Anyone But Rich (Anyone But..., #1)

by Penelope Bloom

Nick and Cade were standing outside the door to Rich’s dinosaur room when we opened the door. They nearly fell inside because they’d been leaning on the door. “What the fuck?” asked Rich. Cade straightened and brushed off his shirt. “Sorry. We were just trying to figure out if you actually managed to get a woman to sleep with you in your dinosaur room. Nick said it was impossible. I thought maybe if you came through with the right number of sexy dinosaur jokes, you could pull it off.” “Sorry,” Nick said. “But dinosaurs don’t seem like the most ripe topic for jokes.”

“Wait,” I said, holding up my hands. “You two were listening in?” I asked. I knew I hadn’t actually done much of the talking in the room with Rich, but I still felt indignant. Besides, what if I’d let something happen between Rich and me? “Barely,” Nick said. “Cade was breathing louder than a bulldog taking a nap.”

Cade looked at me. “Wait. Before you two frolic off into the moonlight. You’ve gotta tell me. Would his moves have worked if he didn’t show you he was a dinosaur nerd?” “Rich didn’t try any moves,” I said impatiently. I already felt confused enough about the whole thing without having to explain it to the peanut gallery outside. “We were just talking.” Rich rubbed the back of his head and grimaced. “Actually, I did try a couple moves. Apparently, they didn’t work as well as I thought.” Cade and Nick burst out laughing.

His fingertips were on my face again. The look in his eyes was the same as before we’d kissed in his apartment. “You wanted to know my superpower? It’s making the difficult choices.” I frowned. “What do you mean?” His smile looked sad now. “I mean being with me will only cause you trouble. I’ve been thinking about this, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do the right thing this time. I have to, though.”

“Everything I’ve been doing was just selfishness. I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner, but this won’t work. I can’t tear you away from your friends, Kira.” He leaned forward, and I felt the warm press of his lips on my forehead. It was gone as soon as it came. A platonic peck on the forehead. He still wore that sad smile. “Forget about all the codirector stuff. I’ll fund the programs. Tell Miranda and Iris that you told me to go fuck myself. I think it had better be something dramatic to convince them you’re not a traitor anymore. I’ll back whatever you say up.”

And I watched him go, even as it felt like I was screaming on the inside. I felt like I was in one of those dreams where no matter how hard I tried to make my voice work, nothing happened. All I could do was watch him walk away and realize for the first time that I didn’t want him to go. Except it was too late now, wasn’t it?

So yes, you’re moping. You broke up with your little distraction, and now you’re feeling sorry for yourself. I’m just trying to figure out why you broke up with her.” “Because her friends hated her for being interested in me. Because her father was ready to work with my parents to fuck our lives over if I didn’t call it off. Because taking things further with her would’ve meant screwing you over. Because I was an ass to her back in high school, and I’d probably end up breaking her heart again. Do I need to continue?” Stella rolled her eyes. “Weak.”

I sat down. The whispers quieted, and nobody was trying very hard to act like they weren’t watching. I ignored all of them. I felt like the village idiot. Not only had I thrown away my friendship for a guy, but I’d managed to lose the guy too. To top it off, everyone in West Valley seemed to know exactly what had happened.

“Yeah, so, whatever,” Iris said offhandedly. “You transgressed, child. You strayed from the path, but you know what? I just can’t quit you, Kira Summerland. You’re my crack. My sexy librarian.”

“Yeah, fine. I guess it’s silly to keep putting so much focus on the promise after all this time anyway. To be completely honest, it had started to feel more like a joke at some point. But when they came back, it was like some kind of switch flipped. I mean, I’m still not going near any of the Kings with a ten-foot pole, but getting pissed at you for making your own choices? Yeah. I let it get out of control, and I’m sorry.”

“Well,” Miranda said. “I owe you an apology anyway. Asking you to choose between Rich and us was way over the line. Especially in front of him. You had every right to tell us to go fuck ourselves.” I smirked. “I don’t think those were the words I used.” “Of course not,” Iris said. “You were all polite. Actually, I think I’d prefer to pick the one who isn’t being a big meanie, thanks.”

“I have feelings for Rich. He broke things off with me, but”—I swallowed hard—“I wasn’t happy about it.”

“I’m saying that I can’t come here and pretend I’m some changed woman and the idea of being with Rich is behind me. I have trouble thinking about anything but him. He’s on my mind constantly.”

