Free Will the Real Prince Charming Please Stand Up by Ella Martin Page A

beamed at him, basking in the compliment. “Thank you,” I said. I put my arms around him and tilted my head back, ready to be kissed. He didn’t disappoint.
    The warning bell interrupted us, and I reluctantly pried myself away from him.
    “Will I see you before lunch?”
    “Probably not,” he replied, adjusting his backpack. “I have to head down to the gym after next period.”
    “Oh, that’s right,” I said. The truth was that I didn’t know his class schedule, but I didn’t admit that to him. He leaned down for another lingering kiss before I ducked into the classroom.
    But as I sat down near the front of the room and waited for the period to begin, I couldn’t blot out the image of Chelsea hanging on Tim’s arm.

Chapter Nine
    I picked at my nails while my parents grilled Dante in the living room a few minutes before noon on Sunday. My mom was perched on the edge of an accent chair as my father, more relaxed on the couch, talked to my boyfriend. Dante wore faded jeans with a button-down shirt and sat across from my parents in the large recliner that served as my favorite reading perch. My dad asked all kinds of questions, quizzing him on everything from his favorite subject in school to the last movie he’d seen in the theater. Dante answered easily, oozing charm to win over my parents.
    “So where are you kids going?” Dad asked, getting to his feet.
    “Lunch and a movie,” Dante replied as he stood. “My friend Justin and his girlfriend are waiting outside for us.” He smiled at me, and I rose from the loveseat, still eyeing my parents as I tried to gauge their reaction. Mom still didn’t look too pleased, but my dad seemed at ease.
    “Well, it’s good to meet you,” my dad said, extending his hand. He chuckled when Dante clasped it and said, “Have her home in a few hours.”
    “Yes, sir,” Dante said with a nod.
    “Hey, guys, Kira and I are meeting up with Tim and Chelsea at the lake,” Brady hollered as he bounded down the stairs. He stopped short when he saw us all in the living room. “What is this?”
    “Nothing that concerns you, Brady,” Mom said with a sharp glance.
    “Is this, like, a date?”
    “Brady,” my mother said, a clear warning in her voice.
    He frowned as he took a few steps back. “Fine. Just letting you know we’re heading to the lake. I’ll see you guys later.”
    “Be home before dinner!” Mom called after him before the front door slammed.
    I shifted from one foot to the other and shoved my hands into my jeans. “So, um, maybe we should get going, too?” I said, looking at Dante. He nodded again, and I waved at my parents as I hurried past them.
    Once I closed the front door behind me, I breathed a sigh of relief.
    “That could have gone a lot worse,” Dante said. He took my hand and led me to the dark blue sedan where his friends were waiting.
    “Bianca, right?” the driver said as I climbed into the back seat. I recognized Justin Ortiz from school; he was a sophomore and one of the guys Dante hung out with. I didn’t know the pretty brunette in the front seat, but she introduced herself as Andrea.
    “So, lunch first? Or the movies?” I said as Justin turned off my street.
    Andrea glanced over her shoulder at me and giggled. “You’re kidding, me, right?” she said. “Dante, what did you have to tell her parents?”
    “Shut it, Andrea,” he said with a glare.
    “So we’re not going to the movies?” I whispered to Dante. I didn’t want Andrea to laugh at me again.
    “Do you mind?” he asked. “I mean, we can’t really get to know each other at the movies.”
    “Oh.” He had a point, and I really didn’t want to seem immature. “No, I don’t mind,” I said. “But where are we going?”
    “Someplace very special to me,” he replied as he gazed out the window.
    ****
    Justin pulled up to a lakefront home, and we climbed out of the car. The grass was unkempt and looked like it hadn’t been cut in months. Leaves from a nearby