The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad
Page 18
“Guys?” Kyle said again. “Please tell me that was the only time?”
Colton glanced at me. “You want to take this one, Sadie?”
“Well…” I trailed off, unable to hold his stare while I said this next part, wringing my hands. “There may have been a few others.”
“Ugh,” Kyle said, “a few? Not even like one or two more, but a few? Sadie, are you insane? Why are you suddenly kissing my brother all the time?”
“It hasn’t been all the time,” I mumbled.
“Oh God, are you guys together now or something?”
Colton laughed lowly, finally turning to face us, propping his back up against the wall.
“Like you said Kyle, we don’t even like each other,” he said, but his eyes were on me. “It’s not like Sadie wanted to kiss me. She just didn’t want to do it with a stranger.”
Kyle looked to me for confirmation. “Is that true?”
“Yeah,” I said, though something about it felt wrong. The last part about not wanting to kiss a stranger was true, but…ever since that mind-blowing first kiss in the library, I hadn’t even considered doing it with anyone else besides Colton.
“And it’s not like she’s got a crush on me or anything,” Colton went on, a gleam in his eye. “She’s in love with someone else. Isn’t that right, Sadie?”
“Really?” Kyle smiled. “How come I’ve never heard anything about this? Do I know him?”
“Oh yeah, we both do,” Colton said. His words a clear taunt, but I lifted my chin. “He’s a great guy, kind of dense, though.”
Through gritted teeth, I said, “He’s not dense. I’m just really good at hiding my feelings.”
“So, you see,” Colton said, ignoring my words, “she doesn’t actually want to kiss me per se. It was a matter of convenience.” I could barely contain my wince. “Speaking of which, the only kiss left is number 18, the one in her bedroom. I guess we could get that crossed off now—though I know she’d love it if I was someone else. What do you say, Sadie?”
“I’ll do it,” Kyle said suddenly.
I wasn’t sure who was more surprised, me, Colton or Kyle.
“What was that?” Colton asked.
“I said I’ll do it.” Kyle stood and pulled me to my feet. “It’s obvious how much you guys despise each other. And I would hate to have to watch two of the people I love most in the world do something they don’t want to do. Plus, you said Sadie didn’t want to kiss a stranger. I’d be happy to help.”
I shook my head, stunned. “But…what would Zayne say?”
“Knowing him, he’d probably say, ‘That’s hot’ then ask to watch,” Kyle laughed. “So, what do you think?”
I didn’t know what to think. I was currently incapable of that particular brain function.
Not knowing why, I looked to Colton to get his opinion on the matter.
“Colton?” I asked. “What do you think?”
“I think you should do it,” he said, his ocean blue eyes going from me to his brother and back again. “You should. It’ll be one more thing we can check off the list.”
I blinked, trying to figure out why his words made my chest tighten.
“Okay,” I said quietly.
“Okay,” Kyle said and took a step closer, placing his hands on my waist. “Ready?”
I nodded, closing my eyes as Kyle leaned down, trying to ignore how wrong it all felt. But why did it feel so wrong? I thought. Hadn’t I been in love with Kyle forever? Wasn’t this what I’d always dreamed about, wanted, hoped for? As my best friend’s lips pressed sweetly against my own, moved gently with mine, it was warm and nice and…not at all what I’d come to expect from a kiss. Why wasn’t my heart exploding? Why weren’t my lips begging his for more? Why wasn’t I going off like a shooting star like I did with…?
The next thing I knew it was over. Kyle was standing back up, smiling down at me while I was completely discombobulated.
“Wow,” Kyle said, “Sadie, you look completely out of it. I should’ve warned you ahead of time. I’ve been told I’m a great kisser.”
I couldn’t respond. He was right. I was out of it, but it definitely wasn’t because Kyle was a great kisser. I mean, he could’ve been; maybe he was, but I wouldn’t know because the entire time I’d been kissing him, I’d been comparing it to the one kiss I actually wanted.
