Kind of girl

Anastasia James

A week has passed since I had my disagreement with Matthew. I thought I would regret leaving Rachel's without even justifying myself to Johnny or the rest of the guys, but amazingly enough, I'm fine. Also, I did everything I could to occupy myself with something, otherwise I would end up going crazy with nothing to do.

The thing that has kept me most entertained in the last few days has been television. I think I have watched about eight series – not that I’m counting, of course – and if I ever complained that I never had that privilege, I’ll pretend it never happened.

My father left the house this morning, didn't say what time he would be back or where he was going, but the way he is, he must be going after a job.

I closed my eyes and sighed loudly.

Who am I kidding? It's boring here! I dropped the remote control on the sofa and brought my hand to my face, rubbing it.

I never imagined that in all these years, there would come a time when I would trade ballet for being left on the couch, to the moths. It was great to have a little time to myself, where I could rest and relax, something I haven't done in years, but I think I've had enough. I can't stay here, cooped up, forever.

And as if they had read my thoughts, my cell phone vibrated on the coffee table. I reached out to reach it, and as soon as I stared at the display, I jumped to my feet. It was Johnny's messages.

| Hi.

| I imagine you're upset about everything that happened, but I needed to talk to you…

| I was wondering if today we could have lunch together?

If I said I wasn't excited about it, I'd be lying, because it was all over my face. First of all, I was already looking forward to getting out of the house and breathing some fresh air. And second, I am now curious to know what Johnny has to tell me.

Part of me believes – and would easily accept – that he’ll try to convince me to go back to the championship, after all, John is very rational and is usually direct when he wants something. But the other part, the more fearful and proud one, swears with all his feet that he will never again step in the same place as Matthew's monster.

I honestly don't know what to think. I really want to dance again, but to swallow all the rudeness of that arrogant stuck-up guy is definitely not possible. I'm not such an idiot that I would just wipe my slate clean after having my pride hurt.

But it is complicated. I also can't ignore the fact that I am being as insensitive as Matt by giving up the championship and leaving them in the lurch. I have to be rational, or I will end up regretting my choices.

I took a deep breath, trying not to despair of my little outburst, and typed a reply to Johnny. As soon as I clicked the send button, I threw the phone on the couch and walked to the bedroom.

***

After a long walk, I looked up at the white-fronted building and looked at my cell phone display, checking to see if I was in the right place. Once I was sure, I stowed the device in the pocket of my jeans jacket and pushed open the glass doors. The hospital smell immediately invaded my nostrils, bringing a familiar sensation through my body.

I looked around and noticed that there were some patients chatting happily with those who visited them. It was cute, but it brought back some memories, which made it kind of depressing. I shook off the negative feeling and walked over to the reception desk.

“What can I do for you?” Said the woman with red hair tied up in a low bun.

“I'm looking for the room…” I picked up my cell phone again, checking Johnny's message. “631.”

“Finally a visitor!” Her eyes lit up. I blinked a few times, perplexed. Johnny's in the hospital? Here? “Just follow this hallway to the left.” She indicated, smiling broadly.

My heart raced, and my steps followed his pace. A thousand and one situations crossed my mind, but I didn't want to believe any of them. Is this really possible? What had happened? I began to worry about Johnny's condition, but as soon as I stopped in front of the room, my heart simply calmed down.

The door was open, so it didn't take much effort to find out what was going on in there. There was a bed, and on it, a child was lying. But, it was not only this that caught my attention, but the man who was dancing for her.

“Now it's you, Tracy.” He pointed to the little girl holding a pink balloon.

As soon as his right hand came into my field of vision, my whole body reacted. How many people in Sturgis have a mandala tattooed on them? The little girl immediately began to wiggle on the bed, mimicking what Matthew had just done, and it was so cute, I couldn't help but smile.

“Look at that! Looks like someone's been rehearsing, huh?” Matt laughed nasally and walked to the edge of the bed, where he sat down.

I must admit, I'm surprised. Not only by the fact that I came here to see Johnny and found Matthew in his place, because that is still a mystery, but also by this unexpected attitude. My father always told me that in order to discover someone's character, you must first observe how this person acts with children and the elderly. Matthew seems to have enormous affection for this little girl. You can tell by the way he smiles and acts in her presence.

I was so distracted, so enchanted by what was happening, that I became disconnected from the things around me and only woke up when I heard the following sentence:

“Matt, your girlfriend is very pretty.” The little girl smiled.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise at this information. I didn't know Matthew was dating. I crossed my arms and laughed heartily. She has to be really crazy to date this guy.

“My… girlfriend?” He looked as confused as I was.

“Yes!” The little girl agrees. “She has those eyes shining with love when looks at you.”

What is…

Matt looked away from me to the door, or rather, to me.

It took me a few seconds to think about it, but when it hit me, my heart soared. As soon as she raised her finger in my direction, I hurried away, hiding in the wall next to the door. Did she really think I was this thing's girlfriend? Well, have a little patience! I have good taste, and he is definitely not my type. I wouldn't choose him if Matt were the last cookie in the package. I'd rather die alone!

