Perfectly Misunderstood (The Perfect Series Book 4) Page 21

  “Not helping,” I grumbled.

  Becca shook her head to clear the lusty fog. “Right. Sorry.”

  “Do you understand why I can’t go full-on Romeo tonight?”

  Becca sighed in defeat. “Yeah. I don’t like it, but I get it. It’d suck to hook up, then go to the dance with someone else. You don’t want to put her in a position where she has to choose between what she wants and what she thinks is right.”

  “No, I don’t,” I agreed. “I can be patient for one more day, thirty hours tops. I’ll drop you off tomorrow night, then go straight to her house, if I have to.” It was odd to be admitting that to my date ahead of time.

  “Forget that; you can bring me with you.”

  “Are you crazy? After all this waiting, I’m not sharing her. Plus, it’d be weird to bring an audience.”

  “You’re a fun-suck.” She pouted. “As in, you suck the fun out of everything.”

  “I promise to have her call you after I leave.”

  “Okay, fine. It’ll have to do. You better be romantic, though, because if I don’t get a good story, you’re toast. Do you hear me?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll make it the most romantic gesture she’s ever been given. Even bigger than last night.”

  “What happened last night?”

  “I better let her tell you.”

  Becca slapped her palm to her forehead. “You’re killing me.”

  “You’ll live,” I answered without sympathy.

  “Sad, but true.” She sighed. “For the record, if you can’t wait until after the dance to kiss her, I’ll totally understand. In fact, I highly encourage it.” Becca’s grin was sly and meddlesome.

  “Thanks, but I can wait,” I promised. “When I make my move, I want it to be perfect.”

  JAYDEN

  “Jayden, Logan’s here,” Mom called from the foyer.

  “Tell him I’ll be out in a minute,” I yelled back as I took one final glance in the mirror—not too shabby. Of course, the hair, nails, makeup and kick-a outfit were doing all the work. I’d found a dress that I absolutely loved. It was red, knee length and tight, with a halter neck. My mom said it accentuated my womanly assets. That’s code for makes my boobs look bigger and my butt look firmer. But I wasn’t complaining, because tonight I had someone important to impress. And it wasn’t my date.

  “You look great,” Logan said as I walked into the foyer. His eyes roamed over me, pausing a little longer on the accentuated assets.

  “Thanks. You clean up nicely yourself,” I replied, checking him out in return. Logan was handsome, funny, and relatively sweet. He’d have been a good catch for most girls. So, I felt a twinge of guilt as my mother herded us together for a picture. It wasn’t fair that he was wasting his time and money on me, since I’d probably think about someone else all night.

  Logan wrapped his arm around my waist while Mom snapped a few pictures. My dad made a short appearance. “Jayden, you look too beautiful. Go back in your room and change. I think your mom washed your favorite pajama pants yesterday.”

  “Funny, Dad.”

  He then placed his arm around me and pulled out the scary voice. “Hello, Logan. I trust you’ll be a gentleman with my daughter? My only daughter.”

  “Yes, sir. You have nothing to worry about. I’ll take good care of her.” Logan smiled, and I swear his teeth sparkled.

  “Very good.” My dad’s voice returned to normal, and he shook Logan’s hand. I’m not sure what it was, but the London brothers were great with parents. They turned on the charming mega-watt smile, and mothers everywhere swooned and fathers handed over the dowries. Dad usually gave a better lecture, but he must have assumed I’d behave myself. There’d be no funny business, since I was going out with the wrong boy.

  “Have fun, and be safe.” Dad gave me a hug as he glanced at my date. “Be home by midnight.”

  “Yes, sir,” Logan replied, offering me his arm as we headed for the door.

  “Have Lisa text me some pictures,” Mom instructed.

  “Okay, we’re leaving now. Bye.” I shut the door behind me, and Logan laughed. “Why are moms always like that? Mine will do the same thing. Only she’ll take a lot more pictures.”

