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"I have to admit: Caitlin knows how to dress, but will she ever learn how to dance?" Nikki snorted.
"I seriously agree with you, but have you seen Jude? Dude has two left feet and no rhythm at all." Jonesy burst into unrestrained laughter. He sobered for a moment before spotting Jude on the dance floor with his three girls of the evening; he briefly wondered how he was able to score three girls in one night before letting Jude's not-so-rhythmic dancing amuse him once more.
It seemed like bright laughter, pop music, and bad dancing ruled the night. After coming back to the dance with Nikki in tow, Jonesy had found himself on the dance floor with her a couple times, his hands sliding to her hips often (in hopes of touching her butt without being scolded). While the rest of their friends focused on other things—Wyatt doing another set with Marlowe and the rest of his band, Jen disappearing with her date, Jude dancing offbeat with his girls, and Caitlin brimming with joy over her Greeter-God date—Jonesy and Nikki had parted from the dance floor and conversed at the table on the gym's farthest side.
Nikki stopped laughing long enough to say, "Yeah, but they're our friends."
"Yeah, they are, aren't they?" He grinned during a long pause. "You know, we're not friends anymore."
She cocked an eyebrow before letting it fall and smirked at him. "No, we're not. Not after tonight at least."
"So… it's official—you and I?"
Rolling her eyes, she confirmed, "Yes, Jonesy, you're my boyfriend and I'm your girlfriend… for real this time."
"Sweet!" He placed his large hands on her much smaller ones, gazing at her. His voice softened, just as the DJ's music had. "I'm just really glad you took me back, Nik. I'm down to make us work again; I'll be a better boyfriend this time, I swear. I'll be—"
"Jonesy?"
"Yeah?"
"I get it." She chuckled. "It's not that you were a bad boyfriend the first time around. It's not like I was the perfect girlfriend either. We just weren't ready to jump into a relationship. The attraction was there…" She lost her train of thought as he caressed her palms. She didn't realize how much she missed his touch until now. The attraction had always been present. "But the timing was wrong. We didn't know what we were doing, and we didn't know what to call each other."
He scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish. "I remember being scared outta my mind to call you my girlfriend, honestly."
"This is exactly what I meant! Even though I liked you and you liked me, we weren't ready to handle an actual relationship. But now…"
"Things are different. A good different."
He leaned in as she said, "Mmhmm."
She closed her eyes and licked her lips in anticipation. Everything about him was warm and inviting; she could recall what made her fall for him so easily. The closer their lips became to touching, the more she knew she'd made the right decision in reuniting with him. She disregarded all the chaperones and all the boys and girls with their dates and friends. They were in a secluded part of the ginormous gym anyway. If anybody happened to look at the two of them, then shame on them.
Her lips merely brushed against his when the scream pierced the air and the subsequent thud sounded. Both noises disrupted the slow-dancing crowd and the (barely there) lip-locking. Jonesy and Nikki jolted away from each other, looking around the gym in confusion.
Nikki asked, "Didn't that sound like—"
"Jen!" Caitlin called as she ran towards their table. "Ohmygosh, that sounded like Jen! We have got to go help her!"
Jonesy and Nikki exchanged brief glances before hurrying out of their seats and towards the gym's exit with Caitlin.
They found Jen and her date at the bottom of the half-flight of stairs leading to the gym. Nikki peered at what was in Jen's hand, only to find that it was a shoe.
Nikki exchanged another look with Jonesy before the gym door opened. Turning around, she found a group of nosy underclassmen, giggling and laughing once they realized what had happened.
If looks could kill, the whole pack of freshmen would already be murdered and buried. "Scram!" she yelled, flipping them off. It was the nicest gesture she could do without punching anyone.
Once they fled for their lives, Jonesy decided to block the door, at least until the situation was resolved.
As Caitlin and Nikki approached Jen, they noticed her and her date talking before she motioned for him to walk away (probably back to the gym).
"Jen, are you okay?" Caitlin asked.
"I'm fine. Just go back in and have fun without me. I'll be okay," Jen replied in a raspy voice, caused by her screaming.
Nikki crossed her arms. "You know you can't get rid of us that easily, Jen. We know something happened."
She let out a heavy sigh. "Bryan and I were walking around the school and talking, but when we finally decided to come back to the dance—boom—one of my heels broke and I fell down the steps."
"Let me inspect the damage," Caitlin said. Jen handed her the shoe and she held it against the light, "inspecting the damage" like she'd said. "Ooh, it's pretty bad. No wonder they broke though; they look kinda cheap. You should invest in some Italian shoes. They have amazing quality."
"Caitlin!" Jen exclaimed.
"Sorry. I could talk about shoes for hours."
"Understatement of the year," Nikki deadpanned.
