Stirring Up Trouble (15 page)

When had she spoken to Sheree? They were friends now were they, with Sheree dating my dad? “One more, Mom.” I was surprised Sheree hadn’t come in. They could ooh and ahh together.

After saying “cheese” a second time, Jake removed his arm. Too bad I hadn’t let her take more pictures, I kind of liked his arm around me.

I led the way out the front door while Mom gushed all the standard goodbye’s and drive carefully’s.

When I reached the Volvo, Jake said, “No, wait.” And he made me step aside so he could open the back door for me.

“Thanks.” I tried to get in the car in a graceful way considering that he was standing right there. Maybe I should practice.

He shut the door and went around to the other side while I squirmed to adjust my dress.

“You look gorgeous, Zoe,” Sheree said from the driver’s seat. She sounded a little choked up.

Between the dress and the whole Cinderella fantasy, I was stressed out. I needed to relax and get things back to normal with Jake.

Luckily, he helped me out. He climbed in the back with me and said, “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

“Now, Jake,” Sheree cautioned, backing out of the drive.

“Really? What were you expecting exactly?”

With a laugh, he said, “The first dance I went to with Anya, her mother used three rolls of film. We posed in the living room and on the back patio. It took almost an hour.”

I nodded. “She does that for birthday parties. I don’t know why I didn’t realize she’d do that for dances too.”

“Anya really likes to have her picture taken.”

He was right. Anya dreamed of modeling. The problem was her height. She was only five-two.

“I guess my house was a breath of fresh air after that.”

“Oh, yeah. I like your mom.”

“I like her too,” Sheree said.

“She likes you,” I said, thinking about how weird it all was.

Sheree dropped us at the school, and we had a few minutes to talk as we headed for the gym.

“My mom and your dad must think we’re going to this dance as friends. They were nonchalant about the whole thing.”

“I got that impression too.” How flattering. Dad doesn’t think Jake would ask me out on a real date. It warms my heart.

“That’s fine with me,” he said. “It’ll be more of a shocker when we hit them with the PDA.” He sounded almost gleeful.

“You sound like we’re planning some kind of attack.”

“Well, we are. Kind of.” He glanced my way.

“So what’s the plan exactly?”

“I was thinking that, after the dance, we’d make sure they know we’re on the porch.” He opened the door to the gym. “Meanwhile, let’s enjoy the dance.”

I wished Anya and Brad wouldn’t be there.

“I hope we don’t have to hang out with Brad and Anya tonight,” he said as we searched the gym for familiar faces.

My jaw dropped. Could he read my mind? “You do?”

“Well, I know she’s your friend, but they are so annoying. Brad’s always slobbering all over her, and she’s so mean to him.”

“True. I was just thinking the same thing.” I didn’t see Camille and Kent yet. Since I didn’t feel comfortable talking about Anya, I asked, “Are Eli and Alicia coming?”

“Yeah,” he answered, “but they’re going all out on the dance thing. He told me he promised to dance every dance, so we probably won’t see much of them.”

I was surprised to spot Anya alone, sitting on the bleachers. She usually made us come to her, but tonight she dashed over to us as soon as she saw us.

Chapter Thirteen

“I thought you’d never get here! Zoe, you look great. Can I talk to you for a second? Sorry, Jake.” Anya pulled me over to an empty corner.

“What’s wrong, Anya?” She’d lost all her usual poise.

“Brad called and canceled on me an hour ago. The creep. He dumped me!” She twisted her beaded bag in her hands.

Apparently, the love potion had worn off. “I thought you’d already dumped him.”

“I tried. He wouldn’t listen.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“He dumped me. I can’t be dumped.” Anya bit her bottom lip. “And, I think I was wrong. I really like Brad. He got on my nerves, but now that he’s gone, I miss him.”

Could she be any more annoying? “You’re kidding me.”

“No. I know it sounds pathetic, but I want him back.” She smoothed the skirt of her peach dress as she spoke, always conscious of her appearance.

“You want him back?” I just looked at her in disbelief. “I thought you wanted Jake back.”

“I don’t.” She lowered her eyes and added, “And I’m sorry I was a jerk about you and Jake.”

“You are?” Oh right. I shouldn’t call her a jerk. “ I mean you weren’t a jerk.”