Wait. Why am I hiding anyway? This was a simple coincidence. Sturgis is tiny! And another thing, how could I have known that he would be here? It doesn't even make sense that he's here! I rolled my eyes and reached for my cell phone in the pocket of my jacket, determined to concentrate on what I really came here to do. As I unlocked the phone, it immediately opened to the conversation with Johnny, where there were new messages, sent a few minutes ago.

| Something came up. Can you meet me at this restaurant?

[location]

| I promise to reward you with dessert! ;)

I confess that the wink emoji made me smile. This is definitely Johnny's face. I can even visualize him reproducing it. I took a deep breath and put the device away. As I turned to leave, I almost had a heart attack right there when I saw Matthew leaning against the door, arms crossed, staring at me steadily. I had to close my eyes and put my hand on my chest to calm myself down.

“You've never played hide-and-seek before, have you?” He laughed breathlessly, making me face him.

“What?” I frowned, confused by what he had said.

“No one ever told you that to hide, you need something that really covers you?” He raised his eyebrow. “A wall definitely doesn't hide you.” He laughed nasally, pointing at the wall behind me.

“Look here, for your government's sake, I wasn't peeking, okay?” I raised my forefinger, already exalted by the smug smile on his lips.

“But I didn't even say anything.” He raised his eyebrows. “Why are you accusing yourself?” He smiled broadly.

Okay, he's right. He didn't even say anything, and I already justified myself. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to stay calm. I can do it, I can do it. Just pretend he's not him and treat him normally. Yeah, I can do that.

“Anyway…” I sighed and faced him. “I just came to meet Johnny. But, he just sent a message saying that something has come up, and I'm supposed to meet him somewhere else. So…” I forced a smile and made an attempt to leave, but had my arm held back.

“Are you meeting Johnny?” Matt asked, relatively surprised. I pulled my arm away, avoiding his touch, and stared at him.

“Why do you want to know?” I narrowed my eyes, crossing my arms under my breasts. “Are you trying to peek?” I smiled mischievously as he used his usual argument.

“No, it's just that I need to return his truck.” He gave me a little smile, which made me want to squeeze his neck.

“I see.” I said curtly. “Well, good luck then.” I nodded and started walking, relieved that he didn't stop me again.

“I'll take you.” He said, simply, making me freeze in place. I spun on my heels and frowned at him.

“How come?” I arched my eyebrows, trying to figure out if I had heard him correctly.

“I'll drive you.” He repeated, closing the bedroom door.

“No.” I said, annoyed. Matt looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “I mean…” I sniffled. “You don't have to, you know? I can walk.” I giggled nervously.

“It's twenty-five minutes driving. Walking is almost an hour.” He laughed mockingly. “I'm going to the same place, but are you sure you'd rather walk?” He looked at me suspiciously.

“Yes. It's good exercise, you know?” I winked, but soon my mind was made up. “Wait, wait, wait.” I frowned. “How do you know how long it’ll take me to get there if I haven't even told you where I'm going?”

“You did.” Matt said it as if it was obvious.

“No, I didn't.” I narrowed my eyes.

“Yes, you did.” He insisted.

“Really? Then what did I say?” I smiled, victorious. He rolled his eyes.

“That you are going to the center.” He said with conviction.

I continued to stare at him, not understanding how he knew. I'm sure I didn't tell him where I was going. Or did I? Because I'm questioning my own sanity right now. Oh, shit. Maybe I said it without realizing it.

“Oh, I get it” Matthew laughed nasally, reaching into the pockets of his black jeans. “You're making excuses to avoid me because you get nervous around me.” He moistened his lips and moved closer, bending down to look me in the eye. “Don't worry, I won't bite.” He smiled mischievously. “Unless you ask me to.” I said in a lower tone.

“Oh, shut up!” I gave him a disdainful look and rubbed my arms, stifling the goose bumps that spread over my skin. “You're disgusting.”

“Okay, then.” He shrugged, straightening his posture. “I'll pretend I don't know about your crush on me.”

“Your self-centeredness is impressive.” I laughed in derision. “Do you really believe that all the women in the world are attracted to you?”

“Not all. Just a few.” He looked at me with a suggestive smile. “Especially those who refuse a courtesy.” He emphasized. I laughed, incredulous at what I heard.

“I should be suspicious of all this kindness.” I rolled my eyes. “Why do you want me to accept your ride so badly? You like me, don't you?”

“Why can't you accept a simple ride?” He retorted. “You like me, don’t you?”

Matthew just used the same argument as me, just to be the last to speak. Unbelievable. I stared at him for a while, feeling my blood boil at that little smile on his face. He is a tremendous jerk. But, I am also a huge idiot for wanting to throw it in his face that he is wrong, just because I can't tolerate the way he is.

“All right, I'll go with you.” I said simply. “That's the only way to get you to buck up and drop the ball.” I laughed heartily and stomped off. Without first, of course, bumping him with my shoulder.

If he thinks he can treat me like dirt and then pretend nothing happened, he’s very wrong. I’m not one of his kind of girls.