Ch. 8
A/n: Belle is in no way related to Brady.. Oh yea.. I LOVE feedback. *wink wink*
By the time I got to physics class the next Monday morning, I was feeling pretty anxious to see Chloe. We haven't talked since that horrible phone conversation. I still wasn't sure what we'd gotten into a huge such a huge fight about. One second we were talking like sane people, then we'd been shouting like we were enemies at war. The whole experience was unsettling, and I hadn't been able to get it off my mind since.
When Chloe entered the classroom, she sat down right next to me. Since there were several empty seats, I took this as a good sign. When class started, I tore a piece of my notebook paper. "TRUCE?" I wrote in big bold letters. I was willing to make the first move, but I wasn't going to apologize.
I poked her in the arm with my pencil and held up the paper. She whipped her head around and read the paper. She gave me a little smile. I smiled back because all of a sudden I felt as if a two- ton weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.
As soon as class ended, Chloe got up and put her hands on my shoulders.
"Friends?" She asked.
I nodded, squeezing her hands. "Always."
When we got out of the classroom, I turned to her. "How about we go to Dotcom together after school and remind ourselves that we don't hate each other."
"Great idea. I'll meet you there at 3."
Veronica was waiting for me in the hallway. The bracelet I gave her was gleaming from her wrist. I glanced over at Chloe, who plastered a smile on her face.
"Hi, guys," Veronica, said, beaming at me.
"Hey, Veronica," Chloe said, "That's a gorgeous bracelet." Chloe sounded as if she was talking to her best friend and I was glad she was trying to be nice to Veronica.
Veronica held up her wrist. "Thanks, Chloe. Brady gave it to me. Isn't he sweet?" she asked, stepping closer to me.
I saw Chloe roll her eyes. Her deep blue eyes were intense, but I couldn't tell what she was thinking. "As sweet as sugar," Chloe, agreed." See you lovebirds later"
When Chloe walked away, Veronica gave me a peck on the cheek. "Guess what?" she asked.
"What?" I still had one eye on Chloe, who was with Michael standing next to her locker.
She was laughing, and it was hard to believe that she was the same girl who had gotten so angry Saturday night.
"I talked to Natalie Starks," Veronica said, "And we decided that she and Jeffrey would double with you and me at the dance Saturday night."
I frowned, remembering how obnoxious Jeffrey Torres usually was at dances or parties. He was not someone I was dying to associate with. But as usual, Veronica didn't seem to notice that I wasn't too thrilled about the idea.
"Won't it be just great?" she asked. "We'll have a awesome time together. And if I become great friends with Natalie, then I'll be a shoo-in for the cheerleading squad." If she really wanted to go with the dance with them, who was I to stop her? After all, the better the mood she was in, the more romantic she'd feel.
"That'll be fun," I said "I'll drive"
We separated, Veronica had to go her next class, and I had Study hall. I was meeting Shawn in the library to work on our history report together.
I found him in the middle of the school's library with about twenty books spread around him. He had a pencil in his mouth, and looked more like a serious student than he actually was.
"Hey, Shawn" I said, pulling up a chair.
"Shh. This is a library." Shawn said.
I leaned in close so he could hear me whisper." What's up with the Boy Scout routine?" I asked.
Shawn pointed to a girl behind the checkout desk of the library. Lots of juniors got stuck with library duty, but I've never seen Shawn so in awe of someone. The girl had medium-length blond hair and was wearing a yellow sundress with a small white jacket over. He looked at me and said," promised Belle we'd be quiet."
I raised my eyebrows. Has aliens stolen the real Shawn and replaced him with a clone? I'd never seen him so worried about a promise to a library attendant before." So what?"
"She's an awesome girl Brady. Let's show her some respect." Shawn whispered, shifting his eyes back to where Belle was punching something into the computer.
"I reached out to feel his forehead. "Are you sure you're not sick? Or have you just lost your mind?"
He swatted m hand away." We should get to work. Belle was nice enough to help me find these books. Let's use them."
I started thumbing thought the pages of the books Shawn handed me. When I lifted m head to ask Shawn about how we should divide the work, I saw that he was staring at Belle, and his mouth hanging open. I waved my hand in front of his face to try and get his attention.
I watched as a small blush rose to his cheeks. Whether he knew it or not, Shawn was falling for the girl who worked in the library.
*****
"Her name is Belle," I said to Chloe as we walked into Dotcom. "She works in the library."
"Belle Evans?" Chloe asked, making a beeline for an open booth.
"I guess. Shawn just called her belle. And he had this goofy expression on his face whenever he said her name." I said, sliding into our booth.
"That's interesting. Somehow I didn't picture Belle as Shawn's type." Chloe said while taking of her jacket.
"Well, I really think he has a thing for her. Who would've guessed? But Love does work in mysterious ways."
"And if anyone knows that, it's us." Chloe agreed. The waitress came over, and we gave her our orders.
"True, I mean less than three months ago, we thought we'd never fall in love, now here we are." I grinned.
The waitress returned with our drinks. " You know Brady, I'm really glad you came up with this bet because, with out it, I probably never would have tried to get with Michael."
" I'm happy for you Chlo, but I still think Michael is a loser." I said as I took a sip of my drink.
"Yeah? Well, what If I said I didn't think Veronica was good enough for you?" she asked.
"Then I'd tell you to mind your own business." I responded.
"Exactly."
"So, you're telling me to mind my own business."
"Why, I think he's got it!"
I waved my napkin as a white flag." You've got a deal."
She nodded." I thought you would see things my way."
I watched as Chloe finished her drink in one giant gulp. I laughed, She really was one in a million.
****
It was homecoming Saturday. Friday afternoon, I'd gotten everything ready, my suit, the corsage, and I'd even washed my car. I was ready.
Since Jeffrey was on the football team and Natalie was a cheerleader, Veronica and I were going alone to the football game-Thank Goodness. But then we'd go home to change, and I'd swing by to pick everyone up. I still was not looking forward to go with Jeffrey and Natalie, but what was I to do?
When we got to the game, Veronica pulled me over to the section that was right in front of the cheerleaders.
"Let's sit here," she said. "So, we can see all of our friends." 'You mean your friends,' I thought to myself.
