Текст книги "Date Me"
Автор книги: Jillian Dodd
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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 20 страниц)
9:30pm
After auditions, I have a little time before curfew, so Dawson leaves the JV game and meets me in his room.
“I think my tryout went pretty well.”
"Speaking of pretty . . ." He kisses my neck hard, unbuttons my blouse, and grins. "This is the bra from the day at the library."
"You have an obsession with bras. What are you, like thirteen?" I laugh, but I love that he likes them.
He throws me on the bed and shakes his head. "I know a lot more now than when I was thirteen."
My phone buzzes with a text and I peek at it over his shoulder.
"Dawson! Ohmigawd! Yay! I got a callback!"
"A what?"
"A callback. From the director! I mean, the drama coach!"
"What does that mean?"
"It means he liked my tryout enough to want me to read another scene tonight, probably with one of the princes to see if we have chemistry on stage."
"Chemistry? Like the kissing parts?"
"It's not just the kissing. It's are we believable to the audience? Am I a good enough actress to pretend like I have feelings for him? Haven't you ever seen a movie where two people are supposed to fall in love but you just can't picture them together? I mean, take Twilight for example. I think when most people read the book they loved Edward. But when the first movie came out a lot of people started switching to Team Jacob because it felt like they had good chemistry." I laugh. "And, well, his abs didn't hurt either."
"But aren't the people who played Edward and Bella a couple in real life?"
"I'm not sure, but I think they were a couple during some of the filming."
"So, some people do fall in love with their co-stars." He hangs his head a little.
I wrap my arms around his neck. "Dawson, I love you. Please don't be jealous."
He pushes me back a little to read my face.
"Is Jake just giving me shit?"
"Yes."
"It's just he has Whitney, and I was a little nervous he'd get you too."
"You're jealous Jake has Whitney?"
He runs his hand through his hair and sighs. "No, it's just he was telling Bryce and Tyrese about other night. About how she was drunk. How hot the sex was. I guess she's different with him."
"Our sex is different than it was with you and her, it would stand to reason that theirs would be different too,” I say, even though I know that Jake was talking about sex with Peyton, not Whitney.”
"Yeah, I guess. Maybe she just wasn't that attracted to me."
Knowing what I know about her wanting his brother instead, I'd say he's probably right. "Not to bring up my past, but I'm not the same with you as I have been before. You make me feel a whole lot sexier."
He tries to pull my bra off. "You are sexier."
“And I have to go. I’ll call you when I get back to my dorm.”
Friday, September 30th
Stranded on second base.
Breakfast
I’m sitting at breakfast with Riley and Dallas.
“So, I’m giving up on boobs.” Dallas says.
Riley is like, “You going gay, dude?”
“Ah, no. But apparently some girl complained to a teacher about it, like I was sexually harassing her or some shit.”
“That’s kinda lame,” I say.
“It’s not like you were touching them or anything. Were you?” Riley asks.
“Naw, I mean, not unless she wanted me to later.” Dallas grins. “But I decided that basically the psychic panty network and the boob guessing were really just pickup lines. Ways to talk to a girl, get her attention.”
I nod my head. “I could see that.”
“So, I have a new approach.”
“Oh, boy, what’s that?”
“I’m going to try a different pickup line every few days.”
“Interesting idea.”
“Maybe we could go off campus and try out a few,” Riley suggests.
“Riley, are you trying to meet new girls? I thought you were crazy about Ariela?”
“I am, but, shit. I told you. I’m stranded on second base. I haven’t been stranded on second base since seventh grade!”
“Which means you like her.”
“Yeah, maybe. We’ll see.”
I turn to Dallas. “So does it start today? What’s your line? Try it out on me.”
“I can’t just say it. I need to work it into the conversation.”
The bells rings, reminding us it's time to head to our first class.
"I'll walk over and refill my coffee. You come up to me and say it.”
He rolls his eyes at me. “Fine.”
“Wait,” Riley says. “I’m going to get coffee with her. I gotta hear this.”