“Yes, I was.” I could see something almost like sincerity in her eyes. “And I shouldn’t have been.”

Maybe being dumped was just what Anya needed. That was rude. I looked at my suffering friend. “So what did Brad say exactly?”

“He said he didn’t have the time to be my boyfriend.”

“So maybe he still likes you, but not all the stuff you made him do.”

“Maybe.” She frowned. “I’m not going to ruin your date with Jake though.”

“It’s not really a date,” I admitted. “We’re planning to shock our parents with a make-out session when we get home.”

Anya looked past me. “I think maybe it is a date.”

“No, really—”

She shook her head. “He’s looking at you right now.”

“He’s looking at us, you mean.” Wondering what’s going on.

“No,” she said with confidence. “I know when a guy’s looking at me. He’s looking at you. I think he likes you.”

“He did. I think. But he doesn’t now.” I wasn’t confessing the circumstances to her.

With an emphatic shake of her head, she said, “He likes you. Go dance with him.”

I turned to look at Jake. He was talking to three guys I didn’t know very well. I didn’t feel comfortable approaching the four of them.

Anya could read my hesitation. “Come on,” she grabbed my hand and tugged me over to Jake. “Oh, and my grandmother wants you to come for dinner next week.”

“Is she doing okay?”

“Much better.”

“Thank you for loaning me your date, Jake.” Anya said when we reached him. She put my hand in his.

“Uh.” Jake gave me a questioning look. “Okay.”

“Can I talk to you for a sec?” I asked Jake, blushing at the feel of my hand in his.

“Sure.”

We stepped away from the others and I whispered into his ear. “Brad dumped her. Did any of those guys come stag?”

He raised a brow. “Josh did, but Anya can’t stand him.”

“See if he’ll ask her to dance.”

“No way. She’ll just shoot him down.”

“Not tonight she won’t.”

He shook his head. “I don’t know—”

Behind him, I saw Anya grab Josh’s hand and lead him to the dance floor.

“Never mind. She asked him to dance.”

Jake spun around to see. “I never would have believed it.”

“So,” I said standing on tip-toe to be closer to his ear. “Now that Brad doesn’t like her, she decided she really likes him.”

He groaned. “Has she always been about the drama?”

“Why ask me? You’ve known her since second grade.”

He turned to me and shrugged. “Yeah, but you’ve known her since kindergarten. Come on, let’s dance.”

He led me out to the dance floor, aka middle of the gym, and we passed Eli and Alicia already dancing. Alicia looked fabulous in a simple green dress that flattered her athletic figure. I thought it was cool that she had Eli wrapped around her finger. They looked great together.

The DJ was playing an 80s set and Bowling For Soup’s remake of “I’ll Stop the World and Melt with You” boomed from the speakers. I was relieved that it was a fast dance. I may have the whole slow dance fantasy going, but the reality of it terrified me.

My clumsiness had never been a secret, but would Jake handle me stepping on him, falling on him, or tripping him? Because none of those things were outside the realm of possibility.

Anya had taught me to fast dance. Well, actually, she’d made fun of me until I’d given in and started doing it her way. I cracked a smile when Jake started dancing with the same simple back and forth motions. Anya must’ve insisted he do it her way also. I relaxed a little.

And then, the music ended.

The next song, of course, was slow.

I hardly noticed the people scrambling off the dance floor because I was looking at Jake, and looking into his eyes when he was focused on me was a powerful experience.

I swallowed and tried not to look nervous.

He put his arms around my waist. I put my arms on his shoulders. He was taller than me, but I knew I didn’t look as cute and petite as Anya always had dancing with him. She was able to rest her cheek against his chest. My cheek was nowhere near his chest. In fact, I’d have to lean down to rest on his shoulder. I looked over his shoulder at the other couples on the dance floor.

It suddenly hit me that he was moving and I tried to follow his lead. Maybe I should take lessons. I felt like an idiot.

He tugged on me and pulled me a little closer and I looked into his green eyes. “That’s better,” he said.

Oh, yeah.

There was only an inch between us. And it was easier to concentrate on moving along with him. In fact, everyone else just faded away.

Then he leaned in to whisper, “Zoe.”

“Mmmm.” My lips almost brushed against his ear.

