Spring Fling

by Sabrina James

  Jade laughed. “What are you so afraid of? That you might cut loose and Mindy will get word back to the admissions offices of the colleges you’re going to apply to?”

  “Danielle cutting loose?” Lindsey sputtered. “That would be the scoop of the year!”

  “Last time I checked, you were supposed to be my best friend,” a surly Danielle told Lindsey.

  “I’m only teasing!” Lindsey exclaimed.

  Before Danielle could say anything else, she was taken into the back of the salon by a stylist named Giorgio. As soon as she sat down in his chair, Danielle told him what she did and didn’t want done to her hair. When she finished, Giorgio held up a hand.

  “Bella ragazza,” he said in his Italian accent. “Giorgio is a genius with the scissors. Trust me when I say you will be la bellezza when I’m finished.”

  “Er, what did you just call me?”

  Giorgio’s blue eyes twinkled. “Beautiful girl,” he explained as he walked her over to the shampoo area. “And when I finish, you’ll be the most beautiful.”

  “Oh,” Danielle said, blushing. Maybe this makeover business wasn’t so bad after all. “Well, I guess I’ll let you do your thing.”

  Two hours later, Danielle returned to the reception area of the salon.

  “So?” she asked, trying to keep a satisfied smile off her face. “What do you think?”

  Ava rubbed her eyes. “You look amazing!”

  Lindsey happily clapped her hands. “Like Victoria Beckham!”

  “That’s definitely because of the haircut,” Danielle said, swinging her head back and forth as her new short bob fell into place.

  Giorgio had cut her shoulder-length brown hair to the back of her neck and added some highlights. It was now a warm honey color. She’d also gotten a spray-on tan, and a salon makeup artist had given her a whole new palette of colors to add to her face. Her green eyes were now highlighted with mascara, making her lashes lush and bold. Smoky eye shadow had been added to her lids, and a touch of blush had been brushed onto her cheeks. A dab of red lipstick was applied to her lips and made shiny with a finishing layer of lip gloss. Danielle didn’t usually wear much makeup, so, hopefully, she’d be able to do just as good a job when she tried it herself.

  When Giorgio had spun her chair around so she could see the finished results, Danielle’s mouth had dropped open. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She still looked like herself but a more groomed, sophisticated version.

  “What happened to my little sister?” Jade squealed, giving Danielle a hug. “She’s all grown up!”

  “You can’t leave here wearing the clothes you came in!” Crystal said, rummaging through their shopping bags. “A new you requires a new outfit. You have to change!”

  Ten minutes later, Danielle was wearing a multicolored print wraparound dress and high-heeled sandals (another purchase that had been forced on her). Although Danielle hated wearing heels, she did know how to walk in them, so at least she didn’t fall on her face.

  “Now you look sensational!” Ava gushed.

  Crystal fanned herself with a hand. “Look out, Miami. Deeeelicious Danielle is on the loose!”

  After they paid at the salon, they left the mall and headed out to the parking lot. As they walked through the mall, Danielle couldn’t help but notice some guys looking their way. For Danielle, it was nothing new. She was used to it. That was always the case when she was with Jade.

  But after a while, she noticed something.

  Something different.

  Today, instead of looking at Jade the way they always did, this time the guys were looking at her!

  At first, she thought she was imagining it. So she allowed Jade and Crystal to walk a little bit ahead of her and then followed after them. As she walked, she got the sense she was being watched.

  When she peeked over her shoulder, there was no mistaking the smiles and winks being sent her way.

  Danielle was floored.

  And flattered!

  This had never happened to her before.

  At the same time, she also realized something.

  Maybe this week, she’d get to see what it was like to be the pretty sister.

  Chapter Five

  Ethan had heard of empty calories, but this was ridiculous!

  He stared into the shopping cart he was pushing. It was filled with every kind of junk food imaginable. Chips, sodas, cookies, candy. And the pile kept growing and growing.

