Bad Habits

"Come on, bitch, we're going dress shopping." Nicole said as she yanked my covers off of me. I squinted my eyes open, then yawned as I sat up. Kennedy was leaning against my desk behind her, already looking bored.
"Why is Kenny here?" I mumbled, and she glanced back at him.
"He has to to get a matching suit with one of us!"
"Looks like it's gonna be you." I said, standing up and stretching.
"Kat, I told you, you're going." She responded, and I gave a slight smile.
"I know I'm going... With John." I said, my smile growing bigger as I walked into my bathroom.

"What? What the hell happened last night? Tell me now!" Nicole demanded in a yell.
"Nothing happened, he asked me to the dance, that's it," I lied, and she narrowed her eyes at me.
"Get ready." she ordered through her teeth, then turned on her heels and slammed my bathroom door behind her. I rolled her eyes, then got in the shower.

When I finished, Nicole handed me a pair of black skinny jeans and a gray crop top. I put them on, then pulled on a pair of Toms. I didn't bother putting on any make up, or really doing anything to my hair, letting the natural waves flow at my waist.
"Are we ready yet?" Kennedy groaned, and I nodded. I looked over at the time, before dashing down the stairs. My father was getting ready to walk out the door for work, until I ran into him grabbing his arm.

"Daddy, daddy, daddy!" I said, and he turned and looked at me.
"What is it, Kat?" he asked, looking down into my eyes.
"Daddy, Nicole and Kenny are taking me dress shopping today for the winter dance, and I was wondering if I could maybe have some money to get a nice dress so I could go to the dance with John." I said quickly, batting my eyelashes. He sighed after a minute and pulled out his wallet.
"How much?" he groaned, and I gave a big smile.
"A hundred."
"One-hundred? That's it?" he asked, shocked.
"Yeah...? I'm gonna get my dress at PacSun, their clothes aren't as expensive."
"Oh. Well, alright." he said, starting to smile as he pulled out some cash and handed it to me.
"Have fun, kids."
"Thank you, daddy!" I said, hugging him.
"You're welcome, sweetheart." he said, kissing my head, before heading out the door and to work.

"Katherine Johansen, get in here right this minute," my mother called, and I sighed as I put the money in my wallet.
"Yes, mother?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen, Nicole and Ken following behind me.
"You're going to the dance with John?"
"...Yes."
"Is he your boyfriend?"
"No."
"Have you kissed yet?"
"No, mom."
"So he just asked you to the dance?"
"Yes."
"Hm. Alright. Here's an extra hundred for some heels." she said, handing me a few bills.
"Thanks," I smiled, then put it in my wallet, before we left.

When we got to the mall, we went to PacSun and started digging in the dresses. I picked out five dresses, then went into the dressing room and tried each one on, coming out to see what Ken and Nic would say. The first four were sleeveless maxi dresses, but the last one was a tribal print, sleeveless dress that came a little higher than mid thigh, and hugged my body. I came out of the dressing room, and Kennedy's face lit up.
"That one." he said, a smile plastered to his face.
"Really? I like it, but... It's not a little much?" I asked, and he shook his head.
"That's sexy. The other dresses were beautiful, but that one... That one is sexy."
"Thanks, Kenny," I said with a smile, before going back in the dressing room and changing back into my clothes. I put the other dresses back on the rack, while Nicole went inside the dressing room and put on the dress that she had picked out. It was as short as mine, but the top part cut down low, and it had the no back on the top, showing her shoulders and back.

"Do you like this one, Kenny?" She asked, and he nodded. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he laid his hands on her waist.
"You look great, Nic," he smiled, and she kissed his cheek.
"Alright, are we ready to go get something to eat?" I said, and Nicole took her arms back from Kennedy and went back into the dressing room. She changed back into her regular clothes, and we went up to the register to pay.

After eating and shopping around a little more for useless things we didn't need, we finally headed home.
"I gotta get home, and start on that stupid project. Kennedy, come over later so we can work on it, okay?" Nicole announced, and Ken gave a nod, before Nic grabbed her bags and headed out the door.

