Beth clutched the strip of paper in her hand as she strolled to Lucia's house. She was on cloud nine all day since Dean Boland, the varsity team quarterback for their high school and one of the most popular guys in their school had scribbled his phone number on that piece of paper.
When Dean had approached her at her lockers and asked for her number, she was shocked. She looked around the corridor of the hallway trying to spy his friends hiding out, thinking that he was pranking her. She half expected them to pop out of their hiding space as soon as he asked for the number and all of them would burst out laughing, revealing that it was all a big joke.
When that never happened, Beth happily exchanged numbers with him. She had first run into him at the Dairy Queen, where she worked. She had seen him around school and knew about his reputation as a ladies' man, always dating the head cheerleader. She hadn't thought about him much in terms of someone to crush on because she thought he was arrogant. He never seemed to give her or her friends the time of day. That had been ok with her as she was too busy with her schoolwork and her home life to have any room for boys.
When he and five friends from the football team came into her workplace on a Thursday evening, she hadn't thought much of it. She frequently saw classmates come in as the ice cream place was one of the regular hangouts for teenagers in the area.
They were loud and stayed about a half an hour, which was way longer than it took to eat their ice cream. Plus, they wasted half of it, most of the cups of ice cream were pools of liquid by the time they left the shop = and half of the leftover ice cream landed on the floor as they jokingly teased each other about their latest conquests and threw ice cream at each other when they would mention not being able to score with a particular girl.
Dean had smiled at her when he had been ordering ice cream and she noticed him glance up at her a few times as spoonsful of ice cream hit him on his letterman's jacket.
He had at been as loud and obnoxious while they were there as his friends and the group didn't seem to care that they made a horrible mess all over the floor when they got into a food fight. She had even stood in front of their table and told them to stop making a mess.
In the after math of the food fight, when Beth was moaning to herself as she used a wet mop to clean the melted ice cream that was stuck in the grout between the floor tiles, Dean came back into the shop. He apologized for his friends, telling her that they were immature and helping her clean the rest of the floors with the mop she had been using.
The next morning, he was at her locker, asking for her phone number. He told her that he thought she was cute and had remembered that she was on the cheerleading team. Which had been a short-lived activity as her Mother would often forget to pick her up as the pills that she took knocked her out for most of the day or she would forget her 8 year old sister existed and wouldn't cook her dinner on the nights that Beth was at a football game; so Beth quit after only being on the team for 3 months.
She skipped to Lucia's house so excited to tell her about Dean asking her out and wanting to show her the proof, the scrap of paper in her hand with his number.
She lived 2 blocks from Lucia and had met her in kindergarten, becoming instant friends.
When she knocked on the door, Lucia's younger brother Rio came to the door and opened the main door, leaving the storm door closed.
"She's not here right now, she's studying at Miguel's. He said the word 'Studying ' slowly and with exaggeration and Beth knew that he was insinuating that Lucia was not getting any studying done at Miguel's .
Beth was so excited about her news that she had to tell someone, so she opted for Rio since he was right there in front of her.
"Can I come in Rio, please. I wanted to share my good news", she asked him.
Rio was like the little brother that she never had. He was only a year behind her in school and had recently turned 17. She felt like she could tell him anything and everything and he wouldn't shame her for it. He may roll his eyes and laugh at her but that's as far as the shaming typically went.
He didn't seem to care about school or getting good grades like she did. He would outwardly tell her that he sold drugs, specifically marijuana to other kids at the school to support his family. He hadn't gotten caught yet, but Beth figured it was a matter of time until he did.
When he told her last year that he hooked up with Rhea Beth had started to look at him differently. She couldn't quite put her finger on what exactly she had been feeling but sometimes when she saw them together when she was at the house, her heart ached. She wished it was her kissing him instead of Rhea, her who he had his arms around and her that he was smiling down with total admiration at.
Beth had resolved that wouldn't happen; she didn't think he would ever see her any differently then just Lucia's friend. He was enamored by other girls that weren't her.
Beth definitely noticed after she had passed him at school frantically making out with different girls in front of his locker that he had a type, and that type was completely different then Beth was. He seemed to like girls that were rebellious, snuck out of their house, skipped classes, smoked weed in the back of the school, wore revealing clothing.
