Flirting with the Bad Boy

by Michelle Pennington

  Why was I thinking about kissing Jason?

  Thoroughly annoyed, I went and showered. Nothing felt better than hot water on aching muscles. But even there, with the water pounding on top of my head and streaming down my face, I couldn’t escape the restless tension that filled me. I hadn’t felt this unsettled in years.

  The truly horrible thing about going out for dinner was that I had to actually dry my long, heavy hair. It took forever and made me feel hot and sweaty again. When I was done and my blond hair was straight and gleaming, I figured I’d gone to enough effort. My mom would definitely want me to put makeup on, but there was no way that was happening. I went to my closet and pulled on a pair of skinny jeans that I’d broken in enough to be comfortable, even over my solid thighs and backside, but I hesitated over what shirt to wear. A whole four-foot section of my closet was taken up by a row of delicate, feminine blouses my mom had bought for me. Ugh. What a grandma word: blouse. There were floral ones and striped ones and solid ones in ten different colors, all with different sleeves and hemlines.

  As much as I hated them and made fun of them in my own head, I knew my mom had better taste than I did. They were all on trend but so not me. Which was why I reached for a black Adidas T-shirt instead.

  “Amber, come on. We have to go now.”

  “Coming.”

  I slipped on some no-show socks and a pair of Adidas tennis shoes—matching brands was as far as I ever coordinated my outfit—and sauntered down the steps, taking my dirty dishes down with me.

  “What are you wearin’?” my mom asked. “Child, you drive me crazy, but there’s no time for you to change. Go get your brother in the car.”

  Biting back a smile at my victory, I found Ryker in the game room. I turned off the X-Box. “Time to go.”

  “Hey. I didn’t get to save it.”

  “Sorry, buddy, but I know how it is. It would take you fifteen minutes to get to a place you could save it and then my butt would be on the carpet because we didn’t get out to the car soon enough.” As I talked, I picked up his shoes from where he’d kicked them off at different ends of the room and tossed them over to him. “Just bring them. You can put them on in the car.”

  He had a scowl on his face the whole time, but he did what I said. Once we got out to the car, I sat down in the passenger seat. My mom was on a phone call with Aunt Trisha, so I got my phone out of my pocket and checked my notifications. I usually didn’t care much about social media, but anything was better than driving downtown with no distraction while my mom was on a call with her sister.

  To my horror, though, I had about a million messages, all of them to do with the whole Jason/Dugan almost fight. There were pictures and videos and lots and lots of rumors. Apparently, half the school believed that they’d been fighting over me.

  With a deep groan, I tossed my phone up on the dashboard of the car and put my head in my hands.

  “What’s the matter?” my mom asked, almost shrieking in surprise.

  “I didn’t say anything was wrong,” my aunt said through the bluetooth connection.

  “I’m not talking to you,” my mom said, her voice sharp. “I’ll call you later.” When the call had disconnected, she reached over and pried my left hand from my face. “What in the world is wrong?”

  “Nothing. Just there was this stupid guy at school who tried to stick my face in his armpit and this other guy shoved him against a wall and nearly choked him to death. And now there are pictures and videos and posts everywhere.” I turned to look at her, wondering how she would take it and hoping for some kind of wise perspective that would make this all seem like it wasn’t a big deal.

  She just blinked at me. “Okay, so I should probably ask about the choking thing, but I’m kind of stuck on the armpit thing.”

  “Right? Guys are so disgusting. Especially Dugan.”

  “What about the other guy?”

  I clamped my mouth shut. Huh uh. No way was I going there. “What other guy?”

  “The guy who did the choking. Come on, spill the tea.”

  “Oh my gosh, Mom. I wish I’d never told you what that meant. You know you don’t sound cool when you try to talk like a teenager, right?”

  “I’m not going to forget about this. You said there were pics. Show me one.”

