Turns out, once her pride, her defenses, and her best friend are stripped away, Lola realizes she's actually got a lot to overcome…if she can open her heart long enough to let it happen.
The scene happens early in the book. Lola has run away from a therapy session in rehab, and snuck around trying to locate the boy she faked her way into rehab for-Wade Miller. She finds him, but unfortunately in a bad location-the bathroom. Which was really not the way she planned to see him for the first time.
I should be leaving, but my feet seem overly heavy and we're kind of…staring at each other and he is so damn beautiful it's hard to stop.
"Wait, do I…? You look familiar, except… No way, I would have remembered," he says in a tone that makes me hot all over. "But it's more like you…you seem familiar."
"You think?"
"Yeah, I'm just trying to-" He breaks off as the door starts to open behind me.
"Shit!" I say, looking for somewhere to hide.
But Wade's reflexes are fast, and in seconds, before the person on the other side actually gets in, his arms come on either side of me to push the door shut again.
Lucky me, I'm between him and it.
"Hey, what the fuck!" says a voice from outside.
"Listen, man, I need a minute."
"Wade?"
"Yeah."
"Dude, let me in."
"Come back in five. You don't want to be in here, trust me," Wade says, and mouths my roommate to me.
"Okay, whatev," the guy says. "Thanks for nothing."
And then things get quiet again. Quiet with me essentially pinned to the door by Wade. Not counting the peeing thing, this bathroom venue is turning out much better than I expected. Now if I could only breathe.
He looks down at me.
"Thanks," I say, trying to stay cool despite the record levels of hormones screaming through my veins.
"So," he says, still right up in front of me, "you said you were lost?"
I nod.
"You're really lost," he says.
"Oh?"
"It takes a special talent to get this lost. I mean, you ended up in a men's bathroom on the other side of the compound."
"It's my first day," I say, as if this explains it.
"What are you going to do on your second?"
I grin. "Don't know. You have any suggestions? Because I plan to get lost every time I have therapy."
His eyes widen and sadly, he takes a step back to look at me.
"You ditched therapy? On your first day?"
"Kind of. Yeah."
"Uh, that's not exactly the height of compliance."
"Hey, I'll comply. I'll do yoga and group and swimming and 'Vision.' I'm not going to drink or do any drugs. I just don't want therapy. I don't need it."
"At the rate you're going, you're going to have it twice a day."
"Not possible. I'm going to be way too busy doing downward dog and rock climbing. Assuming I can get back to the girls' dorms."
"You need some help?"
I draw myself up. "Do I look like I need help?"
"Uh…"
"Don't answer that," I say, and reach for the door handle.
"Let me check the hall for you at least," he says.
"No, I'm good," I say. "But you're very cute to offer, W.A.D.E. Very cute in general. They should give you a bigger part on that show of yours."
"Actually, I'm the le-"
And that's when I kiss him.
I swoop up, give him a fast but firm kiss on the lips, then pull away and open the door while he stands there, blinking.
"Hmm," I say, doing my best not to hyperventilate or, God forbid, swoon, "not bad."
"Not bad?"
"Yeah," I say with a casual shrug. "It'll do."
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