Double Threat My Bleep (20 page)

“That’s because they’ve heard every excuse in the book already,” Josh tells him. “You haven’t used the
my best friend boned my girl
story yet.”

“True true,” he says. “I need to try that next time.”

“You guys suck,” I say, smacking them both in the chest. “Stop trying to steal my life story. I’m going to copyright it or something. I’ll sue your asses.”

“Oh be quiet and let’s go. I wanna make sure we get a good table. I gotta see my man when he wins king,” Steph says, breaking away from us and making her way to the tables that circle the dance floor.

“You really think he’s gonna win?” Josh asks, before he can take it back. Steph turns around and shoots him a look that could rip his heart out of his chest.

“Yes, I do.”

We all voted for Dom, but the other guys are a lot more popular. One guy is on the dance team and his skit at the rally looked like something Quest Krew would come up with. Another guy is this skater dude that can pull tricks with names I can’t pronounce. Sure, Dominic is on the football team, but they pretty much lost every game this year so that doesn’t help him. Hey, at least he made court. That’s pretty cool, right.

The suspense is getting to everyone. People are dancing but you can tell there’s some uneasy feelings going around. Everyone’s asking all the ASB class, including us, when Mr. Mitchell is going to make the announcement. But we don’t know. The decision to crown the king at the dance came along because of crappy ticket sales, again. Mr. Mitchell thought if we announced the king at the dance, instead of the game, more students would buy tickets. And he was right. The dance sold out.

The six of us are dancing, sweat dripping down my back and my throat as dry as toast, when Mr. Mitchell finally cuts the music and jumps up on the small stage. He calls the guys up there to join him.

“I have a giant surprise for all of you. We invited last year’s king to do the honors of this year’s crowning,” Mr. Mitchell yells into the microphone. The crowd goes wild and cheers for last year’s king. Who was last year’s king? Omigod. Omigod. “Tigers. Coming all the way from Berkeley, California, let’s give a roaring welcome to King Alex Aguilar.”

I see a flash of a person run by and the crowd splits as he makes his way to the stage. Holy shit, is he really here? Omigod.

And there he is. His big green eyes smiling down out the crowd. And look at what he’s wearing. No, he didn’t. Yes, he did. Wearing a white collared shirt, maroon striped tie, and a dark cape, my stunning wizard of a boyfriend takes the mic.

“C-High,” he yells, and he receives the appropriate response, “You know!”

His wickedly sexy smile lights up the place, and he couldn’t look happier to be here. I couldn’t be happier to see him.

“Thank you for the warm welcome. It’s good to be back.” More cheers fill the crowd. “But before I crown this year’s king, I’m hoping I can have one final dance.” He looks at Mr. Mitchell who nods in approval. And then he says to the crowd, “So can you help me find my girl?” This is why I love him so much. Who does this kind of thing? What guy in the history of man is so freaking cute? “Meggie, babe, where are you?”

Shocked beyond belief, my feet are locked in place until Keesh pushes me forward. I stumble toward him and he meets me in the center of the dance floor. The music comes on and I wrap my arms around him. He hugs me tightly and kisses me on the cheek.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” I whisper, as I nuzzle into his chest.

“I can’t believe you’re here, I thought my surprise was going to be ruined.”

“You were right. My dad was more understanding than I thought he’d be.”

“I told you,” he says, with a soft smile.

“You look so cute. I can’t believe you dressed like this.”

He stops dancing and digs into a pocket in his cloak. “I almost forgot. Gotta get the full look.” He puts on some fake black-rimmed glasses. They’re totally dorky and they don’t even have any lenses. But he still looks good. Some people in the crowd laugh while others cheer.

He plants a sweet kiss on my lips and tells me he’ll be right back.

After Alex crowns the next king, which is not Dominic, we decide to leave the dance. Tucker, the skater dude, won. Cool for him, I guess. Dominic isn’t disappointed. Guys don’t care about that kind of thing.

A quick call to my parents, and a short drive later, we’re all kicking it in my back yard talking about how cool it is that Alex surprised me. Surprised all of us really, because no one knew he was coming except for his parents and Mr. Mitchell.

Even though it’s chilly out, the guys take a dip in the pool. Any chance they can get to do cannon balls and dunk each other underwater is a good time for them. The girls and I try to stay as far away as possible. I shield myself from the spray of mist with my cloak. Nice to know it’s handy for something.

