After the week I’d had, I felt like I’d earned a night of not studying and not thinking about my marks or my CSA or the irrational but lingering worry that I had been behind Shane losing his placement.
I’d had a tutoring session with James the night before, but it was a lot less awkward than I’d expected: neither of us had strayed away from academic topics into potential bombs like my love life (or lack thereof) or him coming with me to the dance (not that I’d actually asked him to go with me—ha ha not really!). We’d stayed on topic and had gotten a lot of studying done, despite the fact that I was starting to feel a little something in my tummy when I was with him that I couldn’t blame on too many gummi bears.
I’d also gotten an e-mail from the dean telling me I could resume my CSA in the kitchen on Monday and that I was to report to Anna who was now acting kitchen supervisor. While I was excited to get back there, I was a little nervous about returning.
So by Friday night, I was actually looking forward to the dance if only because it meant a few hours of loud music and hanging out with my girlfriends and not having to think much about anything.
To be honest, even if I didn’t have a guy of my own, watching my friends with their boyfriends was almost like watching a romance novel unfold in front of me and—while I would prefer it to include my own blossoming relationship—seeing them so crazy happy rubbed off on my mood a little.
We were all looking good in our fancy dresses and heels as we made our way down to the main floor in the elevator (except for Emmie, who had gone down early to help set up) and joined the other girls as we all moved as a crowd out to the rec center and the big gym that was decorated up for the dance.
You could almost feel the excitement in the hallways of the school. Some of the electricity was coming from my friends who were thrilled to have several uninterrupted hours with their guys where touching was part of the agenda. But even for those of us without guys it was still exciting getting dressed up and there was always that possibility of maybe finding and dancing with someone special.
The dance was underway by the time we arrived, but only just, and the Westwood guys weren’t there yet. I stood around with my friends, chatting over the music because no one was ready to dance yet as we waited for the boys.
Then they arrived and the whole vibe of the room changed. Abe and Declan came right over to greet Chelly and Kaylee with Dave, Miles and Jenks trailing behind them. The three single guys greeted everyone and then pretty much immediately left for the refreshment stand as soon as a slow song came on. I was relieved; it was a bit too early in the night to start pairing off for slow dances.
“Is it weird?” Brooklyn said, leaning toward me so she didn’t have to shout over the music. Chelly and Kaylee were standing a little apart from us with their guys, getting reacquainted and trying not to get busted by the teachers who were keeping their eyes out for PDAs that edged into inappropriate territory.
“Is what weird?” I asked, but I knew she meant the whole thing with Jenks.
She nodded toward where he and Dave stood in line for sodas.
“A bit. Is it weird for you having Dave here?”
She snorted at me turning it on her. “Same: a bit. Abe, too. Although at least I didn’t send Abe to the hospital.”
I laughed. At least she could joke about it, although I could still see the relief in her eyes that Dave had been okay after the whole allergy thing.
“But it would be weirder with Abe if he didn’t have eyes only for Chelly,” she said, pointing her chin toward where the couple in question were slow-dancing, practically welded together. “He and I never would have had that. On one level I feel like I should be jealous, but I’m really not. I’m so glad they found each other.”
I nodded in agreement. “I never would have put them together.”
“Me neither,” she said. “And I think it was a surprise for them, too. But look at them: it works.”
We watched them turning around on the dance floor for a few minutes before I broached the subject I had a feeling Brooklyn was thinking about, if I was reading her slightly pinched expression right. “The Brady thing still a train wreck?”
She exhaled and I knew I had been right. “Yeah. What a mess,” she said. “I really screwed everything up.”
I felt like he was at least partially responsible by being way too uptight about her backstory, but it wasn’t going to make her feel any better to point it out. We’d all talked the situation to death already. “He’ll come around,” I said.
She didn’t look convinced but I left it at that, not wanting to ruin her night with more discussion about what she thought was a doomed situation.
The song ended and a fast one began, causing what looked like a shift-change on the dance floor.
“Ladies,” Abe said, walking toward us. I turned slightly to see Chelly, Kaylee and Declan heading out into the hall.
“Where are they going?” Brooklyn asked.
“Nothing sordid,” Abe said. “Kaylee had to use the ladies’ room and apparently you girls can’t go in singles.”
“Declan’s escorting?”
Abe shrugged. “I guess. Can I get you anything from the bar?”
I wasn’t thirsty yet and soda just made me feel bloated anyway so I shook my head as Brooklyn said, “No, thanks.”
“So,” Brooklyn said to him. “How’s the editing going?”
I remembered that Abe was working on his memoir of his childhood as an actor on a top-rated sitcom. It was so hard to think of him as that cute and scrawny kid from the show when you looked at the whole package (he was now a big and very masculine looking guy) but he still had that same twinkle in his eye and the sharp wit that had made him a prime time favorite.
Abe made a bit of a pained face but said, “Pretty well. Thanks to your help, it was in much better shape this time around.”
“I didn’t do much,” Brooklyn said, looking a little shy. “Just a few suggestions.”
“I can’t wait to read your stuff,” he said and I had to fight a gasp as I looked at Brooklyn. She realized what I was alarmed about and gave me the tiniest head shake.
“I’m a long way off,” she said. “I need to go to school for a journalism program before I write anything serious.”
Okay, so she hadn’t told him about our plan to write a romance novel. I don’t know why I was so worried about keeping it a secret, but now, while it was still just a thing we’d talked about, I didn’t want anyone else to know. Maybe I was afraid people wouldn’t take us seriously before it was written.
“Oh hey,” Abe said, looking past us and out over the crowd with a weird look on his face, part smile, part something I couldn’t figure out.
I was about to turn to follow his gaze when he said, “Thor came.”
Thor.
“Huh?” I asked, the sound more like a gurgle than a word.
Abe looked down at me. “Oh, sorry. James Thorburn, this guy from school. He never comes to these things, so you probably don’t know him. I’m just surprised to see him here, that’s all.”
My heart thumped in my chest and I felt a little dizzy as I realized I was about to meet James in person for the first time.
Before I turned to look, I tried to prepare myself for what suddenly felt like a monumental event. A million things flashed through my mind: Is he here for me? Will we dance? If we did, how tall is he and how would we fit together? Would I be able to tell what color his eyes are in the dim light? Would he have googly-eyes for me? Would I for him?
“What’s the matter? Brooklyn asked, practically in my ear. “You look spooked, like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Not a ghost, a god. “I...” I shook my head and a sudden image flashed into my head of James in a cape, carrying a hammer. Ignoring her question, I let out a short hysterical laugh and turned away from her to find him, the real him.
I looked over the crowd of guys standing near the door, but none of them were my tutor. “Where is he?
Abe looked at me. “Do you know him?”
I nodded, “He’s my tutor.”
“He is?” Brooklyn said and I could hear the surprise in her voice. “I thought your tutor was a student here.”
I shook my head, deliberately not looking at her because while I had my reasons, not telling my friends about James felt like a lie. Of course, Brooklyn knew all about lies and had plenty of reasons of her own.
“Where?” I said to Abe. “I don’t see him.”
“Are you kidding?” he said in a tone that made me look at him because it was like he’d just asked me if I was blind. “Beside the bleachers. Right there in his wheelchair.”