AllFreeNovel
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Twenty-One
The main perk of being a designated driver is that I don’t have to squeeze into a school bathroom stall with three other girls, share a plastic bottle covered in various shades of lipstick, and pretend to like straight vanilla vodka for the sake of getting drunk in order to tolerate a dance I don’t even want to be at.
For what will probably end up being at least fifteen minutes, Corrine, Kayla, and Juniper have left me standing against the gym wall while couples grind on each other to songs I think I know the words to, just for an hour’s buzz. Other people would look creepy with a camera in a dimly lit school dance, but I think I’d look creepier without it. Just standing here. By myself. Miserable. At least I have purpose this way. And don’t look as pathetic as I feel.
I gather B-roll to help set the scene of high school life for Holden in my documentary, but realize quickly that it could also work as headset footage of what Trevor’s missing. Assuming Trevor would be a wallflower at dances. I sweep the Technicolor dance floor and zoom into Macy’s happy face as she shoutsthe words of the upbeat song vibrating the room, capture Mr. Nitt and Mr. Roland flirting, and then stop the whole way on the other side of the gym where Devon Miles Smith stands with some other guys, all of them looking completely pissed off to be here. As if it were mandatory for them like Corrine made it for me.
Someone steps in front of my lens—like, super close so all I can see is darkness—and I prepare to yell at whoever it is, but I’m rendered slightly speechless when I see Holden. He’s wearing a black button-down shirt rolled up to his elbows, black slacks that were most likely tailored for him for a wedding or a funeral or something considering how well they fit, and shiny black dress shoes with red thread for a pop of color, and his hair is perfectly curly, reflecting some of the blue mood lighting.
He smiles. “Been looking for you.”
“Why?” It stops me in my tracks, even though I should have been looking for him. The documentary, the headset, all excusable reasons to have sought him out. And yet, none of those are his excuse.
“To hang out.”
My heart starts thumping into overdrive. If Corrine is ever going to leave that bathroom, I know it’s going to be now. I’m not doing anything wrong; why do I feel like I’ve been caught red-handed? “Taj and Mara busy?”
He dips his hands into his pockets and laughs. “Mara is at a sleepover, for your information. And Taj—” He glances over his shoulder. “Taj is attempting to break-dance while Nita pretends not to know him.”
“I’m here with Corrine.” I don’t know why I say it. It’s notlike he couldn’t assume that. Maybe a part of me hopes he’ll scurry off, take the hint that we can’t be seen together.
“Is she your date?”
“Yeah, jealous? I bet when she was your date, she never forced you to go to dances and then abandoned you for backwashed vodka.”
He stares at me, a bemused smile on his face.
“Okay, so she did that,” I say with a laugh, “but at least you got something out of it like a make-out session. I’m just going to have bleeding feet.” I lift one leg to show him my heels. Black, like his outfit.
“Ditch the shoes. I’ve seen like twenty girls stumbling out of theirs.”
One of the strobe lights flashes over us and it feels like a spotlight catching me mid-something-I-shouldn’t-be-doing. I sink back closer to the wall. Unfortunately, Holden follows.
“And what do I do once I’ve done that?”
He offers me his hand. “Let’s dance.”
Something explodes in my chest and rains down into my gut. “I told you. I don’t dance.”
He nods to my camera. “Pretty sure we have footage that disproves that.” His eyes widen. “Oh, hey. I forgot. Vice and Virtual emailed me. They want me to do one last interview for their web series. I figured you’d want to be there when I do.”
“Where are we going this time?”
“They’re just doing a video chat. We can do it at my house.”
“Wow, Saine, you pounce quick.” Devon Miles Smith joins us.
I narrow my eyes at him. “Excuse me?”
“You guys are going to ‘do it at his house’?” He cuts to Holden. “You did date Corrine Baker, right? I know she’s talking to Logan now, but wait until the body’s cold before screwing her best friend, maybe?”
It’s hard to tell in this lighting, but I’m pretty sure Holden’s face has lost what little color he had to start.
“Did you want something, Devon Miles Shithead?” I ask, putting my camera back in my bag and pushing it under the table with all our jackets and bags.
“Yeah. Seen Juniper?” He looks around me, searching for her and not giving me the time of day. “I saw you guys walk in together. Where is she?”
Holden glances between us. “I guess I’ll, uh, see you later.”
