Beautiful Mess

by Preston, Jennifer

  He let out his breath and pulled her back into his arms.

  “I wish you were going with me, too,” he whispered. “But maybe this can be a good thing.”

  “What?” Now it was Bri’s turn to be incredulous.

  “I just mean that we can use the dance to get Serena used to the idea of me dating other people.”

  Bri raised her eyebrow at him.

  “Not that I want to date anyone except you!” He held up his hands to ward her off.

  “Okay, then,” Bri relented with a small smile. “So you’re going to ask someone to the dance? Who are you thinking?” She was doing her best not to get jealous. After all, she was going with another boy. But the thought of Cole’s arms wrapped around some other girl made her feel sick.

  “I’ll probably just take one of the girls from the cheer squad. Try to make it as impactful as I can.” Cole must’ve seen the distress on her face, because he tucked her head under his chin and squeezed her tight. “Will you save a dance for me?” he murmured into her hair.

  “Wouldn’t that kind of give us away?”

  “It’s worth the risk.” He kissed the top of her head, and Bri smiled.

  “Then, of course I’ll save a dance for you. I’ll save them all for you, if you’d like.”

  “I just might hold you to that.”

  “Alright,” Bri pulled back to look at Cole. “Are we done with this whole talking thing? Because I’d like to put your lips to a different use.” She grinned mischievously at him.

  Cole was only too happy to oblige.

  Chapter 17

  The first basketball game of the season arrived, and though he tried to hide it, Bri could tell Cole was excited. True to his word, Cole had two tickets for Bri’s brothers and two tickets for her parents waiting for them at the door. The Dance Team was performing at halftime, so it was the third quarter by the time Bri entered the gym. She sat by Layla and Devon and the rest of their friends, who had saved them seats.

  Intuitively, like he knew she’d finally arrived, Cole looked up from his timeout huddle and found Bri in the stands. A huge smile crossed his face and Bri couldn’t help but beam back. The official blew his whistle, signaling the timeout was over, and Cole snapped his attention back to his team. Cole played point guard, and Bri could tell he was good. She was sure he’d played with the same level of intensity in the first half, but watching him, she got the impression he was trying to impress her. It was working. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was amazing to watch. The Tigers ended up winning by almost twenty points, the crowd cheering wildly. Bri cringed as she watched Cole receive an excited hug from Serena, who had been cheering. He quickly extracted himself, giving Serena a disapproving look, before he went over to talk to another of the cheerleaders. Bri assumed the petite blond was who he’d be taking to the dance next Saturday, and she tried to push down her jealousy. Cole glanced up at her, giving her an apologetic smile, before heading off to the locker room.

  Bri’s family found her in the stands.

  “Hey Sweet Pea!” her dad beamed at her. “You were amazing!”

  “Thanks,” she smiled before drawing her brothers in for a hug. “Did you guys have fun at the game?” she asked them.

  “Yes!” Logan yelled excitedly.

  “We want to come watch Cole every day!” Liam agreed.

  “Well, we’ll see,” Connor mussed Liam’s hair. “We’re taking off now. We’ll see you at home after your dinner. Have fun!”

  “I will. Bye, Dad! Bye, Monkeys!” Bri watched them walk over to where Summer was waiting by the gym door. Just then her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out, grinning when she saw it was Cole.

  Hey Beautiful! Any chance I can stop by and see you tonight? I’m in desperate need of a victory kiss!

  Bri laughed to herself before texting him back.

  I think that can be arranged! I’m going to dinner with the Dance Team, but I should be home around 10:00. Does that work?

  Sounds perfect. Oh, and you should wear your sexy dance pants for me!

  If you’re lucky! ;)

  “Ready to go?” Layla caught Bri’s attention.

  “Yep, let’s go.” She followed Layla out to her car.

  Dinner with the team was basically a big pep talk from Belinda with food. Their first competition was tomorrow, and she was trying to get them all psyched up. Luckily it didn’t take long, and Layla dropped Bri off at her house with a few minutes to change before Cole got there. The boys were in bed, and her dad and Summer were watching TV in their room, so she was able to sneak out the front door undetected. She was waiting on the porch when he pulled up on his motorcycle. Bri couldn’t help herself, she hopped up and ran over to him.

