5. Chapter 5
The girl in the pink halter top, jean skirt, and platform sandals was walking in front of Jake, but he’d recognize that blonde bob and butterfly back tattoo anywhere.
“Oh, Mindy,” he sing-songed, walking up alongside her and putting his arm around her. “Mindy, Mindy, Mindy.” He sang like he was singing scales.
“No,” she deadpanned, not breaking her stride.
“What?”
Mindy shrugged his arm off her. “Whatever it is, Jake, the answer is no.” She took an abrupt turn into the dining hall.
“Aw, come on,” Jake said, walking backwards in front of her. “I thought we were pals.”
Jake met Mindy at a frat party last year.
She flashed her boobs at him while he was playing beer pong.
He hung out with her the rest of the night until he blacked out.
The next day, he woke up in a bathtub with her bra tied around his head, and her pager number scribbled on a paper towel and stuffed down the front of his jeans.
He went to lunch with her a couple of days later.
Then there was another lunch. Then there were a couple of parties.
Then there was the time she was going to blow him, but he passed out drunk after she got his pants off, and she got kind of mad.
He also probably shouldn’t have tried to grind all over her at another party a couple of days later, because she was still pissed.
But then Mindy seemed to get over it and kindly drove him to the mall and to the country club a few times so he wouldn’t have to take the bus.
But he’d sort of promised her gas money, but then didn’t ever follow up, so…
“Pals?” Mindy snapped. “Oh, sure pal , you still owe me like fifty bucks for gas and plus another fifty for that shelf you broke.”
Oh, and there was that too. Jake forgot. Oops.
He’d broken her roommate’s glass shelf feeling around in the dark for the bathroom after he and Mindy had sex. It was a complete accident, and Jake knew he shouldn’t have let it go this long without paying her back, and yet here they were.
And here he was approaching her again. He had some nerve.
But he had also made a deal.
“I know, I know.” He stopped her before she got in line for Chinese.
“I’m an asshole and I owe you money.” He took out his wallet while she glared daggers at him.
He had about thirty-seven dollars and eighteen cents to his name.
“Here. You can take everything I’ve got right now, and I promise my entire next paycheck to you.
All the money I owe you, plus a little more for interest. And…
” He paused and watched her face, but it hadn’t changed, so he rushed through his next words.
“A little more on top of that if you do a favor for me?”
“I already said no.” Mindy walked around him.
He followed her. “It’s not really for me.”
Mindy stood in line with her back to him. Her pager went off and she took it out of her purse to look at it.
Jake got in line in front of her. “It’s for this guy I’m in choir with. He’s got a thing for this other guy in the choir, and he’s super insecure, and I thought with all that cosmetology stuff, you could help him.”
Mindy looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. Like, help him not look the way he does.” Although, Jake really didn’t mind how Ezra looked all that much anymore, but it didn’t matter what he thought.
“Like a makeover?” Mindy asked, raising a brow.
“Yeah, something like that, and I swear to you, whatever you need to buy or whatever, I’ll pay for it.”
Mindy narrowed her eyes. “Who’s the guy?”
“You don’t know him. He’s in choir with me.”
“I know that. Who?”
“His name’s Ezra Mitchell.”
Mindy turned her head from side to side as if she were trying to figure out where she’d heard that name. “Didn’t you say he was the rude weirdo at the mixer last year? With the hot dog on his shirt?”
“Yeah, but he’s not really that rude or weird. He’s cool. He’s just got a crush on another guy in the choir, and he wants to impress him.”
Mindy narrowed her eyes. “ You want to help somebody? Seriously? Is this a joke?”
“It’s not a joke. I swear.”
Mindy looked at her pager again. “And how do you know about this crush thing?”
“It’s a long story, but basically, I promised to help Ezra if he helped me with one of my classes. Now, will you help the poor guy?” Jake made an exaggerated frowny face that Mindy didn’t think was all that cute.
“I’ll do it for all the money you owe me, plus another hundred,” Mindy said, slipping her pager back into her purse.
“Oh, Jesus,” Jake groaned. “I don’t know if I have that much.”
Mindy crossed her arms. “Half up front. I don’t do a damn thing until I get it.”
Jake sighed. This was going to cost him just as much, if not more, than if he’d just paid for the tutoring. But he wanted to help Ezra. Even if it meant helping Ezra get a date with Sean Campbell.
Damn it.
“Fine.” Jake stuck out his hand.
Mindy grinned and shook it.
And another deal was done.
Mindy had taken cosmetology courses before transferring to LHU to get a degree in business.
She’d learned a lot in those courses, like how to color match, how to determine the best haircut for one’s face shape, and how to get rid of unwanted facial hair. The thing is, all those lessons had been taught with the presumption she’d be working on a female client.
Not the dorky dude with the absolutely terrible hair sitting in front of her.
Mindy got out a stick of gum and put it in her mouth as she walked around Ezra, who was sitting in the vanity chair in her bedroom. She took off Ezra’s big, red glasses and he squinted. “Do you have contacts?”
“Yeah,” he replied. “Somewhere, I think.”
She tilted her head. Taking the glasses off was an improvement, but Ezra had kind of a unibrow situation going on. She was going to have to get out her hot wax.
