“Of course I’m happy with him!”
Birdie had come to stand at my side, looking like an annoyed kitten as she glared at the three boys. She pulled me closer, wrapping her arm through mine.
“Really? He looks like he’ll explode any minute!” The blonde poked at my chest, his glasses rocking on his face. Man, he was wrinkling my suit!
“Hey, hands off!” I finally managed to get words out, pushing his hands away. “You’re ruining my well-groomed look.”
“Well-groomed?” Matthew poked his head from around the blonde’s shoulder, scanning me over with a critical gaze. “I don’t know if I’d say that. Your hair is much too ragged on the ends to be considered ‘well-groomed’. Did you not grease that part?”
I reached up a hand to feel my neck, startled to feel loose hair strands graze my palm. I thought I’d gotten every inch! I pushed it down with a firm slap, crossing my arms.
“Of course I did. I mustn’t have gotten as much as I wanted.”
Almanzo rolled his eyes. “Likely story. You totally forgot! I don’t even see a hint of grease in those strands.”
“Lay off him, you idiot!” Birdie reached forward to slap at his face, the ginger managing to lean back just in time. “Caspian looks wonderful.” Turning to look at me, she put a hand on my chest. “Come on, let’s go out and dance. I don’t want to be around these fools any longer.”
Before I could argue, before I could insist that making me dance would only be embarrassing for both of us, she had me out in the center, still glaring irritably over her shoulder. Julian had turned his attention toward Elaine, surely teasing her over her boyfriend’s absence. Matthew stood solemnly at his side, gaze unimpressed as he stared out at the crowd. Almanzo had already wandered over to the food, practically grinning as he began to pile pizza slices onto a plate.
I could feel the gazes of the surrounding crowd boring into my back, their elbows just centimeters away from bumping into me. The temperature suddenly skyrocketed, causing sweat to bead on my forehead. Birdie had moved to stand in front of me, beginning to rock gently back and forth to the rhythm of the song. I didn’t recognize it; it was some pop song about teenage love. Fitting for a homecoming dance, I suppose.
I wasn’t entirely sure what to do, but I certainly didn’t want to stand still as a stone. Like a barely oiled robot, I tried to follow her movements, swaying awkwardly back and forth. My hips were far too stiff to look natural, my shoulders moving violently from one side to the other. Anyone watching surely thought I was having a seizure, not dancing.
Though I expected her to laugh, Birdie put her hands on my shoulders, beginning to move me back and forth with her. “Loosen up a bit, you goof. You look like an alien.”
Flashing an awkward smile, I chuckled softly, letting my gaze fall to our feet. She even had on baby pink heels. She knew how to dress. “Sorry. I’ve just, uh, never danced before.”
“I can tell,” She giggled softly, taking a step closer to get better control over my movements. She swayed me back and forth, helping me get more fluidity in my movements. “Just feel the rhythm. Follow my movements.” Lowering her voice, she mumbled softly, “No one is looking at you. They’re all too busy with their own shenanigans. Focus on me and let yourself relax.”
Looking over her shoulder, I found that her statement was true. Not a single person on the dance floor was interested in us; all of them were too busy trying to impress their partner. I was worried about the opinion of the wrong person. Why was I trying to impress the uninterested crowd and not the one person who cared?
Pushing my anxiety to the back of my mind, I followed her movements with a bit more rhythm, beginning to feel the music in my muscles. Part of me was tempted to close my eyes, to let it pull me back and forth, but the other part was too busy looking at her. She was in her element, her head bobbing back and forth as she hummed the rhythm softly. Her eyes were just barely open as she looked up at me. Time began to fall away as I looked into her eyes, finding myself lost in the ocean of a warmth I’d never known. It burnt away all the anxiety in my body, allowing me to relax into the moment. Before I knew it, I was moving like a puppet on her string, in exact tune with her movements. The songs switched from one to the other, though we moved as one, immediately fixing our sway to the rhythm of whatever the DJ decided to play next.
By the time she finally pulled away, I was in a state of hypnosis, still trying to sway back and forth.
“I’m starting to get hungry. Wanna go get some pizza with me?”
I had to blink the trance from my eyes as she took my hand in hers, her palm soft and comfortingly warm. I wanted to melt into it.
“Sure.” This time, I began to lead her through the crowd. “All that dancing starting to make you hungry?”
She nodded, sticking close as we dodged screaming girls, flying feet, and flailing arms. “Swaying makes you build up quite the appetite! I could eat a whole pizza.”
There was a small line of people at the pizza stand, just enough to make the end by the door. I held her close against my side, using my broad shoulders to protect us against the blowing autumn wind. The night breeze cut through us like a knife, sending a shiver down my spine. I was cold in a suit; she must’ve been freezing. Nonetheless, she stared ahead, practically drooling as she scanned over the pizza options.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of yellow. Turning toward the doorway, I saw a familiar head of blonde hair watching from the treeline, eyes just barely visible in the moonlight. He was staring right at me, his gaze expectant. What was he doing here? Didn’t he see I was busy? Glancing down at Birdie, I tried to indicate to him that I was preoccupied. In response, he only stared harder, his pupils cutting through my skin. I’d never seen him look at me with such cold expectancy. Was something wrong?
“Hey, I’ll be right back.” I gently pried her off my arm, placing her a few feet ahead so the wind wouldn’t hit her. “Get me a slice of pepperoni, would you? I have to meet up with someone outside. I won’t be long.”
She looked as though she were going to question me, her mouth slightly open, before she nodded. “Alright.”
Making sure she was secure and out of the wind’s way, I scampered out of line, slipping past the blonde at the front and off toward the blonde shadow in the trees. What did he want now?
