Page 67 of Spite

“Christian,” my dad whispered his name. “You better take care of my daughter tonight.”

I cringed, absentmindedly rubbing my wrists beneath the bracelets I’d put on. The sparkly bits would distract people from my scars, at least for a little while.

“I will,” Christian said, his blue gaze finally falling on me as he entered the living room, where Diane, Georgia and I stood. His eyes fell, slowly traveling up my body, taking in the dress, the fact that it was strapless, and how it hugged my every curve. When our eyes met, my breath caught in my throat. “You look beautiful.” To Georgia, he added, “You both do.”

We weren’t the only ones who looked good. Everyone looked better in nice clothes, and Christian was no exception. His body looked wider, his shoulders even more square underneath his button-up shirt and vest. The vest and his tie were the same color red as my dress, his pants a sheer black. His short blonde hair was combed gently to the side, gelled to stay that way. He looked…better than I’d ever seen him.

Something inside of me twisted. My heart? My stomach? I couldn’t tell what it was, and as we did round two of pictures, this time with Christian, I shrugged off the uneasy feeling growing inside of me.

At five minutes to seven, we all shuffled to Christian’s car after saying goodbye to my dad and Diane. I got in the passenger’s seat, while Georgia slid in the back. The moment Christian got in, he swore, “Damn it. I didn’t get you a…a—”

“A corsage?” Georgia offered from the back.

“Yeah, that.” He looked at me, and I only smiled.

“It’s okay. It’ll just get in the way,” I said with a shrug.

He reached for me, clutching my hand tightly as he whispered, “You really do look good, Elle.” We shared a meaningful look, which made Georgia cough in the back. He got the hint, slowly letting go of my hand.

This was it.

We drove to the school, parking in the first spot we could find. Hordes of high school kids, all similarly dolled up and looking good, stood near the front door. Once we were inside, my ears were immediately assaulted with the sound of music—fast-paced, dancy music. Not my favorite. The cafeteria’s tables were folded and pushed aside, leaving a largely empty room, save for a snack stand and a punch stand, where teachers stood, chit-chatting, handing out cups and small plates of finger foods when students walked up. They weren’t busy now, but they would be later on, once the dance really got going.

Just as Christian was about to reach for my hand, I declared loudly, “I have to pee.”

Christian looked at me strangely. “We just got here.”

I shrugged. “I know, but I got to go.” When his lips pursed, I added, “Don’t worry, Georgia will come with me so I don’t get lost.” I gave him a smile that I hoped was innocent before dragging Georgia along. No one was in the bathroom, because, well, the dance had just started so no one had to pee or touch up their makeup yet.

We were not alone in the bathroom for long.

Alec walked in, doing a bit of a jazz hands motion, a stupid grin on his face. We had to be quick, since we were in the girls’ bathroom, and as my fingers were down my chest, retrieving the flash drive I’d stuck there, his mouth dropped, the smile fading.

“You’re…” He couldn’t find the words to say.

Georgia glared at him. She stood near the entrance, her head peeking out to make sure Christian hadn’t followed us. “I think the word you’re looking for is hot. Sexy. The prettiest girl you’ve ever seen. Pick one.”

I shot her an appreciative smile as I handed Alec the flash drive. I stepped closer to him, my heels clicking on the tile below. With the heels on, I was only a few inches shorter than him. I pressed my lips on his, quickly and softly, asking, “Have you seen Xander?”

The flash drive went into his pocket. “Not yet, but he’ll be here. He’s not a liar.”

I nodded, watching as Alec left the restroom, sneaking out as quietly as he’d come in. I met Georgia near the door, and she asked me, “There’s still time if you want to change your mind.”

“No.” It was tonight or never. I needed to do this. I needed to do it to move on from the past for good.

We met Christian in the cafeteria, and I hooked my arm through his. Twenty feet away, I spotted Jessie with Sarah and her date, the same girl she’d taken to Jessie’s party. Jessie looked amazing, and when we met eyes, I gave her a smile and a nod, to which she smiled back.

We entered the gym, and I couldn’t help but be amazed at the transformation. It didn’t look like the gym at all. There were streamers hanging from the rafters, balloons everywhere, and even a disco ball above the center of the dance floor, where heapings of students were already dancing, grinding on each other.

A small stand sat on the side of the gym, a little podium of sorts, decorated with fake snow. I assumed it was where the senior class would announce who’d won Snowball king and queen. I’d stayed out of it, knowing it didn’t matter in the end. Whoever won, good on them.

And so, we danced. We danced the songs away. Georgia moved along to the beats by herself while I pressed my backside against Christian, grinding my ass against his pelvic area. It wasn’t long before he started to grow hard, and a part of me loved it. I wanted Christian, just like I wanted Alec and Xander.

Xander, who I still hadn’t seen.

I started to grow worried when it ticked past eight and I hadn’t seen him. If he didn’t come, it wouldn’t kill the plan, but Alec would have no one watching his back as he plugged in the flash drive to the DJ’s system and fiddled with it.

Yes, it all came down to the DJ and his projection screen at the front of the gym. He played music videos during the songs, but Alec would have to find a way to pause the song and the video in order to play mine. Georgia would distract the DJ, and Xander would be the lookout. Simple, really.

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