Читать книгу Boyfriend Shopping - Deidre Berry - Страница 7

two

Once the stage curtains had fully opened, the stage lights came up and I saw that the edge of the stage had been lined with poinsettias. Several microphones were strategically positioned and there was a black piano situated at the center of the stage. The choir stand formed an arc directly behind the piano. The audience began clapping as members of the choir walked onto the stage.

“Go, Tina!” I heard someone shout out from behind me.

“Let’s go, Nicole!” someone else screamed out from the left side of the auditorium.

I felt my cell phone buzz and took a peek. A text from Jeremy had arrived.

What’s up?

@ the concert. There is an empty seat next to me. Come over.

2 dark. I don’t wanna trip over people.

Now I am sad.

Why.

You need to be near me.

LOL U sound like a pouting girlfriend.

Maybe I am.

Stop playing Anna.

What if I am not playing?

Yeah right. I thought Carlo was your type.

I made a bad choice.

I tried 2 warn u about him. Remember?

Yes. I remember. It was cute the way you acted like a jealous boyfriend when u found out about Carlo. Remember that?

I wasn’t that bad.

Yes you were.

I was trying to protect you from disaster.

I know and I should have listened to u.

Yeah but u didn’t.

Meet me in the hallway when the show is over. I need 2 talk 2 u bout something.

About what?

Something. Just wait 4 me. I will find u.

Ok.

After I put away my phone, the choir began to sway from side to side. They launched into a brilliant rendition of “Jingle Bells” and gave the audience more than they had bargained for. When that song was complete, a girl named Bernita Gilmore, who I once considered to be my friend when we were in eighth grade, came onto the stage. Our friendship ended when I learned that she had told other girls at school that I had allowed a boy to get to second base. I had only let the guy squeeze my behind a few times. When he tried to touch other things, I slapped his hand away. He eventually transferred to another school and I lost contact with him. I had told Bernita about it during a sleepover one weekend, months after the guy had transferred. She was the only person I had told, so I knew that she’d shared my secret and I could no longer trust her. After that secret was set loose, a number of guys at my junior high school perceived me as a fast girl who would allow any guy to touch me anywhere. For weeks, guys would walk past me and gesture as if they were about to smack my butt. Jeremy had come to my defense and had told as many guys as he could that I was a sweet girl. I’d never told him that Bernita was the source of the rumor. He didn’t have to defend me, but I appreciated his effort. Bernita and I hadn’t spoken since.

Bernita was wearing a black gown that was sleeveless and had a scoop neck. It was the same dress that all of the girls in the choir had on. Although I didn’t like admitting it, she looked really good. Bernita was a light brown girl with silky wavy hair that was cut in a style that angled sharply around her cheekbones. Bernita was also blessed with the type of skin that was flawless and glowed like a velvety fabric. She reached the microphone and began to sing. That was another thing about Bernita; she had a beautiful voice that was equal in power and depth to Jennifer Hudson’s. Bernita sang “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” and when she finished, the audience clapped and cheered loudly. I waited for her to exit the stage and was stunned she remained for several more songs. It was then that I realized Bernita was the main attraction and the choir was her backup. I was floored by the fact she led all of the songs as if the entire event was her personal Christmas concert. I held on to my praises because I still hadn’t let go of my grudge against her.

At the conclusion of the concert, Lauren and I walked out into the hallway and stood near a staircase. As the flow of people exited the auditorium, I eagerly searched for Jeremy. When I spotted him I felt elated.

“Jeremy, over here.” I waved so he could see me. When he spotted me, he meandered through the crowd to where Lauren and I were standing.

“Hey, guys.” He leaned into me and gave me a hug and then hugged Lauren. The cologne he was wearing smelled intoxicating.

“Come closer to me.” I pointed to the spot where I wanted him to stand. He did as I asked and I embraced him once again so that I could enjoy the scent of him just a little longer.

“Anna, what are you doing?” Jeremy chuckled as he pulled away from me.

I smiled and said, “I like the cologne you’re wearing. It smells really exquisite.”

“It’s called Eternity by Calvin Klein. I borrowed it from my big brother,” Jeremy explained. “So what’s up? Did you guys enjoy the concert?”