“I’m sorry I was such a jerk before. You know, about your mom’s text.”

Yeah. The whole love thing. I did know. I tried to pull back to see his face, but he held me close.

“I shouldn’t have freaked out.”

“It was understandable.” I struggled to concentrate on what he was saying because his hands slipped an inch lower on my hips and the resulting rush overwhelmed my senses.

“I didn’t ask you to this dance to torment our parents,” he whispered huskily. “I asked because I really wanted to be here with you.”

“Really?” My heart thumped.

“Yeah.”

“Cool.” The faint scent of spices enveloped me. I’d never known him to wear cologne.

“So, you wanna be my girlfriend?” He tensed and his hands slipped a little more.

Hell, yeah. “Yeah.”

“Cool.”

And then, I felt him relax, so I relaxed too, and just rested against him while we danced. And it felt great. So great, I would have wanted to jump up and down if it hadn’t meant letting go of him. And looking like an idiot.

I was fully prepared to stay in his arms forever, so when the slow songs ended and a fast song boomed over the speakers, it was like someone flipping the light switch in the middle of the night. It took me a minute to adjust.

“Crap,” Jake muttered. He stepped back and took my hand in his.

I agreed wholeheartedly. “We could go sit down.” Then, at least, I could keep holding his hand, if not the rest of him.

“Good idea.” He led me to the bleachers and I followed like the lovesick puppy I was.

He motioned for me to sit, so I did. Then, he sat with his leg pressed up against mine. He put his arm around me, and leaned in to say something.

Anya appeared in front of us. “Hey guys. I’m taking off now. I wanted to say bye.”

I’d forgotten Anya was there. Actually, I’d forgotten Anya existed. “Okay,” I said. “Bye.”

We watched her walk away. Then, I returned my focus to the feel of his body against mine. I turned into him and rested my head against his shoulder. This had to be the most wonderful place in the universe.

He reached up and gently swept my hair back from my face, and then he kissed the top of my head.

A large shadow loomed over us, and I looked up to see Mrs. Nesbitt, the librarian, shaking her finger at us. I jumped away from Jake. I mean, she was scary when she was angry with that hook-shaped nose curled into a sneer. I didn’t know anyone who went to the school library voluntarily. In fact, Mrs. Nesbitt had done more to discourage teens from reading than video games, cable TV, and
War and Peace
combined.

With a last look of disdain, she stalked away toward a couple in the shadows at the end of the bleachers.

“We should dance?” Jake suggested. “Nesbitt-zilla isn’t monitoring the dance floor. Looks like Mr. Henderson has that job.”

“Great idea.” I followed him onto the floor, hoping for more slow songs than fast.

We danced for two hours in my own real-life fairy tale, until the band announced it was their last song.

“Already?” Jake asked.

I grinned. “I’m dying of thirst.”

He motioned to the refreshment table. “You want some really old punch with Cheetos floating in it?”

“Sadly, no.” I saw that most people had left, only a dozen couples remained on the dance floor.

“Maybe we should go,” he said as Mrs. Nesbitt approached with a giant broom.

We had to meet Kent at the shopping center down from the school. I wasn’t ready for the night to end. “Okay. Let’s get out of here.”

We walked through the gym, treading on broken streamers, and made our way to the hall.

The hall was dimly lit, with the Dasani machine glowing like a beacon. “Water,” I croaked and not just for effect.

Jake fed two dollars into the machine and got two bottles of water. He handed me mine, and then he unscrewed the cap on his own and took a long drink. I opened my bottle and gulped the cool liquid until it was gone. Jake laughed, and chugged the rest of his.

“Much better.” I tossed the empty bottle in the trash.

“I could drink four more,” Jake said.

“Just four.” I raised a brow. “Lightweight.”

Jake looked at his watch. “It’s only ten. We’re supposed to meet Kent and Camille at Stefano’s for pizza.”

 “Pizza sounds good. A pitcher of Coke sounds even better.” My stomach rumbled. I guess I’d burned off some calories while we were dancing. Whole wheat crust smothered with cheese and sauce sounded good. Spending more time with Jake sounded great.

We spent an hour at the pizza place. Camille and Kent were already absorbed in each other, so we got our own table. After we drained two pitchers of Coke, we each had a slice and then sat holding hands and talking.