"But it is a good thing, since I just happen to have some backup shoes in my locker."
"Cait, you're a lifesaver!" Jen said as she pulled Caitlin into a hug.
"Well, I'm glad I could be of assistance," Nikki said with a chuckle.
"Hey, you came out here to see if I was fine. That counts as assistance, too, Nik."
Nikki found herself wrapped up in a group hug and maybe—just maybe—smiled.
"Mind if I make this a foursome?" Jonesy asked as he approached the girls. He was greeted with disgusted remarks and a broken heel barely missing his face. "Hey, no need to go all George Bush on me!"
Jen crossed her arms. "You're just lucky I can barely throw right now."
"Trust me, I got the message."
Caitlin helped Jen stand up and said, "Come on—let's get you into some new shoes!"
"Okay." She followed Caitlin on the way to her locker.
"Do you want flats or heels?" Nikki heard Caitlin ask.
"After tonight, I don't think I want to see another heel again," Jen replied before they disappeared down a hallway.
"Now that that's over with," Jonesy started, "wanna head back in?"
"Sure," Nikki replied.
He took her hand and led her into the gym, where they sat at their secluded table and talked for eons. She could always count on Jonesy Garcia to bring her a fun conversation.
A while later, the DJ interrupted the two of them and countless others with his announcement. "And now, here's the final song of the night: "My Fantasy" by DawgToy. This one is for all those future high-school sweethearts. Enjoy."
As the song began, Nikki felt Jonesy's eyes burn through her.
"Wanna dance?"
She crossed her arms and looked away in protest.
"C'mon, Nik. It's the last song of the night; I know it's your favorite, too."
She glanced at him. "Like you know what my favorite DawgToy song is."
"Okay, I don't know, but I'm willing to dance to this one with you."
He reached for her hand and she allowed him to take it, leading her to the dance floor. She draped her arms over his shoulders and he held her waist with care, treating it like rare porcelain. It didn't take her long to rest her head on his chest, letting him sway her to the rhythm of the music. During the bridge of the song, he grew brazen, wrapping his arms around her waist, daring to brush a hand against her rear.
She pulled her head off his chest and gave him a look. Not one of upset, nor one of shock—just one that said, "Really, Jonesy?"
He no doubt replied with a smirk boasting, "Of course."
With every sway and turn, she could tell he was trying his hardest to hold on and never let go, to woo her into staying with him—even though she'd already reminded him a couple times of how she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. She'd reminded him that, after tonight, they would give their all to make their relationship work, no matter the outcome.
Nikki knew he was trying. She knew he was trying to sweep her off her feet, but she would never admit that his charm was working.
The end of the song being near, he stopped his swaying. Instead he pulled her closer and leaned over, attempting to steal a kiss. Attempting.
She hastily pressed her index finger against his lips. "Jonesy—"
"Sorry to say this, but this marks the conclusion of Rockwood High's winter formal. Hope you had a good time." The DJ received an overwhelming amount of awing. "I know, I know, it went by too fast, but there's always next year's dance!"
While the crowd of students seemed none-too-pleased at the mention of next year, Jonesy gaped at Nikki like a kicked puppy. "What's wrong, Nik?"
"Nothing," she said as she walked off the dance floor with him. "Just—wait until later, okay?"
He was disappointed he didn't get to share a kiss with her, but maybe they would talk it out (or hopefully kiss it out) later like she said.
They met up with their friends in the school's lobby, where they grabbed their heavy coats after standing in the ever-growing coat-check line. They all huddled outside, braving the merciless and fierce January air just to make plans.
"So whadda we do now?" Jude asked. His friends looked amongst each other and shrugged.
"Maybe we should just go home," Wyatt said.
"No way!" Jonesy shouted. He was not about to give up on the rest of this night. Plus, Nikki had promised him a chance to be together later on. There was no chance in hell he'd let the night end like this. "The night is still young!"
"Then what do you suggest we do, Father Time?" Nikki asked, crossing her arms.
There was the sarcasm and bite he loved to hate and hated to love. "Hmm... How about an after-party at our place, just the six of us?"
"Sounds cool to me. I'm all for it." Jude gave Jonesy a thumbs-up as the others agreed with him.
"Nice," Jonesy said. "We'll all fit in Emma's van, right?"
When Jen's mom and Jonesy's dad got married, her mom thought it'd be a good idea to get a mini-van, since there were now five siblings in total, but Jen didn't know when Jonesy found the time to drive it to the dance. "Since when did you get the van?"
"First thing I did before going to the mall. Prince Charming's gotta ride in on a stallion, not a donkey, Jen. I wouldn't have minded the Porsche, though."
She rolled her eyes and walked to the car with the rest of her friends.
