I twisted my lips. They were very nice, and I’d hate for anything to happen to them. But then, I really, really didn’t want to walk around crunchy and smelling like coffee all day.
“All right, I’ll try. Thanks.” I took the clothes and headed to the bathroom.
Even the bathroom was fancy here. Every surface that wasn’t a mirror seemed to be finished with blue glass tiles or white marble. I looked at the clothes again before cringing as I checked the size. They were my size all right. But they were also skinny. Skinny jeans. A very fitted short-sleeved sweater with what looked like real pearls for the buttons. All just…yuck. I hated clingy clothes. They made me feel like a suffocating, overindulged wiener dog, even if they were my size.
The pants went on with more tugging than I would have liked to admit (which was precisely why I avoided skinny jeans like the plague at clothing stores). And thankfully, the shirt wasn’t quite as bad as I would have thought. When I finally turned to face myself in the full-length mirror on the door, however, I nearly fell over. It was far, far worse than I’d thought.
After I’d mentally picked myself up off the floor, I texted Madison.
Madison, can I in good conscience wear these out of the bathroom?
Two seconds later, my phone buzzed, and I smiled. That girl might be busy, but she never missed a text.
Why are you in the bathroom? And what am I looking at?
Oh. I quickly snapped a picture and sent it to her, cringing again when the screen showed the image sent. This time, four seconds passed before I got a reply.
Guuuuuuurl. You. Are. Hott. Where did you get those, and why on earth wouldn’t you wear them out of the bathroom?
I groaned and rubbed my eyes. Of course, Madison would like them. I should have texted my mom instead. Unfortunately, she was at the dentist and wouldn’t be answering her phone for another hour at least.
I spilled coffee on my clothes, and Derrick gave me some of his mom’s old ones. How on earth am I supposed to spend an entire day with him and Jade dressed like this? In public?
I could just imagine her snickering as she replied. You know, some people are okay with showing their collar bones in public.
I show my collar bone, I typed back.
Jessie, you look like a teacher even when you’re not teaching. You’re making a big deal out of nothing. Just wear the stupid thing. Maybe you’ll pick up some non-mil guy while you’re out. If you do, ask him if he has a brother.
I shook my head at my phone. Adam must have bitten the dust. But my friend’s constantly revolving boyfriends were the least of my concerns right now. After a few very long leg stretches and squats and a few sharp tugs in an attempt to loosen the infernal pants, I opened the door and peeked out. All clear.
Unfortunately, the privacy lasted all the way to the middle of the staircase, when Derrick appeared, hauling a rather uncooperative Jade to the front door to put on her shoes. I tried to dart the rest of the way downstairs, but the movement must have caught his attention because he looked up just as I reached the bottom step.
To my horror, his eyes widened, and for a very, very long second, neither he nor I looked away. Finally, he seemed to come to his senses.
“Um…” He shook his head and turned his head down toward Jade. “I’m—”
“I’m going to pack lunch,” I said, stepping sideways toward the kitchen.
“Yeah. That sounds like a good idea.” He kept his head down as he spoke.
I half-ran into the kitchen. My cheeks burned as I mentally slapped myself for not packing extra clothes. Lunch was packed far too quickly, and all too soon, I had to follow Derrick and Jade to the truck. Only Jade chattered away as we buckled her into her car seat. I stayed busy on my phone as he drove, but two minutes into the drive, Derrick seemed unable to keep it in any more.
“So…” He put his hand on his head and ran it through his hair. “About earlier. I’m really sorry for making it awkward.” He laughed nervously. “I guess you just caught me off-guard. I mean, I knew you were too short to be a model, but I never expected you to be so…”
I stared at him. Was he really doing this? Because if he thought it was awkward before—
“So hideous.” He shook his head sadly as I gasped. “I mean, I know beauty’s in the eye of the beholder, but—”
“You brat!” I reached across the middle console and slapped his arm, relieved laughter bubbling up in my chest.
“Really, though.” He gave me a lopsided grin. “I really didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. And I’m really sorry if I did.”
“It’s fine.” I waved a hand at him. Maybe one day, I added in my head, I would find a guy of my own to look at me like that. Because, if I was honest with myself, that look in his eye, that spark of wonder would feel really nice. If only it were mine to keep.
* * *
Derrick’s newest contribution to the Jade contest was the new self-serve yogurt stand at the mall, complete with thirty-six possible toppings. And despite my admonitions, he let her add all the toppings she wanted. The only upside was his face when he had to pay for the mountain of sugar he’d helped her build.
