive-in Food. This place is one of the few reasons anyone comes to Clovis. The other two are family and farmers markets.

  I’d never tell a soul, but sometimes I wish I could work here, even for one day, just to see how they create their burger masterpieces.

  “Awesome catch, Garr!” Buck says. “If you don’t make the news, I’ll be shocked.”

  Garret shakes his head, using that oh-I’m-not-so-great smile all the girls fall for. “It was just a lucky catch. Russ did all the legwork.”

  I shove my hands in my pockets, trying not to be annoyed at Buck for overlooking me and my eighty-nine yards running tonight. But yards run don’t matter when you aren’t the one with the ball in the end zone. At least Garret acknowledges me. I do appreciate that.

  “Way to go, Russ.” Buck glances at me with an over-compensating grin. Praise means nothing when it’s forced, so I can’t bring myself to answer. “What’ll you boys have?”

  We both get two bacon burgers with a side of chili fries. Garret gets Coke, but I go for Sprite because Coke tastes maybe one degree better than beer.

  We dig in, and I try not to moan over the crunchy bacon goodness. At Parker’s they chop up the bacon and make a full-on patty to go on top of the hamburger. So every single bite is full of bacon, bacon-flavored hamburger, and sharp cheddar. I have no choice but to forgive Buck for overlooking me. I bow to their burger genius.

  About halfway through the second burger, Garret turns green.

  “You okay, man?”

  “Nature calls.” He lets one go right there, and I nearly heave. He’s always had a talent for the silent-but-deadly. “More like demands.”

  He rushes for the bathroom. I figure, based on years of unfortunate experience, that I have a while before he gets back. So I settle in with my edible shrine to bacon and watch the car lights on Shaw Avenue. I live in California, but it’s not like the rest of the world imagines it. Clovis is nowhere near Hollywood or San Francisco. We’re somewhere in the middle, surrounded by a lot orange trees. If we want to get real classy, we head to the nearest hub of fine culture—Fresno. Yup. Fresno.

  My phone buzzes; it’s my little sister, Izzy. I pretend I don’t like her for social reasons, but in actuality she might be my best friend besides Garret.

  Home soon? Missing the
marathon.

  Maybe. Have to catch up later.

  Izzy has a thing for anime. Okay, more like an obsession. I think she might honestly believe she’s Japanese. She and her friends have these anime all-nighters to binge-watch entire seasons in one sitting. I’ve been known to attend, but they’ve all signed in blood that they’ll never tell. Somehow, I’ve made it almost all the way through high school without anyone finding out—not even Garret—and I intend to keep it that way.

  The bell on the door rings. I look up, and I’m surprised by what I see. It’s a girl. Parker’s is not known for attracting females with its bacon-fat-in-all-things policy, especially girls like this. She wears a tight, worn T-shirt and baggy pajama bottoms. Her blond hair’s piled on her head in a messy bun. She’s thin and tall, like a volleyball player, but with a killer rack. I look down when she glances my way, embarrassed that I’m already fantasizing about her in a bikini.

  I sip at my drink and pretend I’m not watching her look over the menu. She’s got to be new around here. Even people a few towns over know Parker’s menu by heart. Buck stares at her, and not in a nice way. Dirty old man.

  Not like I’m any better.

  “I’ll have a bacon burger and a water.” Her voice is lower than I expect, sultry.

  When Buck hands over her tray, she turns and, to my surprise, looks right at me, a mischievous grin on her lips. I glance over my shoulder to see if Garret somehow teleported behind me. Not that I’m butt ugly or anything, but girls don’t look at me like they do at him. I’m mostly average, with plain green eyes and dark hair. If I didn’t play football or have Garret, I’d be invisible.

  She takes the booth across from mine, facing me. I try to focus on my food, but with the place practically empty it’s weird that she’d sit so close. Why not the table in the corner where I can’t see her eat?

  She takes a big bite of her burger and moans. “Holy crap, do they put crack in these?”

  I let out a shaky laugh. “If you consider bacon crack, which I do.”

  The smile is back. “You’re funny.”

  “I was being completely serious.”

  She laughs. Can a laugh be sexy? Hers is.

  She takes a few more bites. The conversation should probably be over, but I don’t want it to be. There’s something about her that makes me want to know her better. And it’s not just because she’s pretty, but because she’s…interesting. This is my chance to make an impression before Garret shows up, and this girl is the kind you want to make an impression on. “So are you new around here?”

  Her eyes narrow. “How’d you know?”

  I nod to the front. “You looked at the menu for more than a second. Everyone around here knows Parker’s menu.”

  “You were watching me?”

  “I…” My face burns. I suck at this. Garret makes it look so easy. He expects girls to want him. I feel like she’s about to laugh in my face. What would he say right now? “Well, you’re kind of hard not to notice, honestly.”

  Her smile stretches wide. There’s something magic in that smile; it pulls me in more than her beauty or mystery or sexy burger eating. For some reason, I have a feeling she doesn’t smile easily, and earning it feels like a victory. “Do you mind if I sit with you?”

  My heart speeds up. “Nope. Go ahead.”

  She sits right across from me, and she’s even prettier close up. Her eyes are intense and dark, surprising for a girl with such white-blond hair. It doesn’t look bleached, either. “You alone?”

  “Just waiting for a friend,” I manage to get out.

  “Girlfriend?”

  I raise an eyebrow. “Don’t have one.”

  She bites her lip. “Maybe this place won’t be so bad, after all.”

