Stalk Me

“That sounds fun. Speaking of breakfast, I’m, like, starved.”

I lean over my phone and kiss him. It started out just a little kiss, but he throws me back on the bed and kisses me hard.

“I thought you were hungry.”

“Yeah, I am. For you.”

So seventh grade.

4:45pm

I’m sitting out in the misty rain, watching Cush and the team play. It stopped storming around noon, and now it’s just a miserable dreary, misty day. Normally I hate days like these. I prefer the sun shining, but I’m too happy to care. I still can’t believe I’m not a virgin anymore, and I still can’t believe I did it with and am now dating Cush.

This is definitely a twist in the plot that I hadn’t scripted or imagined. But I think it’s a good thing. Mom says you should cherish little surprises in your life, and she’s right. Cush makes me feel happy. Like I can’t stop smiling.

During half time, he runs to the bleachers and plants a big kiss on my lips. “Just a few more hours,” he says and winks at me as he runs away.

Mandy, who apparently hooked up with a soccer player named Dillon last night, grins at me. “What’s happening in a few hours? Are you going to that party Vanessa and RiA

“No, we’re not. We have other plans. Not that we were invited anyway.”

“Not invited? Is it because you and Cush left the Monte Carlo party? I heard you went to some amazing Hollywood party. Is that true?”

“Yeah, it’s true, and we had a great time. Last night was amazing,” I gush.

“So what are you doing tonight? Is there another party? Can we come? Like we want to sit at your table next year, but Vanessa has always been such a bitch to us. She’s slept with two of our boyfriends. After you and the soccer guys left, the party just felt over. Everyone else left by like ten-thirty. I bet she is pissed at you.”

“I’m sure she is, but we all have to make choices about stuff like that,” I say in my bitchiest tone.

Alicia, who was Alex Littleton’s prom date, agrees with me. “I totally understand. I wanted to go to Vanessa’s party tonight, but Alex said no.”

“Alex seems really nice.”

“He is. He’s one of those guys that everyone loves, but being popular isn’t really important to him. Vanessa was all over him at the party. It pissed me off. We aren’t going out or anything. Yet. But I think we might. I was kinda mad he left with you and Cush, but at least it got him out of her claws.”

I think about Vanessa’s targeted approach toward Alex, and it hits me why she’s so focused on him. It’s not because he’ll be one of the hottest seniors next year. It’s because he doesn’t care about being popular.

And that makes him a very big threat.

Vanessa values popularity above everything else, and you can’t control a person that doesn’t care. If Alex really is that kind of guy, the only way she could control him is to date him.

Is that why she’s been trying so hard to control me lately? Because all of a sudden I decided I didn’t care.

Is Cush right? Is she afraid the spotlight will follow me, and she’ll be left in the dark?

“I don’t think he’s interested in Vanessa,” I tell Alicia.

“I hope he’s not,” she says. “Personally, I was glad the party was over early. I thought it was kinda lame. Her parents practically stood watch, and we had to sneak into her room to drink. It seemed so seventh grade.”

“Cush and I might be having a party soon. A very small party. Like only ten, maybe twelve people. You two want to come?”

“Enough to fill your own table?” Alicia guesses.

I tilt my head and shrug my shoulders. “No comment.”

“Let me give you my number,” Mandy says.

“So, if you should happen to get a text about a party, please don’t mention it to anyone. Just show up. There are certain people we don’t want to hear about it.”

“I thought you, Vanessa, and RiA

“She offered to sleep with Sander on prom night.”

The girls’ eyes get huge. “Oh my gosh, what did you do?”

“Sander told her no flat out, but I was standing behind her listening to it all.”

“I saw you and Cush are going out now.”

“Yeah, he asked me last night.  I can’t believe he’s playing so well. He didn’t get much sleep.”

“So what are you doing tonight?”

“I don’t know. He says he wants to surprise me. Would only tell me to wear a pretty dress.”

“And some sexy lingerie?” Alicia surmises.

Cush scores a goal, so I stand up and cheer. He catches my eye, makes a gun with his finger, kisses the tip of it, then shoots the kiss at me.”

“Oh my gosh, did you just see that? Was that not the cutest thing ever? I’m totally tweeting about it.” Alicia says.

I smile to myself when I realize that Cush has been following my scripts in his own way. What he did was similar to having the basketball player blow me a kiss after he won the game.

 I don’t care how silly I might look. I blow him a kiss back.

Alicia wraps her arms around herself. “I wish a boy would do something adorable like that for me. Alex doesn’t seem to want to admit we’re even dating.” She sighs. “I thought when you and Sander broke up that there wouldn’t be another perfect couple. You and Cush are even cuter together. How did you get a guy like Cush to ask you out? He never dates anyone.”

“I don’t know. We’ve been good friends for a while. He says he’s always liked me, had a crush on me or something. Says he’s been waiting for me.”

“That’s so romantic,” Mandy says flatly, in a tone that reminds me of how Vanessa sounds when she’s not the center of attention.

 Alicia shows me her tweet. Cush and Keatyn are so cute. He scored a goal and shot her a kiss. Cutest thing EVAH! #Truelove

I smell like a princess.

9pm

After the game, I tried to pry a few details out of Cush with kisses, but he kept giving me the same line over and over.

No matter where I kissed him.

All he’d say is, Wear a dress and tell your parents you won’t be home until tomorrow. I want to wear something sexy, but I lied when I said I had it all pla

Not what I had in mind.

I bought two sexy things to wear for my attempts to seduce Sander: the little black nightie that he ignored me in and a pale pink corset style bra with a matching thong and garter that I shoved to the back of my drawer after the fail. Do I want to look sweet and silky and risk wearing the nightie I got rejected in, or do I want to look more sexy?

Hmm, maybe I can mix up the two. I have a new pale peach lace front dress that I can pair with adorable strappy Jimmy Choo wedges that have a flower at the ankle. The dress is sweet looking, plus it’s dressy enough to go almost anywhere, but still casual enough that I won’t look overdressed anywhere we might go.

I wrap the garter and stockings back in some tissue paper and stuff them into my overnight bag. I’ll put them on when we get to the good parts. I blow out my hair, curl it into easy waves, and pull my bangs back into a pouf with a big crystal barrette.

I’m throwing makeup into my bag when the doorbell rings. I quickly toss the book I’m supposed to be reading for English class in there, along with a cute dress and sandals to wear in case we go to brunch tomorrow.

I hear Ivery and Emery both screech, “I get the door!”

I come out of my room and see them tearing through the living room trying to beat each other to the door. Whenever we’re on an elevator, we have to stop on four different floors just so they can each press a button.