We neared downtown and I turned down the music to ask Gianna which exit to take. She continued giving me directions all the way to the ballet studio. When I found a parking spot a couple buildings down from the studio, she jumped out without even a thank you.
I stepped out of the car and yelled after her, “What time do you get done?”
She didn’t turn around, calling out, “Noon!”
“I’ll be here to pick you up!”
“Whatever!” she shouted back and disappeared into the building. Ungrateful brat. And here I was taking time out of my Saturday to chauffeur her, time I could be happily asleep.
“Hey, Caleb!” I turned around to see Cece running down the street from a bus stop.
“What’s up, Tiny Dancer?”
She giggled at the nickname. “Just going to class. Hey, Gianna told me what you guys did to Josh’s truck. Freaking hilarious. He really deserved it. So, how’d the double date go last night?”
“Alright. Do you think Gianna likes that Seth guy?”
“Well, I haven’t met him, but she texted me last night saying he’s really nice. But, I don’t think she has any real romantic feelings towards him. I think she likes someone else, but she won’t tell me who it is,” she said in a frustrated tone.
Did she mean Jared? Is that why she wouldn’t tell Cece? I hated that prick.
“I don’t know who it could be,” I lied.
“Well, we’ll find out eventually. The guy would have to be an idiot not to want to go out with her. She’s a sweetheart. See you later, Caleb.”
Jared was an idiot, but I knew for a fact he wanted Gianna. As Cece too was about to disappear through the large wooden doors, I called out, “I’ll be here at noon to pick up Gianna if you need a ride!”
Cece spun around, holding the door open. “Don’t you mean 11:30? That’s when we get done.”
“Yeah, that’s what I meant,” I corrected. Satisfied, she simply nodded and went in.
So, Gianna told me the wrong time to try to ditch me? Nice try, princess. That gave me two hours to kill, so I drove over to my mom’s apartment to see her. Since she was out of town last weekend I hadn’t seen her in forever.
When I walked in the door, my mom was making coffee in the kitchen. “Hey, mom.”
“Hi, sweetie. What are you doing here so early?” Still in her robe, her black hair pulled into a messy bun, she came over to give me a hug.
“It’s already 9:45, mom. It’s not that early.” The coffee smelled good and I planned on chugging at least two cups.
“It’s early for you. You never wake up before noon on Saturdays.”
Feeling weird, I told her, “I gave my stepsister a ride to ballet class.”
“That’s right, you have a stepsister around your age. What’s her name again?”
“Gianna,” I said nonchalantly. Why did I feel strange talking to my mom about her?
“So, how’s everything going, living with your dad? Is his wife nice?” she asked, aiming for the same casual tone. I gave my mom a knowing look because she’d taken my dad remarrying pretty hard three years ago. My mom noticed my concern. “It’s okay, Caleb. I’m over it.”
“She’s alright. She’s the exact opposite of you and the Martha Stewart type. She has a little boy also. He’s pretty cool and especially entertaining when he’s misbehaving.”
“Have you been staying out of trouble yourself?” She has a concerned look on her face, as if bracing herself for disappointing news.
I thought about the tiny bit of trouble Gianna and I had caused together. It didn’t count because we didn’t get caught. “Yes, mom, I’ve been a good boy. I haven’t even had detention yet. It’s so boring in the suburbs. I don’t know how I’d even find any trouble to get into.”
Letting out a relieved sigh, she beamed at me. “I’m proud of you, sweetie. Maybe living with your father was just what you needed.”
She patted me on the cheek like she always did when I pleased her. I’m not sure I agreed with her about living with my dad. Since meeting Gianna two weeks ago, it seemed like everything had gone to hell. I didn’t feel like myself anymore.
My mom wasn’t in the mood to cook, big surprise, so we went to breakfast at the diner. Avoiding any conversation about Gianna, I told her about my new school and classes. We talked more about Julie and my dad. My mom really did seem okay now about it. I almost asked if she was dating anyone, but chickened out because it would be too weird to talk about.
