Chapter 31
31
Sonny
A fter Professor Whitlock’s cryptic warning, I kept close to the shadows and tried my best to blend in with larger groups for the remainder of the night, hopeful of finding my mysterious date before they found me.
The tense atmosphere of the room slowly faded away as dates were revealed and paired off. At the same time, the slow, ambient music transitioned into more upbeat songs as groups of friends began bouncing around together. Faculty and members of the council started filtering out to let the younger people have fun.
I observe from the sidelines nursing a cocktail, the way I always tend to do at social functions. I want so badly to be like Poppy and charge headfirst into the action without a care in the world. To walk right up to a member of the board and strike up a conversation, leaving a lasting impression that will help me in the future. That was one of the biggest reasons for coming tonight.
Poppy would thrive here. She could always turn on this proverbial switch and have people gravitating toward her without ever realizing it. Everything about her is infectious, while I remain overlooked.
I used to attribute that to a difference in personality, but I’m quickly learning that was how her gifts were manifesting all along. Standing in the background is natural to me, because that’s how I can use my own gifts most effectively.
It’s hard to be someone you’re not, and far too easy to crumble under the weight of social anxiety. Everyone knows each other so well. It’s like there’s an impenetrable wall built around them to keep outsiders away.
I’m a pathetic, antisocial pariah.
“Finally,” a familiar voice calls from my left, where the doors to the bathrooms sit.
Hayes rounds the table beside mine and stumbles before me, a large smile splitting his face in half. Two guys walk up behind him, but quickly get distracted and head toward the dance floor with drinks in hand.
“Hey,” I greet, my voice shockingly cheerful at the prospect of finally finding someone I know. “I had no idea you’d be here.”
“If I didn’t come, I wouldn’t have been able to hunt my date.” Flashing his teeth, he wiggles his eyebrows playfully and splays his fingers toward me in a dramatic presentation.
“Wait . . . you’re the one who sent the invite?”
Quickly nodding, his real smile grows again. “You didn’t know? I thought for sure that you all had figured it out, since my dad is on the board. It was pretty fun to hear all your theories.”
His dad is on the board.
I can’t form words, so I just stand there with my jaw slack and eyes bulging. How many conversations did we have in front of him over the past two weeks, planning for tonight?
Shit, how many embarrassing, negative things did I say about the event when I thought it was safe?
Hayes continues talking, completely unbothered by my silence. “You couldn’t pay me to be here otherwise. It’s like a high school reunion.”
He glances around at our peers with a grimace, then returns his attention to his drink. In one long gulp, he empties the glass and slams it onto the table beside us.
I follow the motions with my eyes, trying to figure out how the hell Ava and Beatrix missed this huge detail about Hayes when they’ve known him for years.
Of course, his father is on the board. How else could he have secured the job with Whitlock?
Finally, I gather myself together enough to ask, “Why did you invite me ?”
Why not anyone else who would surely appreciate it more? I question in my head.
“Because I like you, Ellery,” he simply says, as if it’s obvious. “I knew you’d be able to add something fun to the mix for once.”
I don’t have the heart to tell him I’m the farthest thing from fun. That I’ve been cowering in the shadows all night instead of getting into the spirit of things like everyone else.
Instead, I mumble a shy, “Thank you,” and then shift my attention to the dance floor.
“Want a drink? You look like you need one, and I feel like I need three.”