Chapter 8

GABE

Dammit! Why were my hands so clammy? Stupid handkerchief wasn’t useful at all. I stuffed it back into my front pocket as I glanced over at Mila, my date. I still couldn’t believe I was here with her. Of course, that was why I was nervous. She was standing next to me, and she was stunning. 

The most beautiful girl at the dance, and by the looks of it, I wasn’t the only one that thought so. Every eye seemed to be on us, making me more nervous than I already was. Mila, on the other hand, was oblivious. She was more enthralled by the decorations, music, and arcade on the other side of the gym.

“This is so awesome,” she geeked. “I don’t even know what to do.”

“Oh,” I said, remembering the last thing I got her. “I forgot about this.”

I pulled her mom’s necklace from my pocket and watched as her eyes grew big. No sooner had I placed it around her neck, she turned and pulled me into a tight hug. My breath caught in my throat and my mind went blank.

All I could focus on was the feeling of her arms around me, the warmth of her skin, and the sweet scent of her hair. The hug was brief, but it felt like eternity, and when she pulled back, she looked at me with a softness that made my heart skip a beat. 

“You’re a great guy, Gabe,” she said, giving my arms a gentle squeeze. “I’m so glad to have you in my life.”

“Me too, Mila. Me too.”

“So,” she smiled, her eyes sparkling with genuine happiness. “What’s first?”

I watched her smile and ponder where to go next. Her smile was beautiful and could probably  light up even the darkest of rooms, and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She grabbed my hand and pulled us towards the buffet table.

“We have to fuel up if we want to maximize our time and keep up the energy,” she said, filling up her plate. “Don’t worry, we can share this plate to cut down on waste.”

After eating our weight in corndogs and buffalo wings, we started our journey by playing arcade games. It was my area of expertise so I made sure to take it easy on her.

“Oh, come on, Gabe,” she laughed. “You’re not even trying.”

“I am. I swear, Mila,” I laughed back. “You’re just getting better. Must have a good teacher or something.”

We kept playing, and she was amazing at them. She kept laughing every time she beat me, and I didn’t mind. Her laughter was worth it. Afterwards, we moved to the photo booth and took a lot of photos, ranging from funny faces to serious ones.

“Come on,” she smiled. “Let’s dance.”

“Wait,” I said, stopping her. “I…I…can’t dance.”

I don’t know why I felt embarrassed about this realization. It wasn’t uncommon for teenage boys to not know how to dance. Give me a game or an app, and I could figure it out in a second, but when it came to rhythm with my body, there’s a disconnect I couldn’t explain. Besides, the music was loud, and the dance floor was packed with people. 

“Come on,” she said, pulling me towards the crowd. “Just follow my lead, and you'll get it in no time.”

I stood still as Mila moved around me. After a while, I felt too awkward not to move, so a little two-step wasn’t that hard. Then the music calmed down, and people started dancing closer together. We finally figured out our form after a few tries. My hands on her waist and hers on my shoulder. I made sure to keep an appropriate distance between us. I didn’t want her to think I was a creep or anything. Though it sucked that I had to keep my eyes on my feet the entire time. She laughed, and I looked up to see her smiling.

“You don’t have to stand that far away, Gabe,” she said. “Here, we can dance like this.”

She pulled me close against her body, wrapping her arms around my neck. After a moment, she laid her head on my shoulder, and I stiffened. I’ve never been this close to a girl before and I was afraid she might feel how fast my heartbeat was racing. Still, the blush on her face made me relax just a bit. We swayed to the music and for a moment it felt like we were the only two people in the room. The world faded away and it was just us moving in sync to the music. 

“Gabe,” she said softly, her voice barely audible over the music. “Thank you for everything. This night has been perfect.”

“I agree,” I replied, my voice shaking slightly. “You know, there’s something I want to ask you.”

She stopped and looked up at me, and for some reason, staring into her beautiful brown gave me courage. This was the right moment to let her know how I feel. “I was wondering…”

“Excuse me!” 

Someone shrieked before Tyler tripped right into us. The three of us fell to the floor with Tyler’s drink falling all over Mila’s dress. Damn him! He always knew how to ruin a good moment. Tyler laughed as I quickly pushed him off of us.

“Sorry about that, little bro,” Tyler smirked. “It was dark, and I couldn’t see where I was going.”

I ignored him and helped Mila to her feet. Tyler’s drink stained the bottom half of her dress. The moment Mila got to her feet, she tensed up, seeing Tyler lurking around with Randall and Leo. Before I could help her, she pulled away from me and ran towards the exit. I saw the hurt and embarrassment in her eyes and turned towards Tyler.

“What the hell is your problem!” I snapped at him. 

“Calm down, Gruggs,” Leo grinned. “We’re just messing around.”

“Messing around is what you do in your pants at night Leo,” I snapped back.

“Watch it, fatty, or I'll add another black eye to match the one you already have,” Leo growled, stepping up to me.

I’d never back down from them, even though I knew they could pummel me. Still, I was in the mood to fight, but I was more worried about Mila. They surrounded me, but my eyes stayed on Tyler. Debilitate the leader, and the rest will follow.

“You can try, and maybe this time I’ll tell mom exactly where I got it,” I said, watching Randall and Leo shift uncomfortably. My brother, on the other hand, only smiled before moving out of my way.

I left before he changed his mind, and went straight to the girls’ bathroom. I stopped to see Jenna standing in front of it. She looked at me with tears in her eyes and a cut on her cheek. Before I could ask what happened we heard a scream from inside the bathroom. I hesitated at the door, not sure if I should go in. A scream like that coming from the girls bathroom could mean many things. I just hoped it wasn’t Mila.