To The Rude Guy in Apartment Five - J. S. Cooper Page 0,37

twelve in the changing room with me. I hadn’t bothered trying on the other seven because as soon as I’d walked out in dress number five, Jagger’s eyes had widened, his jaw had dropped, and I’d seen him looking me up and down.

All he’d said was, “Nice,” but I’d known from the look in his eyes that he’d thought I’d looked beautiful. I’d never seen that look in his eyes before. I didn’t even care that he’d tried to talk me out of buying it. He’d said it was inappropriate for a girl my age to be showing so much leg and skin, but I hadn’t cared. I’d spent all of my babysitting money on that dress and I could still remember the look in his eyes.

Then came the best memory of all. The memory that had led me to believe that maybe, perhaps, Jagger thought about me as more than a friend or a surrogate little sister. It was perhaps my favorite childhood memory and the one I regretted the most. It had been the day of my seventeenth birthday party. Jagger had been living at home while in college, so he was around. My parents held a barbecue in the backyard, and then afterwards we all danced in the living room when my parents went up to bed.

I remembered the exact moment.

I’d walked onto the dance floor with Anna, both of us giggling as we danced, slightly tipsy on the beer and wine some of my classmates had brought. Jagger had walked up to me and asked me to dance. Of course, I’d said yes. He’d held me close to him, and we’d slow danced, even though the music was more appropriate for bumping and grinding.

“You’re really growing into a beautiful young lady, Magnolia Allen,” he’d whispered in my ear.

I’d just smiled at him. I wanted to tell him how handsome I thought he was, but I was too shy, and I’d said nothing.

“Do you remember that night we kissed at my party?” he’d asked, and I’d nodded. He’d smiled then, a long, wide smile, his green eyes dancing as his hand had caressed my back. “I remember it as well,” he’d whispered. He dipped me, then pulled me back close to him.

A song that I didn’t know well started playing. Jagger sang along to the music, and it was as if he were singing just for me as he recited lyrics about beautiful brown eyes and long nights in bed. I had never felt happier than I did at that moment.

A few minutes later someone had grabbed a bottle and we all sat around to play spin the bottle. It was like fate when the bottle pointed at me and then at Jagger. He’d walked over to me, pulled me up and pulled me close to him.

“This would have happened tonight whether or not we’d played this game,” he’d whispered, and then he’d kissed me hard, his tongue sliding into my mouth as his hands held onto my waist. The kiss had seemed to last for an eternity, and I’d melted into him, forgetting that there were people sitting and watching us. Anna had sat there cheering, while Doug’s eyes had been wide and hurt. I hadn’t even cared, I was flying so high. That kiss had meant everything to me. It had felt momentous, like the beginning of a truly beautiful story, but I hadn’t known what to say.

I stood there awkwardly, trying to get my thoughts together when I noticed Daisy in the corner of the room crying. Her eyes met mine and I smiled at her, but she didn’t smile back. Instead, she called over to Jagger and asked him to join her. He’d looked at me and then at her and sighed. “I should go talk to your sister,” he’d said with a wry smile. “I’ll be back.”

But he hadn’t come back. He’d stayed in Daisy’s room the entire night. I knew because I saw him leaving the next morning. I’d been so hurt when I’d seen him that I’d said yes when Doug asked me out. It had all happened so quickly, with very little emotion or passion, and I hadn’t really been into it. But Doug had thought it was the next step, and because I wanted to believe in love, I went along with it, even though I wanted Jagger more than I’d ever wanted anyone in my life. But Jagger didn’t want me. He couldn’t want me if he’d