I was back at the dance studio on time to pick up Gianna. When she stepped out of the building with Cece, I stood out front, leaning against my car. Holding back laughter at her scowl, I opened the door to the passenger side.
She approached me with Cece by her side. “Caleb, I usually go to Cece’s house right after class and the crew comes by to practice.”
“No problem, I’ll drive you guys there.”
Before Gianna could argue, Cece was climbing into the back seat. “Thanks, Caleb!”
GIANNA
I told Caleb the wrong time on purpose so I could get rid of him. Unfortunately, he showed up thirty minutes early to pick me up and now he was giving me and Cece a ride to her house. I didn’t want to be around him. I was still so pissed about him sleeping with Desiree last night.
Okay, so maybe I was more than just pissed. As much as I didn’t want it to, it hurt. I cried myself to sleep last night over stupid Caleb! It was dumb to be upset about it. He was just being himself, doing what he normally did, easy girls. It wasn’t as if any girl, including myself, would ever be special to him. It took a special girl to tame a bad boy and he hadn’t met her yet.
I’d stood there like an idiot in the bathroom last night while Desiree got her digs in. Since then I’d come up with a ton of comebacks I should’ve said to her. Now it was too late. What a whore she was. Ugh, I didn’t want to think of what they did last night. I’d start crying then Caleb and Cece would think I’d lost it.
Pulling up in front of Cece and Jared’s house, I was about to say goodbye and good riddance to Caleb, but he turned off the engine and got out too. “What are you doing, Caleb?”
“I want to watch the crew practice. That’s okay isn’t it, Cece?” he asked, smart enough to look to her for backup.
“Sure, that’d be fun. Friends or the guys’ girlfriends sometimes come by Saturday afternoons to watch.” Cece and her super-friendly attitude would be the death of me. What could I say? No, I don’t want Caleb to hang out with us because I’m unreasonably hurt over him screwing Desiree last night.
Key word: unreasonable. I had no right to be hurt and Caleb was nothing more to me than a sometimes-friend, sometimes-enemy and sometimes-confidant. Oh, and I couldn’t forget the stepbrother thing.
Inside the house Jared sat on the couch. The memory of the kiss we’d shared last Saturday popped into my head and I didn’t know if it was going to be awkward between us.
It wasn’t. Jared acted completely normal. “Hey, Gigi, are you ready for tonight?”
I let out a relieved breath before answering. “Of course, we’re going to kick ass.”
Cece and Caleb walked into the house behind me. Caleb must’ve heard our conversation because he said, “So, you guys have some sort of battle? Like a break dancing dance-off?”
Jared rolled his eyes, but sounded friendly when he explained, “Something like that and don’t call it break dancing. That’s what the media calls it. We either call it breaking, street dance, popping or locking, depending on the style. You can also call it b-boying.”
“Thanks for the lesson,” Caleb joked irreverently. “So, where’s this happening tonight?”
I wanted to blurt out not to tell him, but didn’t want to sound like a spaz.
“At a warehouse not far from downtown,” Cece blabbed. “It’s going to be awesome. There will be other crews there competing.”
“Who decides who wins?” Caleb asked, appearing more interested.
“There are judges. This
is an organized competition, so it’s all pretty fair.” Jared got up off the couch, brushing by me on his way to the kitchen. “Anyone want something to drink?”
“Water, please,” Caleb answered, sitting on the couch himself.
Wanting to get away from Caleb, I told Cece, “Let’s go get changed. The guys will be over soon.”
I should’ve seen it coming. Cece pounced on me as soon as her door shut. “So, Gianna, Jared told me about the kiss you guys shared last weekend.”
“What about it?” I played dumb.
“Just about how great it was. You know, he’s liked you for a long time, but you’ve always had a boyfriend. What do you think of him?” Shouldn’t she shun any conversation about her brother’s love life?
