Chapter Eighteen #2
“You don’t have to dance like me,” Carly says as Ryder dips her.
She looks at me upside-down. “You just need to find your own rhythm.” She squeals as Ryder hauls her back up with so much power that she’s airborne for a few seconds.
“My man is so strong,” she says as she grabs him by the front of his shirt and yanks him closer to her.
She gives him a sweet kiss on the lips before doing another dance move.
Carly wants to be a choreographer or dance instructor when she’s older.
She basically choreographs the dance team’s routine.
I’ve always been a little jealous of how talented she is.
I can’t say I have any talents. My mom claims being good at school is just as much of a gift as anything else is, but come on.
It won’t matter how good I am at school when I’m older.
Unless I stay in school perpetually or get a job in education.
I am open to the idea of being a teacher if I decide not to go into the medical field, or at least a tutor, but I think I prefer to help save lives.
“You’re thinking too much, Soph,” Carly says as she creates this whole amazing routine right there on the spot. “You just have to let go and feel the music.”
“I wasn’t thinking about dance,” I tell her. “I was thinking about what job I want in the future.”
Carly raises a brow. “You’re thinking about your career when you’re supposed to be having fun at a party? Ugh.” She rubs her forehead. “I’ve failed.”
I laugh. “Sorry. My mind just wandered.”
“Then let it wander right back to dance.” She takes my hands and demonstrates an easy move. “Just follow along with me. It’s really not that hard.”
I start to move my body a bit. I admit it’s not hard to follow along with Carly, but can I say it’s a lot of fun? Nope. But maybe I would feel differently about slow dancing. I’m sure I would love experiencing that with a guy I love.
If I ever find him. If he even exists.
“See! You’re doing great,” Carly encourages.
As much as I don’t like dancing, it’s fun doing it with my friends. We always have a blast together, no matter what we do. Carly creates a few easier dance moves that have Raven and me following pretty easily, and to my surprise, a few kids join as well.
“Dance unites people no matter where they’re from,” she says with a smile.
Part of the reason I don’t like to dance is because I hate to sweat.
That explains why my lowest grade is in PE.
I know it may sound pathetic, but sports are not my thing.
Well, moving too much isn’t really my thing.
Which is why I need to take a break when I’m hot and feel sweat gathering on my forehead.
“I’m getting a drink,” I tell my friends. “Anyone want anything?”
When they tell me they’re good, I walk away from the dance floor and weave my way through the dancing bodies until I find myself at the punch bowl.
A tall, skinny guy with red hair stands there staring into the bowl.
“Did a bug fall in or something?” I ask.
He jumps like he didn’t know someone was standing right next to him.
“Sorry,” I say. The guy looks familiar, but I can’t place him.
He waves his hand. “It’s cool. I didn’t hear you come by because of the loud music.”
“I gather you’re not a fan of the loud music, either?”
He shakes his head with a smile. “I have sensitive ears.”
I study him for a second, and then I realize why he looks familiar. “You’re a sophomore at Harrington Bay Academy, right?”
He nods. “Yep. What school do you go to?”
“I go to the same school as you. I’m a junior.”
His eyes widen. He sheepishly rubs the back of his neck. “Sorry about that. I’m really bad with faces and names. I don’t even remember my grandma sometimes.”
That makes me laugh. “It’s okay. I’m kind of invisible at the school. I’m a scholarship student.”
“I’m on scholarship, too. A sports scholarship. I play soccer for the school.”
“Oh. Sorry, I don’t really watch the sports games.”
He waves his hand again. “That’s cool. I’m sure I’ve seen you around, though. You look familiar.”
“Yeah. I’ve seen you around, too.”
We stand before each other in silence.
I laugh slightly. “So…is there a bug in the punch?”
“What? Oh, no,” he says with a laugh. “I was trying to determine if the punch is spiked.”
I gape at him. “Are you serious?”
He shrugs. “You can never be too careful.” He grabs a cup and stares down at the pink liquid. “Do you want to take the risk or should I?”
“There’s no way in heck I’m consuming alcohol.”
“I’ll take one for the team.” He gathers some with the ladle and pours it into his cup. After taking a deep breath, he brings the cup to his lips and downs the entire thing.
He makes the most disgusted face I’ve ever seen.
“So there is alcohol?” I hiss. That’s it—I’m grabbing my friends and leaving.
He shakes his head as he wipes his mouth. “No alcohol. It’s just the worst punch I’ve ever had in my life.”
“Really?” I say with a giggle.
“You need to see for yourself.”
“Okay. You made me really curious.”
I get a cup and pour some punch into it. I also take a deep breath before taking a long sip. The guy watches me with an amused expression.
“It’s not bad at all!” I say.
He chuckles. “Are you serious now?”
