by Erin Danzer
Chapter Twelve
Football practice lasted until four-thirty that afternoon. To the girls’ surprise, Gavin walked down the bleachers with them.
“What are you doing?” Andi asked as Gavin stopped with them outside the locker room. Gavin gave her an expectant look that made her heart flutter.
“I thought we were going to hang out,” he told her. “Unless you don’t want to now.”
Andi grinned. “Oh no, I want you to,” Andi insisted. He smiled as he held out his arm.
“Then let’s go. I’m sure Shawn will be out soon.”
“Yeah, go ahead,” Ronnie agreed. Andi shot her a huge grin that Gavin pretended not to see. Andi and Gavin told her goodbye and Ronnie watched them go, her stomach knotted in something she refused to acknowledge as jealousy. She had Shawn—and Shawn actually wanted her now.
She didn’t have to wait long for him to come out of the locker room. His blond waves were damp from a shower and he smelled like Irish Spring soap. It was intoxicating. He shifted his equipment bag to his left shoulder and draped his right arm over Ronnie’s shoulders as they started away from the field, towards the student lot where Shawn had parked early this morning.
“Where are the other two?” he asked.
“Gavin’s hanging out with Andi for a while,” Ronnie replied.
“Good,” he said darkly. Ronnie frowned at him.
“What’s up with you today? You were a jerk at lunch and now you’re acting like you’re jealous of Gavin. Trust me, there’s nothing to be jealous about.”
“Why would I be jealous of Gavin and Andi?”
“No, you’re jealous of Gavin and me. And I’m trying to tell you there’s nothing to be jealous about. There is no ‘Gavin and me’.”
He studied her for a moment and then sighed. “Good, let’s keep it that way.”
“Well, if some big oaf would ask me on a proper date or even to be his girlfriend, he could stop being jealous and wouldn’t have to worry about some other guy liking me.”
Shawn stopped walking next to his car and turned to her. He ran a hand through his hair while Ronnie waited for him to say something. Her heart fluttered in her chest. This was it; this was the moment Shawn would become her boyfriend. She couldn’t suppress a grin as he started to speak.
“Look, about yesterday, you’re going to think I’m a jerk, but until he started paying attention to you, I know I didn’t. And when I saw you yesterday all cute in that short skirt and top, I felt like I was seeing you for the first time. This wasn’t the girl I had always known; you had suddenly grown up and I didn’t know how to react to that. So I didn’t. Except for asking you out Friday night, I tried to deny what I was starting to feel. And then last night, I asked myself why I was doing it. I mean, I already know how you feel.” Ronnie’s cheeks flushed. She thought she hid it better. He smiled as he reached up to brush a piece of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “So I decided we should try this. I was going to be nicer to you, show you I am interested, and it worked except that Gavin was by your side all day again.”
Ronnie grinned as she reached up and took his hand, twining her fingers with his. “Trust me, that’s not my fault. He’s in all my classes. I’d get rid of him if I could.”
“Okay, I’ll take that.” He swung their hands between them, both of them smiling. “So, I was thinking Friday night could be a real date,” he said, his blue eyes twinkling. Ronnie wanted to jump for joy. This was what she had been waiting two years for!
“I think we can do that,” she agreed and giggled. She couldn’t wait to tell Andi.
Shawn grinned. “And I’d like to flirt with you and see if we can make it work as a couple,” he added. Ronnie nodded, her grin so big her face hurt. “You’ve been my best friend for a very long time and I know they say sometimes best friends make the best lovers, so maybe that will happen with us.”
“I will do and be anything you want,” Ronnie agreed and blushed when she realized what that statement encompassed. “Well, almost anything. I’m still not ready for some things,” she added hastily. He chuckled.
“And I won’t ask you to do anything you’re not ready for,” he promised and raised their linked hands to kiss the back of hers. Ronnie giggled again. Giddy disbelief clouded her mind as she and Shawn finally climbed into the front seats of his car. Holding her hand once again, Shawn started the car and headed for her house. Ronnie continued to grin at him, her heart light. This was everything she had wanted.
