Waiting for Perfect (5 page)

Nick fidgets with
the leather bands on his wrist.
 
“Hey, Kendra.”

Her smile beams, lighting
up her whole being.
 
She turns to
the other girls at the table.
 
“Guys, this is Nicolás.
 
We
have a couple of classes together.”

The girl with the
short blonde hair prances over to us.
 
“I’m Lexi.
 
It’s nice to
meet you, Nicolás.”

He appears to be
uncomfortable as the center of attention.
 
“It’s Nick.
 
Just Nick.”

Lexi’s smile
brightens.
 
“Okay, Nick.
 
It’s nice to meet you.
 
Kendra was talking about you.
 
You’re a junior, right?”

“Yeah.”

I eye Kendra’s
toned legs, wondering why she was talking about my cousin.
 
Why is she so interested in Nick?
 
When she met me, she couldn’t get away
fast enough.

Lexi motions to the
others.
 
“That’s Candace.
 
And that’s Ryan.”

Ryan nods. “We met
at the door.
 
You guys are cousins,
right?”

“Yeah,” I say.
 
I glance at Kendra, wondering what
she’ll think of that, wondering if she’ll hate me any less now that she knows
I’m Nick’s cousin.
 
She seems to
like him well enough.
 
I try not to
think about why that irritates me.

 
“Oh,” she says quietly, moving her eyes
back and forth between us.

“Can we join your
game?”
 
I ask loud enough that
everyone can hear me, but my eyes are focused on Kendra’s.

She’s just beginning
to open her mouth to say something, when Megan answers with a resounding “Yes”
and hands me a cue stick.
 
“I’ll
rack ‘em,” she says.
 
“You can be
on my team, Sebastian.
 
You
won’t
be disappointed.”

Everyone starts
moving to resume the game, but my eyes don’t leave Kendra’s.
 
She’s glaring at Megan.
 
Her pink lips are forming a tight line
in frustration, like she’s stopping herself from saying something she’ll
regret.
 
Something tells me she’s
not as friendly with Megan as she lets on.

And why the hell is
Ryan’s girlfriend so interested in my cousin?

KENDRA

I can’t believe
they’re cousins.
 
I mean, they have
the same dark hair and bronze skin, but that’s really where it ends.
 
Sebastian is the equivalent of a South
American Zeus, where Nick’s style screams
I
don’t give a shit what anybody thinks
.
 
Sebastian is maybe six feet tall, but Nick is taller.
 
Where Nick’s lean frame is defined and
muscular, Sebastian looks like he lifts weights every day. They look completely
out of place standing next to each other.
 
If they weren’t cousins, there would be no way they’d be hanging out
together.

It’s a little
awkward playing pool with them.
 
Sebastian keeps looking at me with this weird expression.
 
He probably thinks I’m a freak from the
way I acted at lunch today.
 
I’m
glad to see Nick.
 
I still don’t
know why I have such a need to know him better.
 
He just seems interesting, I guess.

I watch while Megan
and Sebastian beat Lexi and Nick at pool.
 
They ask me if I want to play, but I really can’t play pool worth a
damn, so I’d feel bad if anyone was stuck on a team with me.
 
Plus, I’d hate to make a fool of myself
in front of either of the Venetos.
 
I’ve already embarrassed myself enough in front of Sebastian.

I decline and make
a swift exit toward the kitchen to refill my vodka and Red Bull.
 
Ryan follows me.
 
I don’t know why he’s hanging all over
me tonight, but it’s really annoying.
 
I like Ryan.
 
We’ve been
friends since fifth grade.
 
He has
always been attractive with his emerald green eyes and dark auburn hair.
 
Girls always throw themselves at him,
but I’ve never given him that impression.
 
It’s weird that he is so forward tonight.

“Do you want to go
outside to dance?” he asks, as I fill my cup with energy drink.

Not that I don’t
like dancing, but I’d rather be with my friends, maybe getting to know Nick and
Sebastian a little better.
 
“Uh,
not really, Ryan.
 
I’m just going
to hang out at the pool table.”

He looks hurt by my
rejection.
 
