The Perfect Girl

Walking back, I chewed on my lip. As I arrived back at the table, I sat down and picked at the cinnamon bun absentmindedly, thinking of what to say to him. I couldn’t just up and leave. Sitting there, I silently wished for Jake to come back and drag me off or something. He could just be the masculine hero, saving the lady in distress or whatever it is- Or in this case, the hot jerk saving the boyish midget whom he hates from an awkward and uncomfortable sit with the hot, nice guy.

“So…”Will began and I nodded in response, still chewing on my bottom lip.

At that point, I think even Will wanted Jake to come back and take me elsewhere. I adjusted myself so I leaned onto my left arm, resting my head onto the palm of my left hand. My elbow pressed against the wooden table and my right arm lay awkwardly on the table. I tapped each finger individually from my pinky to my thumb as I looked around.

“Kylie!”

I turned to see Jase running towards me with Duke trailing behind him, holding three bags in each hand. I chuckled as I stood up and waved quickly towards my boys. Jase tackled me into a hug once he got us and I laughed, hugging him back. Duke finally arrived at the table and let all the bags fall to the ground as he glared at the back of Jase’s head.

“He bought just about everything he tried on!” Duke exclaimed, throwing his arms up in frustration. His eyebrows creased together and I laughed harder. “And then when something didn’t fit, he told me to go look! Can you believe how awkward that was? Me asking some bloody sales woman to give me a size small and getting fucking weird looks? I mean the woman asked me if I was sure and suggested I wore an extra large because of my fucking large shoulders, Kylie! And then when it came to pants, oh dear Lord…”

I laughed as Jase let go and placed his hands onto his hips. He raised his eyebrows at Duke, “Oh shut up, fatso! Kylie, this fat ass has been complaining ever since I tried on the third shirt!”

I grinned as my laughter faded and I rolled my eyes. “Oh my dear, dear, Duke, it must’ve been so humiliating asking for a small. Chill, bro! It’s just clothes!”

“Yeah, fatso. What she said,” Jase sassed and I chuckled.

“And you,” I directed at Jase, ”stop buying so much crap.”

Jase pouted and looked at me, “You’re supposed to be on my side since you’re my best friend!”

Duke shot him a look and said, “No, you faggot. Kylie’s mine.”

Suddenly, an arm draped my shoulders and I looked up shocked. “Nah, she’s mine, guys.”

Will winked down at me and I looked to my left, blushing. Jase grinned at me and Duke raised his eyebrows with a frown on his face. Right then, I looked up and across the food court to see Jake, laughing with Natalie. I immediately recalled the event that occurred less than a few minutes ago and froze; my red cheeks paled instead of the blush that had taken place. What had Jake meant when he said I didn’t even know how wrong I was? Odd enough as it was, I sent Jake urgent eyes; eyes that wanted him to come and save me. Realizing what I was doing I looked down, but not before his eyes caught mine. Looking back to my group of friends, I noticed Duke was looking at me with a curious look as Jase blatantly checked Will out.

Almost as if he knew what I was thinking, Duke faked a quick laugh and put his arm around my shoulders again, pulling me from Will’s grasp. “I don’t think so, new kid. Kylie and I are very much in a passionate relationship.”

Laughing, he playfully winked at me and I laughed, grinning back. As Will rolled his eyes with a chuckle, I turned to Duke, into his arm and I whispered, “Thanks, Duke.” It was loud enough for Duke to hear, but with no doubts, I knew Jase and Will hadn’t heard since they already began talking back.

“Since when? Kylie, I…Am offended you didn’t tell me!” Jase joked and I placed a hand on my heart dramatically.

“Our love was just so strong; we didn’t want to be torn apart!” I dramatically cried and Duke rumbled with laughter by my side.

Will smirked at me and I winced, inching closer to Duke. Jase eyed me for a moment before looking back at Will still with curious eyes.

“Ha ha, how funny. Well anyway, we got to skedaddle!” Jase abruptly said and pulled onto my arm. He grabbed onto the shopping bags near his feet and shoved them at Duke before walking off. I glanced at Duke quickly, confused, as he shrugged back.

Will raised an eyebrow but said bye nevertheless as we left. I took three of the bags from Duke as we walked off, looking for Jase. Looking back at Will for a quick second, I saw him with Natalie and Jake who was looking towards me and Duke. We had eye contact for a moment and I smiled at him, and he returned the favor, flashing his pearly whites at me. Taking a deep breath, I looked away; rushing to Duke’s side.

“That was weird,” Duke mumbled beside me and I nodded.

