Chapter 34 Bangerz Really Is A Hit To The Head
Bangerz Really Is A Hit To The Head
Mr. Jones made his huge backyard and land available for the reception to take place. So when all the guests go through Mr. Jones’s house onto the backyard, all we can see is a gigantic white tent.
I’m really excited to go inside. I have never been to a wedding before, but I do know that the reception is the fun part.
Linda and Patrick get in first, and when I get in, I feel mesmerized.
Tiny lights all over the place, tables covering the sides and ends of the tent except the right side when we come in, where there is a stage and sound equipment, leaving the middle empty for a dance floor.
And the floor is marble. I turn to Mr. Jones and ask.
“How did you put marble on the grass?” I feel like a child asking this question. My eyes are twinkling with curiosity, and my innocent smile is plastered on my face.
“Ms. Brown, I have had this tent for over 20 years. I do events here.” He dryly explains, looking at me as if I were an idiot. But his face quickly changes when Miss Patty comes in with her arm tangled with Jake’s. I put a hand in my mouth, trying so hard not to laugh. I have to get out of here.
Since everyone is still distracted by the decoration, I go and sit on one of the tables right in front of the dance floor.
Soon after, Jake, Alana, and Lindsey join me, and we lay our stuff on top of it so that the people know the table has already been taken.
There’s equipment to sing and a DJ. I guess that the equipment is from the other events.
The DJ steps in and informs on the microphone.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. and Mrs. Byrne.”
How Would You Feel by Ed Sheeran fills the tent, and Linda and Patrick start to sway right away.
They’re smiling so widely that their energy just spreads across the whole place.
Their foreheads touch, and he whispers something to her ear, and she just laughs along with him.
He spins her around just like he’s showing her around, showing people how lucky he is to have such beauty.
He then spins her into his arms again, because at the end of the day, they belong to each other.
They are too cute to even be real. I can see them, old, walking hand in hand through the streets, enjoying the sun, without worries in their lives because they’re old people.
Old people in love. I bet that their spark will never go out either.
The song ends, making everyone clap. Time of Our Lives by Pitbull and Ne-Yo starts to play.
I fumble with my sneakers, trying to trade my red high heels for my white Converse, because this is my jam.
I then grab Lindsey’s hand and drag her to dance to her dismay — she loves this song, she’s just being a pre-teen about it — and Alana is not far behind us.
The crowd that gathered on the dance floor starts to jump, so we jump too.
I look over at Jake, and he’s in deep thought, staring into the distance.
That’s not the mood for a wedding. I’m going over there as soon as the song ends.
My sister, Alana, and I look like crazy girls, but in the middle of all these crazy people, you can’t really tell.
Time of Our Lives gets replaced by Burnin’ Up by the Jonas Brothers, and I fulfill what I had in mind when I looked at our table.
I run to the table and say over the song, “You are coming with me.”
I grab his hand and lead him to the middle of the dance floor, where the girls and I were. The chorus is passing, and I look around. Amanda is at the table in the front, too. And she can see us. I grab Jake’s hand and pull him closer.
Joe Jonas’s voice sings, and I scream the lyrics near Jake.
He’s staring me down, surprised but laughing.
When Big Rob’s vocals appear in the song, I start to rap the lyrics immediately, without missing a beat.
I didn’t know many Jonas Brothers songs, but this was always one of my favorites because it had that rock vibe, and my dad could also stand this one, too.
The chorus comes, and Jake is laughing at me, while I’m screaming the lyrics. We didn’t have time to discuss anything when Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira fills the tent.
“Somebody is watching us.” I discreetly indicate Amanda’s table, and he shakes his head.
When he gets to me, I move my hips in a different way and then stop, only to lean my back against his chest, and I put his hands on my waist. We dance with one another, and I must admit I’m not sucking at this; I actually move quite well.
He’s not bad either. He moves at the same time as I do.
I turn around and can’t help but stop being all compelling and just sing the lyrics freely without putting on a show.
I sing and dance, keeping my distance this time and just having fun.
We are face-to-face, and he’s completely speechless on how I managed to quite literally dance glued to him and then turn normal within seconds, but still, he smirks.
We stay the rest of the song like this, and as the song finishes, I pull his shirt and pull his lips to mine.
I open my mouth a bit, and we remain like this for a good five seconds, until I pull his chest and leave him stranded.
“For Amanda.” I justify, shrugging, and my confidence slips away.
After these three energetic songs, the DJ switches to some nice instrumental and invites us to eat at the now open buffet.
Did I- Just kiss him? …With tongue?
I really hope nobody saw that…
* * *
As it turns out, my dad spent all of dinner glaring at Jake, and I kept slowly dying and dying a little more by the second.
Was that transparent? What if Jake can see right through me? Is a rejection imminent? Oooooh, I hate being vulnerable!
I just have to pretend it never happened. Manipulation at its finest.
As he senses I’m having a crisis, he gets up, all of us already having finished our food, and holds out his hand.
