Everything Is Alright
I Like the Red Dress
Justin's POV
“Come on,” she whined, attempting to pull me to my feet. I was sitting on the floor of her apartment, not helping the matter.
“No…” I whined back.
“You promised.”
“Yeah, but I thought you were joking.”
“Please?”
“But I can’t dance.” I couldn’t. But the truth was, I did like to. There was only one other person who had seen me dance. Or at least try to. But that was years ago.
“I’ll teach you.” I stared at her from the floor for a minute, deciding.
“Fine.”
“Yay,” she said brightly. She had been trying to convince me to go dancing with her the whole week. “I'm going to change.” I helped myself to a can of beer. Maybe if I got drunk enough, I wouldn’t care if I looked like an idiot trying to dance. She came back out ten minutes later, wearing a red dress. I stared at her for a while, kind of speechless.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing. You look great.”
“Oh. Thanks.”
I liked the red dress.
“You make me look bad,” I said, motioning to myself. She shrugged.
“You're not so bad.” I let her pull me to the door by the hand. I had liked to go dancing with her after that.
I had just finished reminiscing over the first time she took me dancing when Jesse appeared in the doorway of the living room. He leaned against the wall.
“So that’s Betty, huh?” he asked, about the other day. I nodded.
“That’s Betty.”
“Are you going to tell her how you feel?” Josh asked, also coming in. Jesse moved aside.
“Huh?” I asked.
“You still like Betty, right?” Jesse asked.
“What? No,” I lied.
“Are you going to ask her out?” Josh asked. I shook my head.
“Why not?” Jesse demanded.
“He’s scared she’ll say no,” Josh taunted. “I bet you're too chicken to ask her out. He was too scared before, and he’s too scared now.” Josh knew every detail about that period in my life. Namely the period of my secret crush on Betty and not doing anything about it.
“Don’t give me this reverse psychology crap,” I told them, scoffing.
“I bet you twenty dollars,” Jesse began. “That she’d say no even if you did have the guts to ask her out.”
“I’ll take that bet,” Josh chimed in.
“You want me to ask her out?” I asked. They stared at me. “Fine.”
Dammit, I thought, silently cursing myself.
I guess reverse psychology does work.
“Come on,” she whined, attempting to pull me to my feet. I was sitting on the floor of her apartment, not helping the matter.
“No…” I whined back.
“You promised.”
“Yeah, but I thought you were joking.”
“Please?”
“But I can’t dance.” I couldn’t. But the truth was, I did like to. There was only one other person who had seen me dance. Or at least try to. But that was years ago.
“I’ll teach you.” I stared at her from the floor for a minute, deciding.
“Fine.”
“Yay,” she said brightly. She had been trying to convince me to go dancing with her the whole week. “I'm going to change.” I helped myself to a can of beer. Maybe if I got drunk enough, I wouldn’t care if I looked like an idiot trying to dance. She came back out ten minutes later, wearing a red dress. I stared at her for a while, kind of speechless.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing. You look great.”
“Oh. Thanks.”
I liked the red dress.
“You make me look bad,” I said, motioning to myself. She shrugged.
“You're not so bad.” I let her pull me to the door by the hand. I had liked to go dancing with her after that.
I had just finished reminiscing over the first time she took me dancing when Jesse appeared in the doorway of the living room. He leaned against the wall.
“So that’s Betty, huh?” he asked, about the other day. I nodded.
“That’s Betty.”
“Are you going to tell her how you feel?” Josh asked, also coming in. Jesse moved aside.
“Huh?” I asked.
“You still like Betty, right?” Jesse asked.
“What? No,” I lied.
“Are you going to ask her out?” Josh asked. I shook my head.
“Why not?” Jesse demanded.
“He’s scared she’ll say no,” Josh taunted. “I bet you're too chicken to ask her out. He was too scared before, and he’s too scared now.” Josh knew every detail about that period in my life. Namely the period of my secret crush on Betty and not doing anything about it.
“Don’t give me this reverse psychology crap,” I told them, scoffing.
“I bet you twenty dollars,” Jesse began. “That she’d say no even if you did have the guts to ask her out.”
“I’ll take that bet,” Josh chimed in.
“You want me to ask her out?” I asked. They stared at me. “Fine.”
Dammit, I thought, silently cursing myself.
I guess reverse psychology does work.