Skinny (5 page)

Lindsey laughed. Alyssa doubled over, giggling. Melissa burst out laughing too. Soon the whole team was hugging and hooting. It seemed the entire school was clapping for them.

Melissa half-walked, half-tumbled back toward Beau.

He high-fived her. “Great job! I never get to see you perform, you know. I’m always in the locker room at halftime.”

“Sorry that was the performance you saw.” She laughed. “I, of course, always get to see you play.”

“Not fair!” He tweaked her nose. “Let’s grab some more punch.”

The lights dimmed, and Frank Sinatra’s voice crooned “The Way You Look Tonight” over the speakers.

“Shall we dance?” Beau extended his hand.

Melissa felt dizzy. The sound of horns booming from the speakers tickled her ears. She put her hand in his as they glided toward the dance floor. His hand felt so warm. It made her skin tingle.

“You look really pretty,” Beau whispered as he spun her beneath his arm.

Melissa never felt pretty, but for a second she believed him.

The whole night swirled and twirled for Melissa. She couldn’t believe it when the harsh fluorescent lights turned on and the music turned off. Melissa felt like she was going to explode with excitement while Mrs. Pointreaux drove the few short blocks to Melissa’s house.

Beau got out of the Jeep and walked her to the front door. He reached for Melissa’s hand and gently kissed her knuckles. There was that tingling again.

“I had a great time, my lady.”

“Me, too,” she said, beaming.

Then, for an instant, Beau’s lips softly touched hers. She closed her eyes and tried to memorize the moment—the strength of his arms around her, the clean smell of soap that was so distinctly Beau, the scratchy wool of his suit against her bare arms. The kiss seemed to last both one hour and one second all at the same time.

Beau pulled back. Melissa opened her eyes. Silver flecks like the lights cast from the mirrored balls at the dance floated in front of her.

“Melissa, remember when we were talking about you getting to watch me at the games, but me not getting to see you?”

“Sure.” Melissa tilted her head.

“Well, I thought . . . if you want . . .” He paused. Then Beau reached inside his coat. “I thought if you wore this on your jacket, then we could sort of be together at the games, and all the time. Would you?” He held out the gold football-shaped pin that he wore on the white S of his letter jacket. Melissa parted her lips but couldn’t eke out a sound.

“I’m sorry.” Beau shook his head and curled his fingers over the pin. “I didn’t mean to push you. Good night,” he whispered and turned.

“Wwwwait,” Melissa finally squeaked. Beau turned back toward her.

She reached out her hand. “I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”

“Really?” Beau smiled and placed the metal pin in her hand.

“Really.” Melissa beamed.

“Good night, for real then.” Beau kissed her lightly on the cheek.

She forced her lips to part and her tongue to move until the two words “Good night” came out. As if watching a movie, she watched him walk down the driveway and back to his mom’s Jeep.

Melissa felt like Cinderella as she climbed the stairs. She didn’t want the evening to end. She thought of Beau’s lips on hers, and the silver stars returned.

She put on her snuggly flannel pj’s and opened her Bible. She knew exactly what chapter she would read tonight: Psalm 96.

Sing to the L
ord
a new song;

sing to the L
ord
, all the earth.

Sing to the L
ord
, praise his name;

proclaim his salvation day after day.

Dear God, thank You. Thank You for this night. Thank You for my friends, for the dance, for the chance to get dressed up like a movie star, and for making Beau like me. God, I am so happy. I know I couldn’t be any happier than I am at this very moment. Thank You! Amen.

“E
ighty-one, eighty-two.” Melissa practiced holding her splits. Her inner-thigh muscles ached.

Ding-dong.

“Ahhhh!” she moaned, walking to the front door. “Hey.” She smiled at Gracie and Lindsey.

“Hi. Whatcha doin’?” Lindsey asked, walking in with a brown paper grocery bag.

“Practicing my splits. I just got to eighty-two seconds. I’m trying for two minutes.”

“Better you than me.” Lindsey smiled. Lindsey had no interest in trying out for captain, so there was no tension between the friends. Melissa was relieved she could be open with Lindsey and that she didn’t have to worry about who was practicing more or who was better at which moves.

Gracie walked toward the kitchen. “This is going to be fun!”

