The Perfect Boy

by Hailey Abbott

  Chapter Five

  Woo-ha-ha, woo-woo-ha-ha, woo-ha!

  —Get Set V.O.P.

  What are you two talking about?” AJ asked, approaching Kevin and Ciara. They’d been deep in conversation about Operation Woo-ha, but the sight of AJ bare-chested, with a big beach towel draped loosely around his hips, temporarily sent all of Ciara’s plans orbiting toward outer space.

  “Oh, we were just discussing the difference between the East Coast and West Coast sound in the mid-nineties,” Kevin said smoothly. “Hey, Ciara knows a lot about hip-hop. She really impressed me—and you know what a snob I am.”

  “Get this guy in a record shop and forget about dragging him out again,” AJ joked.

  “Where’s Heidi?” Kevin asked, looking around.

  “In the sauna,” AJ said absently. “It got too hot for me in there.”

  Ciara and Kevin exchanged significant looks. Just how “hot” had it really gotten? they wondered.

  “Wow, yeah, I forgot D-John had one of those,” Kevin said, getting up quickly. “I’m gonna go check it out.”

  Ciara’s heart thumped against her rib cage as she realized she was momentarily alone with AJ. She was usually so good at talking to guys, but AJ’s huge brown eyes left her speechless.

  “So you really liked the show?” AJ asked while she was still trying to find her tongue.

  “Oh yeah!” she said quickly. “That song about your first car was hilarious. I love that you can inject humor into your rhymes but still make them meaningful. Honestly, I think you guys could totally blow up.”

  AJ’s shoulders straightened with pride. “That’s my dream,” he said. “It’s nice to have someone believe in me. Sometimes I think everyone’s just humoring me, like, ‘Yeah, sure, you’ll be huge. But don’t start picking out mansions yet.’”

  “I think people should follow their dreams,” Ciara said firmly. “I mean, I want to be an entertainment lawyer, so I study my butt off. Maybe I’ll be representing you someday.”

  “That would be sweet.” AJ leaned closer to her, his eyes sparkling in the candlelight. The new Chris Brown song wafted through the speakers, and everything around them seemed to intensify: the smell of gardenias; the flickering candlelight; and the soft, warm caress of the summer night air. “You know, it really is great to see you again.”

  “It’s good to see you too,” Ciara breathed. Their faces were inches apart. Who needed Operation Woo-ha when they clearly had this much chemistry?

  “Having you dancing up onstage with us was amazing,” AJ continued, his eyes sparkling like live embers. “And talking to you is even better. It’s like you really know where I’m coming from.”

  “It’s easy when you’re so good at what you do,” Ciara said. AJ’s nose was practically touching hers, and she wanted to kiss him more than anything else in the world. But instead, she pulled back. AJ looked confused for a moment but then leaned away as well, letting the moment pass. He looked maybe even a little relieved. Could it be that the thought of kissing her had made him nervous too?

  Just then, Heidi came bounding up to them. Like AJ, she was wrapped in a towel, her damp platinum hair clinging to the sides of her face.

  “AJ!” she squealed. “There you are. I thought I lost you to the party gods!”

  “Nah.” AJ scooted his chair back, away from Ciara. “I’m still around.”

  Mixed feelings of relief and disappointment washed through Ciara. It was so unlike her not to jump on a perfect moment like that to kiss a hottie. On the one hand, she was proud of herself for being strong enough to hold out on kissing until she’d established something real with AJ. She was also happy that Heidi hadn’t caught her hitting on the guy she was obviously after. She made a mental note to talk to Heidi at work the next day and start gently easing her attention toward Kevin instead.

  Then again, she kind of wished she’d gotten at least one kiss. Just one. Just to see what it felt like to kiss the hottest emcee on the West Coast. Why hadn’t she let him kiss her? Had the new Ciara really taken hold of her that fast? Maybe it was a preservation instinct—the slower she took things with AJ, the longer she hoped their relationship would last.

  Chill out, she told herself, stretching back in her chair and smiling at both of them. The summer’s just getting started. You’ve got plenty of time.

