Chapter Fourteen Claire

Chapter Fourteen

Claire

“I wish I didn’t still have this stupid boot.” I stare at myself in the floor-length mirror.

“No one is going to be looking at your foot.” Lacey’s brows rise as she gives me a once-over in my lilac dress. “You look amazing. That color is great on you.”

“Thanks.” I turn side to side, admiring the flowy skirt. The bodice is fitted, and the straps hang off my shoulders.

Tonight is the first school dance of the year. The seniors throw it every September as sort of a final hurrah to the beginning of the year. It’s fun and well attended and a good excuse to dress up.

“Boone is having another party after the dance.” Lacey smooths a hand down her silver dress. It’s short and sparkly and looks like it was made for her.

“I heard, but I don’t think I can go. Ruby has a dance competition tomorrow.”

“So?” My best friend faces me. “Why do you have to sit through hours of torture on a Saturday morning? It’s not like you’re the one competing.”

I know her words aren’t meant to hurt, but they still do. I don’t know if it will ever stop hurting.

“I don’t know. I think I’m providing moral support and an extra pair of hands in case someone needs a headpiece sewn in at the last minute or something.”

“You have attended enough of Ruby’s competitions since you hurt your ankle. Your moral support should be covered for a good twenty years. And you’re shit at sewing.”

A rough laugh escapes from my lips. She isn’t wrong. I went to rehearsals and competitions all summer for Ruby. Mostly I just sat through the hours and hours of other dancers to get to Ruby’s two minutes of stage time. I don’t mind being there for her. She sat through plenty of my skate practices and competitions too.

“Go ask your mom.” Lacey puts her hands together in front of her chest. “Please?”

“Okay. I’ll ask, but don’t get your hopes up.”

My mom is in her bedroom at the end of the hall. The TV is on and plays quietly as she sits on the bed with a needle and thread, sewing sequins on a red top.

“Mom,” I say, knocking lightly on her open door.

She glances up, blinks several times, and then smiles. “You look pretty.” Before the compliment can even land, she adds, “You should wear your hair down though.”

My hand flies up to the side Dutch braid Lacey did for me. “It’ll just get all messed up at the dance.”

The gym is always warm and sweaty at the big dances with everyone crammed into the small space.

She makes a hum of disapproval and goes back to her work. “We’re leaving at five tomorrow morning, so don’t stay out too late.”

“Actually, I was wondering if I could skip the competition tomorrow.”

She looks up again, that stamp of disapproval still staring back at me. “Why?”

“We’ll be gone all day, and Ruby is only doing one dance. Plus, I have this big art project I need to work on.”

“Is this because you want to stay out late tonight at some high school party?”

“No,” I say quickly, then nod. “Partly. There is a party after the dance.”

She sighs.

“But I do have a lot of school stuff to do this weekend, and it would help to be home tomorrow.”

“Okay.” The heaviness in her tone speaks of her displeasure. “Focusing on your classes is a good idea. You’ll never get into college with no extracurriculars and a B-plus average. Did you decide on which colleges you’d like to visit? I need to make plans around Ruby’s dance schedule.”

“Not yet. I’ll make a list this weekend.”

“Okay.”

Okay. It takes a second for her words to sink in. I haven’t gone to an after-dance party…ever.

“Thanks, Mom.”

She nods and goes back to her sewing as I leave.

When I walk back to my room, Lacey is standing there with a huge grin like she was eavesdropping. Who am I kidding? Of course she was listening in.

She squeals. “Tonight is going to be so much fun!”

* * *

The school gym is decorated with balloons and streamers. One side of the bleachers is pulled out for seating, and the DJ is set up on the stage.

Lacey twirls in front of me, already dancing as we make our way through the crowd. When we get to the middle of the basketball court, she stops and looks around with a huge grin.

“Next year, we’re going to do it up even bigger than this,” she promises.

I smile at her and the way she’s always thinking ahead. I haven’t even thought about next week, let alone next year at this time. Right now, everything feels so up in the air. It’s like I can do anything now, but anything feels so wide open that it’s overwhelming. All I ever wanted was to skate at the world championships. I was so close. Everyone said that it was my time. And then it all just fell apart.

“New Guy is here,” Lacey says, interrupting my thoughts.

I swivel around to look in the same direction as her, and there he is, looking as good as he always does in jeans, a long-sleeve white Henley, a matching white baseball cap, and tennis shoes. My heart rate speeds up, and I run a hand over my braid.