And surprisingly, it wasn’t from the boy I’d thought I was in love with since grade school.
When I snuck a glance, Colton was staring at me.
Not in a smug way, not even like he wanted to say, “I told you so”—which at this moment, he totally could. Colton had been right. I wasn’t in love with Kyle. My heart was pointing me in a completely different direction, making Colton’s quiet stare so much more unnerving.
But he was just staring at me, studying me, probably seeing much more than I wanted him to. Before I could get lost in those ocean blue eyes, before I had to face my true feelings that were becoming increasingly/embarrassingly obvious, I blurted out a request that I knew would shift everyone’s focus.
“I need you both to be in a dance I’m choreographing, and I won’t take no for an answer.”
Getting Kyle to say “yes” had been a piece of cake.
Colton? Not so much.
“But you’re my coach,” I said, walking beside him—chasing him really—as we moved through the halls between classes. “I need you. Don’t you want to win the bet?”
“Yes, I want to win,” Colton said, trudging along like I wasn’t struggling to keep up. At six-foot-two, his legs were so much longer than my own. “No, I won’t dance with you.”
“Well, why not?” I asked.
“Because I won’t.”
Nice. The typical douchebag non-answer.
“But—”
Lorra Shoemaker, one of Colton’s cooler exes, stepped in front of us then and halted our progress. Thank goodness. Chances were good that my legs would’ve given out if we’d kept up the pace much longer.
“Hey Sadie,” she said, her bright brown eyes shining almost as much as her smooth black hair. “How’s it going?”
“Hey, fine,” I said back. “Oh, and congrats on that softball win last week. You girls were killing it out there.”
“Thanks, we try,” Lorra shrugged, which was something I loved about her. She was always so humble even though her pitching was what lead our team to most of their wins. “Hey Colton,” she said, shifting her gaze to him. “So, you and Sadie are hanging out now? That’s cool.”
“Define ‘hanging out,’” he said. “And also, Sadie, you’re welcome. I’m guessing that’s the first time anyone’s mentioned your name and ‘cool’ in the same sentence.”
I scowled. Oh, so he had jokes now did he? Awesome, fantastic. But I had to hold my temper in check because I wanted something from him. Namely for him to be one part of the devastatingly fabulous tango trio I’d concocted in my head, so I tried to be nice.
“Ah thanks, Colton.” I smiled. “Your jokes are almost as hilarious as your face.”
Colton did something really interesting then. His entire face morphed into something between a grimace and a smirk. He girked…smimaced? Anyway, it was an odd expression, and I found myself biting my lip not to laugh.
“You think his face is funny?” Lorra didn’t seem to get the joke. “What’s so funny about it?”
This had been one of her downfalls, I remembered then with a sigh. She’d never been good at sarcasm. It was one of the reasons Colton had broken up with her if I wasn’t mistaken.
“Sadie was just kidding,” Colton said. “Being sarcastic.”
“Was I though?” I asked in just as innocent a tone. By the confused look on her face, that one sailed right over Lorra’s head as well. “Anyway, yeah, Colton’s been helping me out with a few things. I’m currently trying to convince him to do a dance with me. But he’s kind of being a jerk and refusing to cooperate.”
Lorra laughed/wheezed. “Dance? Colton?”
she said then laughed again. “I can’t even picture it. When we were together, he flat-out refused to dance with me even when I begged him. And that was at my sister’s wedding!”
Hmm, I thought. That was interesting if only because I’d gotten him to dance once. At the club—the thought of which still made my skin tingle. I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind and vowed that I would do it again. Colton would be a part of this trio. I just had to find the right way to convince him.
“I can see why you’d want to break up,” I said to which Lorra’s mouth dropped and Colton frowned. “Girls love a guy who can dance, one who’s willing to stand up with them when it matters.”
“Yeah, that’s true.” Lorra shook her head. “But Sadie, you know, Colton broke up with me, right? If he was single now, I’d probably want him again. No offense. I mean, I know you two are together now. Anyway, I’ll see you guys later.”
