He couldn't seem to get her out of his mind.
It was her smile.
Her laughter.
Really, it was everything about her that drew him in.

He loved how she smelled, and how she always tried to hide the fact that she was looking at him too.

A lock of hair fell across Andrew Montgomery's eye as he shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He needed to get over it. She would never be his. That was something he'd come to understand long ago.

Soccer practice had just finished. He'd seen her briefly as he walked into the locker room a few minutes ahead of the rest of the team. Now, here he was thinking about her again.

His hair was still damp from the shower and stuck to his moist skin. The rest of his teammates were slowly making their way inside the small room. The nauseating smell of sweat mixed with mildew filled the air.

The smell of victory.
Maybe, but it was also just the smell of sweat. He stared down the row of lockers. Only a few more months until graduation, and then he would be out of here. There were things he would miss about this school, but he doubted the pungent smell would be one of them.

"Once again a Montgomery is the first one done," Andrew's friend Warren bellowed to the entire room as he took off his uniform and threw it atop the others on the scattered pile on the floor.

"Some of us actually need to get to class." Andrew pulled on his shirt, and then reached for his khaki shorts, trying to ignore his best friend's fake hurt glare.

Warren put up his hands. "Whoa. Slow down, Montgomery. We've got more to discuss."

"Like what?"

"You planning on going to the party tonight?" Warren leaned against his locker, a serious expression now replacing the previous smirk.

Andrew let a brief moment of silence fall between them. He figured it was probably driving Warren crazy that he wasn't immediately responding.

"Yes," said Andrew reluctantly, raising an eyebrow. He already knew why Warren was asking.

"Your brother too?" Warren looked like a five-year- old pleading with his father.

"I assume he is."

"Good. I'm hoping one of your sorry asses can drive us." Warren slammed his locker door and walked toward the shower.

"Not surprising." Andrew threw his backpack over his shoulder.

Warren must have heard him, because he stopped and turned around. A goofy smile spread across his face. "Dude, you're a better driver. It's all about safety. Now, my other big question...is Cassie going?"

Cassie was Andrew's girlfriend. He wasn't sure the title was still accurate. They had dated their entire junior and senior years, but things had grown stale between them over the past few months. For some odd reason, though, neither of them could seem to pull the trigger and break up with the other.

"Have you ever known Cassie to miss out on a party?" Andrew turned and left the locker room. He slapped the wooden doorframe on his way out. Cassie was the life of every party. It was something Andrew found exhausting. His girlfriend, the head cheerleader, would definitely be attending tonight. It was probably time they parted ways. He just wasn't sure at what point he wanted to break the news to her.

***

"What are you wearing tonight?" Cassie leaned toward Jessica, her blonde hair cascading around her face as she drew her lips into a bright pink pout.

Jessica tried as best she could to ignore the petty question, and instead continued to focus on the assignment they had to complete before the end of class. Even though she wasn't watching Cassie, Jessica knew exactly how her best friend's face looked right now. It was an expression Cassie often wore when she felt that Jessica wasn't being a "responsive" friend.

"Please tell me it will be something cool," Cassie pleaded, unfazed by Jessica's silence. "Jess, tonight is a big night, and you need to wear something hot. It's our senior year, and this is going to be an epic party."

Jessica finally looked over, tired of the typical comments. There was really only one way to answer Cassie. "Well then, I guess I'll need to come over to your house to borrow an outfit," she said coolly. "You know, so I have something 'hot' to wear."

Cassie's eyes widened and she squealed, "Yes! That's exactly what I was hoping you'd say! I knew you would need me." She leaned over and wrapped her thin arms tightly around Jessica.

Jessica decided it was completely pointless to say anything to her best friend. Cassie Adams lived in an alternate universe. That was just a fact of life.

Cassie giggled. "We need to get stupid drunk tonight and make out with at least one guy. That's the goal, Jess. You have to make out with someone too."

Jessica looked over, astonished Cassie had said that out loud. "You mean, I need to make out with a random guy, and you get to kiss your boyfriend?"

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Please! We'll see about Andrew. Sometimes he can be such a Debbie Downer. I'm not even sure I want him to go to the party."

Jessica looked questioningly at her friend. She had heard Cassie talk about Andrew in this way in the past, but she'd never believed it. Andrew was the perfect guy. He was tall, handsome, athletic, and had one of the top GPAs in the school. She knew his parents pushed him hard. He had been accepted to a number of major universities, including the University of Texas. Jessica also planned to attend there in the fall, but she and Andrew had never really talked about it.

"Really, Jess. Andrew can sometimes be a bore." "You don't mean that, Cass."

"I do mean it. He's B-O-R-I-N-G." Cassie pulled a spiral notebook from her bag. "Don't get me started on my boyfriend. I'll take care of him tonight, but we also need to have some fun. I intend to get drunk and drop my panties." She winked as the bell rang. They both hopped up from their seats and slung their backpacks over their shoulders.

Jessica sighed, and resigned herself to the fact that she would be hanging out with Cassie tonight at a party she really didn't want to attend. "Fine."

"It's going to be awesome! Be at my house in one hour, so we can get you ready," Cassie squealed as she disappeared into the sea of students heading down the hallway.

"Okay," Jessica mumbled to herself. She glanced down the hallway, wondering what her life would have been like if Cassie Adams hadn't been her best friend. It probably would have been less complicated. Less dramatic. Possibly dull, but that didn't seem so bad. Dull could be good.

That's when she saw him: Andrew Montgomery. He was walking nonchalantly down the hallway in her direction, his brother, Miles beside him. The two Montgomery boys looked as if they owned the school.

Jessica stopped cold. She tried to stare in the opposite direction, so that it wouldn't seem like she had been watching them, but Andrew still sauntered up to her.

"Hey, Jess. How's it going?" His smooth, sexy voice made every little hair on her neck stand upright.

"Good. You just missed Cassie," she responded, her face fiercely hot. There was something about Andrew that always sent a wave of butterflies circling around the pit of her stomach. She tried not to dwell on it, but that was nearly impossible. She thought about him all the time. Thankfully, no one could read her mind. If they could, they would know she was a crazy, love- struck teen who should be on a show like Dr. Phil, since she spent the majority of her days pining for her best friend's boyfriend.

He let out a soft chuckle. "Okay. Thanks. Are you going to the party tonight?"

She bit down on her bottom lip and nodded. "Perfect. See you there." Andrew winked at her. Maybe it was the wrong move, but for some reason,

Jessica winked back. Andrew smiled, and then clapped Miles on the shoulder before they continued down the hallway. Miles must have said something funny, because Andrew suddenly roared with laughter.

They were both like Greek gods: tall, smart, funny, and completely, completely, completely hot. But Jessica reminded herself that both also had girlfriends, and that meant they were off limits.

She hurried out of the school building. She needed to drive home and grab a few things before heading over to Cassie's to get ready. It was the Friday before their senior year spring break, and Lucas Meadows was throwing his annual party. Once again, his parents would be conveniently gone for the night. Hopefully, it would be a night to remember. 

**Thank you for reading a sample of Stay Forever.  It can be found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Stay-Forever-Darcy-Schroeder-ebook/dp/B07H6C356S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1545319763&sr=8-1&keywords=Darcy+Schroeder