How To Be A Perfect Girl (10 page)

“I thought your parents didn’t let you
date,” he looked at the ground, “At least, that’s what I always
heard.”

“Well they don’t know about it, strictly
speaking.” Val frowned, “You can’t tell them. Please.”

Jaxton glanced up at Val; their eyes met
briefly. “Valentina, I don’t even know your parents. By the way,
have I told you how stunning you look?”

Val shook her head.

“Well you look like an angel. That’s a great
outfit for you.”

“Really?” she looked down at her skirt, “I
just threw it on.”

Jaxton shrugged, “It still looks amazing.
Valentina, I was wondering—why’d you text me? I didn’t even know
you had my number.”

“I didn’t,” Val admitted, “But Tyler gave it
to me. To be honest, I don’t know why I texted you.” She looked out
the window, “McKayla and I aren’t friends anymore.”

“I heard,” Jaxton nodded, “She was pretty
broken up about it.”

“Why would she broken up about it?” Val
asked, “She was the one who said she didn’t want anything to do
with me.”

“All I know is there were a lot of people
talking about it. I was surprised at first, because you two were
such good friends at Walker. But you didn’t answer my
question.”

“What question?”

“Why did you text me?” Jaxton repeated.

“Well, like I said, I don’t know. I just—I
dunno, I felt like talking to someone from Walker and I thought of
that letter you wrote and how I hadn’t talked with you about it all
summer—“

Jaxton blushed, “Yeah, sorry about
that.”

“Don’t be. It was sweet. And hey, I wouldn’t
have texted you if you hadn’t written it.” She smiled.

“Well then I’m very glad I did. I meant
every word of it, Valentina.”

“I know,” Val whispered, “And you were
right—about everything. I was kind of a b-word to you.”

“No you weren’t—I was just beneath your
notice. It happens all the time; even at Gentry, half the people
act like I don’t exist.”

“Well you have to make them notice you,” Val
said.

“Easy for you to say,” Jaxton looked at her,
“You walk into a room, everybody notices you just because of how
you look. I walk into a room, it’s a different story.”

Val coughed into her hand, “It’s not all
looks, you know. I like to think at least part of it is my
personality.”

“Perhaps. But I don’t have as much energy as
you.”

“What do you mean?”

Jaxton sighed, “You’re always so—alive. I
don’t know if that even makes sense.”

“Not really, but oh well. I bet if you
wanted to, you could be—alive—too.” Val’s phone buzzed; it was a
text from Keenan, “Hey, you wanna go get some lunch?” She looked
back at Jaxton, “Well, anyways, you have my number now, so we
should do this again sometime. Just text me if you wanna hang
out.”

“Will do,” Jaxton smiled, “Good luck with
school.” He left the restaurant, pausing only to wave before his
footsteps carried him out of view.

Val frowned at her phone
for several minutes;
I’m already out, might
as well get some lunch.
“Sure, I’m at the
Starbucks at Palm Grove.” She sent the message to
Keenan.

“Great! You know the Italian place across
the way from that? Why don’t we just meet there?” It was an
expensive place, as far as Val knew, but if Keenan wanted to go
there she wouldn’t say no.

“Kk, see you there. Want me to get a
table?”

“Yeah, sure. Alex and the guys are coming
with, so get a table for six if you can.”

Great,
Val thought,
the more the
merrier.
She’d been hoping to have a meal
with just her and Keenan, but apparently he had other plans. “Kk, I
will,” she replied.

The Italian restaurant, Cibo Del Mare,
looked out of place among the other stores in the Palm Grove
shopping center. Its red portico and ionic columns looked fantastic
in the midday light, and as Val approached she found herself
appreciating the structure all the more. It looked like it was two
stories high, but upon entering Val realized that the extra space
had not been used; as a result, the ceiling sat an impressive
thirty feet above the dining room.

The hostess wore a black polo and matching
pants. Val liked the outfit; it was one of those simple ensembles
that could be digested in a single glance, leaving the eyes free to
admire the rest of its surroundings. “Welcome to Cibo Del Mare,”
the hostess greeted, “May I find you a table?”

“Yes please,” Val smiled at the woman, a
middle-aged brunette with kind brown eyes, “I have some friends
meeting me, so could I get a table for six?”