“It was decent,” Lauren said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

“It was okay,” I said, smiling sweetly and looking deeply into his beautiful brown eyes. Jeremy stood around six feet tall and had a dimpled smile. He had chestnut-toned skin, an athletic build and curly hair that framed his handsome face. I reached out and took Jeremy’s hand and rubbed the back of it with the tips of my fingers.

“That tickles. What’s up with that?” Jeremy smiled at me.

“I’ll give you two a little privacy. I’m going to go get more hot chocolate.” Lauren pointed toward the concession stand before she stepped away.

“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Jeremy asked.

“I need to ask you something,” I said, placing the tip of my index fingernail between my teeth.

“What is this about?”

“It’s about—”

“Excuse me. Can I speak to you, Jeremy?” Bernita said, appearing from somewhere within the crowd of people surrounding us. I shot her a look that could have withered an evergreen, but Bernita looked back at me with a stone face as if she could not have cared less about the unspoken hostility I had directed at her.

“Give me a second, Anna,” he said as Bernita tugged at his arm.

“Seriously?” I looked at Jeremy, trying to not let my hurt feelings surface and form a wounded expression on my face.

“I’m sure that this will only take a second.”

Bernita rested her back against a nearby wall and pulled Jeremy close and spoke purposely in his ear, all the while keeping her eyes on me. When she finished, she stepped away from him and exaggerated the sway of her hips as she walked away. Jeremy looked at her as if the words she had whispered in his ear had cast some type of spell on him. When the spell had broken, he came back to me.

“What was that all about?” I asked.

“I’m going to hang out with Bernita and some of her friends.”

“Jeremy, why do you think I asked you to meet me?” I asked with fire in my voice as I tried to fight off the feeling of disappointment. Jeremy froze, his face reflecting the fact that he wasn’t reading between the lines very well.

“I just thought you wanted to talk about something real quick. At least that’s the impression that I got.”

“I do but...” I paused, looked into his eyes again and became lost. We’re so perfect together is what I wanted to say, but I somehow couldn’t get the words out.

“Are you okay? Did something happen? Is Carlo bothering you?” Jeremy rested his hands on my shoulders like a concerned brother.

“No, and would you please stop bringing up Carlo?” I said, wondering how I could get him to open his eyes and see me in a more romantic way.

“Sorry. I’ll never mention him again,” Jeremy said. He then reached out and tenderly swept my hair away from my eyes.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, sincerely wanting to fix whatever my issue was.

“I’m fine. I was hoping that we could hang out tonight,” I blurted. It was a gamble. I hoped that he would choose to hang with me and Lauren so I could execute the plan that I had worked out in my head.

“I already made plans with Bernita. I’m sorry. If I had known sooner—” I put my hand up to interrupt him. I didn’t want to hear about his plans with Bernita any more than I wanted a knife in my heart.

“I guess I’ll catch you later, then.” He was about to turn and run after her.

“Wait a minute. When did you and Bernita, you know, hook up?” I asked, feeling my disappointment snaking up my spine.

“It’s not like that, Anna. She’s just a friend, just like you are.”

“Yeah, right.” My lips formed a hard and unforgiving line because I didn’t believe him. “You’d better watch your back with her,” I warned.

“It’s not like that, Anna,” he said once again.

“You may think it’s an innocent friendship, but she has plans for you. She wants to hook up with you. I can tell.”

“Anna.” He looked at me as if I had blown the situation out of proportion.

“I’m not trying to cause you any drama. I’m just saying, as your friend—” I hated hearing myself say that when I had the desire to be more “—she is a snake and if you’re not careful she’ll bite and poison you. I’m warning you just like you tried to warn me about Carlo. Remember?”

“Bernita is harmless,” he tried to assure me.

“Do you like her as more than a friend?” I asked.

“No, Anna.” He smiled.

“What if you found out that she likes you as more than a friend? Would things become different?” I asked questions my heart did not want to know the answers to, but my mind needed to know.

Jeremy shrugged his shoulders.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“It means that I don’t know.”

“Okay. If you had a choice between her and a girl that you knew was perfect for you in every way, who would you choose?” I asked.

“The girl that was perfect for me. You know that. I’ll catch you later, Anna.” He smiled before disappearing into the crowd.