The Bad Boy's Dance (45 page)

Caleb’s name was called, and Phoebe jumped to her feet and emitted a holler that would’ve put a bullhorn to shame. I was shocked until Caleb winked at her, and she blushed again.

When my turn came, I was ready to keel over from nervousness.

You can do this, you can do this, its only a diploma.

“Ivy Robello!”

Cheers filled the air as I climbed the stage, and I saw Paul and Spencer snapping picture after picture while my Dad lifted Jodi onto his shoulders and Mom dabbed at her eyes. Asher, Dana, Caleb, and Kyle were probably disrupting sound waves in England with their volume. Mr. Henderson grinned at me as I reached for the diploma, and I smiled back at the Principal who wasn’t surprised to hear me say phrases like, “lagoon poo.”

I walked to the end of the stage and climbed to the other end, slightly dizzy. I barely registered my friends squeezing my arm as I passed.

It’s over. High school is over. I’ll never walk the halls of Darwin High as a student again.

There was a mixture of terror, excitement, sadness, and nerves in my belly that left me feeling slightly nauseous. The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur, and by the time I looked up again, my friends were on either side of me, and a pair of strong arms were winding around my waist.

“Ready, angel?” he whispered in my ear.

I grinned. “I’ve been ready.”

“And now, presenting to you, the graduated Class of 2015!”

As I threw my cap amid the sea of black, it was like everything paused, and I was watching the scene from above.

~PAUSE~

              For a suspended second, I floated out of my body and looked down at the frozen scene.

There was Dana, my best friend through everything, always by my side. She was my anchor, and I knew I’d never lose her.

There was Caleb, the boy who’d proclaimed that he hated Algebra before plopping down at me and Dana’s lunch table and staying there for the next three years and complained about cabbage. He’d always protect his best friends.

There was Kyle, the blond who’d made Biology bearable and made Asher realize he had a wicked jealous streak. He’d take good care of my best friend.

And finally, there was Asher. Together, we’d beat all odds and made it through. Past a mentally unstable ex-boyfriend, murderous loan sharks, conniving Plastics, and our own stubbornness against the prospect of love. Somehow, we’d championed. He would take a bullet for me, and I’d jump in front of a bus for him. I didn’t care if he was going to school in Saturn. Nothing would tear us apart.

Thick cords of friendship, love, and memories linked each of us, and I knew without a shadow of doubt that while our paths in the future would go in different directions, they would all start from the same point. No matter how far we went, we would always have our roots right here.

Together, we were limitless.

~PLAY~

INCOMING               BONUS CHAPTERS!

Turn the page to read the crazy catastrophes of our couples during Valentine’s Day!

Dyle

“What if you’re taking me to a black market to sell me to some creeper slave driver and I never find my way back home? How do I know that's not what you're attempting?”

          “Because I’m your boyfriend!”

          “Haven’t you read Wuthering Heights? That means nothing!”

          “I’m not taking off the blindfold, and if you don’t quiet down so I can focus on the road, I’m turning on loud pop music,” Kyle threatened.

          Dana pouted, slumping into her seat and muttering something that sounded suspiciously like ‘Christian Grey complex’ under her breath.

          With the radio playing a catchy sixties song Kyle was currently obsessed with, the pair drove past field after field of grass, occasionally glimpsing a cow or two on the lone country road. Dana nodded off, and Kyle exhaled deeply. He loved his girlfriend, but she was not the best person at easing tension.

          It was Valentine’s Day, and Kyle had everything planned to a T. He was going to take Dana to this small, out-of-way factory that sold unadulterated, pure and creamy ice cream. They were going to get a tour of the whole place. She’d squeal and take a few million pictures of random objects, they’d eat their weight in ice cream, and then she’d go easy on him the next few times they got in a fight. She’d like it, surely. Right?

          Suddenly, the brake grew heavy under Kyle’s foot, and they lurched forward, only stopped from slamming into the dashboard by the seatbelts. The engine gave a screech and died.

          Kyle groaned, hitting the steering wheel with his palm.

          This was definitely 
not 
part of the plan.

          Dana bit back a curse as her seatbelt slammed into her seat. What the heck just happened? She’d been trying to keep quiet, since it was obvious Kyle was nervous, but now the car had died.

          And they were in the middle of nowhere, and the sun was quickly descending.

          “What happened?” Dana blurted, unclipping her seatbelt and turning to face Kyle in the cramped car. He peeked at her from the corner of his eye, like she was a volcano on the verge of exploding.

          “The car died.”

          She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Yeah, I got that part, but why? Are we out of gas?”

          Kyle opened the door and rounded the car, lifting the hood. Billows of smoke rose, alarming Dana. She rushed after him, stopping in front of the car. While she couldn’t figure out the doo-hickey’s under the hood, the smoke and the sizzling noise it made when Kyle sprayed some water on it didn’t bode well.

          “The engine overheated,” Kyle explained glumly, closing the hood once again. They both took in their surroundings, the full realization that their only neighbors were cows and vast expanses of grass hitting them. Dana fumbled for her phone, and groaned. “No signal,” she lamented.

          Kyle checked his phone too. “Same. So much for “anytime, anywhere” connection. Technology is a lie.”

          “We can try walking back, I guess,” he suggested, not looking excited by the prospect.

          Dana didn’t even acknowledge the absurd statement with a reply. “Let’s hitchhike. People do it all the time on T.V, and I’ve read about it in books.”