  After Steve and Howie had arrived from the airport, they’d decided to tackle their grocery shopping. Ethan was put in charge of pushing the cart while the rest of the guys threw what they wanted into it. But they weren’t filling it with anything edible! Ethan loved junk food, but there was a limit to how much of it he could eat!

  “Hey, guys, how about some fresh fruits and vegetables?” he suggested as Howie added three bags of Cool Ranch Doritos, two bags of barbecue Lay’s, and a jar of salsa.

  “Those are just for me,” Howie said.

  Howie was over six feet tall, with a blond buzz cut and lean swimmer’s build. He was on the University of Delaware swim team and was constantly eating because of his training.

  “A midnight snack?” Ethan joked.

  “Probably!”

  Ethan blinked at Howie in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

  “I need the calories.”

  “How about some healthy calories?” Ethan suggested. “Filled with vitamins and minerals.”

  “Like Cheez Whiz!” Howie exclaimed, rushing down another aisle.

  “Cheez Whiz is not real cheese!” Ethan called after him. “How about some meat? You know, hamburgers. Hot dogs? Chicken? I’d even settle for a can of tuna. Or Spam!”

  “Spam’s not a food,” Damian said as he tossed a package of ice cream sandwiches into the cart.

  “Then what is it?”

  “I think maybe it was created for astronauts to eat in space.”

  “That’s Tang! Spam is made from all the leftover parts of a pig that no one wants.”

  “Yuck!”

  “How about you take over pushing for a while?” Ethan asked. The supermarket was crowded and he was getting tired of trying to steer their cart down the clogged aisles. It was like a racetrack, with shoppers veering to the left and right and not watching where they were going.

  “Hey! Damian!” Cooper called from the end of the aisle. “Meet me in the soda section. I need help carrying some cases of root beer out to the car.”

  “Looks like you’re still in the driver’s seat,” Damian said as he hurried off to join Cooper.

  Ethan sighed and started to turn a corner with the shopping cart. As he did, he could see another shopping cart coming from around the other side. He tried to veer his cart to the right, but he wasn’t quick enough, and the shopping cart coming into his aisle slammed into him.

  “Oh!” a female voice cried out. “I’m so sorry!”

  Ethan’s mouth dropped open as the girl pushing the other shopping cart came into view.

  She was a knockout!

  “I’m usually not this clumsy,” she explained, “but the store is so packed, it’s hard to get around. I didn’t break anything in your cart, did I?” She took a peek. “Something tells me this cart belongs to a houseful of guys,” she teased. “Absolutely no healthy nutrients.”

  Voice! Voice! Ethan told himself. Find your voice and say something before it’s too late. Before she leaves and you lose your chance!

  “I guess we’re lucky we weren’t driving cars,” she said. “Otherwise we’d have to exchange phone numbers.”

  There’s your opening line! Tell her you still want her phone number. Unless that was her way of trying to get your number! Open your mouth. OPEN YOUR MOUTH!!!

  “Are you okay?” the girl asked, her voice filled with concern. She stepped away from her cart and walked over to Ethan, putting a hand on his arm. “You’re not saying anything. I didn’t slam into you that hard, did I?”

  Etha
n shook his head, trying not to stare at the hand on his arm.

  She was touching him. SHE WAS TOUCHING HIM!!!

  Okay, it was time to take control. Otherwise she was going to think he was a freak, and girls as pretty as this one did not date freaks!

  “I’m fine,” Ethan said, finally finding his voice, although it sounded nervous. Ack! He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. “Just fine.”

  She sighed in relief. “That’s good.” She started to walk back to her shopping cart.

  “But…” Ethan called out.

  She turned around. “But?”

  “I would like your phone number.”

  “Oh, you would, would you?” she asked. “How come?”

  “In case I develop a case of whiplash and need to go to the doctor.”

  The girl walked back to him and folded her arms over her chest. “Whiplash, huh?”

  Ethan nodded. “I’d need to tell the doctor where to send his bill.”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “Usually I don’t give my phone number to the enemy.”

  Enemy? Ethan was confused. What was she talking about?