“Sure,” the hostess wrote something on a
paper on the pedestal she was standing behind, “Do you want to
leave your name for the other guests who will be arriving?”

“Oh, of course.
Valentina.” Val paused,
should I give her
my last name?
She’d never reserved a table
before, and so was unschooled on the etiquette. “Valentina Hunter,”
she said; the hostess nodded and wrote down her last name as well,
“I can seat you now if you wish.”

That seemed boring, but waiting in the lobby
didn’t appear to be any less so. “Please,” Val smiled at the
woman.

“Alright, follow me.” The hostess grabbed a
menu and swept down a pathway to a back corner; she pointed to a
booth that looked like it would be a tight squeeze for Val and her
friends, “Will this be alright?”

“Sure.”

“Great! I’ll send your friends back when
they arrive. And would you like to order an appetizer now or—?”

Val frowned, “Yeah, but—“ she looked at the
menu still in the hostess’ hand, “I don’t know what appetizers are
available. What do you recommend?”

“The calamari’s really good. It comes with
cocktail sauce and we offer a special light batter if you want a
healthier choice.”

“Hmm, I guess I’ll have that.” Val sat down,
“Will it be enough for six people?”

“I’ll put in two orders.” The hostess pulled
out a pad, “Would you like the light batter?”

“Yes please.”

The waitress scribbled the order down, “Oh,
and also, I’m sorry to have to do this, but is it alright if I take
your card before the meal? It’s our policy.”

Val was taken aback, “You
make people pay
before
they eat? Isn’t that kinda—unusual?”

“Well, we don’t do it for everyone. Just
our—younger clients. You understand, of course. A lot of the kids
think it’s ‘cool’ to eat and leave without paying.”

Val sighed, “Alright.” She pulled out her
card and handed it to the hostess, “But how will I know how much
the meal costs?”

“We’ll bring you a check to sign before you
go. This is just to make sure you have the funds to cover—“ The
hostess smiled, “No matter, I’m sure everything will go through
just fine.”

As busy as she was with her discussion with
the hostess, Val didn’t notice Alex’s loud voice until her friends
were almost at the booth; “I’m telling you, they aren’t gonna care
if we just seat ourselves. It’s your dad’s restaurant, what are
they gonna do, kick you out?”

“Well that’s a good point, but I still don’t
feel like—“ Steven looked pained for some reason, “My dad’s made it
clear we’re supposed to act like normal patrons when we come
here.”

The hostess turned to Alex, Keenan, and
their three comrades, “Hello, there. Who are—?” Her eyes alit upon
Steven, “Ah, I see, Mr. Saunders. How are you this afternoon?” It
was strange to hear an adult address one of her peers as ‘Mr.’, but
Val supposed it made sense, if she’d interpreted Alex and Steven’s
conversation correctly.

“I’m good Kyrah,” Steven frowned at Val,
“Were you about to seat us in the back booth?”

“Well, I didn’t know she was with you,” the
hostess bit her lip, “Here, let me take you to your usual
table.”

Steven smiled, obviously enjoying the small
amount of power he could exercise in his dad’s restaurant, “I think
we ought to let the lady choose.”

Alex laughed, “How very chivalrous. I like
it. So what about it, Val, where do you wanna sit?”

All eyes turned to Val; she shrugged, “I
don’t know, I liked that table by the chandelier.”

Steven laughed; all of
them but the hostess turned to see why. He explained, “Excellent
taste. The VIP table it is.” The hostess started to lead the way,
but Steven waved her away; he retrieved Val’s card from the woman,
whispering, “Just so you know next time, she’s
always
with us.” It seemed an
overstatement; after all, they’d only known each for a week. Val
admitted to herself that it
did
sound impressive.

They took their seats at the middle of the
‘VIP’ table; even though there were six of them four chairs were
left unfilled at either end. Steven handed Val her card, “No charge
for me or my friends. So what did you order?”

“The calamari,” Keenan offered Val a seat
between him and Alex, and directly across from Steven; she took it,
smiling.

“Ooh, bad choice,” Alex said, “Isn’t that
right, Steven?”

“Oh yeah, very poor choice. My dad can’t
cook calamari to save his life; the day cooks are even worse. He
tells the waitresses to talk it up so he can get more practice, but
it’s practically inedible.”

