Falling for Forever (Before Forever)

by Melissa Chambers

  She gives me a playful shove. “No, our dance team. Now, I know you already turned us down once, but since you didn’t make the competition, and we are Alternate One, you’re probably a lot more likely to get into the show on our team than as Alternate Two.”

  She does have a point. But I want in on my own. I’m not a dancer…not outside of a few moves when I’m performing. I’m stupidly holding out hope of an Ebola breakout…or I’d even settle for a nasty stomach virus that magically passes me over.

  “I wouldn’t want to mess you all up,” I say. “You know, in the case that there would happen to be a need for two alternates? I wouldn’t want to practice with you and get your choreography all messed up.”

  She tilts her head to the side, lips drawn together. “I understand, but I really wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you. Last year was a fluke. We’ve never needed two alternates before, and I’ve been going to these talent shows since I was a sixth grader.”

  I nod. She’s right. But I can’t help it. I. Want. In. And not as a freaking dancer. I want in as me. My thing. Singing.

  “Can I think about it for a day or two?” I ask.

  She gives me a smile like she knows she’s got me. “Of course.”

  We head into Debate class and my teacher spots me. “Jenna. I just got a message from the front office. You need to go directly to Mrs. Barclay’s room.”

  I blink. “Really? Me?” I can’t help think, what did I do? But I haven’t done anything. For real this time.

  She nods and motions toward the door, so off I go. By the time I’m halfway there, the bell has rung, and I’m alone in the hallways, which feels a little strange and foreboding…like I’m in trouble. But I can’t be.

  I round the corner into her room and stop when I see Nat sitting in a chair in front of her desk. Mrs. Barclay nods at the door. “Close the door, please, Jenna.”

  I swallow, wondering what the hell he has done. Is this further payback? I let the first time go, but if he fucks with me again, he’s going down.

  She motions to a chair next to him. He glances up at me, his expression unreadable, and then goes back to messing with his pant leg.

  Mrs. Barclay exhales a deep breath as if she’s just climbed Mt. Everest. “Nat has brought to my attention that he suspects there were some issues with your monitor during your tryout.”

  I glance at him, not sure what to say. He gives me a look like he’s daring me to disagree.

  She raises her eyebrows at me. “Is this true?”

  In my hesitation, he clears his throat. She gives him a warning glance.

  I’m wary, but I proceed. “I had some trouble hearing myself starting with the second verse.”

  She takes off her glasses and bores her glare into me. I swallow hard, my heartbeat booming in my chest.

  “It’s very curious to my colleagues and me that you didn’t report this problem. Can you explain why that might be?”

  Nat looks at me again, and I hold his gaze, wishing he had run this past me first. I’m not sure if he’s setting me up for some sort of fall or trying to do the right thing. I don’t know him at all, but the little I’ve seen of him, it would appear he could go either way.

  I toss up my hands, ready to play the dumbass card. “Well, I thought that was all part of the tryout…getting to know how good you really are when you’re dealt a malfunction. I just assumed you threw wrenches in everyone’s performances. Do you not?”

  She purses her lips, like she still might not believe me. “No, we don’t.”

  She looks back and forth between Nat and me. I hold her gaze, willing myself to keep an innocent look on my face no matter how I feel inside, because there’s a reason she called me in here, and technically, I’ve done nothing wrong. This may be my shot to get back in somehow. Even if it’s a jump to Alternate One, I’ll take it.

  She sits back in her chair, fingertips to her forehead. “Nat says he found the problem with the monitor equipment earlier today, and he pieced together the dramatic change in the first half of the performance versus the second half. He wondered if it might have affected you.” She rubs her forehead and then tosses up her hands. “So the judges have decided the only fair way to handle this is to allow you an eleventh spot in the show.”

  I want to jump out of this chair and cartwheel out of the room. But I keep my butt firmly planted. “Oh, wow. Really?”

  She nods at Nat. “That’s all, Nat. Please head back to class. And thank you for bringing this to my attention.” She glares at him like she would rather have been told she had a case of gonorrhea. Nat closes the door and she leans up, putting her elbows on her desk.