She stared at the ceiling a few seconds before finally blowing out a sigh. “I can’t believe I’m going to actually encourage you here, but are you really going to let him decide what’s best for you?”

“Wait,” I said. “Is that question the same as you giving me your blessing to date him?” “It’s me saying that you shouldn’t let some rich asshole decide how you live your life. If you want him, take him.” “For clarification,” Iris said quietly, “you probably shouldn’t take that advice literally. Because, you know . . .”

“Come on,” Miranda said. She seemed to be focusing so hard on winning the argument that she was forgetting she was trying to reignite a relationship that had very nearly ended our friendship just a few days ago. “The guy mauls you one night, and then he shows you his dinosaur bones the next. I think we can pretty safely say he wants you. He just thinks he’s being noble by turning you down. You go to him and you say fuck that.” “You could also say fuck me,” Iris suggested.

Cade and Stella were sitting in my tiny condo. Surreal didn’t begin to describe it.

“We actually didn’t come here to admire your tiny-sweater collection,” Stella said. “Though it’s a very nice collection.”

“Rich needs you. He’ll never admit it, and I’m sure he’d be content to go on punishing himself by avoiding you, but he needs you. You brought out a better side of him.”

“I’m not sure what you want me to do,” I said. “Even if I did want things to work between Rich and me, it’s not like I can just go knock on his door and beg him to take me back.” “You could,” Stella said slowly. “But I have a plan that’s a little more elegant. If you’re interested, that is.”

“Hey,” a woman said in my ear. I jolted upright and opened my eyes. “Kira?” I asked. She gave a little shrug and a shy smile. “Surprise?”

“Stella and Cade helped set this up. I’m sorry. I felt bad tricking you, but they thought this was the best way.” My hand was on her cheek before I realized it had moved. I pulled it back and frowned, but Kira gripped me by the wrist and pulled it back, leaning into my touch. One gesture. One surge of warmth from her skin. That was all it took.

“If I’m going to tell you what your next move should be, I think I need to know your intentions.” “Getting you into my bed. Naked, preferably.”

Screw consequences. Screw my parents. Screw anything bad that might come from following my feelings. Actually, better yet. Screw Kira. That sounded like a better plan.

Couldn’t my stupid, horny mind have said something more practical? Maybe I could’ve told him the biggest obstacle was that I never slept with guys on Thursdays, and we’d have to wait until Friday? Technically it would’ve been true, since I never slept with guys on any day of the week, but who was keeping track? A day would’ve been enough time to do some internet research on how to be good in bed, right?

We were alone, and the quiet was terrifying. “You okay?” he asked. “Oh, absolutely,” I said. I was talking too fast, I realized, but I wasn’t sure I could stop myself. “I’m completely okay. Sex isn’t a big deal to me, actually. I have sex all the time.”

“Well,” I said quietly. “You’re not alone tonight, at least.”

“I regret a lot of things.” His words brushed against my forehead. They were warm and still carried a faint scent of the fruits we’d had in our dessert. “I don’t intend for tonight to be one of them.”

“Either you drugged me, or I’m experiencing some kind of hotness-induced paralysis right now,” I said.

“Fuck it,” he said. He yanked his arms apart and tore my bra in a single, abrupt motion.

“Don’t cover yourself. Not in front of me. I’ve waited way too fucking long for this, and I won’t have you being self-conscious. You’re too perfect for that.”

“All you have to do is enjoy yourself. That’s what I want, and if you are having a good time, I will too. Understand?”

I never knew why it was so hard to believe there was something in me to be desired—that to some man or some pair of eyes I might actually be perfect. I wondered if it was just the fresh new-relationship chemicals that were blinding him to the obvious.

When my arms were straight, my left elbow looked like a winking smiley face. My knees were knobby. My hips never seemed womanly enough, and when I saw pictures of myself, it always looked like my smile was crooked. And those were just my insecurities when I was wearing clothes.

But nothing in Rich’s body language said he was finding faults in me. He still held my skirt like some kind of war trophy as he straddled me and looked me ov...

“Addictions are something you wish you could quit. I’d rather be your hobby. At least people like their hobbies.” “Would you settle for an obsession?” “Obsessions can be nice.”

“You’re lucky I’m so desperate to get inside you, Kira. Otherwise, I’d make you play by the rules.”

