Chapter 8: Merry Frickin' Christmas
Merry (Late) Cheistmas/ Chanukah/ Kwanzaa/ anything you might celebrate. Song is: Merry Frickin' Christmas (Frickin' A). Sorry this chapter is kind of short and fluffy. I'm terrible at writing "romance," for lack of a better word.
I stood in the bathroom, facing the sink. Selina was standing behind me, fixing my hair. She was wearing a tight black dress with lace around the hem. Her black-gloved hands proceeded to pull my bright red hair into a loose bun with a few tendrils hanging down around my face.
When she finished, she pulled out a small cosmetics bag and spun me around to face her.
She applied mascara and eyeshadow first, then a bit of blush, brushing lightly at my cheeks. She rummaged through her bag, finally pulling out a tube of lipstick. She applied it to my lips slowly. She admired her handiwork, then turned me to face the mirror. I gasped. I actually looked… pretty. My eyes stood out, like two sapphires, my lashes looked long and thick, and my lips were ruby red. My normally pale face was tinged with pink around my cheeks, so slight it looked like a natural blush.
"Wow… Selina. How did you…"
"I'm not going to divulge my secrets," she said, smiling. "C'mon, Eddie's going to pick us up soon. Jack's going to meet us there." She handed me a pair of silver flats. "Here."
"What are these for?"
"I can't have you wearing those ratty old boots. Put them on." I did as she said, glancing at my reflection again. I really didn't look half bad.
•••
As promised, Jack was waiting for us at the school. He was leaning against a wall, playing a game on his phone. When he spotted us, he grinned and slipped the phone into his jacket… The jacket that went with the suit he was wearing. When his gaze landed on me though, his grin faltered. He just stared at me for a moment, then smirked. He adjusted his purple tie and walked over to us.
"Hey Eddie," he said. "Girls," he added, giving a mock bow. Selina giggled and I rolled my eyes.
"Someone add pineapple and honey, he's a total ham," I said sarcastically. (A/N: It's something we say in my theater class.)
He laughed. "You know you love it."
Eddie took Selina's arm and Jack followed suit, linking his arm through mine. "Shall we ladies?" Eddie said, leading Selina into the building.
"C'mon," Jack said, pulling me along.
•••
As soon as we entered the building, I got really nervous. I didn't like crowds much, and I realized I had no idea how to dance. We mostly hung around with Selina and Eddie (A/N:Seddie! Ahem, sorry.),occasionally greeting the people we knew. Jack seemed oddly nervous. He was always so at ease.
Eventually "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri (A/N: I know, random choice for a slow song) began to play. Selina grabbed Eddie's hand and dragged him towards the center of the room.
"You will dance with me," she commanded. He waved nervously at us, the they disappeared into the crowd.
I shuffled my feet uneasily. Jack ran a hand through his curly hair. "Let's go outside," he said suddenly. "I don't dance."
We pushed through the crowd and exited the building. He leaned against the wall and I stood next to him, my arms folded over my chest self consciously.
He glanced at me. "You look nice," he muttered.
"Thanks," I said quietly, blushing. He shrugged, tapping his foot on the ground. "Jack?"
"Hm?"
"Why'd you um… offer to take me to the dance?"
He shrugged, becoming increasingly interested in his shoes. "So I wouldn't have to go with Harley?" he said, but it came out more like a question than a statement.
"Oh," I murmured, slightly disappointed. He leaned his head back, staring up at the sky. Suddenly, he looked down at me, curled his arm around my waist-
And kissed me.
I couldn't move. I wasn't quite sure that I wanted to, but nevertheless I couldn't. He tightened his grip on my waist, his hand on the small of my back. I just stood there for who knows how long, letting him kiss me.
I heard Eddie whistle and I jerked my head back. He and Selina were standing a few feet away, staring at us.
Selina finally squealed and ran over to hug me. "Ooh, you guys make such a cute couple! Now we can all double date! Oh, I get to plan your wedding. Oh and Rose-"
"Selina, shut up," Jack said quietly, licking his lips.
"But it's just so-"
"Damn it, I said shut up!" he shouted. I froze. I had never seen him like this before, not even when I had seen his black eye.
"Calm down," Eddie mumbled.
Jack glared at him. "I'm going home," he muttered angrily. He turned and walked down street, shoving his hands into his pockets.
•••
Eddie dropped me off at my house first. I walked up to the door and looked for the spare key under the mat. Then I noticed something. Jack was sitting outside of his house, listening to his iPod. He had changed out of his suit and was wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt.
"Whatcha listening to?" I asked.
"Korn," he answered, pulling out one of his earbuds.
I sat down next to him. "Why're you out here?" I asked.
"I dunno. Nowhere better to go."
I shivered. "It's cold out here. Wanna come inside?"
He shook his head. "Can't. My mother'll be home soon and I'm supposed to let her in if she's drunk."
"Oh…" I said, not really sure how I should react.
"Winter break starts tomorrow. Wanna hang out or something?" he asked awkwardly.
I smiled. "Yeah. I'd like that."
Woohoo! A late Christmas chapter! Not articularly proud of it, but at least I finally got it published. I hope you all had a lovely holiday. And a happy new years!