His obvious
disappointment tugs at my heart, but I’m not giving into him.
 
I’m not interested in Ryan like that,
and I don’t want to give him the wrong impression.

When we get back to
the table, Nick and Candace are teamed up against Megan and Sebastian.
 
As I sit on the bar stool watching them
play, I notice Sebastian’s muscular forearms as he leans over the table to line
up his shot.
 
My mind drifts to
what those strong arms would feel like around me, but the way he and Megan are acting
makes me think his arms will be wrapped around someone else tonight.
 
I suddenly feel annoyed with Megan and
her stupid claim on him.

I push the thought
aside and glance at Nick.
 
He seems
like he’s having fun.
 
I’m
glad.
 
A smile looks better on his
face than his usual scowl.
 
For
some reason, he has a large, red stain down his back.
 
I’ve wanted to ask him about it, but I don’t want to
embarrass him.

“Here,
Kendra.”
 
Ryan is beside me with my
drink in his hand.
 
He holds it up and
nods for me to take it.
 
I had it
on the table right next to me and was perfectly capable of getting it
myself.
 
Geesh, he’s really trying hard
tonight.
 
It’s annoying as
hell.
 

“O…kay,” I say,
taking it from him.

I take a long sip
just to keep my lips busy, so I don’t have to talk to him.
 
When he puts his arm around my
shoulders, I quickly stand up to move out of his embrace.
 
I’m surprised to catch Nick staring at
us.
 
From the way Ryan’s acting
tonight, both cousins probably think I’m Ryan’s girlfriend.
 
Nick has a strange expression that I
can’t read – something between anger and concern.

Nick and I are
staring at each other when Ryan’s voice breaks our eye contact.
 
“So, how about that dance,
Kendra?”
 
He’s trying to slip his
hand into mine, but I pull away.
 
Nodding toward the window, he says, “Listen.
 
They’re playing that new Jay-Z song.”

Dancing with Ryan
after he’s been acting like a total stalker?
 
No way in hell.
 
I take another long chug from my cup, emptying most of it.
 
“No, I don’t want to dance, Ryan.
 
There are a lot of people dancing on
the patio.
 
You should go without
me.”
 
Maybe he’ll get the
hint.
 
I peek out the window to
observe the makeshift dance floor.
 
“Look, there’s Hillary Brooks.
 
You should go dance with her.
 
She’d love it.
 
I think she
likes you.”

He lowers his voice
and drops an eyebrow.
 
Maybe this
is his seductive look.
 
“I don’t
want to dance with Hillary,” he says.
 
He moves closer to me and twists a lock of my hair around his
finger.
 
“I want to dance with
you.”

Seriously, how much
has he had to drink tonight?
 
I
tilt my head back and take down the rest of the vodka in one gulp.
 
I notice Lexi is looking over at us
with her eyebrows raised, giving me the what-the-hell-is-happening look.
 
I subliminally try to send her S.O.S.
signals, and being that she’s my best friend, she walks over to us and saves
me.
 
Thank God.

She links her arm
with mine and pulls me away from Ryan.
 
“Kendra, walk with me to the bathroom.
 
I’m not sure where it is.
 
We can find it together.”

“Yeah, sure.”
 
I am so grateful to my best friend at
this moment that I could kiss her.
 
I can feel Nick’s eyes on us as we leave toward the restroom.
 
When we’re out of earshot, I thank Lexi.
 
“You are the best.
 
I don’t know what his problem is
tonight.”

“No problem,
sweetie,” she says with a wink.
 
“It’s that skirt.
 
You look
simply edible.”

 
We’re nearing the restroom when I start
feeling light-headed.
 
My vision blurs,
and it’s hard to focus on anything.
 
I feel dizzy and, when I bump into the wall, Lexi pulls on my arm to
hold me upright.

“Damn, Kendra.
 
Lay off the vodka.
 
You’re getting wasted.”

When we get to the
end of the hallway, Lexi lowers me to sit on the floor.
 
“Stay put.
 
I’ll only be a second.”
 
She shuts the bathroom door, leaving me on my own in the
hallway.

