I did a mental eyeroll at his explanation, but Colton looked pleased with himself. Each of Athena’s fingers had a ring on it I noticed as she reached out to take my hand.
“Hi Sadie,” she said. “Good to meet you.”
“Hey, you, too,” I said, and unable to help myself, I nodded to her nose. “Did that hurt?”
“Only for a second—and a little after because it got infected. But not nearly as much as when I had my back or nipples pierced. Now, that shit hurt.”
I gulped, keeping my eyes firmly on her face, but she laughed as she released my hand.
“TMI?” she asked. “Sorry, I’m really bad about that.”
“I just didn’t expect it,” I said. For some reason, I felt comfortable around this girl and liked her instantly. “Is that a dragon tattoo on your arm? That is so awesome, reminds me of Harry Potter.”
She grinned. “Yeah, I drew that one myself. J.K. Rowling changed my life.”
“Me, too, and wow, you’re talented,” I said, meaning it. “Hogwarts forever.”
“You know it,” she said, and we did a fist bump.
Colton rolled his eyes, hands on his hips. “If you two are done with this little nerdy love fest, I had a favor to ask you, Athena.”
“Sure, Colton, what do you need?” she said.
“Sadie wants to get something pierced, and I thought you could help us out.”
“Sure,” Athena said again then looked to me. “I do it all the time at the tattoo parlor where I work. But where do you want it?”
“Ears,” I squeaked. Even if I liked her, after the conversation we’d just had, there was nowhere else I wanted to be pierced. Ever. “That’s what I want.”
Colton grinned, lifting that dang pierced eyebrow. “You sure? I thought since you’re trying to be more edgy you might want to get it somewhere more risqué.”
“Just my ears,” I growled, and Colton laughed. “Don’t even think about any of the risky bits.”
“Too late,” he said.
I gave him the squinty eye. “You know, if I wasn’t contractually obligated, I would fire you as my coach, and hire Athena instead.”
“No, you wouldn’t. Face it, Sadie, you like having me around.”
“I like watching you walk away,” I retorted. “Far, far away.”
“Because you think I have a nice ass?” Colton said. “Thanks.”
I huffed. “It has nothing to do with you having a nice ass, you idiot. I just like it when you stop being irritating and leave me be.”
Colton looked triumphant. “You just said ‘ass’. My job here is done. Athena, take care of her while I go say hi to some of the guys, will you?”
Athena laughed and gave him a little salute. “Will do.”
Once he was gone, she sat me down at the table and came back a few minutes later with a myriad of items: bowl of ice, cottons swabs, some hydrogen peroxide, a cork, lighter and needle she’d pulled out of her purse. It wasn’t too long, but it looked sharp. She asked me to pull my hair back, and I did, hoping my hair would cooperate. I tugged it up, around and in, securing it with a big clip I carried in my bag.
“Since my earring gun’s back at the shop,” she said, “we’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way. Or if you want to wait…”
“No.” That needle did make me nervous, but I wasn’t backing out. “If you’re willing, I’d like to do it now.”
“Okay, I have silver studs or faux diamonds,” she said, holding up the two packages. “I always carry a few from work. Which would you like?”
“Diamonds, please,” I said, not even having to think about it.
“These are going to look awesome.” I watched as she poured the hydrogen peroxide on a cotton swab. “And really, I’ve done this loads of times. I mean, I get paid to do it, and I’ve done it for friends, too. Take this and rub it over your ear for me.”
I did. “I really appreciate it, Athena. And I will pay—”
“It’s no problem,” she said and waved me off. Flicking on the lighter, she held the needle above the flame. After about 15 seconds, she let the needle cool for a bit then poured some hydrogen peroxide over the entire length. “Colton’s a friend, so it’s all good.”
“How do you and Colton know each other?” I asked.
“We used to go out,” she said, and I nearly dropped the cotton ball. Athena laughed at my expression. “Is that hard to believe?”
“No,” I said, looking at her streaks and piercings again in a new light. It wasn’t hard at all for me to believe Colton would be interested in her. They would look perfect on a cover for punk rock Vogue. “But I mean, you’re just so cool. And Colton is…well, he drives me nuts most of the time.”
“We weren’t together long,” she said, setting aside the needle and pressing an ice cube against my ear. “It wasn’t anything serious, and we figured out pretty fast that we’re better off friends.”
Colton Bishop, friends with a girl—and not just any girl but this cool chick sitting before me? I never thought I’d see the day.
“Don’t get me wrong. It was hot.” Athena looked at me and grinned. “But it was nothing on the heat I see between the two of you.”
I snorted. “Oh please, we can’t stand each other.”
She shook her head. “Didn’t look that way to me. I could see sparks shooting from your eyes and his.”
“I loathe him, Athena, and I assure you, the feeling is totally mutual,” I laughed.
“Why are you guys here together then?”
I blinked. “Like I said, he’s my coach. Colton’s helping me with some things I wanted to do before graduation.”
Athena tilted her head. “Did he offer to help?”
“Only after being forced into it,” I said, thinking about Betty and the bet with Kyle.
“I know Colton,” she said. “He doesn’t get forced into anything. If he does something, it’s because he wants to.”