"Kenny... I'm kinda scared." I said, and he looked up at me with a raised eyebrow.
"For what?"
"The dance. I'm going with John... And I don't know how to dance and... What if I mess up? What if he doesn't really like me? What if he really is just some asshole who wants sex?"
"No, shut up. You're beautiful, he'd be crazy just to lead you on like that. Come here," he said, standing and taking my hand. He led me into my living room, where he turned on my stereo, putting some music on low, before putting his hands on my hips. I hesitantly linked my fingers around his neck, our bodies at least a foot apart. He looked into my eyes, a small smile playing on his lips, before he jerked my body into his, leaving no gaps between us. I laid my head in his neck as our bodies swayed to the beat of the music.

After the song had ended, I looked back up into Kennedy's eyes, and smiled.
"John would be a dumb ass to let you slip from his grasp." he said, our faces close. I stared down at his lips for a moment, realizing how close they were to mine, before my eyes shot back up to his. He let go of me after a minute and stepped back, running his hand through his hair.
"I should probably head over to Nic's house... School's been over for a while now, so you might wanna go see if John's home."
"Okay, see ya." I mumbled, before grabbing my dress and heading upstairs as Kennedy left. I freshened up a bit, then put a piece of gum in my mouth before going downstairs and outside. I walked down the road to see John's truck sitting in his driveway, his parents cars gone. They must have still been at work. I nervously knocked on his front door, for it to be answered not even a minute later with a grinning John.
"Hey, come on in."

I stepped inside his house, and followed him to his couch.
"So, did you find a dress?" he asked, and I smiled.
"I did."
"That's good." he said, as I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. John still had a smile plastered to his face, not bothering to look up. As I did, I heard a voice.
"Well, well, well, didn't we grow up?"
"Eric?" I gasped, standing up.

I've known Eric Halvorsen since Kindergarten as well, but unlike John and I, we were friends all the way up until the eighth grade. Up until he moved high schools, and I never got to see him again. Now, here he is, three years later.

I stood and ran into his arms, him squeezing me tightly.
"You look just as good as John said," he smiled, and John shot him a glare.
"Eric!" he scolded, and Eric chuckled.
"What? He talked to you about me?" I asked, glancing over at a blushing John.
"Yup. Did you know you make him nervous?" he said, and I could feel my face heat up.
"You can go back upstairs now, Eric." John mumbled, pushing him upstairs and away from me.
"Fine, fine, whatever," he said, then went to John's room and closed the door behind him.

I turned and looked at John, my face cooling down, and confidence growing inside me.
"I make you nervous?" I asked, and his eyes grew wide as his hand shot to the back of his neck.
"Well, uh... You know Eric, always exaggerating things..."
"Hmm, I see," I said, then turned away.
"No, I mean--!" John said quickly, grabbing my arm and pulling me back to him. Our bodies pressed together, but he didn't dare put his hands on me, as mine were behind my back.
"What is it, John?" I asked, batting my eyelashes up at him. God, go away confidence. No one likes you here.
"I... I-I, uh... I've liked you since Jr. High..." he stuttered out, running a shaky hand through his hair. My eyes grew wide and I took a step back, holding in a gasp.
"Really?"
"...Yeah..."
"You've never taken a single glance at me!"
"What? Are you kidding me? I mean, it's not like I stare at you like some creep, but I do look at you. You're... You're beautiful, Kat." he said, and my face heated up.
"You think I'm beautiful?"
"I think you're more than beautiful." he said, and I broke into a smile. John let out a relieved sigh, as if he had been holding in a breath and could finally let it out.

"I've liked you since Kindergarten." I finally said, and he started to laugh.
"How do you know you like someone in Kindergarten?"
"Because, you were my first friend, even before Kennedy, and Nicole. You and Eric were my first friends, and I don't know, I guess I always found you cuter than Eric."
"Thanks," Eric called down the stairs, and John and I started laughing.
"I love you, Eric."
"I love you, too, Kat."
"So you've liked me that long, but you've never said a single word to me?" John asked, and I shrugged.
"You wouldn't talk to me after Kindergarten because you had Eric to play with and boys didn't play with girls."
"Well, I guess that makes me a dumb ass."
"At least we're talking now. Why didn't you say anything to me?"
"Hey, I'm more shy than you think. I would have to be completely shit faced to get the guts up to talk to you on my own."
"So, you're saying, if our chemistry teacher hadn't put us together for a project, you would have never talked to me?"
"Probably not."
"How fantastic." I mumbled as we sat back down on the couch together.