They arrived at Ronnie’s house and her mom met them at the door.
“Good, you’re home. Hello, Shawn,” her mom greeted them as Shawn followed Ronnie inside.
“Hi, Mrs. Lambert,” Shawn replied and her mom smiled.
“Veronica, what do you want for dinner tonight? Don’t forget, you have your book club meeting at seven,” her mom reminded her and Ronnie grinned. “Shawn, are you joining us tonight?”
Shawn looked at Ronnie and she nodded. “Yes, Mrs. Lambert, I think I will. Thank you,” he agreed.
“Why don’t we have pizza?” Ronnie suggested. “I still have a few pages left to read in tonight’s book.”
She moved towards the stairs still holding Shawn’s hand. They were almost to the bottom step when her mom stopped them.
“Shawn, you can stay down here while Veronica runs upstairs to get her book,” her mom spoke up. Ronnie’s heart fell. She wanted more time alone with him. She and Shawn shared a smile as her mom went back to the kitchen to order a pizza.
“I’ll be right back,” Ronnie told him and disappeared upstairs. Once in her bedroom, she pulled out her cell phone and called Andi.
“You’ll never guess what happened,” Ronnie exclaimed when Andi answered. Andi laughed.
“Then you’ll have to tell me,” Andi replied.
“Shawn decided he wants Friday night to be a real date and he wants to try being boyfriend-girlfriend.”
“Oh my god, that’s awesome! So, Friday night’s going to be pretty special then.”
“Yeah, I’m totally going to need help getting ready. I don’t know what to wear. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I don’t even know what we’re going to do.”
Andi laughed. “I’m pretty sure that’s up to him. Everything will be fine. You can freak out about it more Friday while we’re getting ready. But I have to go; Gavin’s still here and I don’t want him to think I’m ignoring him.”
“Oh, okay; have fun.”
They said goodbye and hung up. Ronnie put her phone away, grabbed her copy of Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg and headed downstairs. She found Shawn sitting on the couch in the living room and snuggled up next to him, opening the book as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“So, what did Andi have to say?” he asked. Ronnie giggled as she blushed. He chuckled.
“She says hi and Gavin’s still there so we couldn’t talk long,” Ronnie admitted. “And she’s going to help me get ready Friday night.”
“Whatever you wear or whatever you look like is fine; you’re beautiful just the way you are,” Shawn stated.
“What’s going on Friday night?” Ronnie’s mom asked as she came into the room with the day’s paper. Ronnie didn’t move from her place in Shawn’s arms even though Shawn squirmed a bit. Her mom couldn’t stop them; it wasn’t like they were making out or anything.
“Shawn’s taking me out on our first date,” Ronnie declared smiling up at Shawn.
“If it’s okay with you and Mr. Lambert,” Shawn added nervously. Ronnie rolled her eyes.
“As long as you come to the door to pick her up and have her home by eleven, it’s fine with me,” Ronnie’s mom told them. “Where are you taking her?”
“We were going to go to The Fortune Fountain for dinner.”
Ronnie’s mom considered this for a moment and Ronnie prayed she wouldn’t ruin this for her. She had waited two very long years to have this date. “Okay, that’s fine; my original stipulations stand
,” her mom finally agreed. Ronnie let out a breath as relief washed over her.
Ronnie settled against Shawn again and looked down at the book in her lap. Her mom sat down across the room in one of two overstuffed chairs and opened the paper. Shawn asked Ronnie about the book and she told him what it was about—and yes, it was a very good book. She had been too busy to finish it over the weekend like she wanted to. Of course, getting electrocuted always seemed to mess up one’s plans.
She thought about everything that happened since her birthday and couldn’t believe that had only been four days ago; it felt like a lifetime since she got the tattoo. She met Rick, who she thought was handsome and charming if not a little old for her; she experienced her first kiss; she met Gavin, who could be nice when he wanted and might be dating her best friend now; and Shawn finally asked her out. She couldn’t wait to see what the next four days had in store. But first, she had a book club meeting tonight and she needed to finish this book. With a sigh, she pushed all other thoughts out of her head. The book wasn’t going to read itself.