“What?” Ciara and Marlene chorused dutifully.
“That guy at the counter?” Heidi was trying to keep her voice down, but excitement crept into it nonetheless. “He totally gave me a free smoothie in exchange for my e-mail!”
“Uh, Heidi?” Marlene said. “You know that’s, like, the cheesiest line in the history of human interpersonal relations, right? Please tell me you didn’t fall for it.”
Heidi blushed like it was about to go out of style. “He was cute…,” she protested.
“Yeah, that nineties-boy-band-reject tattoo really got me going too,” Marlene said sarcastically. Heidi looked like she was about to pout but decided to start giggling instead.
Ciara looked down at her sneakers, not sure what to say. All she could think was that if Heidi was willing to flirt with any sleazeball behind the counter of a smoothie bar at the mall, she definitely didn’t deserve AJ. Any lingering doubts about Operation Woo-ha melted away. Heidi was obviously just going after anything with a Y chromosome. What would she care if Ciara ended up with AJ? She’d be too busy flirting with the next guy who offered her a free cup of pureed berries to even notice.
“You’re so mean!” Heidi joked, punching Marlene lightly on the arm. “So what if I want to flirt with the guy at the smoothie bar? We can’t all be super-long-term-relationship-only girls like you. Some of us just want to have fun.”
She looked at Ciara for backup. Speak for yourself, Ciara wanted to say, but she’d felt the same way—oh, two whole weeks ago. “It’s true,” she agreed, looking at both Heidi and Marlene. “Now, are we going to sit here arguing boy semantics all night, or are we going to hit some stores?”
Chapter Nine
You think you’re cute, you think you’re fine
You’re always trying to steal my shine
—Destiny’s Child
Dusk was setting in, and the last pink streaks of sunset faded from the sky as Ciara approached the pier where the party boat was docked. The tangy scent of the ocean wafted toward her from the waves gently lapping the pilings below, and she breathed in deeply, letting the warm night breeze caress her bare legs and flutter her hair over her shoulders.
The weathered wooden shops along the pier were decorated in tiny, twinkling white Christmas lights, and the boat glowed like a jack-o’-lantern bobbing on the water, each of its portholes ablaze with lights. She could see lines of colorful lanterns strung along the top deck and hear the faint thudding of bass. As she made her way along the pier, she passed small groups talking and laughing as they ambled toward the boat. Sequins sparkled from filmy peasant blouses, and rhinestones twinkled from the back pockets of tight, low-rise, well-distressed jeans. The air on the pier seemed alive and buzzing with the possibility that lay in the night ahead: a four-hour cruise with bumping tunes and the hottest dance floor south of San Francisco.
Ciara spotted a platinum-blond head bobbing through the crowd ahead of her and hurried to catch up. She threw an arm over Heidi’s shoulders, and Heidi looked up at her with wide, surprised eyes before breaking into a relieved smile.
“Hey, Ciara!” she cried, wrapping her arm around Ciara’s waist. “I am so psyched for tonight! Aren’t you?”
Heidi had poured herself into a teal bouclé Zara minidress with satin ribbons decorating the low neckline and layers of ruffles along the hem. Her eyes were lined with heavy black kohl, her lids shadowed to match the dress. It gave her eyes a vampy, salacious look that seemed like an odd contrast with her bubbly personality and round, innocent-looking face.
“Should be a good time,” Ciara said.
Heidi disentangled herself and stood back to get a look at Ciara’s outfit. “Wow,” she said. “White pleated miniskirt? I never really thought of that as your style.”
Ciara shrugged. “I wanted to wear something comfortable so I could dance, and this was on sale.” Yeah, right. If you considered eighty-five dollars on sale. She had never spent so much money on what essentially amounted to a loincloth in her life, but Kevin had assured her when she called him back from the mall’s bathroom that AJ had once spent twenty minutes going off on how hot miniskirts looked on girls with nice legs, so somehow the skirt seemed worth it. She’d paired it with a simple black tank decorated with beads and lace and her favorite Steve Madden espadrilles—the ones she could walk and dance in. She was dressed to impress one person: AJ. If piquing his interest with her style and moves on the dance floor didn’t work, she didn’t know what would.
“Well, you look like you could out-Kournikova Kournikova,” Heidi said.
Ciara was bowled over by the compliment. Why did Heidi have to go and be so nice? She felt like she’d been socked in the stomach with a heavy dose of Woo-ha guilt.
