Love Off-Limits Read online

  Natalie wished she could say her grandmother was cool enough to name her dog after the hottest royal in the world. But Grandma Jones had picked up the dog at the animal shelter near her retirement community eight years ago, and that was the name he’d come with. Apparently, the clever little Prints part of it was that he’d been leaving paw prints all over his kennel. The dog resembled nothing of the real Prince William.

  Out of pity, Natalie almost decided to endure the dog’s fish-breath odor a little longer. But when she heard her grandmother quietly calling for him, she thought it best to send the dog back to Grandma Jones, who had apparently lost her sense of smell sometime within the last decade.

  She couldn’t sleep and decided to text Jo. Even though she knew her alarm would feel like an electrocution in about six short hours, she craved a “Night-Light Chat.” That’s what they called their late-night conversations.

  U still up?

  She propped herself on a pillow while she waited to hear from Jo.

  Her eyes started to feel heavy, and just as she thought Jo had probably retired for the evening, her cell phone rang. It was Jeremy.

  “You awake?” he asked. He never called her this late unless something was on his mind. But ever since his parents had split up, he’d chatted on the phone more. He’d never been the type to plunge too deep into his feelings. He barely scratched the surface with Natalie when discussing his troubles. She figured he called just because he was feeling a little lonely and probably insecure. A lot had changed in his life, and maybe Natalie was the only steady thing he had to rely on. The whole frostbite thing had raised a lot of questions about his commitment, and he’d seemed like he wanted to do more things with his friends—without her. Now suddenly she had become like a light in the darkness for him.

  “Yeah, I’m still up.” She rolled over in bed and flipped off her light. She liked to chat in the dark. “What are you doing?” she asked. Usually he was glued to his Wii by this point in the evening.

  “I’m just hanging on my balcony.” What he referred to as his balcony was more of a large window ledge that was probably never intended for more than decoration. He’d popped out his screen a long time ago and had sat out there looking at stars and just hanging out when he needed some alone time. “What about you? What have you been up to all evening?”

  Oh, just corresponding with complete strangers about whether or not you would still be my boyfriend if I had one ear. “Just the usual. Dinner with the fam. Homework. You know.”

  “My dad has a girlfriend.” His voice sounded heavy.

  The remark took Natalie by surprise. “Oh…are you sure?”

  “Yeah, he told me over the phone. I guess he’s been seeing her for a couple weeks now. He wants Chad and me to meet her next weekend.”

  “I thought he was in counseling with your mom.”

  “I did too.”

  “I’m sorry, Jere. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” He answered a little too quickly. “I mean, I guess I just don’t know what to think. I knew things weren’t going well, and honestly I thought it would be kind of cool having them separated. They wouldn’t both be around breathing down my neck all the time. But now it’s just a hassle. And my mom is all bummed out. I hate seeing my mom so sad. It sucks.”

  She suspected he’d never opened up like this to anyone—even Matt. She remembered the day Jeremy’s parents had separated. He’d even gotten choked up when he’d told her. All she could really do was listen. She’d known he wasn’t looking for a bunch of crapola love-column Dr. Phil–type advice. He’d just needed to tell someone. It was the same now.

  The other end of the phone was so quiet that she could hear coyotes howling by his house. They sounded echoic and faint. She didn’t know what to say. “I think you just need to think about yourself for now, Jere. Don’t worry about everything so much, you know? Let your parents figure it out. Just be you. Maybe your dad just needs to figure things out. Maybe he just needs some time.” As she said the words she felt like such a jerk, because she could sort of relate to his dad.

  “I guess.” He didn’t sound optimistic. “Nat, sometimes I think you’re the only real person I have in the world. You and Matt.”

  She knew that whatever happened she could not take time for herself at this point. In spite of the fact that she had doubts about their romantic relationship, she still cared deeply for him as a friend. She didn’t think she could stand to see him suffer anymore. “You know I’m always here for you.”

  “Promise.”

  “Of course.”

  He was quiet again, and then he seemed to snap out of his funk. His voice picked up a beat. “So we have to start hunting for our costumes.”

  “That’s right.” She was happy for his change of mood.

  They chatted for a few more minutes before saying good night. She pulled her blankets up around her shoulders and thought of all her mixed feelings. She tried to think if she knew of anyone who’d been in a similar situation to her love life. Only the movies—specifically tragedies.

  She could hear coyotes howling outside. They often cried in the night. The bad feeling came over her again. As she turned over in bed it hit her like a ton of bricks. She’d never closed out the computer screen in the newsroom. She had left the newsroom in such a haste she’d forgotten that she’d only hit minimize. She’d never actually closed it out. That meant that anyone could walk in and read what she had written. No one knew she was behind the column except Matt, who was one of the last people she wanted to see it. What if he told Jeremy?

  Four

  The only other time Natalie had woken up before her alarm clock had been when she’d first begun dating Jeremy. Her excitement level back then had been so intense that she’d naturally risen with the sun. Butterflies had squashed her appetite. Rather than eating breakfast she’d spend an hour on hair and makeup.

