The Practice Date - (Young Adult Romance)

by Victorine E. Lieske

  “You got it.”

  After they ordered and the menus were taken away, Lance leaned back in his chair. He tapped the table with one hand.

  “What’s on your mind?”

  “Nothing, really. I’m just thinking about what I would say to Tiffany on a date like this. Of course I couldn’t bring her here,” Lance said. “I’d take her somewhere with tablecloths.”

  “You’re not really a tablecloth kind of guy.”

  Lance frowned. “That’s not what matters.”

  Jane wanted to rebuttal, but held her tongue. The last thing she wanted to do was drive a wedge between them. “Well, you could ask her what kind of things she likes. Be interested in her. Girls like it when guys are interested in what they have to say.”

  Lance pointed at her and nodded. “You’re brilliant.”

  “Tell that to my Geometry teacher.”

  A look of concern crossed his face. “You having trouble in Geometry? I can help you with that.”

  She had been joking, but the thought of spending more time with Lance gave her flutters in her belly. “Thanks. I’d love that.”

  The waitress brought their food and Jane took a tentative bite. The cheese and mushrooms almost melted in her mouth. “Wow,” she said after chewing and swallowing. “You’re not kidding. This is delicious.”

  “Here,” he said, handing his burger over. “Try the peanut butter.”

  Surprisingly she liked that one too. It reminded her of the way the cashew chicken at the Chinese place tasted with the meat and nut flavors together. “Mmm, good.”

  Lance looked like he’d just won the lottery. “I told you you’d like it.”

  A comfortable silence swept in as they ate. When they left, Lance held the door for her. She tried not to think about how he was actually practicing for Tiffany.

  As he drove her home she gathered up her nerve. “Do you want to come over tomorrow to get your first dance lesson?”

  “Can’t. I’ve got plans tomorrow. But how about next weekend? Maybe Friday night?”

  Plans. Sure. She could guess what that meant. Whatever. “Okay.” She tried not to let the disappointment creep into her voice.

  When he dropped her off at her house, he said, “We should hang out more often. It was fun today.”

  Before she could say anything he walked away, got in his car and left.

  “Yeah, it was,” she said to herself.

  ***

  The week seemed to drag on as Jane went through the motions of going to class and doing her homework. Her only relief was when she sat down at her computer to write. The book she was working on was a comedy, but she felt the urge to introduce a new character–a love interest. Maybe she could make it a romantic comedy.

  She heard a soft knock at her door, and her mother poked her head in. “I just took a batch of chocolate chip cookies from the oven. Would you like some?”

  Jane smiled at her mother. “I never refuse cookies.”

  Her mother came in and set a plate down on the desk next to Jane. “Are you working on your book?”

  “Yep.” She stole a glance at her mom. Her soft brown curls framed her face in such a nice way. Her mother had always permed her hair, ever since she could remember. Jane thought it made her look younger.

  “Did I ever tell you I used to write?”

  Jane’s mouth popped open. “No. What did you write?”

  Her mother smiled. “Just some short stories.”

  “Do you still have any?”

  “No, I think they got lost over the years.”

  A little disappointment tugged Jane. “Darn. I would have liked to read them.”

  Her mother laughed. “They weren’t very good. But you’re right, I should have kept better track of them.”

  Jane expected her mother to leave, but instead she sat down on the bed.

  “Are you and Lance dating now?”

  Jane swiveled around in her computer chair to study her mother. “No, not really. We’re just friends.” Saying that hurt more than she wanted to admit.

  Her mother smoothed the bed spread. “You like him, don’t you?”

  Great. Was she that obvious? How pathetic. “I guess.”

  “Don’t be afraid to tell Lance how you feel.”

  Yeah, that was easier said than done. She stared down at her shoes. “I can’t. He likes someone else.”

  Her mother nodded. “I see. That’s got to be hard on you.”

  Jane shrugged. What could she do about it?

