“Kelli?” Arno called out. He had stopped a couple of steps before the landing, so he was cut off at the chest. Clearly he didn’t know he looked like a midget, but he felt like one.
“Kelli?” he said again. He looked around, but the big room was dark and the music was loud. And it was Liza who came up to him. She was definitely high on the list of people he didn’t want to see just then.
“Do you want to go up to the roof?” Liza asked. He wondered why she hadn’t heard which name he’d called. The relevant people—Kelli, Mickey, Amanda—all went still for a moment. And then David walked up the stairs and stood there, watching.
“Liza?” Amanda asked. “Why would you ask that?”
Mickey went over to Arno and clapped him on the back. “You may be looking for Kelli, but I don’t think she’s looking for you.” Liza continued to stand only a few feet from Arno. Mickey went downstairs.
Kelli, meanwhile, was pretending Arno wasn’t calling her name. She stood with Randall and his two friends. She began to do a sort of shimmy dance. Arno watched her. He thought she looked graceful and smooth. Randall and his friends were clapping.
“I need to talk to you,” Arno said. He’d crept closer, and now his clothes seemed to be dripping off him, his shirt hanging down over his suit pants. Arno knew something was happening to him, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. He had no idea what to call it.
“I’m busy now,” Kelli said. “Can’t you see I’m dancing?” But then she turned to Arno anyway, and grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him hard on the lips. She said, “That’s for taking me to Florida.” Then she went back to dancing. Jonathan came down the stairs, but he stayed back and only watched.
“I’ll bring you anywhere you want to go,” Arno said to Kelli.
“Yeah?” Randall said. He inserted himself between Arno and Kelli. “What’s your point?”
“Because I love you!” Arno yelled as he pushed Randall out of the way. He couldn’t help it. Randall sort of staggered, but Arno didn’t see him. He’d finally figured out what to call what he was feeling.
“Come on,” Kelli said. She had white eyeliner around her eyes and her lipstick seemed to do a neon flicker in the light from the Floods’ chandelier.
Jonathan and David stood with Liza and Amanda. They watched Kelli and Arno in silence.
“If you love me,” Kelli said loudly, “then why did you fool around with Amanda half an hour after you met me?”
David, who’d been in the middle of a sip of beer, sagged suddenly. Out of the corner of his eyes, Arno saw.
“David, I’m sorry,” Arno said. But David only turned and went up the stairs.
“I’m going up to the roof,” Liza announced, to nobody in particular. Arno saw her look back a couple of times, but he couldn’t meet her eyes. So Liza strode up the staircase.
“Are you all right?” Jonathan asked Liza. He sort of half-grabbed her leg as she passed.
“Get off,” she said, and kicked at him.
“Huh?” Jonathan asked.
“Dude, you need to chill,” Kelli said to Arno. “You’re losing friends by the second.”
Arno shook his head. He felt so confused.
“Yeah. Let it go,” Randall said.
But it was too late. Arno had dropped down on both knees and his eyes were closed. He raised his hands up and clasped them together.
“Love me,” he said. “I’ll do anything.”
“Oh, man,” Kelli said. “Like I don’t have a boyfriend back home who’s quarterback of our football team and could kick all your asses!” And she laughed. “Jonathan, didn’t you tell your friends that? I mean, I’d have thought you would’ve.”
“Say what?” Jonathan asked. Arno opened his eyes and glanced up at the staircase, where Jonathan had taken a seat after Liza kicked at him.
“That doesn’t matter,” Arno said. “Nothing could compete with what I feel for you.”
“But Arno,” Kelli said. “I don’t want to be tied down. I just got here. I’m just getting started.”