“Is he coming directly from soccer practice?” Lacey asks, commenting on his casual appearance. Most everyone dresses up for the dances. Even the guys will at least throw on a button-down shirt or dress pants.

“I don’t know,” I say, unable to look away from him.

“Aren’t you two BFFs now with all the studying you’re doing lately.” She smirks and puts air quotes around the word studying .

I push at her shoulder lightly. “That project is worth fifty percent of our grade.”

She snorts. “Uh-huh. I’m sure that’s the only reason you’re hanging out every night.”

My face heats. It’s been two weeks since we were assigned together in art class, and we’ve fallen into a rhythm, working on our pieces every night after school. We mostly go to his house instead of mine. I like being around his family. Even without his dad present, they have this warm, welcoming house. Ours wasn’t really like that even before my parents separated.

And Austin and I have fallen into a friendly if not sometimes flirty routine. He hasn’t hit on me again, and I’ve stopped trying to get a reaction from him. After spending some time with him, I decided it doesn’t matter if his feelings changed because of Vaughn or not. They did, and I don’t want a guy who folds so easily.

Even one who is as hot as Austin.

He weaves through the crowd, looking around. When he spots us, Austin smiles in greeting. Lacey waves, and he heads toward us.

“I think I missed the memo on the dress code,” he says, looking from me to Lacey and then back. “I’m surprised they let me in.”

“It’s not mandatory or anything, so I guess you’re safe to stay,” Lacey teases. “But that’s a good idea. Next year, we’re instituting a dress code, so you’ve been warned.”

He laughs lightly. “Thanks. I’ll pencil that information into my calendar.”

His sarcasm isn’t lost on Lacey, but she nods her approval as the song changes to something slower. “Good.”

The noise in the gym has quieted along with the music.

“So,” Austin starts, looking at me, but then there’s a shrill scream from our right.

“Austin! Austin!”

The three of us watch as Sophie and her friends hurry our way.

“Looks like your fan club has spotted you,” Lacey tells him.

“Oh no.” He looks around. “People dress up at these things, and they dance?” He groans. “I’m going to kill Rowan. He could have at least given me a heads-up.”

“You don’t dance?” I ask, smothering a laugh.

“Not if I can help it.” He looks like he’s sweating bullets at the prospect, which is hilarious. I didn’t think Austin was shakable. He always seems so confident in every situation.

“Well, I do,” Lacey says. “And this is my favorite song.”

She waves as she backs away from us. I listen until I recognize the music. I know for a fact Lacey doesn’t even like this song. I glance in the direction she went. She’s standing in a group with some fellow cheerleaders off the dance floor.

“Austin!” Sophie calls again.

He tips his head down and looks up at me from under the bill of his cap. “Think she’ll keep going if I don’t look up?”

She stops directly beside him, a huge smile on her face.

I shake my head. “Sorry.”

“Austin, hey!” the eager sophomore says.

He hesitates a beat and then raises his head and smiles back at her. “Oh, hey.”

Sophie is wearing a black dress with pink high-top Converse. She has a whole sporty, dressed-up thing going on. Her hair is curled, and the cut of her dress is low, but it’s like she didn’t want to fully commit to dressing up. She looks nice though, and I know Austin notices. He can’t not notice. But for some reason, he still looks a little pained at the idea of dancing.

“I’m so glad you came,” she says. Her gaze drops over his casual attire. She doesn’t comment, but she seems just as thrown by it as Lacey had. Without giving him time to reply, she adds, “Do you want to dance?”

“Actually,” I cut in, giving her an apologetic smile and stepping closer to Austin. “He just asked me to dance.”

“I did?” His brows disappear under his hat, but then he nods. “Right.” He sort of smiles at Sophie, but it almost looks like a grimace. “Sorry. Maybe later?”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll come find you on the next one. Oh, and you’re going to Boone’s party later, right?”

“I think so,” he replies.

“Yay!” She claps her hands and lifts her shoulders.

When she turns to leave, Austin lets out a long breath. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Now we have to dance, or she’ll just follow you around all night.”

He chuckles softly, looking as uncomfortable as if I suggested we walk over hot coals barefoot, but takes a hesitant step closer to me.

“You cannot be that bad of a dancer,” I say, slipping my arms up to his shoulders. The height difference means our bodies are close.

His hands go to my waist, and I suck in a breath at the contact. Suddenly I’m wondering if I should have just backed away and let him dance with Sophie.