“You look pretty hot yourself,” Ciara said.
“Really?” Heidi asked, chewing the ragged edge of her thumbnail. “Do you think AJ will like it? Is it wild enough? Everyone here looks so hip.” She looked around at the groups of girls streaming toward the boat, her mouth twisted with worry.
Despite her irritation at the AJ comment, Ciara’s heart went out to Heidi. She seemed so young and inexperienced, like a little girl playing dress-up in her mother’s closet. This wasn’t the false bravado she showed around boys. It was just Heidi trying a personality makeover that might or might not be working.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said, giving Heidi’s arm a squeeze. “You look like you’re here to have fun. Isn’t that what this is all about?”
Heidi shot her a grateful smile as they approached the boat and saw AJ and Kevin standing by the gangway. Pangs of longing shot through her at the sight of AJ, whose biceps bulged enticingly from a sleeveless Lakers jersey. They all hugged hello, and as Ciara buried her head in AJ’s neck and his arms wrapped briefly around her, she breathed in his sexy scent and never wanted to let go.
“Damn, Ciara,” AJ said, holding her at arm’s length as they pulled away. “That skirt is smokin’!”
Heidi threw her a questioning look, and Kevin winked at her over AJ’s shoulder, but all she did was smile and say thanks. Score one for Ciara! She could feel AJ’s eyes on her even as he hugged Heidi, and her head swam with a feeling of triumph. Tonight was the night. She was going to make it happen. And as for Heidi…well, a million other guys were here. Including Kevin, who was in the middle of telling everyone that the boat had a really great grill in case anyone was hungry.
“I’m hungrier than Nicole Richie on a ten-day juice fast,” AJ said, and they all laughed.
Kevin led the way past the line that had formed on the ship’s gangway and approached a bouncer approximately the size of two football players put together. “Hey, O-Man,” Kevin said. “These are my plus ones.”
O-Man nodded once, and a woman in a slinky black dress attached red bands to their wrists. The bands said UNDER 21 in bold black letters.
“This totally clashes with my outfit,” Heidi quipped, looking at the band.
“Outfit?” AJ joked. “What this clashes with is my plans to get wasted!”
“Chill, celebutante,” Ciara said, rolling her eyes. She hoped the bouncer would realize AJ was just kidding. Kevin had already warned them that if they so much as looked longingly at a beer, they risked getting him kicked off the job.
She and Heidi stuck close to AJ as Kevin led them through a pair of swinging doors and into the boat’s restaurant, where rough-hewn wooden tables were nailed into the floor beneath large, round portholes overlooking the ocean and the twinkling lights of the pier.
“This is the best time to come,” Kevin explained as he led them to a table, where Heidi quickly slipped in next to AJ, leaving Ciara to sit side by side with Kevin. Oh, well, at least she was opposite AJ so they could make eye contact throughout the meal. “Everyone goes up to the deck to watch the boat leave the pier, and then as soon as it does, they all decide they’re hungry and come down here and the place is mobbed and you can’t get a table.”
“Wow, you really know your way aro
und this boat,” Ciara said, trying to talk Kevin up in front of Heidi the way they’d planned.
“Well, I’ve spun here a few times,” Kevin said modestly. “It’s an amazing gig—usually they get college students, but I got lucky. The dude who books this thing likes to root around on the Internet for unknown local talent.”
A foghorn sounded, and Ciara looked out the window just in time to see the boat slowly pulling away from the pier. Cheers sounded from the open deck above.
“Yay, we’re moving!” Heidi shouted happily. Ciara felt the energy from the boat’s forward motion surge through her as she joined the rest of the table in clapping and cheering. They were off the mainland, on the water and headed for adventure. Across the table, AJ’s eyes caught hers and held them for one heart-stopping moment before the waitress appeared.
“What can I get you guys?” she asked.
Ciara had barely had time to look at the menu. She quickly scanned it and ordered a veggie burger—the protein would give her extra energy to dance all night.
“I’ll have the Caesar salad,” Heidi said. “And a Diet Coke.”
“Chicken?” the waitress asked.
“No!” Heidi looked shocked, and the rest of the table laughed. She’d been a strict vegetarian for as long as they’d all known her. In fact, she was so passionate about animal rights, she wouldn’t even wear real leather shoes.