  On this particular morning her eyes popped open before the sound of her alarm clock greeted her. She skipped breakfast, and she couldn’t help but think of the irony. Once, she’d gotten up early for love, and now she was getting up early to avoid having anyone discover that she was so conflicted by love. She’d been up half the night worrying. She was pretty sure that Matt wouldn’t tell Jeremy about the column and all her bleak opinions about relationships. Guys didn’t run and tell each other stuff like that, and Matt was just cool that way. He wasn’t nosy and certainly wasn’t the type to stir up drama. But the risk was still there. Besides, she didn’t want Matt to know her true feelings either. Her sarcasm had really been for her own entertainment, and thinking of Matt reading her silly words was embarrassing.

  Parking on campus a half hour before school started was the only bonus she could find from the whole situation. Most mornings she ended up in the Outer Space parking lot. She ran to the English building, which housed the journalism room. While sprinting across campus, she realized there was a good chance she’d have to wait for Mr. Moore, the newspaper adviser, to arrive so he could unlock the door. Oh Lord, what if he didn’t arrive until right before classes began, or worse, later in the day? She’d never come to the newsroom this early. For all she knew it was closed until third period, which meant she’d either get detention or have to wait to fix her little problem. She felt a mixture of relief and terror when she noticed that the newsroom door was propped open. Relief that she’d be able to get in there, and terror her true feelings had already been exposed.

  When she entered, Matt was seated at the same computer she’d been sitting at yesterday. No! Maybe there was a small chance he hadn’t seen her little minimized article in the bottom corner, or maybe he’d just figured that since it wasn’t his own work he should just leave it untouched.

  “Hey, Natalie,” he said. His light blue eyes were almost the same exact color as his T-shirt. She couldn’t help it if she thought he was cute. He wasn’t the kind of guy that was drop-dead gorgeous—like Jeremy—but there was something about him. His blond shaggy curls, his dimple
s, and his long eyelashes. He looked sweet, but also strong and capable with his broad shoulders and sinewy arms.

  “Matt, you’re here early.” She tried to act casual, as though her early arrival was routine.

  “So are you. Your computer still down?”

  “No. Actually, I just came to give you my latest column.” She tried not to make it obvious as she glanced at the screen. Her work was gone.

  He seemed surprised. “Natalie? The biggest procrastinator at the paper is handing in her article early?” Anyone acquainted with Natalie knew that getting things done early was so not her style. She was more the “come screeching in at the last minute” type of girl—with everything.

  “Well, you know. I just wanted to get it over with.”

  “Mr. Moore will be stoked too. That’s cool that you’re enjoying the column.”

  If he only knew. Obviously, he hadn’t seen the phony column.

  He sighed. “We are so swamped.”

  It was no secret that the paper was slammed whenever there was a big event like a theme dance on campus. “Is there anything else I can do to help?” she asked.

  He thought for a moment. “How do you feel about picking up an extra feature article? I’m sure Mr. Moore will give you extra credit for it, and I’ve already done some of the work. I could fill you in after school today. We could do it together.”

  Natalie had mentioned to Jo that she might swing by after school today, and she was actually feeling really good about having all of her assignments behind her, but how could she say no? He seemed like he really needed the help. “Yeah, all right. What’s it about?”

  “Finding just the right Halloween costume. I talked about it with Mr. Moore, and we’re hoping for some creative ideas—fresh things that no one has ever come as before. And I thought it might be cool to add, like, a Halloween costume quiz at the end. Something like ‘What does your costume really say about you?’ or ‘What costume best suits your personality?’”

  “I love it! That sounds like fun.” Natalie loved personality quizzes and was always taking them in all her favorite magazines. The newspaper had never done anything like this before.

  “You want to meet back here after last period?” she asked.

  He nodded.

  If he’d seen the other column, he certainly wasn’t acting like it, but then that meant someone else had probably seen it and closed out the screen. But they wouldn’t know who she was, anyway. She fished around in her backpack for the disk, and when she glanced up she realized that all the other computers in the room were turned off. She pulled out the disk and sat at a computer next to Matt. “So these computers get turned off every night?” she asked.

  “Yes. The custodian, I’m pretty sure, shuts everything down. All I know is that whenever I come back in the morning they’re turned off.”

  Hallelujah! It sounded like the only person who could’ve potentially seen the fake column was the janitor. And what would he care?

  It was halfway through lunchtime before she finally ran into Jo. Her best friend came toward her with a look of mischief in her eyes—not an uncommon look for Jo. Her black hair was pulled into a ponytail at the nape of her neck. She was dressed in an expensive-looking pair of skinny jeans with a silver tank top. A stylish pair of pointy flats with little buckles over the tips completed the look. Jo always looked good in clothes. She rarely came to school in an outfit that didn’t attract compliments. Natalie, on the other hand, dressed for comfort. Converse All Stars, her favorite destroyed jeans, tank tops, and hooded sweatshirts made up her uniform.

  Jo was also one of those lucky girls who never had to worry about a tan. Her Iranian heritage had given her the bonus of beautiful bronzed skin, exotic features, and a grandmother who could tell fortunes. Natalie’s skin was the color of a baby’s butt, and her grandmother came with Prints William.

