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“I can definitely deliver that.” I pulled him a little closer, our bodies moving to the rhythm of the music. I barely even realized we were dancing together, Shy grinding on me as I moved us left and right. I wanted to lean in and kiss him, but I felt that would be too risky.
Under the foam, Shy put a hand on my chest. He leaned in dangerously close. I could feel his breath against my lips. “Before we get too carried away, let’s find Ace and Rex.” He dropped his feet to the ground.
We made our way through the foam, keeping our eyes peeled for the innocent-faced Ace and his burly boyfriend. We spotted Jada and Ken, but they were busy tongue wrestling against the wall, and we didn’t want to interrupt. It wasn’t much longer until we bumped into Ace and Rex, grinding up on each other like they were trying to start a fire for everyone to gather around.
“Oh hey, studmuffins,” Ace said, bouncing off of Rex to give us each a foam-covered hug.
“Hey, guys.” Rex hugged us, too.
“We were actually gonna go get drinks, come with!” Ace motioned over to the side of the room where the foam seemed to end. There was a bar set against the wall, where a tall and full Christmas tree sat, its branches flocked with fake snow, its top glowing with a bright golden star.
At the bar, we took stock of how wet the foam had made us. It looked like the four of us had taken a dip in the pool. I ordered myself a Moscow mule and got Shy a vodka tonic. We cheered when Ace and Rex got their drinks, an excitement buzzing in the air, heightened by the great music and the better drinks.
Ace leaned on Rex as we stood by a tall round table. “I invited Lou,” he said, “but he’s going to the outdoor movie by the pool, and then he’s breaking up with his girlfriend.”
Shiro almost spit out his drink. “He’s breaking up with her?”
“No, just joking. Well, less of a joke and more of me speaking my wants to the universe. I don’t know. Some girl in the suite next to us is really into horoscopes and crystals, and she told me I had to do that more often. Speak things into existence.” He lifted up his swirling red and pink drink. “So, here’s to that.”
The group laughed at that.
“Well, Lou could definitely find better,” Shy said. “She’s barely said more than five sentences the entire time we’ve been here. I think she’s trying to assimilate with her phone.”
“That’s a very strong possibility,” Ace said. After hanging out with them for the past week, I had come to learn that Shy and Ace were the closest in the group. They seemed to have shared the most, and their experiences definitely shaped them into being close friends.
“What have you guys been up to today?” Rex asked, his booming voice not having a difficult time to be heard over the music.
Before I could answer, something had caught Shy’s attention. He nudged me with an elbow and tilted his head back, pointing his chin.
I looked to where Shiro pointed. Luna walked toward us, having taken the route around all the foam, staying completely dry in her jeans and shirt. She held something in her hand, and there was an urgent look in her eyes. I’d seen it only a few times before. Once when there had been a credible terrorist threat on the palace and another when Eli had been found unconscious in the garden after eating something he shouldn’t have. Thankfully, both of those situations had good outcomes, but I’d never forgotten Luna’s face, one that appeared twisted in pain and set in stone at the same time.
What could have…
Another photo.
14 Shiro Brooks
Nick had walked away with Luna, who appeared as if she was acting as the bearer of some very bad news. I half expected her to pull out a scythe and say she was now the grim reaper and our time was up. Instead, she took Nick to the side of the room and showed him something on his phone. I tried not to pay too much attention to Nick and instead tried to listen to the story Ace was animatedly telling, but I couldn’t help myself, especially when Nick’s face lost all color and his jaw dropped, covered by a hand which quickly turned into an angry fist. Without even looking back, Nick stormed off, leaving Luna in his wake, trailing behind him with a jogger’s pace.
“What? What happened?” Ace started to look around, trying to figure out what had caught my attention.
Should I chase after Nick? Part of me wanted to, but I didn’t move from my spot. I just shook my head, as confused as Ace.
