Take It (3 page)

"Jesus," Brandi said. "Visuals? Really? Shit. Do you have any ideas?"

"I have a few. What are you doing after school?"

"Actually, I have a date," she said. It even felt weird coming out of her mouth.

Eric sat back. "Oh," he said. "Well we can figure it out another time. This weekend or something."

"How about Saturday?" Brandi asked. "Like noon? We can go to my house."

Eric agreed, and they spent the rest of the period bouncing bad ideas off of each other.

By the time lunch came around, Brandi couldn't wait to see Kayla. "Kayla!" She cried, running up to her. Kayla raised her eyebrows, surprised to see calm, collected Brandi so animated. "Guess what! Zack gave me a rose this morning and he asked me out tonight and he's picking me up tonight at six and I don't know what to wear," she rushed out. "Holy shit, my wardrobe is awful. Why didn't I listen to you yesterday and buy some new stuff? Fuck my life."

Kayla stared at her, wide eyed. "He gave you a rose and asked you out?"

Brandi smiled. "Yeah. It was in my locker with a note that said "Look behind you." So I did and he was standing there and he asked me out. I'm not even sure what we're doing."

Kayla scrunched her brow. "How'd he get into your locker?"

Brandi sighed in frustration. "I don't know. Who cares? What do I wear?"

Kayla looked up in thought. "That black pencil skirt that makes your ass look amazing. Black boots, your white ruffly tank top, and your black leather jacket. Cute and good for anywhere he takes you."

Brandi shook her head in amazement. "How do you know my wardrobe better than I do? How is that even possible?" Kayla laughed. "It's a gift. Everyone has that one weird thing they're good at."

Brandi got a huge plate of fries for her and Kayla to share and sat down. "So I know you said you wanted to meet him," Brandi said between mouthfuls, "but can we just wait until after tonight? I want to make sure everything goes ok first."

Kayla laughed at Brandi's nervousness. "Relax, Brandi. I don't expect you to parade me over to him and introduce us. But maybe you can just point him out if you see him? Does he have lunch this period?"

Brandi glanced around. "I don't see him. I'm sure you'll meet him eventually. Do you have to do that project for Mr. Stone? That technology in history thing?"

Kayla rolled her eyes and nodded. "They're getting desperate for new ideas. Who's your partner?"

"Eric Kellen. Thankfully, he's smart so we should be able to come up with something good."

Kayla snorted. "You got paired with Nerd Alert? That sucks."

"He's not so bad," Brandi defended him. "He's just...nerdy."

Kayla's face grew into a huge smile and they both burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" A voice behind her asked. Kayla looked up and raised her eyebrows. Brandi turned around to see Zack staring down at her with an amused look on his face. "Zack! Hi!" She exclaimed. "Nothing. We were just...discussing a history project."

Zack laughed. "That does sound hilarious," he joked, sitting next to her. He smiled at Kayla. "I haven't met you yet. I'm Zack."

"I'm Kayla," she said. "Why haven't I met you before?"

He shrugged. "I'm not in advanced classes."

Kayla nodded. "That makes sense then. How old are you?"

"I'm only 18. I'm not in the dumb classes either."

Kayla's face turned red. "I didn't mean..."

Zack broke out in a grin. "I'm kidding. I know that's not what you meant. I just wanted to introduce myself and make sure you didn't forget about me tonight," he said, wrapping his arm around Brandi. Brandi blushed and smiled. "Of course I didn't forget. I'll see you at six."

Zack kissed her on the head and left. Brandi watched him leave then turned back to Kayla. "So? You approve?"

"Holy. Shit. You didn't tell me how hot he was. How have I never noticed him before?"

Brandi giggled. "He is, right? I wonder why he wants to go out with me." Kayla shot her a warning glance, and she shut her mouth.

Brandi laid her outfit on the bed and sighed in relief. Kayla was a genius. Now she just needed to find something to kill the three hours she had between now and six. She took a long shower and shaved her legs and bikini area. Not that she was giving anything up tonight, but it made her feel more confident when she was clean shaven. She spent the next hour straightening her hair. She knew Zack didn't really like makeup on her, but a little bit of mascara wouldn't make her look too clownish. She brushed a few coats on her lashes and put some clear gloss on her lips. Deeming herself appropriate, she did the small amount of homework that she had. Her phone buzzed and she grabbed it, hoping it was a sweet message from Zack. It was from her mom.

