The Bad Boy's Dance (47 page)

          Slightly creeped out, Phoebe retreated from the pond’s edge and went to relax on the blanket. Caleb had set out a myriad of food for them to sample, and she felt the tension slip from her body as they talked. After they’d finished eating, and the sun was beginning to set, Caleb handed her a small gift bag with a shy smile.

          Relieved that she’d had the foresight to tuck her present for him in her purse, she handed him the wrapped box. Caleb tore into the box with the abandon of a ten year old while Phoebe gently extracted the tissue paper from the bag to get to the buried gem.

          A green leather bound diary fell into her hand. Laurels adorned the cover, and a feather pen was in a small side pocket. Phoebe traced the crisp empty pages of the diary just begging to be filled with words. She turned to Caleb with tears swimming in her eyes.

          He was looking with equal adoration at her as he held the VIP package she’s bought him to his favorite soccer team, and the pass to meet them after their game. He gestured to the diary. “I know how much it bothers you that we’re apart because of school. You don’t tell me because you don’t want to make me feel guilty, and that’s not right, babe. I want to know everything I can about you, and it bothers me like hell that we’re apart. This way, you can write about what happens in your life so you don’t forget to tell me all about it. I have one at home.”

          She tackled him to the ground, kissing him feverishly all over his boyishly handsome face. He laughed as she clung to him. “Thank you, Caleb,” she sniffled. His gift was so…thoughtful. She hadn’t known what was expected or customary of a Valentine’s Day gift, so she’d just gotten him the VIP package.

          “Do you know how much I’ve wanted to go to one of their games?” Caleb asked, gesturing towards the tickets. “This is amazing. Thank you, Phoebes.”

          He kissed her softly, and she was just settling into his lap when a loud 
squack 
sound startled them. Phoebe glanced towards the noise, and watched with alarm as the ducks in the pond began to swim in restless circles, seeming to grow more and more agitated.

          “Uh…Caleb?” Phoebe asked quietly. Caleb had pulled up his phone to look something up, and he choked on his own spit.

          “What is it?” she asked urgently, trying to see the phone over his shoulder.

          Standing slowly, Caleb kept his hand around Phoebe’s. “Walk backwards very, very slowly. Don’t make any sudden movements.”

          “Caleb, you’re scaring me,” she said through clenched teeth as they began to retreat in tiny steps.

          “Remember how I said this area was off-limits because of the ducks for some reason?”

          “
Yes.”

          He gave a small cough and took another tiny shuffle back, tugging Phoebe with him. “Well, apparently, they’ve been giving the ducks hormones to make them more vicious depending on certain environmental stimuli.”

          “English!”

          “They’ve been programmed to think we’re prey, and that they’re the predators, instead of the opposite way around. Basically, they might try to eat us.”

          Phoebe looked at him in horror. “WHAT?!”

          The calm shattered, and a collective 
SQUACK 
came from the ducks as they hopped quickly from the water and began advancing in a frenzy. Phoebe screamed.

         
 
“Run!” Caleb bellowed, pelting away at full speed.

          Phoebe struggled to catch up to him, casting a terrified glance behind her at their pursuers. Oh God, she wasn’t going to make it. She’d never imagined she’d go this way. Her parents would be so upset. Caleb shouted for her to run faster, but he was a soccer player, running was second nature for him. As for Phoebe, her running experience ended at sprinting to class when she was late.

          “Caleb, they’re getting closer!” she screamed as she felt one nip at her heel.

          “We’re almost there! Just hold on!”

          Her foot caught on a loose clump of dirt, and as if in slow motion, she saw herself spiral to the ground, and white filled her sight.

          “Phoebe!” she heard Caleb shout as her mouth was filled with feathers and beaks pecked at her. She writhed, kicking off a few of the bloodthirsty mammals. Suddenly, strong hands lifted her, and she was running again, this time with Caleb’s hand wound around her own.

          As they weaved between the trees, it seemed like the ducks were getting slower the farther they grew from the lake. Phoebe panted as she outpaced the little monsters, and she could have wept with relief when she saw Caleb’s car.

          He unlocked it and practically threw her in. He jumped into the drivers seat and switched the headlights on, illuminating the eerie glassiness of the ducks.

          Phoebe emitted a bloodcurdling scream as a duck threw itself at her window. “DRIVE!”

          Caleb reversed, scattering the ducks from the path of his tires as he burned rubber in his hurry to escape. Phoebe kept her eyes plastered to every window as they drove, prepared for another duck attack at any second. It wasn’t until they were on the main road and out of the woods that she let herself relax.

          Both of them were silent for a few minutes, absorbing the fact that they’d almost been killed and eaten by small ducks.

          They burst into laughter.

          Albeit, it was hysterical laughter, but it was better than the alternative of strangling Caleb. Phoebe wiped at her eyes as she settled into her seat, a grin on her face. “Well that sure beats studying.”

          Caleb nodded. “Exactly. And on the bright side, that can be the first entry in your diary!”

          Phoebe just stared at him.

          “What?” Caleb wondered.

          “Next time I visit you at college, I’m taking you to meet toxic kittens."

Ashvy

“Man, get it together!”

          Asher paused his pacing to scowl at his roommate. “Piss off.”

          Dex rolled his eyes, setting aside his textbook and swiveling his seat to face Asher. “You’re so quaint when you’re nervous.”

          “I’m not nervous. I’m just…tense.”

          “Right, and my favorite past time is painting my nails and embroidering the days of the week on my thongs.”

          “That was a really disturbing visual.”

          “Good. Now, when are you going to pick her up?”