“Look at him,” I say to Keesh and Steph, gazing at Alex. “I can’t believe he’s here.”

“That was pretty cool, Meggie,” Keesh says. “Every girl at Carver wanted to be you when he said he wanted one last dance with his girl. Talk about Fantasy in Film. That shit never happens in real life.”

“To Meg it does,” Steph chimes in. “You’re one lucky girl. That was really sweet of him.”

“I know. He’s totally sweet. It does seem like a fantasy,” I respond, thinking about Alex and his crappy kiss with another girl. “I keep on thinking that anytime he’s gonna wake up and realize that he doesn’t want to be with some little high school chick and he’s gonna dump me.”

“Oh, don’t think that. Alex would never,” Steph assures me.

“Don’t be so sure. Look at Erika and Josh. One day they’re the happy couple, and the next he’s all broken-hearted going to swing dance lessons. You never know.”

“You gotta point Meggie,” Keesh agrees. “But don’t be so concerned about what-ifs. Just enjoy him while you have him. I wish I woulda done that with Jon. I always gave him a hard time about everything. Now I wish I would’ve just kissed him a million times instead of always pushing him away. Now, he’s gone.” Keesh looks away from us. It hasn’t been that long since Jon left. It’s going to take time for her to adjust to him not being around. Jon’s not even my guy and I miss him so much. I can’t imagine how she feels.

“Well, I won’t have to worry about waiting for Dom to dump me or him going off to college and leaving me behind,” Steph mutters.

I look at her curiously. “What does that mean?”

“We’ve kinda made a deal.”

“Huh,” Keesh blurts.

“Yeah, a deal. We’ve been together for almost a year. Spring break is right around the corner. And then school is almost over after that. So we’ve been talking a lot of about what we’re going to do once school’s out. He’s graduating. I’m staying here. And we’re not so sure we’re going to stay together.”

This is giant. Dominic and Steph are going to break up after graduation. This is like breaking news. It should be on Channel 2. Seriously, this is nuts. They’re the cutest, most sweetest couple ever. They’re the real deal. Even more so than me and Alex. They’re like one person, they can’t break up. It just doesn’t make sense.

“You’re freakin’ crazy Steph,” I scold. “Why would you guys even say that?”

“We’re not crazy, Meg. We’re just being realistic. He’s going to college. I’m staying here. We don’t want to spend the rest of our lives with just one person. If things are meant to be, when I graduate maybe we will get back together. But to try and force things to work, that’s just not for us.”

“So is that what you think Alex and I are doing? You think we’re forcing it?”

“No. I’m not saying that. It works for you guys but I don’t want Dominic to be distracted from school because he’s trying to figure out ways for us to see each other. And I don’t want to mope around school all day waiting for texts from him. I’d rather be single, be friends with him, and if we happen to see each other that’s great. But if not, we’ll still be okay.”

I know this isn’t about me and Alex, but I can’t help but see the similarities. “So you think I distract Alex from his work and you think I just sit around and wait for him to call all the time?”

“Meg, you’re not listening to me. I didn’t say anything about you and Alex. I’m talking about me and Dom.”

“Well, it sounds like you are trying hard not to do things like me and Alex, like we’ve done it all wrong.”

Keesh finally steps in. “But she’s gotta point though, Meg, even if she isn’t talkin’ about you guys.” I look at her with a raised brow. “Look, Meg. Alex goes to one of the most prestigious schools in the country and he’s been home a ton this year. You’ve even gone up there. And when he’s not home, you guys are always texting or on the phone. Have you ever asked him how his grades were first semester? We all know you got the worst grades since elementary school. So maybe something isn’t right.”

I consider what they’re saying for a second. I’m about to tell them both they can kiss my white ass, but we’re interrupted by Josh and Travis who decide to do the shaggy dog routine and spray us with water as they shake themselves dry.

A knot clenches in my gut thinking about how there could be some truth to what the girls are saying. Maybe Dom and Steph have the right idea for their relationship. But will they be able to go through with the break up? Just thinking about losing Alex makes me ill. Tears start to climb their way to my eyelids just thinking about it. If Steph and her man want to call it quits, that’s their problem. There is no way I’m saying goodbye to Alex. That’s just not going to happen.

