Unsocial (13 page)

“Yeah,
maybe.”

He
smiles suspiciously, “You’re going to ask her, aren’t you?  You know I was
kidding.”

I
shrug, “Why not? She does love to help, and I know nothing about this girly
shit.”

“Yeah,
but…” He stops himself. “Cool, I’m sure Cassia will have fun.  And since she’s
so fucking uptight, she’ll probably push Cass into getting a dress that even a
nun would okay.”

The
pizza finally arrives and thankfully the conversation is over.  I’ve done
everything I can to hide my attraction to Brooke. The problem is that I mention
her, a lot, as do the three older kids.  Gabby has come around and now smiles
when Brooke’s name is mentioned.  I call the kids to the table, and we all sit
down to dinner.  Cassie, of course, dominates the conversation with everything
cheer.  I notice she keeps looking over at me with a hopeful look, and I’m sure
I’m returning the same look.  She wants me to say yes, and I want her to forget
this stupid idea of dating.

The
next day after work I head over to the Social Services building to ask Brooke
in person if she will go shopping with us.  After I had gone to bed last night,
I thought more about what Jackson said.  I know Cassie would love Brooke to
take her, because if it isn’t cheerleading or boys spilling from her mouth,
then it’s, Brooke this and Brooke that.  Which right now, I’m fucking happy
about.  I didn’t say anything to Cassie because I didn’t want to get her hopes
up, but I have a feeling that helping Cassie dress shop isn’t something that
Brooke will turn down. 

It’s
a little after five when I park my truck and see Brooke’s Ford Focus still in
the lot, but no sign of her. When I step into the building, I spot her
instantly in the hallway. She’s backing away as far as she can from a very
large man who’s standing entirely too close to her. The fucked up thing is he’s
in her face yelling something about his kids.  I move quickly next to them,
“Brooke?”

They
both look over at me; however, the big guy doesn’t move away. And I see fear in
Brooke’s eyes.
I don’t like that, at all.  “Dylan, what are you
doing here?”

I
ignore her question, “Are you okay?”

The
man looks back at me, “Who the fuck are you?”

He
still hasn’t moved away from Brooke, and I struggle to keep calm, I need to
avoid physical confrontation if I can. I just keep reminding myself that the
kids count on me, and it’s the only thing that keeps me from ripping his fucking
head off. I growl, “I’m your worst fucking nightmare if you don’t back away
from her.”

He
looks back at Brooke, “Aw, is this your boyfriend? How cute. He won’t always be
around to protect you, though, little Miss. Priss. I will be back.”

He
finally steps away from her, and I can see relief sweep over her pale face. He
leaves with one last threatening look toward Brooke, and I move closer to her
because I can feel her shaking. “Are you okay?”

Her
face turns from scared to stubborn. “I’m fine; I had it under control.  You
didn’t have to do that.”

I
smile, who the hell does this girl think she’s kidding?  The guy was huge, and
she wants me to think she could handle him.  Big, dumb, and pissed off doesn’t
make for a safe situation.  “You know, a simple thank you would work, Brooke.”

She
smiles and rolls her eyes playfully, “Thank you, Dylan. So what brings you
here? Is it time to have the ‘talk’ with Michael?”

“Yeah,
laugh it up, but I’m not kidding.  I’m not ready for this shit at all, and I
might have a stroke before it’s all over.”  She laughs, of course.  “Were you
heading out to your car?”

She
nods. “Yes.”

“Can
I walk you out and make sure that asshole isn’t waiting for you?”

“Sure.”

We
walk out to the parking lot, “So, you know Cassie was asked to Homecoming.”

She
smiles and finds her keys in her purse, “Yes, she sent me about a dozen texts
right after she was asked. She’s excited, Dylan.”

“You
seriously knew about this when I called you last night?  That’s cruel, you
know.”

“Yeah,
I know, but it was so fun listening to you have a panic attack, and then little
ole me saving the day.
  And I also know how happy she was when
you told her she could go.”

“But
now we have another problem,” I inform her.

