Chapter 10 - Some Kind of Wonderful

The next morning I woke to my phone ringing. I rolled over and answered it with a low moan. “Hello?” I mumbled still half asleep.

“Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind Dare.” Sidney’s voice replied.

“No….” I moaned slowly. “I was getting up. Really.”

“Sure you were….” Sidney teased. “I’m going to be there to get you in 20 minutes, so get in the shower.”

“Only 20 minutes?” I moaned, looking at the clock, which read 8:45.

“Yep.” He said. “I do have a flight to catch today after all.”

“When are you flying out?” I asked, as I rolled over and stretched.

“Steve and I fly out at 12.” He replied. “So get out of bed, lazybones, and then you and I can get to brunch.”

“Your family is still going to be there right?” I asked.

“Yep.” He said. “Mom is making a reservation as we speak.”

“A reservation?” I replied.

“Yeah, we always have Sunday brunch at one of the local hotels.” Sidney said. “It’s kind of a family tradition.” He explained.

“And you’re including me in this family tradition?” I asked a little surprised.

“Yep.” He said. “Now get your ass out of bed.”

“And what will you do if I don’t?” I replied.

“Well then I’ll have to come up with some sort of creative punishment.” He replied. “Now get up!”

“I’m getting, I’m getting.” I moaned.

“Good.” He said. “See you in 15.”

I moaned and hurried to the bathroom to shower. If I hated anything it was not being clean. I was just out of the shower when the buzzer rang. I ran to it and pushed the button. “The door will be open.” I said to Sid as I rushed to my bedroom to get dressed.

I heard Sidney come in as I ran around getting dressed. “Hey Dare.” He called. “Almost ready?”
I glanced at the clock… 9:05. “I still have like 10 minutes.” I replied, as I pulled on a shirt. I was standing there, in a deep blue tank top and a pair of boy cut panties when I felt someone starring at me. I turned.

Sidney was standing there, a silly grin on his face. “Sorry Dare.” He said, not sounding at all sorry.

“Get out!” I said throwing the wet towel I’d just used to dry off at him.

He caught it easily and laughed. “I figured you’d at least be dressed by now.” He told me with an easy shrug, apparently ignoring my discomfort.

“Well you figured wrong.” I said as I pulled on my favourite pair of capris. For some reason I didn’t actually feel all that uncomfortable standing in front of him only partially dressed. “And I still have to do something with my hair and put on makeup and if you think that I’m not going to put on makeup, you’ve got another thing coming Crosby.”

“Why?” He asked, actually looking surprised. “You look beautiful.”

“I look like shit.” I replied, glancing at myself in the mirror.

“Well I think you look beautiful.” He said with a soft smile.

I shook my head. “Clearly you are biased or blind or something.” I told him.

With that, I headed into the bathroom to do my hair and put my makeup on. The look on Sidney’s face when I came out of the bathroom was more then worth the time and the effort. His eyes widened. “You’ve never looked like this before.” He said accusingly, as if there were something sinister about it.

I shrugged, and put on another coat of lip-gloss. “You’ve only ever seen me at work or just after work.” I pointed out. “There’s no point in trying when the only people who are going to see you are kids.”

“So you decided to try for me?” Sidney asked slyly.

“Maybe.” I replied noncommittally.

“You suck.” He replied pouting.

I giggled behind my hand. “Actually Sid, you have no way of knowing whether or not I do.” I pointed out.

Sidney grinned at me appreciatively. “I knew it!” He said victoriously.

“Knew what?” I asked, as he led me out of the apartment.

“That under that goodie-two-shoes teacher thing you really are a mind-in-the-gutter-hot-to-trot kind of girl.” He said, the silly grin still on his face.

“And what in that comment implied that I was hot to trot?” I replied indignantly.

Sidney shrugged. “The giggle.” He said with a grin. “Girls who want to get laid always giggle when they think about dirty things.”