  Sighing, because I knew there was no getting out of it now, I opened one on my phone and held it up. She glanced away from the road to look. Then her eyes bugged out, and she leaned forward to get a closer look. The car swerved a little toward the other lane.

  “Mom, you’re driving.”

  She turned back to the road and got the car going straight again. “Whoa. That kid looks like a full-grown man. And I feel super creepy saying this, but he is…”

  “Mom, just don’t.”

  “Well, if I were you, I’d pick the big cute one.”

  “I’m not picking either of them. You know I don’t date.”

  “Yeah, but…you need to look at that picture again.”

  “That’s so stupid. As if it would be a good idea just because he’s cute. I need to focus on volleyball and my grades if I’m going to get into Duke. All my friends who have boyfriends get super busy and distracted. And you should see the drama fests around school when there’s a breakup. I don’t want anything to do with that.”

  “If you say so, honey.” But even though I couldn’t see the skepticism in her expression, I could hear it in her voice.

  Well, it was the truth. But if I was honest, maybe my very vocal arguments against dating were a defense against the rejection I felt because no one wanted to date me. A part of me, maybe, did kind of wish Jason would be interested in me in that way.

  I was such a flake! One interaction with a hot guy and all my scruples crumbled.

  When we got to the restaurant, my stepdad was already seated at a table, looking over the menu. His sandy hair was crisply styled—I’d never seen him with a hair out of place—and he still wore his tie. I’d often wondered if he had always looked like a lawyer or if it was a metamorphosis that happened after he’d passed the bar.

  The restaurant looked romantic with white cloths on the tables and candle-light flickering and dancing off the glass stemware. It made me wish even more that Ryker and I had been left at home. But when Cole looked up from the menu and saw us, he smiled and stood up immediately. Apparently, he was fine with this being a family dinner instead of a date.

  As we reached the table, Cole kissed my mom on the cheek and helped her into her chair. As always, his calm demeanor had a soothing effect on her frazzled energy. He mussed Ryker’s straight blond hair and smiled across the table at me as I sat down. “Hello, Amber. How was your day?”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my mom open her mouth to tell him for me, but I shook my head slightly. She knew I hated to have Cole involved in my personal stuff. He was a nice guy and took good care of us, but there was no doubt our relationship was awkward. He hadn’t known what to do with a ten-year-old stepdaughter and at that point, I thought all men were the devil incarnate. I mean, that’s all my mom had ever said about them, so what else would I have thought? It took time for me to accept his role in my life, and even now, I preferred my space.

  “Fine,” I said simply, knowing that would satisfy him. And it did.

  The waiter who had been hovering just a few feet away stepped up then to take our drink orders. My mom and Cole each got a glass of wine, Ryker got a Coke, and I asked for sparkling water. Mom was right about the snack. I didn’t feel like eating much more, so instead of ordering a steak, I got a shrimp cocktail and a side salad.

  Halfway through dinner, my mom looked up from her conversation with Cole and saw what I was eating. From her exasperated expression, she must not have been paying attention when I ordered.

  “Was it the guacamole or the hot guy?” she asked.

  Cole paused with his fork halfway to his mouth, trying to make sense of her question. “What does that mean?”

  She
pointed to my plate and said, “She isn’t eating much. Look at that. She either ruined her dinner, or she’s trying to starve herself for this guy at school.”

  “It was the guacamole,” I said quickly.

  It didn’t work though. She still plowed right ahead as if I hadn’t spoken. “Amber, if he’s worth having, he’ll love you the way you are. And a guy like that looks like he can handle a strong woman.”

  Cole’s fork landed on his plate. “Okay, what’s going on? Amber never dates.”

  “I’m not dating anyone now. Mom.” I threw her my most speaking look.

  She pressed her lips together and shrugged. “Fine, I’ll leave you alone about him. It’s not like I want to lose my babysitter anyway. Speaking of which, I need you to watch Ryker this Friday night so we can go on a date.”

