moment.
He lowered his face close to mine. His cheek brushed against mine and I froze. I had frozen long before that, but it got worse. His face tickled against mine, and then his lips brushed my cheek. I leaned into it, savoring the nothingness of a cheek kiss, and yet, it felt loaded with everything we hadn’t said. What was there to say? We didn’t even know each other.
“I want to take you out for dinner, tonight?”
I was about to accept, but I leaned back slightly, pulling back into the headspace I needed to be sane. “You’re my teacher, you can’t.”
His eyes narrowed. “I will quit. I’ll go do that now. See you at your house at seven?”
“No. My father’s wife doesn’t like you. I will meet you.”
His sexy smile crossed his lips. “No. You will change your mind. I will meet you one block from the house. It’s called Fern Avenue.” He turned and walked away.
My brain fought tooth and nail to change everything that had happened in that two minutes but my heart smiled, just like my dumb face. The smile owned me, inside and out. I didn’t even know I could smile inside, but I was. He made me glow. I was already planning my outfit. I pulled my cell and looked at the time. I opened the door to the store and called up. “LIZ! I HAVE TO GO! SEE YOU TOMORROW?”
She rounded the corner, breathing deeply and looking wild eyed. “Yeah, that actually works out better. See you in the morning.”
I slapped my hand against my forehead. “The party tonight. I’ll pick you up, like ten?”
She nodded and waved weakly. I closed the door, hoping she was okay.
She must have been still freaking out about the weird egg sandwich. It was probably just something in the sandwich, like off mayonnaise or something.
I pushed that to the back of my mind and turned, running the entire way home to start getting ready.
Every time I stopped myself, reminding my heart we had spoken a whole three times and he was an ass, I caught a glimpse of my face in the mirror. My eyes were filled with hope and the smile owning my lips was ridiculous and expectant. I couldn’t recall a time ever feeling that excited.
Ever.
I didn’t care that he was the wrong choice and he was the wrong guy and the wrong age. I didn’t care that he was a teacher for a day or that he had been a jerk at the ball. I wanted to give him a chance to explain. I wanted to see what was behind those dark eyes and that sarcastic smile.
I just wanted to feel that thing I did when I was with him, that lost feeling. As odd and slightly demeaning as it was, I couldn’t wait to be eaten up by his gaze.
I bathed, showered, shaved, plucked, loofahed , moisturized, and then started the process of hair and makeup. Dad came in as I was blow-drying my hair. He frowned.
“I have a date.”
His eyebrow cocked. “With who?”
“Boy from school.”
“The Michaels boy?”
I shook my head. “No. A different one.” It wasn’t entirely a lie.
He sighed. “What’s the plan? Is he coming here?”
“Dad, you have to stop the whole ‘city dad’ thing here. You wanted me to move to this hellhole—let me enjoy the few things about it that are fun. Freedom is one of them. I am going to dinner and then I am going to a party. The kids here deke out the po-po and parents by partying on Mondays. It’s whatever. I’m going. I need a life again.”
He folded his arms, but I pointed at him. “Dad. This is what seniors do. If I’m gonna have any kind of life, I need to go out and have fun. How else am I gonna meet peeps? I need fun or I will die. It’s a friggin’ pit party in a hillbilly town. I got this.”
“Frank, you leave her alone. I heard about this party already. It’s cool if she goes. Stop badgering the poor girl.” Judith shouted up the stairs. “Your dinner is ready, get down here.”
I smiled. He held his hands up in the air and
He lowered his face close to mine. His cheek brushed against mine and I froze. I had frozen long before that, but it got worse. His face tickled against mine, and then his lips brushed my cheek. I leaned into it, savoring the nothingness of a cheek kiss, and yet, it felt loaded with everything we hadn’t said. What was there to say? We didn’t even know each other.
“I want to take you out for dinner, tonight?”
I was about to accept, but I leaned back slightly, pulling back into the headspace I needed to be sane. “You’re my teacher, you can’t.”
His eyes narrowed. “I will quit. I’ll go do that now. See you at your house at seven?”
“No. My father’s wife doesn’t like you. I will meet you.”
His sexy smile crossed his lips. “No. You will change your mind. I will meet you one block from the house. It’s called Fern Avenue.” He turned and walked away.
My brain fought tooth and nail to change everything that had happened in that two minutes but my heart smiled, just like my dumb face. The smile owned me, inside and out. I didn’t even know I could smile inside, but I was. He made me glow. I was already planning my outfit. I pulled my cell and looked at the time. I opened the door to the store and called up. “LIZ! I HAVE TO GO! SEE YOU TOMORROW?”
She rounded the corner, breathing deeply and looking wild eyed. “Yeah, that actually works out better. See you in the morning.”
I slapped my hand against my forehead. “The party tonight. I’ll pick you up, like ten?”
She nodded and waved weakly. I closed the door, hoping she was okay.
She must have been still freaking out about the weird egg sandwich. It was probably just something in the sandwich, like off mayonnaise or something.
I pushed that to the back of my mind and turned, running the entire way home to start getting ready.
Every time I stopped myself, reminding my heart we had spoken a whole three times and he was an ass, I caught a glimpse of my face in the mirror. My eyes were filled with hope and the smile owning my lips was ridiculous and expectant. I couldn’t recall a time ever feeling that excited.
Ever.
I didn’t care that he was the wrong choice and he was the wrong guy and the wrong age. I didn’t care that he was a teacher for a day or that he had been a jerk at the ball. I wanted to give him a chance to explain. I wanted to see what was behind those dark eyes and that sarcastic smile.
I just wanted to feel that thing I did when I was with him, that lost feeling. As odd and slightly demeaning as it was, I couldn’t wait to be eaten up by his gaze.
I bathed, showered, shaved, plucked, loofahed , moisturized, and then started the process of hair and makeup. Dad came in as I was blow-drying my hair. He frowned.
“I have a date.”
His eyebrow cocked. “With who?”
“Boy from school.”
“The Michaels boy?”
I shook my head. “No. A different one.” It wasn’t entirely a lie.
He sighed. “What’s the plan? Is he coming here?”
“Dad, you have to stop the whole ‘city dad’ thing here. You wanted me to move to this hellhole—let me enjoy the few things about it that are fun. Freedom is one of them. I am going to dinner and then I am going to a party. The kids here deke out the po-po and parents by partying on Mondays. It’s whatever. I’m going. I need a life again.”
He folded his arms, but I pointed at him. “Dad. This is what seniors do. If I’m gonna have any kind of life, I need to go out and have fun. How else am I gonna meet peeps? I need fun or I will die. It’s a friggin’ pit party in a hillbilly town. I got this.”
“Frank, you leave her alone. I heard about this party already. It’s cool if she goes. Stop badgering the poor girl.” Judith shouted up the stairs. “Your dinner is ready, get down here.”
I smiled. He held his hands up in the air and
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