Navigating Cute Boys and Frogs

Prince Charming is a Frog (Lindsey’s POV)

    Walking into Jakes house, my nerves start jumping all over again. In the living room they have pushed the couch all the way up against the window and my friend Andrew has set up a make shift “DJ box” in front of the fire place. Girls in short skirts and barely there outfits are gyrating to the music. There are some boys in the mix, but mainly there’s a group of guys standing in the corner occasionally watching the girls, but mainly just cracking jokes with each other. We walk through the dark room and into the kitchen where the punch and some off brand of beer is loaded onto the counters with cups and snacks on every counter. Aria heads straight for the punch bobbing her head and smiling at people we know as she goes. Aria has always been a social butterfly and fits in wherever she goes, and I’m usually happy to just follow in her trail, which is what I’m doing now. 

      “Holy s**t Andrews is that you? Wow you got smoking hot this summer!” Jake tugs me into a side hug and winks at Aria.

     “Hi Jake! Looks like this summer blow out before school is packed!” I shout over the music at him. 

    He laughs and shouts back, “Go big or go home Linds! I gotta go check out things outside, but save me a dance later!”

     I cackle after him as he heads out the sliding glass door and meet Aria’s eyes. 

      “Told you that all the men were going to be after you tonight!” She giggles and winks at me, “but let’s not pick Jake, he’s sweet but such a hoe.” Aria and I both cackle because it’s true. Jake is funny and sweet and all around a good guy. He moved here when we were in sixth grade and we pretty much became instant friends. Jake is a shameless flirt, but I know he isn’t serious, so it just makes me laugh. Relationships just aren’t his thing though. He would much rather flirt his way through junior year with every girl. And that’s okay with me because I have my eyes on someone else.

     Thinking about Logan, makes me snap my eyes around the room looking for him. I finally spot him mixed into the group of guys in the corner. He has on a blue Grove baseball T-shirt and even from across the room I can see the outline of his chest and abs. The boy is seriously beautiful. I also look around for Blue Eyes but don’t see him anywhere. Not that I care? Wait...why am I looking for him anyway? I give myself a shake. 

     “Come on girl, let’s do a shot!,” Aria hands me a shot of the crappy tequila I just watched her pour, “ to killing senior year and making all the boys drool!” She laughs. Taking the shot all I can think is, here’s to hoping! 

    An hour later I am covered in a thin layer of sweat from dancing with Aria and our friend Haley. We all love dancing and at times I couldn’t help but notice all the boys watching us. Aria puts her leg between mine and Haley dances behind Aria, we were giggling like school girls dancing in the middle of the floor when I feel arms wrap around me from behind. 

     I spin around expecting it to be Jake ready to swat his hands off my hips when I come up short.

     “Hey Green Eyes, did you miss me?” Blue Eyes stares straight at me smiling.

     “You seriously have a huge ego and I’m not interested.” I roll my eyes at him while trying to remove his hands from my hips. I don’t know if it’s because he’s so good looking or just the way he casually flirts with me when I don’t even know him, but I can feel the blush creeping onto my cheeks. 

     “Wow you know how to hurt a guys pride pretty girl!” He chuckles and wraps his hands back around my waist spinning me around and into him. He let’s go of my waist with his one hand and takes my hand and wraps it around the back of his neck. 

     “Wh- what are you doing?” I notice Aria  and Haley slink off behind him pointing to the bathroom and winking at me as they goes. Ugh traitors! 

    “Relax just one song and you can go back to acting like you hate me.” He says. 

    “What I don’t hate you, I’ve never even seen you before tonight! I don’t even know your name!” But slowly I find my hips are starting to rock to the sound of Drake and surprisingly so do his. I have to give him credit, he dances pretty good for a guy. 

    “Like I said just one song.” He leans in whispering in my ear. He keeps his forehead pushed against mine as he pulls my hips further into his. My cheeks start to tingle pink just thinking about how we look right now. But, then he spins me around so my back is to his front and it’s so sudden it makes me giggle. 

     “Relax Green Eyes, every couple dancing right now looks just like us. Just have fun for a minute.” Blue Eyes whispers into my ear causing goose bumps to break out on my arms. But he’s right, as I scan the room everybody is too wrapped up in their own alcohol haze to care about what we are doing, all of them dancing, some of them even making out. I take a deep breath and continue swirling my hips to the beat, wrapping my arm around the back of Blue Eyes head I grip his neck. 

