PrettyTOUGH

by Nicole Leigh Shepherd

  Bryan nodded. “I like talking to you, Charlie. But to be honest, there is another reason I asked you to dance.”

  Oh no. Here it comes, Charlie thought. She swallowed hard.

  Bryan leaned in to whisper, “I’m hoping you’ll give me a few pointers on my game. I start a club league in the spring.”

  Charlie studied Bryan’s eyes. They were calm, steady.

  He took her hand. “Hey. Instead of worrying about what everyone else thinks, why don’t you just enjoy yourself? After all, it’s just a dance.”

  As Bryan slid his arms around Charlie’s waist, she glanced around the gym. She felt like a spotlight was on them, like everyone was staring. But when she really focused, she saw that everyone was engrossed in their own slow dances, too busy gazing into the eyes of their boyfriends or girlfriends to pay any attention to her.

  For once, she fit in perfectly.

  When the dance was over, Charlie asked her friends to wait up while she made a trip to the ladies’ room.

  Bryan had offered to drive her home, and truthfully, she was tempted, but she’d come with Carla, Pickle, and the boys, and it was only right to leave with them.

  Besides, Bryan had taken her phone number—and promised he’d see her in school on Monday. The mere thought made Charlie’s dread about walking Beachwood’s halls fade away.

  She was leaving a ladies’ room stall when she found Krista standing in front of the mirror, touching up her already-perfect makeup.

  “Hey,” she said as she washed her hands.

  “Hey,” Krista managed as she powdered her nose. Her tone was cool, disinterested.

  Charlie glanced at her sister, reflected in the dingy bathroom mirror. She thought for a second, taking her time with the soap and water.

  Since Martie’s enforced truce, things had been a little bit better between them. And everything else had gone well tonight—surprisingly so. Maybe she could try with Krista. Maybe, if she could just get her talking…

  “So, uh, you’re going out after this?” Charlie asked.

  “Mmm-hmm,” Krista answered.

  Charlie smiled. “I’m going with Carla and Pickle to get some ice cream, I think.”

  “That’s nice,” Krista stated. There was a long silence as she reapplied her lipstick.

  “Mom and Dad said you’re sleeping over at Brooks’s?” Charlie asked.

  Krista shot her a suspicious glance, one perfect eyebrow arched. “That’s right.”

  “Well, I hope you guys have fun,” Charlie told her. “Whatever you’re up to.”

  Krista’s eyes narrowed. She snapped her evening bag shut. “What do you mean, whatever you’re up to?”

  “Nothing.” Charlie shrugged. “You just, you didn’t say where you were going and—”

  Krista took a step toward her. “Have you been eavesdropping on my phone conversations again?”

  “Wh-what?” Charlie sputtered. “No! I just—”

  “You know what, Charlie? I don’t know what you’re trying to imply, but what I do is none of your business. Just stay out of my space, and I’ll stay out of yours. Okay?” Krista turned and clicked out of the bathroom on her high heels.

  The door swung shut. Charlie dried her hands, a heaviness settling on her heart.

  Yes, tonight had gone wonderfully, unbelievably well.

  Perhaps she shouldn’t have pressed her luck.

  • • •

  When Cam pulled his Blazer into the parking lot of the Vista, Krista’s heart began racing. She was really doing this. She was really going to spend the night with Cam.

  She waited in the car as he checked in, nervously texting with Brooks on her Sidekick.

  KRISTA: I JUST DON’T KNOW IF I SHOULD DO IT.

  BROOKS: Hello? Caps lock. Stop yelling. And you have to do it. He put rose petals on the bed.

  KRISTA: How do you know?

  BROOKS: He needed some ideas. So I helped him.

  Krista stared at the message in surprise. She was so happy that the prospective loss of her virginity had brought Brooks and Cam together. She typed:

  KRISTA: You and Cam were here together?

  BROOKS: Missy, relax. It was all for you. And it’s not like we’ve never been in a hotel room together before.

  There it was. That not-so-subtle reminder that Brooks had been here first. It made Krista’s stomach turn.

