First Fight Read online

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  by Le

  L a T

  ea a

  T dd

  ad on

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  M na

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  First Fight

  by

  by Le

  L a T

  ea a

  T dd

  ad on

  do io

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  First Fight

  Spellbound

  An Imprint of Magic Wagon

  abdopublishing.com

  To PB &J, my favorite combo —LT

  For Corinne & Tori —MP

  abdopublishing.com

  Published by Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO, PO Box 398166, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55439. Copyright © 2017 by Abdo Consulting Group, Inc. International copyrights reserved in all countries. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Spellbound™ is a trademark and logo of Magic Wagon.

  Printed in the United States of America, North Mankato, Minnesota.

  102016

  012017

  Written by Lea Taddonio

  Illustrated by Mina Price

  Edited by Heidi M.D. Elston Art Directed by Candice Keimig Series lettering and graphics from iStockphoto Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Taddonio, Lea, author. | Price, Mina, illustrator.

  Title: First fight / by Lea Taddonio ; illustrated by Mina Price.

  Description: Minneapolis, MN : Magic Wagon, 2017. | Series: Head over heels ; Book 3

  Summary: Lola Jones has strong feelings for star basketball player C.J Kline. But when her big brother finds out, the couple may be torn apart for good.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2016947642 | ISBN 9781624041947 (lib. bdg.) | ISBN 9781624022548

  (ebook) | ISBN 9781624022845 (Read-to-me ebook) Subjects: LCSH: High school students--Juvenile fiction. | Best friends--Juvenile fiction. |

  Interpersonal relationships--Juvenile fiction. | Human behavior--Juvenile fiction.

  Classification: DDC [Fic]--dc23

  LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016947642

  Table

  of

  Contents

  1 Keeping a Secret. .4

  2 So Busted...18

  3 What I Want. .26

  4 This Is My Life...40

  1

  Keeping a Secret

  I’m on my bed listening to

  my favorite song, thinking

  about last night’s date with C.J.

  His cute smile. How good he smelled. The way his hand

  felt pressed against mine.

  I slam a pillow

  over my face and

  giggle.

  5

  My door opENs. “What’re you doing?” My big brother, Joseph, gives me a strange look.

  “Ever hear of knocking?” I ask.

  “What’s so funny?” he says.

  6

  “Your face.” I stick out my tongue.

  He frowns. “Get up. We’re

  leaving in five minutes.”

  7

  Tonight the

  Washington High

  WARCATS

  play the Potter Hill

  . The

  Pirates aren’t a good

  basketball team, but

  they have the best

  drum line in the state.

  I’m nervous.

  8

  9

  10

  “I’m ready,” I yell, but

  Joseph is already outside.

  My phone buzzes

  with a text, and I forget to breathe.

  It’s him.

  C.J.

  “Calm down,” I whisper.

  But my heart slams

  against my ribs.

  11

  C.J

  Want to know a secret?

  I write back: okay.

  C.J

  I can’t stop thinking about you.

  My cheeks hurt from my

  smile while I type back:

  Focus on winning tonight’s

  game, Hot Shot.

  C.J

  I’ve got to tell Joseph about us.

  He has to know.

  12

  My mouth falls

  open. What’s C.J

  thinking?

  C.J’s my brother’s

  best friend.

  He knows Joseph

  better than anyone.

  Even me.

  Doesn’t C.J know my brother will never be

  with us

  being . . .

  What are we anyway?

  15

  C.J and I aren’t boyfriend and girlfriend. We haven’t even

  .

  I’ve never

  anyone.

  And never will if Joseph has his way.

  16

  I pick up my phone to type

  when the screen

  goes black. Dead battery.

  Just my luck.

  17

  2

  So Busted

  The game was a disaster. The Warcats won, but I couldn’t stay on

  . I kept staring at Joseph

  on the bench. It was hard to tell if he looked mad. Had C.J told him about our date? It made me feel

  not to know.

  18

  “Where was your head

  tonight, Lola?” the band director asks me.

  “Nowhere good,”

  one of the other drummers

  mutters.

  I’m not used to this. I am a girl who can focus. I have big dreams of becoming

  the best drummer in the school.

  What if I mess up everything because of boy drama?

  “Sorry,” I whisper. “I have a headache”. Great. Not only

  am I a mess-up, I am a liar.

  21

  I wait for Joseph in the parking lot, looking at the ground. I don’t want to talk to anyone.