Riley and I wander up to the coffee thermoses, refill our cups, and then turn to walk to class.
Dallas saunters up next to me. He’s wearing a very cute smile. It's the smile I noticed the first day, when I decided to go sit by him. He stops and lays his hand gently on my forearm.
I stop walking and give him a confused look.
He grins at me and says, “I just have to ask. Did you have Lucky Charms for breakfast this morning?”
"Uh, no. Why?"
"Cuz you look magically delicious.”
I can’t help it. I grin back at him and laugh. Because if I didn’t have a boyfriend, I would totally fall for that.
“I didn’t have Lucky Charms,” I say, “but now I wish I would have. You should say that to Katie today. It’d probably melt her panties off.”
Riley hits Dallas on the back as he walks off to his first class. "I thought that was pretty lame.”
"Only because you didn't think of it first." They both laugh, then Riley turns to me. "So I hear you asked Ariela to go shopping with you. Now Dallas and I will be stuck here alone."
"Why don't you go to Columbia with Dawson?”
"Dawson is going to Columbia?" He raises his eyebrows at me.
"Yeah."
"And you're okay with that?"
"Uh, I think so. Should I not be okay with that?”
"Camden is . . . well, he's trouble."
"Trouble, how?"
"I know what goes on there. Cam knows a lot of girls. Gets a lot of girls."
I squint my eyes trying to follow. Then I realize what he's not saying and my eyes get big. "You think he's going to cheat on me?"
"Cam is an awesome brother, but he can be a dick. All I ever wanted was to be like him." He sighs. "Part of why I got kicked out of school."
"You need to tell me what happened."
"I was told to never speak of it again," he says seriously.
"By who?"
"The dean."
"Oh. So you can't tell me?"
"Maybe some other time." He laughs. "It's a pretty epic story, really. I can't believe I'm sitting here saying all this. What the hell did you do to me?"
"What I did to you?"
"Yeah, I'm turning into Dawson. Pussy whipped but getting no pussy."
I smile at him. "You like Ariela. She's going to be so excited tonight. I can't wait."
"It was cool of you to ask her to go shopping with you. I'd like it if you were friends."
"I know. That's why I asked. So you really think your brother is going to cheat on me? He's, um, not really in the same situation as you."
Riley punches my shoulder. "He's whipped, all right."
I nod my head. "I meant the other part."
“Unfortunately, he’s been rubbing that part in. Not details. Just how hot you make him, that kind of thing. Although he’s not very excited about you may be doing the play. I heard you got called back to read with Jake and Logan."
“I did. Jake and I have good chemistry on stage and Logan seems to kind of hate me, which, really, is perfect for the part. He’s going to pretend to like me just to screw things up for his brother. Getting a callback is exciting, but I still don’t know if I’ll get the part.”
Winning runs in the family.
History
During history, our classroom is paged and I’m called to the office.
Everyone in class goes, Ooooohhhh. Like I did something I’m about to get in trouble for.
As I put my notebook into my bag, my mind starts to go crazy thinking about what I’ve possibly done wrong.
I’ve never gotten in trouble at school.
Except Aiden causing me to be late those two times.
Do they know Dawson sneaks into my room? Do they know we party at Hawthorne House after curfew? Do they know I smoke at the Cave?
I get to the office and say to the secretary, “I’m Keatyn Monroe. You called me out of class?”
Peyton steps out from behind a cubicle. “Oh, that was me. I need your help on some of this after-party stuff. I didn’t think you would mind getting out of class.”
I smile at the secretary, trying to assure her that I wasn’t the least bit nervous.
Peyton loops her arm through mine and says loudly, “We’re going to my dorm so that we can make some phone calls in peace.”
As we walk by the big trophy cases out front, she stops and points at some photos. “These are all the past Homecoming Kings and Queens. Isn’t that cool? I love looking at the dresses and hairstyles and how they’ve changed over the years.”
I study the photos, going back to the early 40s. “They are very cool. I like this dress especially.” I point to the winner from four years ago. She’s wearing a gorgeous but simply cut pale pink gown. “Clarke?” I look at her closer. “Is she related to Whitney?”
