Swept Up Read online

  “What about your hair?” Marla asked again. “I mean, it looks good now, but I didn’t take up your prep time, did I?”

  “No, don’t worry about it,” I said while trying to think what I could do to keep my promise to Kyle.

  For once in my life, my hair was the least of my problems.

  CHAPTER 21

  I have to say, the three of us looked pretty gorgeous.

  Marla totally pulled off the yellow asymmetrical dress with punk hair, and the little bit of green in her hair gave it the perfect pop. Eve’s hair looked like a fairy tale, all big curls flowing down her back in a half updo. The dress she’d bought was the one Marla and I had agreed on—palest pink with spaghetti straps and a belted waist.

  As for me, Mom twisted my hair and piled it on top of my head in a messy but fancy do. I put on a dash of pale pink blush with a hint of shimmer, some mascara, and lip gloss—designed to enhance my look, not ward off possible kisses. I was ready to go. My dress was grass-green, belted like Eve’s but pleated.

  I’d texted Kyle to let him know that I just found out that Eve, Jonah, and Marla were all meeting at the salon. I hoped he didn’t think I was setting him up. He texted back that it was okay, but I wouldn’t really know if he meant it until he and Jonah arrived. I texted Lizbeth and she and Matthew were still on to meet us at school after their dinner. I wondered if maybe Kristen had changed her mind about being a third wheel.

  That made me feel bad for her, so I decided to text her, just to make sure she was okay.

  Last call for dance hall

  She didn’t write back.

  I changed into my dress in Mom’s office, and when I came out to wait in the back with Marla, Eve pulled me aside and said, “Wait, can I tell you something first?”

  “Yeah, sure,” I said.

  “Listen, I know things have been not great between us,” she said.

  “Eve, that’s all my fault,” I said. “I’m really sorry for all I—”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “If I hear you apologize one more time.” She looked at me and said, “I mean that in the nicest possible way. I just mean, I know it’s been really weird between us this week, with Marla here and us being sort of friends and sort of not. I just want you to know that—it’s fine.”

  “It’s fine?” I asked, meaning what is fine?

  “I mean, if it’s okay with you,” she said, “I’d like to be friends again. Real friends, not this sort of, kind of, maybe not really friends.”

  I smiled. “I’d like that.”

  “Whatever happened is all in the past. Okay?”

  “Okay,” I said, relieved.

  “And thank you for being such an amazing friend to Marla this week,” she said. “That meant a lot to me. Especially taking her out with you last night. That was, like, above and beyond.”

  “It was no big deal,” I said. “I’m glad we did it. She’s a good friend to you.”

  “Yeah,” Eve said. “I’ve missed hanging out with her. It’s been good having her here this week, even if it’s made things a bit stressful.”

  It’d definitely been an unusually stressful week, but I had to think that at least I hadn’t done anything crazy. This week, I’d been uncommonly good.

  “So, you ready for tonight?” I asked.

  “It doesn’t feel like it’s our first dance, does it?”

  “Not at all,” I said. “It’s been stressful just getting to tonight.”

  “Tell me about it,” she said. We walked to the back where Marla sat at the table, painting her nails a shade of brown I knew the salon didn’t carry. Well, she trusted me with her hair; I guess it was only fair that she used her own polish. This time. “At least it’s all working out. We’re all going together, just like you wanted.”

  “Yeah,” I said, thinking about Kyle. “The thing is—”

  “Mickey!” Giancarlo’s voice rang from the front. “Your date is here!”

  “Oh my gosh,” I said. How was I going to walk out there now? “I assume he means your date is here, too. Don’t make me walk up there alone.”

  Eve smiled. “You got it. Did you know that Jonah is my date but I am Marla’s date?”

  “Oh, really?” I asked as they linked arms to walk up together.

  “It’s her way of making me feel like I’m not a loser or a third wheel,” Marla said.

  “That’s not true,” Eve said. “Well, maybe a little.”

  Marla hip-bumped her. “Thought so.”

  We walked through the main floor and there were the boys, looking completely out of place but also so very . . . sigh. At least Kyle looked so very . . . sigh.

  “Oh my gosh, Mickey,” Eve said when she saw Jonah. “He looks so cute!”

  He looked fine, I supposed, but Kyle was killing it in that casual-cool sort of way wearing jeans, an un-tucked shirt, and loosely tied tie with a dark blue blazer. I noticed all the stylists and clients turning to watch us walk toward them, but they all faded away when I saw the smile spread across Kyle’s face. He was happy to see me. I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Look how pretty you all look!” Giancarlo said, inspecting us as we all stood facing one another awkwardly.

  “Hi,” I said to Kyle. “You look nice.”

  He mostly looked at the floor when he said, “Thanks. Um, you look really pretty. Like, really pretty.”

