The Incomparable Edie Wells

“How do I look?” I ask an impatient Maggie and a reluctant Parker.

It's all some down to this. It's my first date with Levi – my first official date, period. My stomach's in knots, and the very annoyed, but knowing look on Parker's face at the moment doesn't help me.

What happened a few days ago – That was Tuesday, today's Friday – hasn't come up in conversation. At all. And I plan on keeping it that way. The thing is, if it had been an innocent, I-was-just-dancing-and-Parker-kept-me-from-falling-over type of thing, I don't think I'd feel quite as... I don't know, guilty, as I do. It isn't something I want to confront, how I feel about Parker. Especially not now, when I'm starting out my very first relationships.

One that I hope lasts a long, long time.

“Good,” Parker mutters quietly, running a hand through his freshly-cut, freshly-gelled hair. His formerly floppy 'do has been replaced with a sleeker, more crush-worthy cut. When Maggie and I had first seen him, I had to bite back my comment. I couldn't help flashing back to Tuesday night... “Your hair is, uh, straight.”

I tug the tip of my hair between my fingers. It's true – Maggie attacked me with a flat iron and probably would've tied me to a chair if I had shown any resistance. I haven't realized how long my hair is since usually it's in unruly ringlets – straight, it almost reaches the bottom of my shoulder blades.

“Thank you,” I manage to reply, equally as shy.

Our exchanges have sounded like this all week. Not really conversations. A “hello” here, a “What's up” there, but nothing any more important than “what's the homework”. I can't really bring myself to confront him. What's there to say? 'Sorry about being caught up in your basement and wanting to kiss you even though I have a boyfriend. My bad'?

Yeah. Some how, I don't think that's going to happen.

“She looks more than good, Park,” Maggie says flatly, poking him in the side. He mumbles an 'ouch' and steps away. “Eds, you look incredible. Just be careful, Levi may attack you, he's so overcome with lust.”

I scoff and flip my strangely flat hair over my shoulder. “Funny, Mags.” I don't comment on the fact that Parker's jaw has tightened considerably. “What about your date with Max tonight?” I eye her outfit – pajama bottoms and a tank top – and it raises a flag. “You're not going like that, are you?”

Maggie's face falls, just for a nanosecond, before she just shrugs. “Max? Ancient history. The guy had the hots for cheerleaders, anyway. More specifically, Rah-Rah-Rachelle Mullins.” I grimace, the image of the bottle blonde bomb shell fresh in my mind, having seen her hours ago in Spanish (though hers is pretty much limited to nacho and taco).

“Oh, Mags...”

She waves it off. “Nah, not like I saw him cheating, or anything. Just a little puppy crush I wasn't totally unaware of. Besides, we were keeping it casual anyway.”

She acts like it's nothing. I know better, and I know Parker knows better, but there's nothing I can do – Levi's going to be here in a few -

“I'll get that,” Maggie mumbles as the doorbell slices through the silence in the living room.

As she leaves, I swallow part of my pride and turn to Parker. “Listen, Park, you know as well as I do that this is bugging her. Try to make her feel better, okay?”

He nods. “Can do. We'll be here when you get home – I'm sure Mags will want all the details.” His jaw tightens again and he angles it upward, his eyes glittering with something like amusement, only... more sinister.

Or maybe I'm just imagining things.

“Hey, Edie,” Levi says smoothly, walking into the room behind Maggie. He's dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans, a simple look yet oh-so-smexy, as Maggie would put it. I duck my head to hide the blush that's creeping up on my face. I look very much plain in my purple tube top and shorts. “You look beautiful.”

Well, okay, 'beautiful' is pushing it just a little bit, but I subconsciously thank Maggie for forcing me into a chair so she could apply makeup – something I rarely let her do and have previously vowed never to let her do again. Ever.

“Thanks,” I repeat again, louder this time. “You look amazing yourself.”

And that's when it strikes me – Levi's my boyfriend. Living, breathing, not-a-fictional-character guy who is taking me, Edie Wells, certified class loser, out. On a date. With other people.

Heaven ain't got nothin' on me.

-[-]-

“Whoa, Lola!” I laugh, slightly tugging the reigns of the cream-colored mare. She slows her pace to a slow walk.

I hear Levi ride up next to me on a dark horse. He smiles at me, a genuine, I'm-having SO-much -fun-right-now smile. Butterflies seem to occupy my stomach as I stare off at the sunset, slowly turning a pinkish-purple color over the horizon of the desert. I sigh and watch the light fade. It's got to be one of the prettiest sights I've ever seen.

“Pretty, isn't it?” Levi muses, noticing the direction of my gaze. I nod. That's an understatement. “Yeah. But not as pretty as you.”