“So, what do you think?” Jake said from the doorway.
Mindy looked over at him. “I think you should wait downstairs, Mr. Nosey.”
Jake made a face. “Why am I nosey?”
“Go on.” Mindy waved him away with her hands.
“Why? I just want to see.”
“I work alone, asshole.”
Jake didn’t seem to want to go, but Mindy didn’t care. She pushed him out the door and shut it in his face too.
“Now,” she said to Ezra, sitting on her bed in front of him.
“What exactly kind of look are you going for?” She picked up one of the many magazines she’d pulled out of her closet for inspiration.
“Sort of a Ryan Phillipe?” Mindy showed Ezra a picture and he just shrugged.
“How about Freddie Prinze, Jr.? Or Leo?”
Ezra shook his head. “I don’t really know, honestly. I guess kind of a mixture of all of them?”
Mindy blew a bubble and it popped. She looked Ezra over for a minute or two.
“I think I’ve got an idea.” She spun Ezra around in the chair to face the mirror.
She tugged at his frizzy hair. “Do you trust me, Ezra?” She grinned a grin in the mirror at him that may or may not have been a little bit sinister.
“Uh, I guess,” Ezra answered uneasily.
“Good. Let’s get started.”
Jake was downstairs in the living room with his Hacky Sack, but he was being careful.
He’d paid Mindy and didn’t want to break anything else of her roommate’s or of hers and owe her again. It was really nice what she was doing for Ezra, so he wanted to be respectful.
But he was getting bored too. How long was this supposed to take, anyway?
He’d turned the TV on and was half watching a soccer game he didn’t really care about while he kicked his Hacky Sack around.
Jake had to admit that he was a little disappointed that Ezra wanted to change himself.
He wasn’t so bad once you got to know him.
But Jake really hoped all this would make Ezra happy.
And Sean, too, for that matter. That weird eared little punk better be happy.
After what seemed like a week and a day, Mindy finally came down the steps with a huge grin on her face.
Jake kicked the Hacky Sack from foot to foot. “Well?”
Mindy gestured toward the stairs. “May I present the New and Improved Ezra Mitchell.”
Jake looked at the top of the steps, but there wasn’t anyone there.
Mindy exaggeratedly cleared her throat. “Ezra! Come on. Don’t be shy.”
Jake tossed the Hacky Sack up in the air right as Ezra appeared. Jake had his hand out to catch it, but it landed on top of his head and rolled off onto the floor.
Jake didn’t even notice. He didn’t even care.
He stared, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, at the guy coming down the steps.
Mindy must have bought some clothes, because Ezra wasn’t wearing his usual homemade T-shirt.
He had on a dark green V-neck sweater that brought out his eyes.
He wore khakis that fit him perfectly around his hips. And then there was his face.
Mindy had cut and styled Ezra’s hair, leaving a little bit of length on top for him to run his fingers through.
And she’d lightened it with what looked like some subtle brown highlights here and there.
She’d waxed off his facial hair, removed his glasses, and his green eyes shone as he grinned that dimpled grin at Jake.
Jake just couldn’t believe that this man was Ezra Mitchell. He was a goddamned stud . He couldn’t get over how such small things could change a person this much.
“Well,” Ezra said. “What do you think?”
It took Jake a couple seconds to realize Ezra was talking to him. “I…” he began. “I, uh. Good. Looks good.”
Mindy beamed, clearly proud of herself. “I think you look fantastic, Ezra. You really do. Sean’s going to beg you for a date when he sees you.”
“You really think so?” Ezra asked, running his fingers through his new haircut, a move that made Jake feel funny on the inside.
“Totally,” Mindy replied. “Now, go on and give us a spin.” She twirled her finger.
Ezra turned in a circle and Jake’s eyes were drawn to Ezra’s butt. Because it was nice. Nicer than Sean’s. Maybe even nicer than his. Jake couldn’t speak as he watched Ezra. He looked amazing .
After Ezra did his spin, he put out his hand to lean all casual on a door frame, but he misjudged the distance and toppled over onto the floor instead. Mindy and Jake rushed over to help him up.
“I guess I’ll have to start wearing my contacts,” Ezra said, as Jake lifted him off the floor. Ezra pulled his glasses out of his pocket and put them back on.
If Jake was being honest, the glasses made him hotter. He didn’t know how or why. They just did. And they were doing funny things to Jake. All of it, really, but it was mostly the confidence radiating from Ezra now. And how happy he looked.
“I really appreciate this,” Ezra said to them. “This is the nicest thing anybody’s ever done for me.”
Mindy wrapped her arms around him, and he hugged her back. “You gotta tell me how it turns out. When do you see him?”
“Tomorrow.” He glanced over a Jake. “At choir practice.”
If Sean didn’t jizz himself at the sight of Ezra tomorrow, Jake might just smack him. Smack him till his hand hurt and then smack him for making it hurt. All this trouble for that idiot. Jake really hoped it would be worth it.
Jake blinked a few times and nodded. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, at choir practice.”
Mindy crossed her fingers on both her hands. “Good luck, Ezra!”
“Thanks.” Ezra grinned.
As they continued to talk, Jake reached down to pick up his Hacky Sack. “Yeah,” he said faintly. “Good luck.”