It's My Life - Stacie Ramey Page 0,64
react,” Ben says. “He might be trying to see if it’s you.”
“I thought we wanted him to find out it’s me,” I argue.
“Yeah. Right. But not like that. You have to actually tell him.”
I hand Ben my phone. “I can’t be trusted. The boy is too cute.”
“You’re pathetic.”
The unnerving sound of my cell vibrating in Ben’s hand and not being able to check it is almost too much to take.
“He’s good,” Ben says. “Playing am I getting hot or cold?”
“Crap! Turn my ringer off.” I gesture wildly like Rena does. “Oh my God. Put it on silent.”
The guy I’ve crushed on forever is directly in front of me now, only two feet away and closing. He’s got his hockey jersey on, of course, but I’m sure it’s been sprayed with Febreze like he promised. And he’s got a bow tie around his neck. Not attached to the shirt, just around his neck like one of those male exotic dancers. I almost expect his clothes to be breakaway. I guess I’m staring at him, waiting for that miracle to happen, because he says, “Jenna?”
Ben elbows me into saying, “Oh. Sorry. I can’t hear you.” I point around us. “It’s so loud…”
Julian bends down a little, aims his words straight at me. “I said you look amazing.”
I blush like mad, and there’s no stopping it.
Ben nudges me again because apparently being around Julian like this is making me scared silent. For some reason, my hand goes to my hair and I realize I’m actually twirling one of my curls when I finally say, “Thanks.”
Julian pulls up a chair. “Aren’t you going to tell me I look good?”
I don’t know if it’s the dance or the rum and Coke or just Julian, but I’m having so much fun. “You look good,” I say.
He smiles like he and I are in on a secret joke. Then he leans forward and shakes me off. “That’s a mercy compliment if I’ve ever heard one.”
My turn to shake my head. “No. No. I mean it. You look…” I point to his neck. “And the bow tie is a really great touch.”
“I like to keep things classy.”
“Well…obviously.”
A crowd of girls converge behind us. Allison Riley, Stephanie Johnson, LeeAnn Howlett. They’re all in similar dresses—silver, gold, hot pink. I’m glad that Rena talked me into wearing this one.
Ben pinches my arm. It’s his signal for me to get this party started. I’m supposed to ask Julian to dance. Ben is supposed to slip the DJ a ten spot to put on something slow and sweet and long. The long part is essential, because I’m going to need more than the usual three minutes to get my courage up and my mouth working well enough to confess to the boy. I know this, but it’s so much harder than when we practiced it at home. Ben insisted that the key to a good presentation is practice, but he definitely didn’t factor in my stupid body, which freezes under pressure. Or my obvious performance anxiety. Ben clears his throat. I make myself say the first stupid thing that comes into my mind. An eloquent, “Are you having a good time?”
“Sure,” Julian answers, “but I’m a little disappointed.”
“What? The ice sculpture wasn’t enough for you?” I’m finally starting to feel slightly more like myself with him now.
He smiles, his eyes skating to the floor. “Yeah. The ice sculpture is pretty cool.”
“What more could you ask for?”
He lays his palm flat on my wheelchair. “Well, I was sort of wondering if you—”
Allison Riley taps Julian on the shoulder, apparently taking our body language and the fact that we are in deep conversation with each other as code for “please come up and disturb us.” She asks, “Hey, you want to dance?”
My head is about to explode. I swear it’ll do that right this second. Except Julian replies, “I’m sorry, Jenna just asked me.”
I nod. Ben slips away, ready to hand the dude the money to play a slow, sweet, long song.
Allison backs up, slightly flustered, but that’s nothing compared with the range of emotions I’m feeling. Happy that he asked me, of course, especially since girls are supposed to ask the guys. So maybe even extra happy about that. Flustered, because I’m supposed to come clean with him. Worried about the logistics.
Luckily, Julian takes charge while I’m pondering the exact number and order of movements I’d have to take to stand on my own.
He inspects my chair. “Wow. This is pretty tricked out,