“I’ve known him since we were kids, and he’s always despised me,” I said. “There’s nothing going on between us.”
“Whatever you say.” She still sounded dubious, and I wanted to argue—but I forgot about that as she moved the cork and needle into place. “Are you ready?”
I took a deep breath and clenched my fists.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
A few minutes later, the little diamond studs were in my ears, shining in the light of the kitchen, and I couldn’t stop staring at them in the mirror. Yeah, it had hurt, but I was loving the results.
“They look fantastic,” I said, turning my head one way then the other. “I’ve wanted pierced ears since I was a little girl but never actually did it. Thank you so much, Athena.”
“My pleasure,” she said as she put away all of her things. “Just don’t forget what I told you, Sadie, about keeping them clean. Trust me, peroxide is your friend, and infections suck big time.”
I nodded. I definitely wouldn’t forget about that, wasn’t going to do anything to screw this up. This was one of the coolest things I’d ever done. It made me feel like I’d taken complete control of my body. The power and adrenaline coursing through me were heady.
“So, you did it,” Colton said as he walked up to us.
Putting down the mirror, I said, “Yeah, what do you think? I love them.”
“They look good,” he said, studying me with a frown. “But…”
“But what?” I asked.
“Something’s not right.”
Colton stared at me a second longer then reached a hand up to grip the hair clip. In one swift motion, he removed it, and my riotous curls came tumbling down around my shoulders.
“Ah, that’s better,” he said. “You look more like you.”
I didn’t know what to say. Colton had always teased me, and one of his favorite things he loved to hound me about was my hair. The comment was so un-Colton like. I felt as if I’d been blindsided by his niceness.
And then he had to go and ruin it.
“It’s my hair,” I said and crossed my arms. “I can do what I want with it.”
“Yeah,” Athena said. “And to be honest, I like your hair.”
“Thanks, Athena,” I said. “I like yours, too.”
“No problem.” She smiled at me then looked to Colton. “I’m glad you brought her. If you need anything else done, Sadie, piercings or tattoos, let me know.”
I smiled. “I may take you up on that.”
“Sounds good,” she said. “I’ll see you guys later. And Colton, try not to be such a dick, would you?”
“Hey!” Colton shook his head as she walked away. “I take it you girls bonded while I was gone?”
I shrugged, moving past him and into the living room. Athena had gotten it right. How could he be so nice one minute and such a jerk the next? It literally gave me whiplash. His comment about my hair made my chest hurt, and I didn’t want to examine that too closely.
Taking a seat on the couch, I hoped Colton wouldn’t follow—but of course, he did. There was a couple making out at the other end, so Colton ended up sitting much closer to me than I would’ve preferred. Someone must’ve turned down the music, too, because it wasn’t as loud as it had been when we first arrived.
“What’d you two talk about all that time?” he asked. “What a douche I was? That seems like something you could both agree on.”
“We didn’t talk about you much at all,” I said. “Athena just told me how to take care of my piercings.”
“We can leave, you know,” he said after a beat. “If your ears hurt.”
“What do you care?” I said.
“Hey, I care.”
I snorted.
“What’s that about?” he said and had the audacity to sound offended. “All I’ve done tonight is be the best coach ever. We marked three things off your list. You should be happy right now.”
I rolled my eyes then looked at him. “Seriously? You insult me in front of your ex-girlfriend, who’s beautiful and cool and way too amazing for you by the way, and I should be happy about it? Yeah, no.”
“I thought you didn’t care what I think.”
“Well, apparently, I care a little bit,” I said, throwing up my hands. “What is so wrong with my hair?” He opened his mouth, but I wasn’t done. “I mean, I know my curls are big and poufy—and that’s on a good day. And I know, guys prefer straight, sleek hair like Athena’s. But why do you always have to be so dang rude about it?”
“Sadie, I think your hair is great.”
“Yeah,” I laughed, “that’s good. Tell me another one, liar.”
“I’m serious,” Colton said.
I stared at him.
“And just so you know, most guys would like it, too.”
“Colton, don’t mess with me,” I said.
“I’m not.” I sucked in a breath as Colton threaded a hand into my curls, being careful of my newly pierced ears, looking like he was deep in thought. “It’s the kind of hair you want to grip onto, run your fingers through, gives men wild thoughts.”
“Does it do that to you?” I asked, stunned by his serious tone.
“Oh yeah, all the time.”
“But…all these years you’ve made fun of me for it. And when Athena was here, you said—”
Colton shook his head. “Didn’t mean it.”
“Oh.”
As if coming out of a trance, Colton took his hand back and grinned. “Don’t worry, though, Sadie. I’ve had plenty of practice controlling my masculine urges, and we fight so much it doesn’t matter anyway.”
I nodded, though despite what he said, it felt like it mattered. A lot. I couldn’t believe what he’d revealed. Colton Bishop liked my hair. It gave him wild thoughts. That thought was enough to make my head spin and give my feminine ego a much needed boost.
“Speaking of which,” he said, rubbing his hands together, “I think it’s time we look for your substitute kissing partner.”
“My what?” I asked.
