The Bad Boy's Dance (3 page)

              “What?!”

              “You’ve been hiding in a shell for over a year, Ives! It’s not like you can say no anyway.”

              “This wasn’t what I signed up for!”

              “You didn’t sign up, remember?”

              “I’m not doing it!”

              “Yes you are!”

              Dana and I were shouting, and Caleb was watching us with morbid fascination. He raised his hands, placating. “Guys! Stop it! Dana, back off. This is Ivy’s decision. Ives, she does have a point. You need to graduate, and this is the only way.”

              “This can’t be the only option!”

              “You get to leave after a semester too,” he continued, ignoring me. “Only a semester of Dance and then you’re free of it
and
Asher Grayson.”

              He was right. Somewhere in my muddled brain, I knew that the decision wasn’t mine to make, but it didn’t help me much. I dropped them off at their houses and parked in front of my home.

              I unlocked the door and entered. Mom was upstairs, and I could hear her scolding my little sister, Jodi. She was always grumpy when she got home after work. Dad was still at the firm, and I figured he’d be home late. Having a lawyer as a father meant he missed lots of meals.

              I wandered into the kitchen and gulped a glass of cold water, quenching my thirst and irritation. Spencer joined me, munching on a family-size bag of Doritos. “You’re ridiculous,” I told him, wiping my mouth with my sleeve.

              “You’re just jealous you can’t be this awesome,” Spencer replied.

              “In what world is being a college student who decides to randomly come home and eat our food awesome?”

              “My world, and that’s the only world that matters,” Spencer stated seriously, licking orange flavoring from his fingers.

              I rolled my eyes and walked past my delusional brother. “Dinner’s at six!” he called after me.

              “I live here, you moron!” I hollered.

              “Spencer, Ivy, shut up!” my mom growled, stomping down the stairs. Oh, she was in her Kraken mood. Best to hide and watch out.

              Scurrying up the stairs to my room, I shut the door and threw myself into bed. I only had a few papers to get signed, no homework.

              Hauling my laptop to my knees, I clicked on the internet browser and stopped. Hmm. I didn’t have any social networking profiles, not anymore. But I did know Spencer’s!

              Facebook easily let me into my brother’s profile, and I grinned in triumph. I could wreak so much havoc if I tried. He had thousands of friends.

              Quickly, I typed in a name and waited.

              Asher’s profile was very interesting. He didn’t have his hometown, location, where he went to school, or anything personal. That wouldn’t have been too weird by itself, but there was also the fact that he didn’t have any pictures taken in our neighborhood or school.

Weird.

He had even more friends than Spencer. I perused his photos lazily.

He may be a presumptuous womanizer, but he’s hot!

What was I doing? This was
Asher Grayson.
He was not someone to be trifled with. Even the Plastics, his very own posse, weren’t as familiar with him as they were with each other.

I shut the laptop and pushed it to the dresser, settling into bed. I had a more pressing matter at hand. Could I join the NDT? It would bring back so many painful memories. My heart ached at the mere thought.

Stop being a drama queen. You can do this. Just dance, get third place, and you’ll be free.

But could I do it while partnered with the notorious criminal bad boy? To a casual observer it would seem like I wasn’t afraid of him, but that casual observer needed to visit an optometrist, stat. Speaking to him was easy when he made me mad, but other than that, I clammed up, my palms sweat, and my lungs retired.

Plagued by my thoughts, I drifted asleep, only waking when I heard my mom calling me for dinner. Yawning, I shuffled downstairs and plopped in a seat across my brother. Spencer’s hair was light brown, just like mine, but where mine was long and straight, his was curly and short. Along with his apple green eyes, it gave him a boyishly innocent aura that was completely fake.

Mom chatted with Dad- who’d surprisingly made it home for dinner- while Spencer and I tried to stab each other’s hands with our forks. He yelped when my fork sank into his skin and I shushed him before our parents noticed.

“Don’t be such a sissy,” I snickered.

“Frig you,” he hissed. He wouldn’t curse with our parents a foot away. I smiled angelically at him, earning myself another glare.

Spencer did the dishes while I cleaned up. It was peaceful, at least until Spencer squeezed a wet sponge over my neck, making cold water and soap travel down my spine. “You butt-head!” I screeched, slapping at him like a frenzied chimp. He dodged my blows and laughed, popping a bubble in his palm.

When my lids grew heavy, I bid my parents goodnight and stuck my wet pinkie in Spencer’s ear before heading to bed. Showering while I was tired was a real chore, but I didn’t want to go to school stinking like a compost heap.

In a pair of my favorite PJ’s, I cuddled with my pillow and shut down my brain.

“Please,” I whimpered. “C’mon. I know this isn’t you.”

“How do you know who I am? Nobody knows! I don’t even know anymore!” he yelled, frenzied. His eyes burned with a dark light only the intensity of his self-hatred could produce.

“I love you,” I whispered. It was never enough. It had never been enough.

“No you don’t.” He crumpled to the ground, and my heart fractured. Ignoring the voice in my head that screamed at me to run, I crouched beside him and put my hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t touch me!” Next thing I knew, I was flying through the air, and I heard the sound of glass breaking. Blood pooled on the ground, and my favorite vase lies in pieces. I’d gotten it for him as a housewarming gift.

“Oh no! I’m so sorry, baby! I’m so sorry!” he crawled over to me and attempted to stop the flow of blood with his hand.

Where was the love I felt for him? It wasn’t not there anymore. Now his touch filled me with revulsion, and I wanted nothing more than to go home and never see him again.

But he needed me.

Chapter Three

              
 
Lunch Room Showdown

“MOVE IT! SHAKE YOUR SORRY KABOOSE!”