  We walked up the street to Summer’s house, where the rest of the group was waiting in the front yard. Summer saw me and squealed. “Oh my gosh, I love your dress.” She gushed for a whole minute about how hot I looked and how Logan should bring a stick so he could beat away all the guys who asked me to dance.

  “Levi should get a stick, too, then, because that dress looks fantastic on you.” I grinned.

  “Thanks, but I have to give Levi the credit, because he picked it.”

  “You let your boyfriend pick your dress?” I asked, eyebrow raised.

  “I was with him when he did, but why not? He’s the one looking at it all night. I wanted to make sure he appreciated it.” Summer raised her eyebrows up and down suggestively. Having a steady boyfriend was demolishing her naivety.

  “Okay, everyone, get over here so I can take some pictures,” Logan’s mom called out. She’d come with her camera to see us off.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Logan mumbled under his breath, and I chuckled.

  Twenty minutes later, I was so ready to leave. “You weren’t kidding. She took a picture in every pose imaginable.”

  “They’ll be on Instagram in ten minutes, too. All fifteen hundred of them.” He made a funny face, and I decided to push aside my thoughts of Mike. Maybe it wouldn’t be romantic or magical, but I owed it to Logan to be all in. I’d have fun tonight; it didn’t matter who I was with.

  Lucas and Hunter had dates who were seniors, so I’d never met either of them. But they both seemed like nice girls. The minivan barely fit all eight of us, and it was a sight to behold as we piled in for dinner. All those tall boys and all the fluffy dresses—we looked like a car full of clowns. At least the drive to the restaurant wasn’t that long.

  I was impressed that they’d taken us to an expensive place. I was certain it’d been Levi’s choice, until Logan helped me out of the car. I looked at him and teased, “You guys are pulling out the big guns tonight.”

  “You said steak was your favorite. I aim to please.”

  “Are you telling me you picked this place because I like steak?” I asked in disbelief.

  “Not completely. I mean, everyone else had to approve, but it was my suggestion.”

  “Well, thanks. It was an excellent choice.” I smiled, and Logan beamed with pride.

  For the rest of the night, Logan really went the extra mile. He opened doors, pulled out my chair, paid for dinner, and most importantly, didn’t look at his phone through the entire meal. I’d even heard it ding a few times, but he kept it tucked wherever he was hiding it. Even though it was clearly driving him nuts.

  Franklin High School knew how to do dances. They went all out for homecoming and prom. Somehow, the decorating committee always managed to transform the gymnasium. You could almost forget you were at the school. I was curious to see how they’d used this year’s dance theme—Sweet Dreams. I’d laughed when they announced it, because it sounded more like they were hosting story time at the library than a dance.

  Above the entrance to the gym, there was a large banner hanging on the wall that said Your Sweetest Dreams Await. “Who came up with that lame theme?” Logan pretended to gag as he read it.

  “What, you don’t want to enter a magical dream land?” I asked, laughing at him while he fake vomited in a trash can.

  He leered at me with a naughty grin. “I don’t think the school would approve the décor from my sweetest dreams.”

  “Logan!” I gasped, pretending to be shocked, though it wasn’t shocking at all. It was exactly what you’d expect him to say. “You’re not giving Principle Anderson enough credit. I bet he’d have been open to the video game theme. Getting all the televisions and gaming consoles in here might have been a challenge…”

  Loga
n laughed. “Wise-ass. If your hair didn’t look so good, I’d take you down right now.”

  “Then the money I paid to have it done was well spent,” I replied.

  Logan handed off our tickets, and we walked through the door. Instantly, I knew why the student council had picked this theme. It was generically romantic. Fog machines were working overtime, along with a few strategically placed bubble blowers. The lights had a soft glow in a variety of colors. They’d done a false ceiling, which acted as a canopy for keeping hundreds of white helium balloons contained. The effect was mesmerizing.

  Logan’s eyes widened in awe. He’d moved here over the summer, and this was his first Franklin dance. “You still think it’s lame?” I teased, but he didn’t respond since he was too busy eating his words.

  We found a table on the side of the room and piled our things on top. The guys left their suit coats and the girls hid their purses underneath. We’d arrived fashionably late, and I looked all around but didn’t see Becca or Mike anywhere.