Working a double. Be home around midnight. Love u

Brandi smiled. Even better. She didn't have to introduce Zack to the train wreck that was her mother. Not yet at least. She hummed as she put her hair up and took it down about five times. She decided to wear it down and checked her phone. 5:35. She put on her outfit and waited nervously. Hopefully Zack wouldn't realize she was a loser and decide she wasn't worth his time.

At 6:05, the doorbell rang. Brandi gasped and ran downstairs, flinging the door open. Zack stood in his leather jacket and nice jeans with a bouquet of flowers. "Sorry I'm late. I wanted to get you flowers but the cashier took forever."

Brandi smiled softly and took the flowers. "Thank you, Zack. I love them. Come in so I can put them in water."

Zack followed her inside. "Where's your mom?" He asked. She looked over her shoulder and caught him staring at her ass. "Sorry," he said, meeting her eyes and smiling. "Your body is distracting."

She blushed. "My mom's at work. She won't be home until midnight or so. Where are we going, anyway?"

"Lucianno's. Have you been there?"

She shook her head. "No, but I heard it was good. Can you help me? I'm too short to reach." Zack leaned over her and grabbed the vase from the cabinet. Brandi gasped as he pressed himself against her back. "Got it," he said, stepping back and putting the vase down. Brandi turned around and looked into his eyes. His gaze was smoldering. Brandi licked her lips nervously. Zack cleared his throat. "Let's go."

Brandi followed him out the door, relieved yet disappointed at the same time.

"So you want to be an accountant?" Zack asked. Brandi nodded, swallowing her bite of lasagna. "Yeah. I used to want to be a nurse like my mother, but her hours are ridiculous. She's the epitome of overworked and underpaid. Also I hate blood. But I love math. I know, I'm a nerd. But seriously, I would love to get paid to do math. What do you want to do after high school?"

Zack shrugged. "I'm thinking of joining the army. College isn't really my thing."

"That's great," Brandi said. "My dad was in the army. I have a lot of respect for the military."

"What does your dad do now?" He asked.

"He's a lawyer. A divorce lawyer, actually. The only reason my mom and I didn't get screwed over too badly was because he felt guilty for leaving us. He left us pretty comfortable. Financially, anyway."

"So why does your mom work so much?"

Brandi looked down, playing with her fork. She didn't really want to get into details about her mom, but he was bound to find out anyway. Better he be prepared. "She works because she wants to work. After the divorce, she got really depressed. Pretty much all she does is work and sleep. When she is around, she's either crying or clingy or wants nothing to do with me. She's like three different people. Just in case you ever meet her, you'll know what to expect."

Zack watched her for a second. "What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, your dad left and your mom is either gone or emotionally unavailable. Don't you ever feel lonely?"

Brandi shrugged. "I'm not really one of those people who needs to talk about my feelings all the time. Besides, I have Kayla. And her mom is more of a mother to me than my own is."

Zack took her hand, running his thumb over hers. "You have me, too. You can talk to me if you want to."

Brandi looked at him through her lashes shyly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Mm hmm," he murmured, staring at their intertwined hands.

"Why did you ask me out tonight?"

He looked up in surprise. "What do you mean?"

She bit her lip. "I guess I'm asking what you see in me. You're so...nice. And, you know, attractive. I'm just..."

"Pretty," he interrupted her. "Nice. Funny. Smart. You think for yourself. You're not a professional blow job machine."

Brandi burst out laughing. "Yeah, I'll give you that one."

Zack signaled the waiter for the check. Brandi cleared her throat nervously. "Do you want me to pay for half?"

Zack glared at her, his smile fading. "Don't insult me, Brandi. I may not have as much money as you, but I'm not an asshole."

Brandi eyes widened and her face turned red. "I didn't...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult you. I just...I thought I should offer. Just in case."

Zack closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and smiled at her. "I'm sorry. I overreacted. Forgive me?"

Brandi sighed in relief and mentally scolded herself for embarrassing him. "Of course I forgive you. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry too."

"Let's get out of here," he said, standing up and pulling her with him.

As Zack took Brandi home, she debated whether or not to invite him inside. She didn't want him to think she was easy, but she also didn't want to end the date on a sour note. She still felt guilty about insulting him. He pulled into her driveway and she took a deep breath. "Do you want to come in for a few minutes? My mom won't be home till midnight."