“Yeah, that was,” I agreed and spotted Jase a few feet ahead, waiting for us. “Hey, he’s by Victoria’s Secret.”

Duke nodded and we shimmied through the people before finally meeting Duke at the doors of the lingerie shop. “Why’d you run off like that?”

Jase looked at me with puckered lips, not the kissy kind but the kind where you knew he was up to something. The kind that just spoke bossy and curious. It was that look that people did when they knew something was up, but they just didn’t know what. He raised an eyebrow and I waited for his answer. What was he thinking?

“What are you guys hiding from me?” He demanded and this time, I raised my eyebrows.

“What are you talking about?” Duke asked, just as confused as myself. I glanced at Duke and he gave me a bewildered look. Like it was beyond his reach.

“You guys are acting weird. Kylie’s acting all uncomfortable around Will and you’re acting as if you know why!” Jase complained and I sighed.

I never knew Jase was smart enough to catch something like that. He wasn’t the sharpest tool in the toolbox; in fact he was probably the dullest tool there was. He was oblivious to most things and only saw the big picture, never the pieces that put it together. That was why he was so fun to be with, he was all about joking around and was only ever serious when it came down to it.

Duke was the one who saw all the details, but he never understood the big picture. It’s like he could place an entire puzzle together, but he couldn’t see what he put together. He understood a math problem’s steps, but he would always question how he got the answer. He was missing that one part of his thoughts and that was where Jase came in. They balanced each other out as friends and I was there to sort out their arguments. That was how we worked.

Duke turned towards me, “Actually, I was going to ask Kylie why she was acting strange, but you beat me to it.”

I blinked as the two boys looked at me, awaiting a response. I just shrugged. “I was just uncomfortable.”

Jase rolled his eyes and sighed, “But why? Honestly, it creeps me the fuck out. It makes me feel like Will’s going to go Bruce Lee on my ass and rape me while he’s at it.”

I laughed as he winked at me playfully and I sighed, “I honestly don’t know. Before, Will and I were joking around and Jake came by and it was just bizarre.”

Duke licked his lips and tilted his head to the side. “Bizarre how? What exactly happened?”

Looking around, I didn’t want to just tell the whole story at the mall. And more than that, it was a long story to explain. There would be questions and then more questions and then a bunch of confusion.

I looked down and sighed, “Can you guys stay over tonight?”

I didn’t even glance at Jase for an answer, his mother always said yes. She acted more like a friend than a mother ever since she found out he was gay. And with Duke and me as his best friends, she was fine with anything. We were always with him and she knew we both were strong enough to care after him. She was always like that.

Jase shrugged, “Uhm…I’ll check with Denise, but she always says yes, so…yeah.”

I didn’t bother waiting for Duke’s answer either, he lived alone. His parents were also head of a big company, a line of pricey hotels. He didn’t like talking about why he was in Michigan while his entire family was in London, Manchester and Brighton. Although I was aware of the situation, I still didn’t know why he was here instead.

“Yeah, but seriously, Kylie; what happened?” Duke asked and I half shrugged, lifting only one shoulder.

“I’ll tell you guys tonight. I’m still trying to figure it out,” I assured them and Duke gave me a look before nodding, Jase just rolled his eyes. “So, what are we doing now?”

Jase quickly looked at me, a smirk coming onto his face. He eyed me and his smirk deepened, “What we came to do, sweetie. Bra shopping!”

“Oh my god, what the fuck is this?!”

Jase looked at me funny, “It’s a bra?”

“No...What’s up with the lace and…why in the world is it so…big?!” I yelled, holding up the bra for him to see, although he was the one who gave it to me in the first place.

Jase took the bra from me and held it to my face; I backed away as he spoke, “You need more feminine bras. Your bras have no sex appeal!” I flinched as he threw it at my face. I quickly caught it and held it back up.

“But why is it so big?” I mumbled and looked at Jase for reply.

“That’s your size, sweetie,” Jase grinned and I looked at him in horror and shock. “Yeah, your boobs are that big.”

I stared at the bra in my hand and clumsily checked its tag. Was this really a C? Hell, was I even a C? Maybe that lady measured me wrong. I found the tag and stared at the 34-C in horror. But I was supposed to be flat! Flatter than a board! How could I actually have boobs?! I swear I was flat a week ago.

“No way! But I was an A! How can I be a C? Maybe I’m just a B!” I yelled, throwing the bra back at him. He caught it and glared at me.

“Kylie, when was the last time you went bra shopping?” He inquired and I shrugged.

