C&B 4
AK: Sorry for the wait... School is a cruel mistress.
Terry stared at Lee longingly- she was wearing a skintight sleeveless top with a pleated black plaid skirt. Her shirt said something but Terry couldn't see most of it.
"Hey, Terry..." Max sang from behind him, covering his eyes.
He scowled and pulled her hands off his eyes. "What?"
"Leering isn't an Olympic sport, Terry. You'll make her feel like a cake on display."
His scowl deepened when Max took the seat in his way. "C'mon, Max..." He tried to peer around her.
"No," she wagged a finger in his face. "It's unhealthy. Here, lemme help."
She turned and waved over Lee, who broke into a smile as she changed course. "Max! Are we still on for carpooling to Crystal's?"
"Sure; just need a car now." Max stared at Terry.
"Oh," He got the message. "I'll get it. And then maybe we can watch a favorite of mine. Like Meta-Co."
Lee smiled. "Trick."
"He's going to need your address; your closer to him than me and I have a credit limit." Max shook her head in mock-shame. "The woes of being on a scholarship."
He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. "Here, write you number on this. So you can tell me the address. To pick you up."
She took the scrap and started penciling down her digits.
"Oh, and don't forget to remind Zander for me. It's less emasculating coming from you."
He sighed. "Sure..." He stole a glance at the time. "Dang; I have to go." He took the paper scrap and stuffed it in his pocket.
As he strode off he heard Max say, "Told you he's a workaholic..."
"I find it trick he's so dedicated."
Perking up, he beamed at Dana as he passed her, feeling like the world was his to control. "This will be the best night ever."
"Worst night ever!" Lee declared staring into her closet. "I have nothing to wear!"
Her kittens, Leif and Trip, lay bored on her bed, snuggled into a pair of grey jeans.
"Darling, just treat it like a date..." her mother advised.
"But it's not! It just so happens that Terry will be there and I want to make a great impression."
Lee held up a deep red top and frowned. She threw it down and pulled out an emerald green mini dress. Again, it didn't pass the test. It joined the leather jacket, blue mini dress, violet skirt, red top, and sapphire sweater on the floor.
"Go with the color you like best. If he doesn't like it, he's not so great."
Lee paused, her eyes falling on a black mini Chinese shirt.
"You do like that that one the most..." Cecelia purred.
Lee stroked the silk fabric and thought hard. It was casual...
Her kittens sat up, and made a mewling sound. Her ride had arrived.
"I'll go stall. You decide now, Rylee." Her mother sauntered off.
It was harder to keep his eyes on the road than it was a few minutes ago, for Terry.
Lee sat next to him, tracing something in the window of the Lux XII. She had on a pair of short shorts and and a nearly transparent lavender loose top with a spaghetti strap black top under it.
He swallowed thickly, his eyes burning from the concentration he was using to keep from staring at her.
Finally, he pulled up to Crystal's flat.
"Everybody out."
Max, Zander, Chelsea, and Blayde all filed out, chatting and happy. Lee departed with the grace of a feline, her movements fluid and undaunted.
She gripped her one shoulder bag, her eyes taking in Crystal's monster huge flat. Not that it was bigger than her place. When she'd said it was hard to miss, she hadn't been joking.
She sauntered in, alone, behind the rest of the group. Terry jogged to catch up. "Wait up, Lee."
She stopped, looking over her shoulder at him.
"So, how are you liking GT?" he asked.
"Pretty trick, but it's a little less exciting since there isn't a hot guy bouncing into me in every class." She smiled at him.
"You think I'm hot?" He grinned at the sentiment.
"I also think Meta Cops' leading man, Jesse Idler is hot." Her smile turned coy.
"Anyone ever told you that you can crush a man's self esteem with a few monosyllable words?" Terry retorted.
"Just my ex. He said I was 'moody', 'negative', and 'bitter', too. But then, he was cheating on me. Trying to find fault would make it that much easier."
He felt a pang of guilt and stopped walking. "I'm sorry... I didn't-"
She jumped in front of him. "I'm joking! Yeah, I had a boyfriend. Yeah, he said I crushed his self esteem. But we're cool. No cheating." She grinned. "But you believed me."
"It was a pretty convincing performance." Terry defended.
"You are no Batman." She smiled suddenly. "I like that."
"Thanks." I think, he thought.
The party was in full swing, everyone was dancing. Well, everyone but me, amended Lee. She stood off to the side, watching as Terry's ex systematically danced with every guy in front of him.
Lee crushed her cup, nails shredding it. She stalked onto the dance floor and whirled Terry to face her. "Hey, stranger, wanna dance?"
He grinned. "Sure; if you can keep up."
And so the one-on-one dance battle began.
AK: Next chapter, we'll see who wins. *Hint: it makes Dana fume with envy!* Expect more frequent updates in the new year.
