Butterface (2 page)

He shook his head. “No, you just looked weird.”

Her heart stopped and, for the first time since she’d met him, her stomach soured. Lucky was one of the few people she’d ever met who didn’t squint when he looked at her like he was trying to imagine what she
should
look like instead of how she did.

“I always look weird. I was just standing here wishing I was a lesbian is all.”

His expression went blank, like he lost the thread of where he thought the conversation was going and couldn’t figure out how to get back there. “I’ve known you for six weeks now, and half the time I don’t understand what you are talking about.” He took a seat at the counter, which was unusual. “When I came in, you were lost in thought. You looked like somebody kicked a puppy or something. I was concerned. Sue me. ”

Quick to cover, she said, “Be still my heart, he cares.” Beth poured him a glass of water and checked her watch. The dinner crowd was finally gone. And it was a Tuesday. Tuesdays were quiet most of the time. “How did your test go, soccer god?”

He pretended to look at a menu. It’s not like they didn’t both know what he was going to order. “Well, I can almost say with certainty that I didn’t fail.”

She rolled her eyes.
“So another ‘A’ then?”

He laughed.
“Probably.
I’m just lucky I guess.”

Lucky.
There was that word again. Except Lucky O’Leary worked harder than most people she’d met. The guy studied all the time. And was always working out or running. He was one of the few beautiful people she didn’t begrudge. How could she? If anyone deserved to have it all, it was someone like him.

“How is your senior year so far?” he asked

“Well, I haven’t killed anyone yet.”

The bell above the door rang, and her night took a bad turn. Two really good looking college guys sauntered in like they owned the world. And they probably did.

“O’Leary,” said one the one with floppy hair.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” Lucky stood and they all did some complicated non-hug thing. Testosterone was strange.
And also very enticing.
God.
College guys were hot.

Lucky grabbed some menus and the water pitcher off the counter and pointed his friends to a table like the restaurant was his kitchen at home. “Sit guys.” Then he grabbed her order pad right out of her hand and told her to take a break. He’d give the order to Marty, the cook, when they were ready to eat.

What a strange guy. It was weird enough that he hung out there so much. But now he was going to pseudo-work there too?

Whatever.
Her feet hurt and she needed to study. If he wanted to play restaurant, he was welcome to it.

* * *

His friends were jerks.

He really didn’t want to subject Beth to their
douchiness
, so Lucky tried to run interference. At least they hadn’t been drinking. Sometimes they were really embarrassing.

“So this is where you come every night instead of partying with us, O’Leary?”

Lucky shrugged at
Taylor
. “If I lose my scholarship, I don’t get to play soccer. I need the grades.”

“Who’s the chick in the corner?”

“The waitress?”
Lucky asked.

“Yeah, dude. You should bring her next Friday.”

He looked over his shoulder at Beth. She was wearing her iPod and writing that paper she’d told him about. Lucky shook his head.
“Nah.
We’re just friends. Were you guys going to order something?”

“She’d be perfect,” Dell said.

Taylor
added, “If you don’t bring her, I will.”

“Why?” That was all Lucky could think of to say. I mean she was a neat girl, but really not the type they went for. She was smarter than both of them put together for one thing.

Dell leaned in. “I’m glad I don’t have to participate this year, but I would have been all over that last year. She’s exactly what you want. Most guys make the mistake of going over the top, but subtle is the key. You don’t really want to win—only the truly desperate go for the win. You just want to make a good show.”

Lucky didn’t get it. “What the hell are you guys talking about? Win what?”

“Next Friday is the Dog Dinner, dude,”
Taylor
answered.
As if that solved anything.
He must have realized that Lucky still didn’t understand. “Dog Dinner—all the rookies have to bring ugly dates to the party. Whoever brings the most hideous rover wins. But like Dell says, you aren’t going to impress anyone by actually winning. Guys who try too hard look like losers. It’s all about finesse. She’s perfect.”

Taylor
nodded. “She is classic
butterface
.”

Lucky couldn’t wrap his mind around anything they said.
“
Butterface
?”

“Yeah.
 
You know…
smokin
hot
bod
…
but her face
…”

Lucky’s
stomach churned. Jesus. They really were assholes. “You guys, she’s my friend.”

Dell laughed.
“Even better.
She won’t expect you to slip her the tongue then, because that would be a tough sell to Mr. Happy.”

Everything about this conversation made Lucky want put the hurt on both of them. Beth was a great girl. She may not be a knockout, but she was funny and smart and he really liked her. “This conversation is done. I’m not bringing anyone to a
Dog
Dinner
, especially not a very sweet kid. The whole thing is immature.” He wanted them to stop looking at her. It was like they were tainting her with their eyes.

“You need to rethink your attitude, O’Leary.”