  I kept my face as neutral as possible, trying to figure out how I could tell her that I was planning to go to the football game without tripping any of her mom-senses. “I wanted to go the game that night.”

  “That should be fine. You can take him with you. Hey, Ryker, want to go to the football game with Amber on Friday?”

  Ryker looked up from his fifteen-dollar bowl of mac and cheese. “Can I get nachos?”

  I clenched my teeth. Already the kid’s dinner was all around his mouth and dripped down the front of his shirt. There was even a noodle on his collar. No way did I want him eating nachos in front of all my friends when I was responsible for him. But then I thought about watching Jason play football for a couple of hours. “Sure.”

  “Good,” Mom said. “That works out great.”

  Yeah, great.

  “Wait,” she asked. “Does that hottie play football?”

  But I’m not stupid. “Maybe. I don’t know.”

  She looked suspicious but kept her thoughts to herself, which was precisely where I wanted them to be.

  3

  Thursday morning, I pulled up at school and saw Jason’s truck not far from my usual parking spot. It was funny that I’d never paid much attention to the giant, mud-spattered truck before, but now it drew my eyes like there was a spotlight on it. The knowledge that he was there, that I might see him in the hall, made my stomach twist with nerves…but sort of pleasant nerves. Feeling ridiculous, I grabbed my backpack from the seat next to me and got out.

  It was a little cool this morning, so I was wearing my team sweatshirt. I’d have to take it off later when it got warm, but for now, it felt like a security blanket while I was feeling way more vulnerable than usual. It was strange to wish I could disappear while at the same time hoping that one specific person would notice me. I was certain that yesterday was some kind of weird fluke. Jason would probably never even talk to me again. And that was for the best. Look how distracted I already was. I hadn’t studied nearly enough for my AP Science test today. If for some crazy reason he decided he liked me, I would have a hard time ever concentrating again.

  Once I stepped inside and the crowd swallowed me, I relaxed some. When I got to Advisory, I sat down in my usual spot and took my Science notes out to study. Then Charlotte sat down at the desk in front of me and twisted around to look at me, pushing her glasses up her nose. “Why aren’t you answering my texts?” she asked.

  I winced. “Sorry. My phone was blowing up, and I didn’t want to deal with it anymore.”

  “Uh, yeah, it was blowing up. Did Jason Hunt really fight Dugan over you?”

  “Not over me. He was just…being protective, I guess.”

  “Maybe.” She bit her lip as her brows pinched together. “But I hear he gets in a lot of fights and has a bad temper. Maybe something else was going on.”

  Shrugging, I started doodling on my paper, hoping that wasn’t true. “Yeah, maybe. I don’t have a clue.”

  A giggle just behind me caught my attention. Turning around, I found Maddie listening in. “I bet he likes you,” she said. “Which is crazy.”

  “Thanks.” I rolled my eyes at her. What a great vote of confidence. Now even my best friend thought I had no chance with Jason.

  “No, I don’t mean it like that. It’s just that he doesn’t have anything to do with girls—and not because they aren’t giving him a chance. There’s this girl he hangs around with sometimes, Brielle, but he isn’t dating her because she’s got a boyfriend—do you know Troy? He’s on the football team. But it’s complicated because Troy and Brielle are always breaking up and getting back together, so her thing with Jason makes me think there’s something going on there.”

  Charlotte shook her head. “How do you know things like that?”

  Maddie shrugged, looking pleased with herself.

  I looked back and forth between them. “Well, I don’t know anything. I never even talked to the guy before yesterday. I know less about him than you do, and he definitely does not like me, so if that’s what you’re both thinking, you can stop.”

  Maddie looked back at Charlotte. “We need to figure this out because we both know she’s not going to.”

  Charlotte nodded. “I’ll see what Lucas knows about him, but from what I know, he’s not someone you want to get tangled up with.”

  All business now, Maddie pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Whatever. Bad boys are totally hot. I’ll ask some of the other guys on the team.”

