Chapter 8

                The night of homecoming, a few of Cassandra’s friends and I gathered at her house to get dressed for the dance. I didn’t exactly feel comfortable around all of Cassandra’s other friends, but I wasn’t going to complain to her about it. I was glad myself that I was even asked to come to the homecoming dance with them. After all, Cassandra was the closest I’ve ever gotten to a friend that was a girl.

                “Riley, do you need me to get your dress from the closet?” Cassandra asked.

                I was sitting by her vanity, where one of Cassandra’s friends, Janie, was helping me curl my hair into loose ringlets. I turned my head slightly towards Cassandra so that I wouldn’t mess up my hair, but so that I could still see her slightly. Cassandra was already dressed into her violet purple dress, and her hair was pinned up with loose curls falling from the sides.

                “Sure.” I smiled at Cassandra, as I watched her disappear into her closet to find my dress. I stared back at my reflection in the vanity mirror, noticing that Janie was just about done with my hair. “Wow, it looks great. You’re really good at this.” I commented, as Janie pulled out a can of hairspray to sprits all over my head of brown curls.

                Janie smiled shyly, as a small blush appeared on her temples. Throughout the few hours that I have been over at Cassandra’s house, I’ve noticed that Janie was one of Cassandra’s more mellow and shy friends. She was quiet around people she didn’t know, but she quickly warmed up to you once you got to know her. After chatting with her for a while, she offered to do my hair for me. “Thanks.” Janie smiled, lightly fluffing up my hair so that my curls wouldn’t look too put together. “I want to be a hairdresser when I get out a college.”

                “You should be!” I exclaimed. “You’re really good at doing hair. I’ve never seen my hair this pretty before.”

                Janie smiled, as she tucked a strand of her black hair behind her ears. Cassandra suddenly came bursting out of her closet, holding up two dresses in her hands, which were mine and Janie’s. “Riley and Janie, I need you guys to get dressed right now! The limo’s coming in fifteen minutes!” Cassandra called out, tossing the two of us our dresses.

                I took my dress from Cassandra, as I went into her bathroom to get dressed out of my sweatpants. When I put on my dress, I couldn’t help but notice how it fit my like a charm. I guess knowing that Mrs. Rosenfeld once wore a dress like this to her prom made me feel so much better in it. It felt like this dress was meant for me.

                I noticed that my dress exposed my knees though, so my gash from a few earlier was still noticeable. It was long and jagged, and the scab was still red and unpleasant to stare at. I took out a roll of bandage from my bag that I packed earlier today, just in case if I needed it. I wrapped it around my knee so that it covered the scab. When I turned to stare at my reflection once again, I noticed that the bandage was barely noticeable, but you could still see it if you looked closely.

                A knock on the door startled me, as I went over to open it. Cassandra had a frantic look on her face, as she pulled me out of the bathroom. “Let’s go, Riley! The limo is outside!” she said, as she passed me a pair of sparkly silver heels.

                We quickly got outside to where the black, stretched limo was parked. All of the girls were already inside, as I sank into the leather seating between Janie and Cassandra.

                “This is going to be so exciting!” Ginger squealed, clapping her manicured nails together. I noticed how she struggled to sit still in that little tight dress of hers.

               I held back a smile, as the limo pulled up in front of the school grounds. The homecoming dance had already started, and we were just a few minutes late. Max had texted me on our way here, telling me that he was already at the dance will all of the guys on the football team.

                “Let’s go!” Cassandra grabbed my air, dragging me into the school’s ballroom, where the dance was being held.

                The ballroom was decorated into your typical high school dance. It wasn’t anything special, just a bunch of streamers and balloons. There was a long table full of punch that was probably spiked by now, and some snacks.

                The music was overbearing, incredibly loud. A pop song was currently on, as I noticed how there was already a bunch of people dancing. The night had just gotten started, but people wasted no time in dancing. I saw in the dark lights that Ginger already found her man of the night, as she grinded on him.

                Suddenly, I felt a hand wrap around my arm. I jolted with surprise, turning around as I faced my best friend. I relieved smile appeared on my face, as I stared up at Max, who was dressed in a purple tie that matched Cassandra’s dress color.

                “Max, hey!” I grinned.

              Max gave me a look of surprise, as he eyed my dress with his lips slightly parted. “Are you actually wearing a dress?” his voice came out shocked.

                I gave him a playful glare, before punching his shoulder. “Of course I am, you big idiot.” I snapped. “Why do you sound so surprised?”

                Max blinked, before letting out a laugh of disbelief. “It’s just the fact that I’ve never seen you in one before.” He eyed my body up and down. “Who the hell knew that you actually had a figure under those baggy sweaters your always wear?”