I saw Shawn out of the corner of my eye and waved him over to sit with us.
Veronica stood up and gave him a hug. "Hey Shawnie, how are you?"
"To tell you the truth, I've been better."
Veronica didn't seem to hear his answer." So, who are you going to the dance with?"
Shawn shook his head. "I'm not going."
"I thought you were going to ask Belle." I said. He'd been building up the courage, and he'd sworn that he was going to ask her on Friday.
"I decided that it would be an insult to ask her right before the dance, it's like saying that I thought she couldn't find any other date.
"Belle Evans? You mean that Blah-looking girl in the library?" Veronica asked wrinkling up her nose.
I nudged her in the ribs. Sure she was beautiful and sophisticated, but diplomacy wasn't her strong point." I think she's really cute." I said.
Shawn shrugged." Maybe Veronica's right. What do I have in common with a girl like her anyway?"
"You don't want to go out with her," Veronica said." I'm positive you could get someone more poplar."
"Chloe really likes Belle," I said. " She was in one of her classes last year, she said she was really nice." I glanced at Veronica, trying to tell her with my eyes to lay off of Shawn. Belle was the first girl I'd ever seen him have a major thing for, and I didn't want Veronica to convince him of something different.
"Well, Chloe liking her doesn't say much. She doesn't exactly have her finger on the pulse of Salem high." Veronica's voice sounded sweet, but her words made my stomach churn.
"What does that mean?" I almost had forgotten that Shawn was sitting next to us.
"Well, I doubt Chloe would make the who's who of popular seniors. She's nice, but." Veronica let her voice trail off, as if she'd said everything there was to say about Chloe.
"Chloe doesn't hang out with those people because she's got better things to do. Like sing. And write, and hang out with me." I knew I was being a bit cranky, but I couldn't help myself. If there was anything that made my blood boil it was hearing something negative about Chloe. Only I could talk about how much she irritated me, but when anyone else opened their mouth, I felt a strong need to punch something.
"Excuse me, Brady. I was just making an observation." Veronica sounded hurt, and I really felt guilty. Besides, Chloe didn't need me fighting her battles.
"I'm sorry," I said. " I guess I'm just get a little defensive when it comes to Chlo. Shawn knows what I mean, don't you?" I looked to my left expecting to see Shawn there, but all I saw was the back of his leather jacket on his way to the Snack Bar.
"Nevermind" Veronica said, putting her hand on my knee. "I'm sure we could find something else to talk about other than Chloe."
I nodded." I agree, let's talk about us."
When Veronica launched into a big speech about her dress, and yada yada yada, I glanced around.
Up several rows, to my right was Chloe with Michael. They had a big blanket around them, and I couldn't tell if they were holding hands. Not that I cared or anything. I was just curious.
Mimi was sitting behind them with a guy who I assumed was her homecoming date, but there was at least three feet of bench separating them.
My eyes traveled back to Chloe, and I was desperate to know what was going on under that blanket. Just then, she glanced in my direction. Her eyes widened, and then averted her gaze. I felt a blush coming to my cheeks. Did she think I was staring at her?
Veronica's voice interrupted my thoughts. "My dad said I could extend my curfew for two hours. Isn't that great?"
I moved closer to her and put my arm around her. "That's great."
"I know. Especially since the star of the basketball team is supposed to have an after-party. It's invitation only, but I'm positive we'll be on the list."
I groaned silently, tilting my head back in Chloe's direction. Our eyes met briefly and I saw Chloe jump. The blanket slid from her lap, and I finally saw that they were holding hands.
I closed my eyes, wondering if she was finding love as difficult to deal with as I was.
Somehow I didn't think so.
Ch. 9
Michael and I had to arrive at the dance early so him and the rest of his band could set up. Now the band was in full swing, even though a lot of people hadn't arrived yet.
"What do you think of gay Paree?" I heard Mimi say. Our theme for the dance was "An evening in Paris" The gym looked kind of pretty, You could tell it there was lots of hard work put into decorating, there was even a paper mache of the Eiffel tower.
"What happened to James?"
James was Mimi's date. They'd driven to the dance with us, but now James was nowhere in sight.
"He's hanging out in the parking lot with some of his buddies. I think we could cross him off as Mr. Right."
"Well you look gorgeous. You should keep an eye out for prospects."
Mimi really did look beautiful. We'd both went back to the store we went to and bought the dresses we tried on. Mimi looked every inch prom queen material.
"I did meet a guy. I see him standing over by the Eiffel Tower, I think I'll go and say hi."
Once Mimi left, I felt like a wallflower. The gym was filling with students, and it seemed like I was the only one standing by myself. I was bored, frustrated. Michael would be playing all night, and everyone else I knew was on the dance floor.
My heels were killing me, so I decided to go take a seat. From my spot I saw that Brady had just walked in with Veronica, Natalie, and Jeffrey. I could always feel Brady's presence in a room. Over the past few years I'd developed some kind of homing device that alerted me to Brady's whereabouts. Sometime I almost felt like we had something like that twin ESP that people talk about.
After watching Brady and Veronica move to the dance floor, I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. I had a long day and I still had hours to go.
My eyes popped open when I heard Michael speak into the microphone. "I'd like to dedicate this song to Chloe Lane," he said in his low voice. "She's my blue eyed girl."
Hundred pairs of eyes suddenly turned to me. I stoop up and gave Michael a little wave. Looking at his smiling face, I smiled back. The tempo for the song was slow, sultry, and perfect for "An evening in Paris."
But even though the song I was listening too was being played for me, I couldn't help but be depressed. I hadn't been on the dance floor once all night, and now it seems like I was going to stand around and watch everyone else have all the fun.
"May I have this dance?"
I whipped around. Brady was beside me, his blue eyes twinkling. In his navy blue suit, he looked elegant and sophisticated. He had his blond hair trimmed. Basically, he looked like a GQ cover model.
"It would be my pleasure," I responded, stepping into his open arms.
Brady was scanning the floor, and I thought he was looking for Veronica. I was wrong.
"So, Shawn never showed up huh?" he commented.
"Belle isn't here either." Brady shook his head. "What a waste, huh? They're both probably a home, miserable."
"Thanks goodness, that's not us," I said.
