“Oh crap,” she said. “I hadn’t thought about that. I don’t know if I can handle two extroverts at the same time.”
I laughed, and a minute later we said our good-byes.
Miles was waiting by my truck when I stepped back outside.
“You two have fun,” Mom said, kissing me on the cheek. “Be safe. Call me if you need anything.”
Mrs. Mason gave me a hug, too, before embracing her grandson. “You grew up to be such a good boy. I’m so proud of you,” I heard her say.
But Miles didn’t seem happy to hear this. His face reddened and he ducked his head as she pulled away from him. “Thanks, Grandma.”
“You ready to go?” I asked.
He nodded.
We’d opted out of the group limo to save a little bit of money. Besides, being trapped in a confined space with half a dozen people, several of which weren’t people I knew well, felt like a panic attack waiting to happen on a night that was already bound to be anxiety ridden.
So we climbed into my truck and headed toward the school.
VCHS didn’t have a big prom budget, so the dance was being held in our gym. Despite this, it was actually pretty beautiful. A lot of effort had gone into making it look less like a basketball court and more like a ballroom. Banners in our school colors hung from the ceiling. The lights had been dimmed and a spotlight roamed around the floor as a DJ played an old Tim McGraw song. There were balloons and streamers and tables filled with snack foods.
And, yeah, it was a little cliché, but honestly, it was pretty much exactly how I’d imagined as a kid. The only difference was that Sarah wasn’t with me.
I swallowed. I knew that wasn’t going to be the last time I thought of her tonight. But I was determined to have fun, despite the longing ache her absence left me.
“Lee! Miles!”
We turned and saw Denny and Amber coming toward us. Amber looked beautiful in a baby-pink dress, but Denny was the one who got all of the attention. He was wearing a completely white tux with a matching white top hat. On anyone else it would have looked ridiculous—and, okay, maybe if you didn’t know Denny personally, it still would have looked ridiculous—but it just seemed to make perfect sense.
“You look amazing,” I said.
“I know,” Denny replied.
“I was talking to Glitter.”
For the record, the dog was wearing a black bow tie and was, in fact, quite precious.
“You always gotta outdo me, don’t you?” Miles asked.
Denny grinned, the apples of his cheeks pushing up his dark sunglasses. “It gives me purpose.”
“Why are we still standing here?” Amber asked. “Come on. Let’s dance.”
“The lady’s right,” Denny said.
Miles looked at me, that eyebrow raised, and I nodded, following him to the center of the room.
As we weaved through our peers, I realized just how crowded this gym was and couldn’t help but make a mental tally of where all the exits were, and I decided that there weren’t nearly enough ways out. If there was any kind of threat, there would be a stampede for the doors. It would be a nightmare to get out of there. And a lot of people wouldn’t make it.
A list began to form in my mind of all the ways I might die at prom. A fire. A bomb. Another shooting. There were too many possibilities. Too many paths that led to oblivion.
I focused on steadying my breathing and kept my eyes on Miles’s back as I followed him through the crowd.
“How do you dance with a guide dog?” I heard him ask Denny, who laughed. But before I got the answer, a hand closed like a vise around my wrist.
I yelped and spun around, my chest seizing up with panic. This was it, I thought. This was the end. The last thing I was going to see before I died was …
Tara Chambers.