I shook my head. “I would question your knowledge or experience if you were any other 17-year-old, but well, something tells me that you are actually the one 17-year-old who has enough to experience and knowledge on the subject matter to judge.”

Sidney laughed and shook his head. “More teacher talk.” He said. “Do you know that you do that when I say anything too personal?”

I shrugged. “Do I?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant. “I hadn’t really noticed.”

Sidney grinned again and elbowed me lightly in the side. “You did too notice you liar.” He teased me.

I stuck my tongue out at him. “I did not.” I replied petulantly.

“Sure you didn’t….” He said condescendingly as he held open the passenger’s door to his SUV for me.

“Thanks.” I said with a smile as I got in.

“No problem.” He replied, his hand brushing my lightly.

I glanced up at him startled. “Sorry.” I mumbled, unable to say anything else.

“For what?” He asked, looking confused.

“Nothing….” I muttered, now feeling uncomfortable around him, though I hadn’t felt anything when he was looking at me half-naked. It was weird because really, it was just a quick brush of his hand. He hadn’t even really noticed that he’d done it.

“So how are you liking it out here so far?” He asked when he realized that I really didn’t have anything else to say.

I shrugged. “It’s alright I guess.” I told him. “It rains too much for me, but I really, really like my sunshine. And I’m glad I’m working. I’ve been too busy to miss my Mom and my little brother and my friends much… thanks for keeping me busy by the way, because that has totally helped me out.” I paused and grinned. “Though I’m not entirely sure that your hanging around has been for my benefit….”

Sidney grinned and shrugged. “Probably not….” He admitted. “But hey, at least you’ve been kept busy….”

I elbowed him in the side (not necessarily a good idea while he was driving). “Ass.”

He chuckled. “You like me this way Dare.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know you any other way.” I pointed out to be petulant. “For all either of us know I’d like you far, far better if you weren’t an egotistical ass.”

Sidney shrugged with a grin. “But that’s just not who I am Dare.” He said. “And its not who you are either.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, eyebrows raised.

“Like you aren’t cocky.” He told me. “I mean, you’ve moved all the way across the country, away from your entire family for a job at a snotty school. People don’t do things like that without be cocky that they can do it.”

“It’s confidence Crosby.” I told him. “Not cockiness.”

“And what do you think is the difference between the two?” He asked.

“I am confident in my ability to teach. I am confident in my ability to make friends out here, but I’m not swaggering around bragging about it like it’s already a done deal.” I said pointedly. “I know that this is going to take time, and work.” I paused. “That’s the difference between cockiness and confidence.”

“And I’m cocky but you’re not is that what you’re saying Dare?” Sidney asked me teasingly.

“Yep pretty much.” I told him with a small grin.

“We’ll just see about that.” He replied.

“See cocky again.” I told him, my eyebrows raised.

“And like I said, I have yet to see any evidence… any at all, that you don’t like me this way.”
Sidney replied. “So until I do, I’m going to keep being an arrogant ass.”

“Well thanks for the warning I guess.” I said with a shrug. “You are bizarre.” I added as a bit of an afterthought.

Sidney shrugged. “And what exactly what did you expect?” He asked. “I’ve had the media following me around since I was 14. That definitely does something to a guy.”

“Fucks him in the head apparently.” I teased him.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again Dare… you’re a bitch.” He replied, teasing me back. When I smiled back at him, he wrapped an around my shoulders and whispered softly in my ear. “But I’m starting to be glad, because it looks like you’re my bitch.”

I elbowed him in the stomach to make him drop his arm from around my shoulders. “Let’s get one thing straight Crosby.” I replied, smiling softly at him. “I will never, ever be anyone’s bitch.”

Sidney stuck his tongue out at me. “I guess I got that wrong Dare. You’re just a bitch.” He said, clutching at his stomach.

“I try.” I replied.

“Sidney!” His Mom’s voice said as we approached the table where his family was sitting. “If you want her to be your friend, you really need to stop calling her that!”

I grinned wickedly at him. “See you’re Mom’s on my side.”