Billionaires Don’t Fall For Awkward Girls by Emma Dalton

Chapter Eight

Easton

Tuesday after school, Brayden leaps up, knocking the basketball out of my hands before I can slam it into the basket.

“That’s three to zero?” he says with raised brows. “Told you I’d own your butt.”

Laughing, I grab my water bottle and chug down the cool liquid. We’ve been playing in his backyard for about an hour, and no matter how much I try, I can’t beat him. Not that I’m surprised. The guy might not play basketball on a team, but he’s a beast on the court.

I wave for another round. And he’s more than happy to oblige. We play for another half hour and I still don’t manage to sink a single ball.

He chuckles as he swings the ball from one hand to the other. “Just give up, man. Stick to…what do you like to do anyway? Other than sneaking junk food in your car.” His tone is light, but he has no idea what he’s talking about. My sneaking junk food is not just an act of rebellion. It’s much, much more. But he’ll never understand. The guy has the perfect life. Loving parents, a nice and sweet girlfriend, a little sister who worships him.

What do I have? Not sure I’ve got much of anything.

“Hey, you okay?” Brayden asks as he comes to stand beside me, basketball tucked under his armpit.

“Yeah. Great.”

He studies me with narrowed eyes. We’re not close friends, more like acquaintances. Only reason I’m here is because I didn’t want to go home. Brayden offered our large group of friends to hang out at his house and shoot some hoops and I’m the only one who accepted.

“One more.” I grab the ball from him and launch it toward the net. The guy comes out of nowhere and knocks it from my hands. He swoops down, grabs the ball, and makes the shot.

I snicker. “Showoff.”

He just laughs. “Quit before you embarrass yourself, bro.”

Waving my hands in surrender, I plop down at the nearby table and take another swig of water.

“Brayden,” a voice calls from the window. His mom sticks her head out. “Don’t forget to pick up your sister from dance practice.”

Brayden pulls out his phone to check the time. “Crap. I almost forgot.” He places the ball on the ground under the hoop and slips his phone in his pocket. “Catch you tomorrow, Easton.”

I think about going home and what awaits me there, and my stomach turns sour. “Dude, you mind if I go with you?”

He lifts a brow. “To pick up Bailey from dance? Okay, sure.” He makes a move to leave, but turns around. “Hey, just wanted to thank you and your parents for what you’re doing. Dance means so much to Bailey and the fact that you’re supporting her means a lot. Those lessons are expensive.”

“It’s not really me. My dad’s taking care of that stuff, but sure, you’re welcome. Kids like Bailey are great and they deserve every opportunity.”

Brayden smiles. “We should hang more often.”

“Yeah, cool.”

We get in his car and he drives toward the studio. The music blasts in my ears and I laugh at how different this is from being driven by Joe. The guy’s got a stick up his butt and would never dream of putting on loud music. When I drive, I overcompensate. If Mother found out I’ve been driving myself around, she’d most probably fire Joe. I’m careful to make sure the secret stays between the two of us.

As Brayden drives, he gets a text from his girlfriend. At a red light, he scans the words and a goofy smile attacks his face. “She’s so funny.” He laughs again. “She’s trying to buy me something for my birthday. And it’s six months away!”

“How did that happen anyway?” I ask. “You and her, I mean?”

The light turns green and he steps on the gas. Then he goes into detail about how he and Kara started fake dating so her dad, a sports recruiter for Astor University, would recruit him to the school.

“We started liking each other for real,” he continues. “And the rest is history.”

I lean back in my seat, looking out the window. He’s lucky he found a girl and fell in love. It doesn’t work that way in my world.

“What about you?” he asks after a bit of silence.

“What?”

He shrugs. “Any girls? I’ve seen quite a few flirting with you, but you never…not that it’s my business…”

I look out the window again. “Never really thought about it,” I lie. Of course I’ve thought about it. But someone like me can’t go around flirting and dating. I’d destroy everything my parents have worked for.

Brayden leaves it at that and we listen to the music for the rest of the drive. At the studio, he parks in the small lot and we climb out of the car. Like on Saturday, the first thing I hear as I walk in is the music. Then I notice the little kids spinning around on the dance floor.

“We’re early,” Brayden tells me. I follow him deeper into the studio, where we sit down on chairs along with the other parents. They’ve all got smiles on their faces as they watch their kids practice. Hmm. Can’t remember the last time my parents were proud of me.

Heels clack against the floor as the owner of the studio marches over to me with wide eyes. “Mr. Knight! I didn’t know you were here. Can I do anything for you?” She glances around like she’s searching for my parents. Maybe reporters.

“No, thank you. I’m here with my friend.” I nod to Brayden. “We’re waiting for his little sister.”

She nods slowly, as if she didn’t expect those words to leave my mouth. “Oh, okay. Let me know if you need anything.” She smiles widely and walks off.

A few minutes pass as I watch the kids dance. It’s cool and all, but I’m getting a bit restless.

“Going to the bathroom,” I tell Brayden and get to my feet. I head to the back of the building and slow down as faint music floats into my ears. It’s coming from a room further back. Turning in that direction, I peer into the room. A girl’s dancing. Her long, dark, wavy hair has loosened from her ponytail and slaps around her as she moves her body to the beat of the music. She’s good. Real good. And she looks familiar, yet I can’t place her.

As she twirls around with her eyes squeezed shut, I realize who she is. The girl who’s been giving me death looks and glares since the first day of school. Dani Wood.

