The school was overflowing with people. A long line of students, all dressed in fancy suits or large, elaborate dresses, stood outside the gymnasium door and wound around the corner. The atmosphere was alight with excitement, considering that our team had won by a whopping twenty points. I’d never seen so many well-dressed people before. In comparison to the suits with fancy brooches and patterned ties, I suddenly felt out of place. Was my suit not good enough? Was my hair too greasy?
A heavy force tackled me from behind, sending a startled yelp flying from my lips.
“Caspian! Oh, you look so amazing!”
It was Birdie. Turning around, I felt my mouth go dry. Just as she’d planned, she was adorned in a fluffy pink dress, one with long ruffles and sequins going up the torso. The sleeves were short and puffy, falling just below her shoulders. It was the first time I’d ever seen her in makeup. Her eyes were dusted with a light coating of pink eyeshadow, and her lips accented with pink gloss. She looked astonishing. My suit really wasn’t enough. Was my tie even the right color of pink? I was no longer sure.
Behind her, Almanzo and his two cronies were rough-housing in the parking lot, throwing punches and pulling at their neatly done hair. Julian had Matthew in a headlock, trying to get him to surrender while Almanzo tugged on the tails of his suit. A few girls passing by shot them disgusted looks, ensuring to keep their distance as they headed for the line. Birdie averted her gaze awkwardly, scowling softly.
“What idiots. They can’t even control themselves for one night.” Grabbing onto my arm, she began to drag me toward the door. “Come on, Caspian. Let’s get away from those lunatics.”
I followed her, consciously straightening my posture so that I now stood a head taller than she did. Usually, my posture was the least of my worries, but now, with such an elegant partner, I needed to look semi-put-together. I’m sure it wouldn’t look great on either of us if I were hunched over like a caveman the whole night.
As we stood in line, she reached up to pinch at my cheek, her touch soft. “You look so cute! Your hair is really starting to grow out. I think I like the longer hair on you, Caspian. And that tie of yours! It’s the same color as my dress!”
Now that I looked down at it, I realized that I’d done something right. My intuition on picking the baby pink tie over the hot pink one had done me good. I also realized that I had yet to pay her a single compliment. I’d been too flabbergasted when she appeared to say anything.
“You look great, too.” The line was moving quickly ahead of us, pushing us closer to the door, where music blared inside. “Not even great. You look exquisite.”
“Aww, you’re too sweet!” She leaned closer, as though seeking warmth from the autumn breeze. “It’s not much, but it’s the best thing I could find.”
“Not much?!” I sputtered out the words as we approached the door, pulling the two tickets from my pocket and handing them to the exhausted blonde at the door. She gave us a half-hearted nod and let us in. Immediately, we were covered in strobe lights and surrounded by the smells of cologne, sweat, and pizza. “You look like royalty!”
As we navigated the crowd, she clutched my arm to her chest, waving me off with the other hand. “You’re too flattering.”
I let her take the lead, following in her footsteps as she headed for the back corner, where I could see Elaine nursing a cup of fruit punch. Her boyfriend, a ragged, ginger boy with an uncentered tie, was dashing across the crowded dance floor, dodging hands and feet, to go wash a grease stain off his shirt.
She glanced up as we arrived, her eyes rounding. “Oh my goodness, you both look great!”
Birdie positioned me at her side, facing the dance floor, as she began to chatter with her friend. I could barely hear what they were saying over the music being blasted from the DJ at the party’s front. He was a middle-aged brunette with a backwards cap and a red sweatshirt. His voice, loud and full of fake enthusiasm, echoed off the wall as he switched from song to song, trying to encourage more students to come out to dance. My hands began to sweat as the possibility of Birdie dragging me out there suddenly became much too possible.
“Caspian!”
Almanzo, Julian, and Matthew had finally arrived, pushing past a sea of other jocks to approach us. Birdie curled her lip in irritation, her eyes narrowing as the smug stooges stood confidently before us.
“Done making a fool of yourselves?” She practically spat out the words.
“We were just having a little fun! No need to be such a buzzkill.” Julian reached forward to ruffle her hair, though he was quickly slapped away. “Why are you so cranky? Not happy with the performance Smarty-pants here is putting on?”
My cheeks ran red. Was I being a disappointment? Now that I thought about it, I had barely spoken. Did she think I wasn’t interested? That I was just trying to get through the night with her? Oh no…that must be the case. I hadn’t even been inside for five minutes, and I was already screwing things up!
