"I just don't."
"Uh, okay. So now what?"
"You look amazing. I like your hair like that."
"Uh, thanks," I mutter out.
I swear, I'm a very literate and well spoken young lady. I can talk to anyone. Heads of state, blockbuster movie stars, rock stars, but this boy, he has me like tongue tied. And then I stare at his mouth, and think I'd like to know more about his tongue. (We all do! And, oh, how long did we have to wait for that damn tongue-like four books?) Okay. That's it.
I need a time out.
Like my little sisters get.
Go sit in a corner by myself.
Seriously.
What? 36 hours ago, I had sex with Brooklyn and an amazing night. I felt so amazingly in love with him. Less than a day later, I made out with Dallas, and then today, I made out with Riley. And now, I am standing here thinking all I want to do is kiss the hottie god.
What's wrong with me?
I think I'm on boy overload.
Are there not any girls here?
I need to find some.
I'm not attracted to girls.
"So did the four leaf clover bring you luck?" he asks me.
"I don't know yet. I think we find out sometime tonight who made it. And you know, the odds aren't good, and I like tried out on a whim. I'm sure I didn't make it."
"My sister said you did very well. You also did very well at soccer tryouts, kicked ass, really. You'll definitely make Varsity."
"You think?"
"Yeah, I do. Hey," he gets an adorable little boy grin, "wanna go ride the ferris wheel?"
"I'd love to."
And then he takes my hand to lead me over to it.
And once again.
Same reaction.
Just his touching my hand makes me feel slightly dizzy.
No way I can kiss this boy, I would probably pass out.
And that would probably not be a good thing.
I'm thinking so hard, I barely realize we are now sitting on the Ferris wheel together. He is sitting close to me, and he casually puts his arm around my shoulder.
I can't help it.
My body leans in to him. And I rest my head on his shoulder.
I feel like I've died and gone to hottie heaven.
Please, God, or Hottie Gods, whoever, don't let this ride end.
Pretty soon we are stuck at the very top of the Ferris wheel, looking at the pretty lights and he says, "Boots."
I raise my head up, and that's when he kisses me.
A slow, perfect, time stood still, fireworks in front of my eyes, kind of kiss.
And it was just a little kiss. No open mouths, no tongues, just a kiss.
A little teeny kiss.
Holy shit.
I'm in love him.
Can you fall in love instantly? (Yes, you can, Keatyn. You totally just did. Although, technically, it probably happened on the soccer field.) Mom says she fell instantly in love with Tommy. They met on a set when they did a movie together, and she says the second he shook her hand, she knew. And four months later, she was pregnant with the triplets.
The kiss has stopped, but I am stupidly still sitting there with my eyes closed.
I realize this and open them.
"That was amazing," he tells me.
I can't form a sentence, so I nod breathlessly.
He kisses me again.
And I don't change my mind with the second kiss.
But, I can not.
CAN NOT fall in love with a guy that is gonna play me. A guy that thinks he's in love with every girl he dates, but breaks up with them quickly because he just knows she's not the one.
After a kiss like that. He should know I'm the one.
He should be down on his knees begging me to marry him and have his hottie babies. (One of my favorite lines. Wouldn't it be easy if boys would just admit their undying devotion right away? Except that would turn us off. LOL) There shouldn't be anything to think about.
But I'm sure it was a one sided thing. Although he said it was amazing.
Shit. He stopped kissing me again, and now he's saying something to me.
"It's our turn to get off next."
When did the ferris wheel even move?
I seriously did not feel it move.
We step off the ferris wheel, and I feel the extreme urge to run away from him as fast as I possibly can. The predator, Dawson, or even Tyrese, the winker, seem safe compared to Aiden.
He must really be the God of all Hotties.
Seriously.
Because I'm pretty sure he just used some special powers on me. The make her lose track of all time power, the kiss her and fill her mind with cotton candy power.
"Uh, um, I gotta get back to my, um, friends," I stutter out.