  Chapter Six

  Let’s walk to the bridge, now meet me halfway

  —OutKast

  Hey, John, I’m going to take five,” Ciara called to the manager, hanging her visor on its peg in the tiny locker room assigned to the beach club café staff. She grabbed her bag and ran down to the beach, eager to dip her toes in the surf.

  She was still flying from the night before: everything from the show to her almost kiss with AJ convinced her that Santa Barbara was the right place to be. When her cell rang, she grabbed for it, hoping it would be AJ calling to ask her out or even Kevin reporting on the progress of Operation Woo-Ha.

  When she saw the name on the screen, her excitement deflated like a popped balloon. Her mom was the last person she wanted to hear from.

  “Hi, honey,” Maria Simmons said in her best crisp, professional voice. “I was just calling to make sure you got settled okay.”

  “Yeah, everything’s fine.” Ciara couldn’t help adding that her dad had taken time off work to meet her and cook her lunch.

  “That’s nice.” Her mom’s voice sounded drawn in on itself, as if she were cold and clasping a jacket around her shoulders. “So what are you doing with yourself up there?”

  “I got a job,” Ciara told her. “Working at the beach club.”

  “Good for you,” her mom said. “I’m proud of you. It’s your first real job!”

  “My first job where I make money,” Ciara corrected her. “The internship and being a CIT were both a lot of work.”

  “Right,” her mom conceded. There was a long pause.

  “So how are things in LA?” Ciara asked to be polite. Not because she actually wanted to know.

  “Things are fine,” her mom said. She took a deep breath. “I put the house on the market.”

  A wave of sadness coursed through Ciara. They’d lived in that house since she was five. She loved her room with the sloping ceiling and her desk overlooking the shady backyard.

  “I’m looking at apartments,” her mom continued. “Of course, I’ll find one with a nice room for you.”

  “Cool,” Ciara said dully. Part of her wanted to tell her not to bother—if things went as planned, she wouldn’t be coming back in the fall anyway. But the words caught in her throat.

  “I need to get going,” she said instead. “I’m on a five-minute work break.”

  They said good-bye and she trudged back up the sand to the café, realizing as she stepped into the office that she hadn’t dipped her toes in the ocean after all.

  “What’s wrong?” Heidi asked, slipping in to grab a fresh pen from the drawer of the tiny metal desk.

  “Oh, nothing,” Ciara said, realizing she must have been frowning. “Just family drama. No big deal.”

  “I’m sorry—I hope everything works out,” Heidi said. She sat down next to Ciara on the bench. “You got plans for our day off tomorrow?”

  “Day off?” Ciara asked. She’d barely had time to look at the schedule since she started working.

  “Sunday, remember?” Heidi nudged her in the ribs, smiling. “The café’s closed.”

  “Oh yeah,” Ciara said, feeling silly for not remembering.

  “I guess I’ll take a book down to the beach. I’ve barely had time to catch any rays.”

  Heidi swung her legs back and forth like a little kid. She seemed almost nervous. “That sounds like fun,” she said. “But if you want to come to Six Flags instead, I’m going with AJ and Kevin and maybe Marlene, if she wants to come.”

  “Wow, thanks,” Ciara said, smiling. “I’ll totally hit Six Flags with you guys.”

  “Cool.” Heidi got up to check on one of
her tables. “We’re going in Kevin’s car—I’ll ask if he can pick you up.”

  “Oh, that’ll be great,” Ciara said. “Kevin’s so sweet and considerate, isn’t he?”

  “Sure,” Heidi said, giving Ciara a funny look as she breezed out onto the deck, where diners were starting to call her name. Ciara wondered if she’d been too obvious, or maybe should have said something else. Would sweet, considerate Kevin really be that appealing to Heidi the self-proclaimed wild girl?

  Ciara smiled. Her head was already fast-forwarding to the next day. What a perfect opportunity to put Operation Woo-ha into effect! She craned her head to make sure Heidi had really gone, then grabbed her phone to send Kevin a quick text message.

  “Ready to Woo-ha?” Kevin asked, bounding up the steps to the café.

  “You bet!” Ciara grinned. She’d changed from her uniform into shorts and a tank top and couldn’t wait to spend the remaining daylight hours on the beach. “Was this whole Six Flags thing your idea?”

