“Sophia, go find your friends,” Jake commanded.
Sophia turned to her brother. “You’re going to side with this pathetic excuse for a leprechaun over your own sister?”
Jakes started to answer her, but Lilly cut him off, challenging Sophia. “Say that to my face, you spoiled brat.”
Sophia narrowed her eyes, her lips forming a snarling and evil smile. “You’re nothing but an itsy-bitsy little waste of space. You must be easy, or Jake wouldn’t be bothering. I’m sure once you give it up, he’ll throw you out with the rest of last week’s trash.”
My mouth dropped. Those were horrible words, even for Sophia, and I was ready to lunge at her in defense of my best friend. Jake looked like he was about to do the same thing. But Lilly beat us both to it. She pulled her hand back and slapped Sophia as hard as she could across the cheek. It was like a scene from a movie. The slap heard around the world. The room was loud and dark, but the few people who happened to witness the exchange were staring in awe. Nobody stood up to Sophia like that. Usually, not even Jake did.
“Why, you little…” Sophia started, chucking what was left of her drink at Lilly before lunging toward her. Jake was quick to react, though. So quick, in fact, that half of the beverage Sophia had thrown ended up down his front, too. He grabbed his sister by the arm at the same time I pulled on Lilly’s sweater, yanking her back onto my lap.
Jake dragged a very angry Sophia through the crowd, yelling as he went. “Calm down, or I’ll throw you in the pool so you can cool off.”
Lilly took a few deep breaths. I was stunned speechless for a moment but quickly regained my faculties as I grinned at her. “That, was so awesome. I bet it felt good. I mean, I didn’t even get to hit her, and it was still good for me.”
Lilly grinned back. “It did feel pretty good. My hand is stinging like nobody’s business right now, but so totally worth it.” She shook her hand out, then started massaging it with her other one. Jake walked back through the door and over to our chair. He stopped and stared down at the two of us, a blank expression on his face.
Lilly looked guilty and gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry I smacked your sister.”
“Are you kidding?” Jake shook off the fog clouding his brain. “Woman, that was so hot. I mean like mega sexy. Totally bad-a. Makes me want to make out with you…a lot…right here, right now.” Lilly’s jaw dropped. For once she was speechless. Rather than responding to Jake’s blunt comment, she changed the subject.
“Do you want us to take you home right now?” she asked me.
“I don’t want to ruin your guys’ night.”
“I think that honor just went to my sister,” Jake said.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to go home whenever you’re ready. But I can wait, if you want to stay a while still.”
Jake shook his head. “We can leave.” But then a slow song started, and he looked at the crowd of dancers. “Let me get one dance first with Rocky here, then we can bounce. Is that ok with you?”
I nodded yes as Jake grabbed Lilly’s hands and pulled her up. He tried to lead her to the dance floor, but she stubbornly planted her feet. “Aren’t you going to ask if it’s ok with me? Maybe I don’t want to dance,” she said defiantly.
“Can it, woman. We’re dancing,” Jake ordered, dragging her to the middle of the floor. Lilly turned her head and mouthed sorry as they headed into the sea of people. Jake pulled her as close as he possibly could and wrapped his arm around her waist. Then he grabbed her right hand and slowly spun her around. Her eyes widened in surprise, and I chuckled to myself.
If there was one thing I learned while dating Rob, it’s that rich boys can dance. The right way, even, not just throwing their arms around your waist and swaying awkwardly back and forth. Maybe dancing and etiquette classes are a requirement for joining the country club. My mind wandered, and I found myself wondering if Andy could dance, too. I really loved dancing. Then I got depressed realizing that I might not get the chance to find out.
One dance turned into a couple when the DJ played two slow songs in a row. Jake and Lilly were talking, and he started inching a little closer to her face. She probably didn’t notice it, but I did. For a minute, I thought he might kiss her, right in front of everyone, until she unknowingly looked away and rested her head on his chest. When that happened, he bent his head down subtly to smell her hair. I don’t care what Lilly thinks; Jake totally likes her.
