"That's a good idea." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "See you at lunch?"
"See you at lunch," she agreed.
One second she was standing a foot away from Jaiden, the next she was in his arms. He hugged her so close her face was pressed against his chest and she could smell expensive cologne. By the time she realized how close he held her, Jaiden was already stepping away. Her heart thundered in her chest—from surprise, she told herself—as the two of them made eye contact.
"You're going to have the time of your life at the dance," Jaiden said. "And don't eat first. I've got dinner planned."
She nodded and watched Jaiden walk away.
****
That evening, Annamarie trotted out of the dojo with sweaty black hair sticking to her face. After class, her endorphins were flowing and she was in a great mood. Now I just have to go buy my dress. She was so deep in thought that she jumped sky high when one of the guys from her karate class clapped her on the shoulder.
"Good job today," he said.
"Thanks." She grinned and waved. Considering the fact she'd thrown him three feet in class, she thought he was being a good sport about being beaten up by a girl.
The two of them parted ways. She walked five blocks to a strip mall she'd seen while riding the bus and headed inside a dress shop. An old lady with blonde hair sat behind the counter picking at her nails. When the woman saw her, she forced a smile on her face.
"Hello." The woman cocked her head. "Anything I can help you with today?"
"I need a dress for a school dance." And she didn't know the first place to look.
"Middle school?"
"High school. I'm a junior." She grumbled as she looked down at her non-existent cleavage. That was the problem with being mousy and short. She'd probably be ID'd at R rated movies until she was eighty.
"Oh." The woman's eyes widened in surprise. "We have a rack over there in the corner specifically for school dances."
Annamarie nodded and headed into the corner where the woman pointed. The rack held dresses in all colors with a wide array of puffiness. She picked through the clothes and didn't find much to be excited about. A) she was too small for a lot of the dresses and b) she didn't want to be swallowed up by fluff. There's got to be something better for me than this, she thought, picking up a flamingo pink gown that would make her look like she'd time traveled from the eighties. She was just about to leave the store in disappointment when she spotted a dress out of the corner of her eye.
The dress was the color of champagne and was made from smooth silk. It was low cut in the front—not that she had much to display—and was even lower in the back. She checked the sales tag. It said it was extra small. Perfect, she thought, triumphant. Even with her mousy body, she'd look okay in a dress like that. She draped the dress over her arm and headed to the salesclerk.
"Can I try this on?" No way was she buying a dress without seeing if it fit first.
"The dressing room is in the back." The woman pointed at a door behind her.
She headed into the back and saw a lone changing room. The store must not have had many customers. After entering the changing room, she undressed quickly and pulled the dress on with her back to the mirror. The fabric was cool and clung to her perfectly. She hesitated before turning around to look at herself.
It was like she was wearing a river of gold. The silk contrasted with her pale skin, making her face look bright instead of translucent. The material and design made her tiny figure appear delicate and graceful instead of bony and mousy. When she came into the store in her baggy pants and oversized sweater, it was easy to understand why the salesclerk had thought she was in middle school. But when she was in this dress, she looked like she was on her way to womanhood. She was proud of her body for being more than just a destruction machine. Daniel is going to drop dead when he sees me in this dress, she thought as she pulled the gown over her head.
Wait a second…Daniel? Crap! As she draped the dress on the dressing room door, she tried to tell herself that she'd meant to think Jaiden. The problem was a person could only be so naïve. She knew in the darkest depths of her heart that Daniel was the one she wanted to wear the dress for.
As she looked down at the clothes, she felt a painful pinch of guilt. Jaiden was the one who was honest, sweet, and kind. Daniel was temperamental and childish. She shouldn't be wearing the dress for him. Angry at herself, she picked up the gown and went to select a pair of shoes with a large enough heel to gouge her brain out with it.
****
Annamarie headed up the steps of the dorm with the bag containing her dress and shoes hanging on her arm. A group of girls were talking outside of her room.
"Is it true, Allison?" one of the students in the group asked a black-haired girl. "Did Daniel ask you to go with him to the dance?"