  “Kinda sorta,” Kevin admitted. “I mentioned to AJ that it’s been a while since we’ve gone there and he was like, ‘Let’s go tomorrow.’ That guy’s a maniac for scary rides. Another thing you should know about him.”

  “Fine, as long as they don’t flip upside down,” Ciara noted. “My stomach just can’t handle it.”

  “We’ll see what we can do about keeping him off the Viper,” Kevin said as they walked together down the beach.

  “You really think this will work?” Ciara asked, luxuriating in the feel of the cool sand between her toes.

  “Yeah, it’ll be great. You’ll be strapped in next to him on all these rides—plenty of opportunities for groping.” Kevin wiggled his eyebrows.

  “I’ll leave the groping to you and Heidi.” Ciara laughed. “Although I might grab his arm or something if I get really, really scared…”

  “That’s the idea,” Kevin said.

  Ciara ran down to the water’s edge and let the warm Pacific surf lap at her ankles. “Heidi and I had a little talk about boys during the lull after the lunch shift today,” she said.

  “Yeah?” Kevin stooped to remove his Adidases and roll up his jeans before joining her in the surf. “And what did she say?”

  “The good news is, she’s not exclusively focused on AJ. The bad news is, she’s all over the map. She mentioned like twelve guys she thinks are cute.”

  “Let me guess—I wasn’t one of them,” Kevin said morosely.

  “Not specifically,” Ciara said, trying to be diplomatic. “But you’re really funny, and she did say she loves guys who make her laugh.”

  “You should be a spin doctor,” Kevin said, grinning.

  A large wave came rolling toward them and they both scampered back. “So you didn’t happen to drop my name into any conversations with AJ today, did you?” Ciara asked.

  Kevin frowned. “I tried. But all he wanted to talk about was the band. He thinks we should have a marketing strategy—I think we should just chill and make good music.”

  “A marketing strategy can be important if you want to make it big,” Ciara said. “And until you get the attention of an A and R guy at a major label, you have to promote, promote, promote.”

  Kevin grimaced. “I hate promoting. If the music is good, won’t people just want to listen to it?”

  “Do you have any idea how much good music is out there?” Ciara asked. “You need to get out and push yourself if you want to make it big. Didn’t you see Hustle and Flow?”

  “Twice,” Kevin admitted. “In the theater. AJ still beat me, though—he went three times. He has parts of it memorized.”

  “He’s so driven.” Ciara sighed. “I love that.”

  “Hey, we’re driven too!” Kevin protested. “We’re putting the first stage of Operation Woo-ha into action tomorrow. If that’s not drive, I don’t know what is.”

  “You’re right,” Ciara said happily. She was excited about the chance to spend the whole next day with AJ and suddenly felt so full of energy she did a cartwheel on the empty beach. A curious seagull swooped down to see what all the fuss was about, then left after realizing it didn’t involve food.

  Kevin chuckled at her sudden athletic display. “Bring that kind of energy to Six Flags tomorrow,” he said, “and we’ll be all set.”

  Chapter Seven

  Big teddy bears, cotton candy everywhere

  We can do this thing every day, every year

  Come on and talk to me

  Now walk with me

  Think about it—this how it ought to be

  —Lil’ Romeo

  Ciara had never been such a wreck over what to wear to an amusement park. In fact, getting worked up over an outfit had never been her style: she liked soft, vintage-looking clothes that she could move and dance in and figured that as long as she was comfortable, boys would find her hot. She had always laughed at girls who went wobbling around in stilettos and miniskirts, looking like they were going to fall over any second—why would any guy find that attractive?

  But on the beach the day before, Kevin had told her that AJ went for girls who didn’t mind showing a little skin from time to time. Her usual high-necked, cap-sleeved T-shirts from Anthropologie and vintage uniform pieces clearly weren’t going to cut it. Sighing, Ciara peeled off the seventies-style Boy Scout shirt she’d just tried on and flung it onto the bed. Digging through her dresser, she unearthed a bright purple halter top that Em had brought back from her family vacation. Hawaii was scrawled across the front in electric blue script, and it was cut to show way more belly than Ciara was used to. Slipping it on, she looked in the mirror and gasped. Paired with the denim miniskirt that had looked perfectly demure with the Boy Scout shirt, the halter top made her look like an extra in a 50 Cent video. All she needed to complete the outfit was a pair of Ecko Red crocodile stilettos and some bling.

