Page 16 of Perfect Tragedy
“I’m not telling you to slut it up, I’m telling you to stop putting your own life on pause in the hopes that Blake comes to his senses. Fact is, he may never. You have guys that have asked you out repeatedly and you shut them all down. All I’m saying is maybe, I don’t know, say yes for once. Just go for it,” she shrugs, “What have you got to lose?”
“Nothing,” I admit. “Maybe you’re right.”
“You know I am. And you know what?” She pulls the final curl through the wand and turns it off and unplugs it before facing me.
“What?”
“Todd’s going to be there,” she says with a small smile.
Todd Masters.
He and I sit next to each other in chemistry class and the boy has been asking me out for weeks. One day, he whispered my name to get my attention even though we sit next to each other. I turned to him and he said, “Did you know that chemists do it on the table periodically?” He wagged his eyebrows up and down and it was so stupid and unexpected, I laughed. And every once in a while since, he has a new joke or one-liner for me. The most recent was, “Hey baby, I’ve got my ion you. Ion. I-O-N. Get it?” I laughed at his excitement and he winked at me. It’s stupid and cheesy, but he got my attention which I know was his objective.
He’s not a bad looking guy. Sandy brown hair, hazel eyes, a strong jaw and the body built to match his reputation as one of the top performing and most popular football players in our school. It’s obvious he spends a lot of time working out because he’s a show stopper.
His jokes morphed into him asking me if I was going to go watch the football game earlier in the year, to then straight out asking me to go so I could watch him. When the season was over he attended a few of my volleyball games and then he just flat out told me we should hang out some time. I mumbled sure, but never really took him up on it and he never pushed. But, as these things go, a girl named Amanda told Vanessa in Spanish class that she had heard from Rory in her public speaking class that Todd was heard telling someone that he likes me. Vanessa has been pushing me toward Todd ever since.
“I think it’s way past time you take a ride on that train, if you know what I mean,” Vanessa smiles wickedly and I can’t help it - I laugh.
“Why do you have to make it sound so dirty?”
She just shrugs and laughs it off, “Seriously, Sienna. Prom is just around the corner and I know you want a date. Let’s just go have fun okay?”
Well, she’s not wrong. I don’t want to be the only junior at prom without a date. She’s got a point, but nerves make my stomach feel jittery.
I guess that’s why a few hours later, I’m standing in the living room of Max Williams’ house drinking my third cup of some concoction a bunch of guys mixed together. They dubbed it “To the Max” after Max’s party and everyone has been downing glass after glass. All I know is it’s making me brave.
Really brave.
Brave enough that I’m literally standing here flirting with Todd like I have all the experience in the world at being flirtatious. I don’t. But apparently I’m doing it well because he’s hanging on every word I say.
“I don’t know if I really care where I go to college, as long as it’s not here. I just want to get out of this town, you know?” I answer him and then laugh and say, “Oops,” when I realize some of my drink sloshed over the side of my cup as I gestured.
“I want to go play ball. I don’t care where it is either as long as they want to give me a scholarship to play. I’ve already got interest from University of Montana and Montana State. I plan on going wherever I get the most money,” he says,
We’re sitting side by side on the long part of a lounge chair next to the pool. We’ve turned it so we can face everyone and are watching people’s antics as we talk. He’s just given me another drink that I’m taking gulps of in an attempt to drink as fast as possible because it doesn’t taste the greatest. He said it’s from a ‘special stash’. I don’t like it as much as the juice concoction I was drinking before.
The music is so loud, he’s leaning into my side and speaking into my ear to be heard. At times his lips brush against my ear and it sends tingles up and down my arms. Maybe I’m into this. My body seems to be more and more.
Across from the pool, Blake sits in a chair too. He’s surrounded by his friends, including my brother, and Hailey is all over him. Sometimes she dances in front of him, against him, or like now she sits on his lap draped over him like a blanket. Occasionally he makes eye contact with me, and it’s really awkward. He keeps looking from me to Todd and back. I’m avoiding him at all costs as per usual these days, but something about my conversation really seems to be interesting to him if I’m reading him correctly.
“How come you never come to parties?”
“How do you know I don’t?” I ask still being flirtatious.
“Because I pay attention.”
“Is that code for, you look for me?”
“I’ve kept an eye out for you,” he smiles.
“It’s not usually my scene I guess.” I find that I’m rather enjoying how I’m feeling right now. My stress and worries seem to have disappeared and my neck feels loose - like my head is floating above it. I could easily just let it fall back, close my eyes, and drift off.
A couple times when Todd has said something funny, I feel like maybe I’m laughing too loud, but if I am, he doesn’t seem to mind. I stop worrying about it.
“Why is it your scene tonight?”
“Vanessa made me,” I confess. “She says I’m due for some fun. Where even is she anyway?” I ask realizing I haven’t seen her in a while.
