Idiot For Hire [On Hold]

10: Downward Spiral

Idiot For Hire

Chapter 10: Downward Spiral

In a situation like this, there were two possible reactions. There was the reaction I should have had, which involved pushing Nathan away and saying, “I have a boyfriend.” After all, that was what good girlfriends did, right? They pushed other guys away and remained loyal to their boyfriends. When your boyfriend was a guy like Mitch, however, obvious things like this had to be reevaluated, and that was how I ended up reacting the “wrong” way: I kissed Nathan back, disregarding any possible consequences.

Well, I didn’t kiss him back immediately. At first, I was too shocked to do anything, but once the initial shock wore off—and it wore off in a matter of seconds— I went for it. I didn’t have any doubts or worries. I just knew that he was kissing me, and I didn’t even have to pretend to like it. It came naturally. Every motion felt natural: when he pulled me closer, when I cupped his face with one hand, when the kiss actually made me smile.

I only remembered we were in public when I slowly pulled away from the kiss, and I noticed the audience was loudly applauding us. “Oh, my God,” I said, in total shock once again. We still hadn’t moved our bodies, only our faces.

He just shook his head and admitted, “I’ve wanted to do that since I first met you.” Realizing everyone was still staring, he swung me back up, and we were both upright again.

When the applause continued, and we saw that everyone was on their feet, Nathan grabbed my hand and bowed. I figured there wasn’t much I could do to make this situation worse and followed his lead. We strutted back down the runway once we’d finished bowing, still holding hands. The joyful high I felt vanished when we got backstage and came face-to-face with my mother.

“What the hell was that?” she demanded. She didn’t bother using her “inside” voice or speaking in private. She was too angry for that.

“A runway show,” I said. “Surely you’ve heard the term before.”

Her eyes narrowed at me. “Don’t give me any of your sarcasm, Adriana, because I won’t put up with it today. And you.” She turned her wrath towards Nathan, and he automatically squeezed my hand, probably in alarm. My mother was kind of scary sometimes. “Who do you think you are? How could you destroy her career and reputation like this?”

“Destroy her reputation and career?” he asked incredulously, his face turning a deep red. “Excuse me, lady, but are you blind? Did you not see that crowd out there? They loved it. This is probably the most exciting thing that’s ever happened at one of these things.”

“What would you know? You know nothing of the fashion business!” she snapped. “If you really wanted what was best for my daughter, you’d realize you certainly aren’t it. Are you trying to ruin her relationship with Mitch? They’ve been dating for three years, and she’s known you for what, a few days? Do you really want to go down this road? Because I can assure you, you won’t like the outcome.”

“I’m sorry, but since when are you Adriana’s voice? She’s seventeen. She can think for herself, and until I hear this from her, I’m not going anywhere.”

My mother turned and looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to tell Nathan to hit the road because she was, as always, right. But that wasn’t what I had in mind. “Adriana?” she asked, raising an eyebrow in expectancy.

“I don’t want him to leave,” I said, fighting to speak my mind, not what I knew would satiate her anger. “He’s been nothing but good to me. He saved me from having to go up alone, and the crowd loved him. I don’t see a problem here.” I didn’t, but I could see why she did.