“He's just tired. Leave him alone.” I snapped at her. Rachel looked hurt by my tone. “I was just asking. No need to bite my head off. Well, while we're on the subject. What is up with you lately?”
“Huh?” I asked, genuinely confused as to what she was talking about. Rachel took a bite of her chicken salad sandwich, then delicately patting her lips with a napkin. “Don't you 'huh' me. I'm talking about your emergence as Super Bitch. Well at least where Danny and I are concerned. Clay, on the other hand, gets all the sunshine and roses.” I looked at Daniel and he just shrugged a shoulder and went back to reading his sports magazine.
“I'm not grouchy all the time. Sorry if I've been less than my usual uber fun self.” I joked. Rachel snorted in annoyance. “Well, whatever, just stop taking your pissy moods out on the two of us. You know if there's stuff going on you can talk to us.” Rachel looked pointedly at Clay who was starting to stir. I ignored her remark, refusing to acknowledge, even to her, that there was any sort of problem.
Clayton sat up slowly, stretching his arms over his head, causing his shirt to ride up over his flat stomach. My insides did that funny little twist that often happened when I allowed myself to focus on how beautiful he was. Why did I have to be all “let's be friends?” Because watching Clayton rub his eyes and run his fingers through his delicious curls made me really question my own sanity.
Clay wiped at his mouth. “I didn't drool did I?” He smiled sleepily. I rubbed his bottom lip with my thumb, reveling in the feel of his mouth. God I wanted to kiss him. Clay gave me a slow, sexy smile as if he was reading my mind and I dropped my hand. “Nope, drool free.” I told him, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.
“Here guys. Don't forget to buy your tickets all this week after school.” Lila, Rachel's friend appeared at our table, dropping a brightly colored flier in the middle of our lunch trays. “What's this?” Clay asked, picking up the pink paper. “It's the Fall Formal. We have it the last weekend of October. You should come; it's a lot of fun.” Lila batted her eyelashes at Clay, who was oblivious to her flirting. He was studying the information on the flier intently.
Lila, clearly disappointed by his lack of interest, gave us a halfhearted wave and headed to the next table. I leaned over Clay to have a closer look at the paper. I allowed myself to brush his arm with mine; feeling little prickles of awareness as our skin touched.
“You guys going?” Clay asked. Daniel and Rachel looked at each other and then back to us. “Well we usually go to the Fall Formal as a group. We save the whole date thing for Prom. It's much more fun to go with friends. We go out to eat somewhere really cheesy like Pizza Hut, purposefully wear horrible formal wear and buy the ugliest corsages we can find. It's a lot of fun.” Rachel told him, looking excited.
Clay looked at me. I realized how close our faces were and I backed away a bit. “You go to this? I can't see you doing the whole dressing up thing.” Clay said. I frowned, not liking that he seemed to have difficulty seeing me doing something girlie. I was by no means a tom boy or anything. Maybe I wasn't as into the whole appearance thing as Rachel and other girls at the school, but that didn't mean I was lacking the required chromosome to enjoy it.
Clay realized he must have said something wrong and started verbally backpedaling. “No, I just meant that it seems a little lame. I just can't see you doing something like that. You know, because you're too cool for a school dance.” He squeezed my knee under the table in unspoken apology. I covered his hand with mine and squeezed back. “Nice save.” I whispered and he grinned.
“But I do go to the Fall Formal. Me, Danny, Rachel, Ray and Clare when they decide to come to these things, and sometimes a few other people. We all go together, it's a good time. And there's usually a party somewhere after.” I realized my mistake as soon as the words were out of my mouth. Clay's mouth tightened at the word “party” and we both remembered his disastrous turn at the party over the weekend.
“Or maybe not.” I said quietly, letting him know that partying wouldn't be on the agenda. Clay smiled weakly. “Well, can I come with you guys?” He asked shyly. Rachel giggled. “Of course. You don't have to ask to come along.” Daniel nodded in agreement. “Yeah man. The more guys the better. These girls can get pretty crazy.” He grinned at Rachel who flushed.
Clay smiled at me, putting the flier into his pocket. “Sounds cool.” My stomach siezed up at the thought of going to a dance with him. But I affected my best nonchalant smile. “Yeah, cool.” I replied.
“So do you want to see the dress I picked out for formal?” I asked Clay two weeks later as we sat in my kitchen after school. Clay lazily flicked through my dad's Librarian Today magazine. Riveting reading, I'm sure.
He looked up at me, and cocked that adorable eyebrow of his. “Isn't that bad luck or something? To see the dress before the night?” He asked. I laughed. “That's weddings, dork. The groom isn't supposed to see the bride in her wedding dress before the wedding. I don't think there are any superstitions tied to formal wear.” He chuckled and closed the magazine, putting it back in the pile at the end of the counter.
I loved having him in my house. I had eventually succumbed to parental pressure a week and a half ago, and invited Clay over for dinner. So my parents could interrogate, I mean meet him. It had started out fine enough. Clay had shown up promptly at 6:30 for dinner. I had opened the door and struggled to stop my jaw from hitting the floor.
He had dressed in perfectly pressed khaki pants and a blue stripped button down shirt. His black curls were slicked back, showing off his incredibly handsome face. He held a bundle of beautiful flowers that looked like they had cost as much as a small village.
“Hey, Maggie.” He said quietly after I had let him in the front door. He seemed really nervous, not that I blamed him. This whole thing reeked of awkwardness. “Those are beautiful.” I commented, indicating the ridiculously large bouquet.
“They're for your mom. You know, to butter her up. Figured I needed all the help I could get. Lord knows I can't impress her with my amazing charm.” Clay quipped in that self-deprecating way of his. I had lightly punched his arm. “They'll love you as much as I do.” I told him and almost swallowed my tongue.
Had I seriously just admitted to loving him? Dear God, I wanted to run out of the house and far away from the humiliation of the moment. But luckily, Clay was too nervous to catch on to my earth ending slip up. He had only given me a shaky smile and followed me into the kitchen where my mom was finishing up the chili she had made.