                I watched to wrap my hands around Max’s neck and choke him. I gave him an unimpressed look, before rolling my eyes. “You’re such a jackass, Max.” I snorted unattractively, as my eyes spotted Cassandra, who was talking to one of the jocks from Max’s football team. “Your girlfriend is talking to one of your football dummies. You better go catch up with her before someone snatches her away.”

               Even in the dark lighting of the ballroom, I could see the fire hot red blush that crept up Max’s neck. I let out a smirk, as I turned away from Max, making my way towards the punch bowl. The homecoming dance had officially started now, and everyone was getting warmed up on the dance floor. Most of the people have already arrived, but I kept my eye on the lookout for Everett, who was nowhere to be seen.

                I frowned. He did tell my mother that he was coming, didn’t he? Everett wouldn’t lie to my mother. Even before Mrs. Rosenfeld had died, Everett and my mother always had this sort of special, unspoken relationship. My mother was like a second mother to Everett.

                Mindlessly, I began to take a cup and fill it up with some bright red punch that was in a glass bowl. “Be careful.” A voice suddenly startled me, literally making me spill my cup of punch. “I’m pretty sure that your drink has been spiked.”

                I looked up as my eyes met a pair of familiar brown ones. I frowned, recognizing the boy as the kid who sat behind me in my history class. I was almost a hundred percent sure that his name was Cooper, from all the times the teacher yelled at him to stop talking. I’ve never spoken to him before, not until today, at least.

                “Here,” he took the cup of punch from me, “I’ll test it out for you.”

                I watched as Cooper raised the cup to his lips, taking a gulp of punch. When he pulled back, his face immediately scrunched up, as he set the cup of punch back down on the table. “It’s definitely spiked.” Cooper wiped his lips, before flashing me a grin.

                I let out a laugh, as I tucked a loose strand of my brown curls behind my ears. “Thanks for the save.”

                Cooper tilted his head to the side, before shrugging. “It’s fine.” He said smoothly. “I mean, I wouldn’t want a pretty girl like you to get drunk already now, do I?”

                I frowned, as I gave him a weak smile. I wasn’t sure if he pitied, or was he actually trying to flirt with me. I bit my lip, as I stared down at the marble floor. “T-That’s nice of you.” I pathetically said. I wanted to slap myself right then and there. It was nice of him? Could I have said anything lamer?

                However, Cooper seemed to have found what I said amusing, before he chuckled. “So, you’re Riley, right?” he asked for confirmation. I nodded, as Cooper grinned. “Did you happen to come here with a date tonight?”

                “No.” I muttered, my cheeks turning scarlet red. I mean, how couldn’t I blush? I rarely ever get hit on by a guy.

                “I guess that’s unfortunate for the other guys who are missing out, but very fortunate for me, since I didn’t happen to come with a date, either.” Cooper licked his lips, as he held his hand out. “Do you want to dance?”

                I stared at his hand for a long moment, before hesitantly accepting his invitation. A broad grin spread across Cooper’s lips as my hand touched his. His hands were a little bigger than mine, so it didn’t exactly feel right to hold them, but I wasn’t going to tell him that.

                Cooper led me over to the dance floor, where it was literally packed. A sudden slow song suddenly came on, as if it were on cue. Cooper’s hands slid down to my waist, holding me firmly. I could feel myself stiffen up, as I reluctantly laced my arms around his neck, like the way they did it in the movies.

                “Relax.” He murmured in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “Loosen up a bit.”

                Cooper wanted me to relax? Who was he kidding? Never have I ever slow danced with a guy before, not even with Everett when we were at eight grade prom together. I sucked in a deep breath of air, as I loosened up my shoulders, moving to the beat of the slow music with Cooper.

                A soft smile appeared on Cooper’s lips, as he suddenly pulled me closer towards him. My eyes widened once I felt his body pressed up against mine, but he didn’t seem to have a problem with it.

                What was wrong with me? The first time a guy actually shows some interest in me, I wanted to cringe and push him away.

                Once the dance was finally over, I immediately pulled away from Cooper. He had a slight from on his face, as I gave him a tight, bitter smile. “I’m going to run to the bathrooms real quick, okay?” I muttered by him quickly, before scattering off the dance floor as an upbeat song suddenly blasted through the speakers.

                Once I made it out in the hallways, I leaned against the wall. I let out a massive sigh, as I buried my face into my palms. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t figure out what the hell was wrong with me.

                “You ran out there pretty fast.”

                My head snapped up, as I stared into Everett’s green eyes. I pursed my lips, letting out a sigh. “I did?” I asked, muttering. “I didn’t even notice.”

