“It sure is, but the concrete's more stable,” Dani says before I can reply. “What are you doing over here anyway? Aren't you guys supposed to be getting ready for practice?”
“No. Coach gave us just a tape session today, first day of school and all. In reality, I came over here to ask Whitney a question.” His eyes are still on me, and I’m floored. Me? He actually knows my name? I open my mouth to ask him what it is he wants, but I'm interrupted.
“Really?” Dani says, not letting me get a word in. She's in full-on protective mode now, the Alpha Female squaring off with SLHS's Alpha Male. “And what would that be?”
Dani trips me out. Troy just possibly saved my life and she’s interrogating him like he’s a criminal. It’s the main reason I know that Dani is really my friend. We look out for each other—I tutor her, and she buffers me in the social world. It's been that way for years now.
Troy doesn't seem bothered by Dani's bitchiness though, and he gives her an even look that actually shuts Dani down. “I wanted to know if she'll go out with me.”
I swear, I almost faint right then and there and Dani goes pale in the face. Troy Wood has just asked me out in front of the whole damn cheerleading squad. Is the whole world on drugs or something today, and I just didn't get the memo?
After momentary shock, the cheerleaders go into a frenzy of gossipy chatter, sounding like a flock of crows all cawing at each other. I know what they are thinking. How can Troy want to go out with me over one of them?
Troy stares at me, waiting for an answer, but I’m frozen like a Madame Tussauds wax statue. I can't move or speak. This has to be some sort of dream. Troy Wood wants to go out with me? As Dani sometimes says, wha-fa?
Dani inches closes to me and whispers out of the side of her mouth. “What are you waiting for, fool? Accept, before I say my name is Whitney!”
“Yes!” I cry, my voice coming out in a high-pitched squeal. Coughing like I have something stuck in my throat, I roll my neck and try one more time.
“Yes,” I say again, more level this time. Better, much better. I don't sound like I'm still going through puberty. “I'll go out with you.”
Troy cracks a grin and my heart soars. “How about after you get done with cheerleading tomorrow then? I'll pick you up at your place after I go home, change and grab a shower. We do have practice tomorrow.”
“Sure,” I say, hoping I don't sound too desperate. We quickly exchange phone numbers and I give him my address, my body shaking nearly the whole time. I stare at the little slip of paper for a moment before Dani takes it, folds it in half, and tucks it into the waistband of my tights, only a tiny ear of it sticking out so I can know where it is.
When we're done, Troy grabs my hand and gives it a soft kiss, and I swear I'm not going to wash it for a week. “See you at seven thirty, then, beautiful. Till then, though . . . gotta go.”
With one last grin that melts my heart, he walks back over to his buddies, who are all shaking their heads, and they immediately swarm him like he's a king, asking him questions and pounding him on the back.
I stare at his back as he walks away—even his walk is sexy and full of confident swagger—my mouth agape. He called me beautiful!
“Oh my God!” Dani exclaims when he's gone. “Troy Wood just asked you out! How do you feel?”
She comes forward and links her arm with mine, leading me away from the asphalt as I still feel like I'm about to pass out face first onto the ground. When the other girls start to approach, Dani waves them off. She leads me over to the fence that borders the little area where we're practicing and lets me lean on the fence for a bit to get my bearings. She lowers her voice again, concerned. "Seriously, Whit, how do you feel? You look like you just got kicked in the gut."
“I can't believe it,” I mutter, shaking my head. For a moment, I wonder if I've made a mistake. Troy Wood is a popular athlete and an all-around manwhore, according to the rumors. The only place he scored more than on the football field was between the sheets, if you believed the rumors. I’m sure a lot of it was inflated by all the guys to make themselves feel better, but still. Why should I go out with him? After all, he’s probably just after one thing, and once he gets it, he'll be gone like the wind. "Did I really just say yes?"
But then I push those thoughts away. It's not like I have to have sex with him, even if that is what he’s after. I figure I can just play hard to get and have a little fun. I may not be experienced at that game, but I know the basic rules. Hell, Dani schooled me on those even more than she'd schooled me on cheerleading, and I did pretty good with that for my first time.