♫ Girl Next Door - Trixie Mattel
Sunken into my plush gray sectional, I pop another cheese ball into my mouth.
"You better work," Naila repeats in her best RuPaul impersonation as the new queens begin to file in on the television before us.
A plethora of chips, candy, and popcorn is strewn onto the ottoman in front of us. Jade's head rests on a pillow, her dark hair flooding the surface.
Ding Dong.
The sound of my doorbell brings us all to a jump.
"You order pizza?" Jade asks with hope in her voice.
"Uh—no," I mumble before springing to my feet. It's much better than pizza.
Dashing to my front door, I quickly wipe my hands onto my leggings, eliminating any evidence of overprocessed orange cheese dust from my fingers.
Swinging open the heavy oak, I reveal Jack Moody's long body pressed against the beige siding. He's sporting a pair of gray sweatpants and a matching sweatshirt. The unusual cozy attire makes me feel a bit woozy; I grab onto the door frame to steady myself.
"Hey, Molly," he says with his hands stuffed into his pockets.
"You came!" I boast, reaching out a hand to grip onto his soft gray sleeve before pulling him inside. "We're all in here, watching."
Following behind me, I lead him towards my living room to join the others. A fluffy geometric rug placed under the hefty sectional, centering the room. And a giant abstract painting of what looks to be two flamingos hangs above the flat screen television.
With a big smile I call out to my old friends, "Hey, look who came by to join us."
Craning their necks, Naila's eyes widen as Jade scowls. Nervous, my small friend glances to Jade who slowly shakes her head causing Naila to sulk into the oversized cushion.
I roll my eyes—they're clearly still hung up on Tina Parker's gossip. Can't they just be happy for me?
With no reply, Jack shifts awkwardly behind the couch. Waving an arm at him I say, "Come, sit."
Plopping down at my usual spot, I pat the gray fabric beside me. He squeezes past our pile of snacks, stepping over Naila's socked feet before sitting next to me.
He's so close, his thigh brushes against mine. At the touch, I feel like I could throw up—I won't. But, I could.
The rising heat in my body makes me uncomfortable, so I jump forward grabbing an armful of junk food. "Want something?" I ask him offering up my selection.
He shakes his dark head of hair. "I'm okay."
Dropping the pile of food into my lap, I slump into the couch cushion. Only the sounds of queens reading each other to filth fills the awkward air.
Turning to me, Jack mutters, "So, what's this show about?"
"Shhh," Jade spits pressing a finger to her lips.
Embarrassed by her attitude, I bite my cheek avoiding Jack's eyes as we all fall back into silence. At this rate, it's going to be a long night.
........
After too long of uncomfortable shifting on the couch, a commercial airs, signaling me to my feet. Snatching two empty glasses on the end table, I proclaim, "I'm going to refill these."
As I scurry off to the kitchen, I stew in my anger. My friends are being totally uncool. They're ruining this for me. Do they have to be so rude to our guest?
They wonder why we remain unpopular—because this is how they treat any newcomers to our group.
Stepping onto the kitchen floor, I shove one tall glass to the ice machine at the fridge. It hums before ice begins to clatter into the cup.
A shadow catches my eye—Jack Moody sauntering into the kitchen.
"Hey," he mumbles scratching at his head. The gesture causes the hem of his sweatshirt to ride up, revealing a stretch of tanned skin at his torso.
I swallow hard. Ice begins to overflow out of the cup in my hand, clattering to the floor as Jack scrunches his nose before shaking his head.
"I don't think your friends are too happy I crashed your party," he says with a lopsided smile.
Shuffling around the room, I set the two glasses onto the kitchen island.
"What—no, they love you," I squeak wrinkling my face in forced dismay. "We just take Drag Race very seriously around here."
"I see that," he says in response.
Turning around, I attempt to grab more lemonade from the fridge. But instead, I collide with Jack, who unbeknownst to me, had taken another step towards me.
Standing with my hands pressed into his chest, I tilt my head up to look at his eyes. Hooded beneath dark, heavy lashes he peers down at me.
His gaze is laser focused onto my eyes; it puts me off-balance.
Nervous, I jump back desperate to create some space between us—ease the overwhelming tension.
But instead, elbow has other ideas, colliding with a thin glass, I send the cup skidding across the room. Clattering to the floor, the glass shatters into pieces.
Quickly trying to assess the damage, I step forward, but my socked foot settling onto a mound of spilt ice sends me flying into the air.
My body braces for impact with the hard floor, but to my surprise, it doesn't come. Instead, soft hands break my fall as I look up to see Jack's arms wrapped around me.
Once again, his brown eyes stare into mine and it feels like a force is pulling us together. Our faces pressing near, his soft breath is warm against my cheeks. It's magnetic; he has to feel it too as his eyelids flutter closed—
"Freckles? Everything okay—Oh," my dad's voice calls out stepping into the kitchen to catch me pressed into Jack's arms.
In a flash, Jack places me back on my feet, jumping back from me as he plasters his body against the kitchen counter.
"Sorry," my dad says sheepishly surveying the room. "Uh—I heard a crash. Thought I should check on you all."
"We're fine, dad," I stammer with flushed cheeks. "Just broke a glass."
Looking down, I take in the shattered shards of glass littering the hardwood floor.
My dad takes a step forward, and he frowns. "Your mother is going to be upset you've broken another one of her dishes."
A sigh escapes me. That glass is the last thing I care about right now. I think Jack Moody was just about to kiss me—and my dad walked in on it.
Frowning at the salt and pepper haired man, I cross my arms over my chest. Seeming to sense my mood, my father motions a hand at us. "Go back to your show; I'll clean this up."
Jack seems grateful for the dismissal as he jumps from against the counter, starting out of the room. I, however, am not any more eager to join back into the lion's den with my miserable friends.
In a huff, I collapse back onto the couch next to Jack as we pick up where we left off. The uncomfortable energy flooding right back in as Jade scowls at the boy beside me.
She doesn't even have any idea what just ensued in there—maybe she'd wipe that unpleasant frown right off her face if she knew the man of my dreams just tried to mack on me.
But knowing her, she wouldn't even care that my whole life was almost just made. Rage begins to build up inside of me, and I can feel my jaw tensing at the strain.
And then, Jack lifts one pinky, brushing against my hand on my thigh. The soft touch is enough to dissipate any negative emotion in my body—now I'm giddy.
Nervous excitement forces me to bite down on my cheek. Then, the boy laces his pinky around my own, interlocking them so that our fingers remain intertwined atop my lap.
The gesture sends my glee to a whole new height. Staring up at him, his eyes remain fixed on the screen, but the side of his mouth tugs into a soft smile.
And with that, I'm completely gone for Jack Moody.