Beautiful Demons

4. Guys Like Drake Only Date Cheerleaders

"Come on," Agnes said, taking my hand. "Let's go down to Lori's and look around. I'll help you pick out stuff for school."

Downtown Peachville was so not what I was expecting. I thought it would be full of rundown brick buildings, empty storefronts, maybe an occasional pickup truck. Instead, the town was immaculate with red brick sidewalks, lush green trees planted along the road, fresh paint in pretty pastels, and thriving businesses. Ella Mae drove the four of us girls into town in a big white cargo van that said "Shadowford Home for Girls" on the side. I was glad to get away from the huge advertisement that basically told any of my future classmates that I was a troubled orphan.

Courtney disappeared into a consignment shop called "Second Beauty" and Mary Anne followed Ella Mae to the grocery store, sticking close by her side the whole time. Agnes dragged me past a drug store, a photography studio, and a clothing shop until we got to Lori's, a bigger store full of pretty things like candles, cards, and nick-knacks.

"This is my favorite store in town."

She pulled open the front door and a little bell jingled. A cute woman up front with pigtails and blue ribbons in her hair waved and said hello. "Hi Lori," Agnes called. "Lori used to be one of the head cheerleaders for the Peachville Demons. She's so pretty isn't she? This is always the first store I come to when we get some time in town."It was going to take some time to get used to having someone like Agnes to talk to all the time. It had been a long time since I'd lived with anyone I cared to talk to for more than a few minutes."I like it," I said, running my hand across a row of beaded purses on the table. "But what can I get here for school? It's not like I need a purse or anything."

Agnes led me over to the backpacks and school supplies. "Here, pick out anything you need. I'm gonna go over to the candles and look around for a few. You okay over here by yourself?"

I smiled. "Yeah, I think I've got it under control."

She practically bounced over to the other side of the store leaving me in the back section alone. I picked through the backpacks. The foster home I'd been in last had insisted I leave all of my school stuff with them since they paid for it. A lot of times, at a new place, I'd end up with someone's hand-me-downs or whatever, so getting to pick out brand new stuff for myself was a real luxury.

"I personally like the Hello Kitty one with the pink flowers." I looked up to see a tall blond guy leaning against the wall, watching me. He had a smirk on his face, and I wondered if he was making fun of me. He was definitely cute, but in a different way from the boy I'd seen earlier at Shadowford. That other guy, Jackson, was very rebel-without-a-cause while this guy was all-American-pretty-boy.

I picked up the pink bag and held it out toward him, then closed one eye as if picturing him wearing it. "Yeah, I can see that. It brings out the natural rosiness of your cheeks."

He laughed and grabbed the bag from my hand, then placed it back on the rack. "Here," he said. "Most of the girls around here wear our school colors. Blue, like this one."

"What if I'm not like most other girls?"

"Ooh, a rebel. Nice," he said. A stray piece of hair fell across his forehead as he leaned down to get a different bag. His eyes were as blue as the summer sky. "What about black with blue stripes?"

"You're all about getting me to wear the school colors. What are you, some kind of backpack ambassador for the local team?"

His eyes sparkled when he laughed, sending a little jolt of energy through my body. What were the odds of me meeting two crush-worthy guys my age on my first day here? This town was looking better by the minute.

"Sort of," he said. "I'm the quarterback of the Demons football team."

Well, that certainly explained his muscular body and tall frame. I'd never dated a jock before, but suddenly, I wasn't so opposed to school pride. "Well, in that case, I'd better take your advice."

I chose a black bag with blue flowers embroidered on the outside and he placed his index finger on his lips and pretended to study it.

"It's a little girly, but I suppose it'll do." He smiled again, then held his hand out to me. "I'm Drake, by the way. Lori's my sister. Sometimes I come by and help her unload boxes on the weekends after church."

The touch of his hand on mine made me feel warm from head to toe. "Harper."

"You just moved here?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said. My face felt hot. Would he care that I lived at Shadowford? I was sure everyone in town knew what kind of place it was, and I wasn't expecting it to earn me any popularity points. It was only a matter of time before he found out, but I certainly didn't want to offer up bonus information.

"From Atlanta."

"Cool," he said. "We don't get a lot of new people here. It'll be nice to get some new blood."

I was about to ask him more about the Demons football team when Agnes bumped into me, sending candles flying.

"Crap. Sorry Harper, I wasn't watching where-" Her voice cut out as she noticed Drake standing there. I bent down to help her pick up the candles she'd dropped.

"Do you two know each other?"

"Oh hey Drake," Agnes said, standing. Her pale skin was flushed pink and her breathing was uneven. "You did an awesome job at the game Friday night. I was there right up front cheering you on."

Drake's eyebrows came together slightly and he looked from me to Agnes, then back again. I knew that look. My heart fell.

"So you live at Shadowford?" he asked.

I tried to act like it was no big deal. I pulled my shoulders back. "Yeah. Just moved in today."He looked around as if he were trying to find a way out of this situation. "I gotta run," he said, backing away. "Nice to meet you. Oh, and Agnes, make sure you pay for that stuff, especially if you broke any of those candles."

As Drake rushed off toward the back room, I stood there, feeling like the victim of a drive-by. What had just happened? Was he really that stuck-up? I'd experienced the cold-shoulder treatment in the past when people found out I was an orphan or a foster kid, but never anything quite as blatant as Drake's flirt-and-bolt.

"What was Drake talking to you about?" Agnes said.

I sighed and helped Agnes collect the rest of her candles and put them into my bag. "I don't know, backpacks, I guess."

"Isn't he gorgeous? He's the most popular senior boy in school. Good looking. Crazy rich. And even more important, completely single."

"He's also an asshole," I mumbled.

Agnes looked around. "Be quiet," she whispered. "You shouldn't say things like that in his sister's store. Besides, he's not like that at all."

"Were you paying attention at all just now? He was over here basically flirting with me, then when you walked over here and he realized I was from Shadowford, he turned into a grade-A jerk and got the hell away from us. In my book, that makes him a stuck-up asshole."

"I doubt he was flirting with you anyway," she said. "Guys like Drake only date cheerleaders."

"In movies, maybe."

Agnes looked at me curiously, as if I had no idea how the world really worked.