John hesitantly put his arm around my shoulders, and I scooted closer to him, when Eric ran down the stairs and jumped on us, his body laying across our laps.
"What the hell, Halvorsen?" John yelled, and I gave a devious smile, before elbowing him in the crotch. He screamed, then fell off of us and onto the floor, hugging his legs to his chest.
"You fucking bitch." he squeaked, and I laughed.

***

Later that night, when John's parents got home, John, Eric and I left. We were walking down the street together, heading down to the park, when John laced his fingers with mine. I smiled, keeping my head down, when Eric nudged me. I glanced over at him and he wiggled his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes, then pushed him, and he started laughing. John and I ran to the park, our hands still together, leaving Eric behind.
"Not fair!" he called, before running after us. I let go of John's hand and ran to the swing, sitting down in it and kicking off. Eric came and sat in the one next to me, but John came up behind me and wrapped his fingers along mine, then started pushing me. His phone started ringing, so he sighed and let go of my hands, digging in his pocket for it.

"Yes, mother?" he answered, as I slowly dragged my feet through the sand.
"It's only eleven. ... I'm seventeen, I'll stay out as long as I want. ... No! Mom, he just got here! ... Why do you care who I'm with? ... I'm with Eric ... Why does it matter if I'm with Kat or not? ... Yes, it's me, Eric and Kat. ... Fine, We'll come back." he said, then hung up.
"Mom wants us back at the house, or Kat has to go home."
"Oh, it's okay, I'll go home if you guys want to stay out. My dads probably going crazy right now, anyway."
"No, you're staying with us." John said, taking my hand as I stood.
"Are you sure? I don't want Jenny getting mad at you."
"She's not exactly mad, she just wants to keep an eye on us."
"Oh, has your mother been asking if you've made a move yet, too?"
"Yeah," he chuckled, and I nodded.
"How long have our parents wanted us together?" I asked, and he shrugged.
"Since birth."

When we got back to John's house, the three of us went upstairs to his room and turned the TV on. I sat in between the boys, laying my head on John's shoulder after a while. He smiled, then laced his fingers with mine as I started to fall asleep.
"Kat, sweetheart, you're falling asleep." he said, and I shook my head.
"No, I'm not." I mumbled, and he chuckled.
"Eric, wait here, I'm gonna take her home." he said, and Eric nodded, before leaning over and kissing my head.
"See ya, Kat," he whispered and I smiled.

John stood and gently picked me up in his arms, bridal style. I wrapped my arms around his neck, sitting up a little, and laying my head on his shoulder. He snuck me downstairs, and looked around for a minute, noticing his parents were gone.
"They wanted us home to keep an eye on us, yet they leave. Parents these days." he mumbled, before opening the front door and heading out.

When we got to my house, John sighed.
"Your parents aren't home either... They're probably with mine," he said quietly as he reached for the handle.
"Fuck, it's locked..." John pulled out his phone and typed in a number before putting it up to his ear.
"Eric, bring me my keys, they're on my desk. I'm at Kat's house. Hurry." he said, before hanging up and shoving his phone back in his pocket. Within a couple minutes, Eric was standing in front of us, handing John his keys.
"How do you have a key to her house?" he asked, and John rolled his eyes.
"The fuck I know. My mom said I might need it some day, and I guess she was right," he sighed, before pushing it in the keyhole and unlocking the door.
"Where is her room?" he asked, turning around to Eric.
"Upstairs, across the catwalk." he smiled, and John nodded, before stepping in my house, kicking the door closed behind him. He carried me up the stairs, and into my room, where he gently laid me in my bed.

"Goodnight, Kat," he whispered as he pulled the covers over me.
"Goodnight, John," I whispered back. He gave me a sweet smile, then grabbed my hand, laying a soft kiss on it.
"I'll see you tomorrow."