Just Talk to Him! (IM5)

Chapter 9

July 1st, 2013 -  7 pm

We’re in Portland, Oregon. This is our third day in the Beaver State, a.k.a. our second full day. IM5 just had two concerts and I’m fully exhausted from waiting around all day, though I haven’t actually done much of anything.

I pull out my phone and smile at my background. No, it’s not an image of Dylan O’Brien anymore. Now, it’s a selfie Dana took of him and me. Anna would be jealous because we both know she’s been a 5er since she heard my brother got in a band. Speaking of Anna… I haven’t seen her in two weeks. Well, I’ve occasionally texted her, but some words on a screen is no way near to the full Anna Chase experience.

I tap the video chatting app and call Anna. If I’m correct, Anna should be done with her volunteering by now. After several tries, Anna finally picks up. “Ky!” She squeals. “How are the boys?” She gives me a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.

I flush a slight pink. “Anna!” I glance around the hotel room. Luckily, it’s still empty. Cole and his bandmates, including Dana, are down at the arcade doing boy things. Anna snickers and I frown. “I call you to catch up, and all you do is make fun of me?”

“Come on, Ky,” Anna reasons, “We both know the boys are hot. And that I’d kill to be in your spot. So, any boys got their gorgeous eyes on you yet?”

I laugh. “Yeah, right. They’re all older than me.”

Anna pouts. “Why don’t I believe you? You’re adorable, Ky, so one of them must have made a move.” She leans closer to her camera. “Is it Dana? He’s only fifteen, right?”

I hesitate, thinking about my and Dana’s blooming friendship. I don’t know how, but since the day we unofficially made our friendship official, we just kept getting closer. At this point, I think I could almost tell him anything. I don’t know if this is wishful thinking or because it’s been two weeks since I saw her, but it feels like I’m closer to Dana than I am to Anna.

Anna notices my pause. “Ooh! Girl, don’t think I didn’t see you hesitate! It’s Dana, isn’t it?”

“Um.”

“Did he make a move? What does Cole think? What’s happened so far?” She continues to bombard me with questions and I sink further into the sofa.

After she stops to catch her breath, I interject, “We’re just friends.” I swear, the moment those words leave my mouth, Anna freezes into stone and just stares at me. “What?” I defend. Then, Anna just explodes into uncontrollable laughter. She doesn’t stop for five minutes. The longer she laughs, the more out of breath she gets and the brighter red my cheeks blush.

Her phone falls out of her hand as she rolls around the floor of her house, laughing. All I can see on my screen is an image of her ceiling. “Anna… stop!” I whine. I’m dying of shame.

Eventually, her laughter dies down and I sigh in relief. “Ky, never let me hear ‘We’re just friends’ ever again. That is the oldest lie in the book.”

I frown. “Anna, I really doubt he likes me.”

“Sure,” she answers doubtfully. “But you better not expect me to believe that you don’t like him.”

I open my mouth to answer, but no words come out. She smirks. “Toldja.”

I hear a door open and I spin around in panic. I’m greeted by Cole and Dana. I hear Anna squeal from my phone, but I pointedly ignore her. “You scared me.”

Cole laughs. “That’s something I always love to hear.”

“Hey!”

He sees the video on my phone. “What’s that?”

“I’m talking to Anna.”

Cole nods. “Okay.” He flops onto his bed and switches on the TV, flipping through the channels. “Ignore me, then.”

Dana walks over to me. “Anna’s your best friend, right?”

“Yeah. Wanna say hi?”

Dana rolls onto the couch and throws his arm around my shoulders. “Yo!”

Anna looks delighted. I shake my head at the screen, warning her not to say anything that might embarrass me. She gives me a wink. I sigh and Dana looks at me in confusion. “It’s a girl thing,” I explain.

Then Anna, with her expert social skills, pulls us into an animated conversation. “Any other band members you’re friends with, Kylie?”

“Not really,” I admit. “I wish I had the guts to talk to them, though.”

Dana looks shocked. “What? Kylie, what are you afraid of?”

I take a deep breath. “Well, I’m shy. I’m afraid they’ll think I’m annoying or awkward or dumb or ugly or…”

“Ky,” Anna states, “You are a beautiful, perfect child. Talk to them.”

“I agree,” Dana confirms. “Just talk to him! Doesn’t matter who. Let’s face it: when I first met you, I liked you. They will, too. I mean, come on! Will’s awkward, Gabe has his shy moments, and Dalton’s punk. There’s nothing to be scared of.”

Anna laughs. “Exactly. Ky, you gotta build up that self-esteem and self-confidence.”

I give in. It’s hard to argue with my two best friends. “Fine. Can we stop talking about me, though?”

“Not happening,” Anna says. “Tell me, Dana, anything I should know about that Kylie’s done?”

“Oh, yeah. She beat all five of IM5 in soccer.”

“Totally expected that.”

So, the conversation continues, both of them poking fun at me, but making me laugh nonetheless. By the time Dana leaves, he calls over his shoulder to me, “I like your friend. She’s cool.”

Then Anna announces, “He likes you.”

I immediately cover my phone. “Shush!” I uncover my phone.

“It’s true!” She argues. “He totally likes you. I’m a pro at this stuff, remember?”

“Just because you’ve had two boyfriends and flirt with every boy-”

“Kylie. He likes you!” She exclaims in exasperation. “Make a move, girl.”

“Don’t let Cole hear you say that,” I hiss.

“Did I hear you say my name?” Cole calls over.

“Yeah.” I lie, “Just saying you’re pretty rude for not saying hi to her.”

Naturally, Cole bounces off the bed and makes his way to my phone. “I will not have it go down that Cole Alan Pendery is rude.” He leans over my shoulder and grins charmingly at Anna. “Hello, Miss Chase.”

She giggles. “Hey, boy band boy.”

Cole straightens up. “Nice to see you. Obviously, I’m not rude.” With that, he goes back to his meerkat documentary.

I shoot Anna an annoyed look. She laughs. “Gotta go, Ky-dye. My course paper isn’t going to write itself.” Before I can respond, my best friend ends the video call. I sigh.

Does Dana really like me? I mean, Anna was painstakingly accurate when she said I like him. Wait, what? Oh no. I like Dana. I like Dana. So, maybe when I thought I could tell Dana anything, I was wrong. I definitely can’t tell him I’ve got a crush… on him.