Who Needs Boys Read online

  Who Needs Boys?

  STEPHANIE ROWE

  Copyright Information

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Copyright © 2011 by Stephanie Rowe

  First published in 2005 by Stephanie Rowe

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  eISBN: 978-1-937776-02-2

  Stephanie Rowe’s A Girlfriend’s Guide to Boys Series:

  Putting Boys on the Ledge

  Studying Boys

  Who Needs Boys?

  Smart Boys & Fast Girls

  Find Stephanie Online:

  www.StephanieRowe.com

  http://twitter.com/stephanierowe2

  https://www.facebook.com/StephanieRoweAuthor

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Teaser for Smart Boys and Fast Girls

  Teaser for Putting Boys on the Ledge

  Teaser for Studying Boys

  Author Bio

  Dedication and Acknowledgement

  Chapter One

  I was heavily immersed in my fantasy about beautiful beaches, an endless ocean and oodles of tanned, hot guys when my friend Frances elbowed me with a shot of ugly reality.

  Latin class.

  Ugh.

  I pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and jotted her a note. "Why'd you do that? I was fantasizing about Los Angeles. Less than a month away."

  She wrote back, "Listen to Mr. Novak."

  Well, that sure was fun. Frances and I didn't have the same attitude toward school, homework and teachers. She studied. I didn't. She listened to teachers. I daydreamed. Why should I take school seriously? It wasn't as if it would make a difference, and who cared what I did anyway? No one. So I did what I wanted.

  "Allie? Are you with us?"

  I smiled at my teacher. Yeah, sure, he was cute for an old guy, but he was still my teacher. "Of course."

  "Good." He turned back to the board and finished writing an e-mail address. "During the summer, I run a farm stand. I grow most of my own produce in the fields behind the stand. I need kids to work for me this summer. If any of you are interested, e-mail me."

  I raised my hand. "Are we the only people you're asking?" This sounded like a social opportunity if there were boys present. "Or will there be boys there?" Might as well lay it out there. It wasn't as if everyone didn't already know why I was asking.

  Mr. Novak folded his arms across his chest and gave me the Look. You know, the one where the teacher is wondering what in the world he's going to do with you. I get it directed at me a lot. "Actually, there will be quite a few boys working there as well."

  A giggle rippled through the room. I go to an all-girls school in Massachusetts, just outside Boston, and it's hard to meet boys unless you take initiative. Like me. I initiate a lot and I have plenty of boys in my life.

  I'm not about to sit around waiting for them to track me down, because they won't. It's a fact of life. It's not that I'm particularly ugly or anything; it's just that boys don't approach girls, at least not with the frequency I want.

  So I take charge.

  That's what I'm all about. Taking charge. Being independent. It's not like I want to be like that, but I have no choice. My life would suck if I let it.

  "Although there will be boys present, this is not a social event." Mr. Novak pretended to be addressing the class, but he was looking right at me. "It's hard work and I expect full commitment. Anything less and I'll have to let you go. I have a business to run and I need dedicated employees." He nodded to the class. "That's it. Let me know."

  Yeesh. He needed to chill. It wasn't as if I was going to actually sign up and ruin his business. I had bigger plans for this summer.

  "You want to do it?" Frances asked.

  I packed up my notebook. "I can't. I'm going to L.A. for the summer to visit my dad, remember?" I was so psyched. I hadn't seen him much since he'd divorced my mom six years ago, but he was engaged to some woman now and he wanted me to get to know her. Los Angeles in the summer. How cool will that be? Wonder what movie stars I'd see? Maybe I'd get discovered and become a famous actress and never have to come back.

  Frances frowned. "For the whole summer? I thought it was only a couple weeks."

  I fell into step with her. "The whole summer. Isn't that cool? I'm going to spend two glorious months at the beach."

  She lifted her brow. "Sounds productive."

  I rolled my eyes. "Lighten up, Frances. You're productive enough for both of us." And she was. Frances was on full scholarship at our school, and she got straight A's. Her parents were determined that Frances would be the first member of the family to go to college. She took that responsibility seriously. Too seriously. Which meant it was up to me to have enough fun for both of us, since she was certainly doing two people's worth of work.

  "I'm going to do it," Frances announced.

  "Why? You already have a boyfriend. You don't need to meet boys." I still couldn't believe studious Frances and bad boy Theo were dating. She kept him out of trouble, and he got her to loosen up a little. Not a lot, but a little. They'd never last when he went to college in the fall, but that was okay. Then I'd have her back, and I wouldn't have to share her anymore.

  "I need the money," she said.

  "Oh." Stupid, Allie. I should have realized that. Money was always short at her house. "Then it's a good idea. You should do it."

  She nodded. "I wonder if Natalie and Blue want to work there too."

  Natalie and Blue? So the three of them could have some majorly fun adventure this summer at the farm stand without me? I'd come back in September and they'd have all sorts of private jokes that I wouldn't be a part of? "Um... I doubt they'll want to do it. Blue will be hanging out with Colin and Natalie probably has running camp or something."