My personalized alarm clock woke me up rudely. Groaning, I hauled the covers off and headed into the bathroom. After brushing my teeth and tying my hair into a loose bun, I dressed in a pair of jeans and an over-sized sweater. If Dana gave me crap, I’d tell her it was cold outside today.

Dad and Mom had already left for work, so I grabbed a granola bar, hid the milk from Spencer, and vamoosed to my car.

“Hey guys,” I greeted my friends when I picked them up. It was easy, since they were neighbors. It was a gift to us all when Dad bought me my car.

“Why are you so chipper?” Dana complained, burrowing her face into the seat cushion. “It’s too bloody early to be going to the hellhole.”

Caleb was texting on his phone, probably a fellow jock. We were his best friend’s but we did allow him to venture with his own gender every once in a while. “Only 169 more days to go,” he said helpfully. Not.

I hunted for a parking spot and was almost late to first period. Bidding my friend’s goodbye, I ran off to Bio. Mrs. Peters was not tardy-friendly.

The bell rang just as I slid into my seat. Victory!

Mrs. Peters shot me a glare, and I sighed.

This was going to be a long year.

We were assigned partners, and the class dispersed to greet our new partners in crime for the year. Mine found me.

“Hey!” Kyle slid into the seat beside me. “Thank God that you’re in this class. I don’t think I could bear it alone. Quick- give me one of those smiles.”

I giggled. Kyle was an incorrigible flirt and Caleb’s good friend. He was also a senior, and very attractive with his washboard abs and twinkly hazel eyes.

Nowhere near as good-looking as Asher Grayson though.

Brain, please shut up.

I wondered if talking to your brain counted as talking to yourself. If it did, then I might need to do something about that. I didn’t want a Lizzie McGuire mini-me in my head. I’d always thought that was a little freaky.

“Ivy? Hello?” Kyle waved a hand in front of me. Oops.

“Sorry, I zoned out for a minute.”

“Daydreaming about my dreamy good looks?” he teased. I laughed. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Caleb and Dana met me at my locker third period. “Hey,” I greeted them. Dana looked downright bubbly, and Caleb was smiling affectionately at her.

“Guess what?!” she shrieked. I winced. I definitely wouldn’t be leaving Darwin High without severe ear damage.

“The moon is made of cheese!”

Caleb suppressed a laugh at Dana’s irritated look. “No! Would you quit it with the moon cheese already? Jason asked me to Homecoming!”

“That’s great news!”

We gushed and gossiped and went girly on poor Caleb, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else.

“I’ll bet he’ll look even more delicious in a tux!” Dana dreamed.

“What are you gonna wear? Oh my gosh, we need to get you a dress!”

Caleb cleared his throat. “I’m going to, ah, go lift weights. Or some other manly thing.” We watched as he disappeared faster than a cartoon character.

Happy for my friend, I shelved my books in my locker when a note came fluttering out.

Have you done your stretches?

I hid the note before Dana could spot it. There was no doubt to the identity of the sender. If he thought I was going to fawn all over him, he had another think coming. I was immune to his charms.

Keep telling yourself that.

My next three periods dragged. We were asked to share information about ourselves in language arts, something I thought was unnecessary. What if someone in the classroom was a future axe murderer?

After writing my homework for math, I put my stuff away and waited out the cafeteria rush. Dana had already bought our lunches.

“It’s a grilled cheese today,” she informed me as I plunked onto the seat beside her. Caleb sat in front of us, engrossed in a magazine. I snatched it from his hands.

“Hey!” he protested.

“No reading at the table, dear. Bad Caleb. Eat your lunch Mister!”

He rolled his eyes but took a bite of his lunch obediently. “There. Now gimme my magazine.”

I handed it to him while Dana laughed at his sulkiness. “We can’t help but be mother hens, Caleb-Poo. But you know you love us.”

He pointed his fork at her and narrowed his eyes. “Call me that again and you’ll have to go to Homecoming with one eye.”

Before Dana could reply, the cafeteria doors opened and the Plastics entered, fashionably late as always. They sat at their table, reveling in the attention of the cafeteria. They were pretty. They were smart. They were popular.

They were the Plastics.

Last to enter, again, was Asher. I averted my gaze quickly. I had no desire for him to remember what happened yesterday. Hopefully he had forgotten and moved on.

“Jason’s favorite color is green. Should I wear a green dress?” Dana asked me thoughtfully.

“Only if he wears a purple tux.”

“If it was a fruit bowl contest, you guys would be a sure thing,” Caleb added. Sometimes I think he
wanted
Dana to fillet him.

“We’ll find you something, Dana, ignore the imbecilic jock,” I consoled her, but she wasn’t listening.

Her eyes had widened to the size of saucers, and Caleb’s jaw was scraping the table. I looked up to see what had caught their attention….

….and looked right into cobalt eyes.

“So this is where you hide,” Asher said thoughtfully.

The cafeteria was dead quiet. You could hear a pin drop. Everyone was gawking at Asher, and the Plastics were looking at him in confusion. I wondered briefly if the sky was swirling angrily at this cosmic rift.

My skin started to crawl from the attention. “What do you want?” I hissed.

He glanced at me amusedly. “Do you want me to leave?”

“Yes!”

He slid in beside Caleb, who scooted a respectful distance away. If Dana’s eyes got any wider, they’d swallow the rest of her.

Murmurs broke out in the cafeteria, and I glared at Asher. “What are you doing?!”

“Sitting.” He spoke slowly, like he was educating a child.

“Why are you sitting here?” Go away!

“I like the view.” He smirked and flicked a piece of dark hair from his forehead.