Fast music started up again, and they came to get me so we could leave. It didn’t escape my attention that Jake held Lilly’s hand all the way to the car. When we pulled up at my house, Lilly spoke to Jake. “Hold on a minute. I want to walk Ivy to the door.”
“Sure, as long as you don’t waste my goodnight kiss on her.” Jake snickered at his stupid joke. Lilly gave him a flat look before getting out of the car.
“Are you going to be ok? Do you want me to stay?”
“I’d love it if you stayed. But I don’t think he would.” I smirked, nodding toward the car. Jake was watching us expectantly, as if he really thought Lilly might give me his hard-earned kiss.
“Oh, he won’t care.” She dismissed me with a wave of her hand. “He’s only going to take me home right now anyway.”
“You sure about that?” I asked. “The way he was dancing with you tonight would suggest otherwise.”
“Nothing’s going to happen,” Lilly insisted. “He was momentarily turned on by the catfight. I’m not Jake’s type, as Sophia has repeatedly pointed out.”
“I don’t know…” I mused. “I think the fact that you slapped his sister makes you exactly his type.”
Jake rolled down the passenger window and called out to us impatiently. “If you’re going to kiss her goodnight, just do it already, and get back in the car.”
I chuckled. “See what I mean? He sounds pretty eager.”
“Probably because he wants to hurry and get me home so he can go back to the party and find someone else to hang on him.”
“Mmmhmm.” I raised my eyebrows but didn’t push further. Instead, I gave her a hug and turned to go inside. “Call me when you get home.”
“I will,” Lilly answered, then walked back to the car. After they drove off, I went to my room and changed into my pajamas. Then, just to torture myself, I slipped on Andy’s sweatshirt before crawling under the covers.
Lilly hadn’t called me by eleven, and at that point I knew she wouldn’t. I hoped her night didn’t end after they’d dropped me off. She’d gotten all dolled up, after all. I lay awake in bed thinking about all the things Andy had accused me of. I couldn’t shake the fact that he’d thought I was trying to make him more like Rob. Him turning into Rob was the last thing I wanted.
In my attempts to help Andy, he’d felt like I was trying to fix him. I was so stupid. Jake was right. I needed to improve my self-awareness and start thinking more before I spoke. I vowed to be more thoughtful if I could get Andy to give me a second chance. I sent him a text, telling him again how sorry I was and to have a good night. I waited and waited, but he never returned my message. Clutching my phone to my broken heart, I silently cried myself to sleep.
The next morning, I woke to my doorbell ringing over and over. I checked my phone, and it was only nine o’clock, but I already had a bunch of missed texts from Lilly.
Lilly: Hey. How are you doing this morning?
Lilly: Are you still asleep?
Lilly: Are you even alive?
Lilly: I’m coming over.
That must be Lilly ringing the bell so obnoxiously. I got out of bed and dragged my feet to the door. When I opened it, Lilly stared at me, crinkling her nose.
“You look horrible. Did you sleep at all?” she asked.
“Eventually. After I cried myself dry.”
“You need coffee,” she stated. “Let’s go over to the bakery, my treat.” Lilly winked. She always offered to buy when we went to my parents’ bakery, because they never charged us.
“Ok.�
� I sighed. “Coffee would be useful. We have a long day ahead of us.”
“I know. And I don’t have a lot of time because I have to be back to babysit my little brothers in an hour.”
“You’re going to be on time to help this afternoon, right?”
“Of course. Now go throw some clothes on.” Lilly gave me a second look. “And wash your face, too. Unless you want your parents to see the evidence of your rough night.”
“Good idea.” I ran upstairs and threw on a pair of sweatpants. I didn’t bother changing my shirt, or putting on a bra. I was still wearing Andy’s hoodie. I brushed my teeth and washed my face, though, before heading outside. When we arrived at Cafe Ivy and opened the door, the smell lifted my spirits a little.
“Hi, sweetie.” My mom smiled as we made it to the front of the line. “What brings you out so early on a Saturday morning?”
“Coffee,” Lilly answered for me. “We need coffee.”
“And pastries,” I added.
“Wow, long night?” Mom asked, laughing. I rarely ate pastries, because they were so bad for you. “What’ll it be?”