Peyton nods. “That’s her older sister, Winnie Clarke. Isn’t she gorgeous? She was captain of the dance team too.” She points at two other photos a couple years further back. “And these are her brothers.”
“So winning runs in the family?”
“Yeah. Part of why she acts like she’s entitled to win.”
“I love her sister’s gown. Is Whitney’s that pretty?”
Peyton laughs. “I guess that all depends on what you consider pretty. Come on. We better get going.”
As soon as we walk out of the building, she says, “I lied. The event coordinator is handling most of the after-party stuff. I thought maybe we could go to my room and look at dresses online. The dress is a big part of the tradition. Did you notice how all the dresses were very subtle? Very classy?”
“Yeah, and I read the flyer with all the rules regarding the dress.”
“Everyone who was nominated is either a cheerleader or a dancer. We’ll change into our dresses right before halftime, but Whitney will wear hers for the entire game. Want to see a picture of Whitney’s dress?”
“Sure,” I say. I’m sure it’s going to be gorgeous.
We get to her room and she pulls up a photo of Whitney’s dress on her laptop. “So this is hers. What do you think of it?”
I look at the dress. It’s a strapless nude-colored gown with a high slit up one leg. The entire bodice down to just above the knee is encrusted with very large multi-colored pastel jewels. Past the knee, the jewels are sprinkled sparsely down the nude colored mesh.
“Wow. It’s, um, pretty bold. It looks more like a pageant dress to me. But it’s hard to tell until you see it on.”
“It’s way over the top. Especially when you consider the way they want us to look. Wait ’til you see mine.”
She clicks the mouse and up pops a photo of Peyton in a fully beaded gown. I can’t help it. I start laughing. “You look like you should be turning letters on a game show, not wearing a Homecoming crown!”
She giggles with me. “That’s why I’m so excited to go shopping with you. I want a dress that’s me. This is not me. And it weighs about ten pounds.”
“I think that’s why Whitney’s choice is such a shock. She dresses so conservatively. I’m surprised she would buy something like that.”
“She said she wants to stand out.”
“You stand out when a dress enhances your beauty. You have to wear the dress. The dress can’t wear you. That’s why so many people choose their Academy Awards dresses wrong. They look at the dress’s beauty, not their beauty in the dress.”
Peyton gives me a mega-watt smile. One that is identical to her brother’s.
“Exactly. That’s exactly what I want.”
She clicks around and shows me some dresses she’s found online. Shows me a list of stores she’d like to go to.
I show her the dress that I ordered last night online.
“Oh, Keatyn, that dress is so you. It’s traditional, but the red is just a little more watermelon and the cutouts on the bodice are a really unique detail. It’s really pretty.”
“Thanks. It’s a brand I’ve worn before, so I have a pretty good idea of how it will fit. I think it’s the one, but I’m going to look this weekend to see if I find anything better. And I need some cute outfits for our dress up days.”
Peyton continues to click around on her computer. I decide to be brave and just ask what I’ve been wondering since the day Whitney called us glitter whores. “So what does Whitney have on you anyway?"
“What do you mean?”
“I just get the feeling that she’s holding something over your head.”
She shakes her head. “I can't tell you. It's horrible. I'm so ashamed of myself."
"At my old school, my best friend was a girl like Whitney. She threatened to tell everyone that my relationship with my perfect boyfriend was a sham because we hadn't had sex yet."
"You didn't want people to know you were a virgin? Why not?"
"Because we dated for a year and a half. Everyone thought we were doing it. She even thought we were until I slipped and told her one day. You shouldn't care, Peyton. If you don't care, then she can't hurt you. She loses her power over you.”
"What she has on me is way worse."
"Tell me. Get it off your chest. I promise you'll feel better."
She squints her eyes at me and sizes me up. "You swear to god that you will never tell anyone?”
I raise an eyebrow at her. "I'll do better than that. I'll pinkie swear." I hold my pinkie up and let her grab it.
