"Okay, everyone, next practice is Wednesday at three-thirty. Be on time, please," Stacey called.
She needs to get out more, Isabel thought. Being head cheerleader is the best thing that's happened to her in her whole pathetic life.
Isabel started toward the locker room. Alex hurried up before she reached the door.
"Hey," he said. He stuck his hands in his back pockets, took them out, then shoved them back in again.
He's nervous. How sweet, Isabel thought. "That's it?" she teased. "Just 'hey'? I thought guys were supposed to have some suave opening lines memorized for situations like this."
"That was it," Alex admitted.
"Catchy." Isabel released her long blond hair from its ponytail and shook it out.
"Thought it up all by myself," he bragged. "But I have a backup. It's total cheese. My older brother taught it to me. Want to hear it?"
"Of course." Isabel ran her tongue over her bottom lip. That got Alex's attention. Guys were so predictable. And they never realized when they were being played.
"Okay, pretend I'm a cop, you know, with a gun and badge and stuff," Alex instructed.
Isabel laughed. "I like this one already. Are you wearing handcuffs, too?"
"No way I told you this is my brother's line, and he's a classy guy. Okay, get ready to melt." Alex cleared his throat loudly. "I'm going to have to arrest you."
Isabel batted her eyes. "But I haven't done anything wrong."
"Uh, I'm afraid that's not true." A faint blush colored Alex's cheeks. "It's clear you've stolen the stars from the sky-I can see them in your eyes."
Isabel tried not to laugh, but the expression on Alex's face was just too funny. He's not my type, she thought. But he's pretty damn adorable. I wonder if he has freckles everywhere.
"You liked that, huh?" Alex asked.
"Yeah," Isabel admitted. She'd never bothered to talk to Alex before, even though they had a bunch of classes together. But there was something about that dream they shared that kept her standing there, smiling at him.
"So, you want to go to the movies or something this weekend, now that I've proved what a suave guy I am?" Alex asked.
"No, but I'll go out with your brother," Isabel shot back. Enough was enough. One interesting dream wasn't enough to make her lower her standards.
Alex suddenly appeared completely fascinated by the row of spirit posters behind the bleachers. "Well, my brother did teach it to me," he mumbled. "But I put some of my own refinements on it."
"I've got to hit the showers," Isabel said.
"Um, okay. I'll give your name to my brother." Alex turned around and headed toward the big double doors at the far end of the gym.
Isabel allowed herself a moment to enjoy the rear view, then started for the locker room. Stacey fell in beside her. "New boyfriend, Izzy?"
"Him? No. He's just a pathetic wanna-be," Isabel answered. "I always have a few love slaves following me around with their tongues hanging on the ground. I guess you don't have that problem, huh, Stace?"
Isabel grinned as she strolled into the locker room. Life is good, she thought. In a few days Stacey was going to be her attendant at the homecoming dance. And Isabel had just acquired a new little boy toy to play with. There was nothing more fun than a human with a crush.
Alex watched Liz and Maria flip through a row of dresses. He hoped they would hurry it up. The tiny boutique was making him claustrophobic. The racks were too close together, and the place smelled like it had been wallpapered with those little perfume cards that came in the middle of magazines.
"You're not being much help, Alex. We brought you along to get a guy's point of view. What kind of dress would get your attention?" Maria asked.
"Oh, you know, short, tight, backless, low cut, maybe a couple of slits somewhere," he answered. "Preferably worn braless with one of those thong things."
Liz whapped him on the head, and Alex grinned. He loved saying things he knew would pull her chain. He'd never done the whole girls-as-friends thing before he met Liz and Maria-well, not since he was, like, seven. It was pretty cool.
And the fact that it bugged the Major was a bonus. Alex's dad wanted him to spend his time starting up an ROTC program at school or at least thinking about what branch of the military he wanted to join after grad. Ever since his father had retired, he'd become obsessed with Alex's future military career. The idea of Alex spending all afternoon playing fashion consultant would make him go ballistic, not that Alex was planning on telling him.
One of the things he wasn't telling was that there was no possible way he was going into the military. He used to hope one of his older brothers would be a trailblazer for him and soften the old man up toward the idea of having a civilian for a son. But his two oldest brothers had joined the air force, just like Dad. And Jesse, his last hope, had just signed up with the marines. The Major wasn't too happy about having a squid in the family, but he had finally switched over from shouting to muttering.
"How about this one?" Liz held up a silky dark blue dress with thin little straps. It looked sort of like a nightgown or something. "That's a definite ten on the man-o-meter," Alex said.
"Whatever this man-o-meter is, don't show it to me," Maria mumbled.
Alex ignored her. He was imagining that silky stuff under his fingers. The material was so thin, he'd be able to feel the warmth of Isabel's skin through the cloth. Isabel. Oh, man. He was doing it again. He had given himself strict orders not to think about Isabel, but she kept popping into his head.
Forget about her, he told himself. Remember what she called you-a pathetic wanna-be. She didn't even bother to wait for you to get all the way out of the gym before she started making fun of you with Stacey.
But there was something about Isabel, something about the way she looked at him while they were talking.… There was an attraction between them, a connection. Alex couldn't believe she was quite as cold as she seemed. If they could just get away from her little cheerleader clique and all their crap, he had a feeling something could develop between them.
"So are you going to try it on?" Maria asked Liz.
Liz checked the price tag and grimaced. She showed it to Maria. "I think we're in the wrong store."
"Let's try the Clothes Barn," Maria suggested.
Alex led the way out of the store. He took a deep breath of the nonperfumed air. The smells of the mall's food court filled his nose-chocolate cookies mixing with chow mein, tacos, and fries. Much better.
"You know, we've been sort of selfish," Maria said to Liz. "Alex is going to the dance, too. He might need us to help him with a little shopping. I'm seeing a collarless shirt and-"
"Don't even think about it," Alex warned them. "I'm not a Just My Size Ken doll."
"Alex, you're seventeen years old. It's time to explore fabrics beyond flannel and denim," Liz put in.
"I wear other stuff. I wear cotton. And… what sweatpants are made of-I wear that."
Maria grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him down the walkway. "Macy's is right over there, just waiting for you."
Alex spotted Michael Guerin and Max Evans heading toward them. "Guys!" he yelled in relief. "Hey, guys, you have to help me." He broke away from Maria and hurried over to them. "The makeover mafia has me in their clutches."
"They do look pretty dangerous," Michael said as Liz and Maria joined the group.
"They're trying to use force to make me stop wearing flannel," Alex complained.
He expected Maria to jump in and try to get Max and Michael on her side. But she'd suddenly gotten quiet. Liz, too. What was up with them? They were never quiet.