As soon as they made it to the van, Jonesy opened a door for Caitlin and Nikki, earning positive commentary from both of them.
Nikki smirked and said, "What a gentleman," while Caitlin squealed, "Ooh! Major boyfriend brownie points!"
As soon as everyone got comfortable, Jonesy took the wheel and took off.
The car ride to the Garcia-Masterson home was filled with whimsy, fun, and winter-formal banter. Jonesy definitely wanted to know how Jude's night with "not one, not two, but three girls" went. Jude was more than glad to tell him and the rest of the gang that they had a great time, and he kissed them all goodnight—on the cheek, of course.
Caitlin was too busy staring out the window on her side, gazing at the full moon in awe. She noticed clouds rolling in and covering it after a few minutes, but didn't think too much of it.
By the time most of the conversations fizzled out, Jonesy was pulling into the driveway.
"And we're here. Go nuts," he said as the van came to a gradual halt.
The gang got out the mini-van and ran into the house once Jen unlocked the door. All of them except for Nikki.
She opted to stand on the porch with her arms crossed, breathing steadily and watching her breath turn into smoke.
She couldn't help reflecting on tonight's events. She'd confessed the whole truth to Jonesy, all the feelings she couldn't suppress anymore, and he'd done the same for her. She remembered being so overwhelmed and vulnerable and—boom—she'd completely fallen for him again, though she hadn't ever stopped. It wasn't long before the kiss had happened, sealing everything. She licked her lips just thinking about it.
She hoped Jonesy would realize this was the "later" she'd been talking about, a moment to talk without the eyes of their friends upon them.
She turned around when she heard approaching footsteps, pleased to find the man of the hour himself standing in the doorway.
"Hey," she said.
Jonesy grinned boyishly. "Hey yourself, gorgeous."
"And there's the flattery I missed."
"Hey, I've hit on you a lot before. It was just more subtle when we weren't dating."
"Wow, you know how to use the word subtle." She smirked, speaking in her most alluring voice. "You know a big vocabulary is such a turn-on, right?"
His eyes widened. "Really?"
"Nah."
"Tease."
She stuck her tongue out at him.
"So, why didn't you kiss me?" he asked, throwing her off guard.
"Because… we were on the dance floor, and it was packed with people. I didn't feel—I don't know—comfortable making out in front of everybody."
"You didn't care what they thought before."
"Yeah, but it's different this time. It's me and you."
"I could've sworn we were gonna kiss at the table earlier; it was just me and you then, and you were all for it."
She recalled the way her lips had brushed against his before speaking again. "That's because we were cut off from the rest of the world, or at least that's what it felt like. That was our secluded little space, I guess."
"So, do you still want to kiss me?"
"Jonesy, what kind of stupid question is that? Of course I want to kiss you. I've wanted to get you alone and make out with you this entire night. It's just, when we were dancing to that DawgToy song"—which might now be her favorite—"I thought it was too soon to go all out in public. I knew that if we started kissing right then and there that it would turn into something more."
"For real?"
"Yes, for real. Now kiss me like you mean it."
He did exactly as he was told, pulling her into an embrace and never letting go. She hastily threw her arms over his shoulders, just as he'd moved his arms to her waist. It was a little clumsy for their standards, especially when trying to maneuver around each other's heavy winter coats, but it was realer this way. It was full of unbridled joy and it was sincere.
As lips crashed and tongues moved, she fell in love with his way of pushing boundaries. This kiss-turned-make-out sent her over the moon (not that she would admit that to him, although he could probably tell by how she was acting).
While the kiss at the ice rink was special, this moment overshadowed that one. This moment was one worth waiting for. Worth living for and worth dying for all in the same breath.
Minutes later, she parted from him and looked around her, taking note of the snow falling to the ground. Her lips tingling, she instantly missed his.
"Wow... you really meant it," she said after catching her breath.
"You should know me by now, babe; I never half-ass a kiss, especially a kiss with you." He purred.
She rolled her eyes before taking his hand and leading him into his home. "Come on, Casanova, let's make out without getting frostbitten."
When they stepped in the small foyer, he smirked as he took her hat and coat, hanging his own winter clothing afterwards. "Mmm, I'd like that."
"Of course you would." She stood on her tippy-toes, pressing her lips against his until a shout from the living room interrupted them.
"Aw, crap—I left the zamboni at school, dudes!"
Nikki raised an eyebrow at Jonesy, who had already grabbed his coat and car keys.
"Dammit," her boyfriend muttered before sighing. "C'mon, Jude, I'll drive you back!"
She didn't have to be a mindreader to know what Jonesy was thinking. "Don't worry, I'll be here when you come back." She pecked him on the cheek. "The night is still young, isn't it?"