The Practice Date - (Young Adult Romance)

by Victorine E. Lieske

  The Practice Date

  A Novelette

  By Victorine E. Lieske

  Copyright © 2011 by Victorine E. Lieske

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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  Jane hugged her books to her chest as she walked down the sidewalk. This was it. His house was right up the street. Today she wouldn’t cross to her side of the drive before reaching it. She would stride right in front of his home. As she neared she lost her nerve to stare at the brick home with blue and white trim. Her footsteps picked up, and she pretended to be engrossed in the tiny rocks embedded in the cement.

  “Hey, Jane.”

  She jumped, her heart hammering in her chest. “Oh, Lance. I didn’t see you there.”

  He hopped off the front stoop and fell into step beside her, pushing his thick glasses up his nose. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

  For her? Whatever for? She hadn’t spoken to Lance in forever. Ever since he started hanging out with that other crowd. “What do you want?” She didn’t mean it to come out sounding so rude.

  “I was wondering if I could come over for a while. You know, like old times?” He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jean shorts. It was unseasonably warm for a March afternoon in Iowa.

  Something was up. He spent over a year ignoring her and now without any reason he wanted to hang out at her house? Her knee-jerk reaction was to tell him off, but curiosity got the better of her.

  “Sure.”

  They crossed the street and Jane blushed when she walked into her split-level and her mother, staring down at them from over the banister, gave her that raised eyebrow look.

  “Hey, Mrs. Roberts,” Lance said.

  “Well, hello, Lance.” Her mother ran a dusting cloth over the wooden banister. “We haven’t seen you around here for a while.” Jane willed her mother to shut up.

  “I’ve been busy.” He shuffled his feet like he always used to when he was uncomfortable.

  Her brother Andrew came tearing up the stairs past them. He didn’t notice Lance, or if he did he didn’t care. Being eight, it was probably the latter.

  “We’re going to hang out in the family room,” Jane said, tugging on Lance. He followed her down the basement steps where she tossed her books onto the coffee table. Then she rounded on him. “What’s this all about?”

  He maneuvered around her and plopped down on the sofa in front of the large screen TV. “It’s not about anything. Can’t I spend time with a friend?”

  Friend. The word annoyed her. He hadn’t been her friend. He’d ditched her for the more popular crowd. But Lance was here, inside her house, sitting on her couch. Hadn’t she been dreaming of this? Isn’t this what she wanted? She swallowed her anger and sat down next to him.

  “I guess.”

  “Do you want to play Avenger?”

  The mention of their old favorite video game made her smile. “Sure.” She stood and opened the cabinet under the television, pulling out the game controls. She found the game and wiped the dust off the case. The last time she had played it was with Lance.

  When she sat back down she could feel the heat from his leg so close to her own. He seemed distracted as they played, and she ended up beating him. He shrugged and gave her a smile which jump started her heart. Why did she have to react that way to him?

  He laced his fingers behind his head and stretched out his long legs. “So, I’ve been thinking…about prom.”

  Prom? No way. Jane’s head felt light and she thought she might hyperventilate. Lance was going to ask her to the prom? Even though she had been telling Colleen the prom was stupid, she had to admit that excitement rushed through her. And the thought of Lance holding her, dancing with her…she could hardly believe it.

  Best to play it cool. “What about prom?” she asked, hoping he didn’t notice the squeak in her voice.

  “I’d like to ask Tiffany.”

  The bottom dropped out of Jane’s stomach, and a huge lump formed in her throat. Tiffany? The cheerleader? Sure. How could she compete with Tiffany? Tiffany the beautiful, the perky, the blonde. Her own brown hair hung drab and forgettable onto her bony shoulders. She had no cute little upturned nose like Tiffany. Everything about her was boring. Even her name Jane was plain. No wonder Lance wanted to go to the prom with Tiffany. She realized that Lance had not stopped talking.

  “And so I need your help.”

  “What? Me? What are you talking about?”

  Lance stared at her, his eyes pleading. “Tiffany’s not going to agree to go out with me if I look like a computer nerd.”

  That description fit Lance perfectly. Tall and lanky with Drew Carey glasses and dark hair slicked over to the side. Even though he’d been hanging out with Nick, the football player, he still hadn’t changed his appearance much. At least he wasn’t wearing a pocket protector.

  “But you are a computer nerd.” The words were out before she could take them back.

  Hurt shone in his eyes. “Is that how you see me?”

  Maybe it was the disappointment from not being asked to the prom, or the fact that Lance had been ignoring her lately, but whatever it was she stood and hollered, “That’s how everyone sees you! You can’t change who you are.”

  She stormed out, down the hall, and into her bedroom where she slammed the door. Tears blurred her vision, her room turning into a sea of purple. How could he do that to her? Come back into her life just to ask her to transform him into someone Tiffany would want. Tiffany didn’t need another guy falling over her, she had plenty.

  A knock came and she wiped her eyes, glancing in the mirror. Without makeup, it was difficult to tell she’d been crying. She blew her nose and tossed the tissue before opening the door.