“I don’t know. A year or two ago?” I murmured and he nodded with a knowing look.

“Boobs grow, sweetie,” He cooed and I rolled my eyes. Throwing it back at me, he yelled, “Try it on or I’ll put it on you myself!”

I frowned and shoved him out of the dressing room. Shutting the door, I stared at the mirror. Reluctantly, I took off my shirt and current bra, replacing it with the new black, lacy bra Jase believed was my size. To my surprise, it fit. I hurriedly changed back before bursting out of the dressing room and shoving it at Jase, embarrassed.

“It fits, so can we go now?” I grumbled, shoving my wallet towards him to pay.

Jase grinned at me, smug with an ‘I-told-you-so-‘look on his face, “Nope. I need to get you a few more bras, Kylie.”

I angrily breathed out, walking towards Duke who stood bored in a corner of the large store. He looked up as I walked towards him and smirked. Raising an eyebrow, I stood beside him.

“So, you finally have boobs huh?” He chuckled and I looked at him wide eyed before elbowing him.

“Shut up! Did he tell the whole world or something?!” I snapped and as he laughed, I shoved him. “Not funny! It’s not that big of a deal!”

He bent over, laughing before slowly gaining composure. He looked at me for a mere minute and he turned around laughing again. He leaned against the wall, shaking from fits of laughter. A blush made its way onto my cheeks as I stood there. Crossing my arms, I tapped my foot.

Duke chuckled and I pushed him away. “Chill, Kylie! Dude, I need to piss. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

Rolling my eyes, I walked around with pure boredom running through my veins. Ignoring the caution sign for wet floors, I continued walking before I slipped. Unable to stay on my feet, I grabbed for the closest thing which just happened to be someone else.

Stumbling to stay on my feet, I looked up to see Natalie holding a bra the size of my head. Gulping, I apologized, “Uhm, sorry.”

She smiled, “It’s okay. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

I leaned back onto my heels, holding onto one of the shelves as I regained my footing, “Yeah…me neither.”

She frowned, a confused look taking over her face, “What?”

I shook my head, “Nothing. Never mind. Well…bye!”

I began to walk around her, before she grabbed onto my arm. “Don’t go yet! Keep me some company, will you? Jake went to the restroom and Will’s not quite manly enough to be in here.”

Surprisingly, I laughed before nodding. “Sure…”

She held the bra up, “You get anything?”

I nodded again, “A couple bras.”

She giggled, “What size are you?”

I looked at her for a second. Who asks somebody they met once what size their bra is? I looked around only to see strangers; nobody to save me. Hesitantly, I looked back at Natalie.

“I’m a C,” I mumbled and she suddenly smirked from her friendly grin. As soon as it came, the smirk disappeared, again replaced with the happy, smile. She pulled a tuft of her silky, black hair back behind her ear, looking towards me.

“That’s a good size, Kylie. Megan Fox has a C too,” She played and I rolled my eyes. She was a phony. She was only acting nice. Instantly, I wondered if Jake noticed or if he was too love blind. Maybe she was a bitch with him and he liked it. Who knew, maybe he was a masochist. “But I’m more of a Scarlett Johansson. I have double d’s.”

I almost laughed, “Cool.”

“…What’s your chest size?” She suddenly said and I raised an eyebrow.

“What?” I asked. What did she mean?

“I mean like the number. Like are you a 32, 42, what?” She said and I blinked. What was she going at?

“I’m a 34,” I said and again, that smirk appeared and disappeared.

“I’m a 32. I was blessed with a small body and big boobs,” She fake laughed and I stared at her bewildered. What the fuck was wrong was her?

“Nice to know,” I muttered, uninterested. Leaning against the drawers, I played with my hair. She picked up another bra the size of my head and looked at it a bit before putting it down. I looked back down and played with the ends of my hair again before Natalie cleared her throat and I looked up to see her practically staring me down.

“Listen, Kylie, I’ve been beating around the bush, but I’ll just get straight to it seeing as we both aren’t happy with each other’s presence. I’m sure you’re a nice girl and all, but stay away. Jake is mine. You hear? He’s mine. Get away from him. Not only is he too popular for a loser like you, but he’s out of your fucking league. So disappear from his side. I don’t care if you’re neighbors. You guys hate each other, so leave him alone. Okay?” She spat and turned around and back to the bras before suddenly turning back around. “Oh and my brother’s out of your league too. You’re nothing but trash, so please, keep to your kind and stop trying to butt into my world.”

