57. Chapter 57
Chapter 57
Sloane
W e arrive at the ballroom on the second floor of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, and who do I immediately see? None other than Dave, my first kiss and the boy who compared girls to shoes. Standing with Dave is Tracy, a sweet girl whose parents were clients of my mom's. "Hey," I say to Tracy and Dave. "This is Evan."
Evan holds up a hand in a wave. "Hi."
I am not sure if Dave and Tracy know who Evan is, but he is so gorgeous and has such star quality, even if you don't recognize him, you know he's someone, and he's definitely not a high school senior. "Hi," Tracy says, and I imagine that my face looks just as happy and sparkly when I look at Evan as hers does right now.
I explain to them that Evan is worried they won't let us in with him dressed how he is and Dave says, "Here, take my jacket." He slips off his tuxedo jacket and hands it to Evan.
"Are you sure?" Evan asks as he takes the black jacket.
"Yeah, we'll come in behind you, and I'll get it from you." Dave is smiling and eager to help.
"Thanks," I say as Evan slides his arms into the jacket, then takes my hand. "Ready?" I ask him. He nods, and we stride toward the ballroom doors with purpose. Of course, no one even stops us, not even to take my money for the tickets I haven't paid for. It’s so late that no one is manning the doors anymore. I look up at him and smile brightly, "See? I told you I'd get us in."
He chuckles, and his mouth turns up into a smile. He gives my hand a squeeze as we head into the ballroom.
***
As we walk into the room, I'm surprised at what I see. I guess I had built up the idea of prom so much and watched enough teen movies to expect it to be an extravagantly decorated affair. It's not. There's a hand-painted banner of the Atlanta skyline behind the DJ and a few bunches of balloons scattered around, but that's it. There's really nothing special about it, except for the date on my arm. I turn to look for Tracy and Dave, and Evan turns with me. I see them heading our way and wave. "Thanks so much," I tell Dave as Evan releases my hand and slides the jacket off.
"You bet," Dave says with a wink.
"Yeah, thanks, man," Evan says as he hands Dave's jacket back to him. He takes my hand again. "Let's go dance!"
I wave at Tracy and Dave, "Bye!"
As we near the dance floor, I see Kurt and Shelly. "Ooh, we have to say hi to my friend, Kurt. He's a big fan-," I stop myself. "Oh, if that's okay?"
Evan smiles at me, "Sure, yeah."
Kurt's back is to me, and I tap him on the shoulder. He spins around and at first looks shocked to see me, then blurts out, "Holy crap, it's Evan Dando!"
I can't help but laugh. I turn to Evan. "This is my good friend Kurt and his girlfriend, Shelly."
Evan holds out his hand, first to Shelly, then to Kurt. "Hey, nice to meet you."
"Oh my gosh, it's great meeting you." Kurt shakes Evan's hand with such enthusiasm, I'm afraid he might yank his arm right out of socket. Once he lets go, he looks at me. "How did you two…" he points to me then Evan.
"She told me her date backed out and asked if I wanted to come," Evan says as if it's no big deal.
I don't think Kurt's mouth has closed since we walked up. It's just hanging open in awe. "I had to make sure to introduce you," I tell him. "But we just got here so we're gonna go dance."
"Uh, yeah, you kids have fun," Kurt jokes as Evan grabs my hand again. "Nice meeting you."
"You, too," Evan says with a wave, then leads me to the dance floor.
I spot Tyler and Sara across the room. I’m about to tell Evan that I want to introduce him to one last person, but I realize that Tyler and Sara look serious, like perhaps they are arguing. Tyler’s stature is rigid and his arms are folded across his chest as Sara talks with her hands. Yeah, we’re not going to interrupt whatever is going on over there.
I'm generally a self-conscious person in front of groups of people, especially when it comes to dancing, but as we reach the dance floor, I feel like Evan and I are the only people in this hotel ballroom. It helps that Prince’s ‘Raspberry Beret’ is playing because I love this song. I haven't stopped smiling since I picked up Evan, and I love seeing that he's smiling, too. We move to the quick beat, hopping and shaking without a care in the world. When Prince's song comes to an end, the DJ fades it out and the recognizable notes of Eric Clapton's guitar plucking fill the room. ‘Tears in Heaven’ begins playing, and while it's a terribly sad song, I'm thrilled that it's a slow song, partly because I'm not the best fast dancer, but also because I want to slow dance with the most handsome guy at prom.
As Evan takes my right hand in his left, I rest my left hand on his shoulder. Heat runs through me as my nerves and awkwardness start to get the best of me. I silently pray that my deodorant holds up. I think the last time I danced with a boy was at my cousin’s wedding two years ago and that boy wasn’t a gorgeous rock star.
Evan seems to notice my nerves and smiles sweetly, “This is kind of a weird song to play at a prom, huh?”
My nerves immediately disappear as I laugh. “Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.”
Evan pulls me closer, and I rest my chin on his shoulder. I'm lost in the moment and just before the song ends, my gaze is pulled to the lobby beyond the ballroom doors.
"Oh, my gosh! My mom is here.” I see my mom and Bryn scanning the crowd. I can't believe it.
"Really?" Evan says as he turns to look. "Cool, I'd love to meet her."
Could he be any sweeter? "Yeah?" I ask.
"Totally," he says as he takes my hand and leads me toward the doors.
Evan Dando just might be the nicest person I’ve ever met.