I suspected I was supposed to have something witty to say. Something so devilishly sexy that it would make him laugh and want to sleep with me all at the same time. So of course, I delivered on all counts. “Okay,” I whispered back. He did laugh. “Okay, then.”

Rich squinted at me. “It’s funny to think, all this time I imagined you would’ve purged me from your mind. Instead, it sounds like you were the leader of my own personal hate cult.” “Hey. Don’t flatter yourself. We hated your brothers too. And I was hardly the leader. More like a cocaptain.”

Miranda was beside Iris, and the two of them wore looks that said I had been exactly right about how this was going to go. “Holding hands?” Iris asked. She wasn’t wearing her uniform, but for some reason, she was actually carrying her nightstick. She lifted it and prodded our hands. “Interesting. Isn’t it, Miranda?”

I stared down at his hand in confusion for a few seconds, then realized he wanted a low five for some reason. I slapped my hand down on his. He laughed. “Thanks, but no. I was asking you to dance.” He nodded toward the shop front where a few local guys were doing a cover of some eighties band I recognized vaguely but couldn’t name. “Oh no. I shouldn’t.” “Kira. Come on. Everybody knows already. You said it yourself. We should have fun while we still can.” “No, I mean for the sake of everybody with eyes, I really shouldn’t dance. I might scar someone for life.

But within seconds, Rich looked like he wasn’t feeling well. He muttered an apology and walked away from where everyone was dancing. I followed after him. I tried to remember if he’d eaten something already and could’ve possibly developed some sort of food poisoning. “Your face is all red. Are you okay?” I asked. Rich sank down to sit on the front steps of a store and covered his face. For a split second, I thought he was crying, but then I realized he was laughing hysterically.

At first, I felt outraged. I balled up my fists and glared, but my anger lasted only a second before I found myself laughing with him. I replayed my dance as well as I could in my mind, trying to imagine how it would’ve looked from his perspective. “Was it that bad?” I asked when his laughter had quieted down. He moved his hands away, and his eyes were actually glistening. His whole face was a shade of red like he’d spent too much time in the sun. “No,” he said through twitching lips. “It was amazing. You have a really unique style.” He held a straight face for approximately three seconds before he sank into another fit of laughter.

I didn’t enjoy making a fool of myself, but I liked seeing Rich laugh so hard. Even when he was joking around, he could seem so serious. This was yet another side of him I hadn’t ever experienced, and I found myself liking it.

“It looked like Kira was having some kind of episode or mental breakdown, so we thought we’d better come check on you two,” Nick said. I glared. Nick reeled backward like I’d balled up my fists to punch him. “I was dancing, not having a mental breakdown,” I said. Cade burst out laughing. “This guy,” he said, looking at Nick. “I’m supposed to be the one who is dumb enough to say something like that out loud. You’re supposed to be smarter than that, Nicky boy.” “Shut up,” Nick said. He cleared his throat. “So, other than costing us millions of dollars, what are you two up to?”

Cade nodded sagely. “Yeah. People suck. It’s like you just want some space to breathe, and they’re always there, just taking up space. You know?” Nick took Cade by the arm and tugged at him. “He’s talking about us, dumb ass.” “Oh. Oh.” Cade waggled a finger at me and winked. “I got you. You two want some alone time. Don’t forget to wrap it up. Actually, wait. Do forget. I would love to see the look on Mom and Dad’s face if you got her pregnant. Can you imagine? Mom would want you to name it Rosenthal. Or maybe Gretchen.”

“Then, no. Rich, I do appreciate that you gave me this long to get off the dating carousel, and I don’t blame you for going after Kira. So all this,” she said, gesturing to her face. “It’s not because I’m upset with you. I’m mostly pissed at myself for being too chicken to come clean to my dad, and because I know what comes next.”

“I didn’t have a choice, Mr. King. I truly didn’t. They said it was her or me, and—” I started walking away. I didn’t need to hear any more to know exactly what had happened. “Mr. King!” Principal Lockett called. “I really am sorry. And if there’s anything I can do to help—anything at all—just ask.”

Once again, Rich King had led to the destruction of my well-laid plans. Only this time, it hadn’t been because of any cruelty on his part. I’d been complicit too. After his warnings of what his parents might resort to, I hadn’t fully believed him. At least not until Principal Lockett had pulled me into his office after first period and let me know he was going to have to fire me. I didn’t even blame him. The tears he was obviously trying to hold back told me it wasn’t his choice.

“We’re going to fix all of this,” Rich said quietly.