  Cam tapped on the window and, smiling, held up the key to the room.

  Krista gulped. It was now or never.

  She walked into the suite and thought it was beautiful—at least as beautiful as a room at the Vista with a triangle-shaped hot tub could be. Rose petals were scattered all over the bed. There were candles on the nightstands and the dresser. Cam had gone to a lot of trouble to make the place look nice.

  Krista was overwhelmed by a mixture of pleasure and dread. The expression on her face must have been something less than Cam was expecting.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Don’t you like it?”

  Krista nodded, a smile plastered on her face. “Of course I do,” she said quickly. “It’s perfect. Very romantic.”

  Cam walked over to the triangle tub and pressed a button. There was a rumble of jets and the water began to bubble. The tub looked warm and inviting, but Krista stood staring at it, perfectly still.

  “Should we try it out?” Cam asked, slipping off his shoes. “The water’s warm.”

  Krista smiled. “Yeah, sure. Let’s do it.”

  Quickly, she caught herself.

  “I—I don’t mean ‘do it,’” she stammered. “I mean, do what you just suggested. Go into the Jacuzzi. That sounds—nice.”

  Cam walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “What’s wrong?” he asked again.

  Thoughts swirled in Krista’s head.

  “Nothing,” she told him.

  Cam took her hands in his, leaned down, and softly kissed her.

  His lips were warm, gentle. Then gradually, more insistent. Krista returned the kiss, trying to lose herself in the feeling, but images flashed in her mind.

  Cam’s friends high fiving him as he left the dance. Gazing at her with a knowing look in their eyes.

  Brooks’s text message. It’s not like we’ve never been in a hotel room together before.

  And Noah, for some reason.

  “Kris,” Cam whispered her name. His hands moved to the zipper on her dress.

  Krista felt every muscle in her body tense. But why? she wondered. Wasn’t she being ridiculous? Plenty of girls her age had done it… and Cam was the right guy for her. He was. She wanted to go to college with him and marry him and spend the rest of her life with him… didn’t she?

  Cam began to unzip her dress. Krista squeezed her eyes shut.

  She tried to focus, to calm the doubts inside her, but her mind came to rest on just one thought: she wasn’t ready to have sex.

  It wasn’t Cam or the Vista. Or the fact that she’d lied to her parents about where she was. It was everything. But all of that was so difficult to say.

  Somehow, she had to make Cam understand.

  “Wait,” she whispered.

  Cam either didn’t hear or pretended not to.

  “Wait,” she said more forcefully, putting a hand against his chest.

  Cam stopped, frowned. “What is it?”

  “I—I’m sorry,” Krista began. “I’m just—I’m not sure.”

  Cam tried to pull her close. “Aw, Kris, you’re just nervous. It’s all right. Everything is perfect. Just stop thinking about it.”

  He began to kiss her again, but she pulled away. “Cam, I just—please, can we talk about it for a minute?”

  Cam threw his hands in the air. “Are you kidding? What the hell is there to talk about?” He sat down on the bed, dejected.

  “The petals,” Krista whispered. “You’re crushing them.”

  Cam pushed the petals off the bed. “I don’t care about them,” he said, his voice rising. “Krista, you said we c
ould do this. Don’t you—don’t you love me?”

  “I do.” She felt tears spilling out of her eyes. “I just—I don’t feel right about it.”

  “You don’t feel right? What about my feelings?” Cam asked. “I’ve waited for you, Krista… and you know I’ve had other offers.”

  Krista recoiled. What was he trying to say?

  “I’m sorry.” She choked out the words. “I thought I was ready, but—”

  “But what?” Cam asked. “It’s always something with you. Always some trauma.” He paused, shook his head. “Brooks said you would pull something like this.”

  Krista gasped. She felt her throat tighten, like someone was gripping it and squeezing. “Brooks?”

  “She said you’d make this about you,” he muttered, raking his fingers through his hair. “God. Do you have any idea what the guys are going to say?”

  Krista didn’t care about the guys on the team. She knew Cam didn’t either—not really. She had to make him see her side of it.