  As if reading Ethan’s mind, the girl pointed to his T-shirt. “You go to South Ridge High.”

  Ethan stared at the lettering on his shirt. “That’s a problem?”

  “It is if you go to North Ridge High.”

  Ethan blinked in disbelief. “You go to North Ridge High? We’re from the same town?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “I can’t believe it. Talk about a coincidence!”

  Or maybe it was fate. Maybe he was meant to meet this girl today!

  “How long have you lived in North Ridge?” he asked.

  “All my life.”

  “Me, too! Where’s your favorite place to hang out?”

  “My two best friends are shopaholics, so we’re at the mall at least three or four times a week. Afterward, we’ll usually go to the Burger Hut. And we also like to go to Icing on the Cake.”

  Ethan couldn’t believe it. “I’m always at the Burger Hut and Icing on the Cake. It’s funny that we’ve never run into each other before today.”

  The girl shrugged. “I guess today is our lucky day.”

  Is it ever! Ethan thought.

  “So, are you going to give me your phone number?” he asked.

  “Only if you tell me your name.”

  D’oh! He hadn’t even introduced himself. She must think he was an idiot!

  “I’m Ethan,” he said with an embarrassed grin.

  “Hi, Ethan,” she said with a smile. “I’m Danielle.” She pulled out her cell phone. “If you give me your number, I’ll call you.”

  Ethan did and Danielle dialed his number. When the phone rang, he let it go to voice mail. Then he pulled out his phone and saw that Danielle’s number was on his Missed Calls screen.

  “Got it!” he happily announced.

  “So, Ethan, are you into the whole North Ridge High versus South Ridge High rivalry?” she asked.

  “Sometimes I’ll go to the games, but I’m not really a jock. You?”

  “My older sister used to be a cheerleader, so we went to all the games. Family duty. But since she graduated, I haven’t gone as much.”

  “You know what drives me crazy? Football games! They say there’s five minutes left to a game, and that five minutes stretches out to twenty!”

  “I know!”

  “Are you spending the week down here?” Ethan asked, wondering if it was too soon to ask her if she wanted to go out. Maybe he should wait until later tonight. That way he could think about what he wanted to say. Maybe write it down on paper, so when he called her, he sounded smooth and confident.

  “We leave next Saturday. How about you?”

  “Same thing.”

  “Danielle!”

  At the sound of her voice, Danielle turned around as two girls hurried toward her. One was a tiny brunette and the other was a tall redhead.

  “What’s taking you so long?” the brunette asked. “Jade and Crystal are waiting in line.”

  “You have two friends named after gemstones?” Ethan asked Danielle.

  “Jade’s my older sister, and Crystal is her best friend. And you’re not the first person to say that to me. Crystal says the reason they instantly bonded is because they’re like the gems they’re named after: beautiful and flawless!”

  “Who’s your new friend?” the redhead asked.

  “I had a little bit of a shop-and-run accident and was talking to my victim,” Danielle explained to the redhead before turning back to Ethan. “These are the shopaholics I was telling you about. Ava and Lindsey.”

  “Hi!”

  “Hi!”

  “Hi,” Ethan said to both, trying not to squirm as Ava and Lindsey inspected him from head to toe. It was obvious they were both checking him out.

  “Seems like you got a little sidetracked,” Lindsey said, giving Danielle a knowing look.

  “Why don’t we take over and you can keep talking to Ethan,” Ava suggested, moving behind the shopping cart.

  “That’s okay; we were just finishing up,” Danielle said.

  “Are you doing anything tonight, Ethan?” Ava asked.

  “No plans so far. Why?”

  “We’re having a barbecue over at our place,” Ava said. “You should come. Wouldn’t it be great if Ethan came over, Danielle?”

  Danielle, who seemed taken aback by Ava’s sudden invitation, quickly nodded. “Definitely! You have to come!”

  Ethan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Danielle wanted him to come over tonight! Okay, she had been caught off guard by Ava’s invitation, but then she had extended one herself. If she didn’t want him to come over, she wouldn’t have done that. And she wouldn’t have given him her phone number. Maybe tonight wasn’t an official date, but it was a beginning! If they had a good time at the barbecue, maybe there would be a real date after tonight. Just the two of them.