  Ciara laughed to herself as she replaced the skirt with her favorite pair of worn Diesel jeans and a woven leather belt. Much better. The shirt still showed off way more skin than she was used to, but at least her tummy was smooth and flat from hours of swim team practice.

  A car horn honked outside and Ciara ran downstairs, hopping into the backseat of Kevin’s Acura next to Heidi.

  “Where’s Marlene?” she asked everyone in the car. But the music booming through the speakers was so loud that apparently only Heidi heard her.

  “She couldn’t make it,” Heidi said quietly, leaning in so close that her breath ruffled Ciara’s hair. “Something about having to work.”

  “That’s too bad,” Ciara said. “It seems like she never gets to come out and have any fun.”

  “Yeah, it’s a bummer.” Heidi shrugged, looking out the window.

  “Totally,” Ciara agreed. It was too bad that Marlene wasn’t going to be there, but at the same time, it would make Operation Woo-ha that much easier. Was she a jerk for having those kinds of thoughts? She told herself not to worry about it—it was her day off, and she should just relax and have fun.

  “I love this song!” she shouted over Jurassic 5’s “Freedom,” which shook the car slightly from the extra-large speakers Kevin had installed in the trunk.

  AJ, who was riding shotgun, peered around the side of the passenger’s seat to grin at her. “Aren’t they amazing?” he asked, his chocolate-brown eyes sending beads of sweat popping out on her forehead.

  You’re amazing, Ciara found herself thinking. His eyes alone put all the boys back at Westwood Prep to shame.

  “Perfect summer music,” she agreed instead.

  “And today’s a perfect summer day,” Heidi chirped next to her in the backseat. “Who’s ready to ride some roller coasters?”

  “Me!” everyone shouted at the same time. Kevin stepped on the gas as they sped onto the highway, the ocean receding beneath them, the sky a perfect cerulean blue. As AJ and Kevin gabbed away about their crew up front, Ciara glanced over at Heidi and realized she wasn’t the only one who had dared to show some skin. Heidi ha
d on a tiny white terry jumper with rainbow stripes down the sides—it had a cute retro feel and looked like something a little kid might wear, but hugged her curves perfectly. The top two buttons were undone to reveal enough cleavage to make any guy stop and stare, and for the first time ever, Ciara wished she had more to work with than a 32B. She usually felt comfortable with her body, but something about AJ made her suddenly care a whole lot more than usual about how she looked.

  Heidi looked over at Ciara and grinned. “I’m so glad you decided to come,” she said. “It’s nice to get to hang out with you outside of work.”

  “Yeah,” Ciara agreed. Inside, she felt bad. Heidi thought she had come along because of her invitation. She had no idea it was all about getting closer to the hottie in the front seat.

  By the time they pulled into the massive parking lot at Six Flags, Heidi had reapplied her Sephora plumping lip gloss six times, and her lips looked as large and shiny as the inside of a watermelon. “I am so ready to hit some rides,” she said as she hopped down to the pavement, the skirt of her jumper catching the wind and billowing around her legs for a moment like a parachute.

  “I’m just happy to be out of the car.” Ciara stretched her hands over her head so the halter top rode farther up on her tummy. She caught AJ staring at her for a moment longer than necessary and allowed herself an inner cheer.

  “Let’s go on Scream! first!” AJ said as they entered the park, skirting around a group of toddlers with the remains of ice-cream sandwiches caked to the sides of their mouths.

  Ciara’s stomach jolted. The last time she had visited the park, she remembered staring up at the tiny passengers waving their legs in the air like beetles flung onto their backs, their screams drifting down from several dozen stories above. At the time, she’d politely told Em there was no freakin’ way she was going on that thing, and Em had understood. But this time was different. She was with AJ, and she certainly wasn’t going to stay on the ground like a nervous puppy while he went on the ride.