“Oh yes, I can be.” His body is stiff, but his touch is soft. He smells like laundry detergent and a whiff of cologne.

“Relax,” I say. “And don’t step on my bad foot.”

He chuckles and looks pained again as he glances down, like he’s ensuring he knows where it is so he doesn’t stomp on it. It’s adorable really, how out of his element he is right now.

“How is your foot?” he asks. “Do you need to sit?”

“Oh no, you’re not getting out of this that easily.”

One side of his mouth pulls up in a sheepish grin.

“My foot is good. The boot comes off next week if everything looks good.”

“That’s great.”

We fall into a rhythm, swaying to the beat, and he seems to let go of some of the tension he was carrying.

“Oh, I meant to tell you, Wyatt is in love. Your sister came up to him today at recess and introduced herself.”

“Oh really?” I smile. I mentioned him to Ruby last week, and she promised she’d keep an eye and ear out for him, but we’ve barely seen each other since. She’s busy with dance rehearsals every night, and I’ve been spending evenings at the Keller household.

“Yeah, he asked me tonight if I could put in a good word for him.” His grin widens. “So consider this the good word.”

I laugh and picture Wyatt. “Wow. I’m impressed he has the guts to go after a girl two years older than him. Confident kid, like his big brother.”

“If she looks like you, then I understand his obsession.” He smiles. “You look really great tonight. Always, but I like the dress. And the braid. And the glittery stuff around your eyes.”

I laugh at that, and he winces.

“Fuck, I’m going to shut up now.”

My laughter trails off, and my face heats with the compliments.

“So how did you manage to avoid slow dancing this long? Did your last school not have dances or something?”

“They weren’t like this, I’ll tell you that.” He looks up and around at the decorations. “They were held in this small, old gym, and the PE teacher also DJed on the side, so they’d get him to set up and play. It was awful. He’d play exclusively eighties music, and everyone would end up sitting around and talking or leaving early and hitting a party or something else. Do people stay the whole time at these things?”

He really is too cute when he lets his insecurities show. I’m used to cocky and confident Austin. “Most people will leave by ten.”

“But not you?”

“Lacey is a diehard. I’ll have to drag her off the dance floor.”

“She’s a trip. How’d you two become friends?”

“She came up to me on the first day of sixth grade and said she liked my dress and declared we were going to be friends.” I shrug.

He lets his head fall back and laughs. His light green eyes sparkle, and a little of his dark hair is visible around his ears.

“I’d be lost without her. Especially this year.”

“She’s a good friend to you,” he states. “I bet she’d say the same about you.”

“I don’t know about that. Although I do get roped into helping her with her many extracurricular duties, like making all those signs for the start of the school year.”

“Oh, I remember,” he says. “That was the day you dumped glitter over my head and I showed up late to practice looking like I had spent the night at a rave. Even people around school who don’t know the story are calling me Disco.”

“You ran into me,” I point out, fighting a laugh. “It’s not my fault that Rowan’s nickname for you has spread like wildfire.”

One corner of his mouth kicks up. “Worth it. I met you, and here we are dancing.”

“And dodging your fan club,” I add. I feel the need to remind him we’re only doing this because he needed an out. “You should just put them out of their misery and date one of them already.”

“Nah.” He shakes his head.

“Not interested in having a girlfriend?”

He bobs his head side to side. “The right girl…maybe. But I’m not interested in any of them.”

The song is winding down to the final notes, and immediately after, a more upbeat song starts. I remove my hands and step back. His fingers graze along my stomach as I pull away.

“Thanks for the dance. You’re not so bad.”

“I think that was all thanks to you, but I appreciate it anyway.” He lifts his hat from his head and runs his fingers through his dark hair. “Do you want to maybe go get some air? I’m underdressed and not skilled enough to be in here.”

I open my mouth to taunt him, but I had planned to agree. I want to keep talking to him. Being near him is fun and exciting. But I see Vaughn out of the corner of my eye. He looks like he just got here. He’s scanning the gym and nods when he sees Rowan and some other teammates.

“We probably shouldn’t,” I say.

Austin turns and follows my gaze.

“If he sees us together, he might get the wrong idea.”

“Right.” He nods, but there’s a hint of disappointment in his tone.

“You look good.” I reach up and take off his hat, then muss his flattened hair. He lets me, watching on amused. “Better.”

I hand him his hat, and then we stand there, neither seeming to want to move.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you later?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he says as I back away slowly. “Thanks for the dance.”