Gracie and Lindsey started unloading their sack while Melissa pulled out bowls and pans. Monsieur Renauld was offering extra credit points for anyone who baked a
bûche de Noël
—the traditional French Christmas cake—and brought it to class. Lindsey had French with him right after Gracie and Melissa, so they decided to make it a group project.

“So I was wondering what you’re doing about Christmas?” Lindsey asked, cracking eggs into a glass bowl.

“Oh, the usual.” Melissa bent over and stretched out her right calf. “We’ll go to church on Christmas Eve, then to my Nana and Papa’s for a big family thing on Christmas morning.”

“Not about that, silly. I mean, that’s nice and all, but what are you doing about Beau and presents?”

“I’m getting Drew a sweater.” Gracie smiled and spun around the kitchen. “He looks soooo good in sweaters. Not that anyone asked.”

“Sorry, Gray,” Lindsey said. “You two are just such old news, no offense.”

“True love doesn’t have to make headlines.” Gracie smiled.

Melissa had wondered about this for days. She and Beau were boyfriend/girlfriend. The pin proved that. She wanted to get him something, but what?

“I don’t know!” she anguished. “I want to get him something great, but I don’t want to be the crazy too-into-him girl.”

“Like, how about his-and-hers T-shirts?” Lindsey winked.

“Very funny.” Melissa laughed.

“I know,” Gracie said in a sly voice. “Some cologne?”

“No way! That is so cheesy! Plus, he already smells wonderful, like soap.”

“Okay, how about something less mushy, like gift certificates for ice cream or pizza?” Gracie suggested while measuring flour. “Then he’ll have to take you to those places.”

“Always thinking of me, aren’t you, Gray?” Melissa joked. She envisioned herself in the short-skirted captain’s uniform. Then she imagined scooping spoonfuls of ice cream into her mouth until the uniform popped at the seams. “No,” she said, shaking her head.

“Well, don’t ever say we didn’t try to help,” Lindsey said with a snort. “Since I don’t have a boyfriend, I have to live vicariously through the two of you.”

“What happened to your sweet Sugar Plum date?” Melissa asked while stirring with a big wooden spoon.

“Brock had this annoying habit of popping his gum. It drove me crazy!”

Melissa laughed. “You’re the one who’s crazy!”

“Typical Lindsey,” Gracie added. “Not liking a guy because of the way he chews gum!”

“Whatever.” Lindsey shook her head. “Now how do we do this?”

Melissa read the directions from the back of their French book. “Bake cake for thirty minutes and allow to cool. Once cooled, spread cream filling evenly over cake. Starting with a short end, roll cake, jellyroll style, until completely rolled. Secure with toothpicks and frost.” She rubbed a patch of flour off her eyebrow. “So let’s put the cake in the oven and make the filling while it cooks.”

“I get to lick the batter,” taunted Lindsey.

“Me too!” Gracie chimed in.

Melissa couldn’t bear the thought of all that sugar and butter, but she went along with it. “What about me?” she chimed in, sliding the tray into the oven.

She grabbed a spoon and scraped some remaining batter from the side of the bowl. She turned and placed her spoon toward her mouth, fake licking it while throwing an eggshell down the drain. While by the sink, she tossed her untouched spoon into a bowl of soapy water.

“So Mom said I could have a Christmas party. Nothing big, just yummy food and
The Grinch
. Maybe Elvis singing ‘Blue Christmas’ in the background.” Melissa raised her eyebrows.

“I’m in!” Lindsey said, licking batter off the side of her mouth.

“Can I bring Drew?” Gracie asked, fluttering her eyelashes.

“Sure, as long as you promise to help.”

“I promise.” Gracie put her fingers up in a scout’s honor.

“Me, too!” Lindsey squealed. “I love Elvis. I’ll be so bloooo,” she sang into her spoon as if it were a microphone.

Melissa whapped her with a dish towel, and they all laughed until tears poured down their faces.

After their cake was complete and her friends had left, Melissa scrubbed and scrubbed the dishes, trying to remove every last fattening drop from the glass and metal. She polished the metal pan until she could see her distorted reflection in it and scoured the glass bowls until they were as clear as crystal. While her hands were immersed in bubbles, she wondered what she was going to get Beau.