  A smile appeared on her mother’s face and she stood. “Don’t worry. Things like this have a way of working out.”

  “Um, thanks.” What did she mean by that?

  ***

  “Jane, are you even listening?” Colleen grabbed her arm and gave it a shake.

  “Huh?” Jane focused her attention on Colleen, feeling a bit guilty for ignoring her. She’d been looking down the hall for Lance. He usually came this way right about now.

  Colleen gave her a disapproving look. “Stop this before you get too hurt. Tell him you can’t see him tomorrow. Make up some excuse.”

  No way. She’d been waiting all week for Friday night. Colleen was worrying over nothing. “I can’t. I promised him I’d help.”

  “Then unpromise.” Colleen’s dark eyes pleaded with her.

  “You’re my best friend. I know you’re only looking out for me. But I can handle this.” She saw Lance out of the corner of her eye and froze. He’d gotten contacts. Holy. Cow. Why had she convinced him to do that? Now every girl in the school was going to be falling all over him.

  Colleen turned to look at what Jane was staring at. “Is that Lance? Dang, girl. You’re a miracle worker.”

  Jane shook her head. “No. It’s been there all along.”

  She heard a sigh come from Colleen. “All right. I can see nothing I say is going to make a difference.”

  She turned her attention back to her friend. “I’m sorry. You’re probably right. It’s just that he’s spending time with me again. I’ve missed that.”

  “I know.” Colleen pulled a notebook from her locker and slammed it shut. “Call me later.”

  “Deal.”

  ***

  Jane couldn’t concentrate at school. This was it. Tonight she was supposed to teach Lance how to dance. The thought of her teaching anyone to dance was kind of funny. She’d only been to a couple of dances…and they should have been called sits because that’s what she and Colleen had done. But they watched the other couples, and it didn’t seem too hard.

  After school Lance came up to her locker. “Hey, do you want a ride home?”

  “Sure,” she said, a bit breathless. If only her heart would slow down, she might sound more normal. She slung her book bag over her shoulder and shut her locker.

  “I can carry that for you.”

  “It’s not heavy.”

  Lance frowned. “I thought girls liked that stuff.”

  Oh. Right. He’s practicing. She handed it over. “All right then.”

  Her nerves jumped as he drove to her house. When they entered the basement, Jane was glad to see her little brother wasn’t around. Lance took off his jacket and tossed it on the couch. She went into her bedroom to get her MP3 player. When she came back Lance pointed to her backpack.

  “Do you have any geometry homework? I could help you with it, if you want.”

  “I do, actually. I’d love some help.” Anything to keep him here longer.

  He plopped down on the sofa and she dug her homework out of her bag and handed it to him. He thumbed through her book. “What chapter are you on?”

  “Seventeen. We’re studying surface area and volume.”

  Lance patted the sofa beside him. “Have a seat. This isn’t that hard.”

  She sat beside him and pretended not to understand the material while listening to the baritone of his voice as he explained how to calculate the volume of a cone. He had a nice voice. And his breath smelled good, too, like he�
��d been eating peppermints. Maybe he’d snuck a breath mint. The thought made her smile.

  She stared at the open book and stole glances at his face whenever she could. A tiny bit of stubble grew on his jaw line. She had the urge to touch it, but refrained.

  “Do you think you’ve got it now?”

  She nodded. “Yes. The way you explain it makes sense.”

  A bright smile filled his face. “Good. I’m glad to help. Any questions?”

  “I do have a question,” she said tentatively. “But it’s not about homework.”

  His eyebrows lifted a bit. “Sure, what is it?”

  “How did you…get to be friends with Nick?” Jane searched his face, looking for any sign that she had offended him. He closed his eyes and nodded, placed the geometry book on the coffee table, then leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, staring at the floor. After a minute he spoke.

  “At the beginning of last year my mother got sick. She was in the hospital for a while.”