  “I’m sorry, Jane.” He stared at the floor. “I know I’ve been a jerk lately. But I’m going to change.” His brown eyes met her gaze. “I’ve missed hanging around you.”

  She didn’t want to go weak in the knees, but she couldn’t help it. Lance just had that effect on her. She sighed.

  “Please help me,” he said. “You’re so good at that fashion stuff.”

  Fashion? Who did he think she was? She raised an eyebrow. “You mean because I can match my socks to my shirt?”

  He laughed, and Jane realized how much she had missed that sound. “Who else am I going to ask? Nick? He’s about as good with fashion as I am with ballroom dancing.”

  “You’re going to have to learn to dance if you want to go to the prom with Tiffany.” Saying the words stabbed at her heart. Lance didn’t notice.

  “You can help me with that, too, right?”

  And then it hit her. If she were teaching him to dance, he’d have to hold her. She’d be spending time with him, his arms around her, gazing into her eyes. “Okay.”

  His eyes brightened. “Really? You’ll do this for me?”

  Was she insane? But before she could stop herself, more words came out of her mouth. “Yes, I’ll help. But you’ll need some money.”

  He leaned against the door frame and stared at the floor again. “I know. How much do you think I’ll need?”

  Jane shrugged. “I’m not sure. You’ll need to get rid of those glasses, first off. Contacts are probably more than a hundred dollars. And then we’ll need to buy some clothes. And not from ShopMart either. Th
e clothes will eat up a lot of money. Haircut…and some styling gel–”

  “I use styling gel.”

  “I know, but you use it wrong.” Lance made a face but didn’t say anything, so she continued. “And you’re going to need the expensive kind. I’m guessing you’ll need at least seven hundred dollars. Maybe more.”

  Lance ran his thumb along the door jamb. “Okay, I’ll get the money.”

  “How?” Jane was kind of hoping he would give up after hearing how much it would cost.

  “I’ve sold my Star Wars collection on eBay.”

  “What? No way. You’ve been collecting that stuff for years.”

  He kicked at the carpet. “I know. It’s just…I really want this, Jane.”

  “You want to be someone you’re not?” she asked, her voice soft.

  His gaze once again met hers. “I’m in love with Tiffany.”

  There was that lump in her throat again. She tried to swallow it without success. “How do you even know her?”

  “She and the other popular kids hang out at Nick’s house because he’s got a game room.”

  Her mouth dropped. “You’ve been using Nick to get to Tiffany?”

  His eyebrows drew together. “No, it’s not like that.”

  The anger flared again. “Whatever. Sell your collection. What does it matter to me? I said I would help and I will.”

  Lance rushed over to her. He wrapped his arms around her, picked her up, and swung her in a circle. “I knew I could count on you.”

  She laughed, her head dizzy from the spinning and from being so close. The familiar scent of his spicy soap mixed with the smell of him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and they stood like that for a minute as time seemed to stop. Her skin tingled where he touched her.

  Then the magical moment passed and he broke away from her, almost embarrassed. “Your mom would kill me if she found me in your room.” He slipped out into the hall, and Jane had no choice but to follow him.

  “When are you going to have the money?”

  He turned to face her. “I should have the money by tomorrow. The highest bid was over a thousand dollars.”

  A small frown crossed his face and then disappeared. She felt bad for him. He’d been so proud of the Star Wars memorabilia he’d acquired. Most of it was original stuff from the ‘70s.

  “Okay. You’ll need it. Make an eye appointment. We’ll go downtown and get your hair cut on Saturday.”

  He took her hand and squeezed it. “Thanks, Janie.” And then he bounded up the steps and she followed. “I’ll see you Saturday,” he called out as he left, the screen door hissing shut behind him.

  Saturday. Sure, he’d be going over to Nick’s house to hang out with Tiffany the rest of the week. Disappointment tugged at her, but she waved it away. Maybe during the week he’d be with Tiffany, but Saturday was hers.

  ***

  Colleen stared at her from across the lunch table. “What is wrong with you?” She tucked a strand of her long black hair behind her ear. Everything about Colleen was dainty, from her slight figure to her delicate fingers. “You’re helping the love of your life get a date with someone else? And not just anyone…Tiffany the cheerleader?”

  “Shh!” Jane waved her hand. “Quiet down.”

  Colleen frowned and sat back in her chair. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell him that you’re in love with him and that you’d rather not be the person who makes something happen between him and Little Miss Perky?”

  Jane glanced around to make sure no one was listening to them. “There’s no way I can tell him that.” Her stomach twisted in knots just thinking about it.

  “Well then, be prepared for misery because he’s going to break your heart. Again.” Colleen took an apple slice and bit it in half.

  Jane stared down at her pink, plastic lunch tray. “I know.”

  She didn’t feel like eating anymore so she sat and watched the bustle of the lunch room.

  “Are you done with your English essay?” Colleen asked.

  “Yeah. It was easy. I practically wrote it in my sleep.”

  “You could write anything in your sleep. I swear you’re going to be a famous author someday.”