  Frances gave me a slightly annoyed look. "What's your problem?"

  "I don't have a problem," I shot back. "What's yours?"

  "You." She shifted her backpack to her other shoulder. "You're my problem," she whispered to me. "Why are you being weird? Natalie and Blue will totally go for it and we'll have fun. Maybe we'll even get Natalie a boyfriend so she can double with me and Blue."

  So, they'll have this amazing time together while I'm out in L.A. with my dad and his new woman? Alone. Missing out.

  I lifted my chin. No, this was fine. I was going to have a great summer. So there. It wouldn't matter that I'd miss out on their fun. I'd create my own and it would be way better.

  Besides, I'd be with my dad. Nothing could top that. And that part was actually true. I missed my dad like crazy.

  * * *

  We met Natalie and Blue at three o'clock on the town common. It was a huge grassy area flanked by some trees. On sunny, warm days, it was always pretty crowded with people enjoying the weather. Natalie and Blue already had towels out and were cranking tunes. The sun was out and it was a totally awesome June day. Summer was on its way.

  I flopped down next to Natalie and helped myself to a chocolate chip cookie, courtesy of Natalie's mom. Blue's offerings would end up in the trash. H
er mom's health food recipes weren't exactly yummy. "Can you believe school is almost out?"

  "Less than three weeks," Natalie said. "I'm so excited." She was lying on her back wearing a tank top and shorts. "I can't wait for track to be over. I want to hang out and relax." She opened one eye to peer at us. "I told my coach I was having female pain, which is why I'm not at practice today."

  I grinned. "Way to go, Nat! I'm impressed."

  "Was I going to miss out on enjoying this gorgeous afternoon? I couldn't bear to spend it sweating and getting dirty. I can run later, when it's dark." Natalie closed her eyes and held out her hands. "Sun, bake me, please."

  "This is our last week of school," I said. The private schools got out way earlier than the public ones. "You guys still have three weeks left?"

  "Don't you guys ever have to be in class?" Natalie grumbled.

  "At least you have boys around," I said, stretching out beside her. How good did that warm sun feel? Heaven. I couldn't wait for L.A. "I'd trade a short school year for having boys around in a heartbeat."

  "What good does the presence of boys do me? They only think of me as a friend. I'm one of the guys." It was Natalie's ongoing lament. As a runner, she was on coed teams all year long, but it hadn't done anything to help her social life. Which was okay with me. Now that Frances and Blue had boyfriends, Natalie and I had to support each other on Friday nights.

  "I might have a solution to your boyfriend situation," Frances said.

  I bit my lower lip and tried not to feel jealous, because I knew what Frances was about to offer.

  "One of our teachers is hiring kids to work at a farm stand this summer," Frances said. "There will be boys and we earn money."

  Natalie sat up. "Really?"

  Frances nodded. "I'm going to sign up. Want to do it with me?"

  "Yes!" Natalie exclaimed, with way too much excitement.

  I frowned. "What about running camp? Aren't you going to running camp this summer?"

  Natalie rubbed her chin. "Yeah, but only for a week in August." She looked at Frances. "Do you think he'd let me take off for a week to go to camp?"

  "Definitely. He's totally cool."

  I tried to imagine some hot, tanned guy rubbing sunscreen onto my back on an endless white beach. That would be so much better than hanging with my friends, hauling dirt piles around, right? Of course, right.

  "I'm in," Blue said. "Sounds like fun."

  I scrunched my eyes shut and thought about meeting a hot movie star on the street and him asking me out. See? I wouldn't miss out by being away from my friends.

  "Are you working at the farm stand too, Allie?" Frances asked.

  I opened my eyes and put a big smile on my face. "I'm going to L.A. To visit my dad." How cool did that sound when I said it out loud? Yes, I had a dad who wanted to see me.

  "I forgot." Blue sighed. "That's so awesome. I wish I was going with you."

  "Me too," Natalie said.

  By the time my friends finished discussing why L.A. was going to be so cool and how they were so bummed they couldn't go, I was feeling much better. Yeah, so they'd have a good time this summer without me. I'd have a good time too, and who knew? Maybe my dad would even ask me to live there with him. Maybe this was the first step to him wanting his daughter back in his life.

  This was going to be the summer that changed my life. I was certain of it.

  * * *

  Three weeks later, I stood back and eyed all the stacks of clothes on my bed. No way were those going to fit in my two suitcases. I wondered if my mom had another one I could borrow. It was too late to go to the store and buy more luggage.

  The advantage of having an absentee mom who was too busy dating to waste time on her daughter: the Guilt Credit Card. She figured she could buy my loyalty, and who was I to argue? She'd done well in the divorce, so I might as well have some benefit of the nightmare, don't you think? Of course, the credit card only worked when I could use it. At ten o'clock on a Friday night, there was nowhere I was going to find a suitcase for sale.

  I stuck my head out into the hall. "Mom? Are you here?"

  Silence.

