Beauty and The Geek

Almost Perfect

***
Glimmer

"Hey, Cato." I say, walking over to him after detention, making him turn around and smile at me.

"Hey, Glimmer." He says, walking to a black car. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to come practice that play at my house with me," I say.

He nods, "Sounds good." He says. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Okay." I walk to my car and open the door, getting in and driving out of the parking lot.

***

I stare at Cato, his blond hair shines in the light of my room. I love the way he flashes me a shy smile sometimes. I love the way the light dances in his eyes. He's perfect in every way. "If I profane with my unworthiest hand, this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready to stand, to smooth that rough touch with a gentle kiss." He reads so smoothly from his script.

I smile and look at my own script. "Good Pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion does this, for Saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is Holy Palmers' kiss." I recite.

"Have not Saints' lips and Holy Palmers' too?" He says.

"Ay, Pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer." I say.

"Oh, then, Dear Saint, let lips do what hands do, they pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair." He smiles as he recites the words.

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake." I say dramatically.

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take." He leans in and I close my eyes, waiting patiently for our lips to touch. Right when I can feel his hot breath an inch from my lips, the phone rings. I sigh, opening my eyes and getting off of the floor and walking to my bedside table where the phone is at and pick it up.

"Hello?" I say.

"Hey, Glimmer," who I'm guessing is Marvel says on the other end of the receiver. "Is Cato there?"

"Yeah." I tell him. "Why?"

"Can I speak to him?"

I look at Cato and raise my eyebrows. "It's for you," I say to him, holding the phone out to him, and he climbs off of the floor and walks towards me with his hand out. When he takes the phone from my hand, he accidentally grabs my hand, making me blush a little.

He puts the phone to his ear. "Hello," he says and clicks his tongue to the roof of his mouth.

"Hey, Asshole." I hear the boy say through the phone to Cato.

Cato sighs, "What do you want, Marvel?"

"I don't want anything," Marvel's voice is sharp. "It's Mom and Brutus that do."

"Is everything okay?" I hear worry in his voice.

"Yeah," Marvel says. "Everything's fine. They just told me to call Glimmer's house phone to tell you to come home for dinner."

"Okay," Cato sigh again. "Be there in ten." Then I hear the receiver go slack.

"Are you leaving?" I ask as he begins walking towards my door.

He nods, a bright smile on his slightly tanned face. "Yeah, I should go," he says. "Wouldn't want to keep my parents waiting." I walk over to him, escorting him out of my room and down the stairs to the door.

"You did good on your lines," I tell him, a smile on my face.

He smiles back. "Thanks. You did great." He stands at the door, then turns around to the knob. I tap him on the shoulder, making him turn to face me again. "Hm?" He asks, eyebrows raised.

I hug him from the side, but it still feels warm from his body heat radiating off of him to me. "Bye," I say. "See you tomorrow." We pull away.

He smiles. "Until then." He tips his imaginary hat, making me get butterflies in my stomach.

I laugh. "Okay, Partner." I say with a southern accent. I laugh so hard, I lose my balance and stumble into his hard chest. "Sorry," I apologize, still laughing.

"It's okay," he chuckles. I look up and into his eyes, searching them for whatever I can find. Then, I don't realize what I'm doing and stand on the tips of my toes, leaning into him and gripping the flannel of his shirt for support as my lips get closer to his cheek.

"Hey, Guys." I hear an overly-excited voice behind us, startling me. Cato snaps his head in the direction of the voice. I jump, making Cato's nose and my forehead smack together.

He gasps and holds his nose in pain. "Hey, Mom." I say through gritted teeth. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here," she comes back with a smart remark. "Speaking of which, don't let me forget to pay that light bill tomorrow."

I sigh, "Okay, Mother." My jaw relaxes as she walks down the hall, disappearing around the corner.

Cato raises his eyebrows. "See you tomorrow." He says as he walks off the porch and to the car he drove.

"See ya." I say as he drives away and I close the door behind me.

"Did you have a good day at school?" My mom asks as she appears in the doorway of the living room.

"Yeah," I say. "We're going to put on a play." I walk into the kitchen.

"What kind of play?" She says excitedly, following me to the kitchen.

"Romeo and Juliet," I reply as I take the milk jug out of the fridge and pour a small bit into a glass.

She smiles. "Is that why he was here?" She asks.

"Yeah," I reply. "He was helping me recite the lines."

"When's auditions?" She says.

"Monday," I reply and take a sip of my milk.

"Are you going to try out for the part of Juliet?" She asks, sitting on a barstool.

"I'll try, doesn't mean I'll make it." I say.

She nods. "Is Cato going to try for Romeo?"

"I doubt it, it seems like he doesn't like attention from crowds." I walk toward the stairs.

"Stage fright." She says.

"Yeah." I say. "Goodnight, see you in the morning." With that, I walk to my room and climb in bed.