Brady pulled me a little closer. "Thank goodness," He whispered. Then we both fell silent.
Brady and I never danced together much. He'd probably been to every school dance, but I'd only been to a few. And my usual pattern was that as soon as I'd arrived, I'd start planning a way to ditch my date and head home. Like I said, I'd never been lucky in love.
"You look great, Chloe" Brady said, looking directly into my eyes. We'd move into the middle of the dance floor, and I was incredibly aware that Brady's arms were wrapped tightly around me. But it wasn't like he had a choice, we were dancing to a slow song, so he had to hold me close.
"Do you really think so?" I asked. Brady almost never gave me compliments; we were more into the affectionate teasing.
He nodded "yup."
"Thanks. But why are you being so nice? It's becoming unnerving."
I was aware of Michael's voice singing in the background, but I was focusing all of my attention on Brady.
He laughed. " Am I being nice? Ignore me." He spun me around, and then dipped me. The serious expression was gone from his face. "Hey, do you think that dress is tight enough? It looks like it's sewn on." Now there was the Brady I knew.
"Yeah? Well, let me ask you something," I said, giggling. "How many tubes of gel did you use in your hair tonight? Three? Maybe four?"
We both started laughing. Then as the song started to speed up a bit, I started to lead Brady into something that resembled something like the tango. We shot across the dance floor, forcing other people to clear a path for us.
By the time the music slowed down, we'd reached the other side of the dance floor. There wasn't much light, and we were left dancing in the shadows. Brady pulled me close again, and I found myself putting my arms around his neck.
All of a sudden, I was out of breath. I was suddenly aware that both the pulse I my neck had speed up to a hundred beats a minute and the firmness of Brady's muscles beneath my hands.
When I tilted my head to look at his face, I found Brady's mouth just millimeters from mine. Time seemed to stop, and I couldn't tear myself away from the piercing light in his eyes. This is what the other girls see. I thought. This is the Brady I've never known before.
I moved my head closer to his, closing my eyes. I couldn't stop myself.
"May I cut in?" I heard a high-pitched voice behind us.
"Veronica!" Brady said, jumping away from me. "I was just going to look for you."
"Well, here I am," she said, completely ignoring me.
"Right, here you are," I said moving further away from Brady. " I'll catch you later, Brady."
I pushed my way through the couples on the dance floor, trying to look for Mimi. I was in need of some cynical banter about how lame school dances really were.
When I'd made it halfway across the dance floor, I turned to sneak a glance at Brady. He was starting at me, but I was too far to read the expression in his eyes.
My breath caught in my throat, and I felt paralyzed.
At that moment, Veronica pulled Brady's head down for a kiss, and the spell as broken. I wasn't exactly sure what happened between us, but I hoped that whatever it was wouldn't happen again. *****
"What a rush," Michael said hours later. " I always loved performing like that."
It was almost one o'clock, and I really wanted to get home. The dance was over, but Michael and the rest of the band had to pack up their equipment.
"You guys were great," I said. "Everyone loved you."
"What can I say? This is in my blood." We were packed and ready to go.
When we pulled up to my house, the porch light was on. Through the curtains, I could make out my mom's form waiting on the couch.
Michael turned off the ignition. He turned in his seat and reached to put his hands on my hips. He pulled me close, kissing me with more intensity, than ever before
Chills ran up and down my spine, and my body tingled with excitement. "Brady," I whispered, feeling his soft hair beneath my fingertips.
In the next second, my heart stopped. I opened my eyes, unable t o believe what I just said. I just called Michael by Brady's name. What was I thinking? Did he notice?
I pulled back an inch and started at Michael. In response he hugged me. He obviously didn't hear me. Thank God. But I couldn't concentrate on Michael's kisses. Brady's name was echoing in my mind, the sound mocking me. Why did I say it? What was wrong with me?
I shook my head slightly. I told myself that saying his name didn't mean anything. I'd just seen Brady, and he was on mind.
"I never want to stop kissing you," Michael said.
"I love you," I whispered.
I'd never said those words before (except to Brady, but that was in a different way). I always imagined bells ringing, fireworks shooting into the sky when the time came. I didn't feel any of that with Michael, but I figured, I expected too much.
It wasn't until I climbed into bed that I realized Michael hadn't said it back. But I was sure he would- soon. ****
"Did you dance all night?" Abby asked, pulling Ben & Jerry's from the freezer.
I got out the spoons. " No, Michael's band was playing, so I didn't really have anyone to dance with."
Abby sighed dramatically. "Dances are so romantic. I wish I could go."
When I got to her house this morning, she'd been hopping up and down grilling me about how the dance was, Observing Abby's face, I felt like a bitter old woman.
"Don't worry, you'll be going to hundreds of dances. I bet every guy would jump at the chance to go with you." I said while scooping out the ice cream.
"Was Brady there?" Ever since Abby and her friends started getting boy crazy, she had an even bigger crush on Brady.
"Yeah. He was with his girlfriend, Veronica."
Abby frowned- she didn't like the idea of Brady with another girl she's never seen. "Well, did you at least dance with him?"
"Yep. Once." I hope Abby didn't see my cheeks turning red. I could feel my face getting warm at the memory of me and Brady during those few moments on the dance floor.
"Do you think Brady will take me to a dance"
I laughed. "Isn't he kind of old for you?"
Abby shrugged. "I'm mature for my age."
"I'll put in a good word for you," I said, grinning.
Abby ate quietly for a moment, then looked at me with a serious expression. "Are you and Brady going to get married someday?"
I almost choked on my ice cream. "No!" Abby and I had been over the face that Brady and I were just friends hundreds of times, but she refused to accept it.
Abby looked at me. "Well, I think you should marry him. And I'll be your bridesmaid." I just shook my head and rolled my eyes. The little girl had a lot to learn about love.
Ch. 10
*** Basking in the sun at the Park, Veronica and I lounged on a thick plaid blanket.
Hearing the sound of female laughter, I turned my head. It wasn't Veronica who was laughing, it was Chloe. She was shielding her eyes from the sun, and her long tan legs were stretched out in front of her.
