"Bad" Boys and Ballet

Chapter 6

I walked into school the next day wearing my favorite sundress, since it had gotten really warm. As I was walking, I bumped into James. He gave me an up-down and wolf whistled.

"Someone is looking hot today," he joked, touching my shoulder and yanking his hand away as if I had burnt him. I laughed and rolled my eyes. I continued down the hall, smiling. I turned the corner and there was Grayson, leaning against a locker, lips locked with some girl. My heart dropped and I froze, in shock. I breathed out. No, I told myself, you have no right to be jealous. He can kiss whoever he wants. I walked past them, keeping my head down. I got down the hall unnoticed and slipped into my first class. I plopped down at my desk and stared out the window. I suddenly got a great idea. 

************

"Hey, Matt," I said brightly, my heart racing. It was 4 in the afternoon on Friday night, and I had thought up a master plan. I was glad I was talking over the phone, because there was no way I could do it face-to-face. "I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go out with me tonight." There was a party being thrown by one of my classmates that I was sure Grayson would be at. 

"Umm, sure. May I ask why exactly?" he said, his voice shifting. 

"Yeah, that's actually the part I wanted to ask you about. There's this guy who I really want to make jealous, and since you're so good-looking, I figured you could do the trick. Pleeeeaaaseeee??" I whined. He laughed and my heart fluttered. 

"Flattery gets you nowhere K," I could hear the smile in his voice. "But why not?" I squealed and heard him wince. 

"Thank youuuuuu," I sang through the phone. 

"I'll be there at 7, don't be late. I know how long you spend on your hair," he said, chuckling. 

"Sir, yes sir. I'll see you then," I said before hanging up. I did a little happy dance. If I could do that, I could do anything.

**************

I finished straightening my hair and was finishing up my makeup when the doorbell rang. I threw on a floral print bralette and tied a white blouse over top of it. Spritzing on my best smelling perfume, I pulled on a tight black miniskirt and quickly glossed my lips. After shoving on my red heels. I rushed down the stairs, opening the door. Matt was standing there, dressed in simple khaki pants, a faded red shirt and a black hoodie. When he saw me, he grinned. 

"Well, if you're trying to make this guy jealous, you've got the look," he said. I smiled. 

"I try," I flipped my hair over my shoulder, walking towards his car. My brother was gaming in his room and my mom and sister were at her school play and would be home soon, so I didn't bother locking the door. We got in the car and Matt blasted Nicki Minaj. She was our shared guilty pleasure. We sang at the top of our lungs the whole way to the party. As we pulled up, the party was already in full swing. I could feel the bass blasting all the way from the car. I looked at him and took a deep breath. It was now or never. I stepped onto the driveway and made my way up to the house. Here goes nothing, I thought. 

As I walked through the door, everyone turned. Matt walked in next to me a grabbed my hand. My breath hitched. We made our way through the crowd, people whispering. I saw James through the crowd and waved. He smiled and waved back, turning back to the girl he was chatting up. 

"Hey, I'm gonna go grab us some drinks. What do you want?" Matt asked. 

"Water's fine," I told him. He turned and wandered off towards the kitchen. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around too fast, whipping Grayson in the face with my hair. He stumbled backwards. I laughed.

"Sorry," I said, still smiling. He righted himself and grinned. 

"Didn't expect to see you here. It's not really your scene," he said questioningly. I shrugged, just as Matt came back, handing me a cup. I looked at him pointedly, and then at Grayson. 

"Hey babe," he instantly said, rubbing the small of my back and pecking my cheek. Inside, I melted. 

"Oh, hey, this is Grayson, my friend and dance student," I said to Matt. Grayson looked shocked but shook it off. 

"Hey," he said. He looked almost angry. Matt smiled easily at him, as if this was the most casual thing in the world. 

"I'll see you later," Grayson said, before disappearing into the crowd. I gave Matt a high-five. 

"That totally worked! Did you see his face?" I said. Matt laughed and bowed. 

"You're welcome. Now come one, dance with me. I love this song," he spun in a circle, pulling me with him. I giggled and went after him. 

***********

After we had danced for a while, we wandered into the dining room where a bunch of kids were playing Spin the Bottle. I saw James and he motioned over to me. 

"You two should join in," he said, and I could smell the beer on his breath. 

"Sure," I said looking back at Matt. He nodded, sitting down in the circle. I sat next to him. Across the circle, Grayson caught my eye. I smiled at him and he tilted his head at me, looking away. 

"Alright, Kat, go ahead," James said, rubbing his hands together. I twirled the empty vodka bottle around. It spun, catching the light, until it stopped right next to me. On Matt. My gut dropped. I turned toward him. He was smiling, relaxed. I took a deep breath and moved towards him. His hands went to my waist, pulling me closer, and they felt familiar, like they belonged. I leaned in, my lips meeting him. Everything melted away, and for a second, it was like I was wrapped up in a warm, safe blanket. Everything felt right. I pulled away and sighed to myself. I could feel Grayson looking at me, and I looked at him. He looked stone cold, his eyes stormy. The game continued until people started drifting away. 

"I think we've accomplished our mission," Matt whispered in my ear, "let's go." I nodded, getting up. As we walked out the front door, I felt Grayson's eyes boring holes into my back. I flipped my hair and slowly looked over my shoulder. He lifted his hand in a wave. I waved back. Matt put his arm around me as we stepped outside into the cool air. 

"It's be fun, Matt, thank you," I said, looking at him. He grinned at me. 

"Anything for you," he said, getting into the car. I paused and looked up at the star. I couldn't help but notice how right it felt, to be getting in the car with him. Like it was second nature. It was safe. I let out a deep sigh and shook my head. Life is so confusing, I thought, but it sure makes things interesting.