Cupcake Girl Read Online Free Page A

this!” I reached under her legs and swept her into my arms.
    “Hey, no fair!” She laughed as I lifted her and lowered her down a few times, counting like I was doing reps with a weight. “Put me down or I’ll shoot you with my super sticky frosting!” she ordered.
    I must have swung her down just as she moved the cupcake in my direction, because a gooey mess of frosting suddenly splattered my face, sticking to my lip and chin like some lopsided goatee.
    Lexie’s eyes widened as she watched my expression, stifling her laugh.
    I slowly licked the frosting from my bottom lip and frowned. “Wow, my ankle feels better already.”
    We both laughed as the frosting slowly started to slide off my chin.
    “Here, let me help before that gets all over your uniform.” She  stepped so  close I  worried she  would  hear my heart thudding in my chest. She gently scooped the frosting from my face, catching a big glob in one hand before reaching with the other to wipe off the rest.
    When her finger brushed the edge of my lip, the need to kiss her was almost overpowering. I almost forgot about her crush on Jake, almost forgot about all the people milling around us. I held her gaze for a second, but then she turned her head and the moment was gone.
    I mentally shook myself back to reality and saw Lexie’s friend watching us from a few feet away. Meri Morrales had her arms crossed and was looking at Lexie with a hint of annoyance.
    Lexie glanced down at her messy hands and backed away from me. “I guess I should go wash up.”
    “Yeah you should,” Meri said. “I was just on my way back to the locker room. I’ll go with you.”
    She steered Lexie away, but after a few steps Lexie turned back and offered the squashed cupcake. “Hey, Max, do you still want this?”
    “Heck  no—I’ve  got  a  race  to  run.”  I  winked  as  she suppressed another grin and walked away with Meri.
    My head still buzzed from the close contact with Lexie, so I threw myself back into my warm-up routine, trying to get my head back in the race. I jogged for a few minutes and then settled back into stretching. The afternoon heat was intense, and sweat was already pricking on my back when announcer gave the ten-minute warning for the boys’ race. Wanting to find a cooler place to finish stretching, I made my way to the lengthening shadows cast by an empty sunshade tent. I plopped down on the grass behind the tent and started to stretch my thighs and hamstrings, trying to push out the memory of Lexie touching my face.
    I’d leaned all the way into a stretch, my nose inches from my knee, when I became vaguely aware of voices on the other side of the tent. I perked up when I recognized Meri’s voice. “Uh, this sunshine’s giving me a headache. Let’s just sit down here for a minute so you can finally admit the truth.”
    Though I knew this was the moment to either announce my presence or walk away, I stayed frozen in my stretch.
    “No, let’s not talk about this right now. Our race is going to start—”
    “After the guy’s race,” Meri interrupted, “which doesn’t even start for ten minutes. We’ve got time. Besides, your head will be clearer for our race if you just admit the truth already.”
    “Uh, what do you want me to say?” Lexie asked with a slight groan. “I know he’s really cute, but it’s not like that.” “I don’t get it—why not?” Meri asked.
    “I’m just not that into him.”
    “Because you’ve had a crush on his brother for forever,” Meri said. “Come on! Just admit it already!”
    “All right, all right. I like him—I
really
like him,” Lexie confessed.
    She liked Jake. No, she
really
liked Jake.
    I had heard enough and got up as quietly as I could. The blood rushed through my ears so loud I can’t believe I heard the call for the boys’ race. Adrenalin already coursed through my blood when I lined up at the starting line, and I could hardly steady my breath.
    I started faster than