  Cole removed his helmet and smiled as he stepped off the bike. He caught her and pulled her to him, his lips crushing hers. They remained that way for several minutes, before Bri had to come up for air.

  “Now, that was definitely worth the wait,” His eyes sparkled. “How was your dinner?”

  “Good,” Bri grabbed his hand and led him to the porch steps where she pulled him down beside her. “But I would’ve much rather been with you.”

  “Well, I’m here now.” His eyes darkened. “Damn, I’ve missed you,” he murmured against her lips,

  “Mmm, I’ve missed you more,” she smiled before initiating a kiss of her own. Very aware that they were sitting out in front of her house, Bri pulled back far sooner than she would’ve liked. “You were really amazing tonight,” she nudged him with her shoulder.

  “Why, thank you. I have been told my kissing prowess knows no equal,” he grinned at her, causing Bri to laugh.

  “While I’m not disputing that, I was talking about the game. Are you looking into any basketball scholarships? Because I can’t imagine that there aren’t a ton of schools who’d be interested.”

  “Um, I think my dad’s pretty set on me playing football. It’d disappoint him if I didn’t,” Cole shrugged.

  “But, what do you want?” Bri looked up at him, genuinely curious. “If it was just up to you, which would you choose?”

  “If only it were that simple.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close. “If it were just up to me... I’d choose you,” he kissed the top of her head. “Every time.”

  Bri warmed at his declaration, and wrapped her arms around his waist. They talked for a few more minutes before she decided she’d better get back inside. The competition tomorrow was an hour and a half away, and she had to be at the school at 6:00 the next morning to get on the bus.

  “Goodnight, Cole,” Bri waved from the door.

  “Good luck tomorrow, Bri.” Cole got on his Ducati and drove off.

  Five AM arrived far too soon for Bri’s liking. There was something fundamentally wrong about being up that early on a weekend. She showered and got ready, snuck in and said goodbye to her dad, and threw her dance bag into her car. She stopped by and picked up a very energetic Layla, which did nothing to help Bri’s less than stellar mood. Of course Layla would be a morning person. She parked her car in the school parking lot, and the girls all boarded the bus that would take them to their competition.

  “Too bad this thing is so far away,” Bri yawned to Layla. “It’d be more fun to have some support in the stands.”

  Someone had brought bagels for breakfast, and Layla snagged one before passing the bag to Bri.

  “Yeah, but a lot of the parents will be there,” Layla replied around a bite of bagel. “And Devon was trying to get a group of guys to carpool and come watch us.”

  “Really? That’s pretty cool of him.”

  “Yeah, he’s amazing,” Layla sighed, looking all dreamy.

  “It’s not like he’s just trying to score bonus points with you or anything,” Bri teased.

  “Shut up,” Layla pushed her. “He doesn’t need bonus points!”

  The team arrived at the school the competition was being held at, unloaded their stuff in the clas
sroom that was assigned as their dressing room, and got ready for the long, busy day ahead of them. Bri was in all six of the team’s routines, and she was excited to get out on the floor.

  The Dance division was up first, and Bri and the team walked out onto the floor to a chorus of whooping and whistling from the fans sitting smack dab in the middle of the front row. As Bri took her beginning position, she scanned the boisterous group in front of her. She spotted Devin hollering along with some other guys from school she recognized. Then, on the other side of Devon she saw the biggest surprise of all.

  Cole smiled and winked at her as Bri’s eyes met his. Her heart picked up a beat, amazed that he was here. She beamed back at him before returning her focus to the coming routine. The music started and instinct took over. Bri danced like she’d never danced before, caught up in her own frenetic energy. It was her turn to impress Cole, and she was going to astound him. The routine ended, and the entire gym erupted in applause. But Bri’s attention was immediately drawn to the dark haired hottie jumping and screaming for her. Bri threw Cole a wink of her own as the team left the floor.

