Free Burning Down the House by Allie Gail Page A

give you a call later then.”
    “All right. Talk to you later.”
    With a wave, he turned and walked away. Dana jumped down from the trailer, pausing to wipe her hands on her jeans. “What was that about?”
    I shrugged , still bemused. “He just asked me if I wanted to go to the homecoming dance with him.”
    She looked surprised by this news. “He did? Oh, you suck! I’m jealous.”
    “ Well, what are you going to do about halftime coronation? You still don’t have an escort. Time’s running out, you know.”
    “I know, I just…” She gave a frustrated sigh. “I wanted to ask Trent, but I know he’s probably escorting Staci. I can’t even think of anyone else I’d want to do it.”
    “What about Doug? He’s nice.”
    “ Meh. I guess.”
    “ You know what your problem is? You’re too picky.”
    “I’m not picky. I’m just…selective.”
    That was an understatement. I knew she’d already declined two invitations to the dance. I knew why too, even if she wouldn’t admit it. She was still holding out hope that Trent would come to his senses.
    “Big difference.” I fished in my pocket for my keys. “I’m gonna go on home, okay? I still have homework to do.”
    “Okay. I think I’ll stick around a little longer.”
    “See you tomorrow then.” Twirling the keychain around my finger, I headed for the parking lot while thinking about homecoming. The dance was supposed to be semiformal, so I’d need to look for a dress this weekend. I could probably get Dana to help me pick something out. She had a good eye for fashion. I’d seen her coronation gown - it was a gorgeous royal blue with lots of sparkly sequins. It was going to look stunning on her.
    I couldn’t believe it when I drove up and saw Trent’s truck parked in our driveway. Talk about providence - this was almost too good to be true! I’d already come to the decision that if Dana wasn’t going to put herself out there, then I’d just have to do it for her. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity.
    “Hey, sex kitten!” Trent greeted me as soon as I walked in. I noticed he had a bottle of Blue Moon in one hand. As a matter of fact, they all did. When the cat’s away… “We were just about to order some pizza. What you want, baby? I’m buying.”
    Actually, p izza did sound good. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll eat whatever you order.” I ignored Rob’s almost imperceptible frown. I didn’t care if he didn’t want me hanging out with them - I had a mission.
    “You have something on your nose,” Doug informed me.
    “I know - it’s paint.” I rubbed my nose self -consciously. Okay, the stupid paint had to go. Leaving the three boys to call in their order, I went in the bathroom to scrub my face. Luckily the stuff washed off with soap. After changing into lounge pants and a t-shirt, I rejoined them.
    “Come sit with us, sweet thing.” Trent patted the spot beside him and I settled on the sofa between him and Doug, pulling my legs up to cross them. Rob was in the recliner, sprawled out in his favorite position with one leg thrown over the side, channel-surfing. Damn, but he looked cute.
    “Wait, turn it back - was that the Playboy channel?” Doug perked up, his interest captured by a brief flash of nudity.
    “No . We don’t get the Playboy channel, dipshit.”
    “Turn it back, man!”
    Rob changed the channel with a sigh. “It’s Black Swan .”
    Trent grabbed the end of one of my socks and shook my foot playfully. “Is that what you girls get up to in ballet class?”
    “ Yep. That’s exactly what we do.” I kept a straight face, playing along.
    “Well , hell - slap some tights on me then! Where do I sign up?”
    “We could use someone to play Herr Drosselmeyer.”
    “H arry who?”
    “ It’s a part in The Nutcracker ,” I clarified.
    “ Sorry, I’m not about anything that involves the cracking of nuts.” He placed a hand over his crotch to illustrate his point. “You actually have dudes in your