Dance to This Beat
Let's Not Get Selfish
“Ugh. Vodka, rain, skate park, bad idea,” Brendon said groggily as we walked home later that night.
“Uh huh,” I agreed. “Very bad.”
“My dad’s gonna kill me,” Spencer complained.
“Ha ha. Mom’s at work right now. I just have to hide the hangover tomorrow.”
“Aspirin,” Ryan said quietly.
“Huh?”
“Take aspirin when you wake up. It’ll help with the headache.”
“Oh, okay. And Bren, you might wanna take about eight Motrin instead,” I laughed.
“Screw you.”
“I will,” Jon said, laughing.
I made a face. “You wish.”
“Oh! She got you man,” Brendon exclaimed.
“You’re drunk,” Spencer proclaimed.
“It’s raining.”
“Holy shit,” I laughed.
“Hey Spencer?” Ryan asked.
Spence turned around to face him. “Yeah?”
“Could I maybe stay the night tonight? My mom just texted and dad’s worse than Brendon.”
“Sure. In fact, how about everyone stays the night?”
“Even Claire?” Brendon asked.
“Yeah….”
“But that would ruin everything! Sorry Claire. I just meant that we’ve never had a sleepover with a girl before.”
Jon put his arm around my shoulder. “You mean, you’ve never had a ‘sleepover’ with a girl before.”
“Whatever.”
“So are you guys staying the night or not? We have dry clothes and towels and my house is right there.”
“I am,” Ryan laughed as Brendon ran in front of us and jumped in a puddle.
“I will,” Jon agreed.
“Me, tooooo,” Brendon yelled.
I laughed at him. “I guess I will, too. I just have to text mom and tell her where I am.”
Spencer gave me a thumbs up. “Sweet. Ryan gets pancake duty, ‘cause he makes the best ones.”
“Dude, my pancakes suck,” Ryan interjected.
“I’ll make ‘em,” I volunteered.
“Yay! We have pancakes!” Brendon exclaimed.
“Okay….”
------
“How come I always have to wear plaid pajama pants?” I asked.
“’Cause I don’t have any that say Juicy on the ass.”
I laughed. “Uh, I’d hope not.”
Brendon furrowed his brow. “I wanted the blink shirt.”
“Too bad,” Spencer told him. “Claire got it. If you want it, ask her.”
“Claire,” he batted his eyelashes, “can I have the blink shirt, please?”
I laughed. “Yeah, just gimme that one first.”
“Okay," he said happily, then took his shirt off.
“I’ll be back,” I said and walked back to the bathroom.
I closed the door and slipped the blink-182 shirt off over my head, then quickly replaced it with Brendon’s old Green Day one.
When I got back to the room, Ryan was on the computer, Bren was dancing around like a lunatic, Spencer was nowhere to be found, and Jon was sitting on Spencer’s bed.
I tossed Brendon the shirt. He tried (and failed) to catch it. “Damn vodka.”
I stifled a laugh and walked over to the bed. “Hey.”
Jon pulled me over to him. “Hello.” With him sitting and me standing, I was as tall as him.
“So….”
“Yeah?”
“I dunno,” I laughed.
“Dork.”
“That’s why you love me.”
“Well of course.” He kissed me.
Spencer burst in the door. “Oh God, guys. This is my room. I have to sleep in that bed tonight.”
Brendon giggled. “Just ‘cause you’ve never kissed a girl--“
“Yes I have! I have a girlfriend, too. And you don’t.”
“So? It’s more fun being single. No strings attached, you can flirt with anyone you want.”
I pulled away from Jon. “I’m sorry, but did you just make a reference to N*SYNC?”
Brendon looked over at me. “Uh…. Oh my God, I just made reference to N-fucking-SYNC.”
Jon laughed. “Good call.”
“Why, thank ya.”
------
Jon hugged me tighter as "It" came back onto the screen. I shuddered. “Whose idea was it to watch this damn movie anyways?”
“Yours,” he laughed.
“Oh yeah. Right.”
“Shhh!”
“No!” we both exclaimed.
“I’ll kick you out in the rain,” Spencer reasoned.
“Fine,” I sighed.
------
*Jon’s POV*
“Fine.”
I laughed as Spencer rolled his eyes.
Claire turned to look at me. “I love you,” she mouthed.
“That was random,” I whispered in her ear, “but I love you, too.”
She smiled to herself and leaned back on me, making me grin ear-to-ear.
I couldn’t help it. I loved this. All of us just hanging out, Claire in sweats (or pajamas, whatever) and make-upless. I loved her, too. I loved her a lot. More than words could say. And I would until the day I died. Always. And forever.