  As they made their way down the hall, Devon came rushing out of the gym.

  “Layla!” he called.

  As Layla asked Belinda for approval to go accost her boyfriend, Bri saw Cole leave the gym, too. He motioned with his head that she should follow him as he turned a corner and headed down an adjacent hall.

  “Alright,” Belinda relented, “you have five minutes.”

  “Belinda,” Bri saw a chance for escape. “Can I, um, run to the bathroom? I won’t be long, and I promise to drag Layla back with me.”

  “Okay, but hurry! We don’t have much time before our next routine.”

  Bri nodded, and Belinda led the rest of the team back to their dressing room. Layla ran to Devon, jumped up, and wrapped herself around him with a smoldering kiss. Avoiding their PDA, Bri moved passed them, and turned down the hall where Cole had disappeared.

  Cole saw her approaching, and rushed to meet her. She threw her arms around him.

  “How are you here?” she breathed in his ear. She pulled back to look at him. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? When...”

  He cut her off with his lips. She melted into him, all questions forgotten.

  “Mmm, that’s better,” Cole smiled a few minutes later. “Now, what were you saying?”

  “I can’t remember,” Bri laughed. “But really, why didn’t you tell me you were coming today?” She refused to let go of him, keeping her arms locked around his neck.

  “I wanted to surprise you,” he shrugged. “I’d heard Devon was getting a group together to come up, and I decided to tag along.”

  “Why?” Bri was still shocked.

  “What, I can’t come support my girl? Plus, I’ve never really gotten a chance to watch you dance. I wanted to come.” He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss.

  “Oh,” she smiled, flattered. “So, what did you think?”

  “All I can say is wow! You are freaking amazing, Bri! I couldn’t take my eyes off you, and not just because you’re wearing my favorite sexy dance pants! You were incredible!”

  She leaned up and kissed him. It felt good having Cole there, and she wanted to savor it before she had to get back. If only they didn’t have to hide.

  “Too bad we have to be careful,” she leaned her forehead against his.

  “Believe me, I was dying to chase you down the hall, shouting your name. I promise, one day soon I will.”

  Bri nodded and gave him one more kiss.

  “I’d better get back,” she squeezed him goodbye. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

  “Can I take you out tonight? To celebrate?” he asked in her ear.

  “I would love that.” She stepped out of his arms reluctantly. “I’ll try to find another chance to sneak away, okay?” Cole nodded, and Bri started down the hall.

  “I’ll be out there cheering for you,” he called after her.

  Bri turned. “And I’ll be out there dancing for you.”

  She turned the corner and extracted a very unwilling Layla from Devon’s arms, and rejoined the team in the dressing room.

  The rest of the day passed surprisingly quickly. Bri felt like she was running a marathon, rushing between routines. Each time she took the floor, she found Cole’s eyes in the crowd. It made her heart skip to see how intently he followed her every move.

  Finally, all the routines were done, and it was awards time. Most of the crowd had remained to see how their teams fared. Bri and the Dance Team took first place in five of the six categories, and then took first place overall. The girls were ecstatic. She saw Cole beaming from the crowd and wished she could run to him. All in all, it had been a great day.

  As the team boarded the bus to head home, Bri noticed Cole watching her from the parking lot. She paused and mouthed a “thank you” at him before giving him a final wave goodbye. As she took her seat on the bus, she felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out.

  Congratulations, Beautiful! I think you’ve earned yourself a victory kiss this time! See you tonight.

  I think technically I’ve earned six victory kisses, and I’m definitely going to collect! She texted back.

  Bri couldn’t help her grin as she settled into her seat for the long ride home.

  The next week of school was full of finals and midterms, as the end of the semester approached. By Friday, Bri felt like the walking dead due to so many late nights studying. But she had survived the week. Now, she just had to survive the dance. That was going to be a bit more difficult seeing as how Saturday was also Bri’s birthday, and this was not exactly how she had wanted to celebrate it.

