I pulled on the door handle. This time I came out in a soft pink dress. It was also floor length, but flowy from the waist down. Though I liked the skirt, I wasn’t keen on the elbow-length sleeves. It felt like I’d tear a hole in the armpit if I raised my arms even the slightest bit. This gown wasn’t great for dancing, either.
“Wow!” Mom clapped her hands once and nodded her head in approval. “That’s wonderful. How progressive of you ladies.”
I shrugged. “It was an easy choice on our part. He’s the progressive one for trying out in the first place. Brave, too. He quit the football team to join cheer.”
She raised a pristinely manicured eyebrow. “Really?” I twirled a circle for her, and she shook her head. “I don’t love it.”
“Me either. Next.” I went back in for dress number three and continued to talk through the door. “It gets worse. Nick’s grandpa is the head football coach. He barged in to our first practice with smoke pouring out his ears and dragged Nick into the hall. It was a little scary. I was sure that Nick’s first practice would also be his last. His grandpa isn’t talking to him right now; hasn’t said a word since Monday when he chewed Nick out.”
“The poor boy. It’s sad that his family isn’t more supportive.” I could hear Mom’s heart breaking. She had this instinct to smother everyone with affection. If Nick were here right now, she’d probably force him into a hug.
I zipped myself up and looked over my shoulder to check out my butt. This dress was boring, but it was really flattering on my figure. “Oh, his parents are fine with it. His mom’s even excited. It’s just his grandpa. I guess he’s like an old-school manly-man sports type.”
“I’m so glad your father isn’t into sports…” I stepped out as Mom was speaking. Her sentence trailed off, and her face soured. She instructed me to twirl. “Dear me, that one’s horrendous. Black is not your color. You look sallow and sickly. It’s a dance, not a funeral.”
I laughed as I did another three-sixty in front of the mirror, trying to decide if I agreed with her. “Huh.”
“Mia,” she sounded exasperated. “Huh is just as bad as uh. They’re not even words, they’re grunts. I may not be as smart as your father, but I do know two things. The first of which is that my daughter is capable of articulating her speech.”
“Huh,” I said again and scratched my head. “Well, that’s news to me.” Mom leveled me with what was supposed to be a serious glare but looked about as menacing as a bunch of baby chicks in an Easter basket. I grinned. “What’s the second thing?”
“That you won’t be caught dead in a dress that unflattering. Now go try something else.”
“Picky, picky.” I decided she was right about the dress. It was just so much fun to give her a hard time. I might not have inherited my dad’s brain, but I got his dorky sense of humor and knack for teasing. Poor Mom didn’t stand a chance against the two of us.
I walked back into the booth for gown number four. It was the last one, and I hoped it was a winner, because I was ready to get some lunch. I took it from the hanger and slipped it on. It had a peach bodice with a square neckline and thick shoulder straps. There was a simple tone-on-tone floral pattern woven through the fabric, subtle and delicate. The skirt was also peach, knee length, and full at the hips but had a heavy layer of sheer, white chiffon over the top. The chiffon was edged with trim that matched the bodice.
I’d been skeptical when Mom handed me this one. It was much more little girl than what I’d typically choose. She must know me better than I do, because the dress looked fabulous. I stepped out of the stall, and Mom’s breath hitched. Then she teared up. “Mia, it’s beautiful.”
I grinned. “Yeah, I think this is the one.”
She walked around me a few times and rubbed the chiffon between her fingers. “So, this boy Nick, do you like him?”
“Mom, I just got out of a relationship less than a week ago.” I tried to imply she was ridiculous by even asking such a question. “Plus, he’s a teammate.”
I don’t think I was very convincing. She smirked knowingly. “I see. And does Nick like you? Or is this more of a friendly date?”
I wish he liked me. “Pretty sure it’s a friends thing.”
“How sure?”
“I don’t know. 90 percent?” I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders. “Why?”
Her smile grew. “Because I’m willing to bet he changes his mind once he sees you.”