"Okay," she says. "So, not long after Cam and I broke up . . .” Her chest heaves.
I can tell she's all torn up about this. Maybe it is worse.
No, I . . . I’m sorry. I can't tell you."
"Tell me. I promise I won't be shocked."
She blurts out, "I slept with a teacher."
My eyes get huge. I can't hide my shock. "I'm sorry. I am shocked. Who?"
She sighs big. “Coach Kline.”
“The hot Assistant Boys' Soccer coach?”
She nods.
“How did that happen?”
“After Cam slept with Whitney and never called, we started dating. We dated for well over a year. Even survived a summer apart. We broke up in October of my sophomore year. I was devastated and it didn’t help that there were stressful things going on at home. So I was crying on the soccer field one day after practice. Coach Kline was nice. He listened. That's how it started."
"Started? So it wasn't a one-time thing?"
"No. It lasted a few months. We didn't sleep together right away. We were sort of friends first. He was single back then and fresh out of college. He’s an alum. Was a soccer stand out when he was here as a student. Played soccer in college. He did his student teaching here and when they offered him a coaching position, he jumped at it. Since then, he’s gotten his Masters and gotten married. He was only twenty-two at the time. And it just went further. I never regretted it.”
"How did Whitney find out?"
"We were roommates. She thought I was lying to her about something, so she followed me one night. Even took pictures of us, um, together."
"Oh my gosh."
"She threatened to tell the school. Said I was going to get expelled. She hated me because of Cam. I know, in retrospect, he probably would’ve gotten fired and I wouldn't have been in trouble. Clearly, I was underage when it happened. But I didn't want to upset my parents. And now, if she showed the pictures, it would ruin his marriage, get him fired, and definitely get me expelled."
"Were you more popular than her? Back then?"
She shrugs and wipes a tear from her eye. "Maybe. I didn't really think of it that way. I made dance team and she didn't. But I didn't think she really cared. She didn't seem to want to get involved in any activities. I signed up for everything. Figured if I stayed busy, I wouldn't have to think about stuff."
“The other day in the locker room, when you threw away the shoes . . .”
“Wasn’t that great? It felt so freeing. And she always makes snide comments about our dance outfits. I think it’s because she’s jealous.”
“If she tried out and didn’t make it, I’m sure she is. Did she try out the next year?”
“No. Ever since, she acts like she’s too good for it.” Peyton snickers. “Really, it’s that she’s just not a very good dancer.”
Better than naked chests?
French
Although Peyton wants to skip the rest of the day, I tell her that I need to get to French.
“My brother has really started enjoying French,” she teases.
“He doesn’t enjoy it. He just likes it better because he’s not so close to failing anymore. Takes some of the pressure off.”
She looks at the clock. “You better scoot, then. I think I’m going to stay here. Maybe take a nap.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you before the game.”
I slide into my desk just before the tardy bell rings.
From behind me Aiden says, “Congrats on the play. I told you you’d get the part.”
I flip around. “What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you hear the cast announcement at lunch?”
“No! I skipped lunch. I was helping your sister with some Social Committee stuff. Well, sorta.”
“You’re playing the part of the Cheerleader Bachelorette.”
I let out a loud shrill. “Ahhhh!”
Miss Praline goes, “Keatyn?”
I flip back around. “I can’t help it. I’m so excited!”
Aiden explains, “She just found out she got the role she wanted in the school play.”
“Well, that’s nice, Miss Monroe. Congratulations.”
“I’m excited for you, Keatyn,” Annie says. “But I’m even more excited for tomorrow.”
I grab her arm. “Oh, I didn’t tell you about tonight, did I? Riley is going to ask Ariela right before the game. We’re writing Homecoming? on a football and he’s going to pass it to her during warm ups.”
“Oh, that’s so cute!”
“And she’ll be able to keep the football. I kind of wish I had something to keep.”
“Me too,” Annie says. “Although I do have a screen shot of him asking me. And Maggie took pictures.”
I think about Aiden’s Homecoming stars.
