“Mom, I’ll be fine.” I leaned over, kissing her cheek. “I love you.”
“Love you, too.” She ushered me to the door. “You do look gorgeous.”
Before the tears could fill her eyes again, I fled the house. Getting in the truck required strategic climbing. I was surprised that I didn’t need a stepladder.
“Man, you do look hot.” Simon popped a breath mint in his mouth before he backed out of the long driveway.
I hoped he wasn’t planning to use those breath mints later. “Thanks. You look nice, too.”
That was the extent of our conversation. Turns out Simon wasn’t a witty conversationalist. Shocking. The ride to school was long and awkward, and I was gripping the edges of my shawl like there was no tomorrow. Several times he glanced over, smiled, and popped another breath mint.
I couldn’t wait to get to the dance.
When we arrived in the parking lot, I found out why he was popping so many breath mints. Simon pulled a silver flask from the inside of his tux and took a long swig. He offered it to me next.
He was drinking. This was already starting off great. I declined the offer, already making plans to find another ride home. Drinking didn’t bother me. Ending up with a drunk driver did.
Seeming not to care, he shoved it back in his jacket. “Hold on. I’ll help you get down.”
Well, that was nice of him, because I was wondering how in the world I was supposed to get down. He opened the door and I smiled. “Thank you.”
“Did you want to keep your purse in here?” he asked.
Oh, hell no. I shook my head and let the tiny clutch dangle from my wrist. Simon took my hand and helped me down from the truck. He pulled a little too hard, and I stumbled against his thick chest.
“Are you okay?” he asked, smiling.
I nodded, trying to ignore the icky feeling building in my stomach.
Outside, I could hear the steady thump of music from the gymnasium. We stopped before the fogged-over doors, and Simon pulled me toward him in an awkward hug.
“I’m glad you wanted to go to the dance with me,” he said, his breath minty and tinged with the harsh smell of liquor.
“Same here,” I said, trying to mean it. I placed my hands on his burly chest and pushed back. “We should go in.”
Smiling, he slid his arms away. One of his hands slipped down my back, over the curve of my hip. I stiffened and told myself it was an accident. It had to be. He surely didn’t just cop a feel like that. We hadn’t even danced yet.
The gymnasium had been converted over to an autumn-themed dance. Strings of fall foliage hung from the ceilings and covered the doors. There were pumpkins and cornucopia horns full of leaves stacked in the corners and lining the stage.
As soon as we stepped inside, we were surrounded by Simon’s friends. Some of them looked me over and gave Simon a not-so-discreet high five or clap on the back. It was like now they could tell I had boobs, I was suddenly cool. Boys could be so juvenile. While they passed around the flask Simon had brought in, I exchanged strained greetings with the other guys’ dates. They were all cheerleaders. Yawn.
I scanned the crowd, spying Lesa with her date. “I’ll be right back.”
Before Simon could stop me, I darted off toward her. She turned when her date nodded in my direction. I smiled. “You look gorgeous.” I had to yell to be heard over the music.
“So do you!” She gave me a quick hug and then pulled back. “Is he behaving himself?”
“So far. Do you mind?” I placed my shawl and clutch on their table when she shook her head. “They did a nice job on this.”
Lesa nodded. “Still a gym, though.” She laughed. “It has that smell.”
That was true. Carissa quickly joined us, tugging both of us out onto the dance floor minus the guys. I didn’t mind. We danced with each other, giggling and being plain-out stupid. Lesa danced like a double-jointed hooker, and I think Carissa did the running man at one point.
I caught a glimpse of Dee talking to Adam near the stage. Giving the girls a quick wave, I made my way over to them. “Dee!”
She turned toward me, her eyes glistening under the dazzling lights. “Hey.”
I stopped short, my eyes bouncing between them. Adam gave me a tight smile before stalking off into the throng of dancers. “Is everything okay?” I took her hand, squeezing it. “Have you been crying?”
“No. No!” She wiped under her eye with her free hand, using her pinky. “It’s just that…I don’t think Adam wanted to go with me, and I’m not sure I want to even be here. And it’s…” She shook her head and pulled her hand free. “Anyway, you look great! That dress is to die for!” My heart went out to her. It didn’t seem fair that she was limited to who she could go out with. Especially considering every male Luxen I’d met was a douche. Since they all grew up together, it must be like going to the dance with her brother. “Hey,” I said, getting an idea. “We can bail on this if you want. Go get movies and eat ice cream in our pretty dresses. Sounds like fun, right? We can rent Braveheart. You love that movie.” Dee laughed, eyes tearing up again as she pulled me in for a tight hug. “No. We’re going to enjoy ourselves here. How’s your date?”
I glanced around, not seeing him. “Probably drunk somewhere.”
“Oh no.” She brushed a strand of hair back. She’d worn her hair down and straightened it so that it fell over her shoulders like a wave of dark water. “Bad?”
“Not yet, but I was wondering if I could catch a ride home with you guys?”