  The disadvantage of having an absentee mom: She was never around. Between dating and her career as an accountant, there wasn't a whole lot of time for mother/daughter things. We didn't even need the money, but she said she needed the job for self-esteem purposes. Yeah, whatever.

  I frowned as I wandered into her room to check under the bed for another suitcase. Should I call a cab for the airport tomorrow? She'd sworn she would be able take me, but she'd forgotten before. She'd even been squeezed out of the carpool circle with my friends: After she left us at the movie theater at midnight, Blue's mom had decided that she'd take over my mom's duties.

  Which was fine. Got us home, didn't it? And I had learned not to care that Mom wasn't home or didn't seem to give a rip if my head fell off and rolled out into the street. She'd just step over my beheaded body on her way out to her next date. Exactly how I liked it. I didn't need her. Which is why I was going to do everything in my power to convince my dad to invite me to stay out in L.A. with him. Yeah, sure, I'd miss my friends, but by the end of the summer I'd be dating some gorgeous rock star and all his friends would be mine, and I'd have no room for missing my friends.

  But first, I had to get all my cute clothes out to California with me, and that wasn't going to happen with my two small suitcases.

  I dropped to my knees and peered under my mom's bed.

  Nothing under the bed except dust and a pair of Ferragamos she'd discarded. Sadly, her feet were two sizes bigger than mine.

  I checked her closet. Nothing. Time to try my sister's room.

  I rifled through my sister's stuff, but of course she'd taken her luggage with her when she'd gone off to London for a summer program before starting college in the fall. She had left behind a sweet black miniskirt and a lace camisole I'd been coveting for ages. Now they were mine!

  Wishing I had time to search for more lost treasures Louisa had abandoned, I sighed as I walked out of her room clutching my new clothes. I really missed her. Yeah, she'd been out with her friends a lot over the last year, but she had been around to give me advice about boys or makeup or my friends.

  And now she was in London getting educated. Or at least, that's what she'd said to my mom. I knew it was because she wanted to get out of this house, just like I did.

  I stood in the upstairs hall and listened to the utter silence. And to think I'd been upset I was missing out with my friends this summer. No way was hanging out with them worth enduring this tomb for two months, not when I had the option of going to L.A. With my dad.

  Speaking of which, I really needed to find a duffel bag or something.

  The front hall closet held nothing, and neither did the guest room. Darn it! There had to be something somewhere.

  I walked to the kitchen and dialed my mom. I wasn't supposed to bother her on dates unless it was an emergency, but this definitely constituted an emergency, don't you think? Besides, she'd probably forgotten this was my last night at home and she'd appreciate the reminder so she could rush home and spend some quality time with me before I took off.

  The phone rang and then went into voice mail.

  So I dialed again. Same result. "Mom, call me as soon as you can."

  Guess I was on my own to pack.

  I kicked at the steps as I stomped back upstairs. Shouldn't someone want to see me off tonight? Shouldn't my mom be sad her daughter was leaving for two months? You'd think one night off from the dating scene wouldn't have killed her.

  The doorbell rang before I made it to the top. "Mom?" Grinning, I ran down the stairs and flung it open. It was Natalie, Blue and Frances, their boyfriends. They were carrying pizza, soda and DVDs. Not as good as my mom, but also better than her. "What are you guys doing here?"

  "Farewell party for Allie, of course," Natalie announced. "You didn't think we were going to forget, did you?"

  I couldn't wi
pe the grin off my face. "Maybe I did, a little." This was awesome! My true friends.

  "Loser." Blue hugged me and then led the way inside. "To the family room," she announced. "That's where the surround sound is."

  Theo, who was both Blue's older brother and Frances's boyfriend, slung his arm over my shoulder and hauled me into the living room. "You know we'll miss you."

  I've known Theo since I was a baby. We'd all known each other forever, except for Colin, of course, Blue's boyfriend. But Colin was totally cool and fit in like he'd been one of the crew forever.

  I was going to miss them. A lot. What if my dad didn't love me? What if I got out to L.A. and it was horrible? Suddenly, my stomach began to hurt.

  "What's wrong?" Natalie slid next to me on the couch.

  "Nothing." I looked around. "Where are the boys for me and Natalie?" I still hadn't figured out why Colin and Theo didn't bring their friends around for Natalie and me to try on for size. Probably because their friends were too cool to hang with a bunch of freshman girls. Well, forget that. I wasn't a freshman anymore. School was out, and I was on my way to being a sophomore.

  Totally worthy of older boys. No, not boys. Guys. Men. Hot, sexy men who were waiting for me in Los Angeles.

  Colin grinned. "There were so many guys who wanted to come that we couldn't decide, so we decided not to bring anyone. But you girls were highly sought after."

  "Yeah, right." I rolled my eyes and flopped back on the couch. "I'll have plenty of my own boys when I get to LA." Then I sat up. "No, not boys. Men. I'll have men."

  "You're only fourteen," Natalie pointed out. She was the only one who could argue against me dating men, since Blue and Frances were both dating older guys.

  "Fifteen in a month. And I look like I'm eighteen." I shot a look at the boys. "Don't I?"