“Just foolishness,” answered Louis, pointing to the decorations. The inside of the reception room had been made to look like a Southern plantation. The tablecloths were red and blue, with cotton stems arranged in olive buckets as the centerpieces. White stars seemed to be everywhere.
“And did you see the boys in those damn uniforms?” Louis gritted his teeth.
“Come on, guys, let’s turn this party around.” Willa grabbed Max’s hand and led him to the dance floor.
The happy tune made Sophia want to clap her hands and let the nasty comments of the Confederate-dressed boys go. The teens found a hole in the crowd and shimmied their hips to “Twist and Shout” by the Isley Brothers. The music slowed with “Baby Love” by the Supremes, and Sophia shrank as Willa fell into Max’s arms.
“I think I’m going to take a break,” she said to Claude.
“Just one more dance? I really like this song,” he pleaded.
Sophia sighed and let him put one hand around her waist and clasp her hand with the other. As they swayed, she tried not to lookat Willa and Max over Claude’s shoulder, but her eyes kept betraying her. Max had picked his hair out, and she wondered how his shiny curls would feel between her fingers. Just as the song came to an end, Max turned away from Willa, and his eyes found Sophia. Their gazes locked, and after staring for what felt like seconds too long, he smiled at her. She felt herself blush as she dropped her eyes.
They all returned to the table and reached for the paper cups filled with lemonade and the plate of assorted cookies. Sophia felt a bit sweaty, so she excused herself to the lavatory. Willa stood to come with her, but then one of her tennis friends pulled her back onto the dance floor. In the bathroom mirror, Sophia was amazed to see that she looked just as lovely as she had when she left her dorm, except for the perspiration on her brow, which she dabbed with a tissue. When she came out of the bathroom, her friends were up dancing again, but Sophia’s feet ached.
Air. She could use some air, so she slipped out the back door. Couples were draped on the porch swings and wide comfy chairs. Sophia found an empty bench a few feet away from the building. The view of the parklike campus was stunning. What a turn her life had taken in just a few short months.
“Oh, what a night.” It was Max.
“Hey.” She looked up at him and then behind him for the others, but he stood alone with a paper cup in each hand.
“Would you like one?” he asked.
“As long as you didn’t spike it.”
“I was careful to avoid that punch, God knows what they put in it,” he said, sitting down next to her. “Those kids over there are wasted. Look at how everyone is suddenly all handsy and falling down laughing. Telltale sign.”
Sophia could feel the heat radiating off Max as he sat next to her. He smelled of cedar and spice, and she inhaled him slowly. Down thehill but in eyesight, a small crowd of students had started to gather. It looked like they were building a bonfire.
“Are they allowed to do that?”
“From what I’ve seen, the wealthy kids make the rules around here. Administration doesn’t want to rock the boat because those families are their bread and butter. They get away with all types of crap.”
They watched as a boy threw a big piece of firewood onto the growing pile.
“I see that you girls are having a pretty good season so far,” Max said.
Sophia punched his arm lightly. “Are you making fun of me? We’ve won one game.”
“That’s a good start for Forest. It’s only the second year the girls have had a team. Last year they went oh and eight.”
“Meanwhile, you guys have won four straight.”
“Well, what do you expect with me as the point guard.” He chuckled.
“Okay, Mr. Conceited.”
“Not conceited, just confident.”
A small flame caught on the wood, but then it quickly sputtered out.
Sophia turned to Max. “So, you mentioned that you grew up in Germany?”
“I never really talk about this,” he confessed. “My parents have done their best, smothering me with love, which I appreciate, but… it feels like they want me to forget.”
“Forget what?”
“That I was adopted,” he whispered. “No one at Forest knows this. I can’t believe I’m telling you.”