Beth was the type that never rebeled, wore conservative clothing, strove to do the best in school that she could. She was nothing like the girls Rio pursued.
Rio constantly teased Beth that she was "too goody too shoes" and should live a little. Beth had too many responsibilities, people relied on her and so she resolved to be a " good girl" and not the rebel.
"Uhh sure, come on in", he opened the storm door and motioned for her to come inside.
His grandmother was sitting on the couch, knitting what appeared to be a blue and white blanket. She smiled at Beth as she walked in, said hello and then nodded at Rio and nodded towards the stairs.
"Come into my room, we'll talk up there,". Beth had been in his room before but typically Lucia was sitting right next to her on his twin bed while they all watched television as his was the only bedroom with a television. His grandmother typically monopolized the living room television with her favorite telenovelas.
Beth sat delicately at the edge of his bed. She held up the piece of paper in the air as he stood across from her in front of his desk.
"I got asked out today and I got his number", Beth announced.
Rio rolled his eyes, "Ok I'll bite. Who's the lucky guy?", he asked.
Beth clapped her hands together. "You know the senior quarter back whose Dad owns that used car dealership down the street, Dean Boland. Well, he came into dairy queen yesterday with his friends and they had a food fight with the ice cream, made a huge mess everywhere. After they left, Dean came back and helped me clean up. ", she told him.
She pursed her lips and looked at his expression, Rio had his arms crossed in front of his chest. "Are you serious? That stuck up asshole that is always going out with the cheerleaders and cheats on his exams. You would even consider going out with someone like that?", he questioned.
Beth smiled, "You know, at first I thought he was an ass too, he never gave me the time of day before but now he notices me, he wants to go out with me. There's just one problem", she said.
Rio rolled his eyes and sat down across from her on his desk chair, "Yeah, the problem is that you shouldn't go out with that guy. He isn't going to see you for you. I bet you he mentioned to you that he remembers that you were a cheerleader", he stated.
Beth took a deep breath, Rio was bringing her excitement down several notches. "Umm he did mention it, but that just means he noticed me at the games."
"Ok so what's the problem?" he asked.
Beth bit her bottom lip. She was having second thoughts about telling Rio about Dean asking her out and even more questions about telling him what she was about to say.
"Umm well, I've never actually been out with anyone before. I'm usually too busy taking care of Annie and Mom to even consider dating and its not like boys are falling at me feet. They just don't ask me out. I almost get the feeling like they are terrified of me. I don't understand what's wrong with me", she said sighing.
Rio raised his eyebrows at her and sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, taking a deep breath before talking, "Darling, nothing is wrong with you. Guys are stupid sometimes", he concluded.
Beth shook her head, "You asked out Rhea last summer and you guys are still going strong dating and before that you were going out with Dylan. Plus, you are younger than me. I don't know, sometimes I feel like a leper. A guy will ask like he's interested in me and start talking to me but then just when I think he's going to ask me out. All of a sudden, he steers clear of me. Like remember Robbie White from my Trig class, I talked about how much I liked him while I was hanging out with you and Lucia last month. I really thought he liked me. He was flirting with me like crazy and then right after I told you guys that I liked him..boom..he wouldn't come near me", she said.
Rio rolled his eyes and starts shifting nervously in the chair, "I wouldn't exactly call what I do with Rhea 'dating'. I mean sure Rhea is cool, we hang out and get together to chill with our mutual friends all the time. I'd say Dylan was more of a friend with benefits situation but she wanted more then what I could offer to her. Robbie is an idiot who was bragging to his friends how he thought he could get in your pants in the cafeteria during lunch period.", he explained.
Beth waved her hand in front of him. "Oh please, stop, you and Rhea are cute together. She seems really into you. You go out places with her and kiss her in front of Lucia and I. I would call that dating, wouldn't you? Also, how would you know about what Robbie was saying about me?", Beth countered.
Rio shook his head. "No, no I really wouldn't. Err well, I just overheard from someone that he had said that. Its water under the bridge. There are guys out there who would fight tooth and nail to be with you Elizabeth. You shouldn't give up on being with someone that deserves you just because of assholes like Robbie", he stated.