“Cheese Danish,” I replied. “And a large coffee. Black.”
Mom whistled. “Night was that bad, huh? What can I get you, Lilly?”
“Can I get an apple turnover and a mocha with extra chocolate, please?” she asked sweetly.
“Coming right up,” Mom answered. Sixty seconds later, she was handing over our goodies.
“Thanks, Mrs. Nixon,” Lilly sang.
“Yes, Mom, you’re the best,” I added. She smiled, then shooed us away so she could help the customer behind us.
Lilly and I found a table in the corner next to the window and sat down. “I take it Andy didn’t call last night, desperate to make up?” she asked.
“Worse. I tried to text him saying I was sorry, and he didn’t even respond. I didn’t realize that I was screwing up so badly. He never said anything until last night.”
Lilly sipped on her drink, examining me. “You remember sophomore year when you told me that people would be nicer to me if I didn’t shop at the thrift store?”
I cringed. “How could I forget? You blew up at me, then didn’t speak to me for a whole week.”
“I think this is kind of like that. I did what you suggested because you were so excited to give me a makeover and I wanted to make you happy. But after three days of short skirts and high heels, I was annoyed and mad because I thought you were embarrassed to be around me.”
“You know I wasn’t,” I replied. “I was sick of people whispering about how weird you were.”
Lilly smiled. “I know that now. The problem was, I didn’t care if people thought I was weird. Still don’t. I wore clothes that I liked. Random people calling me strange or making fun of my clothes didn’t bother me. What hurt was that I thought my best friend didn’t like me the way I was. Andy probably feels the same way. He doesn’t care if he isn’t the social butterfly that you’re trying to morph him into. He probably doesn’t even really give a crap if he brings in the lowest total at the auction. I think he only agreed to do it because you asked him to, and he wanted to make you happy.”
“I was only trying to help,” I mumbled again. I was starting to sound like a broken record. “I didn’t want him to feel stupid up there.”
“You didn’t want him to feel stupid?” Lilly asked knowingly. “Or you didn’t want to feel stupid for signing up a person that didn’t want to participate in the first place.”
Yup. She called me out on that one. “I guess it was a little of both,” I admitted.
“You guess?” Lilly prodded.
“Fine. At first that was probably the biggest reason for the makeover. But I thought Andy was cute before he cut his hair and changed his clothes. I wouldn’t have asked him to volunteer if I didn’t, and I’ve always enjoyed his company. I don’t know why we never hung out until this year, but after the first time we did, I was totally in-like with him.”
Lilly listened to me as she chewed on her turnover. When I was done making excuses, she gave me a suggestion. “Maybe you should tell him what you just told me. Then back off about the clothes and the contacts and stuff. His ego’s bruised. Andy may not admit that openly the way Jake does, but he’s still a guy. One that wants his cute girlfriend to think he’s cute back.”
“I will,” I promised. “I’ll tell him everything I told you, once I can get him to answer the dang phone,” I grumbled. I didn’t need any more lecturing. I’d gotten the message loud and clear.
“Speaking of cute girlfriends, how did your date end last night? Are you and Jake a thing now or what?” I teased. I hadn’t expected her to say yes, but her face turned bright pink and I squealed. “Something did happen, didn’t it?! Why didn’t you say anything?”
“We were talking about your problems. Not mine,” Lilly said casually.
“Problems? What kind of problems? What happened exactly?”
“It wasn’t a big deal, honest. He only kissed me in the car when he dropped me at home…for twenty minutes…” Lilly trailed off, that last part under her breath.
“What?!” I screeched even louder this time, causing multiple bakery patrons to turn and stare. She slapped her hand over my mouth and held it there, silently willing me to shut up. When she removed it, I continued in a whisper. “You made out with him and didn’t call me last night?”
“It wasn’t making out, and I couldn’t. My dad took my phone when I got in. It was past usage time. I tried to talk to you this morning, but you didn’t answer,” Lilly pointed out.
“All right, you’re forgiven. But you better spill now.”
“I told you, it’s not a big deal.”
