He’s my best friend, and Benjamin was being a dick. He was just standing up for me.
Small hands wrapped around his arm. “Come dance!” Madison said.
He started to refuse, but the song slowed down, and she gave him a little pout. “Please?”
The bathroom door opened, and Benjamin staggered out. Damon was nowhere to be seen.
“Yeah, okay.”
Madison pulled him onto the dance floor, and they swayed together with his hands on her waist and hers around his neck.
Elliot forced himself to wait until the second chorus of the song before he searched for Damon.
He was wrapped up in Chelsea’s arms, staring down at her with a smile. She must have said something to make him laugh because his chest was shaking.
Madison followed his gaze. “Do you want to dance with him?”
“What? No. No. I’m dancing with you.”
She shrugged. “Okay.”
There was one more slow song before Madison was back dancing with Chelsea and the other girls. Elliot disentangled himself from the group, and Damon grabbed his arm as he was walking away. “Wanna play mini golf?”
“Yeah,” he said, relieved to have a good excuse to get off the dance floor.
The cafeteria beside the gym was set up with games. It was mostly full of guys who weren’t being forced by their dates to dance.
“Winner gets to finish the flask?” Damon said as they each grabbed a putter and balls.
Elliot wrinkled his nose. “I forfeit.”
Damon laughed. “Okay. Loser has to finish the flask.”
He grinned. “You’re on.”
While Damon set up at the first hole, Elliot asked as casually as possible, “So what did Benjamin say? It seemed like you guys were in there a long time.”
Yes, he was being shady.
No, he didn’t care.
Damon’s ball didn’t make it all the way to the hole. He shrugged. “Not much. He drank some of the vodka, but he won’t rat us out or anything.” Damon winked at him. “Your flawless school record is still intact.”
Elliot ducked his head to hide his blush and focused on setting up his swing. His ball sailed past Damon’s but didn’t go in.
As Damon set up his next swing, Elliot nonchalantly looked around the room. “So he didn’t say anything about me? I thought I heard him say my name as I left?”
Damon missed his ball entirely. His putter didn’t even make contact.
“What’d you hear?” he said, adjusting his grip.
Elliot let him fidget. “Nothing. Just thought I heard my name.”
“Oh, well, he didn’t say anything about you.”
Elliot nodded. He didn’t even care that Damon was lying to him. It was sweet that he was trying to protect his feelings.
They moved on to the next hole.