Chapter 15
I gave Sean the silent treatment for the rest of the weekend. After I ditched him to sit with the girls at lunch on Monday, he sucked it up and begged forgiveness. At that point, he got a heated piece of my mind about what a giant bonehead he was. Between the tongue lashing and hours spent cleaning toilet paper off his trees, I finally decided we were square.
Mia and I had been texting all week; the occasional Hey, how’s it going? or This class is so boring. I knew she was getting comfortable with me because she initiated half of the conversations. She even waited for me at my locker on Wednesday, excited to share that Parker Bennet asked her to Homecoming, and thanks to me, she had an excuse to let him down without feeling bad.
Word spread quickly that I was taking Mia to the dance. By Thursday, I’d gotten props from a lot of the guys who’d been teasing me the week before. I hoped my new status as a lucky stiff would be enough to carry me through today without being mocked relentlessly. It was Friday, our first home game of the season. On game days, the cheer team wore their uniforms.
“I think it looks good!” Mia exclaimed when I emerged from the locker room. Her smile was bright, so I chose to believe she wasn’t just propping my ego. “It’s very slimming.”
“Do I need to be slimmed?” I looked down at the blue polyester pants and shirt combo. There were white stripes down the sides of the legs, which made the bottoms look kind of like joggers. Those weren’t so bad, but I wasn’t sure they were cool enough to offset the big, gold RHS embroidered on the white stripe across my chest.
“No, silly.” She swatted me on the arm. In addition to texting, there’d been a lot more touching this week. Most of it was stuff like a light punch or gentle slap. I wasn’t complaining, though. She could whack me over the head with her math book and my twisted libido would probably enjoy it. “Let me rephrase. That outfit enhances your muscular figure. Better?”
“Much.” I flexed my bicep as a joke. Her eyes darted to my arm and right back to my face. The warning bell rang. I took a deep breath. “Here goes nothing.”
We had class in the same direction, so we started walking together. She hooked her elbow through mine. The gesture felt totally platonic; disappointing, but I’d take what I could get. “Don’t stress,” she said. Guys will be idiots, but I promise that all the girls will be checking you out and thinking about how cute you look.”
“Every girl?” I asked with a pointed stare and a saucy grin. I’d been trying to drop subtle hints that I was interested, but she didn’t appear to be picking up on them. That, or she was ignoring them. Case in point, my comment was blatantly flirtatious. Her cheeks flushed a little, but she kept talking without so much as a giggle. My wasted efforts made me grumpy.
“Maybe not every girl, but I’ll be surprised if you don’t get some attention.”
“Yippee,” I snarked.
“Good attention,” she clarified. “In fact, I’m so confident I’m willing to make a wager on it. I bet you ice cream that at least five girls who don’t usually talk to you go out of their way to compliment your uniform by the end of the day. Excluding anyone on the cheer team.”
Those were odds I’d gladly take. Win or lose, I got a date out of it. “You’re on! Loser buys.” I’d already received a few shouts and whistles, but they were all taunts from my guy friends.
Mia looked up at me with a serious face and pointed her finger into my chest. “You have to be honest. I won’t see you again until lunch, so I’m trusting you to use the honor system.”
I grabbed h
er finger and held it tightly so she couldn’t escape. With my other hand, I drew an X over my heart. “I promise.”
Mia smiled as she tried to wiggle her finger free. I grudgingly dropped it. She started to walk away but didn’t make it more than three steps before turning back. “Are you eating lunch with the team today?”
She silently begged with fluttering eyes and a quivering bottom lip. It didn’t matter that it was an act. I wasn’t sure I could deny her anything when she looked at me like that. If she asked for all the money in my bank account right now, I’d hand it over without hesitation.
“Do you want me to eat lunch with you?” Selfishly, I needed to hear her say that she wanted me there.
She looked at me like it was a stupid question. “Of course I do.”
“Then I’ll come.” I winked. “But only because you asked.” If my flirting wasn’t clear enough that time, I needed a refresher course.
