I got dressed quickly, pulling on a pair of loose-fitting jeans and a sweatshirt. It had become much easier for me to change in the bedroom, all owing to the fact that I now wore a white t-shirt and boxers under everything! However, Jarod still surprised me when he came barging in, looking extremely nervous.
"Hey," he grunted, removing his jacket and shirt and tossing them on his bed.
"Hey, what's up?" I inquired. "You okay?"
"What?" he asked, distracted. "Oh. Yeah, I'm okay, a stressful day you know?"
I smiled. "I hear that."
He didn't smile back and instead began to tear through his drawer, tossing clothes over his shoulder and onto the ground. He growled low in his throat, obviously not finding what he was looking for, and ripped open another drawer only to repeat the previous process. I raised an eyebrow. What the heck was going on?
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"YES!" He exclaimed, exasperated. "I just had a crazy day and now I can't find anything to wear!"
I glanced down at my casual attire and then back at Jarod. "Is it that big of a deal? I mean, we're just going to the lake right?"
He sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair, his blue eyes filled with frustration. "Sure, yeah, I just like to look nice, that's all."
I suddenly pictured Jarod how he looked just that morning, racing from the room with his shirt buttoned wrong and his tie askew, and resisted the urge to grin. There must be a girl at the lake. That was the only thing that could ever make Jarod nervous enough to care about what he was wearing.
"Well, do you have any button-down short sleeved shirts?" I asked.
"Sure, I've got a few white ones."
I smiled. "Good, wear one of those. How about jeans?"
He reached down and lifted a pair of extremely baggy blue jeans and I shook my head. "Anything smaller?"
He grimaced and reached into his bottom drawer, pulling out a pair of dark blue, boot-cut wranglers. I could tell by the look on his face that any sort of tight jean seemed nerdy to him--but while he was seeing a geek, I was seeing Brad Pitt. I smiled.
"Those are the ones," I said finally.
He looked at me incredulously. "Are you serious? My mom gave those to me!"
I reached into my closet and pulled out a belt with a large buckle and tossed it over to him.
"Trust me."
Ten minutes later I was walking out of the room with Jarod reluctantly in tow. My female eye told me he looked gorgeous, but obviously he was going to need more convincing.
"Are you sure about this?" he whispered furiously. "I've never worn anything this tight in my life!"
I grinned. "Hey, I'm the babe magnet remember? I wear jeans like that all the time. Trust me, the ladies love it."
He still looked unsure, but I guess he must have remembered how enthusiastic all the girls back home had been when I left, because he didn't turn around and change. I smiled and motioned for him to hurry up, and together we plodded down the stairs and met Darien at the bottom. He took one look at Jarod and whistled appreciatively.
"Nice jeans man, I didn't know you had style!" He teased. Jarod blushed crimson and shot a glare at me.
"Ren, I'm gonna kill--" he began.
"No man, I'm serious!" Darien interrupted quickly. "You really look good, like a movie star or something. It's brave, but the girls are going to dig it!" He shook his head, laughing. "I'm almost jealous!"
He shouldn't have been. With his loose-fitting jeans and tight dark blue t-shirt, he looked nothing short of incredible. His style was very urban, but that's what I liked, and it was getting hard not to stare. Jarod broke me from these thoughts, however, by clapping me on the shoulder.
"It's all thanks to this little Backstreet Boy here. He's the one with the style."
I blushed, knowing I looked more like a bum on 5th avenue rather than a runway model, but I was flattered. I grinned. A Backstreet Boy huh? I guess with my short hair, my baby face, and my big blue eyes, I probably did resemble a member of a boy band.
"So, you guys ready to go?" Darien asked.
"Yeah."
"Okay, Mal, Nate, and Zach are already waiting outside, so let's go."
Fifteen minutes later we were approaching the lake that separated Madison's School for Boys from the only girls within fifty miles. From where I was standing, I could see a large bonfire surrounded by a dozen girls laughing and talking. I smiled. Finally, I was on common ground! As we got closer, a gorgeous girl with long black hair suddenly glanced up and grinned at us. Wow, I thought, she is so beautiful.
She rose to her feet and came toward us, her graceful walk completely alluring. I heard Jarod gasp from his position next to me, and I smiled inwardly. So she was the reason he had been so nervous earlier! I moved my focus back to her and took in her violet eyes and perfect features. No wonder!
"Darien!" she suddenly called, and then I realized who she was.
"That's your sister?" I sputtered.