“You hungry?” I ask Alex.

He puts his hand on his tight abs. I can’t see them, but I know what’s under that shirt. “Kinda.”

“Let’s go grab a snack.” We make our way into the kitchen after saying goodbye to the crew. “Ice cream or popcorn?”

“Ice cream. Always ice cream.”

“I knew what you were gonna say but I thought I’d ask anyway.” We both chuckle.

Alex has already started scooping as I grab us some bowls. I love how we work together on the simplest things. I feel like we live together, like a married couple, like a team. But even with those happy feelings, I’m starting to feel a little guilt too. Keesh’s words keep replaying in my head, and I can’t shake the idea that Alex could be sacrificing his grades to spend time with me.

“What’s on your mind, babe?” he asks. So sometimes it’s not so convenient for him to know what I’m thinking.

I raise a brow at him. “What makes you think I’ve got something on my mind?”

“You’re quiet. Usually, you’re talking a mile a minute,” he tells me. He’s right.

Why try to hide it? Instead, I just start talking. “Did you know that Dom and Steph are gonna break up after graduation? They actually have it planned.”

“No. Why are they gonna do that?”

I spill the story over chocolate ice cream with whip cream and fudge. Alex nods his head in between bites to show me he’s following.

“So what do you think?”

“Well it’s up to them. If that’s what they want to do, it’s none of my business.” He pauses, sucking on his spoon. “But why does it bother you so much?”

“It’s just what she said about you. About how she doesn’t want to be a distraction to Dominic’s school work which basically means that she thinks I’m getting in the way of Berkeley for you.”

“That’s crap, Meg.” He shakes his head.

“Are you sure? You’re not getting bad grades or anything are you?”

He puts his head down for a split second. He is. He’s getting bad grades. Oh no. What have I done?

“Alex, come on. Tell me. Are you doing bad in your classes?” I plead with him to be honest with me.

“Meggie, c’mon. Things are good. I got mostly Bs last semester. This term is okay.”

“What does that mean? Mostly Bs. Did you get Cs, Ds, or any Fs? And this term is okay?” I feel bad for questioning him. I’m not his mom, but I’m a little worried.

“I failed calculus. But don’t worry. Everyone fails it at least once.” He smiles and even though it shouldn’t, it makes me feel better. “My classes now are okay. I’ve got a lot of work to turn in this week. But don’t trip, I’m not worried.”

“If you have a lot of work to do, then why are you here? You should’ve stayed at school.”

“Why am I here? Because I wanted to see you. Aren’t you happy to see me?” He seems hurt.

I set my bowl on the counter and go to him. With him sitting on a bar stool, he’s low enough for me to wrap my arms around his neck without being on my tippy toes. I kiss his cheek softly and then his neck a little harder, and finally his lips, parting them so our tongues can explore each other. He mouth is cold and he tastes like chocolate. I pull myself away from him with one last taste of his lips. I look in his eyes, he big eyes that I could get lost in for days, and I smile. “Of course I’m happy to see you.”

He wraps his arms around me, sliding one hand beneath my shirt and holding my back. His touch sends fire throughout my body. “Now that’s more like it,” Alex mutters before closing in on me for another kiss.

Chapter Twenty Seven

Chillin’
in the counseling office for my three days of suspension from math isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I’m actually getting caught up on a lot of reading for English. I’ve totally neglected
Lord of the Flies
, although my vocab quizzes haven’t shown it. I don’t really know how taking a quiz on vocabulary can let my teacher know I’ve been reading. And it’s not like class discussions really help either. On the days I haven’t finished the reading, I’d just nod my head and agree or make up some dumb crap that passes off as making sense. But now I don’t have to worry because if I get called on today, I’ll be prepared.

I actually would’ve been finished a long time ago if I wasn’t so distracted by my weekend with my boyfriend. The high of him coming home to surprise me will probably last me for the rest of the year—okay maybe not—but I’m still a little worried about him. I convinced him to spend most of Saturday getting work done before we went out. He really wanted to spend the entire day with me, but I told him I wouldn’t open the door if he came over. I wanted to see him, more than anything, but I knew he had to do his homework, or whatever they call it in college. One of us has to be responsible, and since I haven’t been the best at it in my own life, I’m trying to be for him. I don’t want him to fail his first year of college because he’s been too busy visiting me and talking on the phone.