Keanna:Want me to bring you some food to-go?
Me:I’ll just order room service
Keanna:okay girl. hmu if you wanna hang out later.
The hours tick by at an unbelievably sluggish rate. It’s like reality suddenly slowed down and now each minute takes six hundred seconds instead of sixty. I make it until nine o’clock and then I can’t stand being alone anymore. I have to talk to someone. I try calling Mandy, but she doesn’t answer and then she texts me saying she’s out with friends but will call me later.
Later isn’t going to cut it. I need to talk to someone now.
I throw on some shoes and walk down to Jett and Keanna’s hotel room. I knock on the door and Jett opens it. He’s shirtless, wearing flannel pajama bottoms, and only now do I realize that it’s kind of late.
“Sorry,” I say, feeling like an intruder. “Is Keanna available to talk?”
“Sure thing,” he says, opening the door wider. “Babe?”
Keanna appears and she’s still wearing normal clothes so I feel a little better. At least I didn’t interrupt them right before they went to bed.
“What’s wrong?” she says, eyes wide. “Are you sick?”
I remember the lie I told her about not feeling well and I shake my head. “I was hoping we could talk…”
“Sure,” she says. “What about?”
I bite my lip. “Clay kissed me.”
“What!” she squeals. “Wait, that’s a good thing, right?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think so.”
Jett clears his throat and reaches for a t-shirt off the top of his suitcase. “I’m uh… gonna go check out the rooftop pool. Seems like this is a girls only type of conversation.”
“K, love you,” Keanna says quickly. She sits on the bed and pats the spot next to her. “Tell me everything!”
It definitely feels good getting it all off my chest. I tell her all the details of the kiss, and the conversation that led up to it. Then I tell her about all the reasons that Clay and I should absolutely not date or even consider dating. Then, because I can’t help myself, I tell her about all those little sweet things he does when no one else is around.
She smiles. “I told you he’s nice. You just have to get past that hardened exterior of his.”
I sigh. “I feel like he’s two different people. The intimidating Team Loco guy, and the kind guy who loans out his jacket and lets you cling to him during a panic attack. But I only get to see that nice part of him when we’re alone.”
“That makes it even more special,” she says. “He shows you his true self. He must really like you.”
I start chipping away at the sparkly nail polish on my thumb. “But he doesn’t like me. He’s said it a million times. I think maybe he wants to, but he knows better than that.”
“Who cares what hesays? It’s what hefeelsthat matters. He totally likes you.”
I shake my head. “None of that matters. We can’t date. Marcus would lose his mind. The fans would lose their minds. And plus we’d be long distance. Long distance sucks.”
“The fans will get over it,” Keanna says, waving her hand. “I can teach you how to ignore the haters and embrace the people who will like you. Being a motocross girlfriend can be hard, but it’s worth it for the guy you love.”
“I don’t love him,” I say, rolling my eyes.
She grins. “I know, but give it time!”
I take a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. “I came here for you to help me and you are not helping me!”
She laughs. “What did you expect me to say?”
“I wanted you to tell me to get over him and to drop it because my job depends on it.”
