Barbie Girl (Baby Doll Series) (7 page)

He acts like I am getting nothing out of this deal, that I am doing it purely out of the goodness of my heart. “I am anything but good.” I pull the book back to my face trying to end this conversation. He pulls the book down with one stubby finger. He seems so sincere with his confession on my persona, that I want to believe him.

“No, really,” he insists. “He might not say anything, but it is really cool. He had a really hard time in school getting picked on.” He shakes his head his pale blue eyes searching for understanding
. I get it
. “Well that is until he shot up to six foot three and started to lift weights.”

I raise my eyebrow at him, “Is there something I should know about you?” I tease.

“No, I am all about the ladies, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a fine male specimen.” I laugh this kid is pretty cool.

Third offers me a ride home, he doesn’t cringe when I tell him where I live. He drives over the railroad track like he is going to the country club and not the bad end of town. “Thanks,” I hop out shutting the red minivan door. “You know, you aren’t too bad yourself,” I say as I lean in through the window.

“You know I was just thinking that myself. Now if you can just get the rumor started that I am a sex god, I will be even better,” a smile spreads on his chubby face.

“See you tomorrow, Third.” I wave good bye and go inside.

I am waiting in the library for Barbie to show. She is late big shocker. I have better things to do with my time then wait for some girl to maybe show up. So far she has made it every time without being too late, but now she is twenty minutes late and I am contemplating leaving. All my homework is done.

“Hey Dylan,” Katie walks up to me. She has not spoken to me since the last incident with Barbie. Like always she looks stunning, her hair is pulled back in a low ponytail, she wears a striped white and navy blue shirt tucked into white shorts. I like how put together she looks, unlike some people who look like they raided the local strip club. I think of those damn messy braids Barbie loves to wear, or how she pulls her hair up in a messy knot on top of her head, not caring what anyone thinks.

“Dylan?” I am staring at her hair like a crazy person. She brings her hand to her hair patting down nothing.

“Hi Katie.”

She smiles, her lips recently glossed in a shimmery pink. “I was just wondering if you got the notes from Mr. Robinson’s speech from Bio today. I totally flaked and didn’t write anything down.” She blinks light-colored lashes brush her cream-colored cheek, nothing like Barbie’s thick, dark lashes that she lines in heavy black liner.

“You’re in luck I wrote down every nail-biting word on plant cells,” I smile.

She lets out a giggle.
See I am funny
.

“Hey baby,” Barbie comes up from behind me and slips easily into my lap. I cringe, could she pick a worse time; she wraps her arms around my neck. She is wearing skin-tight, dark skinny jeans that looks like she painted them on and a white, tight-fitting T-shirt, which is riding up to expose her gold belly button ring with the unicorn charm on it. It is like she has a honing device on Katie’s movements, as soon as I make a move she crashes in. Pressing her chest up against me I can feel the curves of her body, my hand rests on her hip.

“Oh, hi Katie,” she turns to her like she didn’t know she was standing there. Of course she did, what the hell is she thinking? This little stunt is going to have Katie running for the hills.

“Hi Barbie,” r
ed creeps up Katie’s neck. I try to unwind Barbie’s arms from around me but she has a viper grip. Not fazed a bit she grabs my hand, I try to shake her off but she grips tighter and smiles at Katie. “Don’t worry about it, I will get the notes from Miranda,” Katie says before stalking off.

“See you later,” Barbie calls wiggling her fingers in her direction.

“What the hell,” I look at Barbie who is still pressed against me. Someone mumbles for us to get a room and Barbie flips them off.
Classy
. I shake my right hand free

“Aww, you are blushing,” she reaches up and cups my cheek.

“You just blew another shot with Katie.” I pull her hands off my face.

She scrunches up her face, “No, I didn’t, but you almost did. If you did something stupid like ask her out or confess your undying love you would have blown it.” She lays her head on my chest, so much for chilling out with PDA. “Right now she is going crazy thinking about the sexual chemistry she just witnessed between us.” She runs her finger down the bridge of my nose.

I swat her hand away. “There is no sexual chemistry between us! And what are you doing?” I push her hand down again.

“Oh there is defiantly chemistry between us,” she presses her chest tighter against me.

“No, I really don’t think what is happening between us is sexual, more like trying to keep me a virgin and annoying the hell out of me in the process.” I peel her arms off me. Being this close to her makes me feel light-headed. I can’t think clearly.

“You have to at least act like there is chemistry if you want this to work,” she sighs twirling that strip of pink hair between her fingers. “And for your information Katie has looked back at us three times.”

I look over at Katie. She’s sitting with a group of girls. Our eyes lock for a moment before she looks away.

“Now grow a pair and fake some sexual chemistry or you can kiss goodbye to your little demented dream of having chemistry with her,” says Barbie. “Just trust me.” Barbie wraps her arms around my neck again. This time I let her. Chemistry I can do chemistry.

“Fine.”

I bury my face into her hair. It surrounds me; it smells like apples. Between the smell of her hair and the sweet smell of sugar that lingers on her skin, she reminds me of the local fair that comes once a year to Phenix City. The sweet smell in the air,
filled
with the excitement that flitters around with anticipation. Before I know it the bell rings signaling the end of the period, and my day dream about the fair. I watch Katie go out the door, not looking back.

“Let’s go.” I drop my legs out from under me sending Barbie back peddling to the floor. A jerk move, but she has me confused. She catches herself before landing. She stands up and glares at me. “What?” I ask innocently.

“Just fake it,” she snaps.

I slip my hand into the devil’s very tight back pocket. “Could your jeans get any tighter?” I complain.

“Oh yeah,
” She smiles at me, “Much tighter.”