  Mom came up front, all smiles and parental pride. I felt sad that Dad wasn’t there, but then he appeared from the back, beaming as well. I went from sad that he wasn’t there to mortified that he was in two seconds flat.

  “Look at my baby girl,” he said, coming up front and giving me a side hug. Mom held up a camera and snapped a photo of us. I died.

  Kyle held out a box toward me and said, “I got this for you.”

  “A present?” I said.

  He smiled. “Sort of.”

  Before I could even open it, Jonah said, “Dude! You didn’t tell me we were doing the flower thing.”

  Kyle looked back at Jonah and said, “Man, some things you really need to figure out on your own.”

  Eve playfully swatted him. “Yeah, Jonah.”

  I opened the box and inside was the prettiest flower corsage I had ever seen.

  Okay, it was the only one I’d seen, at least in real life. But it was beautiful. It was this big, yellow lily flower that was like a huge sunburst surrounded by little green leaves. It complemented my dress perfectly.

  “It’s so pretty,” I said. “Thank you so much.”

  “Actually,” he said, stepping toward me and taking it out of the box for me, “it’s for your hair.” He showed me the hair comb that was in the back of it. “I hope it’s okay. I thought it might look nice.”

  I wanted to melt right there in the salon. Was there anything more thoughtful than that?

  “I love it,” I said. “It’s perfect, Kyle.” He beamed, proud at a job well done.

  I went to Mom’s station to use her mirror. “Want some help?” she asked me, and how could I turn her down? She fastened it perfectly. I checked myself in the mirror, seeing how well it looked with my dress.

  “How did you know it’d match my dress?” I asked him.

  “I had a little help,” he said and nodded to Marla. That made it official—Marla was cool in my book.

  “Pictures!” Mom said, clapping her hands. “Everyone together.” I have to say it was rare to see her so gushy and momlike at the salon in front of her staff. For some reason it made me feel really good, even special.

  We all gathered in front of the products wall to pose. “Closer!” Mom demanded. “Everyone squeeze in.”

  I stood next to Kyle, of course, and he put his hand on my back. I didn’t know what to do with mine, but it felt weird hanging b
y my side. I raised it up to sort of put on his back, too, without exactly touching him.

  Look, I was doing the best I could.

  “Say gorgeous!”

  “Gorgeous!” we all cheered.

  Once the photo portion of the night was done, we were ready to head out.

  Since the school was so close, we decided to walk over even though Dad offered us a lift.

  The five of us started out and we hadn’t made it far before Kyle said to me, “Hey, mind if we take a little detour?”

  “No,” I said, wondering what it meant. Would this be the moment? “Whatever you want.”

  “Guys, we’re going to go this way,” he said, pointing to a trail that led across the park. The school was on the other side, a little roundabout but scenic nonetheless.

  “Okay,” Jonah said with a wave. “See you there.”

  Eve gave me a smile and a wave, and Marla gave me this funny smile that I think was meant to tease me for being alone with Kyle.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” Kyle said. “I know it seems like a small thing, but I really just wanted to go to the dance alone with you.”

  “No, it’s totally fine,” I said. “Eve texted me at the last minute. I really had no idea they were going tonight.”

  “I know,” he said. “Jonah told me.”

  I smiled. I was glad we were walking into the dance together, alone. It made it feel more official somehow. Maybe that’s what he wanted, too.

  As we walked across the park, Kyle reached over and took my hand in his. It wasn’t the first time we’d held hands, but it felt more real this time. Maybe because we were dressed up and going to our first-ever dance. It felt like the first time I really truly thought of him as my boyfriend.

  When we walked through the doors of the school gym, lights were flashing and the music was loud and thumping. The place was pretty full, so I guessed we’d come at just the right time. I scanned the gym for our friends, then wondered if he wanted us to stay alone all night. Would we hang out with our friends at all?

  A slow song came on almost immediately, and it was like the DJ dude was forcing us to get close right off the bat. Kyle stood for a moment, watching the other couples go to the dance floor.

  “So,” I said, watching the other couples. “Want to dance?”

  “Sure, yeah,” he said. “I was going to ask you.”

  And this time, I took his hand and we walked together to the dance floor. He put his arms around my waist, resting his hands on the small of my back, and I rested mine on his shoulders, dangling just behind his neck. I wanted to kick myself for not brushing my teeth before leaving. I hoped my breath didn’t stink.

  Over Kyle’s shoulder I saw a couple totally making out, right there on the dance floor. Just as I wondered if the teachers and chaperones would allow that, Ms. Carter came over and pulled them apart. When I saw their faces, I started laughing.

  “What?” Kyle asked, turning his head slightly to look at me.

  “Over there,” I said, turning our bodies slightly so he could see. “I guess Tobias and Kristen are back together. They just got busted kissing.”

  “Seriously?” he asked, a laugh in his voice.

  “Like, legitimately macking down,” I said.