  “Lola?” That deep voice

  belongs to the cause of my bad mood.

  “Good game, C.J,” I say.

  22

  “I haven’t told Joseph yet,”

  C.J says.

  I turn around. “For real?”

  Maybe there’s still time to talk sense into him.

  “I want

  to tell him,”

  he says.

  “Tell me what?” Joseph

  stands between us with a tight look on his face.

  25

  3

  What I Want

  “What does my little sister need to tell me?” Joseph asks in a low voice.

  I sHruG. “No clue. He’s

  just messing around.

  Right, C.J?”

  26

  “Yeah. Right.” C.J gives a

  strange laugh, one that

  doesn’t sound funny. “I guess there’s nothing for me to do but go home.” He turns

  around.
r />   And that’s when I know the

  truth. If I say nothing, C.J will walk away. I’ll lose my chance with him forever.

  He takes one step and then

  another.

  29

  “I

  what’s

  up with that guy tonight. We won the game.” Joseph takes out his keys. “Want to get a hamburger on the way home?”

  “Wait!” The word bursts

  from me.

  30

  Joseph’s eyebrows smash

  together. He looks annoyed.

  “Did you forget something in the school ”?

  “I have to put this right.” I turn and run after C.J.

  “Stop, C.J. Please.”

  C.J looks tired. “What

  is it, Lola?”

  I take a deep breath. “I don’t want to make my brother upset.

  He carries so much

  ever since Dad left. He feels like he has to look out

  for Mama and

  me. But I don’t want to hide the truth. I have feelings for you.”

  33

  C.J grins. “I have feelings for you too, Lola. I have for a long time.”

  “What’s that you just said?”

  Joseph steps forward looking like he’s ready to put a fist in C.J’s mouth.

  34

  “We want to be together,”

  I say.

  “No way.” Joseph shakes

  “

  his head at C.J. Not Lola.

  Not my sister, man.”

  “It’s not like that,” C.J says.

  “It’s exactly like

  that,” Joseph shouts. “You could have any girl in the city.”

  C.J sHruGs. “Guess I’ve got taste.”

  37

  “She’s not

  to date basketball players, and that’s final.” Joseph

  steps forward, hands

  clenched.

  That’s when I’ve had

  enough. It’s time to go

  after what I want.

  39

  4

  This Is My Life

  I step between them and hold out my arms, keeping them

  apart. “Both of you need to shut up

  ”

  and listen.

  I hold up one finger. “First, I make decisions for myself.

  Joseph, you are my brother, and

  ”

  I love you, but this is my life.

  41

  I raise another finger.

  “Second, I should’ve told

  you about C.J, but I didn’t know what to say. This is all new to me. I needed

  time to think it over.”

  I hold up another

  finger. “Third, C.J, I’m

  sorry if I made you feel

  dishonest.”

  43

  C.J takes my hand . “You

  aren’t someone I want to hide.”

  “Good.” Joseph crosses his

  arms. “My sister is special.

  She might make me crazy but family is family. She and

  my mom are all I have.”

  Hot tears burn my eyes.

  C.J clears his throat. “You’re my best friend. I won’t do

  anything that ever disrespects your sister.”

  44

  “Better not.”

  Joseph’s

  is

  HARD. “Because if

  you do, you have

  to answer to me ”.

  Hope fills my

  chest. “Does that mean you

  won’t get mad if I spend time with C.J?” I ask.

  “As long as you aren’t

  and hugging

  around me all the time.” My brother makes a face.

  C.J nods. “If that’s the case, I want to walk her home.”

  Joseph is quiet for a few

  seconds. “

  . I see how it

  ”

  is. Be home by curfew, Sis.

  46

  C.J and I walk in silence

  ”

  for a block. “I don’t like fighting, he says at last. “I’m glad we’re at the next part.”

  “What’s the next part?” I ask.

  He gives me a

  .

  “Making up.”

  48

  over

  ove

  v r

  Ta

  First Fight

  dd

  o

  Lola Jones has strong feelings for star nio

  basketball player C.J Kline. But when

  |PrP

  her big brother finds out, the couple ircic

  might be torn apart for good.

  e e

  ov

  er

  books in this series

  #1 First Dance

  #2 First Date

  #3 First Fight

  #4 First Kiss

  Document Outline

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1: Keeping a Secret

  Chapter 2: So Busted

  Chapter 3: What I Want

  Chapter 4: This Is My Life

  Back Cover

 

 

  Lea Taddonio, First Fight

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