She walked away as the warning bell rang, and I was stunned by her admission—and her assumption—while Colton just looked smug.
“A guilt trip, Sadie? That’s the best you’ve got?” Colton tsked. “I’m disappointed.”
“Well, what will work? I’ve already tried groveling and guilt.”
“The groveling was amusing,” he said, “but I think you can do better.”
Making my eyes soft, voice pleading, I said, “Please, Colton? Please say you’ll dance with me?”
“Nice.” Colton nodded. “But the answer’s still no.”
Crossing my arms, I frowned. “How about the truth?”
Colton held out his hand in a go-ahead gesture.
“You said so yourself,” I began, laying out my case, “I need something that’ll stand out, something hot. And what’s hotter than two guys fighting over the same girl? Not just two guys but twins? And not only twins but gorgeous ones dancing a tango.”
“Gorgeous?” Colton shook his head. “And I thought flattery was beneath you.”
“Nothing is beneath me at this point.” I held up my hands. “Seriously Colton, this is the biggest item on my list, and you and Kyle are my ace in the hole. This is my shot, my chance to finally be accepted to Dancer’s Edge, not to mention it’s essential to you winning the bet.”
“You’ll just find someone else,” he said dismissively. “The idea will still work without me.”
“No,” I said. “Don’t you understand? I need you.”
He was silent a moment just looking at me as the final bell rang—and we ignored it, continued to stand right there in the middle of the hall. I was skipping again, and I didn’t even have it in me to care. This was that important.
Colton sneezed suddenly (twice) and then said, “You know, Sadie, I’ve been feeling off lately. I’ve also got work at the garage that runs late. Seriously, you’ll find someone else.”
I nodded, accepting defeat. Colton wasn’t going to help, and I would never be on Dancer’s Edge. Thinking again of that night, the way we’d danced together, how natural it had been, all the amazing chemistry, I decided to go out on a limb and try one final thing. It was a longshot, but hey. Colton had already said no about a thousand different ways. What did I have to lose?
“You know, I think you’re right,” I said, pretending to think it over. “I could probably get another guy. It would have to be someone who can dance. Maybe Tim—but no, he won’t have time since he’s back in college.”
Colton sighed. “See? I told you—”
“Ash would probably do it, though,” I said, watching Colton’s back stiffen at the name.
“You mean that cocky guy from the club? The one who had his hands all over you?”
“Yeah,” I said. “That’s actually a great idea. You know, Ash is so good-looking—”
Colton grunted.
“—and I know he would do it in a heartbeat if I asked him.”
I knew no such thing.
“And we moved so well together.”
Colton cleared his throat. “You know, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Oh?” I asked. “Why not?”
“Like you said, this is about your list, part of the bet. It’s a me and you thing, Sadie.” My heart thrilled at his words—the fact that Colton and I even had a thing—but I tamped down the emotion. “And that Ash guy? The way he danced with you right in front of his girl? I don’t trust him.” Colton shook his head, not realizing it had all been Snow’s idea in the first place. But I played along, seeing as he was starting to come around. “Plus, what kind of coach would I be if I abandoned you with only a few more items to go?”
I didn’t want to come off too eager, pretended to study my nails. “Well, I wouldn’t want to put you out. I mean, like I said, Ash would be happy to—”
“No,” Colton said. “I’m in.”
“You’re in?”
“Yeah.”
“As in, you’ll dance with me?”
“God, what do you need it in blood or something?” He threw his head back. “I said yes, I’m in. No need to call anybody else. Dammit Sadie, I’ll dance with you. I’m your guy.”
Again, my foolish heart skipped a beat, hearing a hidden meaning behind his words that wasn’t there. I shoved the emotion aside, smiling so big it hurt.
“That’s all I wanted to hear.”
Later that night, I’d reserved the studio, which wasn’t hard, of course, since my parents owned it. Kyle was staring at me in amazement while I checked my watch for what felt like the hundredth time. It was supposed to be our first practice—and Colton was already 10 minutes late.