Beth smiled at the thought of him calling her full name instead of her nickname that everyone, even her own mother called her, "So she's free to see other people?", Beth asked. She started biting her fingernails nervously. "Well, I haven't found any guys who would get into a fight over me.", she told him.
"Nah, she only sees me", he tells her. He clears his throat and shifts around in his chair. "I don't know, maybe you already have met someone who will risk getting detention by fighting to defend you, you just don't know it".
"I think that qualifies as dating then when you are only with each other. Anyways, I got to go, I need to stop at the grocery store on my way home to pick up some food. Our fridge and pantry are looking pretty bare. Mom's refusing to get out of bed.", she told him as she got up and headed through his bedroom door.
Rio nods, "Ok, see you", he says.
Beth thinks about asking him more questions about his relationship with Rhea but then doesn't want to push her luck. He was squirming as it was.
"When I come back on Sunday, would you mind if I ask you other questions, like what to expect on a first date? I want to be prepared for when Dean and I do have out first date", Beth asked.
She knew she was pushing her boundaries with him slightly. She knew about Dylan and Rhea, saw him making out with them in front of her, saw them giggling as he disappeared with one of them into his bedroom as Lucia and her helped his grandmother bake cookies in the kitchen, but she never actually asked him questions about either relationship.
Her curiosity was not about his relationships but about dating in general; she wanted to know how to act natural around a guy on a date, what to do when the guy leaned over to kiss her or possibly anymore, handling additional dates and hang out really was piqued and she trusted Rio to answer her questions honestly and not beat around the bush.
He tilted his head and started at her for a moment before speaking, "Uhh ok I guess we can do that. See you then".
At the moment Beth was walking out the door Lucia was walking up the sidewalk, "Hey girl, how's it going? Are you on your way out?", she asked.
Beth nodded, "Yeah I got to go but we have a lot to catch up on when I see you Sunday.".
Lucia smiled at her, "Ok sounds good, see you on Sunday. Don't forget to bring over your Montel Jordan CD, ok?", she reminded her.
"How did the studying go?", Beth asked as she rounded the end of the driveway.
Beth winked at her, "Did he help you to ace that chemistry test that was last week too?". Beth was teasing Lucia as she knew she had been over Miguel's the night before the Chemistry test that Lucia had done poorly on.
"Umm, how did you know that I was at Miguel's", she asked.
Beth pointed toward' s Rio's window in the house, "Your brother told me. We were chatting about something, and he mentioned that's where you were", she explained.
"Rio doesn't "chat" with people, Beth you know that, but I will get him back for ratting me out to mi Abuela for sure".
Saturday evening, Dean called Elizabeth and they spent half an hour talking. They mostly were trying to arrange where to go Sunday evening. Dean asked Beth where she wanted to go out to dinner and when she told him she loved Tony's pizza, he told her he'd rather go to the diner around the corner from his house.
Beth didn't argue, she was just so excited about going out. She was thinking about what would happen if Dean wanted to kiss her at the end of the night. She hadn't kissed a boy for real beyond playing spin the bottle twice when she was a freshman but those were pecks on the lips , not real kisses. Thoughts of Dean not liking her for not knowing how to kiss, fluttered through her mind.
When she got to Rio and Lucia's house Sunday afternoon, they were just coming back from church services. When they got in the house, Beth filled in Lucia about her upcoming date with Dean.
Lucia frowned when Beth told her where they were going, "You hate that diner Beth. Remember you got food poisoning there last month and you swore you would never step foot in there again. You swore to me you'd never step foot in there again", she argued.
Beth shook her head and brought her shoulders up and down, "Well he didn't want to go to Tony's he insisted on the diner.", she explained.
Rio came over to her and dragged her by her arm into his room, "I just need to borrow her for a few minutes Luce to talk some sense into her, be right back".
After he had closed his door he frowned at Beth, "Explain to me are you going out with this loser anyways again. He asks you where you want to go and then tells you need to go where he wants to go? How considerate of him", he said in a sarcastic tone.