The make her lose the ability to form a complete sentence power.
"Oh, no you don't. My sister really is looking for you. I was supposed to find you and bring you back to the stage."
He smiles.
It's a blinding white teeth smile.
A push me over the edge of the love cliff smile.
And before I can say a word in protest, he's got my hand and is dragging me through the carnival.
Note to self.
Do not stare directly at his smile. It holds special powers.
Also. Do not kiss him. His mouth definitely is the source of his power.
Stay far away from it.
Far, far away.
But far, far away was the wrong thing to think, as my mind is now thinking of fairytales and true love's kiss.
Pretty soon, I'm standing in front of his sister. She screams when she sees us. "Keatyn, I have been looking EVERYWHERE for you! Where has my brother been hiding you?" (You'll notice that most of the Aiden scenes to this point are the same as the published version. I think you can tell that he was the one from their very first interaction. And so can both of them. But it wouldn't be very much fun had they gotten together right away. And what they went through together, how they build their foundation of love, made them so much better as a couple. But, oh, it was torturous!) "We were, uh....."
Shit where were we?? I have seriously lost my freaking mind. And I may have to kiss him again to get it back.
I'm thinking.
It's worth a shot, maybe.
"I made her go on the ferris wheel with me first," Aiden says, saving me.
"Bad boy," she says and gives him a playful swat.
"Well anyways, CONGRATS!!!" she yells. Then a whole group of girls are surrounding me, screaming, bouncing up and down, and putting red and yellow boas around my neck, a red feathered crown or something in my hair. And then a banner across my chest, like I've just won Miss American. I look down at it and it says, Dance Team in gold glittery letters. "YOU MADE IT!!!" Then she pulls me in and whispers in my ear, "You also made Varsity Soccer, but you didn't hear that from me."
I am really excited about that.
And I am now in a whirlwind of Congrats and getting introduced to this bunch of screaming girls, getting pictures taken with them. Then we all get up on stage, the current dance team and the three of us that made it, all decked out ridiculously, and do the dance we learned today at tryouts. Peyton throws me pompoms, and I smile and dance, while thinking about the craziness of today.
All I have to say is, boarding school is no day at the beach.
It's way more exciting.
When I come off the stage, there is Dawson. Staring at me.
Uh, make that GLARING at me. (I apparently hadn't yet learned the subtle art of italics.) I walk straight up to him and say sincerely, "Hey, I'm really sorry about what I said earlier. It was kinda mean of me."
"You were sticking up for my brother because of what I said about him being the imitation, right?"
"Yeah, he looked sad when you said it, and I just reacted. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. It was kinda mean, if you don't know us, but he and I joke about stuff like that all the time. Plus he's my little bro. I have to give him shit."
I nod.
He lowers his voice and says, "And you're right about Peyton. I do like her. Speaking of that, the guys told me Riley said you didn't really do anything in your dorm room."
"Uh, well, he kinda lied about that. We did kiss."
"So you kissed Dallas last night, kissed my brother today, and I just saw you kissing Aiden on the ferris wheel. Busy girl."
"When you say it like that, it makes it sound slutty. I'm really not slutty."
"Well, all I know is this. My brother has NEVER not told us about a girl he's been with. He usually brags his ass off trying to impress us. The fact that he lied to the guys about you, tells me he might actually like you. And congrats on dance team. It's a big honor. All the hottest girls are on dance team. You'll fit in well."
"Um, okay and thanks."
Is it bad that I wanna say what my mom says some nights? I just want an Ambien and my pillow.
I'm so tired and so on stimulatory overload.
But then Aiden saunters up to me, gives me a big hug, which nearly stops my heart from beating, and says, "Congrats. You looked really surprised. I pretty much told you that you made it on the ferris wheel."
"The ferris wheel is sorta a blur." I say without thinking.
"A good blur, I hope. Hey, there's all your friends, worshipers, whatever. I think they all want to congratulate you." He stops and kisses my hand.