  She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Cam, please. I know you’re upset. I just—maybe I need a little more time.”

  Cam stared at her, his eyes hard. “Is that what this is really about?”

  She frowned, confused. “Of course. What else would it be?”

  He folded his arms across his chest. “I saw you talking to Noah tonight.”

  Krista blinked. “What does Noah Riley have to do with anything?”

  “You tell me,” he said.

  There was a moment of silence, but inside, Krista’s mind raced, a million thoughts screaming in her brain. It sounded like a riot.

  “It’s not Noah,” she insisted, getting her bearings at last. “It’s not anything like that. Can’t—can’t I just not want to? Can’t that be good enough for you?”

  Cam regarded her coolly. “You know what, Kris? It’s not. Get your stuff. I’m taking you home.”

  “What?” Krista gasped. “I didn’t say we had to leave. The night doesn’t have to be over.”

  Cam grabbed the key off the nightstand. “It is, all right? It’s over.”

  She gaped at him.

  “You were always just a substitute anyway,” he added in an undertone.

  Krista closed her eyes. She hoped to God Cam wasn’t saying what it sounded like he was saying.

  “What?” she whispered.

  “C’mon.” Cam laughed bitterly. “You knew that, didn’t you? Deep down? It was always Brooks.”

  Charlie was lying in bed, her mind replaying her dance with Bryan, when she heard a car pull into the driveway. She got up and made her way over to the window.

  It was dark out, but in the moonlight, she could see clearly enough. It was Cam’s car dropping Krista off.

  Wasn’t Krista supposed to be at Brooks’s?

  Charlie knew that was a likely story, but if Brooks was Krista’s cover for being with Cam, what on earth was she doing home in the middle of the night?

  Charlie watched Krista get out of the car slowly. She lingered at the open passenger’s side door, talking. Then, as she was speaking, Cam’s hand shot out from the driver’s side and pulled it shut.

  Krista stood there, silent in her homecoming dress, her high-heeled shoes dangling from her hand.

  Cam revved the engine and peeled out. Krista gazed after his taillights, and as they blinked out of sight, she crumpled to the ground.

  Charlie watched, frozen. She could see Krista’s whole body shaking. Her beautiful green dress formed a satin puddle around her feet.

  Charlie felt a squeezing in her chest. Sure, she gave Krista a hard time on the field, calling her a baby, but she never saw her sister shed a tear, let alone sob. It just wasn’t like her.

  Charlie knew Krista was hurt. She wasn’t sure what to do, but she was surprised to discover that she couldn’t just stand there. She had to do something.

  She moved away from her window and flipped on her light. She shoved her feet into her slippers and grabbed a sweatshirt off the floor. Making her way downstairs, she sneaked quietly, not wanting to wake her parents. She sidestepped the squeaky floorboard at the bottom of the stairs and opened the front door.

  It was the end of October, and already the air felt crisp and cool. It was misty out, and Charlie instantly felt the moisture on her face. She made her way over to her sister.

  “Krista,” she called softly, standing above her. “Are you okay?”

  Krista didn’t respond. It was like she didn’t even hear Charlie. Or know she was there.

  “Krista?” Charlie said again, looking to make sure it was her sister and not some random girl from homecoming, too drunk to find her house. “Do you want to come inside? It’s kind of… starting to rain.”

  Krista didn’t budge. She began sobbing even harder, Charlie thought, to the point where she was almost choking.

  The squeezing in Charlie’s heart grew stronger. She looked around helplessly. Then slowly, she knelt beside Krista and put her arms around her.

  Still sobbing, Krista let her body fall into Charlie’s. To her surprise, Charlie felt tears pricking the corners of her own eyes. She still didn’t know what was wrong, but she said the only thing she could think of.

  “Everything’s going to be okay,” Charlie whispered. “It will be.”

  Chapter Ten

  When Krista woke up the morning after homecoming, it seemed that everything in her life had been turned upside down—some things for the better, others for the worse.

  She remembered Cam leaving her outside last night on her parents’ lawn, and she remembered somebody hugging her, comforting her. What she couldn’t believe was that it had been Charlie there in the driveway, holding her close.

