Seven Steps
Copyright ©2019 by Seven Steps
All rights reserved by the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locals, or persons, living or dead, is wholly coincidental.
No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, recording, by information storage and retrieval or photocopied, without permission in writing from Seven Steps.
Edited by Angela Campbell, C. Marie, and Emily Lawrence
Proofread by Genevieve Scholl
Cover Photo provided by Shuttershock
Proudly Published in the United States of America
Created with Vellum
Contents
Also By
Foreword
The Boyfriend Agreement
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chasing Mermaids
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
The Secret Lives of Princesses
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
The Trouble With Kissing Frogs
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
&n
bsp; Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Also By
Afterword
Also By
St. Mary’s Academy Series (Clean YA Romance)
The Boyfriend Agreement (Book I)
Chasing Mermaids (Book 2)
The Golden Boy (Book 3)
Stealing Hearts (Book 4)
The Secret Lives of Princesses (Book 5)
The Trouble With Kissing Frogs (Book 6)
Rebels, Love Letters, and the Secret Crush (Book 7)
Clean New Adult Romance
The Last Rock King
Clean Adult Contemporary Romance
Peace in the Storm
Clean Historical Western Romance
Adam’s Bride
A Touch of Grace
Clean Sci-Fi Romance
Venus Rising
The Escape
Fire In The Sky
Foreword
Thank you for reading the St. Mary’s Academy Box Set. This box set is laid out in the order the books are meant to be read. Please enjoy, and don’t forget to leave a review on Amazon.
Happy Reading!
—Seven Steps
The Boyfriend Agreement
1
I am invisible.
I eat, sleep, go to school. I even manage to strap on my running shoes from time to time and race around my lower middle-class neighborhood in Brooklyn NY, just one subway stop away from Manhattan. It’s an ill-advised pastime, really. According to Maria Jimenez on the six o’clock news, criminals are no strangers to Briar Hills, Brooklyn. Let’s just say that the neighborhood watch around here has a way different meaning than in nicer places. Still, no one has bothered me yet. It’s as if they don’t see me. Like I’m a single ray of sunshine on a clear day. Unheeded and hardly noticed.
Like I said. Invisible.
One would imagine that being invisible would be fun. It’s not. It’s less like a superpower and more like drowning in a glass tank in the middle of a crowded room. I hated it. At best, people looked through me instead of at me. At worst, my existence was completely forgotten. I knew this because when people got around to noticing me, it was always with a surprised expression.
“Hey. I didn’t see you there.”
“When did you get here?”
“Have you been here long?”
Being invisible sucked. I wanted to be seen. To be acknowledged. For someone to say, ‘Nice outfit, Bella’ or ‘I love your hair, Bella’ or ‘What do you think about that, Bella.’ But for someone like me, getting a compliment was like finding a yellow thread in a haystack. Impossible.
And so, I had no plans on being seen at school that morning. A fact that I flaunted by not washing my super curly hair and wearing old jogging pants with a hole in the knee. St. Mary’s Academy didn’t have a dress code for Juniors or Seniors. They called the policy progressive. Really, it was so that the junior and senior fashion club, of which the principal’s daughter was the president, could showcase their latest designs. Nepotism at its finest.
Ms. Mitchell, my English teacher, walked between the classroom desks, a faded copy of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing in her hand.
She read the words reverently, as if Old Bill were writing them just to her.
“I do love nothing in the world so well as you. Is that not strange?”
The words pulled a sigh from me, and I slowly turned, looking for the boy that I always looked at when I thought of romance.
Jake Winsted.
I had been in love with Jake since the ninth grade. It wasn’t just his looks, though his blond hair and blue eyes were the definition of gorgeous. It wasn’t just his super-hot football player body, or his laugh that started deep in his belly and shook the walls whenever he released it. It was the quiet moments. Like, when something caught his interest and his whole body leaned forward, totally engaged. It was the way everyone looked up to him. He was the most popular boy in school, and yet I’d never seen him bully anyone. He wore his power with confidence and ease, wielding it sparingly and always for good.
Ms. Mitchell—Leah, to me—closed the worn book, slipping one slim finger between the pages to hold her place.
“It’s often said that the simplest words hold the most power. You, my little birdies, are going to give me your simple but powerful words in project form.”
A collective groan rose from my fellow students. I, however, gave a little cheer. I know it’s weird, but I actually liked projects, and I loved school. My dream was to graduate valedictorian of my class. Considering that I had the second highest GPA in the school, that dream might actually become a reality.
“This project consists of two parts.” Her red t-strap heels tapped against the polished wood floor as she continued her journey up and down the aisles. In the course of a class, Ms. Mitchell would walk down each of the four aisles at least a dozen times, her heels making short taps against the floor like some weird, slowed down version of Morse code. All that exercise must’ve contributed to her figure that I would best describe as lithe.
“You will write me a ten-page summary of the Shakespearian work of your choice.”
Easy peasy, rice and cheesy. I could write essays in my sleep.
“The second part of this project will be a group aspect. You will be partnered up with a fellow student, and the pair of you will compose a short, dramatic play based on your chosen work.”
I sat up straight in my chair. Partners? My mind raced with the possibilities. Who would be my partner? What if it was Jake? Could such a wonderful thing even happen?
Gooseflesh skittered across my upper back. I was suddenly very aware of my body. My outfit (homeless chic, at best), my greasy, puffy hair, my non-name-brand, red sneakers. I was a complete and total mess. I couldn’t be Jake’s partner wearing something like this. He’d probably take one look at me and barf. I know I would.
“The partners will be announced on Monday, and the project will be due two weeks after that.”
She leaned on her desk, crossing her ankles in front of her. Ms. Mitchell was beautiful, in a librarian sort of way. Her wardrobe consisted of dark blazers with short skirts, white shell tops, and red t-strap heels. For the most part, she kept her hair up in a French twist, held in place with pearl chopsticks. Red cat-eye glasses dangled from a black strap around her neck. Reading glasses.