I spin around to ask him. “What ever happened with your stars, Aiden? I keep thinking I’ll see someone post them on Facebook.”
“What stars?” Annie asks.
Aiden ignores Annie and says in a stern voice, “I don’t want to talk about it.”
I turn back around.
Why doesn’t he want to talk about it?
Oh my gosh. Is he embarrassed because she said no?
And who in their right mind would have said no?
I think about what Shark said in detention that day. What was it? Something about Aiden and the dream girl. Or waiting for the dream girl.
Who is this dream girl and what the hell is her problem?
Is she blind?
I sneak a peek at Aiden.
His head is down. But I can see his arms. His lightly bronzed skin. His blond hair, which he’s been pushing over to the side instead of spiking up because it needs to be cut. He’s doodling on his notebook, causing the muscle in his forearm to flex the same way it did when he trapped me against the wall the other night. When he said, Date us both.
Is that what he wanted to do? Date both me and the Homecoming girl?
Ugghh. Riley was right. He is so the player.
But my curiosity gets the best of me, so I write him a note.
I close my eyes and think about lying next to him. His pinkie just touching mine.
He whispers in my ear. “You better be there, or I’ll quit Social Committee.”
“So quit. I’m tired of you telling me that. If you don’t want to be there, then just quit.”
He leans up a little closer and sighs, his breath warming the side of my face. “I need you. Please?”
I turn around to tell him I’ll try, but when I do my check smashes straight into his lips.
“You want me to kiss you, all you have to do is ask. You don’t have to try and be all sneaky about it.”
I whip my head forward, flipping my hair in his stupid face. “Kissing you is the last thing I want to do,” I mutter.
“In your life?”
“What?”
“Are you telling me that will be your dying wish? It’s the last thing I want to do. Have his lips on mine. Then I can die happy,” he says dramatically.
“You really should’ve tried out for the play. Drama king.”
“I’m not a drama king.”
“Ha! Everything about you is drama.” I turn back around and smirk at him. “Big production. But no one is buying the tickets.”
“And you’re the little production that gets out of hand. Turns into a massive time and money pit. Then goes straight to DVD.”
I think about something sad and let tears come to my eyes. “That’s harsh.” I dab the corner of my eye for effect. Hang my head down a little.
I’m so sad.
His face completely softens. I can tell he feels bad.
“I was just teasing. I already told you that you’d get amazing reviews and I . . .”
I slowly let my face break into a wide shit-eating grin.
“Seriously? You can bring on the fake tears that easily?”
I shrug a shoulder. “It’s a gift.”
A good send off.
3:30pm
We don’t have dance practice, since there’s a game tonight, so I drag Dawson to his room to kiss him.
Actually, I’m thinking about doing more than kissing him. His parents are coming for the game and he’s going back home with them, so I won’t get to see him later. And he’s going to be hanging out with his brother and lots of other girls.
I’m thinking he needs a good send off. And I have the perfect thing for that.
I reach down and skim my hand across the front of his pants.
Dawson gives my body a squeeze. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“You don’t want me?” I pout.
Shit. Maybe Riley is right. Maybe I should be worried.
He pushes himself against me, so I can feel that his body does want me.
“I do want you, but you’ll wear me out. I need to be fresh for this game. St. Thomas is a big rival, and I thought you had to tutor Aiden?”
"I thought you were jealous of Aiden?"
"Well, that was before. When I thought he liked you."
“And now you think he doesn't?"
"It's pretty obvious that he doesn't. He could’ve taken advantage of what happened last weekend. Instead, he told Riley about it. So that Riley would tell me. I was wrong to be jealous. He’s obviously not into you, so I'm fine with you tutoring him. I mean, we do need him. He's our starting kicker and since Cole got hurt, he’s starting at receiver too. We don't want him to get kicked off the team because he’s failing.”
“I know, but . . .” I make a sad face. Now I am feeling jealous. I don’t want to sound like a whiny, jealous girlfriend. But still. “Will your brother encourage you to cheat on me? Riley says he will. Says I should be nervous,” I blurt out.