  Charlie sat with her while she cried for God knows how long.

  Charlie took her inside and made her some toast with peanut butter.

  And Charlie finally put her to bed when the birds outside had started to chirp.

  Krista groggily looked at her clock. It was only 8 a.m. She thought about everything that had happened last night—the hotel, Cam, what he’d said about Brooks—and her stomach turned.

  It’s always been Brooks, he’d said.

  Krista gave a bitter chuckle. She had spent the better part of the soccer season worrying about being in Charlie’s shadow. Now she realized she had spent her entire relationship with Cam in Brooks’s—and she hadn’t even known it.

  Today, she wasn’t the soccer team’s star. She wasn’t half of the most-celebrated couple in school, and, quite possibly, her enormous popularity would suffer for it.

  But how much did it all matter? Surely, she was something without all that… wasn’t she?

  Krista got up and grabbed a sweatshirt, making her way to her sister’s bedroom. She pushed open the door and looked inside. Charlie’s bed was empty.

  She walked into the kitchen. Her dad was there, reading the Sunday paper. He looked up from the finance section as she passed.

  “I thought you were staying at Brooks’s last night,” he said as he sipped his coffee.

  “Yeah,” Krista lied. “I was tired, so… Do you know where Charlie is?”

  “Surfing. At least that’s what I’m assuming since she’s gone and her board is too.”

  “Thanks.” Krista nodded and slipped on her flip-flops by the door. She grabbed her keys off the counter. “Be right back.”

  When she pulled up at the beach a few minutes later, she could see her sister among a few other surfers. Charlie was clearly the youngest of the bunch… and the best. Krista climbed down the rocks, careful not to slip, and took a seat in the sand.

  She watched her sister paddling, spinning, and catching wave after wave. She couldn’t help being impressed. Although Charlie had learned to surf a few years ago on a family vacation in Hawaii, she’d gotten serious about it last year—serious enough to compete and win in local competitions. Krista knew that when school had become rough for Charlie—when Regan ditched her—surfing became her out
let.

  Krista watched Charlie bobbing up and down, just a speck out there in the surf, and felt her sadness deepen. She knew how much Regan had meant to Charlie—they’d been best friends since they were little. Then it all just—fell apart.

  Krista had been in the cafeteria that day last year, but at the time, she didn’t think much of it.

  She remembered looking over, seeing Charlie yelling, causing a scene.

  So what? she thought at the time. Charlie had always been a bit temperamental, and Krista didn’t want her sister’s tantrum tainting her image—so she sat there watching the whole thing unfold.

  Later that day, the rumors began.

  “Did you hear your sister attacked some girl at lunch?” Harvey Harvey had asked her. “Guess she wanted a bite of her fish sticks.”

  “What?” Krista asked. She didn’t have time for Harvey Harvey and his creepy weirdness.

  “I guess she was jealous of this girl and her boyfriend.” Harvey shrugged.

  “Jealous?” Krista repeated. Her confusion must have been obvious because Harvey quickly clarified.

  “I didn’t know your sister played for the other team.” He leaned in with a lecherous expression. “Does it run in the family? ’Cause that’s hot.”

  Krista shuddered and walked away from Harvey, unwilling to dignify his question with an answer. But for the rest of the day, she was bombarded with news of the rumor about Charlie.

  She could have taken Charlie’s side—could have defended her. But that seemed like inviting trouble.

  So instead, she had laughed it off, saying she had no idea what her sister’s deal was… but no, it definitely did not run in the family.

  After that, Charlie became hostile. Whenever Krista spoke, Charlie was quick with a cut down or snide remark. She withdrew into her own world, and a permanent distance opened up between them.

  Now, as Krista thought about it, she had a realization. By not having the courage to stick up for Charlie, she’d somehow validated what Regan had said. By not having Charlie’s back, she’d perpetuated the rumor. By blowing it off and making a joke of it, she’d driven a wedge between them.

  It should have been different. She should have supported Charlie—no matter what.