  “Look, Jenna, I know you did that television show last spring.” She waves a hand dismissively. “But our talent competition is quite serious. The finalist judges will be a prestigious panel of industry executives and well-seasoned performers. If it gets out that due to our equipment failure, one of our budding stars was robbed of her chance to compete, we could be looking at a serious blemish on our otherwise perfect record. So you’re in. But based on what I saw that day in tryouts, even in the first half of the song, you are not at the level of some of the performers who didn’t even make it to the finals or alternate spots.”

  I gulp, wanting to ask her why I made an alternate spot, but she’s so intimidating, I’m not sure I could even form words if I tried.

  She lets out a sigh. “All of us were not in agreement on that, thus, your spot as alternate number two.” Silence blasts between us as she stares me down. “This is a stroke of luck for you, Ms. Quigley. I highly suggest you take this opportunity to dig deep and work harder than you ever have to prove me wrong about you and your abilities, because I want to be proud of our entire cast that night.” She lowers her chin. “Will you make me proud, Jenna?”

  I nod fiercely. “Yes, ma’am.”

  She presses her fingers to her thumb and holds it in the air. “Substance, Ms. Quigley. Substance.”

  I nod again. “Yes. Substance.”

  She nods toward the door. “That will be all.”

  I stand up on wobbly legs and head back toward the hallway. I reach for my phone to text Chloe about everything and remember I don’t have it. It’s in Nicolette’s car with my other stuff for tonight.

  Oh crap. Nicolette. Tonight. What’s she going to think? What’s everyone going to think? How will this be announced? How will it be framed?

  I stop as I realize I’m right back at square one as far as all these people are concerned. Now they’re not only going to think I wasn’t good enough to get in, but they are going to think I got in on a technicality. They’ll be pissed at me. I’d be pissed if I didn’t know the whole situation, and I’d probably be pissed even if I did.

  I can’t tell Nicolette…not yet. Tonight would suck hard if I did. Not only are we all going to the dance together, but I’m staying at her house afterward. She wants me to be in her dance crew. She does want me to perform, just not in place of her, which I’m sure is how she’ll see it.

  I grunt in frustration at not having access to my phone. I’m dying to tell Chloe. I could tell Shane, but Nicolette’s going to be attached to my hip from the second I step back into that debate class.

  It will have to wait. All of it. I’ll just have to freak out inside until I get to my phone and can text Chloe. Until then…

  Squee!

  Chapter Fourteen

  Miles

  “Friday night!” a group of numbnuts screams as they run down the hallway slamming open lockers shut.

  I stare them down, daring them to touch mine, and they respectfully move on to the next one. I get the rest of my books I need for the weekend, and then close up shop.

  Nat rounds the corner with Dev.

  “Hey, dude,” Dev says.

  Nat stares at me, which is an improvement, since he’s not been able to look me in the eye all week.

  “Hey,” I say.

  He shrugs his shoulders. “It’s all taken care of.”<
br />
  Why does that frighten the hell out of me? “You took care of what?”

  He shrugs again, looking entirely too laid-back. “She’s in the contest.”

  “Jenna?” I ask.

  He rolls his eyes. “No, Taylor Swift. Yes, Jenna.”

  I narrow my gaze. “Are you serious?”

  He smiles now, unable to mask his pride. “Wasn’t much to it. Just told Barclay I figured out that the monitor went bad and put it all together when I remembered Jenna plugging her ears during the second part of her performance.”

  I think he might be serious. “And she bought it?”

  He chuckles. “Hook, line, and stinker.”

  “Sinker,” Dev corrects.

  Nat waves him off. “Whatever man. It’s done.”

  I open up in a smile then I grab his hand, and we do our stupid secret handshake we’ve had since we were kids. “Nice.”

  He nods, so proud of himself.

  “Thanks, man,” I say.

  He shrugs again. “No big deal.”

  No matter how crazy he makes me, I really do love this guy. “Hey, I’m sorry I pushed you in the booth last Friday.”

