Crazy for You: 80's Baby Series Read online

  “So...” Lizzie pipes up, filling the void of conversation and drawing our attention to her, “Any reason, in particular, you stopped by?”

  “Oh,” Ty blinks, “yeah.”

  When he doesn’t say anything more, Lizzie grows restless before straightening to her full height. “And that would be?”

  He points to the menu board hanging on the wall behind us. “A large Julius Original, please.”

  Her face scrunches. “You stopped by to get a Julius Original?”

  “Umm,” his gaze darts away, “they’re really good.”

  With a roll of her eyes, she huffs out an exasperated breath before shoving away from the counter and shuffling over to the machine. “I’ll get right on it.” Lizzie gives me a pointed look before grabbing a large Styrofoam cup and filling it. “Dani, would you mind ringing him up while I do this?”

  “Sure.” I force my feet into motion, closing the distance between us before punching a few buttons on the cash register. The drawer slides open, and Ty hands over two crisp dollar bills. It only takes a few moments to make change. As I give him the coins, our fingers brush, and a little zip of electricity sizzles across my flesh.

  My eyes widen before snapping to his.

  Did he feel that, or is it all in my head?

  The way his attention stays locked on mine makes me wonder if he’s as aware of the strange sensation humming in the air as I am. A horde of butterflies wings their way to life in the pit of my belly.

  After a moment, his focus dips to my collarbone. “The necklace looks good on you.”

  My fingers flutter over the tiny pendant. “Thank you; I love it. You didn’t have to get me anything.”

  His gaze flickers toward Lizzie, who is taking her sweet damn time at the drink machine, before returning to me. “I wanted to. Graduating from high school is a big deal, and it should be celebrated.” There’s a beat of silence before he adds, “Brett mentioned you’ll be attending State in the fall.”

  “Yeah.” I really hope he doesn’t think I’m some lovesick schoolgirl following him there. “They have a great dance program,” I blurt. “I’m lucky they accepted me.”

  “I’ve watched you dance. They’re the lucky ones.”

  Even though we’re at the mall, and people are laughing and chattering, walking past us with shopping bags in hand, the world shrinks until it only encompasses the two of us. It’s the strangest feeling. One I’ve never experienced before. I couldn’t look away from him if I—

  “Here you go,” Lizzie says loudly, shattering the moment as she thrusts the large container toward Ty, “one large Julius Original.”

  When neither of us responds, she shoots a glance over her shoulder before leaning against the counter and dropping her voice. “You know the main ingredients are just orange juice concentrate, sugar, water, milk, and ice cubes, right?”

  Ty’s brows shoot up. “Well, I do now.”

  “Apparently that’s,” she makes air quotes with her fingers, “top secret information they don’t want getting out.” She snorts. “Like people care.”

  He takes a pull from his straw. “It’s still pretty tasty.”

  “One of the perks to the job is that we get them for free.” She wrinkles her nose. “I’ve drunk about a hundred since we started working here. If I have one more, I’ll ralph all over the place.”

  “It’s doubtful that would go over well with the management.”

  With a scowl, she tosses a glance toward the backroom. “Probably not.”

  Ty takes another drink before changing the subject. “Did you guys hear about the party tonight at Miller’s lake house?”

  Lizzie perks up, all thoughts of the frozen beverage she’s consumed this summer forgotten. “Chad Miller? Didn’t he graduate with your class?”

  “Yup, that’s the one.”

  She shakes her head before throwing a—we are so going to that party look my way.

  “Who’s all going?” Lizzie asks, always ready to gather intel.

  He shrugs. “Everyone, I guess.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t think—”

  “Sure, we’ll probably make a cameo,” Lizzie says, cutting me off.

  “Cool.” Ty’s shoulders loosen before a smile curves the edges of his lips. His gaze shifts to mine, and I feel the connection straight down to the tips of my toes. “I guess I’ll see you there.”

  “Definitely,” Lizzie says in response when I remain mute. She gives him a wave as he walks away, disappearing through the thick crowd of evening shoppers.