“Are you a punch critic or something?” I down the rest of the punch. “It’s the best punch I’ve ever had.”
He laughs again. “To each their own, I guess. I’m Stewie, by the way.”
“Sophie.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Hmm, I wonder why you’re not on the list,” I say.
His brows shoot up. “What list?”
It feels like I just got rammed by a speeding truck. How the heck did that slip out of my mouth? With blazing cheeks, I stammer, “Sorry, what?” I grab the ladle and pour more punch into my cup.
“You said…never mind. Hey, do you want to dance?”
“I hate dancing.” My eyes widen when I realize what I once again let slip from my lips. “I mean, I’m not the best dancer, but sure, I’d love to dance.”
My friends gape at me when they catch me back on the dance floor with Stewie. Addie stares at him in total shock and confusion, as though wondering how she forgot about him.
“You’re not that bad,” he says once we start dancing.
“You’re just being nice.”
He laughs. “Okay, I admit it.” His head moves right and left, as though searching for someone.
“Who are you looking for?” I ask.
“What?” His eyes snap back to mine. “Oh, nothing. Just having fun with you.” He beams.
Call me crazy, but I have this odd feeling that he’s not actually having fun with me. His eyes dart around the area again.
Then it dawns on me. Is he embarrassed to be seen dancing with me? If that’s the case, why did he offer? But then he gives me this genuine smile, and I realize it’s all in my head.
We dance for a while. We don’t really say much, just smile at each other from time to time. When I glance at my friends, they give me thumbs up. Hmm, maybe this is a potential guy?
Suddenly, a girl marches over and steps right in front of me.
Um, what the heck?
Glaring up at Stewie, she demands, “What are you doing here with her?”
Stewie shrugs like he doesn’t care for her. “She’s my date and I’m dancing with her. You have a problem with that?”
Say, what? I’m his date? That’s news to me. What the heck is going on?
The girl turns around and gives me a once-over. I recognize her as a sophomore at my school, but from the look on her face, she has no clue who I am. She whips around so fast her hair slaps my face. “Did you seriously dump me for her?”
“You’re the one who dumped me, Alyssa!”
“Wait, wait, wait.” I push myself between the two of them and throw my hands on my hips. “Do either of you want to tell me what’s going on?”
“He’s mine!” the girl barks at me. “So stay away.”
I hold up my hands. “I just met him a few minutes ago. He asked me to dance.”
“What do you mean you met him a few minutes ago?” The girl, Alyssa, looks at Stewie for an explanation.
Stewie’s cheeks are pink as his eyes move from Alyssa to me. With a sheepish laugh, he rubs the back of his neck and says, “I was trying to get you jealous, Alyssa.”
Her face, which was full of murder only seconds ago, softens. “Really? You were trying to get me jealous?”
“Yeah.” He moves closer and takes her hand. “I’ve been miserable since you broke up with me.”
“Stewie!” She looks like she’s ready to fly to the moon. “I thought you didn’t care about me. When I saw you dancing with someone else, I lost it.”
He grins. “I’m glad you lost it.”
They move their heads together and giggle.
“Wait a second,” I say.
They turn their heads to me like they forgot I exist.
“Are you saying you were using me to get your ex jealous?” I ask the guy.
“It wasn’t my intention at first,” he admits. “But once we were talking, I figured I had nothing to lose.”
“And what about what I lost?” I demand. Is this dude for real?
He shrugs. “Sorry. All’s fair in love and war.”
I look at the girl to see if she’ll have my back on this one, but she snuggles up to him and giggles like she just won the grand prize.
“Unbelievable,” I mutter before marching away.
I’ve been used before, especially by my classmates who wanted to pick my brain before a test, but never like this.
Gosh, it feels horrible. Not that I was in love with the dude or anything—I didn’t get to know him enough to see if I even liked him—but to just use someone like that?
“Sophie?” Addie asks in a concerned voice when I join them on the dance floor. “What happened?”
“We heard some shouting from that girl,” Raven says.
“How the heck was I dragged into their drama?” I grumble. When my friends give me blank faces, I say, “He was just using me to make his ex jealous.”
“Seriously?” Ryder asks as he glares at him. “What a jerk.”
“Are you okay, Sophie?” Carly asks.
“I think so,” I say, putting on a smile. “At least his ex confronted him before things went too far.”
Addie wraps her arm around me. “I’m really sorry, Sophie.”
“It’s not your fault. He wasn’t on the list.”
For some reason, that makes all of us laugh.
“What do you say we get out of here and watch one of your favorite romance movies?” Raven suggests.
“And you can pick the snacks.” Carly smiles. “Just please choose some chocolate, too.”
I smile, feeling warm by how much they care about me. “Thanks, guys.”