Allison nodded, looking like she barely believed it herself.
Something big and slimy was swimming around in Annamarie's stomach.
"He never goes to the dances," one of the girls said. "You're so lucky."
"But I thought he was dating that weird transfer student," said another girl in the group.
The words were a slap to the face. The group must not have seen her come up behind them. She headed to her room and went inside. She sunk down onto the bed and cupped her head in her hands.
You were wrong, she thought. Daniel likes Allison. And why wouldn't he? She's gorgeous. With tears of rage filling her eyes, she picked up a pillow and started hitting her bedframe with it. She tried to tell herself she was mad because Allison wasn't right for Daniel, but soon, her excuses ran out and she was left with the truth. She liked Daniel. Crap. In frustration, she beat the bed harder.
She'd been doing this for a few minutes when her phone rang.
"What?" she snapped, realizing too late she shouldn't answer the phone like a raging beast.
"Whoa." It was Jaiden. "Bad time?"
"No," she lied, placing her hand on her heart and fearing it might pound out of her chest.
"Are you sure?" Jaiden paused. "If you're not okay, I can be at your room in a second. We can talk."
She sunk onto her bed and laid her head on the pillow. Having Jaiden come over now was the last thing she wanted. She had too much anger to deal with. She didn't want to end up punching the guy because of her mixed up feelings.
"It's nothing," she said. "Somebody, ugh, stole my last donut."
"You have a lot of anger over a donut." Jaiden sounded skeptical.
"It was a really good one," she said. "It was the kind with the thick cream in the middle."
"That sounds delicious," he said. "I'll tell you what. I'll bring you a donut tomorrow morning. Will that make you feel better?"
"You don't have to do that." She was such an awful person for misleading him like this.
"I want to," he said. "I'll get some for myself too. I'm serious about jelly filled."
"Jelly filled donuts are pretty good," she said.
The talk of donuts was defusing some of her anger, but Allison's face kept appearing in her mind. The girl was too freaking pretty with her long eyelashes and her full lips.
"Jelly filled are the best," Jaiden said. "But I obviously didn't call to talk about baked goods. Did you buy a dress for Saturday?"
"Yeah." She fished around in her bag and pulled out the gown. "It's nice. I was surprised I found one that fit me so well."
It wasn't easy buying a dress that looked good on a surfboard.
"What color is it?" Jaiden asked, his voice husky.
"Why?" A chill ran up her spine. Was Jaiden trying to take this conversation someplace dirty?
"So I can match my tie and get you the right flowers," Jaiden said. "You thought I was creeping on you right now, didn't you?"
She couldn't help but laugh. Now she felt ridiculous because of her paranoia.
"Yeah, I kind of did," she admitted.
"I love how highly you think of me." Jaiden still sounded chipper, despite h
is newly earned creeper status. "But I'm glad you laughed just now. You sounded so miserable and angry when you picked up the phone."
"Did I really sound that bad?" she asked.
"Yeah." Jaiden sighed.
"Don't worry. You cheered me up." That wasn't one hundred percent true, but she was touched by Jaiden's thoughtfulness.
"Really?" Jaiden sounded hopeful.
"Really, really." Oh man. She hated herself for lying.
"I'm glad," Jaiden said. "By the way…"
"Yeah?" she asked.
"Thanks again for saying yes to going to the dance with me," Jaiden said. "You made me the happiest guy alive."
Her heart sped up, but it ached too.
"You're welcome," she said, trying to keep her voice neutral.
"See you tomorrow?" he asked.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
After Jaiden hung up, she released a deep sigh.
Chapter Fifteen
Annamarie left the dorm, her head in a fog. A couple of girls hovered by the door, chatting about their plans for the dance. She ignored them and headed for the school. Today felt like a chocolate for breakfast kind of day. When she headed up the stairs to the school entrance, somebody approached and fell in stride beside her. At first she assumed it was Owen—the guy had a tenacious, dog-like personality—but when she glanced at her tagalong, she realized it was Jaiden. He was holding a box of donuts in his hands.