Mia’s smile widened, and that adorable dimple popped out. Warmth spread through me. I wanted to crush her to me, holding her the way I’d held her Saturday night. Only this time, instead of drying her tears, I’d kiss that pouty lip until it could pout no more.
“Glad to know I have that kind of pull,” she teased with a laugh. Her words were laced with sarcasm. “See you at lunch.”
“I’ll be counting down the minutes.” Yes, it was cheesy, but at least I’d managed a modicum of the sarcasm she’d given me.
“You’re such a goober.” Her jabs always sounded more like compliments when delivered in that tinkling voice. Her shoulders bounced with quiet amusement. She walked away, and I wondered if she found goobers attractive.
My infatuation with Mia was now the real deal. I watched her leave, feeling like a lovesick fool. Mia was joking about how much pull she held over me, but she had no idea. If she pulled any harder, she’d tear my heart right out of my chest.
By lunch, I’d already had seven random girls come up to me and compliment the uniform. I was anywhere from cute, to adorable, to sexy, depending on who you asked. None of their opinions mattered to me, though. All I could think about was the ice cream date I’d earned.
Sean was waiting for me outside the cafeteria. I stopped in front of him when girl number eight tapped me on the shoulder. “Hey, Nick,” she said.
I turned to see someone from my sixth-hour class. “Hi, Tonya.”
“I just wanted you to know that I don’t care what Ross Grantham says.” She waved her hand from my toes to my head. Mia and Stacie conveniently walked by right at that moment. “Your outfit is hot. Somehow, you make it work.” Mia obviously heard what Tonya said, because she smirked gleefully, giving me a silent I told you so with her eyes.
“Thanks,” I replied, trying not to sound uncomfortable. I wasn’t used to getting this kind of attention. “Make sure you tell Ross.”
From what I’d gathered, Ross was my biggest assailant today. I wasn’t surprised. I’d also heard that he was pretty upset when he found out I was taking Mia to Homecoming. I did my best to take the rude remarks in stride. Ross wasn’t worth my annoyance. Besides, I got the girl.
Tonya gave me a thumbs up. “I already did.” She walked off, leaving Sean slack-jawed.
“You gonna hook me up with one of those, or what?” He jutted his chin toward my clothes. “That thing’s a babe magnet.” Sean was present earlier when Jolene Carroll and I had a similar conversation.
I laughed. “No can do; it’s a one of a kind. You want one, you have to join the team.”
“I’m about to reconsider my choice in extracurriculars.” He followed me into the swarm of hungry students, stopping when we reached our usual spot. When I didn’t sit with him, he frowned. “You’re blowing me off again? That’s twice in one week.”
“Yes, but you deserved it on Monday,” I pointed out.
“You said we were cool after you made me kiss your sorry rear end all night.”
I rolled my eyes. “It wasn’t all night, and we are cool. Today’s not personal; it’s game day. Football players eat together. So do cheerleaders.” I patted Sean on the shoulder. “You’ll live without me.”
“Whatever,” he grumbled.
I left him behind and walked to the other end of the table. Mia looked up at me and smiled. “Hey. I saved you a seat.” She patted the stool next to her. I felt punchy like I had in the hallway that morning. If I were any girlier, I might have swooned.
I put my lunch down on the table. Before I could sit, Stacie whistled at me. “Looking sharp. How does it feel to be in that bad boy versus pads and spandex?”
I grinned. “Surprisingly comfortable.”
She nodded appreciatively. “Has anyone besides Ross given you crap?”
“Yeah, but it’s been harmless. Even Ross hasn’t done it to my face.”
Cassidy turned from her conversation and interrupted us. “That’s because he knows you’d win in a fight. Nobody wants to get beat down by a guy in a cheer uniform. It’s emasculating.” She turned back to Rachel and continued talking.
I mumbled, “Uh, thanks. I think.”
Stacie laughed. “It was backhanded, but I assure you, she meant it as a compliment.”