“It’s not
my
attitude that’s the problem,
Taylor
.” His heart was pumping rage instead of blood into his veins. If he didn’t cool down, there was going to be a problem. He could put up with a lot of crap when it came to himself, but he really hated it when innocent people got hurt.

“You know, your spot on team isn’t all that solid. You were top shit at your high school, but we all were, man. Your skills aren’t enough anymore. You want to be on the team, you have to
be
the team.”
Taylor
nodded to Beth, still oblivious to it all. “Girls like that don’t get invited to college parties very often. You’d be doing her a favor.”

“You’re saying I’ll lose my spot on the team if I don’t bring a date to a party next weekend.”

“I’m saying we’re a family and you need to start acting like you want to be part of it.”

A dysfunctional family.

A couple came in the door, so Beth got up to seat them. She stopped back at their table to see if they needed anything.

“We’re fine,” Lucky answered.

“Hey Liz,” said Dell.
“You a freshman at the U?”

“Senior year, high school.”

“How many girls in your class get invited to college parties?”

Someone struck a match to
Lucky’s
gut while he watched Dell turn on the charm and smile at Beth like she mattered to him. Sparks of acid churned as she blushed so sweetly and told him she really didn’t know. She was new this year and didn’t know a lot of the kids yet.

“We’re having a party next Friday.”
Taylor
got in on the action while
Lucky’s
insides caught flame. “You should come.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” she said on a rush, clearly not used to the attention.

“If you need a ride, one of us can pick you up,” said Dell.
“Maybe O’Leary?”
Dell met his gaze across the table. “Or if he can’t, maybe I can swing by and—”

Lucky interrupted. “I’ll do it.”

Taylor
stood up and tapped
Lucky’s
shoulder. “Good. It’s settled then. My brother O’Leary here will take good care of you. C’mon Dell. We should let him get back to work. He’s got all that studying to do.”

“I’m coming home too.” Lucky stood up, catching the confused look on Beth’s face. “I’m not as hungry as I thought. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay.”

He couldn’t even look her in the eye.

* * *

Lucky kept looking at her funny.

Beth couldn’t figure out what his deal was. Since Tuesday, he was just off.
Too nice, too chivalrous, too attentive.
And when he looked at her, he started really looking
at
her.

“All right, dreamboat. You are
weirding
me out,” she finally said on Saturday.

He was walking her home again.
Another new strange behavior that began on Thursday.
“Why? Hey, do you want to go to the zoo tomorrow?”

“What? No. I mean why?”

“I don’t know. It just sounds fun. And you have a day off and I don’t have practice. If you don’t like the zoo, we don’t have to go. Maybe we could catch a movie.”

Lucky took a few more steps before he realized she’d stopped.

He spun around, all grace and dexterity. “What, you don’t like movies either?”

She wished he weren’t so good looking.
Or so athletic, or smart, or funny.
Or so goddamned nice.
If he could only be less of each of those, she would maybe be able to not feel like she was drowning every time he came around.

“Aren’t there any girls at your school?” Because at the bottom of it all, the rock in the pit of her stomach told her this was pity. And she would rather die than have him pity her.

He closed the distance between them. “I like you. I have a shortage of friends I like right now. Haven’t you ever had a guy friend before?”

She thought about it for a minute and shook her head. “No.”

“Having a guy friend is pretty awesome if you’re a girl and you pick the right guy.”

“And why is that?” she asked.

“You always have someone to open mayonnaise jars and you don’t have to shave your legs for him.”

“I never thought of that. That makes me the luckiest girl in the world, doesn’t it?”

He smiled at her. In the moonlight, he lost some of that perfect All-American polish and looked heartbreakingly human. Part of her wanted to unlock her soul and hand him the keys. It would be stupid. He was a great guy, but he was too great a guy for her. At some point, he was going to stop feeling out of place and homesick, which he was even if he wouldn’t admit it. He’d start acting like the other guys on the team, start dating pretty girls, and he would slowly drift away from her. He would do it with perfect courtesy of course, but he would do it just the same.

Lucky threw his arm around her and pulled her down the sidewalk, tying another brick around her ankle while she fought just to tread water.

They spent the whole day together on Sunday. And Monday, he hung out her entire shift and walked her home. Tuesday night, she went to his game. It was a mistake. He was too good and so talented.
 
She hadn’t seen him in shorts before. He was like a work of art. She shrunk further and further into her corner of the bleachers, leaning her misshapen face against the wires and wanting to cry.

He found her there, still clinging to the cyclone fence long after everyone had gone. The bleachers shook as he took the steps two at time.
So sure of his body because it had never betrayed him.

“Thanks for coming,” he said after a few minutes of charged silence.

“I’m sorry I’m having a nervous breakdown at your game.”

“You want to talk about it?”