Bad Boys & True Love

“So…uh…what’s up?” I asked weakly. Sean shrugged and walked over to my desk. He disregarded all the dresses and my ballet slippers and sat down. I bit my lip.

He looked at my shoes. “I didn’t know you did ballet,” he mumbled.

“Well…yeah.”

God I’m so lame. Why can’t I be like Christina? Post-compliment Christina, not pre-date. Maybe I was never meant to be with Sean—not only was a way out of his league, but I couldn’t even talk to him! Doomed before the start.

He smiled. “Actually, now that I think of it, I might have seen you in a leotard.”

I felt my cheeks heating up. I always wore tights with them, but leotards were as form-fitting as it got. I mean, you can’t even wear underwear with them. He could have seen every imperfection of my body.

See? Totally doomed.

“That’s embarrassing,” I muttered, ducking my head.

Sean chuckled—making me even more humiliated. “Not really. I thought you looked good in them.”

I was so surprised I looked up—and even more so when I saw his cheeks were tinted pink. Okay…maybe not doomed. But then there was the Megan Walters ordeal. He didn’t seem like the guy to hook up with a girl like that; maybe I just didn’t know him at all. But I had to ask.

“Sean,” I started timidly. He looked at me, smiling slightly with his cheeks still a faded pink. “Are you, um, dating Megan Walters?”

Whatever I’d expected, it wasn’t his facial expression dropping completely. The hint of color that I’d added had now drained from his face. He was very obviously caught off-guard. “How’d you know about that?” he asked, his voice dry. His blue eyes were panicky.

“Rumors,” I lied quickly. “Why? It’s not true?”

His eyes pierced mine. He took a deep breath. “We, uh, weren’t exactly dating.” He ran a hand through his blond hair, messing it up sexily. “God. I barely know you,” he mumbled under his breath. I opened my mouth to apologize profusely and tell him it wasn’t any of my business, but he noticed and cut me off. “No, its fine…it’s just…I don’t know.”

“You don’t need to say anything,” I blurted out immediately. “I’m sorry I asked.”

He shrugged. “I just don’t want you to judge me.” He looked up and I felt my heart rate increase again.

“I don’t,” I replied softly. I pulled my legs up to my chest and tucked them under my chin.

Sean and I just looked at each other in silence. I wondered what he saw; a girl with ugly, mousy hair and boring hazel eyes?—because that’s what the mirror told me. He was so beautiful and there was nothing extraordinary about me. Besides being shorter than normal, I was average weight, and I couldn’t even have a proper conversation with a guy without messing it up.

The door opened suddenly and we both jumped. It was my dad. “Dinner’s ready,” he announced, his eyes flickering between us. We had maintained an acceptable distance between us, and he couldn’t find anything wrong. He left, leaving the door wide open.

I got out of my bed. “Um…” I had no clue what to say.

“C’mon, I’m starving,” he said, grinning. I smiled back because—well, how could I not? He walked up to me and I almost thought he was going to reach for my hand. But he only paused for a second before walking past me.

I sighed quietly and followed him. Snowball in Hell is right, Winston, I thought bitterly.

*

“Seems like you’ve got a stain there,” God observed. Well, not God God—but Miss Silver was as close as it got. She didn’t have her dancer’s body anymore at the age of fifty-four, but she was still shapely, and she still wore her gray-streaked hair up in a tight bun. I bet she could still be a ballerina if she wanted.

I winced and looked up at her. I was hoping she wouldn’t notice the blood stains on my slippers because now she’d let it slip to my mom who would freak the fuck out.

“Well…it was a hard practice,” I told her meekly. Great, now she’d think I was complaining. Like that wasn’t going to make it ten times harder. “I ordered some new ones.”

She nodded briskly. I held my breath, preparing for more questions being fired my way, but she just moved on to the next group of girls getting ready to take off. I let the air gush out of me.

When I saw Natalia and Maya standing up and looking ready to leave, I jumped up and jogged towards them. They both gave me friendly smiles. “Hey, Stella,” Maya greeted me. She was the nicest girl in my class, I’d discovered.

“Hey guys. I was wondering if you two would want to go to Tony’s?” I asked. Tony’s was a pizza parlor just down the street. You’d think ballet dancers would survive on only salad and water, but we could eat anything, we work off calories so fast.

Maya gave me an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Stella, but I’ve to meet my boyfriend at Clementine’s. Maybe another time though.”