  He turns from me, his brow furrowed. “That’s cool. I’m sorry I fucked up.”

  I hold out a hand. “Brothers?” I ask, because that’s really what he is to me.

  He squints at me. “Did you find another roommate for Belmont?”

  I roll my eyes. “Of course not, asshole.”

  He smiles and takes my hand. “Brothers.”

  We shake, and then I pull him to me so we can hug.

  “All right,” Dev says. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.” He claps us both on the back. “Friday night can officially begin. So I’m picking up the corsages for our girls.” Dev turns to Nat. “Your cousin is getting the beer, right?”

  He gives a single nod. “Done.”

  Dev turns to me. “Miles, you’ve got the limo secured, right?”

  “Done,” I say.

  Is it screwed up that I offered to get a limo to impress Jenna? I don’t know why I’m doing that. She’s going to this dance with a different guy, and she doesn’t seem like the kind of girl to be swayed by money. But my dad has connections, so I might as well use them while I still can. He didn’t even blink at paying for a limo. That’s what’s so messed up. He’ll pay hundreds of bucks so my friends and I can be driven in style to a school dance, but he won’t pay for my college at a very prestigious private school.

  Nat leans in. “I think tonight’s the night with Jasmine.”

  Dev furrows his brow. “The night for what? Her to blow you off on the dance floor?”

  Nat waggles his eyebrows. “Theatre initiation.”

  Dev and I both groan in unison.

  “You’re dreaming, man,” I say.

  Nat looks honestly shocked. “What? Why wouldn’t she initiate with me?”

  Dev rolls his eyes. “Was she not clear enough with you this past summer at the Pilgrimage festival?”

  Nat cuts his eyes away. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

  Dev puts a finger to his chin. “I think the exact words were, ‘Take your white ass away from me, and don’t ever touch me again.’”

  Nat purses his lips and runs his finger along the grate in the locker next to mine. “I’ve been making progress since then.”

  Dev ruffles Nat’s nonexistent hair. “You look like a skinhead with this new doo, brah.”

  He bats Dev’s hand away. “She said she liked short hair.”

  “She was watching a video of Pharrell at the time, douche,” I say.

  Nat holds his practically bald head protectively. “My barber got it too short.”

  “Ya think?” Dev says.

  Nat backhands me on the chest. “What about you and Greta? Huh?”

  I’m not wild about being paired with Greta tonight. I like her as a friend, but that’s where it ends. Truth be told, she’s made me a little nervous ever since the rumor started going around about her going down on Percy Longview this past summer at Bonnaroo. I didn’t believe it, because I never believe rumors, but Nicolette alluded to it in front of her once, and she didn’t deny it. The truth is, I’d be too freaked out to do something like that unless I had some kind of mind-altering substance beforehand. I’m not sure how I feel about doing that with someone I’m not into. I’m a guy, so of course I want to. But the sap in me wants it to be with the right person.

  Nat punches me in the chest repeatedly. “Theatre initiation, man! Tonight’s the night.”

  That’s another thing that freaks me out. The theatre initiation. It hangs over me and every other guy here who’s nervous about being sexually active, like a boulder that could fall at any time. I’m sure there are guys who can’t wait for it to happen to them, but my guess is half of them would chicken out before they ever made it behind the curtain.

  Nicolette, Greta, Jasmine, and Jenna walk down the hall toward us. Nat is still messing with me as they approach, and my cheeks sizzle with heat.

  “Hello, boys,” Nicolette says. “Who’s ready for tonight?” She wraps her arm around Dev’s waist and they kiss in front of all of us. Even though they do this often, it’s still awkward sometimes.

  Dev pulls away from her. “Where are we picking up you lovely ladies from? Your house?”

  She turns toward Jenna. “Actually, we’re getting ready at Jenna’s apartment.” I remember her saying her parents had a place in Hillsboro Village.

  “Her parents won’t be there so come a little early so we can have a drink before we go,” Nicolette says.

  I look at Jenna for confirmation, and she doesn’t argue. “Okay,” I say.

  “I’ll text you the address,” she says to me.

  “Thanks.”