Dawson smiles at me and pulls me down on his bed. “Is that what this is all about?”
“Kinda, yes.”
“You’re going to New York with a bunch of girls. Are you going to be looking for guys? I suspect you could pick up a guy any time you wanted.”
“You’re silly. Guys really don’t pay that much attention to me.”
He gives me a look. “I’m not buying that.”
“At my old school, my best friend used to tell me I was good bait. Apparently, I’m easy to talk to. Which meant I’d become their friend, and she’d sleep with them.”
“Was she not as pretty as you?”
“She was very pretty, but more like Whitney. Not very approachable.”
“So she was a big bitch?”
I can’t help but laugh. “Kinda, yeah.”
He grabs both of my hands and looks at me seriously. “Keatie, I love you. I’m not looking for other girls. I just want to hang out with my brother. It’s weird not having him here every day.”
“Are you closer to him than you are with Riley?”
“Riley and I are getting closer, but he wasn’t here the last two years. It was me and Cam.”
“That makes sense.” I sigh. “I guess I better go.”
He leans in to give me what I assume is a good-bye kiss. But it’s better than that. His lips press hard against mine and he pulls me up onto his lap.
“I am leaving right after the game,” he says in between kisses.
“I’m wearing the leopard print bra,” I whisper as I kiss down his neck. “And, I have a little surprise for you.”
“Then it’s settled. You’re not going anywhere.”
If I only had a brain.
5:30pm
Dawson and I walk hand in hand down to the field house. He gives me a fiery good-bye kiss, smacks my ass, and walks into the boys’ locker room to get ready for the game.
I head to the dance room and see Aiden and Peyton walking toward me.
Shit.
I forgot to text Aiden about not doing tutoring.
Peyton gives me a radiant smile.
Aiden raises his eyebrows at me and frowns. “So you’re not dead.”
Peyton smacks him on the shoulder. “Be nice.”
“She ditched me.”
“I did ditch him. I’m sorry. I, um . . . I had something else I needed to do, and I kinda forgot to text you.”
Peyton giggles. “Was that thing you needed to do Dawson?”
My mouth hangs open. I don’t know what to say. “Um . . .”
Aiden shakes his head at me in disgust.
Or hate, maybe.
“He’s going home with his parents after the game, so I won’t get to see him tonight. I just, we just, I wanted to say goodbye. And he . . . ”
Aiden seems to recover from his hate quickly because a little smile starts playing on his lips. It’s the smile that makes a girl feel weak at the knees.
Not my knees.
Just probably girls in general.
“That’s understandable,” he says. “So then we’ll have to do it tonight.”
“You have a game.”
“After the game. After curfew.”
“Everyone is going to the Cave tonight.”
“Everyone but us. We’ll be in my room studying.”
“No. No, we won’t.”
“Will Dawson get jealous?”
“No, he has nothing to be jealous of, but I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. I love Dawson.”
Aiden tilts his head at me in question. I can tell he’s dying to know if I told Dawson yet.
“Yes, Aiden. I told Dawson I love him. Yes, I was confused for a while about love. That happens after you go through a break up. It’s normal to question it and become more cynical of love because you don’t want to get hurt again. But Dawson’s not going to hurt me.”
“Awww,” Peyton says. I didn’t realize she was still here. Aiden has been staring at me with so much intensity. And, apparently, using some of that godly power.
The one that makes you feel like the scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.
If I only had a brain.
“When did you tell him?” she asks.
I get that gooey feeling. That feeling like I’m being hugged by Dawson. I hug myself and gush, “It was the other night. I told him I hearted him. He asked if that was close to loving him. I hadn’t said it because I was scared to. But he makes me happy, and I wanted him to know it.”
“I love that feeling,” Peyton gushes back. “It’s so dream—”
Aiden interrupts her. “I’ll let you ladies finish your love fest here. I have to get in the locker room.” Then he gazes deep into my eyes and says, “I know where we can go. I’ll be outside your window at one. We’ll study then go party with everyone.”
“Really?”
