If I Fall Read Online Free PDF

path. Unfortunately, Cheri and my dad were still in Miami. It was my turn to shove away from the table.
    “ Where are you going?” Sara asked.
    I ignored her. I went to my own room and slammed the door into the frame, shaking the walls and rattling my teeth.
    I sat on my bed, rigid, my arms at my sides, my legs straight in front of me. I would not cry, I told myself. Not over my dad. Not now, not ever. But I knew that if I spoke of it, if I picked up the phone and called Jada, those traitor tears would surface.
    I grabbed my phone and scanned my recent texts. I clicked on one, and before I could change my mind, hit the call button.
    “Yeah?”
    My heart fluttered the tiniest bit at the sound of his voice. He didn't offer a hello and I didn't want to give one. “I want to go. This Friday.”
    I could hear the smile in Aidan's voice. “Awesome. I'll pick you up at seven.”

SEVEN

    Jada was at my house, helping me pick out an outfit for my date. I  hadn't asked her to. I perched on the chair at my desk, watching her as she sifted through the hangers in my closet. Her hair was loose, flowing down her back like a river of melted butter.
    “ What about this?” She held up a brown sun dress decorated with delicate white flowers. “It matches your eyes.”
    I wrinkled my nose. “A dress? I don't think so.”
    She hung it back up and pulled out a fitted light blue blouse “This is pretty.”
    I shook my head. I'd worn it two years ago to a holiday party for my dad's department at UCSD. I needed to get rid of it. Burn it. Pretend it was my dad's heart and tear it to shreds.
    She fell on to my bed and sighed. “Well, we've gone through your entire closet. You wanna go to my house, try on some stuff?”
    “ Yeah, like that would work.” Jada was all curves and I was straight as a stick. My B cups had serious tit envy. “Besides, he'll be here in less than an hour.”
    Jada sprawled out, folding her arms above her head. She stared at the ceiling. “Logan doesn't think you should go.”
    “So?”
    “ He thinks he's bad news.”
    “ What is he, my dad?” I rummaged through the bottom drawer of my dresser, searching for my denim mini skirt.
    Jada frowned at me. “Don't get all bent. He's just worried about you.”
    I found it buried underneath a mess of shorts and shimmied into it. “Well, he shouldn't.”
    If she heard me, she didn't let on. “Carter, too. Even Case made a comment.”
    I turned to look at her. “He did? What did he say?”
    My date had been the topic of conversation at lunch for the past two days. I'd caved and told Jada that I'd finally said yes to him, after lying to her about initially saying no. Everyone had offered opinions and advice. Everyone except Case. He'd shown up Tuesday, lunch bag in hand, and Jada had scooted over, making room. He'd joined us the rest of the week, becoming a permanent fixture at our bench. Carter and Logan didn't say anything about it, welcoming him into the fold with little resistance. I guess they'd decided he wasn't gay. I kept stealing glances at him. No way, no how was a guy as good-looking as that batting for the other team. Not the way he flirted with Jada and me. It was never overt and never uncomfortable, but it was definitely there.
    “ Like I said before. Just that he sometimes runs with a rough crowd.”
    I rolled my eyes. “That's not exactly a news flash.”
    I dug through a different drawer, wading through a sea of tank tops, grabbing a brown camisole. Jada was right; I did look good in brown. I found it and slipped into it, adjusting the built-in bra over my less-than-ample breasts.
    I tried to change the subject from me to her. “You guys going to the beach tonight?”
    Jada shook her head. “No. Movies. Logan wants to see some stupid horror movie. It'll probably give me nightmares.”
    I stood in front of my mirror and worked a brush through my hair. “Sounds like the perfect place to put the moves on you-know-who.”
    She wrinkled her nose.