          Kyle gaped at her. “Yeah, I’ve read about it too. In R.L Stine horror novels.”

          She scowled. “Do you see any other options here, Sherlock?”

          Great. This was great. Their first Valentine’s day as a couple, and they were already fighting. Dana didn’t know whether or howl at the moon like a deranged animal or beat Kyle with the nearest cow for this pointless expedition.

          “What car would drive through here anyway? It’s practically a wasteland,” Kyle stated.

          Dana punched him.

          He gripped his stomach, doubling over the car. “What the HELL, Dana?!”

          “Of 
course, 
no SANE person would wander through here! I wouldn’t be surprised if Jeepers Creepers, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, and the Grudge all showed up to say hello right now,” she shouted, shoving her hair away from her face as the wind picked up speed.

          “
I APOLOGIZE 
for trying to do something special for you! Next time I’ll just buy you some fake roses and a cheap teddy bear!” he yelled.

          “You still haven’t even told me where we were going!”

          “And now you aren’t going to find out,” he snapped.

          The sun had set, and the previously green pastures were now shadowed and scary. The dark road stretched on, and the street lights cast a creepy glow over everything.

          Dana scooted nearer to Kyle. He may be pissed at her, but she knew he would keep her safe. Her annoyance ebbed away to be replaced by fear. They were God-knows where, without working phones, and a broken car.

          Wasn’t this the preface of every CSI episode?

          She was about to suggest they go wait in the car when the loud rumble of a truck disturbed the still night. Kyle grabbed her arm, pulling her behind him as he waved at the large truck. It rolled to a stop in front of them, and a chubby, bearded man poked his head from the window. “You folks having some car trouble?”

          Dana craned her neck to see him. Kyle tightened his grip, keeping her behind him, and addressed the man. “Yeah, the engine died, and we don’t have a signal on our phones. I was wondering if you were possibly headed to town? It’s not too far away, and we have no other way to get home.”

          Dana frowned.
Way to make them seem like helpless victims just waiting to be slaughtered, Kyle.

          “Yeah, yeah, I’m headed up that way. Hop on in, kids,” the gruff driver said. Kyle thanked him as he took Dana’s hand and let her to the other side of the truck, where she stared helplessly at the jump she’d have to make to reach the seat. Visions of splatting to the ground like Humpty Dumpty plagued her.

          Kyle placed his hand on her waist, and kissed her ear. “Come on baby. I’ll help you.”

          With his help, she managed to climb to the passenger seat and scooted to make room for Kyle, keeping a distance from the truck driver giving her a slightly creepy bright smile.

          Kyle gracefully leapt to the seat, sliding in besides Dana, who huddled near him as the truck driver resumed driving.

          “So,” he said after a few minutes of awkward silence. “What were you kids doing in the middle of Hyde Lane? It’s deserted here ‘cept for truck drivers and cattle ranchers.”

          “We were just passing through,” Kyle replied.

          “To where? It’s mostly factories and farms this way yonder.” Dana thought the guy was being a little too inquisitive, but wisely chose not to say anything.

          “I, uh, my girlfriend-yeah, this girl- I was taking her somewhere special for Valentine’s Day.”

          “Oh? Where, if you don’t mind my asking? It’s just that we don’t get many townies to these parts.”

          Kyle clammed up, and Dana snorted. “He won’t tell you. It’s apparently more of a secret than the Order of the Phoenix.”

          When the truck driver gave her a perplexed look, she blushed. She really had to keep her inner nerd from scaring civilians.       

          “Seems like it’s bothering you that he won’t tell you,” the driver said sagely.

          “Heck yeah! It’s Valentine’s Day, and I trust him, but he knows I hate surprises. They’re the bane of my existence,” Dana harrumphed.

          Kyle tugged at his blonde curls with force. “But 
I 
like surprises. Why can’t you compromise for me sometimes? Is it that hard not to control every aspect of everything?”

          Dana sighed heavily. “We’re not getting into this again.”

          “Well, why not? We have this very nice man, an unbiased third party, willing to listen to us. Let’s see who he says is right and who’s wrong,” Kyle demanded smugly.

          Dana glared at her boyfriend, but he returned the glare tenfold.

          “So what I’m gathering is that this little lady doesn’t like surprises and spontaneity, but you do? And you want her to be willing to compromise, am I right?” the driver listed.

          “Yep,” Kyle agreed.

          “Why don’t 
you 
compromise for her?”

          “What?” Kyle asked, flabbergasted. Dana brightened, liking the direction the conversation was taking.

          “If she hates surprises this much, and you’re trying to make her 
happy 
for Valentine’s Day, why don’t you just tell her?”

          “Because she never lets me do anything special for her! I’m always, 
always 
trying to be the boyfriend she deserves, but it’s impossible. I’m just not up for it,” Kyle said dejectedly.

          Dana’s eyes widened. Did he really think that? That he didn’t deserve her? The ridiculous boy! He had no idea how much he meant to her.

          “Kyle-.” She started, but the truck driver cut her off.

          “Son, most of us aren’t good enough for that special someone in our lives who makes everything brighter, happier. She wouldn’t be dating you if she didn’t like you the way you are.” 

          “But I want to be good enough for her.”    

          It was like Dana wasn’t even there anymore. She wondered if she’d blended in to the seat at some point.

          “Why’s that? Why do you want to be good enough for her?”

          “Because…because I want to make her happy.”

          A smile was growing on the truck driver’s face.