She strikes a final pose, then claps to herself, patting herself on the back and doing a small cheer. One leg gets caught behind the other and she pivots forward, nearly crashing into the wall in front of her. She pushes her palms outward to catch herself.

“Real smooth, Dani,” she mutters under her breath.

I watch as she steps to where her phone is placed in the speaker and changes the song from slow and classical to a more fast-paced one. Then she starts swinging her body around in the most ridiculous and awkward way that it causes a smile to tickle my lips. She’s like a broken robot as she dances around, letting loose as though she doesn’t have a care in the world.

I laugh softly as she starts to sing as she spins around, losing her balance but managing to catch herself before she tumbles to the floor. “Who’s going to be on Broadway? Dani! Dani! Who’s going to make her parents proud? Dani! Dani! Who’s going to be this incredible and amazing famous dancer that people would pay millions to watch? Dani! Dani!”

She claps and jumps in place. She waves at her reflection in the mirror before her. “You know it!”

She continues to dance in the most awkward and dorky way that I can’t help but chuckle quietly. She’s very…cute. And fun.

My eyes widen. What in the world?

Shaking my head, I push away from the room, but before I leave, I watch her for a bit more before locating the bathroom.

When I’m back in the studio with the little kids and their adoring parents, I drop down near Brayden.

“They’re still going at it?” I ask.

He nods. “Jasmine, the instructor, sometimes keeps them overtime when they’re not learning the moves correctly. But it’s fine, they’ll be done soon.” He looks at me with raised brows. “You can go home, you know.”

I want to laugh out loud. Home is the last place I want to be right now.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I lean back in my seat. “It’s cool. The kids are pretty neat.”

He smiles. “Yep.”

I sit forward. “What do you know about that Wood girl?”

Brayden’s forehead furrows. “You mean Dani?”

“Yeah.”

“She’s cool. One of Kara’s best friends. And she’s president of the book club. Also dances here. Why do you ask?”

I shake my head. “No reason.”

Why can’t I get her ridiculous dancing out of my head? Why do I smile every time I think about it?

My phone sings and I frown when “Mother” flashes across the screen. I slip my phone into my back pocket.

A few minutes later, her name hijacks my phone again. And a little bit later, Father calls.

Brayden glances down at my phone curiously. “You gonna get that?”

I shove it back in my pocket. “Nope.”

He doesn’t say anything and we sit in silence until the kids are done with practice. Bailey runs into her brother’s arms and he introduces me to her. She’s cute, kind of reminds me of him.

They wish me goodbye before leaving the studio. I stick my hands in my pockets and glance around. Most kids have left, a few are gushing to their parents about their practice. My eyes shoot toward the back of the building, where I can still hear that music. I wonder how long she’ll remain here.

As I leave the studio, I call for Joe to come get me. He rolls down his window as soon as he pulls up. “Sir, your parents have been trying to reach you the past hour. The Burrells will be at your house any minute.”

I hold out my hand, ignoring his words. “Key, Joe.”

“Sir, I must insist—”

“Joe, the key.”

Sighing, he gets out of the car and hands me the key. “Your parents won’t like this.”

I pat his chest, giving him a bright smile. “Let me handle them, all right? You enjoy the night off.” I climb in the car and stab the key in.

“Easton…”

I stick my head out the window, then salute him. “Have a great night, Joe.” Before he has a chance to convince me to reconsider, I zoom off.

I’m not heading anywhere specific, just need to kill a few hours. I put the music on the highest volume to tune out my thoughts and what’s expected of me.

My phone continues to shrill, no doubt my parents, but I ignore them.

I drive for a few hours before deciding it’s time for me to head home. Can’t avoid them forever, no matter how much I want to.

The door opens and one of the staff members greets me with a nod. I nod back and take in the house I’ve lived in for all sixteen years of my life. It’s always changing, as if Mother can never be truly satisfied with it. Right now, she’s redecorating the walls. Honestly, I can’t remember how they used to look like.

“Your mother and father are waiting for you in the dining room,” one of the staff members tells me.

Might as well get this over with. I thank her before making my way to the dining room. Father sits at the head of the table, with Mother at his right. The rest of the seats are empty, but I know they were occupied a few hours ago.

Mother’s head snaps up as I walk in. “Where have you been, Easton?” she demands, her gray eyes filling with anger and disappointment. “We had dinner with the Burrells!”

I give her an innocent face. “Was that today? Must have slipped my mind.”

“Easton!” Mother hisses at Father, who’s on his phone, probably checking his investments. Maybe he’s looking how much profit Spill It! is bringing him this month. It’s his greatest success.

“Hmm?” Father says as he lifts his head.

Mother narrows her eyes. “Talk to our son!”

Father lowers his phone to the table. “This dinner was important, Easton. You know that. Blowing it off was not only irresponsible, it was—”

“Selfish! And rude,” Mother finishes for him. “Bianca was desperately waiting for you to come home.”

“I don’t give a crap what Bianca was waiting for,” I mutter under my breath.

Mother’s on her feet. “What was that?”

I grit my teeth. “I’m going to my room.”

“You wait right there, Easton!”

Shaking my head, I leave the room slamming the door behind me. I can hear her yelling at my father, who doesn’t seem to know what to do with me.

In my room, I drop down on my bed and fold my arms beneath my head. I think back to the broken-robot-dancing Dani, and I smile, shaking my head at how ridiculous all this is.