I liked Jared, but the attraction I had towards Caleb was much stronger, which didn’t bode well for a relationship between me and Jared. Did I even like Caleb? I didn’t know. When he wasn’t being a player, he was great to be around. He seemed to genuinely care about me, in a stepsister sort of way. Of course, he did kiss me all the time, but maybe it was just what came naturally to him. He probably kissed any cute girl he was around long enough.
“I like Jared, I guess. I don’t know if we should date, though. I don’t want to lose him as a friend.”
“But if you’re really into someone, you have to take a chance,” Cece practically pleaded.
Maybe she was right. Maybe I should give Jared a chance and it’d help me forget about any attraction I had for Caleb. I opened my bag and peeked at the dress and lingerie I’d bought for the trick I was playing on Caleb. Maybe I should give my virginity to Jared. He was one of my best friends and there was some chemistry between us. Either way, tonight after the battle, I’d put this dress on just to teach Caleb a lesson. Let him think I’d had sex with Jared.
The guys show up for practice psyched for the battle tonight. We’d won a few in the past and had mastered some new moves since the last one. Cece’s parents let us practice in their garage as long as it wasn’t too early in the morning or too late at night. Caleb sat on a couch against the wall with a couple of the guys’ current girlfriends.
We practiced for the next few hours and the guys all went home to eat and change before the battle tonight. Cece, Jared, Caleb and I ate at Cece and Jared’s parents’ Mexican restaurant, Las Delicias.
Their parents’ came out from the office and kitchen to take our orders themselves and baby Cece. She was so spoiled, especially by her dad. Being little and cute had their benefits. They let Cece and Jared know they wouldn’t be home till around two in the morning, after they’d closed, cleaned up and prepped for the Sunday morning breakfast rush.
Their parents were pretty cool about everything. They knew Cece and Jared were good kids who got good grades, so they were okay with the crew using the garage and coming over Saturday nights.
I tried to ignore Caleb at the restaurant, but it was impossible with him sitting right next to me. Jared had made a move to sit next to me when we got to our table, but Caleb had smoothly slid in first.
After eating, we returned to their house to change. Tonight the crew was wearing black track pants, white tank tops, white sneakers and different colored neon hoodies. Cece and I both decided to wear hot pink hoodies and did our hair and makeup crazy. I scolded myself to forget about Caleb for now and focus on the battle ahead.
The four of us rode in Jared’s car to the warehouse to meet the rest of the crew. I still couldn’t get over the fact that Caleb had known Taye for years. With him being best friends with Taye’s cousin, Dante, I wondered if we would have eventually met even if our parents hadn’t married.
CALEB
I’d stuck close to Gianna all day. However, I could tell she was pissed at me about something and didn’t want me around. I wasn’t sure what her problem was, not that I’d ask her. Girls were irrational. I figured, if I didn’t let her out of my sight, how was she going to go through with her moronic plan to sleep with Jared?
The crowd at the warehouse was insane. The amount of hot chicks in skimpy clothing made me realize I should’ve been attending these battles sooner. Did Dante know about this? Taye was evil for not telling us about the massive amount of hot chicks that attended these events.
I could see where the judges were, because they had a table set up. From all the coordinated clothing, I counted five crews besides Gianna’s. Three crews performed before theirs and two would go after. When Gianna’s crew danced, they were awesome. Gianna and Cece left most of the more athletic breaking to the guys, but they did plenty of their own moves.
After all the crews had their turn, the judges decided it came down to Gianna’s crew and another crew. Each crew did a routine thing together then some of the individual members stole the spotlight to do their own routines.
Gianna looked so hot when she and Cece popped to a remix of Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It.” Cece was so damn little it was hard not to find her adorable. Her serious face while she danced made me laugh. In her head, she was a little badass in that moment.
The judges finally decided to call it, naming the other crew the winners. Maybe I was biased, but I thought DCK were the better dancers.
When we left, Gianna didn’t appear disappointed at all. She actually seemed really happy.
Starting my car, I had to wait for another car to clear out of my way before I could pull out. “Are you guys bummed out about losing?”