Without questioning her, I lay down with my head in her lap, smiling into her sparkling eyes. Slowly she bent down and my brushed her lips over the sensitive skin next to me earlobe. Then her mouth moved to mine, and I reached up, tangling my fingers into her long, thick mass of dark hair. Moving myself into a sitting position, I increased the pressure of my lips. In the next second, we were holding each other so tightly that I felt as if we were two halves of the same person.
****
In the middle of kissing Chloe, I woke up. My heart was pounding and beads of sweat were forming on my temple. My world felt as if it had just been thrown completely off balance. What the hell just happened?
Of course I dreamed about Chloe sometimes, everyone I knew had been in my dreams at least once. But I'd never dreamed of kissing Chloe like that. I felt like someone just slapped me. I mean Veronica was the one who I was supposed to be dreaming about. But that long kiss with Chloe had felt so real, my lips just ached thinking about it.
Everyone knew dreams didn't really mean anything. I told myself. Just because I dreamed of kissing Chloe didn't mean I really wanted to kiss her. Sure we shared what people would call a romantic dance the other night before, and it was completely natural to have an innocent dream her.
I splashed cold water on my face, decided I would go out and play a little basketball. Exercise was exactly what I needed. The dream about Chloe meant absolutely nothing.
"Nothing at all," I said looking at my reflection in the mirror. "Zilch. Zero" ****
"Yo, Black, how was the dance?" Shawn asked Monday morning.
We were in the library, meeting about our report again.
"The band sucked, but I managed to have an awesome time anyway."
Shawn lifted an eyebrow. "That's funny, I've seen Radio Waves a few times, and I think they're pretty good."
"To each his own." I opened my textbook. "By the way, Belle wasn't at the dance."
Just as I thought, that remark took Shawn off of Michael and his stupid band. Shawn looked over at the library desk, and sure enough there was Belle on the computer.
Shawn started getting up. "I just remembered, I forgot to return a book, I'll be back."
I leaned in my chair to watch Shawn work. I just wished that he would hurry and ask her out already and put an end to his misery. After exchanging a few sentences, Shawn slouched back to our table.
"Well? How'd it go?" I asked.
"Horrible. I feel like a complete idiot around her." He put his head in his hands, but I saw him look through his fingers at Belle.
*** "I haven't even been here a semester, and I'm already friends with the right people," Veronica said to me. We were sitting in my car.
My stomach tightened in the uncomfortable way it always did when Veronica talked about her popularity. At first, I thought she just wanted to get to know more people. But now it was like she was obsessed. I'd even seen her be mean to people who weren't in the "in" crowd.
"That's great," I said flatly. "Now your life is complete."
Veronica nodded." And that's all thanks to you." She gazed at me. "Thank goodness I found you."
"What do you mean by that?" I kept my voice light, but I felt hallow.
"Well, since everyone likes you, they automatically like me. You're like my angel."
Over the last few weeks, I'd been convincing myself that Veronica really loved me, and that I loved her. But the doubts I kept trying to push away were all coming back.
Veronica had never really shown any interest in getting to know my friends, unless they happen to be cheerleaders or athletes. And whenever she told me how much she liked me, the word *popularity* always seemed to follow somewhere nearby. Basically, Veronica was using me as a trophy boyfriend.
In a flash, I was hit by the knowledge that I was forcing myself to fall in love with Veronica to win that stupid bet with Chloe. And as much as Veronica was using me, I was basically doing the same.
Veronica's voice interrupted my thoughts. " I think we're the cutest couple at Salem high, don't you?"
I nodded mutely, feeling as though my whole world was crumbling around me.
**** . Thursday night, Chloe and I were sitting in her den, watching an affair to remember. The movie was another of our favorites, and I felt relaxed for the first time since that talk with Veronica.
Chloe was staring silently at the TV, and almost mechanically shoving popcorn in her mouth. Although I wasn't too thrilled that Chloe was probably going to rub my nose in the fact that I was probably going to lose the bet, I still wanted to talk to her about my problem with Veronica. After all, she was my best friend and knew a lot more about women than I did.
"Chloe, I think Veronica is a social climber." I said
"No kidding," She replied, sighing.
"Well, I think that maybe I'm not as much in love with her as I thought."
"Hmm," Chloe said absently.
"Chloe? Are you listening to me?" I poked her shoulder.
"Do you think that Michael is still in love with Kimberly?" she asked, instead of answering me.
"Chloe, I just told you that I might not be in love with Veronica."
She put down the popcorn and looked at me "The thing is, in creative writing today, the teacher called on Michael to read the poem he wrote."
"So?" I asked.
She frowned. "It was a love poem"
"Please, Chloe, spare me the details." I wasn't in the mood to hear about Michael's stupid poem.
"Brady, the poem wasn't about me."
"What?" I had to admit that my curiosity was now piqued.
"Well, the words were all about 'loss and separation, and cruel distance' as he put it." Chloe bit her lip.
"And?" I knew this was leading up to something.
"I think he wrote that poem for Kimberly, which would mean that he's really not in love me." I could have sworn I saw I tear in her eye.
"The guy's a sleazebag. You'd be better off without him."
A thought suddenly hit me. If Chloe broke up with Michael and I broke up with Veronica, then we'd still end up even in terms of our bet. Who knew? Maybe I'd even fall in love again before winter ball. Anything was possible.
"Michael is not a sleazebag!" Chloe shouted. "Just shut up! You don't know what you're talking about."
Chloe was totally frustrating me right now. She'd just said herself that Michael was still into Kimberly, his ex-girlfriend. If that didn't qualify him as a sleazebag, what did?
"Fine. What do you want me to say?"
Chloe threw herself against the couch. "Kimberly is coming home for Thanksgiving. Do you think I should be worried?"
"If you don't want me to tell you that Michael is a sleazebag, then I don't have anything to say to that."
Chloe buried her head in the pillow. "Brady, do you think you could leave now? I really need to be alone." She turned off the TV and closed her eyes.
Without saying goodbye, I stomped out. I'd wanted to have a serious conversation with her, and all she cared about was that wimp she called a boyfriend.
As I sped home I started to see things in a new light. Sure, Veronica had a few problems, but who didn't? At least she was always happy to see me, and she never kicked me out of her house.
I made a U-turn. In fact, Veronica would probably be happy to see me right now.
