Just the Way I'm Not

“Em, please don’t make me do this,” I groaned, inspecting my reflection in the mirror.
“Candi! Stop it. Everyone’s so excited that you’ve finally agreed to go out, you can’t back out now,” Emmy pleaded through the door. “Now open up. I’m positive you look phenomenal.”
“This is stupid. I look like I’m trying way too hard,” I sighed, reluctantly walking over to the door and pulling it open. Emmy’s impatient frown changed into a look of pure shock and elatedness when she saw me, gushing,
“Candice, you look fantastic! Oh my god, why don’t you dress like this all the time?”
“Because wearing a slutty dress in public all the time isn’t socially acceptable,” I said firmly.
“You look classy, not slutty. Which I didn’t even know was possible, ‘cause this is a very slutty dress!” she said. I gave her a pointed look, and she smiled widely.
“You, like always, look great,” I told her. She beamed, and glanced down at the silver dress she’d decided on. It made her legs look even longer than they already were, and made her body look great.
“Thank you. It’s new,” she said, striking a pose. I smiled, and pulled on the black stilettos that Emmy was lending me. “You look so pretty,” she cooed.
“Where are we meeting Holly and everyone?” I asked as we headed towards the door.
“At the club,” she replied.
“Let’s get this over with,” I sighed. She rolled her eyes at me, and I smiled.


We’d been at the packed club for a little over an hour, and I was ready to go. This was seriously not my scene. I was more of a curl up on my couch with a Sudoku and a Marvel superhero movie kind of person, and let Emmy be social enough for the both of us. Emmy was prettier than I was, more social than I was, and better with people than I was. It was a miracle I’d even gotten my job in the first place, beating out almost 50 other men and women for the spot. Emmy tried to get me to put myself out there, trying to convince me that I’d have fun. Nights like tonight when she actually succeeded were the bane of my existence.
“You look miserable,” an unfamiliar voice said. I glanced up, and my eyes widened when I saw who was talking to me.
“Basically,” I responded, taking a sip of my drink and shrugging.
“You’re in a club, isn’t that fun?” he laughed. I scowled, and let my hair fall in front of my face like a barrier.
“Not exactly,” I stated.
“I could show you how to have fun,” he said. I raised an eyebrow and glanced at him.
“I’m not interested,” I said flatly.
“I’m Sidney, by the way. Sidney Crosby.”
“I know who you are,” I told him, taking another sip of my drink and briefly accepting his extended hand. “I’m Candice Roland.”
“So what’s a pretty girl like you doing all alone in a place like this?” he asked.
“I can tell you what she’s not doing,” I replied. He raised an eyebrow. “Looking for a hockey player who always gets what he wants. Sorry, Sid,” I said. “But I’m seriously not interested.”
“What makes you think I’m interested?” he asked challengingly.
“Don’t tell me my assumption was too far off,” I scoffed. I waved for the bartender, and asked for a refill.
“Put it on my tab,” Sidney told him. I sighed, and asked,
“What do you want?”
“You seriously don’t like me,” he said, sounding at least a tiny bit surprised.
“Don’t take it personally. I don’t like clubs, or the people who frequent them. I’m a huge Pens fan,” I said, shrugging.
“See? We have something in common, I like the Penguins too,” he replied. I couldn’t help but smile slightly at that, but hid it by taking a sip of my drink. Judging by his victorious smile, Sidney saw it.
“You didn’t answer my question. Can I help you?” I asked. He shrugged, and said,
“Am I not allowed to talk to nice girls I meet in clubs?”
“Usually not with an ulterior motive, no,” I responded.
“Fair enough.”
“She’s pretty, go chat her up,” I told him, nodding in the direction of a redhead who was flirting heavily with the bartender.
“She doesn’t look like the best company,” he said, glancing at me.
“What about her?” I asked, nodding in the direction of a leggy blonde who was dancing with a group of her friends.
“Nah.”
“What are you looking for then?” I demanded. “How can I get you to leave me alone?”
“What I’m looking for? The most beautiful girl in this entire club,” he said, winking at me. I stuck out my tongue and narrowed my eyes at the disgusting amount of charm.
“As for how you can get me to leave you alone? How ‘bout a kiss,” he suggested.
“No,” I told him sternly, shaking my head. “Absolutely not.”
“Then I guess I can’t leave you alone,” he said, shrugging casually. I sighed, and looked around, trying to spot Emmy or Holly. Someone to get me out of this. Emmy was dancing with some blond, who wasn’t even as tall as her. Holly was nowhere to be found, and knowing her, she, Lillian, and Hanna were dancing up a storm somewhere I couldn’t see.
“Just a little kiss, Candice,” he cooed, tapping his lips.
“Is the Sidney Crosby having that much trouble getting laid that he has to blackmail someone into kissing them?” I asked. He laughed a high-pitched laugh, which I reluctantly admitted was one of the cutest things ever.
“No, I have so many options that I’m allowed to be picky,” he said. “And I want the pretty blonde in the red dress.”
“Cute. Charming, really,” I murmured. Before I could second-guess my self, I took a long drag of my drink and leaned forward, pressing my lips to his. It was heated, and lusty, and a bit longer than I would’ve liked. I pulled away who-knows-how-many seconds later, eyes wide and cheeks flushed.
“I’m out of here,” I murmured, shooting out of my seat on shaky legs and walking hastily for the door. I glanced back and saw Sidney watching me with heated eyes and a satisfied smirk on his face. I typed out a quick text to all my friends, explaining why I’d ditched and apologizing. I walked at a brick pace to my car, knowing Emmy would either go home with some guy or catch a ride home with Holly. I never had to worry about her in situations like this. She was well versed. My lips tingled as I drove the familiar streets back to my apartment, and try as I did, I couldn’t get that stupid high-pitched laugh and annoying smile out of my head. But he was Sidney Crosby, and I was just some dork with a knack of getting herself into despicably awkward social situations. He got all the girls he wanted, I hadn’t been with a guy since my last boyfriend dumped me seven months prior. And most notably, Sidney Crosby was the hottest thing to hit Pennsylvania since Bradley Cooper. I, regrettably, was far too plain to hold onto someone like Sidney’s attention. With those thoughts buzzing around my mind, I concluded that I’d simply have to try harder to forget that laugh. That smile. And that goddamn kiss.

Notes

First chapter, yayy! if you like it, review, if you hate it, leave, and if you're feeling especially charitable, send a fav our way! thanks for reading!! ~Candi