/    /    /

D
ecember 21 was Melissa’s Christmas party. Gracie, Raven, Emma, and Lindsey all helped put it together. Melissa also invited some other girls from the dance team and some friends from the youth group at church. But the guest Melissa couldn’t wait to see was Beau.

Together Gracie and Melissa decorated the family room with tiny twinkling white lights and red velvet ribbons. The Christmas tree and the porcelain nativity scene underneath the lowest boughs set the scene.

Lindsey and Emma baked a batch of Chex mix so big they had to use the turkey roaster to hold it all! Raven baked cookies shaped like wreaths, made brownies topped with red and green frosting, and cut up a platter of fresh veggies with fat-free ranch dressing as the dip. Melissa made bright red punch out of sugar-free cherry Kool-Aid and Diet Sprite.

Everyone sang Christmas carols, watched
How the Grinch Stole Christmas,
and snacked on holiday treats. Melissa crunched on veggies and sipped saccharine-sweet punch to join in the fun with virtually zero calories. The crowd dwindled, but Beau stayed. After everyone else was gone, Beau pulled a package out of his coat pocket.

“Merry Christmas, Melissa.”

“I have something for you, too. I didn’t want to give it to you in front of everyone else, because . . . well, you know.” Melissa blushed. “Just a sec.”

She scurried upstairs and returned with the red package tied in a gauzy gold bow that she had hidden under her bed. “Merry Christmas.”

“Should we open them?” Beau asked.

“You first.” Melissa’s heart beat as fast as a hummingbird’s wings. What if he bought her something trivial, like a key chain? Or what if he bought her something way too expensive, like jewelry?

Beau’s lips curled in to a grin as he lifted from his box the tickets to a Christian rock concert Melissa had finally decided to buy, despite it being two months away.

“I’ve heard these guys on the radio. They’re pretty good.” He looked at Melissa. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” She smiled.

“Now you.” He motioned toward the package in her hands.

Melissa slowly ripped the glossy wrapping paper, not wanting to appear too anxious. Three CDs tumbled out: a homemade Christmas CD titled
Sugar Plum Songs
, the CD that had the song the dance team had danced to at the Stomp, and Frank Sinatra’s
Greatest Hits
. A little card was taped around the spines of the discs.

To Melissa—I thought a dancer could never have enough music. Now you can’t forget the time you danced with me. Beau

She beamed. “They’re great! Thanks!” She leaned over and hugged him.

“Really? Good. Now”—Beau paused for dramatic effect—“I wonder who I’m going to take to this concert?”

Melissa turned scarlet.

/    /    /

M
elissa was filled with Christmas joy as she read her Bible that night. “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).

Dear God, Thank You for Christmas, my family, my party, my friends, and for Beau—especially for Beau. Amen.

C
hristmas vacation flew by. Melissa slept in, went to the movies with her girlfriends, hung out with her folks, and read books and a pile of magazines.

She even got to see Beau three times. Once they ice skated at the Ice Chalet. They held mitten-encased hands as they skated round and round the frozen rink for hours. Another day they bundled up in scarves, hats, and snow pants and sledded down the sloping hill behind Beau’s house. They sipped rich hot cocoa afterward and giggled. They also met at the mall one afternoon to listen to their high school chorus perform Christmas carols. Melissa felt grasshoppers jumping in her belly when Beau draped his arm around her shoulders for all the choir and crowd to see.

Melissa also spent two hours every day practicing dance in her basement. She stretched, kicked, spotted, and snapped. She practiced old routines for precision. She made up new routines to her favorite songs. Officers were responsible for choreographing a lot of the dances, and she wanted to be prepared.

On January 4 school started again.

“Bonjour!”

“Bonjour, Monsieur Renauld!”

“I hope everyone had a
joyeux Noël
.” The class broke into a din as everyone began sharing stories about Christmas break.

Monsieur Renauld continued, “But now it is time to get back to our studies. I was lenient first semester focusing solely on the French language. This semester we will also focus on French geography and French culture.” His nasal accent lilted from his long, narrow nose.

Groans filled the room. Melissa opened her textbook and scanned the next chapter.