  I wait until Ty is out of earshot before whispering furiously, “There is no way we can go to that party! Chad is friends with Brett, and he’s not going to want me there.”

  My brother and I were only together in high school for one year. He was a popular senior while I was a lowly freshman. It wasn’t all that difficult to avoid him on the weekends. He partied hard most Saturday nights while Lizzie and I hung out at my house and rented movies from Family Video. Every once in a while, we would prank call the guys Lizzie crushed on.

  A devious light enters her eyes as she waves a hand. “Don’t worry about your brother, I’ll take care of him.”

  “Exactly how are you going to do that?” Brett treats Lizzie like an unofficial sister. The pesky one he’s barely able to tolerate.

  “The less you know, the better off you’ll be.”

  She’s probably right about that.

  Danielle

  “What do you think about this?”

  I glance up from the magazine I’m flipping through as Lizzie emerges from her walk-in closet holding Daisy Dukes in one hand and a neon green-colored tube top that can probably be spotted from outer space in the other. Music pumps from the speakers of her stereo.

  My eyes widen.

  Is she serious?

  When it becomes apparent that she is, I shake my head. “That’s not really my style.”

  She huffs out an exasperated breath. “It could be if you gave it half a chance.”

  “I don’t think so. That’s more you than me.”

  She gives me a look that says—duh! “It’s one of my favorite outfits. You know what?” Lizzie inspects the ensemble with more care. “Maybe I’ll wear this tonight.”

  There is no way I could pull off clothing like that, but Lizzie on the other hand?

  Absolutely. The girl oozes self-confidence while I’m more reserved in my attire. My bestie is always trying to pry me out of my shell. So far, it hasn’t worked.

  “You’ve got an amazing bod,” she adds. “You need to show it off.”

  I glance at the outfit again. “Not like that, thank you very much.”

  She gives me an exaggerated eye roll before disappearing back inside her closet with a grumble. Hangers are yanked one way and then the other before she reappears with an overflowing armload of colorful material.

  I shake my head in wonder. “You have enough clothes to outfit a family of four.”

  “What can I say? I love fashion. It also doesn’t hurt when your mother has a serious shopping addiction. It’s a lethal combination that works out well for me in the end.”

  She’s not kidding about that. Half the pieces still have price tags dangling from them. I nix most of the offerings until she gets to a cute, light-wash denim skirt that she pairs with a pale pink sleeveless top.

  “Oh!” I point from my sprawled position on her trundle bed. “I like that.”

  Scrutinizing the outfit, she wrinkles her nose. “Really?”

  “Yeah.” I frown. “What’s wrong with it?”

  “Kind of boring.”

  Maybe to her, but not to me. “Nope, it’s perfect.”

  She holds out the skirt and top for me to take. “One of these days, I’m going to give you a total makeover.”

  Lizzie has been threatening to do this for years. I’m afraid at some point she might actually make good on her word. My bestie loves changing up her appearance. She’s been begging to straighten my
hair and dye it black. With my fair skin, it’s doubtful the whole Morticia look would go over well.

  Before I can respond, a song by New Kids on the Block comes on and Lizzie squeals, our previous conversation forgotten as she scrambles to the stereo to turn up the volume. “This song is totally bitchin’!” She goes a little dreamy-eyed before collapsing on the bed. “Joey is such a cutie.”

  “No way, Jordan is better,” I say automatically. This is an argument we have on a daily basis. It always ends up as a draw since neither of us is willing to budge from our positions.

  She grins. “You always go for tall, dark, and handsome.”

  True. An image of Ty pops into my mind. He fits the description to a tee.

  I shed the Orange Julius uniform and pull on the cotton shirt and short denim skirt before stepping in front of the full-length mirror. The pastel colors set off the tan I’ve been working on this summer, giving my skin a glowing hue.

