No way could I kiss him.
No possible way.
But I’d never admit I was too wimpy to kiss him. That was even more embarrassing. So, instead, I simply said. “I’d never ask Colin to do that.”
He looked at me, and for the first time I realized that his eyelashes were really long and thick. “I’ll kiss you, Blue.”
And I could tell he meant it.
Sneak Peek: STUDYING BOYS
(available now)
When Theo pushed open another door and we walked out into the club, I almost passed out from terror right then.
It was dark. Really dark. And loud. Music was blasting so loud I could actually feel it vibrating in my chest and thudding in my ears. And there were people everywhere. Not boys and girls. Men and women. Dancing. Wearing black and silk, and some of the women weren’t wearing all that much at all. No one even looked close to my age, and there sure wasn’t any woman there without makeup, wearing jeans, sneakers and a baggy cotton sweater.
Except me.
Holy cow.
“Want a drink?” Theo asked.
“No.” I pulled my hand out of his and backed against the wall. Oh my God. What kind of place was this? Where had I let him take me? It was one thing not to be uptight, but this was something else entirely.
I was way out of my league. All those people on the dance floor! Going crazy! Making out! There was no way I was going out there!
Then Theo moved in front of me and blocked my view. “Frances? Are you okay?”
“No!” I shoved at his chest, and he caught my hands. “Let go of me! How could you bring me here?”
“Sorry.”
The simple comment caught my attention, and I stopped railing long enough to look at him. Theo, with his dark unruly hair, his leather jacket, and his black tee shirt. All bad boy, all danger, and yet, at the same time, I knew those eyes, that dimple in his cheek. This was Theo, the guy I’d known since I was three. “No smug remark, like the fact I can’t handle this proves I’m uptight?”
Theo shrugged, still holding my hands. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
He sounded like he really meant it. I didn’t understand. Where was this Theo coming from? “Why aren’t you being a jerk?”
A grimace pulled at the corner of his mouth. “I don’t know.”
“Oh.” Not the best answer. It would have been nice if he’d said it was because I was so amazing that he couldn’t bring himself to be anything but a perfect gentleman. That might have helped alleviate the fact I was about to have a full panic attack.
“You want to leave?” He frowned. “We can leave.”
“Well...” Now that he was being all nice, and blocking my view of the raunchy stuff happening on the dance floor, it didn’t seem so bad to be there.
“Want to just hang here, against the wall, for a few minutes while you decide?” he suggested.
I nodded. “Fine.”
He gave me a slight nod, then dropped my hands and moved to the wall beside me, leaning against it, his arm pressing against my shoulder. Like he was being supportive.
We stood like that for a while. I watched the people, thought about Theo still leaning against me, not saying anything jerky or anything. Just hanging.
No one came up and bothered us. No one pointed at me like I stood out as being the only fourteen-year-old in the place.
“How are you feeling?” Theo asked.
“Okay.”
“Want to dance?”
I looked at the dance floor. It was a slow song. “No.”
“Why not?” He moved to stand in front of me again, but he didn’t take my hands or anything. “I won’t try anything.”
“I just don’t want to,” I muttered, but my heart was racing, and I was having trouble breathing.
“You ever slow danced with a guy before?”
I lifted my chin. “None of your business.”
He shrugged, but there was that challenge thing blazing in his eyes again. “One dance.”
“Why?”
“Education.”
I almost laughed. “What kind of a line is that? You use that on all your dates?” Not that we were on a date, or anything.
“The Homework Club.” He didn’t address the date remark.
I narrowed my eyes. He had my attention now. “What about it?”
“You can’t run it the way you want to.”
I lifted my chin. “Yes, I can.”
“I brought you here so you can see what it’s like to have fun. So you can see why your approach is too hardcore. My friends know how much fun a coed environment can really be. You need to play on that, instead of denying it.”
“Since when did you become a philosopher?”
“Since you threatened to get me kicked off the lacrosse team. No way am I going to let that happen. And if the only way I’m going to get to play lacrosse is to get this club of yours to work, then that’s what I’m going to do.”