  Layla did her best to make sure it was a special day for Bri. She started by taking Bri to breakfast, and insisted that Bri, Jess, and Maddie come get ready for the dance at her house. It actually turned out to be a lot of fun. The girls chatted and laughed and helped each other with their hair and makeup.

  After Layla did her makeup, Bri pulled her hair to the side in a loose fishtail braid, leaving a few curls framing her face. She then slipped into her white, shimmery, iridescent dress. It fell from one shoulder, and hugged her curves all the way down, before flaring slightly at her knees. The light color set off Bri’s hair and eyes, and the red heels she slipped on completed the outfit perfectly. She had bought the dress for Cole, and couldn’t wait for him to see it.

  She still felt a little guilty about going with Nick. Not that she’d done anything to make him think she was interested in being anything more than friends. But she still felt she was leading him on somehow by going with him. And to make matters worse, for the past two weeks Layla had been giving Bri subtle, and not so subtle hints, on how to snag Nick, which of course Bri ignored. She was going to be glad when tonight was over, and Layla could move on.

  The rest of the girls finished, and they all gathered in front of the full length mirror to inspect their work. Bri had to admit, they made a gorgeous group. Layla was stunning in a long, sleeveless emerald green gown, her dark hair swept up in a beautiful up do. Jess was rocking a short, red strappy number that ended mid-thigh, and made her look more like a rock star than a high school student with her short, spiky hair. And Maddie looked amazing in a knee length, gold halter, her light hair loose around her shoulders. The tradition for the Winter Formal was to wear Christmas/winter colors, and the girls had all agreed not to wear the same color. The result of their diligent shopping was stunning.

  The doorbell rang, and the girls walked, en masse, down the stairs to a group of awe struck boys. Bri found Nick’s eyes drinking her in, and she couldn’t help blushing. He looked pretty darn good, himself. His normally shaggy, light brown hair was swept back and expertly styled. He was wearing a white tux with a red tie. The look was so contrary to his typical surfer look that Bri was taken aback. She’d be lying if she said he wasn’t attractive. Nick had that cute, boy next door quality that made plenty of girls at SMH swoon. Unfo
rtunately for him though, he didn’t compare to Cole. Bri felt another pang of guilt, but quickly squashed it. It wasn’t like Cole wasn’t going with someone else. No, Bri was determined to have a good time tonight, and she was going to make sure Nick did too.

  “Wow! You look amazing!” he gushed.

  “Thank you,” Bri smiled. “You look pretty good yourself.”

  “Thanks! I do know how to rock a tux!” he smiled, making Bri laugh.

  Layla’s mom came in and took about a million pictures, and then they were ready to go.

  “Shall we?” Nick offered Bri his arm and led her outside, where the couples separated into two groups. Jess, Ethan, Maddie, and Corbin went to Ethan’s dad’s Mercedes. Bri, Nick, Layla, and Devon walked over to the black BMW M5 parked in the driveway.

  “No way!” Bri was stunned. “Who’s dad was crazy enough, and awesome enough, to let them borrow this?” She stood gawking at the car. The M5 had always been on her dream car list, and it was even more amazing up close.

  “That would be my crazy, awesome dad,” Nick beamed and opened the door for her. “I’m glad you like it!”

  Devon and Layla climbed in the backseat and they took off. They arrived at an expensive looking restaurant in LA, and Nick valet parked the car. The group walked in and was shown to their reserved table.

  “Wow, this place is really nice,” Bri observed as Nick helped her into her chair. She began to feel a bit uneasy. She picked up her menu and her jaw dropped at the prices. This was way too expensive for a first date with someone she didn’t plan on going out with again. Her unease grew into full blown panic.

  Nick leaned in closer to her. “The restaurant was Devon and Ethan’s idea. I tried to convince them it might be a little overwhelming, but I obviously got shot down,” he smiled. “Don’t worry about anything, though. Order whatever you like. I hear the filet mignon is really good.” He picked up his own menu.

  “Thanks Nick,” she smiled, feeling a little better. He didn’t seem like he was expecting anything from her in return for such an expensive dinner. But, just to be safe, Bri began perusing the less expensive salad selections.