A/n: Belle is in no way related to Brady.. Oh yea.. I LOVE feedback. *wink wink*
By the time I got to physics class the next Monday morning, I was feeling pretty anxious to see Chloe. We haven't talked since that horrible phone conversation. I still wasn't sure what we'd gotten into a huge such a huge fight about. One second we were talking like sane people, then we'd been shouting like we were enemies at war. The whole experience was unsettling, and I hadn't been able to get it off my mind since.
When Chloe entered the classroom, she sat down right next to me. Since there were several empty seats, I took this as a good sign. When class started, I tore a piece of my notebook paper. "TRUCE?" I wrote in big bold letters. I was willing to make the first move, but I wasn't going to apologize.
I poked her in the arm with my pencil and held up the paper. She whipped her head around and read the paper. She gave me a little smile. I smiled back because all of a sudden I felt as if a two- ton weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.
As soon as class ended, Chloe got up and put her hands on my shoulders.
"Friends?" She asked.
I nodded, squeezing her hands. "Always."
When we got out of the classroom, I turned to her. "How about we go to Dotcom together after school and remind ourselves that we don't hate each other."
"Great idea. I'll meet you there at 3."
Veronica was waiting for me in the hallway. The bracelet I gave her was gleaming from her wrist. I glanced over at Chloe, who plastered a smile on her face.
"Hi, guys," Veronica, said, beaming at me.
"Hey, Veronica," Chloe said, "That's a gorgeous bracelet." Chloe sounded as if she was talking to her best friend and I was glad she was trying to be nice to Veronica.
Veronica held up her wrist. "Thanks, Chloe. Brady gave it to me. Isn't he sweet?" she asked, stepping closer to me.
I saw Chloe roll her eyes. Her deep blue eyes were intense, but I couldn't tell what she was thinking. "As sweet as sugar," Chloe, agreed." See you lovebirds later"
When Chloe walked away, Veronica gave me a peck on the cheek. "Guess what?" she asked.
"What?" I still had one eye on Chloe, who was with Michael standing next to her locker.
She was laughing, and it was hard to believe that she was the same girl who had gotten so angry Saturday night.
"I talked to Natalie Starks," Veronica said, "And we decided that she and Jeffrey would double with you and me at the dance Saturday night."
I frowned, remembering how obnoxious Jeffrey Torres usually was at dances or parties. He was not someone I was dying to associate with. But as usual, Veronica didn't seem to notice that I wasn't too thrilled about the idea.
"Won't it be just great?" she asked. "We'll have a awesome time together. And if I become great friends with Natalie, then I'll be a shoo-in for the cheerleading squad." If she really wanted to go with the dance with them, who was I to stop her? After all, the better the mood she was in, the more romantic she'd feel.
"That'll be fun," I said "I'll drive"
We separated, Veronica had to go her next class, and I had Study hall. I was meeting Shawn in the library to work on our history report together.
I found him in the middle of the school's library with about twenty books spread around him. He had a pencil in his mouth, and looked more like a serious student than he actually was.
"Hey, Shawn" I said, pulling up a chair.
"Shh. This is a library." Shawn said.
I leaned in close so he could hear me whisper." What's up with the Boy Scout routine?" I asked.
Shawn pointed to a girl behind the checkout desk of the library. Lots of juniors got stuck with library duty, but I've never seen Shawn so in awe of someone. The girl had medium-length blond hair and was wearing a yellow sundress with a small white jacket over. He looked at me and said," promised Belle we'd be quiet."
I raised my eyebrows. Has aliens stolen the real Shawn and replaced him with a clone? I'd never seen him so worried about a promise to a library attendant before." So what?"
"She's an awesome girl Brady. Let's show her some respect." Shawn whispered, shifting his eyes back to where Belle was punching something into the computer.
"I reached out to feel his forehead. "Are you sure you're not sick? Or have you just lost your mind?"
He swatted m hand away." We should get to work. Belle was nice enough to help me find these books. Let's use them."
I started thumbing thought the pages of the books Shawn handed me. When I lifted m head to ask Shawn about how we should divide the work, I saw that he was staring at Belle, and his mouth hanging open. I waved my hand in front of his face to try and get his attention.
I watched as a small blush rose to his cheeks. Whether he knew it or not, Shawn was falling for the girl who worked in the library.
*****
"Her name is Belle," I said to Chloe as we walked into Dotcom. "She works in the library."
"Belle Evans?" Chloe asked, making a beeline for an open booth.
"I guess. Shawn just called her belle. And he had this goofy expression on his face whenever he said her name." I said, sliding into our booth.
"That's interesting. Somehow I didn't picture Belle as Shawn's type." Chloe said while taking of her jacket.
"Well, I really think he has a thing for her. Who would've guessed? But Love does work in mysterious ways."
"And if anyone knows that, it's us." Chloe agreed. The waitress came over, and we gave her our orders.
"True, I mean less than three months ago, we thought we'd never fall in love, now here we are." I grinned.
The waitress returned with our drinks. " You know Brady, I'm really glad you came up with this bet because, with out it, I probably never would have tried to get with Michael."
" I'm happy for you Chlo, but I still think Michael is a loser." I said as I took a sip of my drink.
"Yeah? Well, what If I said I didn't think Veronica was good enough for you?" she asked.
"Then I'd tell you to mind your own business." I responded.
"Exactly."
"So, you're telling me to mind my own business."
"Why, I think he's got it!"
I waved my napkin as a white flag." You've got a deal."
She nodded." I thought you would see things my way."
I watched as Chloe finished her drink in one giant gulp. I laughed, She really was one in a million.
****
It was homecoming Saturday. Friday afternoon, I'd gotten everything ready, my suit, the corsage, and I'd even washed my car. I was ready.
Since Jeffrey was on the football team and Natalie was a cheerleader, Veronica and I were going alone to the football game-Thank Goodness. But then we'd go home to change, and I'd swing by to pick everyone up. I still was not looking forward to go with Jeffrey and Natalie, but what was I to do?
When we got to the game, Veronica pulled me over to the section that was right in front of the cheerleaders.
"Let's sit here," she said. "So, we can see all of our friends." 'You mean your friends,' I thought to myself.