  “So, can you make it?” Ava asked.

  “I’ll be there,” Ethan said.

  “If you have any friends that are as cute as you, bring them, too!” Lindsey exclaimed.

  “Here’s our address,” Ava said, reaching into her purse and scribbling it down on a piece of paper.

  “See you later,” Danielle said as she walked away with Ava and Lindsey, who were both whispering and giggling in her ear as they stared back at Ethan.

  After the girls left, Ethan glanced down at the address Ava had written.

  He blinked in disbelief and his stomach sank.

  It couldn’t be.

  But it was.

  The address was for the house next door to his.

  Which meant Danielle was one of the girls Cooper saw leaving earlier that afternoon.

  Suddenly he wished he hadn’t agreed to that bet….

  Chapter Six

  “What am I going to wear?” Danielle wailed as she paced from one end of her bedroom to the other.

  Lindsey, who was lying across Danielle’s bed, flipping through a copy of Cosmo, looked up at her. “What do you mean, what are you going to wear? We just came back from a major shopping spree! You’ve got a whole new wardrobe!”

  “Why not wear what you’ve got on now?” Ava asked. She was sitting at a vanity table, trying on different pairs of earrings.

  “He’s already seen me in this!” Danielle exclaimed as she rummaged through the shopping bags cluttering the floor of her bedroom.

  “And it got you results!” Lindsey reminded her.

  Danielle abandoned the shopping bags and stared at her image in the full-length mirror hanging on the closed bedroom door. She still couldn’t believe that the girl she was gazing at was herself. “That’s the problem.”

  “What do you mean?” Lindsey asked, confusion in her voice.

  Danielle turned around to face Lindsey and Ava. “Look at me! This isn’t the real me. Do you think if Ethan had seen me this morning before I had this makeover, he
would have been interested?”

  Lindsey gasped. “Of course he would have.”

  Ava dropped the gold hoop earrings she had been about to put on. “How can you say such a thing!”

  Because guys were never speechless around her. Guys always knew what to say to her. But Ethan hadn’t. All he’d seen was a pretty girl and he’d been scared of her! For whatever reason, he thought she was unapproachable, and that was so not her.

  Ethan hadn’t been seeing the real Danielle.

  He’d been seeing a different Danielle.

  A Danielle who hadn’t existed until that afternoon.

  And it made her wonder.

  Did she want to go out with a guy who cared more about a girl’s looks than the girl herself?

  “You’re not giving this guy a chance,” Lindsey said. “Okay, he liked what he saw. You can’t hold that against him. Everything is based on appearance. It’s what gets us to talk to people. We’re attracted to them! After that, you get to know the person and you realize it’s what’s inside that counts.”

  “And not everything is always based on looks,” Ava added. “Sometimes it’s based on the way they dress or act. I once talked to a guy because he was wearing a Cookie Monster watch. I thought that meant he was quirky, and I was right!”

  “I know why Danielle is freaking out and worrying about her clothes,” Lindsey smugly stated.

  “Why?” Ava asked.

  “She likes him!”

  “I do not!” Danielle quickly answered.

  “You do, too!” Lindsey shot back. “If you didn’t like him, you wouldn’t have told him to come over tonight, right?”

  “Right!” Ava added.

  “Ava’s the one who invited him over,” Danielle corrected them.

  “But you’re the one who then told him he had to come,” Ava reminded her.

  “Don’t deny it!” Lindsey added.

  Danielle knew there was no winning when Ava and Lindsey ganged up against her. “Okay! Okay! I like him! I think he’s cute and I want to look nice for him,” she admitted. “But how can I top this outfit? It’s like the best thing we bought.”

  Lindsey jumped off the bed and began emptying out the shopping bags. “You can’t top it, but you can come up with something equally cute and fabulous. It’s hidden somewhere in these bags. All we have to do is find it!”