I walk Barbie to her class despite the fact it is going to make me late to mine. “See you after class honey,” I say rolling my eyes.

“See you are learning.” She stands on her tip toes and kisses me on the cheek.

Dylan is rambling about numbers, I pretend to listen, but really I am watching the football field. Byron Matthews had just made a tackle, and all the cheerleaders are fawning over him. How come it is okay for them to prance around this school in short skirts and midriff-bearing shirts and it is called showing school spirit. When I do it I am called a slut. I lean back drinking in the sun. It took some talking and heavy flirting to convince Dylan to come outside. I don’t think I could have spent another free period stuck in that stuffy old library; it reminds me of a place books go to die, with the musty smell of musty parchment and stale ink.

“Are you even paying attention?” Dylan asks.

“Sure, nine two, blah, blah, blah, the fifth power carry the one something, something, something.” I wave him off, he lets out one of his Barbie is driving me nuts sigh, just as Byron trots over to the bleacher. “Hey, Barbie how about me and you hooking up later,” he calls up making an obscene gesture with his hand and mouth.

“Sure,” I wink at him and blow a kiss in his direction. He smiles and jogs over to his meathead buddy where they exchange a series of handshakes and high fives.

“Why do you do that?” Dylan shuts the text book.

“Do what?” I ask innocently knowing damn well what he means.

“Oh I don’t know give it up to any guy who asks.”

I turn and look at him, his wrinkled plaid shirt that looks like he plucked off the floor, his messy hair falling in his eyes. What does he know? He is just like everyone else at this
school;
he already proved that with his comment. I pretend that what he says means nothing to me, that stab of pain I feel does not exist.

“Please, I am not going to give anything up to Byron.” I look him in the eyes.

“Then how come you just told him you would?” he asked confusion furrowing at his brows. I have the urge to massage that spot between his eyebrows. How do I begin to explain the numbness that follows after I hook up, or that the flirting I do makes me feel some sort of connection to another person, that I am alive, and not a walking zombie. “He is over there telling all his friends that he is going to hook up with you, don’t you care?” Concern laces his voice. Aww he cares.

“No, not really,” I reply.

“That is why you have a reputation as a…” he wavers. “Never mind let’s just get back to work.” Dylan picks up the text book again opening it back up.

“For your information I don’t really care about my reputation, these people can think whatever they want of me, because when I graduate I will never see them again. So why do I care? Besides
it i
s
called flirting, maybe you should give it a try and you wouldn’t be so uptight.”

He slams the book shut again. “I am not uptight.”

Now that makes me laugh. “You Dylan Knight are the most uptight person I have ever met. When was the last time you just let go? Just had fun and did not give a shit about what anyone else thought?”

He glares at me. “I let loose.”

I smile, “Sure you do!” His idea of letting loose is probably pulling an all-nighter with Third playing WW, and making out on line with his avatar girlfriend.

“How about you give me your best pick-up line,” I taunt him knowing he has nothing.

“Okay. Okay. Umm…was your father an alien?” I cock my eyebrow at him; this is the joke scenario all over again. “Because baby you are out of this world,” he smiles at himself.

“That is nothing to be proud of my friend that was the lamest attempt at flirting I have ever witnessed.” I am laughing so hard I grab my stomach it hurts. “Okay you got that from Third, and I am so going to have to help that boy if he thinks he will get any action spiting that game.” I shake my head. “No wonder you are still a virgin.” I sigh, and whip at the tears that pooled in the corner of my eyes.

“Okay I am going to help
you;
maybe if I get you laid you will not be such a tight ass.” He stands up to go. “No, come on, let me help you.” I stop laughing, and stand up trying not to smirk at him. “Pretend I am Katie.”

He shakes his head. “No, this is not going to work, you are nothing like Katie.”

I glare at him, “Thank the heavens for that.” I don’t want to be anything like her. He rolls his eyes “Pretend!” I encourage.

“Fine,” he drops the book back on the bleacher.

I try to pretend like I have a stick up my tight butt. “Hey Dylan,” I twirl my hair, and use my best annoying girl voice.

“Umm…Hey Katie, you look real nice today,” he says.

“Oh thanks I got this from the plain and boring store.” He glares at me. “Okay, okay, touchy, touchy.” I get back into my character, “So, Byron’s having a party tomorrow night are you going?”

He clears his throat. “Well I don’t usually go to parties.”

I roll my eyes; this boy needs help in the worst way. “Okay, well I am going to go make out with Tyler, see ya.” I turn to mock leave.

“Hey,” he says coming after me.

“Look you don’t want to be her friend, say something like. Oh hey Katie? Like you don’t care if she is there or not, she is just another
one
of the many girls. She could be anyone of them. Then compliment her, but a small one, like nice jeans, but follow it with a rude remark, did you gain a few pounds over winter break. Then lastly go talk to some other girl right in front of her.”

He shakes his head. “I am not going to do that,” he says.

“You can’t tell her the truth that you’re madly in love with her. She needs to think you don’t care about her, tease her. It is the sandwich method, and everyone wants a sandwich.”

“This is stupid,” he complains.

“Just try it,” I demand.

“No,” he says stubbornly.

“Come on just try it,” I urge him. “Promise not to laugh.” I hold up my finger in a mock scout salute.

“Oh hey there, Katie, did you do something with your hair?”

I get back in to character. “Oh yeah you like how lame it looks,” I smile.

He ignores me and continues. “I thought it looked really short,” I smile. Good job the boy can be taught.

“Good now get really close to me like you are going to kiss me, but don’t. Ask for my number, but make it obvious that you probably will not call.” He cocks his eyebrows at me “Just do it.” He closes the space between us bringing his head close that I can feel his warm breath tickling my cheek. He smells like fresh cut grass and Irish Spring soap.