“Walker? No. No Johnny. Jack. Jackʼs a good olʼ Tennessee boy.” It would almost be funny if he wasnʼt so pathetic. “Not Walker. Water. Have you been drinking water?”
Jase looked at me like I just asked if he ate kangaroo for breakfast.
“You need to drink lots of water to keep from getting sick. Come on. Letʼs go get you a bottle.”
Jase, of course, argued with me. As I tried to explain the whole concept of alcohol and dehydration, Charlie slipped off, promising to bring back some Aquafina. I was grateful when Talley and James, who looked very sweaty but happy, came back to the table.
“Thank God, sober people.”
“Oh, itʼs you,” Jase said to James. “You know sheʼs too good for you, right?”
“Yeah, I know,” James said, his face seemingly stuck in this new smile thing he was trying out. “It helps to know that youʼre not good enough for her either.”
“Oh gross! Talley is like my sister. We used to take baths together.”
“We never took baths together.”
“Yeah, we did.”
“No, we didnʼt. Now get down before you fall and break your head.” Talley moved to take hold of Jaseʼs arm, but he jerked away from her.
“Donʼt touch me!” he snarled, stumbling off the table.
James stepped between Talley and my belligerent brother. “Donʼt talk to her that way!” Jase pushed James back a step. “Are you wanting to start something with me, freak?” James was weighing his options when a pair of hands grabbed Jaseʼs shoulders. “Did anyone ever tell you that youʼre kind of an asshat when youʼre drunk?” Charlie asked.
“Screw you.”
“Funny you should mention screwing, Dude, cause thatʼs what it looks like Jordan and your date are doing.”
Sure enough, Jordan and Tinsley were on the corner of the dance floor, grinding together in a fashion that only the most lenient of definitions would consider dancing. I had never actually watched a porno before, but was pretty sure some of them were less graphic than what I was seeing.
“That son of a--” Jase took off through the throng of bodies, pushing anyone who dared to get in his way.
“Should we do something?” I asked Charlie, my eyes glued to Jaseʼs retreating form.
“Yes, we should dance.”
“Charlie, I donʼt think--”
“Actually, the problem is that you think too much.” His hand brushed against my face, following the exact same path that Alex had touched earlier. “Please, Scout? Please dance with me?” His voice broke, along with my resolve.
I followed Charlie to the dance floor, my heart and stomach in the wrong places. Just as we settled on a spot of our own the thumping bass ended and was replaced with familiar piano chords. I smiled in wonder as the singerʼs voice warbled through the speakers. “I would have bet good money this clown never heard of Tom Waits.”
Charlie beamed. “He hadnʼt.”
“What did you do?” I was acutely aware of his arms as they held me around the waist.
“I explained that I had a promise to keep to a girl.” The heels on the strappy shoes I wore put me at eye level with Charlie. I was fascinated by the fact they were actually multiple shades of green, darker on the edges and getting lighter closer to his pupils. “Then I showed him how to hook up my iPod to his sound system. The guy is old. He has to be at least thirty. I donʼt think he had ever seen an iPod before.”
“What promise?”
“I didnʼt think you remembered.” Charlie looked extremely pleased with himself. “We were watching Cinderella, and you begged me to take you to a Ball so that you could dance with a handsome prince.”
A memory tugged in the back of my mind. “And you told me that I would have to settle for dancing with you at prom.”
“Youʼve been very stubborn about letting me fulfill that obligation. I thought I was going to have to slip you some roofies just to get you out here.”
“How on earth did you remember? That had to have been more than seven years ago.” He pulled me closer and I felt my heart jump from my stomach to my throat. “Iʼve been looking forward to this dance for a long time.” He leaned forward and rested his lips by my ear.
“It was worth the wait. You look beautiful tonight, Scout.” I felt the familiar warmth of embarrassment in my cheeks. “Iʼll pass your compliment on to Mrs. Matthews, Magical Seamstress.”
His breath was warm against my ear as he chuckled. “The dress is nothing without the girl inside it.”
I couldnʼt think of a witty retort, so I just silently relaxed into his arms and enjoyed the sensation. Afterwards, Charlie tried to get me to stay on the dance floor and attempt a faster paced song, but I declared his promise paid in full and returned to our table. We stayed another hour, watching as Tinsley helped Jase out the door and sighing in relief when she called to inform Charlie that his cousin was officially the worst prom date ever, having been drunk the entire dance and missing the after party on account of passing out in somebodyʼs hammock.
Charlie was staying at my house for the weekend, so the time honored act of walking a date to her door left him saying his goodnights just outside my bedroom.
“Did you have fun tonight?”
“Yeah, I did.” I was surprised to find I wasnʼt lying. Sure, there had been some angst and drama, but it had its moments, like discovering James Kiplinger knew the Electric Slide. “Thank you, Charlie.”
“Hey, the night is still young. Why donʼt you change into some pajamas and weʼll watch a few episodes of Glee? Iʼll even let you sing along.”
“Tempting, but I have an all-night cram session tomorrow for Mondayʼs test in Calculus, and itʼs going to take me an hour to figure out how to get out of this thing and find the three hundred bobby pins Talley put in my hair.”
“Here, let me help.” Charlie moved behind me and started undoing the series of hooks that ran along my spine. A slight tremble when through my body as his fingers brushed against my bare back. “Was she expecting you to wear this for the rest of your life or what?”
“I think itʼs Mrs. Matthewsʼs own version of a chastity belt. She figures that any guy would grow bored after the first ten hooks. I really feel bad for James. Talleyʼs dress had twice as many as mine.”
Charlie let out a puff of air that tickled the hairs on my neck. “Itʼs not having its desired effect,” he growled. I felt a warmth deep in my abdomen as he fumbled with the last few clasps. Was it my imagination or were his fingers trembling?