    “Ahhh that’s it. I knew when I saw you outside you had some spunk in there.” He murmurs in my ear. Aria comes back, just as a new song is starting  grinning like the Cheshire Cat. I shake my head at her, slightly shrugging my shoulders, laughing too. At the same time Blue Eyes taps me on the hip and turns to leave. I’m shocked for a second and follow him with my eyes where he’s now slapping hands with Jake, laughing at something he said. I turn back around and notice Aria staring at them too. She shrugs her shoulders and we dance and laugh for what feels like a million more songs  before I fan my face at her and point to outside. She gives me a thumbs up and starts dancing with Jason.

      I make my way back through the kitchen, waving at some girls from the cheer squad and out the sliding glass door to the deck. August in Oregon can lead to some pretty chilly nights, so I wrap my arms around myself and lean against the banister. I just started thinking about Blue Eyes and how he schemed his way out of not even telling me his name, when I hear people come out the door to the basement right below me. 

     “Logan tell me you don’t think she’s pretty too?!” Amber, a girl I cannot stand who has always tried to bully me shouts. I ignore her annoying voice and stand straight realizing she’s talking to the boy I have had a crush on all year. 

     “What- no Amber I don’t think she’s pretty! Why are you even asking me that? Weren’t we just making out 5 minutes ago! I can’t help it that Jake came down and ruined it by talking about her.” Logan  sounds annoyed.

    I start to wonder who they are talking about. And immediately I’m sick to my stomach that Logan  was making out with Amber. She’s truly awful and picks on everybody. I’m more than a little disappointed that he would be into her, even if she is beautiful. Maybe I really don’t know Logan at all.

      “Babe I know! But everyone is talking about her tonight. Does she really think that losing some weight and putting make up on is going to make guys notice her? She’s disgusting!” Amber screeches. 

     After hearing her I realize she’s talking about me, and am half tempted to shout over the railing at her but then my heart is crushed when I hear Logan say, “ Don’t worry about her, she isn’t important. Nobody is going to care about her after tonight Amber, so please stop talking—“ I’m so caught off guard by him saying that, that I miss the sounds of them walking up the steps to come up the porch I’m standing on. I look up and directly into Logan’s eyes that widen in shock from seeing me. Amber giggles next to him. I feel my eyes start to brim with tears and refuse to let them see that they have hurt me. I take off for the sliding glass door when Logan finally reacts.

     “s**t Linds wait!” Logan shouts at me taking off running up the steps after me. 

   I go to rip the door open and run inside when I land smack against a hard chest. Just by the smell of his cologne I know that it’s Blue Eyes. I try to push around him, humiliated that I’m about to cry in front of not one but two boys and the girl I can’t stand. But Blue Eyes refuses to let me pass and grips my arms. 

     “Hey what happened? What’s going on?” He questions to me. He glances over my shoulder at Logan  barreling toward us. 

    “Linds just wait, I’m sorry I didn’t mean any of that. I don’t know why I said it.” Logan confesses. I whip around fast and glare at him.

     “Leave me alone Logan! I can’t believe I just spent the last year of my life having a massive crush on you! I always thought you were a great guy and now I can see that you’re just a jerk and you and Amber deserve each other!” I’m fuming and so mad a tear slips down my cheek. 

   “Awe you have a crush on Logan, that’s so cute! But, he’s way out of your league sweetie.” Amber sneers at me while resting her arm on Logan’s’ shoulder. Logan  looks alittle green and stammers out, 

     “Wait, you have a crush on me?” Shaking his head. Blue Eyes whips me around to face him pulling me back through the door I was trying to run into earlier.

     “On that note it’s time to go Green Eyes.” 

     “Dude I was talking to her! Who the hell are you anyway?” Logan  shouts grabbing onto Blue Eyes’ arm. If glares could kill, Logan  would be dead. “ I suggest you take your hand off my arm before I break it,” Blue Eyes grits out, “I’m only going to tell you once.” Logan  glares one more time before releasing his arm. 

      “Just go away Logan, nobody will care about me tomorrow anyway, remember?” I glare at him. Blue Eyes pushes me through the kitchen then the living room waving Aria as we go out the front door. He sits me down on the front step and starts to walk back inside. 

    “Wait, hey thanks,” I grab onto his shirt sleeve, “I don’t even know your name though.” Blue Eyes smirks at me. “ I happen to really like the nickname Blue Eyes, but my names Jonas. See you around Linds.” He winks at me and I put my head down blushing as he starts to walk away again. 

     “Hey Green Eyes, “ I look up into Jonas’ eyes, “you were definitely my favorite part of the night.” And with that he winks and walks back into the party.