  Nicolette goes back into a lip-lock with Dev, and Nat starts annoying Jasmine. Greta talks to someone passing in the hall. Jenna steps to stand by me.

  I pinch her arm. “I just heard.”

  She glances around and then holds a finger to her lips. “I don’t want the girls to know yet. I’m not sure how they’ll take it, you know?”

  I nod. “Oh yeah. The alternate thing.”

  She nods back and then looks at Nat. “Has he said anything yet?”

  I shake my head. “I don’t think so. I’ll grab him and tell him to shut up about it.”

  She smiles. “Thanks.”

  “So, your parents aren’t in town tonight?” I ask.

  “No, my mom’s playing with the Chattanooga symphony, and my dad’s going to see her.”

  “They’re cool with you staying there alone?” I ask.

  She huffs a laugh. “Not really. I’m spending the night with Nicolette. We’re just hanging there beforehand.” She shakes her head, smiling. “My dad forgets if he wouldn’t have gotten me into this school, I’d be staying by myself in L.A. every night of my life.”

  I try to imagine this school year without her here, and it’s weird…and boring.

  “Is Shane meeting us at your apartment?” I ask. “We can pick him up in the limo if we need to.”

  “He’s meeting us at the dance. He’s actually got to work until seven.”

  “Cool.” I shouldn’t be this relieved to get a little time with her without him there. But I am.

  Greta’s corsage takes a little leap off my lap as the limo hits a pothole, and I hold it in place with my clammy hands. The limo stops in front of a questionable apartment complex. It’s not too far from Belmont. I make note of it. Nat and I might want to live here at some point.

  Dev, Nat, and I pile out and make our way up a wrought iron staircase to a second-floor apartment. Dev knocks.

  Nicolette opens the door with a grin and a tight purple dress. “Come in, guys.”

  The whole apartment is no bigger than a small hotel room. Greta and Jasmine sit on bar stools against a bar across from a tiny kitchen, but Jenna is nowhere in sight.

  “Did you bring the champagne?” N
icolette asks.

  Nat holds up a bag. “We got beer.”

  Nicolette makes a face. “Gross. Give me one.”

  Nat pulls the twelve-pack out of the bag and then passes around cans. He sets the box on the countertop in the kitchen. What I assume is the bathroom door opens, and Jenna steps out. A short, red, sleeveless dress clings to her thin frame, her wild hair draping around her bare chest. She adjusts the dress, pulling it up, but the little bit of cleavage she has still peeks through.

  I swallow hard, just as she makes eye contact with me. The side of her mouth pulls up in a grin like she knows she looks good, and she knows I’m into it.

  She walks to the kitchen. “You can use the refrigerator, you know.” She puts the beer inside and closes the door, empty-handed. She grabs a bottle of water that’s sitting on the countertop and takes a swig.

  “Have a seat,” she says to us guys, motioning at two futons that sit on opposing walls. Dev and Nat sit on separate futons, and Nicolette sits next to Dev. I stay where I am near the door. Jenna sits next to Nat, and I cringe. I know we got cool with one another earlier today, but it doesn’t mean his feelings about Jenna have changed.

  “You live here?” Nat asks.

  Jenna laughs. “Yeah. Do you think I overpaid my interior decorator?”

  Dev looks around at the bare walls. “No, dude. I told you. It’s her parents’ city place.”

  Nat reaches for a banjo that rests against the wall next to the futon.

  “No touching the instruments,” Jenna says. “The only rule. Other than that, make yourself at home.”

  Nat gives her an irritated glance and takes a drink of his beer.

  “You not drinking?” Dev asks Jenna.

  “I don’t drink beer.”

  Greta looks at her can like she might have made a mistake.

  “Why not?” Nat asks.

  “Bad episode sophomore year. Besides, I feel good most of the time as it is.”

  That’s a surprise. For some reason I expected her to be a drinker.

  “We should play a game,” Jasmine says.

  “Suck and Blow, dude,” Nat says.

  Jasmine knits her eyebrows together and lowers her chin. “We’re seniors. We’re not twelve.”