I saw Shawn out of the corner of my eye and waved him over to sit with us.
Veronica stood up and gave him a hug. "Hey Shawnie, how are you?"
"To tell you the truth, I've been better."
Veronica didn't seem to hear his answer." So, who are you going to the dance with?"
Shawn shook his head. "I'm not going."
"I thought you were going to ask Belle." I said. He'd been building up the courage, and he'd sworn that he was going to ask her on Friday.
"I decided that it would be an insult to ask her right before the dance, it's like saying that I thought she couldn't find any other date.
"Belle Evans? You mean that Blah-looking girl in the library?" Veronica asked wrinkling up her nose.
I nudged her in the ribs. Sure she was beautiful and sophisticated, but diplomacy wasn't her strong point." I think she's really cute." I said.
Shawn shrugged." Maybe Veronica's right. What do I have in common with a girl like her anyway?"
"You don't want to go out with her," Veronica said." I'm positive you could get someone more poplar."
"Chloe really likes Belle," I said. " She was in one of her classes last year, she said she was really nice." I glanced at Veronica, trying to tell her with my eyes to lay off of Shawn. Belle was the first girl I'd ever seen him have a major thing for, and I didn't want Veronica to convince him of something different.
"Well, Chloe liking her doesn't say much. She doesn't exactly have her finger on the pulse of Salem high." Veronica's voice sounded sweet, but her words made my stomach churn.
"What does that mean?" I almost had forgotten that Shawn was sitting next to us.
"Well, I doubt Chloe would make the who's who of popular seniors. She's nice, but." Veronica let her voice trail off, as if she'd said everything there was to say about Chloe.
"Chloe doesn't hang out with those people because she's got better things to do. Like sing. And write, and hang out with me." I knew I was being a bit cranky, but I couldn't help myself. If there was anything that made my blood boil it was hearing something negative about Chloe. Only I could talk about how much she irritated me, but when anyone else opened their mouth, I felt a strong need to punch something.
"Excuse me, Brady. I was just making an observation." Veronica sounded hurt, and I really felt guilty. Besides, Chloe didn't need me fighting her battles.
"I'm sorry," I said. " I guess I'm just get a little defensive when it comes to Chlo. Shawn knows what I mean, don't you?" I looked to my left expecting to see Shawn there, but all I saw was the back of his leather jacket on his way to the Snack Bar.
"Nevermind" Veronica said, putting her hand on my knee. "I'm sure we could find something else to talk about other than Chloe."
I nodded." I agree, let's talk about us."
When Veronica launched into a big speech about her dress, and yada yada yada, I glanced around.
Up several rows, to my right was Chloe with Michael. They had a big blanket around them, and I couldn't tell if they were holding hands. Not that I cared or anything. I was just curious.
Mimi was sitting behind them with a guy who I assumed was her homecoming date, but there was at least three feet of bench separating them.
My eyes traveled back to Chloe, and I was desperate to know what was going on under that blanket. Just then, she glanced in my direction. Her eyes widened, and then averted her gaze. I felt a blush coming to my cheeks. Did she think I was staring at her?
Veronica's voice interrupted my thoughts. "My dad said I could extend my curfew for two hours. Isn't that great?"
I moved closer to her and put my arm around her. "That's great."
"I know. Especially since the star of the basketball team is supposed to have an after-party. It's invitation only, but I'm positive we'll be on the list."
I groaned silently, tilting my head back in Chloe's direction. Our eyes met briefly and I saw Chloe jump. The blanket slid from her lap, and I finally saw that they were holding hands.
I closed my eyes, wondering if she was finding love as difficult to deal with as I was.
Somehow I didn't think so.
Ch. 9
Michael and I had to arrive at the dance early so him and the rest of his band could set up. Now the band was in full swing, even though a lot of people hadn't arrived yet.
"What do you think of gay Paree?" I heard Mimi say. Our theme for the dance was "An evening in Paris" The gym looked kind of pretty, You could tell it there was lots of hard work put into decorating, there was even a paper mache of the Eiffel tower.
"What happened to James?"
James was Mimi's date. They'd driven to the dance with us, but now James was nowhere in sight.
"He's hanging out in the parking lot with some of his buddies. I think we could cross him off as Mr. Right."
"Well you look gorgeous. You should keep an eye out for prospects."
Mimi really did look beautiful. We'd both went back to the store we went to and bought the dresses we tried on. Mimi looked every inch prom queen material.
"I did meet a guy. I see him standing over by the Eiffel Tower, I think I'll go and say hi."
Once Mimi left, I felt like a wallflower. The gym was filling with students, and it seemed like I was the only one standing by myself. I was bored, frustrated. Michael would be playing all night, and everyone else I knew was on the dance floor.
My heels were killing me, so I decided to go take a seat. From my spot I saw that Brady had just walked in with Veronica, Natalie, and Jeffrey. I could always feel Brady's presence in a room. Over the past few years I'd developed some kind of homing device that alerted me to Brady's whereabouts. Sometime I almost felt like we had something like that twin ESP that people talk about.
After watching Brady and Veronica move to the dance floor, I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. I had a long day and I still had hours to go.
My eyes popped open when I heard Michael speak into the microphone. "I'd like to dedicate this song to Chloe Lane," he said in his low voice. "She's my blue eyed girl."
Hundred pairs of eyes suddenly turned to me. I stoop up and gave Michael a little wave. Looking at his smiling face, I smiled back. The tempo for the song was slow, sultry, and perfect for "An evening in Paris."
But even though the song I was listening too was being played for me, I couldn't help but be depressed. I hadn't been on the dance floor once all night, and now it seems like I was going to stand around and watch everyone else have all the fun.
"May I have this dance?"
I whipped around. Brady was beside me, his blue eyes twinkling. In his navy blue suit, he looked elegant and sophisticated. He had his blond hair trimmed. Basically, he looked like a GQ cover model.
"It would be my pleasure," I responded, stepping into his open arms.
Brady was scanning the floor, and I thought he was looking for Veronica. I was wrong.
"So, Shawn never showed up huh?" he commented.
"Belle isn't here either." Brady shook his head. "What a waste, huh? They're both probably a home, miserable."
"Thanks goodness, that's not us," I said.