“But how did you convince him?” Kyle asked. “Colton never dances. Ever. He hates it with a passion. Kind of like I hate Physics, man buns, and how Sherlock never ended up with John.”
“It should’ve been Molly Hooper, and you know it. Sholly forever.” I shrugged. “And I just asked, and he said okay.”
“That’s it?”
“I might’ve annoyed him into it. You know I can be really stubborn.”
Kyle shook his head. “I know my brother, Sadie. He’s twice as stubborn as you. Colt never does anything without a reason, and I still don’t understand why he’d do something he hates so much. Unless…”
“Unless what?” I said, biting my lip. What if Colton didn’t show? What would I do then? I had no backup plan, and I was already so committed to this idea. The choreography wouldn’t work without Colton. It was him or no one.
“Unless he had a stronger reason to do it,” Kyle said.
I nodded. “Yeah, winning the bet. Beating you and two-hundred dollars seem like pretty nice incentives.”
“I wasn’t talking about—” My best friend took my hand, his eyes meeting mine so like Colton’s, but Kyle’s touch, as always, was warm and completely friendly. “No bet would make my brother do this. He’d just drop out before it was set in stone. Or as is the case here, he would insist on getting someone else to do the dance. Hell, anyone else.”
“I used my powers of persuasion.”
“I didn’t know you had those,” he said, looking impressed.
“Me neither.” I grinned. “But it felt kind of good, being bad.”
Kyle shook his head in wonder. “Who are you, and where has my clueless best friend Sadie gone?”
I laughed, pushing his shoulder. “I’m still me, Kyle.”
“Yeah,” he said, “you are. And I’m honestly a little worried. Sadie…tell the truth. Are you falling for my brother?”
I nearly choked on my tongue, the question was such a surprise. It was like someone throwing ice water in your face, and then expecting you to function like a normal human being. Completely impossible.
“I-I…”
“Yeah?” Kyle prompted.
“I don’t dislike him as much as I used to think,” I said, choosing my words oh-so-carefully. “He’s not bad at all really. We’ve been spending a lot of time together, and…well…”
“And?”
“I think we’re becoming…friends,” I
finished lamely.
Kyle tilted his head, his face a question. “Hmm. My brother doesn’t really have girls who are friends. He has exes, and then he has hookups who want to be girlfriends—who usually end up being his exes. That’s about it. I’m just worried about you…and him.”
“Kyle, it’s fine, okay?” I said, feeling my stomach hollow but knowing this was the right thing to say—even if I wished it wasn’t true. “Your brother would never like me like that. He said so himself. I’m not his type.”
“Yeah, but all the kissing and—”
I forced a laugh though my throat was dry. “Oh that? Those were just for my list, for Colton to win the bet. You know that.”
Kyle stared at me, and I knew, through our best friend bond, that he could tell I was lying. His next question proved as much.
“Okay, that’s how you think he feels, but what about you. How do you feel? Sadie, I know you. You can’t just kiss someone without getting attached.”
He’d always been way too perceptive.
“It would be really stupid of me to fall for Colton Bishop,” I said finally.
After a beat, Kyle laughed. “And you’ve never been stupid. Yeah, I guess you’re right. You two are so completely different.”
“We are different,” I said. “It would never work with us. Plus, I don’t think I could handle being just another one of Colton’s exes.”
A laugh sounded from the hallway, leading from the entrance into the studio, and suddenly Colton was there. I hadn’t even heard the door open.
“My exes all love me,” he said, shrugging out of his work shirt for the garage. It was dirty with oil stains and so were his hands. That left him in a white tee that also had a few stains—but there was nothing he could do about those. Colton’s eyes moved to his brother for a moment. They exchanged a look that I couldn’t read, and when Colton’s eyes came back to me, there was something cold, impassive, like a wall had gone up. “You’d be lucky to be one of them.”
My eyes narrowed, but worse, my heart clenched at his harsh words.
“Are we dancing or what?”