Darien laughed. "Yeah."
She finally reached us and enveloped her brother in a huge hug. When she pulled away, her eyes fastened on me and widened with curiosity.
"Who's your friend?" She wondered.
"I'm Ren," I answered, before Darien could say anything. "It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise," she said, offering her hand while throwing me a flirtatious smile. "I'm Raye."
"Raye's the prettiest girl across the lake," Nathan explained to me, grinning a bit. Raye blushed in response and shook her head.
"Hey Raye-ster! How's it going?" Jarod suddenly broke in, doing a terrible imitation of a New Yorker. "You gonna go out wit me yet?"
She laughed and looked away. "When pigs fly," she answered sarcastically.
Jarod laughed it off, but I could tell her remark had stung. Poor guy, but it was kind of his own fault. He was totally giving her the friendship vibe. If he ever wanted to get her attention, he was going to have to lay off the jokes for a while. I could tell Raye wanted someone a little more serious, and little more sensitive. I was going to have to give Jarod some pointers.
"OH MY GOSH! Is that Darien Shields?" A shrill voice suddenly broke in. I winced, and turned around only to see a tall, beautiful, red-headed girl making her way towards us. "Raye! Why didn't you tell me your brother was going to be here!" She protested, smiling widely at Darien. From where I was standing, her white teeth appeared almost predatory.
"Oh, gee, it must've slipped my mind," Raye muttered.
"Oh Raye, you just wanted to tease me didn't you?" She simpered, and Raye responded with a fiery glare. "She's a riot, isn't she Darien?"
Darien smiled grimly. "Hey Beryl," he said quietly.
"Is that all you can say?" She asked, finally coming to a stop in front of him. "I don't get a hug?" She pouted her full red lips, and placed a hand on one full hip. Darien shrugged, but she ignored his slightly apathetic attitude and pressed herself into his arms.
My mouth fell open. Was this girl for real? I took in her curvy body and seemingly endless legs. She was a girl's nightmare-- a walking sex pot-- and it that dress she had the power to do anything! I groaned inwardly. I didn't stand a chance against this girl! So, needless to say, I wasn't too surprised when Darien wrapped his arms around her in response.
"See?" She whispered in his ear. "That's the Darien I remember." Her green eyes moved to the bonfire, and she motioned her head towards it. "Sit with me?"
He sighed and nodded, allowing her to pull him towards the flames that were growing larger and larger. My eyes followed them disbelievingly, and suddenly I had to fight back tears. If he was so into Beryl, how could he have been mooning over me?
My thoughts were broken as Malcolm suddenly swore something under his breath. I looked up only to see him staring after Darien and Beryl, his face filled with anger. As I glanced around, I noticed all his friends were wearing the same expressions.
"Who was that girl?" I finally asked.
"Beryl Lagrie." Raye answered. "My brother's ex-girlfriend."
"Ex, huh? It looks to me like they just made up." I muttered.
Raye shook her head sadly in response. "He's been trying to get over her for the past year, but she loves having the best-looking boy in school to herself. He's her trophy, you know? He gives her bragging rights." She growled in frustration. "I hate her guts!"
"We all do," Zach piped in.
We stared after them for a while, and then made our way down to the lake's shore. I really couldn't take sitting by Darien while Beryl was all over him, so I sat apart from the others, watching Jarod make an ass out of himself in front of Raye. I shook my head and smiled. He really did need help, especially if he thought arm-pit farts were the way to a girl's heart. I sighed and leaned back into the grass, gazing at the stars above me.
"You okay?"
I opened my eyes only to come face-to-face with Raye. I smiled a little. "Yeah, I'm fine," I answered.
She grinned and laid back next to me. "Then why are you sitting all by yourself? I know Beryl's wearing a lot of perfume, but it's not that noxious!" She joked, and I laughed a little. "No, really, what's bothering you? You miss home?"
"Yeah," I admitted. "I miss it a lot."
"So why did you come to Madison? I mean, your senior year's a pretty big deal. Wouldn't you want to spend it with your friends?"
"I guess I needed a change," I answered. I nearly smiled, knowing that was the biggest understatement of the year! "But, you're right-- I do miss my friends and family. Everyday I wake up and wonder if I did the right thing in coming here."
"Do you think it was worth it?" she asked.
I was silent for a moment, and I glanced over to see Beryl throw an arm around Darien's shoulders. I cringed. "I don't know."