  Jo’s angelic face featured big round dark eyes that always seemed to appear inquisitive and caring. “So, can you keep a huge secret?” Jo asked.

  Whenever anyone phrased a question with those words, the answer was yes. Who in their right mind would say no when it sounded like juicy news was on the way? “Of course. You didn’t think I’d say no, did you?”

  “So, I just came from the Howl at the Moon committee meeting, and guess who is on the ballot for the couples costume queen and king for the second year in a row?”

  Natalie knew the answer, but for some reason didn’t want to admit it. “Who?”

  “You!” Her eyes widened as she pointed to Natalie. “You and Jeremy!”

  “Oh. Great!”

  “Oh great?”

  “Well, you know how I’ve been feeling.”

  “I know, but it’s just the school dance. It will be fun.” Jo knew how Natalie felt, but Natalie sensed that she didn’t fully understand. It was like Jo just thought that Natalie was going through a phase.

  “Have you figured out who you’re going to ask yet?” Natalie asked. It was a sore subject, mostly because the guy Jo had a crush on had already been asked. Poor Jo had been waiting all summer for this dance, finally working up the nerve to ask Brian Gonzalez. As soon as Howl at the Moon bids went on sale, Kelly Green may as well have been riding a broomstick when she swept in and asked Brian before Jo had a chance.

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’m never going to find anyone at this stupid school. I’ll be single the rest of my life.” Jo was always doom and gloom when it came to her love life, mostly because she’d never had a boyfriend. She was dying for one. It was often hard for Natalie to complain about her own love life when Jo thought Natalie was the luckiest person on earth.

  “You can always take Vincent.”

  Jo sighed. “I know. But for once I’d like to go to the dance with someone where sparks actually fly.” She changed the subject, as she always did when Natalie tried to bring up any romantic possibilities between Jo and Vincent. “Are you coming over today?” Jo asked.

  “I think I’m going to be a little late. I promised Matt I would meet him in the newsroom. I guess there’s a lot of work for the Halloween issue of the paper, and I said I would help with another article.”

  “Try to swing by after that. Seto said she would read our cups.”

  Natalie felt a surge of excitement. Jo’s grandmother, Seto, could see the future by reading the inside of teacups. It was the coolest thing ever, and Natalie would never pass up an opportunity to have her fortune told, especially at a time when she needed so much guidance. “I’m there.” As she waved good-bye to Jo, she felt a knot in her stomach. She was excited to have her cups read, but the future seemed so uncertain.

  Five

  Mr. Moore greeted Natalie when she entered the newsroom. A few of her fellow staff writers also waved.

  “So, you’re going to take on our personality quiz,” Mr. Moore said.

  Natalie nodded. “It sounds like fun.”

  “Good. I think you’re just the right person for that assignment.” He’d said that about the love column too. And now look.

  Mr. Moore couldn’t be nicer. Always encouraging and enthusiastic, he was a well-liked teacher on campus. But sometimes it was hard to overlook how nerdy he was. He always carried pencils in the front pocket of his short-sleeved button-down plain white shirts. He practically devoured boring magazines and had once confessed that he read a nonfiction book a week. He even read some of his favorites twice. His square glasses were tight around his temples, and his shoes looked like they were either expensive orthopedics or very cheap ugly black shoes with soles like tires that he’d found at a discount store.

  Matt looked as though he’d never left the newsroom. He was seated at the same computer and still looked busy. He ran his fingers through his hair before turning to face Natalie.

  “I’m starving,” he said. “You want to hit up Denny’s while we figure this out?”

  “Sure.” She was hungry too, and getting away from campus was always a good thing. They said good-bye to Mr. Moore and s
ome of their classmates before heading to the parking lot.

  They rode in his car. She noticed traces of beach sand on the seats and the floor of his old pickup truck, evidence that he’d been surfing in his free time. The truck smelled faintly of sunscreen and surf wax. They lived a good forty minutes from the beach, but Matt was always escaping to the coast whenever he could. Natalie had seen him surf on many trips to the beach with Jeremy. Matt was a good surfer—graceful on the water. Unlike Jeremy, Matt surfed for fun. Jeremy was always so competitive about everything. If he was good at anything, he wanted to be in competitions. He wanted to be the best.

  They drove across town to Denny’s. Natalie loved this time of day. She’d never been a morning person. School was out. The afternoon sun cast shadows over the trees in Oak Canyon. Oak Canyon had every kind of tree one could think of. Maybe it was because they lived in southern California and all kinds of trees could thrive in the warm weather. Of course, oak trees with their little boatlike leaves covered most of the terrain. But there were palm trees and pine trees too. Orange trees and millions of avocado trees.

  “I had a chance to read the column,” Matt said.

  “That was fast.”

  “Good work.” Matt flipped on his blinker as they turned down Canyon Boulevard. “I think it will answer a lot of questions for people—make it easier to find dates.”

  “I hope so.”

  Matt had originally talked her into taking the column. She could still remember his exact words when he’d approached her: “You’re the perfect candidate for this,” he’d said. “You and Jeremy are the real deal. What better person to write about love?”

  It was starting to feel hot in the car, so Natalie rolled down her window.