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I start walking backwards out of the crowd when Ethan returns to his feet. He spins slowly, looking around. He spots me over the heads of the others and grins. He starts doing the latest TikTok dance trend. Everyone around us laughs and joins in. Ethan points to me through the crowd. I shake my head. He nods and throws out his best moves as he makes his way toward me.
I gulp down some air and start imitating him. I’m sure I look awkward and clumsy, but the crowd in between us catches on and they part to let me pass. I move all the way to Ethan. When I reach him, he puts a hand behind my back and dips me dramatically. The students surrounding us clap. I look up into Ethan’s crystal blue eyes.
“This is how much fun we could be having if you let me take you to prom.” He raises an eyebrow, waiting for my response.
“I haven’t decided for sure yet,” I say.
“I guess I better do some more convincing then.” He waggles his eyebrows up and down.
I laugh. “I guess so.”
He pulls me back up to standing and teaches me some more dance moves. We laugh until my cheeks hurt.
“Did you get all that?” he asks. I glance over and realize one of his friends is holding up a phone. He nods and hands the phone back to Ethan.
“Were you live streaming that?” I ask.
“Yeah, of course,” Ethan says. “I promised my followers a party tonight.”
I wonder how much of our conversation was captured. Then I think about my awkward attempts to dance. Ethan doesn’t give me much time to dwell on it. He puts his arm around me and pulls me in tight.
“Come on, let’s get a pic,” he says. He holds his camera up to take a selfie. I lean in and smile. Right before snapping the picture, Ethan turns his head and licks my cheek.
“Ew!” I scream and pull away.
Ethan laughs, holding up his phone for me to see. I have to admit, the picture is hilarious.
“I’m posting this,” he says. “With the hashtag, team Ethan.”
I laugh and wipe his saliva away with the back of my hand. “And you think that picture will help your cause?”
Absolutely,” Ethan says. I admire his confidence.
“I need a drink,” I say, over the thumping speakers.
“What?” He holds a hand to his ear.
I imitate drinking with my hand; my thumb towards my mouth and my pinkie extended.
He nods and I push my way through the mob of kids. I didn’t think it was possible for the party to get more crowded, but it definitely has. I take baby steps down the hall, trying to get past the groups of talkers. I find my way to the kitchen and I’m surprised to see Henry’s mom handing out sodas and refilling bags of chips. At least I assume she is his mom. The small Asian woman standing before me is way too old to be a classmate.
“What can I get for you dear?” she asks.
“I’m thirsty,” I say.
“I’ve got just about every kind of soda you can think of.”
“I’ll take a Coke, thanks.”
I grab my soda can and stand beside the table. A group of juniors are playing a game around the table. I recognize most of them as my brother’s friends. I stand behind a chair and watch for a couple minutes, while sipping my drink. This is not what I expected a high school party to be like. But I guess the only parties I’ve attended have been via Netflix.
I leave the kitchen and stand on my tiptoes to scan the living room. Ethan is still dancing, amid a group of other kids. I need a break from dancing, and it doesn’t look like he’s waiting for me. I turn the other way instead and walk down the stairs. The basement is one large game room. As soon as I walk down the stairs, my skin begins to prickle. There’s a group of baseball players around the pool table. They’re holding bottles behind their backs. But as soon as they realize I’m not “the mom”, the bottles come back out. One of them takes a long swig andstumbles backwards. The other guys laugh. Now this is what I was afraid a high school party would be like. I glance around and notice there are no other girls down here.
“Oh sorry,” I say. I turn to go back up the way I came.
“What’s the rush?” one of them says, stepping between me and the stairs. I look up and see Brody is blocking my exit. His breath reeks of alcohol.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt your game. I just wanted to see what was down here,” I say.