Zack shook his head. "No."

"Oh," Brandi said softly, looking down. "Ok."

"I should rephrase," Zack said, gently turning her face towards his. "Yes, I want to come in. Badly. But I won't. Because I won't be able to keep my hands off of you."

Brandi's heart skipped a beat and in a bold move, she pulled his face towards hers and pressed her lips to his. Zack grabbed the back of her head and pushed his tongue into her mouth. "Damn, Brandi," he murmured into her mouth. "You're killing me." He kissed her for another minute then pulled away. "I'll see you tomorrow before first period, ok?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Zack. I had a great time tonight."

"Me too, Brandi. Goodnight."

Brandi reluctantly got out if the car and went inside. She immediately called Kayla. "He kissed me!" She cried when Kayla answered the phone. "Like, we full on made out. He's an amazing kisser. The date was amazing." She left out the part about Zack getting upset with her. He clearly wasn't mad about it anymore.

"That's great, Brandi. I'm happy for you," Kayla said. Brandi heard the hesitation in her voice. "What's wrong?" She asked. Kayla sighed. "It's just...apparently Zack has a reputation for being kind of an asshole."

Brandi tried to ignore the anger that coursed through her veins. "Who told you that?"

"Gina Reynolds. She used to go out with him last year. She said he would get mad all the time for no reason and yell at her."

Brandi rolled her eyes. "Well I can assure you that he's not like that. He's sweet and nice. And he was incredibly respectful to me tonight. And maybe Gina was just a bad girlfriend. People don't just yell for no reason."

Kayla was silent for a minute. "I guess. I just wanted to make sure he was nice to you. I'll pick you up tomorrow."

Brandi hung up the phone feeling frustrated. It was nice that Kayla cared, but she was upset that she couldn't just be happy for her. Maybe she was jealous. The thought made Brandi smile. Kayla, jealous of her. She laid in bed, thinking of Zack's kiss.

Kayla picked Brandi up the next morning and handed her a cup of coffee. "Peace offering," Kayla said, smiling. "I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have said anything. Zack seems like a nice guy. As long as he treats you good, I approve."

Brandi wanted to say that she didn't need Kayla's approval, but she smiled instead. "Thanks. It's cool. I know you're just looking out for me. If Zack was an asshole, I wouldn't go out with him."

"So are you guys official?"

"Not really. I mean, we've only been on one date. I don't want to push it. But I really, really like him. And I think he likes me."

Kayla pulled into the school. "Well, as long as you're happy. See you at lunch."

Zack was waiting for Brandi at her locker. "Hey, beautiful," he greeted her. Brandi was unable to keep the huge smile from her face. Nobody had ever called her beautiful before. "Hi," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "I had an amazing time last night. Thanks again."

He kissed her on the forehead. "I have something even better planned for this weekend. Let's spend all day Saturday together."

Brandi nodded happily. "Ok. Oh wait, no. I can't on Saturday," she said, remembering the project she was working on with Eric.

Zack's eyes darkened. "Why not?"

"It's this stupid history project. We have to start working on our presentation. But we should be done by four or so."

"We?" Zack asked, stepping away from her. "Who's 'we'"

"Eric Kellen and I. We got partnered together."

To her surprise, Zack burst out laughing. "Seriously? You'd rather hang out with that nerd than with your boyfriend?"

Brandi's eyes widened. "Boyfriend?"

Zack smirked down at her. "Isn't that what we are?"

Brandi smiled softly at him. "I mean, yeah, I want to be. But I didn't know if we were official. We never really talked about it."

Zack nodded, looking around. "Ok. What's your middle name?"

"Umm...Nicole," she said, confused. Zack took her hand and got on his knees. "What are you doing?" Brandi hissed, looking around. Everyone in the hallway stopped and stared at them.

"Brandi Nicole Warner. Will you be my girlfriend?" He asked loudly.

Brandi laughed. "You're crazy."

"So is that a yes?"

"Yes, of course it's a yes. Now get up."

Zack jumped up and grabbed her face, kissing her hard. Brandi was sure her face was bright red from the spectacle, but she didn't care. Zack's gesture was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her. She glanced around at everybody smiling at her. Her mood faltered a little bit when she saw Gina Reynolds watching her with a concerned look on her face.