  A horrible feeling overcame her. Here she was mad that he had stopped coming over to her house, and he’d been dealing with something like this. “Lance, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry. Is she okay?”

  He took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Sometimes she hits a rough patch and has to go back in.”

  “Is it cancer?” she asked, afraid of the answer.

  Lance stared at his shoes. “No.”

  Jane knew it was something bad by the way he sat there, not saying anything. She patted his back, trying to give him support.

  He raked his hand through his hair. “She tried to kill herself, Janie,” he said softly.

  Her throat constricted and she didn’t know what to say. She had known Lance’s mom for years. She’d always seemed just fine. “I’m so sorry,” she repeated.

  “I came home from school one day and she was in the garage with the car running. She’d written a suicide note, and she had passed out in the driver’s seat. I was so scared. I thought she was dead.” A tear slid down his cheek and he continued to stare at his feet.

  “How awful.” She felt her own eyes fill with tears.

  “She spent the next few weeks in the psych ward at the hospital. My dad and I would go visit her every day. Once when I was coming out of her room I ran into Nick. I’d been crying and was embarrassed to see someone from school there. He stopped and talked to me in the hall. His aunt had been struggling with depression for years. That’s why he was there. His aunt was in the psych ward too. He didn’t make fun of me for bawling or anything. He understood what I was going through.”

  Again, Jane was lost for words. She’d totally misjudged Nick. This was the last thing she thought she would hear.

  Lance wiped his cheek, but still wouldn’t look at her. “Nick started inviting me over and asking me to eat lunch with him. He never told anyone else at school.”

  She put her arm around him and placed her head on his shoulder. “Sounds like Nick’s a good friend.”

  He took her hand and squeezed it. “And so are you.”

  A good friend. Right. She’d been jumping to all the wrong conclusions about Lance and Nick. Guilt spread through her. After all the time she’d spent with Lance, she should have known better.

  “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” she asked quietly.

  “I guess I was embarrassed. I didn’t want anyone to know. But I was wrong. I should have told you. I’m sorry for shutting you out.” He turned to face her, his dark eyes penetrating through her. “I promise not to shut you out again.”

  She touched his face, fulfilling her desire to feel the stubble on his cheek. “You’d better not.”

  He grinned and the mood lightened. “I think another round of Avenger is called for.”

  “You got it.”

  They ended up playing Avenger until the sky darkened outside and they’d both won three rounds. Jane tossed her controller down on the seat. “Okay, am I going to teach you some dance moves or what?”

  Lance squirmed. “One more game? A tie breaker?”

  She squinted at him. “What’s up? Are you nervous about dancing?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Why?”

  He fiddled with his fingers. “I guess if I find out I stink, my whole plan of taking Tiffany to the prom is shot.”

  Jane poked him in the side. “Come on, get off your lazy butt. You won’t stink.”

  She pushed the coffee table over to the wall to give them a little space. Then she connected her MP3 player to her portable speakers and set it on the shelf.

  “Let’s start with fast dancing.” She pushed play and found an upbeat song. “Now, most of the kids just move around like this.” She bent her knees, moved her arms to the beat and showed Lance how to mimic her moves.

  “That’s it? There’s no twirling or dipping or anything?”

  Jane laughed. “Not that I saw.”

  “Great. I think I can do this.” They danced to two more songs before Jane got up the nerve to suggest they learn slow dancing.

  “Okay, I think I’m ready,” he said. “Bring it on.”

  Jane scrolled through her song list and found something slow. “True” by Ryan Cabrera. She pushed play and the first strains of a guitar began.

  “Okay, put your hands on my waist.” Lance did as he was told. Being this close to him made her feel all nervous and awkward. She took a breath, reached up and put her hands on his shoulders. “Now, all you do is take a step to the side, and then back again, swaying in time to the music.”

  Lance took a step, stopped, and then repeated in the other direction. “Like that?”

  “I think you’re supposed to glide more.”

  He chuckled. “I’m a guy. Guy’s don’t glide.”

