Landon looked the part way better than I did. He was smiling and chatting with Gabe and Samantha about something, but I couldn’t make it out over the music.
Chapel Hill High School’s Main Gym was not designed with acoustics in mind.
Journey finished, and the DJ faded into a K-Pop single everyone was obsessed with.
“Hey.” Landon took my hand. “It’s a dance, right?”
“Oh. Right.”
He led me out to the floor, where the music was even louder, and everyone was pressed together as close as they were allowed by the Chaperone-Mandated Minimum Distance.
I spotted Chip in the crowd, dancing with a big group of people. He looked really handsome, in a maroon suit with a white shirt underneath, and a floral-print tie.
I hated that I thought he looked handsome.
I shouldn’t have thought that.
I caught a glimpse of Javaneh Esfahani in a beautiful red dress and gold headscarf, dancing with Mateo, vice president ofChapel Hill’s QSA. Mateo had dyed their hair purple and swept it up into a pompadour, and their black suit sparkled like it had glitter woven into it.
“He’s cute,” Landon said, nodding Mateo’s way.
“They.”
“Oh, sorry. I like their suit.”
“Yeah. I was kind of worried about mine.”
“What about it?”
I looked down at my sleeves.
“I just never wore anything like this before.”
Landon chuckled and put his arms around my waist, at the Chaperone-Approved Hand Level.
“You look great.”
My cheeks burned.
“Thanks.”
Landon swayed me back and forth, way slower than the beat of the song. But I smiled at him, and he smiled back.
And it was nice.
Really nice.
Still, after about five dances—some faster, some slower—the press of bodies all around, and the constant thrum of DJ Premature Hearing Loss’s Muzak, made me anxious.
“I need a moment,” I shouted to Landon, and we slid out past Jonny Without an H’s gyrating hips—certainly not Chaperone-Approved—to the drinks table. I grabbed a cup of water and passed one to Landon. He drank his but I sniffed mine first.
“I kind of thought it would be spiked.”
He chuckled. “I think that only happens in movies.”
“Oh.”
I brought my cup to my lips, right as someone bumped me from behind. I spilled it all down my front.