  “I have the perfect earrings for that outfit!” Lizzie rolls from the mattress before padding to the dresser. She pops open the top of her jewelry box and rummages around inside before spinning toward me with chunky white earrings in one hand and a bunch of bangles in the other.

  In a matter of moments, all of the accessories are added. I take another look in the full-length mirror propped against the wall and assess the completed ensemble. I have to hand it to the girl—Lizzie has an amazing sense of style. She’s always experimenting and mixing things up. She’s not afraid to take a chance. A little pang of sadness fills me at the idea of being separated from her next year. Lizzie was accepted at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and there’s no way she could turn down such an amazing opportunity. It’s her dream school.

  “I was wrong about that outfit being boring,” she says, breaking into those gloomy thoughts. “You look seriously hot.”

  Not wanting to get all maudlin, I push them away and assess the finished product.

  Lizzie’s eyes narrow as she taps her foot against the carpeted floor. “I’ll plug in my iron to add some curls, then we’ll Aqua Net the hell out of you, and you’ll be set for the night.” She adds with a chuckle, “I can’t believe my little girl is all grown up.”

  A gurgle of laughter bubbles up from my throat, banishing the last of my melancholy. “What would I have done if you hadn’t taken me under your wing?”

  “Oh, that’s easy. You’d have been a major walking fashion disaster.”

  Sadly, she’s not wrong. I remember the day we met with clarity. I was wearing a pair of jeans that made me look like I was waiting around for the flood to roll in. I’m not sure what Mom had been thinking when she’d sent me off to school like that.

  “One glance at you and Ty won’t even remember that you have a brother named Brett.”

  My heart beats into overdrive at the possibility.

  “Now I need to find a sexy little something for myself.” A look of intensity settles over her features as she surveys the pile of clothing on the bed. After a few contemplative moments, she grabs the neon green tube top. “This will go perfectly with my white mini skirt.

  As she disappears inside the closet, her bedroom door swings open. Mike, Lizzie’s fourteen-year-old brother, lounges against the wooden frame.

  “Hey, Danielle.” His voice drops as he flashes a smile my way. “Looking bodacious.”

  “Um, hi.” I squint before pointing to the crumbs on his upper lip. “You got a little something-something going on there.”

  “What?” He straightens before swiping his fingers over the area. When nothing gets knocked loose, he relaxes again with a grin. “Those aren’t crumbs; I’m growing out my mustache. Pretty gnarly, huh?”

  “Yeah.” My mouth trembles as I fight back the laughter. “Gnarly.”

  He glances around the room before shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. “So, I was kind of wondering if I could take you out sometime. You know, maybe hit Aladdin’s Castle and play some video games. What do you say?”

  “Oh.” My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I search for a gentle way to let him down. I’ve known Mike since he was in preschool. The last thing I want to do is hurt his feelings or embarrass him. “Well, I—”

  My voice is abruptly cut off when Lizzie comes barreling out of her closet. “What are you doing in here, loser?” Before he has a chance to respond, she hisses, “Get out!”

  “Dude, what’s your damage?” He jerks his head toward me. “Can’t you see that I’m in the middle of asking Dani out on a date?”

  Lizzie’s eyes widen. “Ewww! Gag me with a spoon!” Disgust flashes across her features. “Why would she be interested in going out with a twerp who doesn’t even have pit hair?” She stabs a finger toward the door. “Get out before I tell mom you’re bothering us!”

  Looking offended, Mike lifts one arm. Since he’s wearing a tank top, we’re treated to a view of his underarm. “Sure, I do—see?”

  “Mom!” Lizzie pokers up to her full height like someone just rammed a two-by-four up her ass as she screeches at the top of her lungs, “Mike is showing us his armpit hair!”

  “Michael Alexander Cotes, leave your sister alone!” their mom yells from somewhere on the first floor.

  Mike shoots his sister a sour look before his attention returns to me. He bends the middle three fingers of his hand before bringing it to his face and mouthing—call me.

  “Get out!” Lizzie shrieks before rushing toward her younger brother and shoving him into the hallway before slamming the door in his face.