  I can feel the smile on my lips as we watch each other. That was definitely flirting. I know these signals—the eye contact, the leaning over to flash a little cleavage, the lip biting—they’re just usually targeted at Garret. But she hasn’t met Garret, and maybe she won’t if he’s in the bathroom forever. Maybe I actually have a chance with her.

  Before I can get my hopes up too high, the bathroom door opens. Garret saunters over, not realizing we have an addition to the booth. “Whatever you do, Russ, don’t—” He pauses as he takes in the mystery hottie. “Hello, there.”

  “Hey.” The girl appraises Garret, and I know she likes what she sees because she stares just a bit too long. They always do. Half the girls at school are in love with him, even some of the guys. I guess it’s his big brown eyes under that golden hair. And something about his cheeky smile? I stopped listening to the swooning in seventh grade.

  After the initial checking out, she goes back to her burger and takes a huge, messy bite.

  Garret sits next to her, and my blood runs cold. I know that glint in his eye. “I haven’t seen you around here. Your first time to Parker’s?”

  “Oh, yeah, just moved here,” she says through a mouthful of bacon. “Name’s Keira.”

  She didn’t give me her name.

  “I’m Garret.” He slides his hand behind her, resting it on the booth in his classically smooth way. She doesn’t move. I force myself to stay calm. So what if my best friend just swooped in on a girl that might have had a smidgeon of interest in me? It’s all good.

  “Cool.” She shoves the rest of burger in her mouth. “Russ, right?”

  I nod, feeling slightly better that she picked up my name from Garret saying it.

  “Do they sell these bacon patties in bulk?”

  Garret laughs, nudging her playfully. “A girl who shares my affinity for bacon? Where have you been all my life?”

  “In Japan.”

  “Really?” I say. If Izzy finds out, or when she does, my sister will definitely commandeer Keira for her group, whether she wants it or not.

  She nods. “Born there.”

  “That’s crazy cool,” Garret says.

  “Can’t argue that.” She sips her water, completely at ease. I like girls like that, who can be themselves in pajamas and no makeup and still look smoking hot. “So where do you guys go to school?”

  “Clovis High,” I say.

  She smiles at me again. “Maybe I’ll see you guys there.”

  “Definitely.” Garret leans in, and she bites her lip when their eyes meet. “It’s like fate.”

  Then she smiles at him, and my chances drop to a million to one. “Do you seriously believe in fate?”

  He shrugs. “Right now I do. Russ and I were bored out of our minds at this party, and we were talking about how everything’s been the same for years—”

  “Were we?” I fold my arms, not particularly interested in making him look deep and thoughtful.

  “Yeah.” He gives me this look, the one I know means I should go along with it. “And now you’re here.”

  “I am known for making things interesting.” She downs the rest of her water and stands. “Well, now that my fat craving has been subdued, if you two will excuse me.”

  “Of course. Let me walk you to your car. Wouldn’t want you getting mugged or anything,” Garret says.

  “Such a gentleman.” She looks back at me on their way out and waves. “See you around, Russ.”

  “Yeah, see ya.” I almost follow them, but I can’t bring myself to do it. I’m more than familiar with playing third wheel. How does he do that? Even when I have a lead, he always ends up walking away with the girl.

  I watch them through the glass, wondering what they’re talking about without me. Whatever it is, Keira laughs and smiles a lot. Even more than she did with me. I shouldn’t be surprised. Actually, I’m not.

  I suck.

  It’s never bothered me that Garret is better at everything. Well, that’s not entirely true. I hate that I can’t come up with one thing I can beat him at, but it’s never bothered me enough to do anything about it. Being friends always beat out whatever jealousy occasionally swept through me. We’ve always had each other’s backs, and I never want to ch
ange that.

  But for some reason, watching him out there with Keira flips some kind of switch. My heart thumps in my chest; my jaw clenches. I get the urge to hit something. Maybe if I was as smooth as him, Keira would still be smiling at me. I can’t believe he didn’t notice I might be interested. And she was at least a little into me, too.

  He sits down, smiling like a fool. “Russ, did you see her body? I had no idea they made girls like that in Japan.”

  “Yeah, she’s pretty incredible.” I don’t know why, but I can’t stand the thought of Keira getting chewed up and spit out by the Amazing Garret Dating Machine. I’m sick of the pattern, sick of standing by and watching it happen over and over. She seems like a nice girl; she doesn’t deserve that.

  It might be impossible, but I want to beat my best friend at something. He’s not getting this girl.

  Chapter Two

  We live in Hamilton Villa, a typical California subdivision—the kind where there are only four house plans, but they reverse them and paint them different colors to make the neighborhood look less homogenous. My dad is a pilot, and the Fresno airport is close enough when he does manage to get home. Garret’s dad works in human resources in some tall building downtown.

  Lots of people say they’ve known their friends since before they could walk, but that is literally the case with us. Our moms were pregnant at the same time—had the exact same due date. October first. Garret came two days early, and I came two days late. That’s pretty much the story of my life right there.

  We stop at the curb in front of Garret’s house, which is exactly like my house except reversed and painted baby blue instead of sea green. Garret lets out a long, weary sigh. “I think I’m gonna break up with Mercedes.”

  “Let her down easy, okay?”

  He looks at me. “You act like you knew it was coming.”

  “I can read your mind, Garr. Did you forget?”

  “Damn Jedi.”

  “Hell, yeah.” I hop out of the car with a smile, though part of me still wants to beat him up over Keira. “At least wait a week until you pick up another one, okay?”