"Good morning," Jaiden said cheerfully.
"Good morning."
She came to a stop and Jaiden did too.
"I came bearing gifts, as promised." Jaiden held out the white box.
God was smiling down upon her that day. The only thing better than unhealthy, sugary chocolate was a fried hunk of dough covered in unhealthy, sugary chocolate. Heck yeah. She seized a donut and shoved it into her mouth. Filling sweeter than an angel's smile made her taste buds sing. So good. She squeezed her eyes shut.
"I…cub…mawry…du…wright…now…" she said with her mouth full of donut.
"What was that?" Jaiden laughed.
She swallowed, even though it was painful.
"I said I could marry you right now." She licked a chocolate smear from her finger.
"Is that a proposal?" He beckoned her over to a cement bench and placed the box on it.
"Yeah," she said.
"Then let's plan a June wedding." He selected a jelly filled donut.
"Our flowers have to be orchids," she said.
"I really wanted roses, but for you, I'll make the sacrifice." Jaiden nodded, then placed a small piece of donut carefully into his mouth.
How can he eat a donut so elegantly? she wondered. She was lucky if her donut made it to her mouth without a gob of filling staining her shirt. As she chewed, she heard familiar laughter in the distance and froze. It was Daniel.
Jaiden must have realized it too because he stiffened.
"I should go," she said, preparing to flee.
Jaiden seized her wrist, stopping her from leaving.
"You never ran from Daniel before," Jaiden said.
He made a fair point. Somewhere along the line Daniel had turned her into some sort of coward. As she pulled her wrist out of Jaiden's grasp, Daniel came around the corner with Gavin walking behind him.
When Daniel looked from her to Jaiden, the grin slipped from his face. She had to force herself to breathe as she looked into the guy's eyes. I don't like him. I don't like him, she chanted in her head. Unfortunately, even when he held her gaze a few moments too long, her stomach exploded with butterflies. Those butterflies must have been on fire because she also was furious. She kept imagining beautiful Allison and knew there was nothing she could do about her. This time, she was determined to force the fire down—or at least, redirect it at another topic.
She took a defiant bite of her donut and chewed on it with a vengeance. Gavin stepped toward Jaiden, his hands in his pockets.
"Hey," Gavin said. "Any chance there's a donut in that box with my name on it?"
Jaiden nodded. "Help yourself."
Gavin opened the box and took out a donut covered in sprinkles. Daniel glanced at the box too.
"You bought cream filled," Daniel said. "Awesome. My favorite."
She wasn't sure what made her do it. Maybe it was anger, maybe it was immaturity. All she knew was that one second Daniel was eyeballing the last cream filled donut and the next she was stealing it out from right under his nose. She ate half of it in one massive bite.
"What did you do that for?" Daniel yelled. "That was the last cream filled."
Her mouth was too full for her to respond. She wasn't sure what she would have said anyway.
"Aren't you going to answer me?" Daniel asked.
She was in an awful predicament. Taking a bite of the donut had been her way of expressing her anger at Daniel, but right now, she was the one who was suffering. She'd taken a bite of donut so big she couldn't chew it enough to swallow it. She had two choices—either she could spit it out in front of everyone or continue standing around with chipmunk cheeks like an idiot. Chipmunk cheeks it is, El Capitan, she thought.
Since she couldn't talk—something that Daniel appeared to finally realize—the guy seized a glazed donut and took a massive bite. He stared at her, the fried dough rolling around in his mouth, and didn't break eye contact. The air between her and Daniel seemed to have become enflamed.
The moment ended when the bell rang. Daniel looked like he was ready to keep having the staring contest, but Gavin still had his common sense and wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulder.
"We have Mrs. Fredrick first," Gavin said. "You know how she squawks when people are late."
As Gavin dragged him up the stairs, Daniel pointed his index finger at her threateningly and mouthed the world, "You." The moment the guy was around the corner, she leaned over the bench and spat out the ball of dough that had condensed in her mouth.
"Cripes," she said, wiping her mouth on her arm.