“Oh,” I mustered a smile, “that’s all right. No problem.”

Natalia shrugged. “Sure. Do you have a car?”

I bit my lip. “I didn’t say my plan was flawless.”

I half-expected Natalia to scoff and call me a loser for being my age and still without my own ride—but she just grinned. “Oh yeah, I forgot. Well, I don’t mind walking if you don’t.”

A giant smile broke out on my face. “Great! Oh, but what about Drew?”

Her smile was replaced by an annoyed little frown and she rolled her eyes. “We don’t talk anymore. Long story.”

Oh. Uh…think, Stella!

“Nothing a stomach full of grease can’t fix,” I said unthinkingly. Gross, I mentally winced, but she laughed.

“Yeah!” She threw her arms in the air. “Is it cool if I invite my friend? We usually get some food after the academy and she loves Tony’s.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I think I’ll invite my friend, too.”

Twenty minutes later there were five of us crammed into a booth. Natalia had brought her friend and Christina, well, had brought Mike. Their date had been a complete success, I’d learned when she’d called me approximately one minute after Mike had walked her to her door and they’d kissed. And now not given delicious pizza could tempt them to separate their lip-lock. Yuck.

I chattered happily with Natalia, and her friend Abby, while we chowed down on hot meat-lovers pizza, ignoring the happy couple. They seriously needed to get a room, but Abby and Natalia were polite enough to pretend they weren’t even there.

I sipped the last of my Dr Pepper noisily. Then I had to pee. I bounced in my seat for a moment while Natalia watched me curiously.

“I have to go,” I informed her.

She smirked. “Didn’t you go when we got here?”

“I’ve drunken a lot today!”

“You have to bladder of a squirrel,” she objected. Abby laughed playfully. I pouted at them and then decided that I couldn’t hold it a second longer.

I poked Christina’s back. When I got no response, I poked a little more forcefully and she separated from Mike to glare at me. “Ow, Stella! What do you want?”

“To go pee!”

She rolled her eyes but scooted herself and Michael out of the booth so I could escape. I ran for it while they all laughed hysterically at the fool I was making of myself. When I came back, I was pleased to see that Christina and Mike had rejoined society and were now eating the giant pizza we’d ordered. I slid in next to Mike.

“I’m thirsty,” I told everyone. Natalia rolled her eyes and grinned at me. “Say something, I dare you.” I tried to be threatening in my glare, but it made her giggle.

I heard the ding-ding of the door to the parlor opening and a second later Natalia gasped. Not over-dramatically like she’d just watched her mother get shot, but like my mom did when she found a painting or sculpture she was in love with at art museums. I watched her curiously.

“Stella!” someone called out and I turned around to see Sean walking my way, leaving his friends behind. I felt myself blushing.

He slid into the booth across from me and directly next to Natalia who was staring at him openly. Even Abby kept sneaking subtle looks his way. He didn’t seem to notice. “Hey. I’ve haven’t talked to you since dinner the other day.” He smiled.

I bit my lip. Was this happening right now? I mean, we’d barely talked at all during the dinner. And now he was comfortable enough to approach me in public?

“Yeah. Want some pizza?” I gestured to the meat-lovers pizza. He grabbed a slice and while we—excluding the happy couple—all watched.

“Mmm,” he moaned. Natalia’s dark eyes flickered with desire. “Oh. Sorry,” he said suddenly. He set the pizza down and turned to Natalia and Abby who both sat up a little straighter. “I’m Sean, Stella’s friend.”

They both shook his hand eagerly. I felt my face heat up. Yes! Yes! YES! I was officially his friend. Now faze two: become “Sean’s seduction goddess.” How to get there, I don’t know.

“Hey Sean,” Christina chirped.

“Hey,” he replied politely. “Mike, right?”

Mike nodded, looking a bit threatened by Sean’s affect on all the girls here—and the world. But Christina tugged on his sleeve for his attention and all was forgiven.

Sean’s eyes slid back to mine. “Do you need a ride home?” he asked. Even he knew that I couldn’t drive. How embarrassing.

I nodded and smiled shyly. “Yeah. Did you want to go back to your friends or something and I’ll wait here?”

“Those guys?” He looked over his shoulder. He looked back at me. “They don’t miss me.” He smiled and I felt my heart melt. “We can leave whenever you’re ready.”