Which was why, when AJ ordered a bacon cheeseburger extra rare, they all looked at Heidi, expecting her to launch into another one of her lectures about the mistreatment of cows on the huge commercial ranches in the Midwest. But Heidi stared at AJ with lovesick puppy eyes, as if he’d just announced the cure for cancer instead of ordering a giant slab of bloody bovine.
“You know, AJ, a cow had to give up its life so you could have that burger,” Kevin reprimanded him when the waitress had gone.
“Animals, please.” AJ laughed. “I need energy food—I’m going to hit the dance floor like it’s never been hit tonight.” He looked happier than Ciara had ever seen him besides when he was onstage, and she wondered if it had anything to do with the way he’d looked at her when he’d first seen her dressed up for the cruise. Was it just her imagination, or had he kept sneaking glances her way ever since they’d sat down?
“Me too.” Heidi sighed dreamily, staring at AJ as she sipped her Diet Coke.
Ciara looked at Kevin and felt her eyes rolling way up in their sockets, almost like she couldn’t control them. It sucked to see someone compromise herself so much over a boy—especially when that boy happened to be someone she wanted.
“So.” AJ was leaning across the table, his wide-set eyes gleaming with excitement. “I’ve got some killer news.”
“What?” Heidi and Ciara asked simultaneously.
AJ’s eyes twinkled, and his broad shoulders seemed to widen even more with the news he was about to spill. He looked straight at Kevin. “We’re opening for the Coup when they play the Velvet Lounge at the end of August!”
“What?!” Kevin almost dropped his root beer all over the table. “Dude, this is huge! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I wanted it to be a surprise.” AJ grinned deviously. “I figured if I told you right before your set, you’d really spin some pumping tunes.”
“Wow.” Kevin was fidgeting in his seat like a nervous middle-school girl on her first date. “That’s completely amazing. They’re only, like, the best thing to come out of Oakland ever.”
“I love the Coup,” Ciara broke in. Only a guy with AJ’s drive and passion would be able to land a gig like that! She figured it was time to impress him with her musical knowledge. “Their songs have such incredible narrative. Like, ‘Me and Jesus the Pimp in a ’79 Granada.’ When you listen to it, there are all these hidden messages, but it just sounds like they’re telling a story.”
“It’s a lot to live up to,” Kevin agreed.
AJ was still looking at Ciara, nodding and smiling. “But if anyone can live up to them, it’s the B-Dizzy Crew.”
“Maybe you should let me be your backup dancer,” Heidi suggested, scooting closer to AJ on the bench.
“Sure,” AJ joked, casually draping an arm over her shoulders. “As long as you wear a thong and go-go boots like the dancers in Twista’s video.”
Ciara snuck an annoyed glance at Kevin. His mouth was slightly open and he had a faraway look in his eyes, possibly at the thought of their upcoming gig, but maybe at the image AJ had just painted. Not that Heidi wore much more than that on a daily basis anyway, Ciara thought angrily. Why did Heidi have to keep stealing the spotlight with her cute-girl act? It had taken Ciara years to accumulate all her hip-hop knowledge, but Heidi had cut right through that with her new “wild girl” thing.
She reminded herself not to sulk as their food came, and she dug into her veggie burger. But when she looked up to see Heidi gazing adoringly at AJ, who was tearing into his cheeseburger so vigorously that a thin line of meat juice ran down the corner of his mouth, she had to struggle to repress the resentment that rose in her throat. She tried to remind herself that no matter what happened, they were all just here to have fun. It was summer, it was a beautiful night, and they were at Santa Barbara’s hottest movable party—for free! But none of those thoughts seemed to help. AJ loomed before her, chewing his burger and laughing at something Heidi had said, and he was all that mattered. Wanting him had taken over her life so thoroughly that it seemed like it was in her blood—her heartbeat repeated his name each time it thudded in her chest: A.-J. A.-J. A.-J.
“Hey, I have to get going,” Kevin said, interrupting her thoughts as he slurped up the last of his root beer. “My set starts in twenty minutes.”
Ciara suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Operation Woo-ha was one thing when Kevin was around, but when it was just her versus Heidi, it felt like some kind of covert, catty gladiator battle. AJ smiled and stretched his hands over his head.
“Have fun,” he said. “I’ll wave to you from the dance floor.”