                There was an empty position besides me against the wall, as I Everett stood by my right, leaning his head against the wall. I took the time to notice that he was wearing a simple black suit with a classic slim black tie. It was simple, but I would’ve been lying if I said that I didn’t find Everett attractive in a tux.

                “What are you doing out here, anyways?” I asked him, crossing my arms over my chest.

                Everett eyed my dress for a short moment, before he shrugged. “No reason.” He said, running a hand through his already messy hair. “I saw you dancing with Cooper, though.”

                My cheeks immediately flushed red, as I stared at the tiled flooring below my feet. “Oh.” I whispered. “I didn’t even see you come in.”

                Everett shrugged. “I came in while you were all pressed up against Cooper.”

                I wanted to groan with frustration, but I knew I couldn’t. I had to put on a blank face when it came to Everett, even though he knew how to read my expressions. “Really?” I asked, trying to ease my tone so that I wouldn’t seem too eager. “Who did you come with?”

                Everett glanced over to me for a moment, before staring back down at the ground, hard. “Maria.” He mumbled under his breath.

                I raised an eyebrow, before blinking. He came with Maria Lopez? Maria Lopez was what the guys at our school called “the hottest girl”. Maria had a Puerto Rican background, making her skin naturally glow and tanned. She had legs that ran on for days, and to top it all off, she had an exotic Spanish face with high cheekbones.

                Modeling agencies chase after people like Maria Lopez.

                “Oh.” I said. I couldn’t help but notice how defeated my voice sounded. Everett’s eyes suddenly snapped towards me, looking like he had just killed a puppy. I clenched my fists by my sides, biting my lower lip from quivering. I guess we both knew who moved on. “Well, you should get back to her, I guess.”

                I stared at Everett for a long moment, before turning my back on him. I made my way down the hall, back to the ballroom. But, before I could even take three steps, Everett stopped me. His hand wrapped around my arms, as I felt a burning sensation from where he touched me.

                I held in my breath, as I turned back around. Everett had a stern look on his face, as he clenched his jaw. “Riley,” he said my name for the first time in so long, “stay away from Cooper Daniels, okay?”

                I suddenly frowned, as I pulled my arm away from his grip. “What are you talking about?” I stuttered out.

                Everett licked his lips, before rubbing his palm at the back of his neck. “He’s just trying to use you, okay?”

                I blinked, raising an eyebrow. I shook my head, giving Everett a shaky laugh. “You have no idea what you’re saying.”

                Everett shut his eyes for a long moment, before sighing. “You always did bring out the honest side of me, Riley.” He suddenly said, making my heart stop beating. “Cooper doesn’t really like you, okay? Has he ever even spared you a glance before you put on a dress and a pair of heels?”

                My heart fell to the very pit of my stomach, as I choked. I didn’t want to believe it, but at the end of the day, Everett always told the truth when it came to me.

                “I’m only trying to look out for you.” Everett whispered near my ear, as my lip began to quiver.

                I closed my eyes, holding back the tears that were threatening to spill out. I’ve cried over Everett more than enough times throughout the past two years, and he wasn’t about to enjoy himself by seeing my do it once again.

                “I don’t need you to.” I muttered, pushing past his shoulder.

                Leaving Everett alone in the hallways, I sucked up the tears, as I made my way back into the ballroom. I was thankful, once again, that the ballroom was dim lighted, so that no one could see my glossy eyes under the dark.

                I spotted a figure in a violet purple dress coming up to me, as I wiped away my tears with the back of my hand. I sucked in a deep breath, as Cassandra approached me with a grin across her face. “Hey! Where we you?” she asked cheerily, her cheeks glowing in the dark.

                I gave her a weak smile, as I brushed a strand of hair behind my ears. “Bathroom.”

                Cassandra rolled her eyes, as she threw an arm around my shoulder. “Peeing already, Riley?” she giggled. “I wanted to thank you, by the way.”

                I frowned with suddenly genuine confusion. “For what?”

                Cassandra chuckled, pushing my shoulder gently. “As if you don’t know.” She winked. “For telling Max to wear a purple tie to match my dress.”

                I laughed lightly. “Oh, that.”

                Cassandra giggled, nodding. “He even asked me to dance while you were off in the potty room!” she gushed. “You never told me how great of a dancer he was!”

                I laughed, as my eyes met Everett’s across the room. Apparently, he came back from the hallways, and was now chatting up a storm with the beautiful Maria Lopez. I felt jealously burning inside of me, as I stared up at Cassandra with an uneasy smile. “I never knew, either.” I whispered.