  “Ask them what?” I asked, starting to feel terrified.

  “If he has a thing for you,” she said simply, as if it was no big deal.

  The bell rang then, so I didn’t have time to talk them out of it. And unfortunately, after Advisory, I didn’t have any more classes with them. As the day went on, I worried every minute that it was going to get back to Jason that my friends were checking up on him. It didn’t help that it felt like everyone in the school was watching. But as it turns out, that wasn’t even the worst of it.

  I got called to the principal’s office after lunch.

  When I got there, the secretary waved her hand at me in a shooing motion. “You can go on in. Mrs. Parks is waiting for you.”

  I didn’t usually get nervous in the office or around the principal because I didn’t get into trouble. Ever. But I couldn’t think of any other reason why I would be called to the office.

  “Hello, Amber,” Mrs. Parks said. “Come on in and have a seat.”

  “Okay.” I let my backpack slip off my shoulders as I sat, then let it slump to the floor at my feet. “Is everything okay?”

  “I’m working to figure that out. We’ve heard about the incident that occurred in the hall after school yesterday.”

  I felt all the warmth drain out of my cheeks. “You have?”

  “Yes. And we’ve seen the videos. Before we decide on the appropriate action to take, I wanted to hear your opinion on the matter.”

  “What do you want to know? Dugan was pulling my face into his armpit, and while I was trying to get away from him, Jason stepped up and held him off me.”

  “That’s all Jason did? Hold him off? Nothing else?”

  “Why?” I asked. “What’s going on?”

  “Most of the accounts were just about Jason going after Dugan. Nobody else saw what occurred before that, though they all thought you were somehow involved.”

  “Jason was just protecting me.”

  Mrs. Parks nodded. “That’s good to hear. Jason didn’t offer up any kind of excuse or explanation and just shrugged it off, so I wanted to know more before I made my decision.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m not at liberty to discuss specific disciplinary actions with you.”

  “Disciplinary? But he didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “We have a zero-tolerance policy.”

  I gaped at her. “He’s in trouble for protecting me? How is that fair?”

  Mrs. Parks just looked grave. “I understand your perspective, but I can’t allow this kind of behavior.”

  “But what about the game? Will Jason be able to play on Friday?”

  “No, he won’t.”

&nbs
p; Anger surged within me. “That’s not right. Another student put his hands on me and tried to force me into disgusting and degrading contact with his body, Jason stopped him, and you’re punishing him? You should be giving him an award or something.” Getting more riled up as I talked, I jumped up and paced around the room.

  She watched me, her expression somber. “Thank you for your cooperation, Amber. You can go back to class now.”

  I stared down at her, feeling more helpless than I had in a long time. I wanted so badly to make this right, but I couldn’t. Finally, I turned and stormed out. The secretary smiled at me as I flew by her.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  I didn’t bother to answer. I went to my next class and sat there quietly, not hearing a word that was said. What about Dugan? Had he even gotten into trouble at all?

  Worst of all, Jason would be so mad about missing the game that he’d never want to look at me again.

  I drove myself through drill after drill, relentless as I tried to work off my restless, angry feelings. The butterfly drill, four corners, down and backs…. nothing was too much for me today. I wanted more.

  “Everything okay, Amber?” Coach Synder asked as I lay sprawled on the floor staring up at the piping running across the ceiling from the giant air-conditioning unit.

  “Yes.”

  “Then why aren’t you changing and going home?”

  I blinked at her and then peeled myself up off the floor. “I’m going.”

  By taking my time in the locker room, I was sure I would miss running into the football team. As much as I had hoped to at least get a glimpse of Jason after practice, I couldn’t bear to anymore. Because protecting me meant he’d be punished.

  When I went out into the hallway however, not only was Jason there but he was leaning back against the wall like he was waiting for someone. When he saw me, he shrugged his big shoulders to leverage himself off the wall and headed toward me.