  With an annoyed huff, she swings around. “He is so hellacious.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” I shrug. “It’s kind of cute.”

  “Please, the kid is a total nuisance.” It only takes a moment before the irritation dissolves from her face, and she claps her hands together, getting back into the party mood. “I’m going to finish getting ready, and then we can motor. Tonight is going to be major!”

  I really hope so.

  Danielle

  An hour later, we arrive at the party. Lizzie parks her white convertible Cabriolet a block away. Cars are crammed bumper-to-bumper on both sides of the street. With one final check of her reflection in the small vanity mirror, Lizzie swipes on lipstick, and we exit the vehicle. If there was any question as to where the party is being held, it’s put to rest by the blaring music and raucous noise emanating from the property. The lake house is a massive wood and stone structure located about thirty minutes outside Pine Grove on a pristine lake well-known for boating, waterskiing, and swimming.

  “You ready to do this?” Lizzie readjusts her tube top, pulling it down until the girls are shown off to their best advantage.

  With a gulp, I glance at the residence already overrun with a mixture of drunken high school and college kids. “Yeah, I guess.”

  As much as I want to see Ty, anxiety ratchets up inside me. I’m tempted to back away and return to the car. There have to be at least fifty people here, and the night is still young. Lizzie must sense my hesitation because she locks her fingers around my wrist and drags me down the flat stone stairs that lead to the two-story residence. We pass by pockets of people I recognize from high school but haven’t seen in years. Everyone has a plastic cup in their hands. As we arrive in the backyard, a bonfire comes into view. Orange flames dance and twist in the darkness. Kids are sprawled out on lawn chairs that surround the firepit.

  Lizzie glances around, scoping out the area. “Let’s get some liquid refreshment, and then we can mingle.”

  I follow my bestie as she zigzags through the crowd before arriving at the keg. She smiles brightly at the guy who mans the silver barrel. “Two, please.”

  “That’ll be three bucks,” he says, interest igniting in his eyes as he takes his time checking her out.

  She digs through the front pocket of her skirt before pulling out a few wadded-up bills. In exchange, he hands over two glasses of beer. We take our beverages and meander to the side, car
ving out a small space for the two of us. I glance around and take a sip. Over the years, Lizzie and I have been to a number of parties, but I’m not one to get wasted. One massive hangover junior year was more than enough for me. I felt like death the next day and have steered clear ever since.

  As I lift the drink to my lips for a second time, the plastic glass is snatched from my fingers. I blink, only to find my brother glowering in front of me.

  Busted.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” he growls, none to pleased to find us at the same party.

  I gulp and shoot Lizzie a—I told you so look.

  “We were invited,” she says, cutting into the conversation. At six-foot and two-hundred pounds, Brett might intimidate a lot of people, but my friend isn’t one of them. She seems to enjoy verbally sparring with him.

  Brett’s narrowed eyes jerk to Lizzie, coasting over her from head to toe before snapping upward again. His jaw locks as he finishes his perusal. “Who invited you?”

  A satisfied smile curves Lizzie’s lips as she straightens her shoulders. “Ty did this afternoon when we ran into him at the mall.”

  My brother’s scowl intensifies. “Why the hell would he do that?”

  “Why wouldn’t he?” she fires back before bringing the drink to her mouth.

  Before she’s able to suck down any more of the golden liquid, Brett nips the plastic cup from her fingers. “You shouldn’t be drinking!” Sparks fly from his dark eyes as his attention shifts to me. “And neither should you! Mom and Dad would have a total cow if they knew you were hanging out with a bunch of drunk college kids.”

  Even though I’ll be heading to State in the fall, my brother isn’t wrong. While my parents allow Brett to do pretty much whatever he wants, there’s a double standard in place where I’m concerned.

  “Hey!” Unfazed by his anger, Lizzie steals the glass back before downing the entire contents in one fell swoop. My brows shoot up when she grabs my cup from him and drinks that as well.