“No, one goodnight kiss isn’t a big deal. A twenty-minute-long goodnight kiss is definitely a big deal,” I argued. “So, seriously. Are you guys getting together, or what?”
“No,” Lilly insisted. “I’m telling you, Sophia was probably right. Now that he’s kissed me, multiple times, I’m sure he’ll get bored and move on. No need to get all worked up about it, I’m not that desperate.” She switched to her Yoda voice before adding, “Strange I may be, but clingy I am not.”
I watched my best friend as she tried to pretend that she didn’t care about Jake. Her denials were totally bogus. She liked him. A lot. “Whatever, liar. You totally like him, and I’m going to find a way to hook you guys up. He likes you, too, you know.”
Lilly glared at me. “You’re doing it again,” she warned.
“Doing what?” I asked.
“Fixing. I don’t need to be fixed. And I certainly don’t need you to fix my…my…” Lilly paused for a second, thinking, “…my whatever it is I have with Jake. You work on fixing your own relationship. I’ll manage mine.”
I threw my hands up in surrender. “Fine, you’re right. I’ll butt out. You’ll still tell me if anything else happens between you, though, won’t you?”
“Of course. You might not be my relationship guru, but you are my best friend.” She smiled. “And now we better get going, because if I don’t get home in fifteen minutes, my parents will ground me for life. Then it won’t matter if Jake actually wants to date me or not.”
“Yes, let’s avoid that. You’ll break his heart, or at least his lips.” I smirked.
Lilly drove me home and barely stopped for me to get out. “See you at three,” she called through the open window before speeding off. I went inside and straight to my closet. I needed to give myself a makeover, both a personality makeover and a physical one. I needed to look good tonight if I was going to win my grumpy boyfriend back. Scratch that. I needed to look more than good. So good, that when he saw me, he’d forget why he was mad. Maybe then I could get his attention long enough to explain how clueless I’d been and beg for forgiveness.
It was two thirty, and I’d finally finished primping. I looked pretty good, as if I were
heading out for a romantic dinner at a five-star restaurant instead of heading t
o a cheap spaghetti dinner in the school cafeteria. I was wearing my little black dress. Everyone should own one of these. It hugged my curves and showed off my long legs. It even enhanced the limited amount of cleavage I was stuck with. I’d done my makeup dramatically, smoky eyes and everything. I strapped on my stilettos and headed downstairs. My parents were in the kitchen. They’d just gotten home from work and were scrounging through the fridge for something without carbohydrates.
“Honey, you look beautiful,” my mother gushed.
My dad was a harder sale. “I don’t know if I like how grown-up you look.” He frowned.
“Oh, stop it, Bill. She isn’t a little girl anymore. She’s a young woman, and it’s ok if she looks like one.”
Dad sighed. “I’m not ready for you to grow up,” he said as he pulled me close and kissed me on the top of the head. “But you do look nice.”
“So, sweetheart, are you going to buy a hot date with Andy tonight?” Mom grinned.
“I’m hoping to.” I bit my lip in worry. I hadn’t told my parents about our fight-slash-possible-breakup. I still wasn’t sure where Andy and I stood, and I didn’t want to make a big deal over nothing. “Unfortunately, Sophia has her sights set on him, too, and she has a lot more money.”
“Well, we can’t have that now, can we?” Mom walked over to her purse and pulled out a hundred dollars, which she placed in my hand.
“What’s this for?” I asked in shock.
“Dad and I have talked, and we decided that you’ve been working so hard lately, and we wanted to contribute to your night. It’s a fundraiser, after all. Use the money to bid on your date with Andy. If for some reason you don’t win, just keep the money and consider it a donation to the senior class party fund.”
“Wow, guys. Way cool of you. Thanks.” I gave my mom a hug. Adding this hundred to my total brought me up to two hundred and fifty. Chump change to Sophia, I’m sure, but hopefully she’d decide she didn’t want to waste time on someone else’s boyfriend. Two fifty might be enough to outbid an average person. My hopes were lifting a little. “I better go,” I said. “I’m supposed to be at the school by three. Are you guys coming tonight?”
Perfectly You (The Perfect Series Book 2) Page 19