“Excuse
me, but,
we
?”

“Yes,
we
.  You’re being punished for last night when you let me go on with my
panic attack.  Where have you been hiding this cruel streak anyway?” I tease.

“Okay,
okay, what seems to be the newest problem?”

“She
wants to go dress shopping,” I say as we reach her car.

“And
you’re freaking out, why? “

“Seriously,
can you picture me hitting the mall looking for a dress?  I don’t even want her
to go on this stupid date because I don’t know what this shithead wants with my
sister.  If I help pick out the dress, it’s just going to piss her off because
it’ll cover her from neck to toes.”

She
smiles, “You know, not every guy has bad intentions.  It’s just an innocent
date. Why don’t you invite him over for dinner one night before next Friday and
get to know him?”

I
grin, big.  “Not a bad idea.  How about Tuesday, and you can meet him too. 
That way we’ll both get a feel for him.  Now, for the reason I’m here, I was
wondering, I mean she needs this dress so I thought maybe you could go with us
because I know this is something she would have done with her mom, and I don’t
know anything about this stuff, and she loves you.”

Great,
I’m going to hyperventilate because I said all that without taking a breath.
Maybe Brooke will have pity on me and say, yes.  I swear I’m never like this.
I’m usually cool and collected. I can see her wheels turning, and she’s
thinking it over probably deciding if this is okay or not.

“Yeah,
I can do that. It just so happens I need some stuff from the mall.”

“Not
more hideous pantsuits, please.”

She
laughs, “Really? Asking me for a favor and then making fun of my clothes?”

I
smile. I think about the t-shirt and jeans she wears on Tuesdays which I’m
certain are because of our cooking lessons. If I could just get her let her
hair down, I would be a happy man, at least for a while. I’m not going to be
satisfied until I have her in my bed, under me, and screaming the walls of my
room down…..and let’s stop this train of thought because she’s not going to
appreciate what’s happening behind my zipper while we stand in the parking lot
of her work.  “Okay, okay.  I just like to see you in your jeans and t-shirts. 
That’s definitely your look.  And I really would appreciate your help Sunday. 
I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Dylan,
I said yes.  I don’t mind helping Cassie at all.  How about I meet you guys at
the mall around one at the main entrance?”

I
would rather pick her up, but instead, I nod, “Sounds good. Thank you, Brooke.”

“It’ll
be fun, and I’m happy to help.”

She
gets into her car and drives off, and I drive home to tell Cassie that Brooke
will be joining us.  Spending time on Sunday with Brooke and making Cassie
happy, win-win for me.

On
Sunday Cassie and I drive to the mall, and she falls out of the truck,
practically running to the mall’s main entrance. I follow behind her, and see
Brooke waiting for us. God this girl is gorgeous.  Of course, her hair is up,
but to my surprise, it’s in a ponytail.  And yes, she does have long hair. 
She’s wearing a simple t-shirt and tight jeans, and goddamn if my jeans don’t
get tighter as well.

I
join them and exchange greetings with Brooke. I can’t take my eyes off her,
even with Cassie in full-blown girl mode, talking about shit I’ve never heard
of before.  I’m just tagging along behind them to the store where there are
formal dresses in the window.  I'm following Brooke’s tight little ass because
it seems to be the beacon I need to follow, and it’s damn sure an incentive to
keep up.

It
doesn’t take long to zone out though as the two start going through the store. 
So, I decide to use my phone to get a little work done.  Finally, Cassie goes
back to the dressing room to try a dress on while I sit with Brooke on a little
red sofa in the store. “She is so excited, Dylan.”

“Yeah,
I know, I just hope she doesn’t get taken advantage of,” I tell her worriedly.

“Stop
it.  You have to quit worrying about this so much, or you’ll spoil her first
date by being so negative.  Do you know anything about this Brent kid?”

I
shake my head, “No, has she said anything to you about him?”

“Just
that he is
really, really
, super-hot.  He drives the
sexiest
car.  And he’s the
best
player on the basketball team.”  I laugh at her
attempt to sound like Cassie.