My head hits the
wall behind me.
 
It feels like it
weighs a million pounds.
 
How did I
get so drunk from two drinks?
 
My eyes
close, and I can hear the muffled sound of music mingled with voices and
laughing.
 
I think I’m drifting off
to sleep.
 
Suddenly, there’s an arm
linked with mine, and I’m being pulled up to stand.
 
My eyes won’t stay open, so I’m letting Lexi lead the way.

I mumble something,
but it’s incoherent even to me.
 
We
walk down the hallway and then up the stairs.
 
My feet are lead weights holding me to the ground, and every
step is a challenge.
 
Slowly, I
make it to the second floor.
 
There
are voices around me, speaking sentences I can’t quite understand.
 
Someone says something about a bedroom.
I am being pulled along again.
 
I
assume Lexi wants to lay me down somewhere, and that sounds wonderful.
 
All I can think about is how much I
want to sleep.
 
My body feels so
heavy that I can barely move.

There’s a soft
pillow under my head now, and I’ve never been so relieved.
 
I close my eyes and begin to
drift.
 
I feel warm breath near my
ear, and a voice that is definitely not Lexi’s saying something that I can’t
understand.
 
My thoughts are
jumbled, but somewhere deep inside my cloudy mind, there’s an alarm going
off.
 
Something isn’t right.
 
If I’m not with Lexi, then who is here
with me?

I try to sit up,
but my body doesn’t listen to my brain, and I remain lying paralyzed.
 
I feel warm pressure rising on my thigh
until it’s under my skirt and squeezing my behind.
 
The deep voice says something again, but I can’t even open
my eyes to see who it is.
 
I want
this to stop.
 
I know this is
wrong, but I can’t move.
 
I can’t
speak.
 
I can’t do anything.

NICK

After two games of
pool and two ass-whoopings by Megan and Sebastian, I’m ready to call it
quits.
 
I hand my cue stick to Lexi
the second she walks back into the room.

“Here.
 
They’re killing me, and I’m a poor
loser.”

She takes the stick
from me and looks to Candace who shrugs.
 
Candace isn’t a bad pool player.
 
Neither is Lexi, for that matter.
 
I don’t even know how to hold the stick right.
 
I missed every single shot and lost both games single-handedly.
 
My asshole cousin, who told me he sucks
at pool, turned out to be quite the shark.
 
He and Megan had a great time kicking our asses.

Lexi pulls the
wooden triangle from under the table and starts racking up the balls.
 
“Hey, did you guys see Kendra?
 
When I came out of the bathroom, she
wasn’t there.”
 
She looks outside
to the kids dancing on the patio.
 
“Maybe she went dancing with Ryan.”

I’ve been watching
that guy look at Kendra all night, and I don’t like it.
 
He’s been staring at her like he’ll
jump her at any second.
 
It’s
disgusting.
 
She obviously wants
nothing to do with him.
 
I saw her when
he threw his arm around her.
 
She
looked like she was ready to slap him.
 
But where is she?
 
Maybe I
misread her.
 
Maybe she
is
outside dancing with that douchebag.

Dammit, why do I
even care?
 
I shouldn’t be worrying
about Kendra Voss.

Across the table,
Megan has both arms around Sebastian’s neck.
 
She’s giving him a sexy smile.
 
We’ve been here for a little over an hour, and the bastard’s
already got a girl ready to spread her legs for him.
 

Some of the
football players come over to the pool table, and Sebastian hands his stick to
one of them.
 
“Here, man.
 
I’m done.”
 
Megan’s face drops.
 
“Nick, let’s go get a beer.”

We start toward the
backyard.
 
Megan and the rest of
the girls stay behind to play with the football players.
 
Lexi seems especially excited to see
Troy McCall.
 
As we walk toward the
keg, I scan the patio to see if I can spot Kendra dancing with Ryan.
 
I don’t.
 

Sebastian is pouring
beer into his cup.
 
“Are you okay?”
he asks me.

I turn to him,
surprised.
 
“Yeah, why?”

“I don’t know.
 
I didn’t think you’d come tonight.
 
