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“Why thank you, angel.” His arm flexed under her grip. “Let’s go have the time of our lives.” They walked forward into the gym.
“Have fun!” Kimmy called after them.
Eyes tracked the couple as they walked through the crowd. She wondered if people heard about the scene she and Joliet made in her bedroom. If that was the case, dozens of people would know that she was not supposed to be there.
That would have bothered her three weeks ago. Now it was no more than a mosquito buzz in her ear. She was here to enjoy her last year of high school, audience or not.
“Quick, two o’clock,” Nathan muttered in her ear, and Tully guided her eyes in that direction. She went lightheaded, her hand gripped Nathan’s arm tighter. “You said you wanted to see the look on her face.”
Joliet was blank. No fake smile, no disgust. Nothing. The sparkle and shine of her allure was a mirage when she didn’t know what to do. Her friends stood around her, with wide eyes and slack jaws. Tricia, right beside her, whispered something into Joliet’s ear and Joliet’s lip twitched.
Tully floated above the rest of the gym. This was the most satisfying ‘screw you’ she could imagine, and it was all thanks to Nathan. She would be in her bedroom moping without him. Joliet had tried to hold her back and it hadn’t worked because here she was arm in arm with the one person Joliet wanted. A delighted laugh hit her at full force, and she didn’t try to hide it as Nathan led her onto the dance floor. “Maneater” by Hall and Oates started up and couples and friends danced to the beat.
“Dance with me, angel.”
“I don’t know the first thing about dancing,” Tully said.
Nathan adjusted so her grip on his arm slid into his hand and turned her so they were facing each other. “It’s not that hard, just move.” He swayed to make an example of himself. Tully watched him for a few seconds, and chuckled. He wasn’t half bad at keeping the rhythm. “Follow me.” He grabbed her other hand and forced her body to move with his. Side to side, back and forth. She let him. Slowly, Tully followed his lead, mirroring all his movements. The dimmed lights of the gym made it easier to let go of everything around her. She wasn’t as worried about people judging her when she had Nathan’s hands holding her to the ground.
They smiled at each other, their grins growing the more they let loose. When the music picked up, Nathan spun her and she giggled as the string lights blurred around her. He did it again and again and again.
What made it all so easy was the fact thatnoneof it was fake. Her beams, her laughs, the race of her heart. Every part of it was real. Shewantedto be there with Nathan. The phrase ‘cloud nine’ made more sense than it ever had: just standing with him, holding his hand, standing in his arms. Nathan Rondeau was elation personified.
When was the last time she felt so carefree?
They danced to several songs nonstop. One slow song came on, and Nathan took the lead like a proper gentleman. He did offer for her to stand on his feet, but she denied the opportunity to smash his toes and stuck to swaying back and forth with one of his hands holding hers and the other settled low on her waist.
“Was it worth it?” he asked, and she removed her eyes from his feet to look at his curious glance. “Another week of grounding.”
She tilted her head and contemplated it, but the answer was clearer than a cloudless day. She nodded. “Worth that and more.”
The corner of his mouth upturned. “Which part?”
“All of it.” She observed the room meeting Stephanie’s eyes. A young kid, maybe a freshman or sophomore a head shorter than Stephanie was awkwardly holding her waist. Stephanie pleaded silently over his head. Poor Stephanie. Too kind-hearted to turn down the poor kid when he asked her for a dance. “I feel . . . content.”
It wasn’t enough to capture the extent of the fullness in her chest, but it satisfied Nathan and he let go of her waist to pull her into another twirl that he loved so much. “Then I’ve done my job.”
Mid-spin, the music faded and feedback from a microphone made the students flinch. People groaned and yelled out towards the stage where Principal Fordham had taken over a makeshift stage backed by a homemade backdrop. Nathan didn’t drop her hand though, even when they stopped dancing and turned towards the principal struggling to get the feedback reined in.
“Hello, hello. Testing.” Principal Fordham tapped the top of the microphone, designating it clear for use. “Hello, Richmond High!” Students whooped and cheered while pushing to get closer to the stage. “We’re halfway through the night, which means it’s time for us to make the long-awaited announcement: Homecoming King and Queen.”
Cheers, followed by more pushing. Tully lost her hold on Nathan’s hand when someone nudged past her too hard.
“Let’s go find the others,” Nathan said. Tully pushed her way backward out of the thick of student bodies. Kimmy, Tommy, and even Stephanie were back by the refreshment table, putting some distance between them and the stage so they wouldn’t get strangled in the humidity of too many sweaty kids in one place.
“Shouldn’t you be up by the stage?” Tommy asked and pushed Nathan in the shoulder. “They’re going to call your name.”
Nathan waved him off but didn’t deny it.
“First up: our Homecoming Queen.” Principal Fordham motioned off stage and a teacher came running up with two pieces of paper. The students quieted, for the most part. Hecklers tempted a response from the principal, but years of his occupation most likely taught him enough patience to ignore them and open the first of two papers. “Drum roll please.” A scattered slapping and thumping preceded the name, “Joliet Harding.”
No surprise. People clapped, some hollered in support. Tully frowned. Stephanie grumbled under her breath. “Figures.”
An uncomfortable twist in her gut caught Tully off guard. She didn’t feel that often: the stinging burning scratch of uncomfortable jealousy. The weirdest part was it wasn’t towards Joliet who beamed under the hot lights of the stage.
“And now your King,” Principal Fordham opened the second piece. Tully glanced at Nathan standing beside her. She already knew the name written there, andthatwas what made her jealous. “Nathan Rondeau.”
She needed a drink. Nathan walked to the stage as people patted him on the back and congratulated him the whole way up. Joliet eyed him until he stood next to her and Tully’s chest burned.