“Well—Kyrah told me it was good!” Val said
defensively.

“Exactly.” Steven gestured to a nearby
waiter; “The order that just went through for this table?” The
waiter nodded. “Change it to four linguinis with meat sauce, one
bowtie plate, and—what do you want, Val?”

It was the first time he’d addressed her
directly; Val was caught off guard, “I’m not picky. The linguini
thing sounds good.”

Steven nodded, “Alright then. Five linguinis
and the bowtie. Got it?” The waiter made a note and walked back to
the kitchen. “And Dr. Pepper to drink!” Steven called after
him.

“Oh, I’m fine with water,” Val said.

Keenan gasped, “What, do you not like Dr.
Pepper or something?”

“It’s ok. But I just had Starbucks.”

“Criminal!” Keenan exclaimed, “Isn’t that
right, Alex?”

“Criminal!” Alex echoed, “It’s like the
crack of sodas. Once you try it it’s all you want. I drink Dr.
Pepper when I wake up, for every meal, and I have a case before
bed. You know, to help me sleep.”

“Doesn’t it have caffeine in it?” Val
asked.

“Oh, well—yeah. But don’t ruin the joke,
sweety. I stand by what I said; a whole case before bed.”

Val laughed, “So you must get like zero
sleep at night.”

“You know it, hun.” Alex winked, “That’s how
I charm all the girls. When we stay up late they can’t help but
admit how much they want me. Like last night.”

“You and I remember last night very
differently,” Val giggled at her joke.

“I wasn’t talking about our study session,
sweety. Although,” Alex mimed looking her up and down, “I wouldn’t
say no to a quick biology refresher course with you. If you know
what I mean.”

“Hey!” Keenan’s face was locked in a
grimacing smile, “That’s still my girlfriend you’re talking
to.”

The atmosphere at the table was icy; Alex’s
smile never left his face, but he was quiet for several moments.
The waiter finally broke the tension by returning with their
drinks. He set all six down on the table; Steven thanked him, “And
could you grab a water too? Apparently Val here doesn’t like the
ambrosia that is Dr. Pepper.”

“Yeah,” Val agreed, “Sorry.”

“No need to be sorry,” Steven waved the
waiter away, “He gets paid to serve customers.”

“Well yeah, but I hate to be difficult.”

The guys all laughed; “You haven’t seen
difficult,” Keenan said, “Remember that time we were here and the
one lady got on the table and started yelling about sea animal
rights?”

“Ooh ooh, or that time when Kyrah
accidentally dropped a whole pitcher of water and it drenched that
one guy?” Grant added.

In a moment the conversation turned to
memories of incidents involving or affecting the staff of Cibo Del
Mare; Val was left behind, since she shared none of them. She
pulled out her phone and checked the weather; a boring pastime, but
more interesting than listening to a conversation that was
practically nonsense to her ears.

Keenan startled her by putting a hand on her
thigh, “Hey, did you hear me?”

Val looked up from her phone, “What?”

“I asked why you were at Starbucks.”

“Oh.” Val set her phone down, “I was meeting
a—friend. Well, not really. It’s a long story.”

“We have nowhere else to be.” Everyone at
the table was looking at Val; they nodded in agreement.

“Ok, well you all know I went to Walker for
middle school, right?”

“Eurgh, the poor school,” Alex joked.

“Not really. But anyway, one of the boys
there wrote this letter at the end of last semester that was really
sweet—and he said he wanted to meet up. So I figured since I didn’t
have anything to do today, I might as well—“

“Meet up with him,” Keenan finished for her.
He smiled, “Well that’s good, how’d it go?”

“It went pretty well. I don’t know, he told
me I was ‘alive’, and I don’t know what that was supposed to
mean.”

“Yeah, that’s a weird thing to say,” Keenan
agreed, “Aren’t we all alive?” Everyone laughed.

Kyrah served their meal; it was some of the
best food Val had ever eaten. After they finished, Alex offered to
give her a ride home—“Or you can hang out with us some more. We
were gonna go to the mall and hit on girls.”

“Yeah, no thanks,” Val looked at Keenan,
“Are you going with them?”

“Probably. Why, do you not want me to?”

Of course not,
“No, it’s alright. I’ll just go home and—do
homework or something.”