I dropped next to Mia, strategically bumping my leg against hers and leaving it there. Our knees were touching, and she made no effort to move. I leaned into her space, just enough that our elbows were touching, too. It was such a dumb thing to get a rush over, but my blood started pumping a little bit harder.
“Anyway,” I continued, “I’d say the ratio of jeers to cheers is still two to one, but it definitely hasn’t been as bad as I thought it’d be.”
Mia tipped her head to the side with an inquisitive expression. “And exactly how many compliments have you received this morning—from girls?” I narrowed my eyes, and she lit up. “Come on. You said you’d be truthful.”
“Eight,” I admitted.
“Woot-woot. Someone owes me ice cream,” she boasted gleefully while doing a little celebratory dance.
When she finished gloating, she nudged my shoulder and leaned against me. Now our elbows and our arms were touching. I felt electricity crackle, making the tiny hairs on my neck stand up. There was enough heat radiating between us that I thought my skin might burn a hole through my sleeve. I’d be happy if she felt even a tenth of what I was feeling.
“Ice cream?” Stacie asked.
Mia bubbled with excitement. “We had a bet on whether girls would be in to his uniform. I won, and now he owes me ice cream.”
Stacie scoffed. “I could have told you that. Sorry, Nick. Mia played you. I don’t know why, but boys in cheer uniforms are like catnip to girls. Especially other cheerleaders. Must be all that confidence. If a guy’s comfortable rocking the cheer look, you know he’s secure in his…” She trailed off.
“Manhood,” Cassidy called over her shoulder, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. She hadn’t even been paying attention to us. That girl had a talent for sustaining multiple conversations at once. She could butt in without context and never miss a beat.
Mia was drinking a soda and started coughing, like it’d gone down the wrong pipe. I reached up to pat her back. “You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she squeaked between breaths, hitting her chest with her fist.
Stacie elbowed Cass. “What?” she replied. “That’s what you were thinking, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. But I wasn’t going to say it. You make us all sound like hussies.”
“You are a hussy,” she quipped.
Stacie shoved her playfully but hard. “Shut up. You’re the hussy.”
Sean plunked down across from me, dropping his lunch tray on the table. His silverware rattled and the Jell-O wiggled. “Who’s a hussy?” he asked. Stacie and Cass said each other’s names at the same time. “Sweet!” Sean replied, rubbing his hands together. But his exuberant face quickly became confused. He held up a finger. “Just to clarify, hussy is another word for—”
Mia was attempting a second si
p of her soda and started coughing again. “Would you guys quit? I’m going to choke to death.”
I gave her back another good pat or two, then rubbed it for a second. When the coughing fit subsided, my hand was still resting on her hair. It was every bit as soft as I imagined, and I was itching to play with it. I knew a move that bold could easily come across as creepy. But I also knew I might never get another chance. And I’d thought about doing it so many times.
I mean, my hand was already there…
After contemplating for a second, I took the calculated risk and trailed my fingers through her long, silky ponytail. It was totally worth any regret I might feel later. I wanted to keep going, but I knew I was already pressing my luck. I convinced myself to stop before I lost control and did it again.
“Why are you here?” Stacie asked Sean.
“Because the guys are being jealous d-bags. And by that, I mean it’s kindergarten joke hour over there. Nick’s the guest of honor. I got sick of listening.”
Stacie did her little BS detector thing. Sean must have passed, because she huffed, “All right, you can stay.”
The rest of lunch was completely predictable. The girls said girly stuff. Sean said things that could be construed as perverted. Cass said things to egg him on, causing Stacie to scold them both every few minutes. Mia blushed, begging everyone to stop. Then the cycle repeated.
I was barely coherent. How could I be, with Mia’s leg grazing mine the entire time? Each little bump made me think about how close she was. It was all I could focus on. Even though the table was crowded, she could have avoided touching me if she really wanted to. Maybe it wasn’t a big deal. Maybe she hadn’t even noticed. But I sure did. And I sailed through the rest of the day like a shmuck with a bad case of puppy love.
One of the Girls (Friendzone #1) Page 13