  “Time to dance!” Summer said, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the music.

  “Boy, you don’t waste any time,” I said with a laugh.

  “Dancing is what we came to do, isn’t it?”

  “Good point,” I replied, offering my other hand to Logan. “Come dance with us.” He winced but came along. Logan wasn’t much of a dancer, so he mostly stood close to me and bobbed his head up and down. If it weren’t for the fact that everybody was going, he probably would have stayed home. This wasn’t really his scene. But again, he was trying.

  A slow song came on, and he snatched my hand right away. “Would you like to dance?”

  “I’d love to.” I smiled up at him as he wrapped his arms around my waist, and I looked for a place to put my hands. He was so much taller than me that it was a little awkward, and I had no idea what to do with them.

  “Don’t worry.” He grinned. “This always happens.” He reached for my hands and placed them on his shoulders before wrapping his arms around me again. “One of these days, I’ll get smart and ask a tall girl to a dance.”

  “I bet I could hook you up with one,” I replied, giving Becca a little plug.

  “Eh, I’d rather be here with you. Even if you are a runt.”

  “Gee, thanks.” I laughed, then stopped talking so we could enjoy the dance. We’d spun to the point that I was facing the gym doors, and I saw Becca enter with Mike and his friends. Her dress was gorgeous, and she looked beautiful. But it was hard for her not to. Clothes hung on her like they would on a hanger. When she took the time do something more than a ponytail and Chapstick, she was a knockout. Especially with those long legs. She was wearing a dress that would have hit just above the knee on a normal girl, but on her, it hit mid-thigh. I noticed more than one guy checking her out when she walked past.

  The song ended, and I asked Logan, “Do you mind if we say hi to Becca?”

  “Cool.” He responded with a shrug. I pushed through the crowd until I made it past the wall of people, breaking free into the cool air. Logan had been stopped by someone, so I fixed my gaze on Mike while I waited. What I saw gave me the good kind of chills.

  Mike looked downright sexy. He was wearing a suit, but not just any old suit. It fit him extremely well and looked expensive. Why he had a suit that nice but ran in duct-taped shoes was beyond me. It was so classy that it made Logan look frumpy in comparison. Mike took off his jacket and threw it on the table. Then he did the same with his tie and undid the top button on his crisp white shirt.

  I wanted to reach out and pull him to me. I wanted to know if his lips tasted as good as they always looked—if his tongue really was as skilled at kissing as it was with rolling his R’s. He must have felt my heated gaze, because he glanced my way and our eyes met. Somehow, we were connected, and he watched me as if he could sense all the lusty thoughts I was having. I blushed, even though I knew he couldn’t possibly read my mind.

  Mike smiled, but it was too dark for me to see exactly where he was looking—until his head wandered down to my feet, then slowly back to my face, pausing the same way Logan had. Then he grinned and used his hand to fan himself as if he were hot. Correction—as if I were making him hot.

  . . . . .

  MIKE

  Becca and I had been having a blast. She liked to goof around and crack lots of jokes, which made her entertaining. My friends thought she was hilarious. She and Bianca were really hitting it off. Until now, I’d been distracted enough that I was able to push Jayden to the back of my mind. But when we arrived at the dance, the first thing I did was scan the crowd. And the moment I saw her, I became a lost cause.

  She appeared out of nowhere, as if she’d felt the pull of my searching eyes. One look at her in that red dress was enough to render me speechless. Good thing nobody was trying to talk to me right now. I took her in, from head to toe, and my heart raced. I’d always found her attractive, even when I couldn’t stand her. But tonight, she was taking sexy to a whole new level. The student council had gotten it right with the banner above the gym door. My sweetest dream was waiting for me across the dance floor.

  “You ready?” Becca stepped in front of me, blocking my view of Jayden.

  And now it was time to wake up.

  “Sure.” I smiled. “Let’s get our groove on.”