She suddenly sat up, and looked down at me. "Listen, I know thing's don't seem that great right now, but Madison can be a really great place." She grinned, lighting up her entire face. "Especially if you know the right people."
I nodded, looking over at Jarod, Mal, Nate, and Zach. "Yeah, I'm starting to figure that out."
Our conversation was suddenly broken by Beryl's piercing laugh. Raye and I instinctively flinched, shaking our heads.
"What does he see in her?" I wondered.
Raye shrugged. "I don't know, she's beautiful. Not too many guys can resist a beautiful girl. Plus, Beryl's as much a trophy for him as he is for her."
"Is that all he's after?" I asked.
Raye paused for a moment, and then shook her head. "No, Darien's better than that. He and Beryl just have a lot of history. They've been dating since they were in middle school, and our families are very close. I guess it was just always expected that they be together, and for a while even I didn't mind." She sighed. "You see, Beryl used to be normal. I mean, she was always pretty, but she didn't show it off that much. When she hit high school though, she started hanging out with the wrong crowd. It wasn't too long before she became somebody none of us recognized, but Darien had a lot of trouble letting her go."
"She hurt him, didn't she?" I asked.
"Yeah. She's cheated on him three times, but he still holds on to the memory of what she used to be. The thing he won't realize is that Beryl's never going to be the girl we knew." Raye said bitterly. "She's gotten a taste for power and she's won't let it go for anyone, not even my brother."
"I feel sorry for her," I said suddenly. Raye started, and turned towards me, obviously a little surprised.
"Me too," she murmured.
I smiled gently at her, and we sat in silence for a few moments.
"Listen," she suddenly broke in, and I sat up. "I don't usually do this, but you seem like a nice guy, and I want to make you feel more at home here."
"Thanks, Raye!" I answered earnestly. "But what did you have in mind?"
"Well, you see, there's this dance coming up in two weeks that's held between our schools. I was wondering if you'd like to go…with me." She said quietly, and for the first time that night, she appeared to be shy.
"Oh! What about Jarod?" I blurted, without even thinking.
"Jarod?" She asked, confusion filling her face. "What does he have to do with anything?"
Uh oh, now I've done it! Think of something quick! "Oh, I just heard that he might want to ask you," I said quickly.
"Oh, no, he wouldn't want to ask me," Raye said, a blush creeping into her cheeks. "We're just friends, and I'm sure he's already got someone lined up. Besides, you don't know anyone yet, and I think we'd have fun!"
I hesitated. Jarod was my friend, and I could already tell he was really into Raye, but he would never get the guts to ask her himself! Maybe there was some way I could salvage this situation without hurting her feelings. I glanced up only to find her staring at me expectantly, and finally I made a decision.
"Okay," I answered. "Sounds great."
"Cool," she breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't worry, I won't make you feel weird or anything, it's totally just as friends, even if I do think you're really cute!"
I felt my cheeks begin to burn. Oh God…
"Thanks," I murmured, trying not to look at her.
She laughed. "No problem!"
Before we could say anything else, Malcolm walked over and announced that we had to go. I rose to my feet and helped Raye up. She smiled at me with appreciation and I was again struck by how pretty she was. Jarod sure did know how to pick them; Raye was definitely a keeper.
"I'll give you a call later at the dorms and we can work out the details," she said quickly.
"Details for what?" Nathan asked, joining us.
"Ren's going to be my date for the Homecoming Dance," she explained.
"Wow!" Mal whistled, stepping back and fastening me with an admiring gaze. "You really do work fast!"
"Work fast for what?"
I turned reluctantly, already knowing who it was. Jarod was going to kill me!
"Ren's got himself a date for Homecoming," Malcolm stated, folding his arms across his broad chest.
Jarod's eyes widened noticeably, realizing who my date had to be, and I winced as a myriad of emotions passed through his blue eyes.
"That's cool, dude." He finally said, but I could hear the coldness in his voice.
"Oh!" Raye suddenly interrupted, turning towards him and smiling brightly. "I almost forgot to tell you that you look really good tonight. I almost didn't recognize you when you walked up!"
Jarod didn't look as pleased as I would have hoped, and instead turned to me. "Ren did it."
Raye laughed. "I should have known!"
I closed my eyes and tried to keep myself from groaning. Why did she have to say that? I opened them only to find Jarod glowering at me, and I sighed. This was going to be an interesting night. My date for the dance was a girl, Darien was all over another woman, and Jarod was mad at me. Was anything else going to go wrong?
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