The QB Bad Boy and Me - Wattpad Books Edition

Chapter 1

I dedicate this book to the readers. I couldn't have done it without you.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

If you've come here from Wattpad, then I'd first like to thank you for following me on this journey! You might recall Spencer and Grayson from the Wattpad version of The QB Bad Boy and Me. Of course, they are two very important characters, and they play a big part in this book as well—but their names are Gabby as Spencer and Josh as Grayson.

How can an entire summer feel as if it were a mere weekend once you're back at school and time slows down again? Three months of freedom becomes an aftertaste, washed down by the bitterness of reality. I once read a quote on Pinterest that said people paint their rooms blue because it produces a calming effect—which was why I decided to lay down in the short grass of our school field so that I could stare at the sky. Strands of my long blonde hair wisped in the light breeze, and as I inhaled the fresh air in an attempt not to feel suffocated, I heard my cheer captain squawking.

"Dallas! You've had all summer to lay around, get up and do laps. Now!"

It was a reasonable request; I was at an afternoon practice and Emily Raeken—or evil dictator—was my captain. And the field wasn't the best place for an afternoon snooze. I tilted my head to the side and saw dozens of white sneakers running through the green blades of grass that swayed like an ocean wave in the soft breeze.

Then and there I decided to start a petition to extend summer break for a month. Days like this shouldn't be spent in the confines of school property. They should be spent on the road, creating memories, taking beach trips, and doing whatever else one would deem buzz worthy. Personally, dancing under the sun and stars, visiting the lake, bingeing Netflix, and watching football was my idea of a summer well spent.

"Get up, Dallas! Or you can do suicide runs for the rest of the afternoon." Emily sounded as if she was at the end of her rope.

"One more year," I muttered as I rolled onto my hands and knees before getting up to jog back and forth with the rest of the squad.

One more year of cheerleading. One more year at Archwood High School. One more year in Castle Rock, Colorado. One more year before I could make my way to California and finally live the way that I'd always wanted to.

I completed the drills, agility rings, mini-hurdles, drop jumps, and wall sprints, pushing myself hard because at the end of the day, while I may have detested cheerleading and all of its preppy propaganda, I didn't do anything half-assed. If I wanted any chance of attending the California Institute of the Arts to pursue a dance career, I was stuck on the team.

Our school didn't have a dance team, and the small studio in the middle of town only offered ballet and tap. The bitter old woman who ran the studio wouldn't let me teach a class for con- temporary. Who knew why. I think she was just stuck in her ways and didn't want to share. And no matter how hard I'd tried to convince the school that it'd be beneficial to start a dance team, it just didn't happen. All of the funding went toward football, cheerleading, and the academic clubs. I had to settle for cheer-leading, knowing that it'd look good on my college applications. After a grueling practice, I toweled away the sweat beads that soaked my body and winced when I saw Emily beelining toward me. The sun bounced off her auburn hair and gave her a glowing

halo. She looked like an angel of terror.

"New rule," she said with boredom. "We wear uniforms to practice now. Don't show up without it next time."