“Spin some Pussycat Dolls for me!” Heidi called after him. Ciara winced. Why did Heidi have to have such generic taste in music? She caught AJ’s eye and they shared a conspiratorial gaze that gave her confidence a momentary surge. In the music category, she definitely had Heidi pinned to the floor. But then there was everything else…
“I can’t wait to shake my tail feather!” Heidi was already bouncing up and down in her seat to the bass thumping from the deck above.
“Let’s do it,” AJ agreed. They paid the bill and rose from the table, threading their way through the boat’s crowded restaurant (Kevin had been right about everyone rushing down after the launch), past all the groups of girls in tiny tank tops and guys with wind-tousled hair drinking and laughing like they were having the best time in the world. Ciara was determined to look as overjoyed to be on the party boat as they were. This was her chance to impress AJ with her fun-loving attitude and great moves on the dance floor. If she couldn’t upstage Heidi tonight, she might not have the chance again.
“This is so much fun!” she said, pushing between AJ and Heidi and grabbing each of their arms. She smiled madly, so wide that it hurt her face, and tried to match her voice to Heidi’s light, bubbly enthusiasm.
AJ gave her a funny look with a raised eyebrow. She knew her tone sounded a little forced—she was usually much more laid-back, the kind of girl who could say more with a half smile than by shouting and jumping up and down. This bubbly stuff was so not her territory, but given what she’d seen of Heidi, it seemed to be what he responded to. It felt strange trying to act like someone she wasn’t, and she wasn’t entirely sure she was comfortable with it. But what did it matter? She could go back to being herself as soon as she and AJ were officially together.
Up on the main deck, the dance floor looked like a giant amoeba gliding back and forth to the beat, the occasional raised hand flailing out and above the sea of heads like an errant tentacle. The ocean air energized the mass of bodies, and the col
ored lights strung from high poles around the deck played against the water below, flickering and gleaming like secrets rising from the dark depths.
Ciara looked up at the DJ booth, where a girl with blond dreads was handing the headphones over to Kevin. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before turning to riffle through his record bag, and she came trotting down the narrow metal stairs to the dance floor.
Kevin seemed to have found what he was looking for. He held the record up for a moment before flipping it onto the turntable and hunching over it, moving it back and forth with one hand to cue it up. He flicked some switches on the mixer and a strong, sultry beat came booming through the fade-out on the previous song.
“Yeah!” The dance floor seemed to scream as one voice. Dozens of fists pumped the air. The beat dropped like a firebomb into the sea of gyrating butts and swiveling hips, and Ciara felt it moving her as well, the energy from the bodies flowing all around her, filling her up so that the music zipped through her limbs. She felt like her body would explode if she didn’t start dancing.
Still holding AJ and Heidi by the arms, she began to snake her way through the crowd to the middle of the dance floor.
“This good?” Ciara shouted to AJ and Heidi over the music. She’d found a small spot in the dead center of the dance floor, with a surplus of guys around in case Heidi decided she wanted to go for one of them instead of AJ—which, given the Smoothie City incident the day before, wasn’t a total long shot. But instead of disappearing into the cluster of guys as Ciara had hoped, Heidi began dancing right in front of AJ, lowering her head and gazing up at him mischievously from below her heavily painted lashes. Her moves got bolder as she edged toward him, circling her butt like a terrier in heat. Ciara noted with annoyance that Heidi wasn’t nearly as good a dancer as she was. Heidi could barely keep the beat—all she did was, as she herself had said earlier, “shake her tail feather.”
Plus, Ciara was left with nobody to dance with. She glanced up at AJ, hoping he would see the pleading look in her eyes, but his face was buried in Heidi’s hair as his large, strong hands guided her hips against his. Ciara could have puked—they were grinding right in front of her, as if she wasn’t even there. She looked around wildly and saw the group of guys she’d landed in the midst of, their eyes red in the theatrical lights, circling the dance floor, their teeth gleaming, mouths open like hungry wolves. She tried telling herself not to freak out—once upon a time two weeks ago, she would have been happy for the attention. She would have picked one of the guys out of the crowd and motioned with her eyes for him to approach her, savoring the buildup as their bodies circled each other before connecting. And then she’d be left with that cold, empty feeling in her gut once again, that feeling that embodied everything about her old life in LA she wanted to leave behind. She wasn’t going to fall back into being the queen of meaningless hookups again. She was going to make AJ see that they were meant to be together, and everything would be fine.
The Perfect Boy Page 7