Adore You by Miley Cyrus starts playing, and something in me pushes me to take his hand. Call it what you want, self-destruction, masochism, weakness… I already heard it all from my therapist.
He places himself right in the middle of the dance floor, and only a few couples are swaying by our side. I naturally put my hands around his neck, and instead of putting his hands on my hips, he wraps them around my lower back.
“For someone who has never dated anyone, you sure know how to put a guy out of breath.” Jake’s hazel eyes intensely lock mine.
I clear my throat and say, “I know how to piss off Amanda. It’s my superpower.”
“Right.” He lets out, his voice low and cracking. “She must have felt gut-punched then.” He laughs kind of forcefully, and I give him a tight smile back.
Punched.
“Why did you punch Blade?” I sincerely ask, and his eyebrows rise.
“Because he has a stupid name.” He whispers, joking, and I lightly push him.
“West.” I press, and he sighs.
“He was just being a jerk. It was a long time coming.” He shrugs, and I bite the inside of my cheek.
“He was talking about me, wasn’t he?” I glance at him, and he exaggeratedly nods.
“Course not! He was just- Talking shit about something very important to me, that’s it.”
I hum.
“Ah, so I guess I’m out of the picture.”
“Yeah, exactly.” He concurs, clearing his throat, and I nod.
I can’t let it go.
“What was it?” I question, and it seems like I caught him off guard.
He looks into me, as if seeing something apparently invisible to the human eye.
“I would tell you, but then I’d have to hypnotize you and erase your memory.” He sighs, and I roll my eyes.
“You’re impossible.”
“As opposed to you, who’s a four-piece puzzle?” He sarcastically retorts, and I fake glare at him. “Relax… I’ve always liked the thousand-piece ones better.” A small smirk creeps into his face, and I drop my head, my cheeks flushed, and I try to keep it together.
“You’re beautiful.” Jake sighs while we’re still swaying to Miley Cyrus.
I look around, and Amanda is nowhere to be seen. He didn’t say it for show or to get some sort of emotion out of me.
“Allison really outworked herself this time with the makeup.” I say, looking down.
“You’re beautiful either way. Either now or when you’re snoring, mouth wide open.” It sounds like a joke, but he says it in the most solemn tone I’ve ever heard coming from him.
“Thanks, I guess. And I don’t snore.” I utter, trying so hard not to smile.
“Oh, you so do. I recorded it.” He tries pulling out his phone, and I reach for it right away, trying to take it out of his hands. He waves it above my head while I try to jump for it. He presses the screen, and loud, disgusting snores can be heard even with the music in the background.
“Jake, that’s so embarrassing! Stop it!”
He laughs and then stops the recording.
“You called me Jake.” He says impressed and I stutter.
“No- No, I didn’t. I don’t think-”
The widest smile fills his face, smile lines appearing, and everything, and my breath falters in defeat. His joy is contagious, but I’m really flustered and trying not to smile.
“You can smile, you know.” Jake states. “Wait, your face does know how to do that, doesn’t it?” He teases.
“It does know how to do that. Jerk.” I finally smile.
Jake gets hold of me again and looks at me with that look.
“Why do you look at me like that?” It gets out of my mouth.
“Like what?” He innocently asks back.
“Like, those shiny eyes and intense gaze.” I justify.
“You’re just- Addicting to look at.” Jake smiles, not looking directly at me, somehow helpless.
“Do tell.” I amusingly say, a smirk on my face.
He looks at me and returns the smirk.
“I do tell.” He flashes his hazel eyes at me.
I let my hand lightly pull his head to the side, making him laugh.
The chorus comes, and he brings me down, holding me so I don’t fall, and looks down at me, to then bring me up and make me spin slowly, only for me to end up back in his arms. The song ends, and I go back to the table.
I think I just realized something, and my brain just froze for a moment.
I sit down and put a hand on my forehead. Breathe in and breathe out.
When I search for him, I find Amanda touching his arm and laughing at something he said.
No. Not him. Not my West.
I press the palms of my hands against my eyes.
God, he’s not mine! He’s hers, he always has been. I agreed to this. Suck it up.
That’s when desperation and madness hit me in the head.
I look at him until he looks back at me, which only takes about half a minute. I mouth for him to come back, and he nods quickly, ending whatever conversation he was having with Amanda and making his way back to me.
“I want to jump from the diving board.” I get up from my seat, and he shakes his head, shocked to say the least.
“Now? I mean, you want to jump from the diving board?” He frowns, genuinely confused.
I’m sure my face looks manic right now, but I prefer bold.
“Now or never. Besides, it’s the deal. I drive Amanda nuts, and you help me with my list. There’s only one thing left.” I lie, because honestly, this is my lazy attempt at having him to myself. Of making the best of it and just avoid the fact that I’m going to have to let him go.
His eyes go from surprised, to worried, to determined, jaw locked.
“Let’s go.”
I grab my purse, and he grabs his jacket.
I tell my sister we’re going for a night stroll and to warn our dad, and she nods, going back into conversation with Alana.
Jake takes my hand and doesn’t look back.