  Becca pulled me toward the dance floor, practically slamming into Jayden and Logan. “Oh! Hey, Jay. Oh my gosh, your dress is so much prettier on you than the hanger.”

  Jayden smiled at the compliment. “Yours is beautiful, too. I’ve already seen like ten different guys checking out your legs.” Right on cue, I noticed Logan do a quick perusal of my date’s merchandise, one eyebrow quirked subtly, followed by an appreciative smirk. Was he serious? First, he brings my future girlfriend to homecoming, then he has the audacity to ogle my date right in front of me? In front of Jayden? Lucky for him, neither girl noticed. I’d been in his company for a whopping thirty seconds, and I already wanted to rearrange his teeth.

  “You’re such a liar.” Becca scoffed.

  “I swear. Cross my heart.”

  “We’re headed out to dance. You guys want to come?” Becca asked Jayden.

  Jayden looked hesitant as she addressed the group. “Are you cool if I ask Summer and the guys to join us?” I almost forgot that if Jayden hung out with Becca and me, she’d have to hang out with my friends, too. Maybe this was a bad idea.

  Before I could say anything, Bianca answered on the group’s behalf. “Sure. The more the merrier.” I looked at Bianca and gave her a quick nod to say thanks for being inclusive. My friends weren’t as horrible as Jayden thought. She only needed to give them a chance.

  Jayden smiled tentatively at Bianca and said, “Okay. I’ll be back in a minute.” She and Logan took off, and the rest of us found a spot to shake it.

  A new song blared through the speakers. It had a good beat, and Becca got excited. “Time to bust a move,” she announced and let loose.

  “That girl cracks me up.” Beth leaned in close so I could hear her over the music.

  “When you grow a pair and get together with Jayden, do we get to keep Becca, too?” Bianca yelled over the music, as if Becca were a shiny new toy.

  “Probably.” I laughed. “You might inherit Summer as well, once the honeymoon phase wears off. They say she’s fun.”

  Jayden reappeared with her crew in tow. She shot off a quick round of introductions, and everyone said hey before getting lost in the music. I danced with my date, and Jayden danced with hers, and we all danced next to each other…and it was driving me insane. Every time Logan touched her, I wanted to smack his hand away. Every time he leaned in close, I wanted to yank him back by the collar. Don’t even get me started on the slow dances. Pure. Torture. After an hour, I was ready to call it quits. I couldn’t have fun, because I couldn’t stop obsessing.

  “Do you want to get a drink?” I asked Becca, needing to get away. I wasn’t much of a fast dancer, and they hadn
’t played that many slow songs. Plus, I was starting to sweat, and that was no bueno—no good.

  “Yes. I’m dying of thirst.” Becca nodded emphatically, then leaned over to Jayden and Summer. “We’re getting a drink. Want to come?” Both girls said yes and followed us off the dance floor. Unfortunately, their dates did, too. We lingered around the water station until we cooled off. The girls were chatting, and I was engaging in small talk with Logan and Levi, when Principal Anderson approached us, clearly worked up about something.

  “You!” He pointed at Logan, then searched the group before settling on Becca, “And you. Come with me, please.”

  “We didn’t do anything,” Logan fired off defensively.

  “You’re not in trouble, young man. I need your help. I’m not sure how, but someone has managed to deface the banner over the door. I can’t find the maintenance staff, and even with the step ladder, I’m not tall enough to reach.” His random selections suddenly became less random. Becca had worn heels, so next to Logan, she was the second tallest. “Hurry, please,” he ordered as he stepped behind them and ushered them off quickly.

  Becca looked over her shoulder, helpless to argue, and yelled, “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Summer bit her lip. “Is it horrible if I want to see what they wrote?” She giggled, grabbed Levi by the hand, and took off after Becca.

  Jayden and I were alone for the first—and probably only—time tonight. Fate was on my side, because right then the DJ cut to a slow song. All the people around us paired off, and I smiled at Jayden. “Everyone else is dancing.”

  She looked from side to side. “It would seem so.”

  “Maybe we should join them.”

  “Maybe we should,” she agreed, offering me her hand.