“Uh huh,” I agreed. “Very bad.”
“My dad’s gonna kill me,” Spencer complained.
“Ha ha. Mom’s at work right now. I just have to hide the hangover tomorrow.”
“Aspirin,” Ryan said quietly.
“Huh?”
“Take aspirin when you wake up. It’ll help with the headache.”
“Oh, okay. And Bren, you might wanna take about eight Motrin instead,” I laughed.
“Screw you.”
“I will,” Jon said, laughing.
I made a face. “You wish.”
“Oh! She got you man,” Brendon exclaimed.
“You’re drunk,” Spencer proclaimed.
“It’s raining.”
“Holy shit,” I laughed.
“Hey Spencer?” Ryan asked.
Spence turned around to face him. “Yeah?”
“Could I maybe stay the night tonight? My mom just texted and dad’s worse than Brendon.”
“Sure. In fact, how about everyone stays the night?”
“Even Claire?” Brendon asked.
“Yeah….”
“But that would ruin everything! Sorry Claire. I just meant that we’ve never had a sleepover with a girl before.”
Jon put his arm around my shoulder. “You mean, you’ve never had a ‘sleepover’ with a girl before.”
“Whatever.”
“So are you guys staying the night or not? We have dry clothes and towels and my house is right there.”
“I am,” Ryan laughed as Brendon ran in front of us and jumped in a puddle.
“I will,” Jon agreed.
“Me, tooooo,” Brendon yelled.
I laughed at him. “I guess I will, too. I just have to text mom and tell her where I am.”
Spencer gave me a thumbs up. “Sweet. Ryan gets pancake duty, ‘cause he makes the best ones.”
“Dude, my pancakes suck,” Ryan interjected.
“I’ll make ‘em,” I volunteered.
“Yay! We have pancakes!” Brendon exclaimed.
“Okay….”
------
“How come I always have to wear plaid pajama pants?” I asked.
“’Cause I don’t have any that say Juicy on the ass.”
I laughed. “Uh, I’d hope not.”
Brendon furrowed his brow. “I wanted the blink shirt.”
“Too bad,” Spencer told him. “Claire got it. If you want it, ask her.”
“Claire,” he batted his eyelashes, “can I have the blink shirt, please?”
I laughed. “Yeah, just gimme that one first.”
“Okay," he said happily, then took his shirt off.
“I’ll be back,” I said and walked back to the bathroom.
I closed the door and slipped the blink-182 shirt off over my head, then quickly replaced it with Brendon’s old Green Day one.
When I got back to the room, Ryan was on the computer, Bren was dancing around like a lunatic, Spencer was nowhere to be found, and Jon was sitting on Spencer’s bed.
I tossed Brendon the shirt. He tried (and failed) to catch it. “Damn vodka.”
I stifled a laugh and walked over to the bed. “Hey.”
Jon pulled me over to him. “Hello.” With him sitting and me standing, I was as tall as him.
“So….”
“Yeah?”
“I dunno,” I laughed.
“Dork.”
“That’s why you love me.”
“Well of course.” He kissed me.
Spencer burst in the door. “Oh God, guys. This is my room. I have to sleep in that bed tonight.”
Brendon giggled. “Just ‘cause you’ve never kissed a girl--“
“Yes I have! I have a girlfriend, too. And you don’t.”
“So? It’s more fun being single. No strings attached, you can flirt with anyone you want.”
I pulled away from Jon. “I’m sorry, but did you just make a reference to N*SYNC?”
Brendon looked over at me. “Uh…. Oh my God, I just made reference to N-fucking-SYNC.”
Jon laughed. “Good call.”
“Why, thank ya.”
------
Jon hugged me tighter as "It" came back onto the screen. I shuddered. “Whose idea was it to watch this damn movie anyways?”
“Yours,” he laughed.
“Oh yeah. Right.”
“Shhh!”
“No!” we both exclaimed.
“I’ll kick you out in the rain,” Spencer reasoned.
“Fine,” I sighed.
------
*Jon’s POV*
“Fine.”
I laughed as Spencer rolled his eyes.
Claire turned to look at me. “I love you,” she mouthed.
“That was random,” I whispered in her ear, “but I love you, too.”
She smiled to herself and leaned back on me, making me grin ear-to-ear.
I couldn’t help it. I loved this. All of us just hanging out, Claire in sweats (or pajamas, whatever) and make-upless. I loved her, too. I loved her a lot. More than words could say. And I would until the day I died. Always. And forever.