You don’t strike me as the party type.”

“No.
 
I’m not.
 
But yeah, it’s cool.
 
I’m having fun.”
 
I actually
am
having fun.
 
It’s cool to hang out with my
cousin.
 
We used to be really close
when we were little.
 
I was able to
get out of San Antonio when we were still young.
 
Unfortunately, Sebastian was stuck there.
 
He had it pretty hard growing up, and I
know it changed him.
 
Even though I
bitch about it, I’m glad he’s in California now.

He pounds half his
beer and refills it again before we move away from the keg.
 
I wonder if he’s getting drunk and how
he’s planning to get the Mustang home.
 
I wonder if he’ll be pissed at himself in the morning for even drinking
at all.
 
I thought he was going to
stop when he moved here.
 

“Hey, have you seen
that girl, Kendra?” I ask.
 
I don’t
know why I care so much about Kendra.
 
She’s probably off with Ryan enjoying her adolescence like I should be
doing.
 

“When?”

“Like, in the last ten
minutes?
 
She kind of disappeared.”

He gives me a sly smile.
 
“You got a thing for her?”

“What?”
 
I feel my cheeks redden.
 
I’m not sure if it’s from embarrassment
or anger.
 
I never talk girls with
Sebastian.
 
“No, I don’t.
 
It’s just that she was hanging out with
all of us, and then she was gone.
 
I
don’t see her anywhere.
 
I’m just
wondering if you’ve seen her.”
 
My
voice is sounding agitated now, and Sebastian examines me with a cocked head to
decide if I’m serious.

He shrugs and turns
his attention to the kids dancing.
 
“No, man.
 
I haven’t seen her.
 
She’s hot though.
 
So if you’ve got a thing for her, I
totally approve.”

“I don’t have a
thing for her.
 
Shit, dude.
 
Forget it.”
 
Why does everything with Sebastian have to be about getting
girls?
 
Does he ever care about a
girl’s wellbeing, or is he always strictly in it for the sex?

He answers my
unspoken question by saying, “There are way too many chicks on the dance floor,
and not enough…
me
.
 
Do you mind if I leave you for a while
to go dance?”
 
He peers at me over
his cup.
 
“Unless, you’re coming
too.”

I shake my
head.
 
“I don’t dance –
especially to this kind of music.”

“Alright, well I’m
going.
 
Emma is over there.
 
I know she’s a freaky psycho-whore, but
shit, she looks amazing tonight.”

My cousin and his
appreciation for the female body.
 
“Sure, man.
 
Go for it.
 
Maybe she can spill her drink all over
you
now.”

He laughs before
downing the rest of his beer and trotting off toward the patio.
 
I watch as he jumps right in and moves
to the music.
 
He’s actually a
really good dancer.
 
Within seconds,
he’s got three girls with their hands all over him.
 
How did I inherit the oddity gene while my cousin seems to
have all his shit together?

I scan the backyard
for Kendra but still can’t find her, so I decide to go back inside to look
around.
 
Worrying about Kendra was
not on my agenda tonight, but it’s better than sitting on the sidelines
watching girls drool over my cousin.

When I get inside,
I glance over to the pool table to see if she’s returned to her friends.
 
Lexi is hanging all over Troy.
 
Megan has found some new guy to
torture.
 
The quiet one, Candace,
is holding her own on the table.
 
Still no Kendra.
 
Or
Ryan.
 

There’s concern in
my gut.
 
From the way she was
brushing him off earlier, I can’t believe she would have gone off with him somewhere.
 
I decide to walk around the house to
look for her.
 
Does that make me a
stalker?
 
Maybe.
 
But it’s an epic house, and I wouldn’t
mind looking around anyway.

I walk to the
kitchen and through the hallway toward the bathroom.
 
A few people say hi to me.
 
It seems I’m not a complete outcast after all.
 
After looking around the first floor, I
climb the stairs to the second.
 
The balcony overlooks the foyer and pool table.

There are people
making out by the balcony rail.
 
Their slurping sounds are disgusting, so I move past them quickly.
 
The first door on the right is
open.
 