“Your guy. The one you want to do the other kissing parts of your list with,” he said. “”I figure now’s as good a time as any. There are plenty of guys here.”
The way he changed topics so quickly was a godsend because that meant I didn’t have to think about my hair and how only seconds ago it’d been between his fingertips. But for some reason what he wanted to discuss made my stomach drop.
“Oh, I’d forgotten about that,” I mumbled.
“That’s why I’m a great coach,” Colton said. “My head’s always in the game. Just look around. See anyone you like?”
I glanced around the room, taking in the space and the people in it. Colton was right. There were a lot of guys here, some I knew from school and some that I didn’t. Many of them were already paired up with girls, but there were several who were just standing together, hanging out with other guys. I couldn’t deny that a lot of them were attractive, but…
“I don’t know,” I said. “Something about kissing some random guy just feels wrong.”
Colton shrugged. “You kissed me.”
“Yeah, but I know you.”
“And you hate me,” he pointed out.
“I don’t hate you, Colton,” I said.
“You don’t?”
I shook my head. “You annoy the crap out of me. You get on my last nerve. You…confuse me at times. But no, I don’t hate you. Not really.”
He looked surprised, shocked even, but if he could be honest so could I.
After a moment, he said, “Well, isn’t there anyone here you want to kiss?”
My eyes fell to his lips on the word “kiss,” and I forced myself to look away, pretending to search the room again while inside I was tied up in knots. It was the strangest thing, but the only person I could contemplate kissing was Colton. And holy smokes had I contemplated it. The number of times I’d thought about our library kiss was positively indecent. My stomach rolled again at the thought of kissing a stranger. As much as I wanted to complete my list, as obsessed as I was with kissing and wanted to experience more kisses, I wasn’t sure I could do that.
“Maybe we can revisit this subject?” I said. “I need some time to think about it.”
Colton nodded slowly. “Okay, that sounds good.”
My stomach unclenched, the relief a palpable thing.
“In the meantime, let’s focus on your list,” he said. “Did you like the idea of approaching it from easiest to hardest?”
“Sounds like a good plan,” I said.
“I know. That’s why I came up with it.” He grinned in that self-assured way of his while I gave a mental eyeroll. “I’ve done most of the things on your list, but the one that I haven’t done is going to be difficult. The third one about Dancer’s Edge.”
I gulped. So, he really had put some thought into this.
“The whole video of the month thing. It’s all about their opinion, and we have no control over that. Have you thought of a concept yet?”
“Actually, yes,” I said. “I started choreographing tonight and can probably have it finished in a couple days. I feel like the idea is really strong.”
“Great,” he said. “Is it sexy?”
I felt my cheeks heat up. “There’s a lot of passion.”
“Passion’s good, too. I watched all the dances they pick, and do you know the one thing they have in common?”
I shook my head.
“Sex,” he said simply. “They’re all sexy and have a unique angle. What makes your dance unique?”
“It’s ballroom,” I said, trying not to get flustered by all the questions, “which they’ve never featured before—which is just crazy since it’s been around since the 16th century. Ballroom actually comes from the Latin ballare which, of course, means ‘to dance’ and—”
Colton groaned. “That’s so bo
ring.”
I sat up straighter. He hadn’t even let me get to the two guys/one girl aspect of my new piece, but that was beside the point now. “Excuse me, but ballroom is not boring.”
He didn’t look convinced. “There wasn’t anything hot about the 16th Century, Sadie.”
“The Latin styles are some of the hottest around,” I retorted. “And you would know that if you weren’t so dance educationally challenged. That’s why my piece for Dancer’s Edge is going to be a tango.”
“Tango,” Colton repeated. “Really?”
“Yeah. Tim, my old dance partner, is supposed to be here this weekend. We used to compete together. Maybe you should come by Shady Grove tomorrow and check it out. We’re performing for the residents.”
“Maybe I will,” he said.
“Fine,” I said.
“Fine.” Colton licked his lips, and my eyes shot right to his lip ring. I hadn’t realized how close our faces had gotten until that moment. “Tim, huh? Maybe he could be your new kissing partner.”
“Maybe,” I said, though I knew it was impossible. Tim would rather kiss Colton than me. The thought had me grinning before Eric Greene came over and squeezed between the two of us. He smelled like a six-pack mixed with the grapefruit bubblegum he always chewed.
“Hey, Colt,” he said, throwing his arms over the couch. “You about ready to go? It’s prank time, my brother.”
“Yeah,” Colton said, “are you riding with me? Gotta warn you, there’s not much room in the back.”
Eric scoffed. “My trunk’s filled with toilet paper, man, and Henry’s driving it with the rest of the boys, all six of them. So yeah, I’m riding with you.”
“Sadie?” Colton asked.
“I’m in,” I said, meeting Colton’s questioning stare. If he thought I was going to chicken out now, he didn’t know me at all.
Eric turned to me and squinted. “Do I know you?”
“Yeah, Eric,” I said, trying to be nice because he was obviously drunk as a skunk. “We’ve gone to school together since sixth grade.”
“Are you sure?”
Colton was being no help whatsoever, but I smiled. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad Page 11