"McKynleigh and Samuel," Mr. Schue called, "Stay behind!" McKynleigh and I looked at each other inquisitorially.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I need you two to sing a duet," he said, "I've been feeling a lot of pressure from the underdogs of the club. They feel that even though they have talent, they don't get enough solos because they're not as loud as, say, Lindsay or Cameron. I need you two to set an example. You'll be doing The Rolling Stones classic Wild Horses. I need you guys to make this great, and it needs to be ready by Wednesday. We need to get pumped up for Regional's, okay? Here's the sheet music," he said, handing us a stack of papers.
"Thanks," she said, breaking the silence, "Bye Mr. Schue."
McKynleigh and I walked out of the choir room. "Maybe we should practice at my house?" I suggested.
She nodded nervously, pulled out here phone and texted someone. "Just letting Bryce know he doesn't have to take me home," she explained. I nodded and opened the door for her.
We walked over to my bike. She stopped and looked at it, her jaw dropped a little. "What?" I asked, grinning.
"My mom would kill me," she said, smiling at the thought. "It's worth it," she said, climbing on behind me. I laughed and started the engine. She put her hands on the bars behind her but when we started moving she grabbed me around the waist and squeezed tightly.
We drove to my house. Each time we turned she'd press against me even more. I turned to keep lane changes to a minimum and tried not to jerk the bike around too much.
We pulled up and I saw her jaw drop once more. I expected it. My parents' were two of the most influential people in Lima, as a result I lived in a mini-mansion on a secluded street. There were five houses in total and all equally as big as mine.
"Wow, never pegged you as a mansion guy," she said, looking at the house in shock.
"Never pegged you as the kind of girl who'd risk her life on a motorcycle," I replied.
"Guess we have a lot to learn about each other," she said, raising a flirtatious eyebrow.
"C'mon, let's go inside," I said, leading the way. We walked inside and went into my living room where there was a grand piano. I sat down and reviewed the music quickly.
"Here," I said, "You take the first bit and then I'll take the second. We'll sing the third together."
"Choruses together, right?" she asked, reviewing the lyrics.
"Yeah," I said, nodding, "Ready?" She nodded and I started the music.
"Childhood living is easy to do," McKynleigh sang,
"The things you wanted, I bought them for you
Graceless lady, you know who I am
You know I can't let you slide through my hands."
I smiled at her, she had a voice like an angel. We sang the chorus together.
"Wild horses couldn't drag me away
Wild, wild horses, couldn't drag me away."
I took the second verse.
"I watched you suffer a dull aching pain
Now you decided to show me the same
No sweeping exits or offstage lines
Could make me feel bitter or treat you unkind."
She sat down next to me and we started singing the chorus and last verse together.
"Wild horses couldn't drag me away
Wild, wild horses, couldn't drag me away."
I know I've dreamed you, a sin and a lie
I have my freedom but I don't have much time
Faith has been broken, tears must be cried
Let's do some living, after we die
Wild horses couldn't drag me away
Wild, wild horses, we'll ride them some day
Wild horses couldn't drag me away
Wild, wild horses, we'll ride them some day."
She looked at me when we finished the song. Something in her eyes drove me crazy. I leaned in and watched her close her eyes. I kissed her. There was instant chemistry. I pulled back after a second. We looked away and went back to practicing.
After running through the song for two hours McKynleigh proclaimed she was tired. I stood up with her. "Do you want a drink?" I asked awkwardly, running my hand through my dreads.
"Yeah," she said.
We sat at my kitchen table and sipped on water. "So, um," McKynleigh started, "About the kiss-"
"I don't want to make it into something bigger than what it was," I said, instantly feeling like a jerk, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. You were great but I-"
"Samuel," she stopped me, laughing a little, "It's fine. I knew it wasn't anything. Don't worry. It never happened."
"Thanks, McKynleigh," I said, sighing in relief, "I just got out of a bad relationship and all…"
"I know," she said, "I remember." I sighed, everyone knew. "Hey, let's go get something to eat," she suggested.
"Sounds good," I said, smiling, "Where do you want to go?"
"I know a place," she said, grabbing her purse and standing up. We walked outside and got back on the bike. She grabbed me around the waist but not as hard as last time. I revved the engine and pulled out. At stop lights she'd tell me where to go.
I followed her directions and soon we ended up at a small Chinese restaurant. There were curtains covering the back room so we couldn't see what was going on in there. We sat down at a small table for two and waited for menus.
A small, old Chinese woman waddled up to us, pen and paper in her hand. She gave us two menus. "Drinks," she said, clicking her pen.
"Dr. Pepper," I said, resorting to an old favorite.
"Cherry Cola," she said, making me smile at the obscurity of her order.
"Do you know what you want?" the woman asked.
"I do," she said, "Number four and we'll want a plate of wontons."
"And you?" the woman asked.
"What's good?" I asked McKynleigh.
"Try number 27," I said, "It's my second favorite."
"Okay," I said, trusting her, "27." The woman wrote down our orders and waddled off.
"What do you think of our song?" I asked, trying to start a conversation.
"I like it, but I'm partial to the Stones," she said, grinning sheepishly.
I laughed. "Me too," I told her, "They're amazing."
"Yeah," she said, "My mom once saw them in concert. ZZ Top opened. I was so jealous!"
I laughed again. "Wow, I would've loved to be your mom then."
"Yes, but that would have made our kiss a little awkward." I was silent for a minute, not knowing how to respond. "I'm sorry," she said, "I shouldn't have brought it up."
"It's fine," I said, laughing. I hated making her apologize. "The kiss was fantastic. You're a great kisser."
"You're not half bad yourself," McKynleigh said, smiling widely. She made me laugh, I liked that about her.
"Maybe we shouldn't stop it," I said, shrugging and avoiding eye contact. I couldn't deny I felt something when I kissed her, nor could I deny I was attracted to her. She was hot in a sneaky, subtle way with her light brown skin and short hair. She was tall, like me, something that doesn't happen often. I loved her eyes too and her lips were definitely kissable.
"I'd like that," she said bashfully, "But there's one problem- Bryce. Even though we're not really related, he takes the protective older brother role very seriously. He'd never let me go out with… well, with someone who looks like you. You're kind of scary looking in a totally cool way but Bryce wont see the cool charm of it. He'll just see some sort of dread-locked thug going out with his younger sister." I loved how she didn't skirt over the truth.
"Then in secret?" I suggested.
"In secret," she confirmed. We grasped hands, as if getting ready to arm wrest. I smirked and she tried to mainframe a serious scowl but couldn't. She broke out a smile, making me lean over the table to kiss her. In secret.