Blood Type: Book One of the Blood Type Series (complete)

Mind Over Matter

The day was blisteringly hot and cloudless. After weeks of non-stop rain and temps better suited to jeans and sweaters than bikinis and beach towels, the sweltering warmth was a shot of ecstasy. I raised my head to the sky, replenishing my depleted stores of vitamin D.

"Hey. Hi."

Startled out of a mental replay of the complicated cheerleading routine we'd been eating, breathing, and sleeping for the past two weeks, I looked over my shoulder. Against my will, a rush of blood rose up my neck and settled in my cheeks, making my entire face burn.

John gestured at the space beside me. "Mind if I sit?"

"No!" I said. "I mean, be my guest." I scooted over a few inches on the edge of the dock to make more room, even though there was plenty of space to begin with.

"Thanks," John said, sitting close enough that our shoulders brushed.

I'd had an inexplicable crush on John Kelly since the first day of ninth-grade geometry, and I had a pretty good feeling the attraction was mutual. Never mind that we'd said barely a dozen words to each other in the past three years, or the minor fact I had a boyfriend.

We lapsed into silence, though I could almost feel the exchange of electrons jumping from his arm to mine. I looked down, half expecting to see the tiny hairs electrically charged and standing on end. I wondered if he felt it, too.

"Nice day," I said, for lack of anything else to say. I glanced at John from the corner of my eye in time to see him smile.

"When in doubt," he said, "talk about the weather."

I laughed, the tension between us suddenly dissipating.

"You came with Jill Honeycutt, right?" I said.

John popped the top of the soda he'd brought with him. "Yeah, but something tells me I won't be going home with her."

He pointed with his chin, and I followed his gaze to where some of our classmates were playing "chicken" in the shallow water just off the rocky beach. I shielded my eyes with my hand to get a better look. Jill was perched on some guy's shoulders, laughing and shrieking as she made mad grabs at her opponent.

"Bummer," I said. "If it's any consolation, I don't think Jill's your type."

"It doesn't matter," John said. "I'm interested in someone else."

I glanced at him again to see the slight grin on his face and then cleared my throat. "Are they doing what I think they're doing?"

From my perspective, it looked like Jill and the other girl—Kayla, judging from her screeching laugh—were battling to see who could rip off the other's top. The strings on Kayla's bikini had come loose and were trailing down her arms, which she held crossed over her chest to keep from committing full-on indecent exposure. The guys, of course, were egging them on.

"Gross. They're so obnoxious."

John laughed and touched the edge of the ice-cold can to my arm. "Want some? You've been sitting down here by yourself for most of the party. I didn't take a drink yet," he added when I hesitated.

I took the offered can. "Thanks. That was very sweet of you." I lifted the drink to my lips, the carbonated liquid cool and refreshing as it hit the back of my throat. I felt his eyes on me as he watched me swallow, but all I could do was focus on not making a fool of myself by suddenly choking.

"I'm John Kelly, by the way."

I nestled the can between my knees. "I know who you are, John. We had history together last semester, remember? You sat in the row next to mine, behind Olivia Martin."