Brady pulled me a little closer. "Thank goodness," He whispered. Then we both fell silent.
Brady and I never danced together much. He'd probably been to every school dance, but I'd only been to a few. And my usual pattern was that as soon as I'd arrived, I'd start planning a way to ditch my date and head home. Like I said, I'd never been lucky in love.
"You look great, Chloe" Brady said, looking directly into my eyes. We'd move into the middle of the dance floor, and I was incredibly aware that Brady's arms were wrapped tightly around me. But it wasn't like he had a choice, we were dancing to a slow song, so he had to hold me close.
"Do you really think so?" I asked. Brady almost never gave me compliments; we were more into the affectionate teasing.
He nodded "yup."
"Thanks. But why are you being so nice? It's becoming unnerving."
I was aware of Michael's voice singing in the background, but I was focusing all of my attention on Brady.
He laughed. " Am I being nice? Ignore me." He spun me around, and then dipped me. The serious expression was gone from his face. "Hey, do you think that dress is tight enough? It looks like it's sewn on." Now there was the Brady I knew.
"Yeah? Well, let me ask you something," I said, giggling. "How many tubes of gel did you use in your hair tonight? Three? Maybe four?"
We both started laughing. Then as the song started to speed up a bit, I started to lead Brady into something that resembled something like the tango. We shot across the dance floor, forcing other people to clear a path for us.
By the time the music slowed down, we'd reached the other side of the dance floor. There wasn't much light, and we were left dancing in the shadows. Brady pulled me close again, and I found myself putting my arms around his neck.
All of a sudden, I was out of breath. I was suddenly aware that both the pulse I my neck had speed up to a hundred beats a minute and the firmness of Brady's muscles beneath my hands.
When I tilted my head to look at his face, I found Brady's mouth just millimeters from mine. Time seemed to stop, and I couldn't tear myself away from the piercing light in his eyes. This is what the other girls see. I thought. This is the Brady I've never known before.
I moved my head closer to his, closing my eyes. I couldn't stop myself.
"May I cut in?" I heard a high-pitched voice behind us.
"Veronica!" Brady said, jumping away from me. "I was just going to look for you."
"Well, here I am," she said, completely ignoring me.
"Right, here you are," I said moving further away from Brady. " I'll catch you later, Brady."
I pushed my way through the couples on the dance floor, trying to look for Mimi. I was in need of some cynical banter about how lame school dances really were.
When I'd made it halfway across the dance floor, I turned to sneak a glance at Brady. He was starting at me, but I was too far to read the expression in his eyes.
My breath caught in my throat, and I felt paralyzed.
At that moment, Veronica pulled Brady's head down for a kiss, and the spell as broken. I wasn't exactly sure what happened between us, but I hoped that whatever it was wouldn't happen again. *****
"What a rush," Michael said hours later. " I always loved performing like that."
It was almost one o'clock, and I really wanted to get home. The dance was over, but Michael and the rest of the band had to pack up their equipment.
"You guys were great," I said. "Everyone loved you."
"What can I say? This is in my blood." We were packed and ready to go.
When we pulled up to my house, the porch light was on. Through the curtains, I could make out my mom's form waiting on the couch.
Michael turned off the ignition. He turned in his seat and reached to put his hands on my hips. He pulled me close, kissing me with more intensity, than ever before
Chills ran up and down my spine, and my body tingled with excitement. "Brady," I whispered, feeling his soft hair beneath my fingertips.
In the next second, my heart stopped. I opened my eyes, unable t o believe what I just said. I just called Michael by Brady's name. What was I thinking? Did he notice?
I pulled back an inch and started at Michael. In response he hugged me. He obviously didn't hear me. Thank God. But I couldn't concentrate on Michael's kisses. Brady's name was echoing in my mind, the sound mocking me. Why did I say it? What was wrong with me?
I shook my head slightly. I told myself that saying his name didn't mean anything. I'd just seen Brady, and he was on mind.
"I never want to stop kissing you," Michael said.
"I love you," I whispered.
I'd never said those words before (except to Brady, but that was in a different way). I always imagined bells ringing, fireworks shooting into the sky when the time came. I didn't feel any of that with Michael, but I figured, I expected too much.
It wasn't until I climbed into bed that I realized Michael hadn't said it back. But I was sure he would- soon. ****
"Did you dance all night?" Abby asked, pulling Ben & Jerry's from the freezer.
I got out the spoons. " No, Michael's band was playing, so I didn't really have anyone to dance with."
Abby sighed dramatically. "Dances are so romantic. I wish I could go."
When I got to her house this morning, she'd been hopping up and down grilling me about how the dance was, Observing Abby's face, I felt like a bitter old woman.
"Don't worry, you'll be going to hundreds of dances. I bet every guy would jump at the chance to go with you." I said while scooping out the ice cream.
"Was Brady there?" Ever since Abby and her friends started getting boy crazy, she had an even bigger crush on Brady.
"Yeah. He was with his girlfriend, Veronica."
Abby frowned- she didn't like the idea of Brady with another girl she's never seen. "Well, did you at least dance with him?"
"Yep. Once." I hope Abby didn't see my cheeks turning red. I could feel my face getting warm at the memory of me and Brady during those few moments on the dance floor.
"Do you think Brady will take me to a dance"
I laughed. "Isn't he kind of old for you?"
Abby shrugged. "I'm mature for my age."
"I'll put in a good word for you," I said, grinning.
Abby ate quietly for a moment, then looked at me with a serious expression. "Are you and Brady going to get married someday?"
I almost choked on my ice cream. "No!" Abby and I had been over the face that Brady and I were just friends hundreds of times, but she refused to accept it.
Abby looked at me. "Well, I think you should marry him. And I'll be your bridesmaid." I just shook my head and rolled my eyes. The little girl had a lot to learn about love.
Ch. 10
*** Basking in the sun at the Park, Veronica and I lounged on a thick plaid blanket.
Hearing the sound of female laughter, I turned my head. It wasn't Veronica who was laughing, it was Chloe. She was shielding her eyes from the sun, and her long tan legs were stretched out in front of her.