I flip the light switch on
the wall to see an empty office.

Walking further
down the hall, I knock on the door to the left.
 
A girl’s voice says, “Go away!”
 
I know it’s not Kendra, so I do as I’m told and bolt.

The third door is slightly
open, and dim lighting is coming through the crack.
 
I peek through the slit just enough to see some movement
under the blankets on the bed.
 
Embarrassed,
I turn to leave, but then I glimpse caramel hair splayed over the pillow.

Some part of my
brain is screaming to move away from the door and leave her to it.
 
Whatever she – and most likely
Ryan – are up to in that bed is none of my business.
 
But a bigger part of me wants to barge
in there, ask her what the hell she is doing, and punch Ryan in the face.

Kendra’s top is
crumpled on the carpet next to the bed, along with a lacey, pink bra.
 
I stand there looking at the scene like
a dumbass and don’t even notice when I lean forward enough to make the door
squeak on its hinges.
 
The movement
on the bed ceases.
 
I try to hold
my breath and stand completely still, but it’s too late.

The blanket rolls
back, and Ryan’s blockhead turns toward the doorway.
 
“Shit!
 
Get out
of here, Veneto!”

I’m sure my face is
bright red; it feels like it’s on fire.
 
Kendra’s going to think I’m a psycho.
 
I’m just about to turn and sprint down the stairs, when I
steal one last glance at Kendra.

She’s not
moving.
 
Her eyes are closed.
 
She’s as still as a board on the bed,
and her naked chest is fully exposed.
 
Most girls would freak out, right?
 
Most girls caught in this predicament would be clawing at the blanket
trying to cover themselves.
 
Most
girls would have their eyes open and would be screaming for me to leave.

Ryan yells at me
again.
 
“Dickhead!
 
I said leave.
 
Now
!”
 
There’s an authority in his voice that
I’m sure is meant to intimidate me, but all I can think about is Kendra.
 
I’m not going anywhere.

“What the hell is
this, Ryan?" I demand.

He lowers his voice
to a growl and glares at me.
 
“Veneto, I’m going to tell you one more time, and you better listen to
me.
 
Get the hell out!”

My eyes are locked
on Kendra.
 
She’s beautiful –
and totally passed out.
 
She’s
comatose, and he’s on top of her naked body.
 
Is he…?
 
Is he
doing what I think he’s doing?
 

Oh, hell no.

My fists instantly clench
at my sides.
 
My breathing goes
shallow.
 
My heart starts to
race.
 
I can feel myself going into
full-blown attack mode.
 
I shove
open the door, crashing it against the wall.
 

As calmly as
possible, I tell him, “Get off her.”

Ryan narrows his
eyes.
 
Covering Kendra with the
blanket, he rises slowly from the bed and starts walking toward me.
 
He zips his pants over his hard-on.
 
“I told you to leave, man.
 
This is none of your business.”

My eyes dart to
Kendra lying helpless on the bed, and then to Ryan.
 
His bulging crotch tells me what he’s done or what he was
about to do.
 
I pray that I’m not
too late.
 
The thought of her being
violated that way makes me sick.
 
I’m
pulled over the edge.
 
My whole
body is ready to explode, and everything goes red.

Ryan takes one step
closer, and without thinking, I charge at him.
 
My fist connects with his jaw, and the impact feels strong
and solid.
 
It sends him stumbling
backward.
 
He outweighs me by a
good twenty pounds, but I am taller than him and running on pure adrenaline.

I tackle him to the
ground easily.
 
My knees are on
either side of him, pinning him to the carpet as I deliver successive blows to
his face.
 
He yells something, but
I can’t even hear him.
 
Everything
is a blur.
 
All I want to do is
kill this guy.
 

He’s struggling,
trying to break free from my assault.
 
With every blow I land, he lets out a whoosh of air and winces.
 
I come down hard with my elbow on his
face and hear a crack.
 
Then I let
my fists fly again.
 
There’s blood
everywhere – my hands, his face, the carpet.
 
He stops moving under me, but I can’t stop hitting him.
 
I don’t want to stop.