  “I wish.” Jane had been writing ever since she could remember. Being a published author had always been her dream.

  “I loved your last blog post. I wish more people would visit it. They’d like your humor.”

  Jane made a face. “I think the two hits a day are from you and my mom. I don’t know why I even bother posting.”

  “You just need to be discovered.” Colleen slid out of her seat and picked up her lunch tray.

  The bell rang. As they left the lunch room Colleen whispered to her, “What’s Nick doing hanging out with Lance anyway? He cheating off him or something?”

  “Could be. I’m sure he’s using him for something.”

  “Why would Lance let him do that?”

  Jane thought about that. “Probably to be part of the popular crowd.”

  Colleen gave her a pat on the back. “See you after school.”

  Maneuvering around the mass of students coming at her, Jane approached her locker. Then she saw him. Lance was walking her way. She was going to pass right by him. She took a deep breath and played it cool. “Hey, Lance.”

  “Hi, Janie.” He turned and fell into step beside her. “I got an eye appointment for next week.”

  “Great.” She reached her locker.

  “Thanks, again, for…you know. You’re a real friend.”

  Yeah. He’d said that yesterday. Friend. “Okay.” What else could she say to that?

  He looked past her. “Well, there’s Nick. I’ll call you Saturday morning.” He took off down the hall and she saw him walk over to the conglomeration of football jerseys and cheerleading skirts. Nick gave him a high-five.

  Yep. He was going to break her heart. Again.

  ***

  Jane flipped through the hairstyle book as Lance squirmed in the plastic chair connecting to hers. “Why are there only girls getting their hair done?”

  “This is a salon, but they cut men’s hair too.”

  “Oh.” His face looked a little pale.

  “Don’t stress out. I found the perfect hairstyle for you.” Jane held up the book and pointed to a photo.

  Lance wrinkled his nose. “He looks like he just got out of bed.”

  “I know. The messy hair is popular right now.”

  A chair opened up and the stylist motioned for Lance to sit. Jane showed her the photo. “Can you make his hair do this?”

  “Sure thing, hon.” She draped a cape around him, leaned the chair back and stuck his head in the sink. After the shampoo and rinse she had him move to another chair.

  Soon tufts of dark hair covered the tile floor. Then the beautician squirted some mint green goop into her palm and worked it through his hair. The transformation was amazing. Jane had always thought Lance was cute, but this made him gorgeous.

  “How do I look?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  For a moment she couldn’t speak. Finally she said, “Good. Real good.”

  Next up, the mall. Jane hopped into Lance’s blue Taurus and he pulled out of the parking lot. It was hard not to stare at him.

  Shopping for clothes was pretty uneventful. They spent the afternoon flipping through racks, trying them on, and picking out the ones that looked the trendiest. At first Jane had no clue what she was doing, but by the end of the afternoon she felt fairly confident that together they had picked some decent pieces. And they were having a sale, so it didn’t eat up as much money as she had thought, the most expensive item being a hundred dollar black leather jacket.

  After paying for the clothes and carrying bags out to the car, Lance turned to her. “Let’s go out to dinner. My treat.”

  In all the time they had spent together, Lance had never taken her on what she would consider a date. They did things together as kids, rollerblading, going to a movie, bu
t always with an adult around. By the time they were dating age, Lance had stopped hanging out with her. Now that she was sixteen and he was seventeen she definitely considered this a date.

  Her heart dropped into her stomach.

  “I’d love to.”

  “I’ve got cash. We can go anywhere you want. You hungry for anything in particular?”

  She hesitated. “Yes, but it will sound stupid.”

  Curiosity crossed his face. “Try me.”

  “I’m in the mood for a hamburger. Is that dumb?”

  He laughed. “Not dumb at all. I know the perfect place.” He started the car and Jane sent a text to her mom letting her know she’d be out for dinner. Ten minutes later Lance pulled into a parking lot next to a small restaurant with red and white checkered trim. The sign said Stuff-A-Burger.

  “I’ve never been here before.”

  Lance grinned as he shut off the engine. “These are the most amazing burgers. The toppings are stuffed inside the meat. They’re delicious.”

  “Interesting.”

  “You’ll love it. Hey, I should come open your car door for you.” With that he hopped out and ran round the car. Jane was flattered that Lance would do something so chivalrous.

  Lance took her hand and helped her out of the car, making her heart beat faster. “Tiffany is going to love that, right?”

  Her spirits fell to the ground and pooled in a puddle at her feet. She turned away from him so he wouldn’t see the hurt on her face. “Yeah. She’ll love that.”

  The burger place was the seat yourself kind, so they chose a small round table by the window. A girl in a white shirt and red apron appeared and handed them menus.

  “I’ll give you a second to look,” she said.

  Jane scanned the menu. “Ooh, the Swiss cheese and mushroom burger sounds good.”

  “I’m going to have the peanut butter burger.”

  Jane wrinkled her nose. “Peanut butter?”

  “Sounds gross, right? But it’s to die for.” His brown eyes sparkled.

  “Now you’ve got me intrigued.” She laughed. “You’ll have to give me a bite.”