  “They do when they want to woo the women with their smooth dancing. Now come on, like this.” She guided him back and forth in a small circle.

  “That’s not too hard,” he said, smiling down at her. “I think I’m getting the hang of this.”

  “Okay, now you lead.”

  He applied a gentle pressure on her waist. His touch sent shivers up her back. “Like this?”

  “Perfect.” After a minute she laid her head on his shoulder, snuggling up to his neck, and noted how appropriate the lyrics to the song were. She had waited all her life for him. And now his heart had gone to someone else.

  She pushed that thought out of her mind. Tiffany wasn’t here dancing with him. She was. The future didn’t exist right now. Lance was holding her, and she felt like she could do anything.

  And then the song ended.

  Lance stopped moving. “Janie?” His voice cracked.

  “Mmm?”

  “I think the song’s done,” he said quietly.

  She took her head off his shoulder and looked up into his deep brown eyes. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t notice.” A total lie. Of course she’d noticed.

  Lance didn’t say anything he just peered down at her. His face bent slowly toward her. Her heart did this funny beating thing and she couldn’t breathe. She didn’t realize that she had moved closer to him until their lips were touching, but by that time it was too late.

  She stood there, frozen, her lips touching his, for what seemed like forever. Wasn’t she supposed to do something? Maybe move her lips? Touch his hair? She didn’t know. This was the first time she had kissed a boy.

  Lance pulled away, his cheeks flushed. From the heat flaming her face she could tell her cheeks were red too. A little voice in the back of her mind screamed at her. Say something. Anything. Fix this before he gets scared off.

  “Um…sorry, I just thought you should practice that too…for when you’re on your date with Tiffany.”

  “Tiffany. Right.” Lance backed up and ran into the coffee table, almost falling but catching himself. “We should.” He grabbed his jacket off the couch. “Practice, I mean.” He started toward the stairs.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I have to go now. I mean, it’s
late…but we should practice more. Tomorrow.” He took several steps before Jane became unfrozen from her place. She followed him to the bottom of the stairs.

  “Tomorrow?” she called up after him.

  “Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He tossed her a half-hearted wave and slipped out of the front door.

  ***

  Jane lay in her bed unable to sleep. She’d kissed Lance and he’d run out of her house. So much for fairy tale endings. He’d practically climbed out of his skin. Was she that horrible to kiss?

  At least he was coming over tomorrow. She might be able to redeem herself. Somehow.

  She picked up her cell phone and called Colleen.

  “Hello?”

  Jane sucked in a breath. “Don’t hate me.”

  “What? Why? What happened with Lance?”

  Jane closed her eyes. “I kissed him.”

  “No way. You kissed him? What did he do?”

  She was afraid Colleen would ask her that. “Um…I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know? What do you mean you don’t know?” Colleen’s voice was getting louder.

  “Well, he sort of freaked out a little bit.”

  Dead silence.

  “Colleen?”

  “Freaked out how?” Colleen asked carefully.

  “He tripped over the coffee table and then left really quickly. I think I scared him,” she confessed.

  Colleen let out a breath. “What kind of a kiss was it? Like a little peck?”

  “No. It was kind of a bit longer than that.”

  “Did he look mad?”

  Jane thought about that. He didn’t really look angry. “No. Shocked maybe.”

  “Well then, that’s not all bad. Maybe he liked it.”

  Jane remembered the way Lance had run up the steps. She didn’t think so. But Colleen sounded hopeful and she didn’t want to ruin that. “Maybe.”

  “Oops, my mom is waving at me to get off the phone. I’ll talk with you later.”

  “Okay. Bye.”

  Jane hung up and plugged her cell phone in the charger. She’d better get some sleep. Lance had said he’d be coming over again tomorrow.

  She slid under the covers and switched off the light. Still not tired. After tossing and turning for a while sleep finally came. When she woke the sun was up. She was out of bed before her little brother, which was saying something.