“Great,
Brooke.  You’re making me feel so much better about this.”

Cassie
walks out of the dressing room in a way-too-short red dress that dips way too
fucking low in the front. No fucking way. “That scrap of material had better be
a joke.”

Cassie
pouts and looks to Brooke, who stands and walks closer to Cassie. “Hmm, it’s
really pretty, and I love the color on you, but I don’t know. It just doesn’t
leave enough to the imagination. Guys love mystery.”

Cassie
agrees and goes back into the dressing room. Damn, Brooke is good. “Thank you.”

She
laughs, “Yeah, you looked like you were about to lose your mind.”

“She’s
only fifteen and just barely. She doesn’t need to show that much skin, ever.”

“I
agree. Don’t worry we will find the perfect one.”

Cassie
comes out again in a much more brother-friendly dress, but I can tell she hates
it.  “This dress is so ugly. I hate it.”

Brooke
nods and scrunches her nose, “Agreed, next one. And don’t worry we have all
day.”

Wait. 
What? All day? I hope that’s a joke. How long can it possibly take to find a
dress? My answer to that stupid question comes six eye-bleeding, head-splitting
hours later. Not only did I end up buying her dress, but it turns out she just
had to have new shoes, makeup, and jewelry for this dance.  Now we’re walking
to the parking lot, and I’ve been reduced to pack mule because I’m the one
carrying all Cassie’s new shit out of the mall.  Cassie hasn’t stopped thanking
Brooke all day for helping her. And after this experience, I really do owe her
myself.

“Cassie,
it was no problem.  It was a lot of fun, and I know you are going to have a
great time. If you need anything else, call me.”  She turns to me.  “Okay, I’ll
see you on Tuesday.  Pick out what’s on the menu, and I’ll help you with the
shopping list.  And think about inviting Brent over.  Cassie and I talked about
it, and she thinks it’ll be a good idea for you to meet him.”

Cassie
smiles and gives her a big hug. After thanking her again for giving up her
Sunday, we say our goodbyes and head home.

Tuesday
rolls around, but, unfortunately, Cassie’s ‘date’ couldn’t make dinner.  It seems
the boy toy has a job after school.  I know I should see this as a good thing,
but he wants to go out with my sister, so no, it’s not a good thing.  I decided
on fried chicken, so that’s on the menu for tonight.  Yesterday I had gone to
the store and nearly cleaned the place out to restock our kitchen.  After four
days of takeout, because I didn’t feel like shopping, the crew was planning a mutiny. 
And yes, I consulted Brooke on the shopping list.  We spent nearly two hours
with her texting a list of everything I needed to stock up.

Now
I’m watching her dance around me while I stand by the stove, to keep an eye on
the chicken.  She’s shaking her ass and singing a horrible rendition of
Nickelback’s
Rockstar
, and as bad as it is, the girl is straight up fucking
sexy.  I feel some grease pop on my arm pulling me from my in-depth study of
Brooke’s body, and turn to take out the few remaining pieces.  She’s washing up
some shit at the sink, and before I know it I’m across the kitchen with an arm
wrapped around her waist and pulling her back into my body.  She stops her singing;
her body tightens up, and she lets out the slightest moan followed by a sigh. 
“Stay for dinner tonight.”

This
isn’t
the first time I’ve asked her since she got here, but I’m hoping, this time,
she says, yes.  I just want her here for as long as I can steal time with her. 
I have a feeling she’s terrified that it’s somehow crossing a line, and I want
to say it's just dinner, but it’s not, and she knows it too.  She leans her
head back into me and shakes her head, “I can’t.”

She’s
sticking to her decision which is pissing me the fuck off.  I’m frustrated as
hell over wanting her.  It’s been so goddamn long since I’ve gotten laid, and
being around her is fucking with me to the point I’m going to lose it.   I want
her to say ‘fuck it, and give in.  I know she wants it.  She turns in my arm
and looks up into my eyes, and I fucking see how much she wants me too, but I
know she’s going to say, no.