  “I can’t believe I’m even surprised by that.”

  “I know,” I said. “I guess it’s just one of those things we’ll never understand.”

  “I’m not sure I’d want to understand that.”

  The song faded and a faster song came on. As we moved off the dance floor, we ran into Jonah, Eve, and Marla.

  “Come on,” Eve said, grabbing my hand. “Let’s all go dance!”

  I let her pull me but before I could get too far I reached back and pulled Kyle in with me. Soon we were all dancing, not caring what we looked like or how cheesy the song was. Lizbeth and Matthew joined us, and they looked like the perfect preppy couple, both matching in nautical-blue and white. Later, Kristen and Tobias joined us, claiming they almost got kicked out of the dance “for no reason,” and Kyle said, “Yeah, we saw you guys doing absolutely nothing.”

  “I think the whole school did,” I said. It got a smile out of Kristen.

  “Gonna get me some more of that later on,” Tobias said, grabbing Kristen’s waist.

  “Ugh, why are you so nasty?” she snapped, swatting his hand away.

  “What?” Tobias asked. “What’d I do?”

  “Hey,” Kyle said to me as Kristen laid into Tobias about how disrespectful he was. “Want to go outside for a minute? Get some air?”

  “Perfect,” I said.

  We went out the door we’d come in. Some people were already starting to leave even though there was still a half hour left in the dance. I couldn’t believe it was almost over. It seemed like we just got there.

  We stepped a little away from the door, just out of the light of the sidewalk lamp. I leaned against the wall, feeling the cool brick against the top of my back and through my dress. A light breeze blew across my face, and I closed my eyes, feeling it cool me down after dancing.

  “Mickey,” Kyle said, saying my name so gently I slowly opened my eyes. He stood in front of me and said, “I’m really glad you came to the dance with me tonight.”

  The voices of the other students faded. In the distance I heard a car honk.

  “I’m glad, too,” I said in the same quiet tone he used.

  In almost a whisper he said, “I really want to kiss you.”

  My heart pounded in my chest. I didn’t move from my position against the wall, but suddenly the coolness of the brick and the breeze across my face did nothing to help the heat that had suddenly risen all up my body. I shivered. Mustering all my courage, I said, “Then you should.”

  “I should?” he asked with a slight grin and raised eyebrow.

  I nodded yes.

  He leaned in slowly, moving his eyes from my eyes down to my lips. I only parted my lips the tiniest bit because I really wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen but hoped that he did. I watched as he closed his eyes. I closed mine, too. Suddenly, his lips were on . . . my cheek.

  He pulled back quickly. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—oh my gosh, I feel so stupid.”

  Okay, so he closed his eyes too soon and misaimed. Not a big deal. It actually made me smile because in that one little slipup I knew that this was his first kiss, too. That made me feel more self-assured.

  “It’s okay,” I said softly. He stepped back and wouldn’t look at me. Instead he glanced over to the sidewalk where kids were still leaving. I was afraid he was going to bolt with them. “Hey,” I said. I reached for both his hands and pulled him closer to me, where he’d been before. Feeling brave, nervous, and superbold—and also referencing what I’d seen in some movies—I reached up for his face, holding his cheeks, and gently pulled his face close to mine. He kept his eyes focused on my lips and I kept mine focused on his. When our lips touched it was gentle, almost hesitant. I closed my eyes as he pressed his lips a little more to mine and the world disappeared once again. Lizbeth had been right—kissing was a no-brainer because at that moment, all thoughts went right out of my head. There was nothing in the world but that moment.

  Until, that is, someone yelled my name.

  “What are you guys doing?” Eve said, squinting through the dim light.

  “Nothing,” I said after we’d quickly pulled away. I caught my breath as I said, “Just getting some air.”

  Kristen stood back and eyed us. She cocked her head and said, “Uh-huh. Right.”

  “Dude, she’s like my sister,” Jonah said to Kyle. “Please do not tell me you were doing what we all think you were doing.”

  “Okay!” I said loudly. “Nothing to see here! What do you guys want?”

  “We wa
nt to leave,” Eve said, holding back a laugh. “Want to go get some ice cream?”

  “Sure,” I said. Then I turned to Kyle. “Well, only if you want to.”

  “Sounds good to me,” he said, holding out his arm for me to hook mine through. I accepted.

  “So let’s go,” Kristen said. “Before you two are the next to get busted by Ms. Carter.”

  I’m sure I blushed, but in the dark no one saw. I was pretty sure that Kyle had blushed, too, but something about our blushing together made it okay. I knew girls told each other just about everything and I was really happy to have my friendship with Eve back. Happy even to have made a new friend with Marla, even if she didn’t live here. But I wouldn’t tell them about my and Kyle’s first try at kissing. There are some things a girl should keep from even her best friends in the whole world. Even if you’re lucky enough to have so many good ones, like me.