Without questioning her, I lay down with my head in her lap, smiling into her sparkling eyes. Slowly she bent down and my brushed her lips over the sensitive skin next to me earlobe. Then her mouth moved to mine, and I reached up, tangling my fingers into her long, thick mass of dark hair. Moving myself into a sitting position, I increased the pressure of my lips. In the next second, we were holding each other so tightly that I felt as if we were two halves of the same person.
****
In the middle of kissing Chloe, I woke up. My heart was pounding and beads of sweat were forming on my temple. My world felt as if it had just been thrown completely off balance. What the hell just happened?
Of course I dreamed about Chloe sometimes, everyone I knew had been in my dreams at least once. But I'd never dreamed of kissing Chloe like that. I felt like someone just slapped me. I mean Veronica was the one who I was supposed to be dreaming about. But that long kiss with Chloe had felt so real, my lips just ached thinking about it.
Everyone knew dreams didn't really mean anything. I told myself. Just because I dreamed of kissing Chloe didn't mean I really wanted to kiss her. Sure we shared what people would call a romantic dance the other night before, and it was completely natural to have an innocent dream her.
I splashed cold water on my face, decided I would go out and play a little basketball. Exercise was exactly what I needed. The dream about Chloe meant absolutely nothing.
"Nothing at all," I said looking at my reflection in the mirror. "Zilch. Zero" ****
"Yo, Black, how was the dance?" Shawn asked Monday morning.
We were in the library, meeting about our report again.
"The band sucked, but I managed to have an awesome time anyway."
Shawn lifted an eyebrow. "That's funny, I've seen Radio Waves a few times, and I think they're pretty good."
"To each his own." I opened my textbook. "By the way, Belle wasn't at the dance."
Just as I thought, that remark took Shawn off of Michael and his stupid band. Shawn looked over at the library desk, and sure enough there was Belle on the computer.
Shawn started getting up. "I just remembered, I forgot to return a book, I'll be back."
I leaned in my chair to watch Shawn work. I just wished that he would hurry and ask her out already and put an end to his misery. After exchanging a few sentences, Shawn slouched back to our table.
"Well? How'd it go?" I asked.
"Horrible. I feel like a complete idiot around her." He put his head in his hands, but I saw him look through his fingers at Belle.
*** "I haven't even been here a semester, and I'm already friends with the right people," Veronica said to me. We were sitting in my car.
My stomach tightened in the uncomfortable way it always did when Veronica talked about her popularity. At first, I thought she just wanted to get to know more people. But now it was like she was obsessed. I'd even seen her be mean to people who weren't in the "in" crowd.
"That's great," I said flatly. "Now your life is complete."
Veronica nodded." And that's all thanks to you." She gazed at me. "Thank goodness I found you."
"What do you mean by that?" I kept my voice light, but I felt hallow.
"Well, since everyone likes you, they automatically like me. You're like my angel."
Over the last few weeks, I'd been convincing myself that Veronica really loved me, and that I loved her. But the doubts I kept trying to push away were all coming back.
Veronica had never really shown any interest in getting to know my friends, unless they happen to be cheerleaders or athletes. And whenever she told me how much she liked me, the word *popularity* always seemed to follow somewhere nearby. Basically, Veronica was using me as a trophy boyfriend.
In a flash, I was hit by the knowledge that I was forcing myself to fall in love with Veronica to win that stupid bet with Chloe. And as much as Veronica was using me, I was basically doing the same.
Veronica's voice interrupted my thoughts. " I think we're the cutest couple at Salem high, don't you?"
I nodded mutely, feeling as though my whole world was crumbling around me.
**** . Thursday night, Chloe and I were sitting in her den, watching an affair to remember. The movie was another of our favorites, and I felt relaxed for the first time since that talk with Veronica.
Chloe was staring silently at the TV, and almost mechanically shoving popcorn in her mouth. Although I wasn't too thrilled that Chloe was probably going to rub my nose in the fact that I was probably going to lose the bet, I still wanted to talk to her about my problem with Veronica. After all, she was my best friend and knew a lot more about women than I did.
"Chloe, I think Veronica is a social climber." I said
"No kidding," She replied, sighing.
"Well, I think that maybe I'm not as much in love with her as I thought."
"Hmm," Chloe said absently.
"Chloe? Are you listening to me?" I poked her shoulder.
"Do you think that Michael is still in love with Kimberly?" she asked, instead of answering me.
"Chloe, I just told you that I might not be in love with Veronica."
She put down the popcorn and looked at me "The thing is, in creative writing today, the teacher called on Michael to read the poem he wrote."
"So?" I asked.
She frowned. "It was a love poem"
"Please, Chloe, spare me the details." I wasn't in the mood to hear about Michael's stupid poem.
"Brady, the poem wasn't about me."
"What?" I had to admit that my curiosity was now piqued.
"Well, the words were all about 'loss and separation, and cruel distance' as he put it." Chloe bit her lip.
"And?" I knew this was leading up to something.
"I think he wrote that poem for Kimberly, which would mean that he's really not in love me." I could have sworn I saw I tear in her eye.
"The guy's a sleazebag. You'd be better off without him."
A thought suddenly hit me. If Chloe broke up with Michael and I broke up with Veronica, then we'd still end up even in terms of our bet. Who knew? Maybe I'd even fall in love again before winter ball. Anything was possible.
"Michael is not a sleazebag!" Chloe shouted. "Just shut up! You don't know what you're talking about."
Chloe was totally frustrating me right now. She'd just said herself that Michael was still into Kimberly, his ex-girlfriend. If that didn't qualify him as a sleazebag, what did?
"Fine. What do you want me to say?"
Chloe threw herself against the couch. "Kimberly is coming home for Thanksgiving. Do you think I should be worried?"
"If you don't want me to tell you that Michael is a sleazebag, then I don't have anything to say to that."
Chloe buried her head in the pillow. "Brady, do you think you could leave now? I really need to be alone." She turned off the TV and closed her eyes.
Without saying goodbye, I stomped out. I'd wanted to have a serious conversation with her, and all she cared about was that wimp she called a boyfriend.
As I sped home I started to see things in a new light. Sure, Veronica had a few problems, but who didn't? At least she was always happy to see me, and she never kicked me out of her house.
I made a U-turn. In fact, Veronica would probably be happy to see me right now.