Jaiden patted her back.
"You okay?" Jaiden asked.
"Fine. I made my point." What that point was, she wasn't exactly sure.
She straightened up, took a look at the donut she still held in her hand, and took a bite that she could actually swallow. Victory may have been sweet, but so was stealing somebody else's donut.
****
Annamarie headed down the steps to the science lab. It was in the bowels of the building and was nicknamed the Depths of Despair. She didn't think it was so bad in the dark hall, but she had to admit walking through the badly lit area did make her hair stand on end. Once she made it to the science classroom, she paused when she saw a note scrawled in marker on the whiteboard.
'Meet in the library,' Mr. Ferguson had written.
Shrugging, she turned around and headed whence she came. As she walked, she saw a shadow dart in front of her, heading from one door to the next. She stiffened.
She'd never much liked the idea of ghosts, mostly because they were one of the few things that couldn't be beaten with her fists. She paused in front of the door where she'd seen the shadow enter. You're being crazy right now. If her hair hadn't been standing on end, she would have laughed at herself. Instead she walked into the abandoned classroom, wanting to prove to herself that she'd seen nothing.
Lines of desks sat in front of a recently used chalkboard. It looked like girls had been inside last because the writing was feminine. Plus, she'd never seen a guy scrawl, 'Love!' with a giant throbbing heart beneath it. There was a line of empty flower pots, only two of which were filled with dirt. A pink scarf was draped on the teacher's desk.
Somebody cleared their throat from behind her.
She whirled around and almost punched Paul Henderson in the face. The guy managed to dodge the blow just in time. He'd barely saved himself from a black eye.
"Jeez. You almost nailed me in the face," Paul cried.
Flushing, she lowered her fists. She liked Paul. He was one of th
e few people in science class who actually talked to her.
"Sorry about that." She gave a nervous laugh. "I always fight whenever somebody comes up behind me. It's a kneejerk reaction."
"Remind me never to invite you to a haunted house." Paul clicked his tongue. "Still you look pretty freaked out. You okay?"
"Oh, yeah." No way was she going to admit she'd just been the victim of her own imagination. "I've just never looked around too much down here. It's strange."
"It is pretty strange." Paul looked curiously over her shoulder before shrugging. "Shouldn't we be heading to class, though?"
"It's been moved to the library."
Paul groaned. "That means we're going to have to write essays."
"Probably." She laughed. "But look at the bright side. At least you didn't get punched in the face."
"I think I'd rather get punched than have to do an essay," Paul muttered, escorting her from the abandoned classroom.
Even as she walked away, she swore she heard something move behind her.
****
Annamarie sat in the grass with Jaiden at her side. The moon was full, illuminating the spot where she sat. The stars twinkled overhead, romantic and awe-inspiring. As she looked upward, Jaiden reached out and placed his hand on her own.
"This is so nice," she said.
"Yeah, it is."
She heard footsteps in the grass. When she searched for the source of the noise, she saw that Daniel was heading toward the two of them, irritation written on his face. Even though that was the case, she was happy when he sat down beside her.
"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" she asked.
"No." Daniel touched her other hand.
Her palms grew sweaty. She kept imagining Daniel with Allison and wanted to pull her hand back. But she didn't. Instead she just remained still, staring at the stars, stuck between Jaiden and Daniel.
Chapter Sixteen
The day of the dance arrived. Annamarie stood in front of the mirror in her dress of gold, studying her reflection. Her black hair was tied up in an elegant bun. She wore a silver locket her dad had given her on her first trip to Italy. Even though she was as fashionable as a rabies infected squirrel, her mom had somehow managed to drill into her the basics of applying makeup. She wore bronze eye shadow and eyeliner, plus some lip gloss that made her mouth appear bigger. When she stared at her reflection, she didn't even look like the weapon totting, fist throwing girl who dreamed of opening her own dojo. She looked like her mom. The thought was enough to almost make her want to wipe her face clean, but she decided she was wearing makeup only for one night. Plus, a little mascara wasn't going to steal her killer right hook.
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