As soon as she finished, she fake smiled and looked past me before giving a sweet little wave to whoever it was. I turned around to see Jake who was smiling as if he were the luckiest guy alive. Oh how I wonder why. He’s in a lingerie store with the perfect big boobed bitch. Behind him, Duke came strolling in. I silently cheered to myself, never happier to see my British boy.

“Kylie? I…did not expect to see you here,” He laughed and I nodded before looking past him and towards Duke urgently. I needed an out. Jase caught my eye as he turned around from paying and got Duke’s attention before the two came walking over.

“Jake! My man!”

I winced at Duke’s lame call before looking back up. Jake and Duke were friends. In fact, I met Duke because of Jake. They were cousins; having the same age drew them close. Jake and Duke did their man hug before Duke draped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me in close- something that’s happened often today. Jase grinned before spotting the bra in Natalie’s hand.

“Damn girl! What size are you?” Jase exclaimed, gesturing towards the bra. Natalie blushed, but grinned seeing as she found a place to brag about her size. Whore.

She giggled, “32-DD.”

Jase looked bewildered as he stared at the bra and then at her chest. “Do they whack you in the face when you run? Those are fucking huge! Oh my god, are they fake? They’re as fake as your nose aren’t they?!”

Natalie looked taken aback and Duke and I just laughed. Jake turned away but laughed along with us as Natalie stared embarrassed. I clung onto Duke as I laughed, unstable from laughing so hard. Burying my face into Duke’s side, I giggled before gaining composure and looking back up, still with a smug grin on my face.

“My nose…is not fake!” Natalie exclaimed, holding onto her nose.

“Sweetie,” Jase began. “I know a fake nose when I see one.”

Angry, her eyes widened before she whipped around and marched away from us. Jase winked at me and I grinned at him.

“Well then, pretty boy, you better run after your girlfriend,” Jase said, shooting a look at Jake. Jake sighed and glanced towards me.

I shrugged and leaned onto Duke who tightened his hold on me.

“Adams, can I talk to you for a second?” Jake murmured, walking away. Jase looked at me confused and I shrugged again before following Jake to an empty area of the lingerie store. Suddenly he turned and I skidded to a stop before I walked into him.

“So…what’s up?” I questioned, blowing into my cheeks. He gave me a strange look and I slowly deflated them, looking towards the floor before looking back towards him.

“Look, Natalie-“

My jaw tightened as I recalled what she’d said to me about Jake. He was too good for me; out of my fucking league. I tilted my head to the side and bit my lip to keep from insulting her. It wasn’t difficult to realize he’d stand up for his perfect girl over me. He’d probably throw me off a cliff for her. Our friendship was only temporary. I was something he had to be nice to for a couple of days. Natalie, she was someone he wanted to be nice to. He wanted her for longer than just a couple of days. Bad mouthing her would only get me a black eye.

“Look, Rivers. I honestly could care less what you have to say about her. Just run after her, she likes you anyway,” I sighed and began to turn around.

Jake grabbed onto my arm and pulled me back. He looked at me with the eyes that I’d dreamed of for years. The eyes he gave the girls at school, the ones that would make any girl’s heart race. A blush made its way onto my cheeks as I limply pulled my arm back, hardly even trying. Looking away, he let go of my arm and cleared his throat. I looked down, letting my hair cover my face.

He gave me the eyes. Is it possible that he’s attracted to me? Could he really have a possibility of liking me? Did I really have a chance or was it just a moment? I nibbled on my lip as I hesitantly looked back up at Jake who was still avoiding eye contact with my face. He was looking at the ground, not bothering to look at me even as he spoke.

“No, I was just wondering what we were doing next…You know, for the plan…”

I fake coughed and I shrugged. “I heard she has a date with Ryan Weston tomorrow.”

I looked at Jake’s face for any reaction but instead, his face seemed like he didn’t care. I brushed it off and waited for his response.

“So what? Are we going to wreck it of something?” He grinned, finally looking at me and I grinned back, the awkward tension finally falling behind us.

“You catch on fast,” I said, patting him on the arm before stepping backwards. “You should go after her. She’s burning holes into my face.”

I smirked at Natalie who stood across the room behind Jake. Her black waves surrounding her angry face made me want to laugh. Was I a threat to her?

He laughed before nodded and giving me one last smile. But it was different this time, he didn’t give me the smile he gave girls or his friends. He gave me a real one this time. He gave me a genuine, Jake River’s smile. As he left, my cheeks burned up. I licked my lips quick before walking back to Jase and Duke who were talking amongst themselves.

Hooking arms with the boys, I grinned, “Time to go home!”