Beth cocks her head to the side and stare at him, analyzing his face. His checks are bright red, he looks furious, his hands are bawled into fists at his side.
She hadn't seen him react this way before or not in a long time. When they were in middle school, he would get mad whenever she would mention the other boys in her classes and once when she was mentioning how cute Bobby Simmons was when he smiled to Lucia, Rio had come over to her and told her that Bobby was a big loser. It was similar to how he was acting now, years later.
Beth took a deep breath. She was nervous about asking him what she was about to ask him. She wasn't sure how he'd react. Would he laugh at her? Would he tell her absolutely not, that she had to be joking?
"Rio, there's something bothering me that I was wondering if you could help me with. I know that its not appropriate to ask you this because you have a girlfriend, but I would rather ask someone I know wont judge me, that I am comfortable with. "Will you teach me how to kiss? Its just I think that Dean is going to expect me to kiss him and I have no experience kissing boys beyond spin the bottle dares.", she asked, exhaling as she finished her question.
When she asked the question she wanted to take it back immediately and not risk embarrassing herself further.
Beth couldn't quite read his expression on his face. His eyes got a little bigger and his mouth dropped open slightly. He bit his bottom lip.
"I can't do that, Elizabeth. I'm sorry, it wouldn't be right", he stuttered out.
Beth shook her head and started to walk towards the door, her face bright red and tears were starting to form in her eyes. Of course, he rejected her, she knew that he would.
He could deny the seriousness of his relationship with Rhea all that he wanted but by kissing Beth, she knew that he would see himself as a cheater. She felt stupid for suggesting such a thing. "Forget I ever asked, I was an idiot for ever thinking that you would want to kiss me." He had a girlfriend, she thought, and he doesn't think about me in that way, how could she be so bold as to ask him that. She was embarrassed at herself for asking.
Rio caught her by the arm and swung her around to face him, she brought up the back of her hand to wipe away the tears that were now streaming down her face. Suddenly his lips were on hers and he pressed his body firmly against hers, his hand clutched the top of her backside pockets of her black jeans.
He took her breath away as he kissed her hard and firmly, making her feel like he was bruising her lips with every moment. His tongue found its way past her lips and wrapped around hers.
Beth broke away from him, looking at him with a stunned expression on her face. She had to take a few seconds of looking down at the ground before catching her breath and finally looking at him.
"That darling is how you deserve to be kissed. If a guy doesn't kiss you like that, he's not worth your time.", he said. Just then his phone started to ring on his bedside table. He picked it up.
"Hey Rhea. Yes, I'll be heading there soon. Yeah, I miss you too baby girl.", he stated in a buttery smooth voice.
Right then Lucia ran into the room, threw open the door and exclaimed, "Beth, I thought you got lost in here, come back out to the living room. Abuela is making these really great brownies and she needs a taste tester".
"Why would you ask me that? No of course not. Lucia and Elizabeth are together in my room right now but they were just leaving. Nah, its not like that baby", Rio's voice purred into the phone.
Beth shook her head; she could only take a guess at what Rhea was asking Rio about but it definitely involved her. Her heart jumped and her hope that the kiss had meant something to him plummeted as he said "its not like that" given that his lips had just been upon her moments earlier.
Figures, she thought to herself, the kiss obviously meant nothing to him. She shouldn't have read into it and thought it meant more. He just was taking pity on me because she asked him to kiss me. He didn't actually want to kiss her. It didn't feel like a pity kiss. He was just teaching her how to kiss. She frowned at Rio who looked at her with a pained expression as he continued to talk on the phone with his girlfriend. She left the room with Lucia.
On her way out of the house when she was heading home, Rio ran out of the house and grabbed her arm. She turned to glare at him.
"What do you want now?", she asked still furious from his conversation with Rhea that she overheard.
"Dean, he seems to go for the girls that are overly flirty and aggressive from what I've seen and heard. You should be more assertive on your date tonight, like you kiss him instead of the other way around.", he advised.
Beth jerked her hand back from his grasp. "Thank you for the advice and for the ..uhh..kissing lesson. I'll let you know how everything goes next time I see you", she said. She didn't turn around to see his reaction about calling their kiss a "lesson".