He shrugs. “What? You think you’re the only one with plans?”
Has he tried?
11:30pm
Katie and I are in our room packing for New York.
“Wasn’t the way Riley asked Ariela so adorable?” she gushes.
“It was. I was a little nervous though. He whipped that football at her pretty hard. Can you imagine if it would have hit her in the face? It could have gone horribly wrong. Of course, when we were coming up with the idea, I didn’t think of that. As soon as he threw it, I started thinking about all the bad things that could happen. It hitting her in the face. Someone else catching it.”
“Well, she caught it. And the look on her face when she read it. You could tell she was really surprised.”
“I loved how they both ran toward each other and kissed in the middle of the field.”
“Now I wish I had made Dallas ask me. Do you think he would’ve come up with something cute?”
“Probably. How’s that going? We haven’t really talked about it. You kissed, right?”
She grins. “Of course we’ve kissed. I’m not Annie.”
“That’s kind of mean.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant I won’t wait. He’s too cute.”
“What do you mean by you won’t wait?”
“I’m going to attack him tonight at the party.”
“Don’t you think that’s rushing it a little? You’ve only hung out with him twice, and you aren’t going out yet.”
“Did you wait until Dawson asked you out?”
I sigh. “That’s not really the point. I just think if you like him, you might want to wait. Let him try before you attack him. Has he tried?”
“Not really.” She giggles. “He’s obsessed with my boobs. But we’ve done more than kiss.”
“Hands more or mouths more?”
“Just hands, but tonight I plan on changing that.”
I’m a little worried about this. My poor baby Dallas is going to get attacked tonight, and I feel like I should protect him or something. Part of me wants to tell her to keep her slutty mouth off him.
“So what are you packing to wear shopping?”
“I think this,” I say, setting my grey Frye boots on my bed along with a funky pair of silver sequined shorts.
“I swear, you are the only person I know that could mix sequins and cowboy boots and get away with it.”
I laugh as I pull more clothes out of my closet. A bright peach silk J. Crew pintuck-front blouse, a slightly gaudy silver rhinestone necklace, and a little Louis Vuitton Eva bag.
“Have you checked the weather?” I ask.
“I think it might be chilly in the morning, but it’s supposed to be sunny.”
“I better wear a jacket then,” I say, grabbing a gabardine Burberry trench coat with fun black leather sleeves. And even though it might rain, I throw in a pair of big black sunglasses.
Her phone buzzes with a text. She looks down, smiles, and turns her back on me.
Um, hello? Weren’t we in the middle of a conversation here?
I finish packing then say to her, “So I’m going to sleep for a little before the party.”
She gives me a barely perceptible nod of her head as she laughs to herself and furiously texts.
My own phone buzzes.
Dawson: I’m still in the car with my parents. Bor-ing. But before the game was really fun ;)
Me: Which part was really fun?
Dawson: The gummy lifesaver part.
Me: Who knew they the stretched like that.
Dawson: You knew.
Me: Only because I overheard a couple of the girls from dance talking about it. I’ve never tried anything like that before.
Dawson: Me either. It was sweet.
Me: It did make it sweeter. LMAO.
Dawson: It’s just really cool that you wanted to try it with me. I love you. Seriously. Love you.
Me: I love you too.
Dawson: Jake says everyone is partying at the Cave tonight. You going?
Me: Yeah, later. I have to help Aiden with French first, since I ditched him today for gummy lifesavers and won’t be here all weekend. We have an oral test on Monday. But he has plans and I’m going to the party, so I’m sure we’ll get through it fast.
Dawson: Oral test? You better not be tutoring him with gummy lifesavers.
Me: You’re bad. And, no. Definitely nothing like that for Aiden. I miss you already.
Dawson: Ugg. My mom says I need to put my phone away and talk to them. Which means they are going to grill me about you, Riley, Ariela, what Cam has been up to, blah, blah.
Me: I miss my parents. Talk to them. They’re dropping you off at Cam’s tonight, right?
Dawson: Yeah, we’re going to a party.
