Breaking Down

Chapter 31:

"Will you sit still?"

My Mom complained as I fidgeted in the chair in front of her. If I inherited anything from her, it was my inability to stay in one spot for long. I moved again and she hit me softly with the brush in her hand.

"Ouch." I grumbled and then I moved again.

"Jessa, do you want me to do this or not?" She asked, growing irritated.

"I'm sorry. I'll stop." Just as soon as I tried to sit still, I had a violent sneeze escape from the depths of my soul.

My Mom threw up her hands and shook her head.

She picked up the ceramic straightener again and was running it through my hair. I never straightened my hair, so I wasn't sure how to do it. She had mastered the skill over the years and understood the curly hair struggle. Once she had finished straightening it, she brought out a curling iron and started making some large, tousled waves.

"So, Cam." My Mom said, smiling as she flipped some pieces of hair, adjusting them. She was looking at my face in the mirror. I blushed a little and couldn't meet her eyes. It was out in the open, but it was still a topic I wasn't really ready to discuss.

"Well, I always really liked Cameron. He kind of reminds me of your Uncle Aiden." My Mom chuckled.

"Mom, no. He is nothing like Uncle Aiden!" I said, disagreeing.

"Is too... best friend, very nice to look at. Super sugary sweet. Cares about you more than you'll ever know. He's definitely like your Uncle." She grabbed her makeup bag. I didn't wear a lot of makeup other than eyeliner and I was grateful for her help. I didn't want to overdo it and look like a mime.

She spun my chair around and began vigorously applying it to my skin. She was working on my eyes, drawing a perfectly straight line with unfaltering hands. She grabbed a mascara wand and started flicking at my eyelashes with large sweeps of her hand.

"You know, I might have dated Aiden for like a second back when I was around your age. There is nothing wrong with liking someone like him, Sweet Pea." She laughed.

"Are you serious? Does Dad know?" I asked in shock.

"Why do you think Cam makes him so nervous?" Mom winked at me and went back to her work, trying to make me look presentable.

My Mom picked out a few outfit options from my closet. I noticed she avoided the options that looked like hooker gear hidden in the back. I scrunched my nose at a few of them and shook my head. She went back to her room and returned a few minutes later with some black stockings, a black skirt, a black leather jacket, and a black sleeveless top that was all lace above the bust.

I turned my head smiling, intrigued by her choice. I did look really good in black.

"Your Father is going to kill me." She said when she saw the smile on my face. She shook a pair of boots at me with a scary-looking heel. The top of the boot hit me at about the midpoint on my calf.

I zipped up the skirt in the back and she laughed. The skirt would have easily hit her at the knee, which meant it hit me mid-thigh. I looked at myself in the mirror as she slipped on the leather jacket. She fluffed my dark hair over my shoulders. My light blue eyes jumped from my face between the dark liner. I felt pretty and started to tear up, looking at my reflection. I felt like I was worthy of being on Cameron Nash's arm tonight.

"You look beautiful, baby girl." My Mom said, beaming back at me in the mirror.

The doorbell rang and I made a little squeak and began to run out of my room. My Mom held me back with a sly look.

"Your Dad can get the door. We should let the boys sweat a little. It's good for them to wait. We don't want them to think we just stand here waiting around for them. They already have inflated egos. Trust me on this one." She sat down on my bed. She began kicking her feet and looking at her nails. She patted the spot next to her and I sat back down.

"I had a really good time today. Thank you, Mom." I genuinely enjoyed the time we spent together.

"I did too, Sweet Pea. We should make this a regular thing." She paused as another thought popped into her head. "Not the drive your Father insane part, we should probably leave that out next time."

"Jessa." My Dad bellowed loudly after a few minutes. He sounded annoyed.

"Showtime." My Mom smiled and pulled me up from the bed.

She walked down the stairs first and went straight to the living room. I lingered a few steps behind her, trying to catch my breath. This was Cameron; we talked every day. We had spent a lot of time together without it being weird.

"You got yourself off in his bed while he watched." My evil conscience chimed in. Oh god, this was a mistake. What was I thinking? I wasn't ready for this. I turned back around and started to go back up the stairs.

"Jessa. Cameron is here." My Mom said at the bottom of the steps jerking her head in his direction. Her eyes were wide; she could sense I was about to run.

I held onto the banister and slowly walked into the living room, shaking with nervous energy. Cameron jumped up when I walked in and I saw his eyes move up and down my body. Apparently, my Dad saw it too because his fists were in a ball and he clenched his jaw as he stared Cam down.

"Hey Jess, you look... wow." Cam said, causing fire to spread over my cheeks.

Cam looked amazing in black jeans, a white t-shirt, and a denim jacket hanging perfectly over his broad shoulders. He even styled his hair for me. He looked like a model in a print campaign for some trendy, overpriced store. Cam was on fire tonight.

My Dad's eyes popped out of his head like one of those old cartoons when he saw my outfit.

"A fucking mini skirt, Riley?" He turned his head darkly to my Mom. He gave my Mom a not so friendly stare and she gave him a mischievous grin back.

"Are you ready?" I asked, chewing on my lip and straightening my jacket.

"Yeah." Cam smiled. He walked over to my Dad and grabbed his hand. "It was a pleasure seeing you again, Sir."

My Dad shook his hand too hard, trying to crush it. I could feel the waves of testosterone filling the room. When they finally let go, Cam was shaking his hand out. I guess my Dad won the Iron Man contest.

"Have a good night." My Dad walked over and pulled me into a hug.

"I will Dad." I said.

"If he tries to touch you, break his fucking nose." My Dad whispered in my ear. I looked him in the eye and nodded. He kissed the top of my head and walked out of the room, looking like he was devising a plan to bury Cam's body in our backyard.

"Come on Cam." I laughed, grabbing his hand.

He was still trying to say goodbye when I pulled him out into the cool night air.