Cece leaned forward from the backseat. “No, we know we can’t always win. As long as we do sometimes, we’re satisfied. Plus it’s just fun to compete.”
“So, did you have fun Caleb?” Jared sat next to me up front since Gianna had turned down the spot.
“Yep, you guys were awesome. Plus, I got like three chicks numbers,” I bragged. With the radio off, I could hear Gianna mumble something under her breath from the backseat.
Some of the crew and their girls beat us to Cece and Jared’s house. I would’ve invited one of the girls I met tonight, but I didn’t want to be distracted from keeping an eye on Gianna and Jared.
The party was small, less than thirty people total. Gianna and Cece had been shut in the room for quite a while. Anxiety was clawing at me as I sat on the couch talking to Taye. I tried to pay attention to what he was telling me about his college plans for the following fall, but I was too agitated about Gianna’s own plans for tonight to listen.
When the girls finally came out of the room, changed from their earlier outfits, Cece wore a pink dress with a flared skirt and Gianna had changed into that damn black dress she’d bought earlier this week. Gianna spotted me staring at her and winked impishly. It couldn’t help visualizing what she was most likely wearing beneath the dress. It turned me on simply imagining it.
She wasn’t really going through with this, was she? No, she definitely wasn’t. That was why I was here, watching her every move. Jared wouldn’t get the chance to touch her. As if to mock my determination, Jared came up to her and casually put his arm around her shoulders. He probably thought he had a shot because they kissed last Saturday. Well, I’d kissed her several times since then.
Leaning down, Jared whispered into her ear and Gianna nodded. Coming to some sort of agreement, they walked out of the room together and back down the hallway where she’d just been with Cece. But it wasn’t Cece’s bedroom they went into. Oh hell no.
GIANNA
Way less confident than I hoped, I’d come out of Cece’s room wearing my slutty black dress. I’d feel better about the whole Caleb situation once I’d gotten a little payback. Coming into the living room, I’d rejoiced at the dark look in Caleb’s eyes. Just to annoy him, I winked. Are you worried, master player? Caleb’s broody expression turned broodier when Jared put his arm around me.
“You look hot,” he whispered in my ear, making me shiver. “Can we go somewhere to talk about what happened last weekend?”
This was working out better than I’d planned. Nodding my head in agreement, I let him take my hand and
lead me to his bedroom. Pretending Caleb didn’t exist, I never glanced back. Jared sat on the foot of his bed, gently pulling me down next to him
“I’m just going to get straight to the point, Gigi. I’ve liked you for a long time and I want to be more than just your friend.”
Caleb’s face flickered through my mind for a brief second. “I like you too Jared, but I don’t want to lose you as a friend.”
“You won’t. No matter what happens,” he promised before kissing me softly.
I returned his kiss like before, feeling unsure and thinking my plan may end up blowing up in my face. Without breaking the kiss, Jared maneuvered us so we were lying back on the bed on our sides. Jared had skills and kissing him was nice, but not as explosive as kissing Caleb, which only fueled me to put more into kissing Jared. He placed his hand on my bare thigh and moved my leg up over his. The position made me feel vulnerable, but I trusted him. His warm lips moved across my neck.
The door slamming open, letting in the light from the hallway like a spotlight, came as shock. Jared yanked his head up and I peeked around to see Caleb standing there like he was about to kill someone.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“You can take no credit for beauty at sixteen.
But if you are beautiful at sixty,
it will be your soul’s own doing.
-Marie Stopes
CALEB
I debated for about one minute whether or not to follow them down the hallway. Was Gianna planning on giving her virginity to Jared right now? Maybe so, and that was enough for me. I followed them to what I figured was Jared’s room, the sly fucker.
Standing outside the closed door, my fists were clenched and I felt pumped like I was about to get in a fight. After all we’d shared over the past week, Gianna was going to fuck some other dude? It didn’t matter how long she’d known Jared, it wasn’t happening. Thinking I might have to break it down, I swung the unlocked door open with more force than I needed to.
Beware of Bad Boy Page 11