I snort. It's unladylike, but it just kinda pops out. I cover my mouth and feel my face heat up, and I can only thank the fact that it's nearly dark out. “Do I even have to tell you how cheesy that is?”

“Nah. But it's true.”

I duck my head. I'm about to ask the question that Maggie will probably shoot me for if I ever tell her. You know, some things she just doesn't have to know...

“Hey, Levi?”

“Yeah?”

“... Why'd you finally ask me out?” I pause, unsure of why the hell I'm even bringing it up. “I mean, why now?”

He smiles lopsidedly, leaning on the saddle. “You mean you never knew I liked you?”

I stare at him, dumbfounded. “Huh?”

“Edie,” he says, shaking his head and chuckling, like I'm a toddler who's trying to tie their shoes but only managed to get them tied together. “You never noticed? I mean, okay, I guess I'm not the best at talking to girls I'm attracted to... I thought you'd figured out a long time ago. I thought you were just throwing me a bone, y'know? Crap, I never thought it was because you didn't know...”

Once again, I manage to speak intelligently, “Huh?”

He turns his horse around and rides up to me as close as he can, our knees touching and my feet, in the stirrups, bumps against his. He pats his horse calmly. “Edie Wells. I. Like. You. I've liked you since sophomore year... I know, it's pretty pathetic, huh?” he adds, seeing my astonished face, although pathetic is the last thing I'd ever use to describe it. “I guess it's because... well, you're different. All those Twenties and Thirties” - nicknames for the high-ranking on the List - “they're all the same. Vain, self-centered... and like talking to a horse. Only they don't quite respond so well as horses do.” He shakes his head.

“Rhett's going to kill me.”

Oh, damn. I'd completely forgotten about Rhett – he'd rarely been at the house the whole week, on account of football practice and going out with the Devil's spawn and anything else that goes along with that. I'm not sure if he knows that I'm going out with Levi. I assume if he did, I would have heard about it - “how stupid are you, Edie?”, “He's only after one thing”, “He's Anna's brother, idiot!” - and, coming from Rhett, that's an understatement.

Is it weird that I'm dating my step brother's girlfriend's twin brother?

I bite my lip. “I ain't gonna sugar-coat it. He might.”

Levi just smiles and leans over, steadying himself on the horn of my saddle. “It would be worth it, I think.” He looks at my lips, and then back to my eyes, and my heart's thumping so hard in my chest that I'm positive he can hear it. “You'd be worth it.” He cocks his head. “So, Edie, what made you say yes?”

My head's spinning – I can barely comprehend the question. Levi's lips – his perfectly pink lips, the ones I've fantasized about since I was in eighth grade – are inches, centimeters away. I could kiss them. My first kiss.

“Uh...” I mumble, my gaze flicking to his hand. “You're kidding right?” He looks confused. “I've liked you for... for a while. I'm just as surprised as you are.”

He smirks, and leans in slightly. “Hey, Edie?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I... do something?”

“Do what?”

“Just close your eyes.”

“What if I don't want to close my eyes?”

“Don't you want to know that the surprise is?”

“Well, yeah, but-”

Levi doesn't let me finish. Apparently having heard enough of my talking, he leans in the remaining few inches and kisses me softly, his lips making perfect, gentle contact with mine. My whole body relaxes, and I let him hold me, his free hand coming up to cup my chin and angle my head up towards his.

My first kiss...

Levi's hands are calloused, rough, but they feel so good against my burning face, giving me a feeling of security. I feel like I'm flying – it just feels that good.

I could definitely get used to this.

A few hours or so later, after a decent amount of kissing and some – discreet – below-the-neck action, I bid Levi goodbye and walk into my house, leaning against the door like the heroine in some cheesy nineties romantic comedy.

“Edie?” Grace says sleepily from the top of the stairs, wrapped in her blanket and rubbing her eyes.

I furrow my eyebrows, glancing at the clock. “Gracie, it's nearly eleven. What are you doing up?”

“Maggie told me she'd tuck me in after she watched a movie with Parker...”

I'd forgotten the two were supposed to play babysitters tonight while I was out. “Well, where is she?”

“TV room.”

Well, that'd make sense.

I head into the living room, ready to give Maggie a stern talk. I have the whole lecture planned out in my head. Kids need to get to bed on time, even though it's Friday. I know you're upset about Max, but I need you to realize -

My whole spiel flies out the window as I see Parker and Maggie on the couch, a movie playing on screen, but they're not watching it. Parker's too busy on top of her, doing things I wouldn't even think about with Levi yet.

“Park?” I wheeze. The two of them freeze. “Mags?”

“Edie...” Parker breathes, his chest rising and falling.

I don't stay long enough to listen. I take off up the stairs, willing the tears not to fall until I get to my room and shut the door.