          Asher checked his watch. “Two hours.”

          Dex slumped into the chair, running a hand along his face. “Shit, I don’t think I can survive another two hours in your presence.”

          Asher shot him the bird and sank onto the hotel mattress. He’d flown in from Los Angeles yesterday for Valentine’s Day, and he’d dragged Dex with him to South Dakota. It hadn’t been too difficult convincing him to come, since he’d been eager to meet ‘the girl that had him so whipped’.

          “Why don’t you just go see her early? Spend all the time with her that you can?” Dex suggested.

          “I told her I’d pick her up at seven.”

          “So surprise her! Ash, dude, I think you’re losing it.”

          “For the fiftieth fucking time, 
Dexter
, don’t call me Ash.”

          “Stop PMS-ing all over the room, the hotel charges extra for bitchiness.”

          Asher took off his boot and hurled it into Dex’s stomach.

          He howled and fell off the chair. When he’d finished being a pansy, he glared at Asher. “You’re such an ass.”

          Asher opened his mouth to reply with something sarcastic when Dex suddenly lunged forward. He scrambled to the dresser and grabbed Asher’s phone, darting out of the room as soon as he had it.

          Asher shot off the mattress and tried to pry open the door. “Dex, give me the damn phone!”

          There was the sound of ringing-the slimy bastard put the call on speaker-and Dex’s high-pitched laugh. “Never! I’m so over your constant whining! Time to man up!”

          “I’m going to kill you! I know where you sleep, you motherfu-”

          “Hello?”

          The familiar feminine voice shut them both up. Asher shoved at the door with all his might and watched it give as Dex struggled to keep it shut.

          “Hey, Ivy, right? Great to meet you, I’m Dex, Asher’s roommate. We’re here in South Dakota, have been for like, a day. Sorry about the abruptness, my life is kind of on the line right-shit!”

          Asher burst through the door and tackled Dex to the floor, wrestling the phone from his grip. He shoved it to his ear, keeping Dex’s head firmly against the linoleum bathroom floor. He kneed him in the gut when he tried to crawl away.

          “Hey, Ivy!” Asher said casually, as if he wasn’t restricting his best friend’s air passage.

          “Asher…what’s going on? You’re in South Dakota? Why didn’t you tell me?”

          He squeezed his eyes shut and gave Dex’s head an extra shove for good measure. “I figured you’d be busy, with social events and everything…”

          “Are you serious? You think I’d ditch you for ‘social events’? What social events?”

          “What about school? You must be busy with classes.”

          Ivy groaned, and Asher had to bite back a smile. He’d missed her exasperation with him. “I rescheduled all my classes to spend time with you, so come meet me at my dorm right now, and bring that poor, abused boy with you.”

          “Dex? Oh, I doubt he’ll want to come. He’s…uh, he’s got a date.”

          “Really.” Ivy’s skepticism wasn’t lost on him.

          “Yup. He can even tell you himself.” Asher held the phone away from his ear and shot Dex a glare that dared him to screw around.

          He freed Dex’s mouth and placed the phone near him. Dex gritted his teeth and hissed out, “I’ve got a date for Valentine’s Day, of course. With a Swedish supermodel who likes Calculus.”

          Asher yanked away the phone and thumped Dex over the head before taking pity and releasing him. His roommate crawled from the bathroom as far as his knobby arms could carry him, only stopping to mouth an, “I hate you,” in his direction.

          “See? He’s busy.”

          “With a Swedish supermodel who likes Calculus. I heard. Well, be at my dorm in an hour, I have to change. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my French stylist who believes in moon cheese is waiting.”

          Asher chuckled as he hung up. Just from talking to her for a few minutes, it felt like a balm had soothed his anxiety, leaving him excited and content. He jumped to his feet and returned to the room, where he found Dex sprawled on his bed.

          He eyeballed Asher as he neared. “I have an emergency button, you know, this entire building will know if you try to kill me.”

          Asher laughed and sat in Dex’s chair. “Sorry about that. I didn’t know if you were going to tell her. And I didn’t actually hurt you, you big baby.”

          “I was one shove away from spelling ‘HELP’ with my tears,” Dex drawled. “Not to mention, I would never tell her what you’ve got planned. I’m too young for intensive plastic surgery.”

          “Well, thank you. She wants to see me in an hour, so I can spend more time with her. And that’s all that counts, honestly.” Asher scowled at his shoes. Why did they feel weird? He’d had to undo the laces three times.

          Dex regarded him seriously. “Huh. You really are crazy in love with this girl.”

          Asher snorted. “What gave it away?”

          Dex smiled slyly. “The fact that you’ve got your shoes on backwards.”

          Ivy was panicking.

          She’d completely forgotten to get Asher a gift for Valentine’s Day.

          Last year, she’d taken him to visit his father in prison, which wasn’t exactly an everyday Valentine present, and it had slipped her mind this year to get him something.

          So, basically, she was screwed.

          “Dana, what am I supposed to do?” she asked, pressing the phone tighter to her cheek.

          Dana heaved a huge sigh. “Girl, I don’t know. Maybe you don’t have to get him a gift. Just, I don’t know, give him a cupcake.”

          “You’re advice is to give him a cupcake? My boyfriend of two years? This is why it took Kyle all of high school to ask you out!”

          “Oh shut up, at least you know how you’re spending Valentine’s Day. Kyle is taking me to some mysterious place.”

          “I guess he didn’t get the memo about how much you hate surprises?” Ivy giggled as she pictured Kyle’s agonized face when Dana ripped him a new one.