Solo (28 page)

"I'll be on the sidelines with you," Lucas said.

"You don't dance?" I looked at Lucas—my perfect match in so many ways—and he didn't dance?

He shrugged. "I have two left feet."

"Eliana, I guess it's just you and me," Casey winked.

"That's okay. I'm sure at some point they won't be able to resist us."

We were all in good spirits walking back to the limo. "It's almost time for prom," Casey stated the obvious, again.

"Lucas, did you remember my overnight bag?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's in the room already. I checked in when I brought my truck down earlier."

Casey looked at Jack. "What about mine?"

"It's there, I checked in with Lucas."

 On the drive to the hotel, Lucas whispered. "I know you wanted a room with two beds, but they didn't have any available. Don't worry, I figured something else out."

Casey and Jack heard Lucas, and they looked at us. I raised my eyebrows and smiled at them. Lucas sat quietly.

At the hotel, Casey and Jack got out of the limo before us. Lucas pulled me back into the seat. "Sorry, I didn't mean for them to hear that."

"It's okay, I'm not upset. I just didn't know what to say."

"Are you sure you're okay? I want you to have a good time."

"Lucas, I'm having a good time. We can work out the sleeping arrangements later. I'm sure we can be mature about this."

"Okay."

I stepped out of the limo. Casey and Jack were waiting for us on the sidewalk.

My jaw dropped when we entered the banquet hall. Thousands of twinkling lights hung from deep maroon curtains. Floating candles and rose petals on the tables added the perfect touch. It felt magical.

The dance floor in the center of the room was already full. I noticed Sasha and Evan at a table in the back with Emily and her date. I hoped the night would be drama-free and they'd keep their distance.

Lucas led the way to a table near the dance floor. "Let's sit here so I can have a front row view."

"I can't believe you're not going to dance."

"That's why I picked this table, so I can be near you," he joked.

"Fat chance. Casey and I will be on the other side of the dance floor. It's your loss."

Lucas pulled out my chair.

Casey danced next to the table trying to get Jack to join her on the dance floor. He wouldn't budge. Slowly, she inched her way to the floor. I really wanted to get up and join her, but I didn't have enough courage. I was still hoping Lucas would change his mind and dance.

One of my favorite songs floated through the room. I couldn't sit still. Casey stood on the dance floor motioning for me to join her. I looked at Lucas and he gave me an encouraging nod.

I lingered in my seat a few more seconds building courage to join Casey. Finally, I stood and bounced my way across the floor toward her. She was already in a half circle with some of the girls from our lunch group. I swayed back and forth to the rhythm, occasionally glancing over at Lucas.

I'd planned to sit down after the song ended, but the next one was just as good, so I kept dancing and the music kept coming. Casey and I finally sat down to quench our thirst. I didn't get a chance to finish before my favorite Latino dance song came on. I glanced at Lucas, hoping he would understand my excitement without me squealing like the other girls. He glanced behind me, and I felt a tap on my shoulder. Sammy Alvarez from Spanish class stood there with a timid look on his face.

"Eliana, would you like to dance?" He looked at Lucas like he needed to get his permission.

"Well, at least someone wants to dance. Sammy, I would love to. I just hope you can keep up."

"Don't worry about that," he smirked as he led me to the dance floor.

Lucas' body language changed as Sammy placed his hand on my hip, a little lower than I'd expected, and grabbed my hand. There weren't many people on the dance floor, but I didn't care anymore. I got completely swept away in a Salsa with Sammy. He could really move, and his spins shocked me. The music brought flashbacks from my days in California at the clubs with Kelly and Shelby.

Halfway through the song, Casey finally found someone to dance with. Jack didn't seem to mind.

 I caught glimpses of Lucas and Jack inching forward in their chairs.

When the song was over, Sammy leaned in and kissed my cheek. "Thanks, Eliana, you made my night."

"No, thank you. You're a great dancer. Keep me in mind when the next salsa song comes on."

"You got it." He turned and walked back to his table.

I looked at Lucas. His face was slightly red; a hint of jealousy, maybe. Then it dawned on me that Sammy must have been in my fan club. I smiled innocently at Lucas and continued to dance to the club beats with Casey.

I forgot about Evan and Sasha until I saw Evan staring at me. It sent creepy shivers down my spine. Sasha sat next to him with a disgusted look on her face.

I turned back to Casey, trying to get back in the dance mode. It was easy with Casey; she danced like she didn't have a care in the world. She impressed me with her dance skills. I should have known with her bubbly personality she would be a fabulous dancer.

The DJ announced that we were going old school, taking it back to the seventies and eighties.

"Let's make two lines! Get ready to show what you've got!" he hollered as he started the groove tracks.

The screams were loud. But I'm sure Casey was the loudest.

Casey yelled over the music, "This is so much fun! This is when you can act stupid and no one will make fun of you! In fact, the crazier you are, the more everyone cheers!"

 "That's good to know!" I yelled back.

Some people joined the lines alone, others in pairs. There were some guys poppin' and lockin', others break dancing, and one crazy guy attempted the worm. It was kind of scary to watch, but it cracked everyone up. I couldn't help but laugh and clap along with everyone else.

Casey and I slowly made our way to the front of the line. I turned to see if Lucas and Jack had joined us. I should have known better. They stood by our table watching everyone else go down. Lucas cracked a huge grin when we made eye contact.

I got a little discouraged watching all the moves; the dancers were doing everything I'd thought of. I definitely wasn't going to attempt anything crazy like the worm, though.

Casey turned to me. "See you at the end." She stepped out and started the do the air guitar down the line. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. The guy across from me copied most the other guys and did some old school break dancing.

I took a deep breath when I stepped to the center of the line. A new song started, then it hit me, I knew what to do. I quickly pulled my arm back a few times and started to bounce up and down, doing the lawnmower. I think everyone screamed with lots of laughs thrown in. I could only imagine how it looked in my elegant dress.

"Now that was creative!" Casey laughed.

I said, "I need some water; I'm parched."

We walked back to our table. The guys were impressed with our old school dance moves. Lucas had tears in his eyes from laughing so hard. I sat down and Jack led Casey across the room to talk to friends.

Lucas leaned over. "You looked great out there."

"It would have been better if you were there, too."

"I really have no rhythm. You would have been embarrassed."

I shook my head. "You'd better be prepared to dance next year. I won't take no for an answer."

"Is that a promise?" He winked.

I smiled. "I'm going to get more water."

"I've got to go to the restroom. I can bring some back."

"That's okay. I can handle getting a drink. Do you want another soda?"

"I'm good."

"Okay." I went to the drink station.

I decided to get Lucas a soda anyway. On my return, Evan stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

"Hey, Eliana." His breath reeked of alcohol.

"Hey, Evan." I tried to look for Casey and Jack.

He slurred, "That's one
hot
dress. It doesn't leave much to the imagination."

I rolled my eyes. "That's your opinion." He smelled so bad, my stomach turned. He was wasted and I didn't want to get him upset. I spotted Casey and Jack, but they were too busy talking to notice that I needed help. I couldn't see Lucas anywhere.

"Why don't you sit with me for a few minutes?" He stumbled toward me.

I quickly stepped back so I didn't spill the drinks. "I've got to find Casey." I didn't want to set Evan off by saying Lucas' name. I was getting extremely nervous.

"Is everything all right over here?" Lucas finally found me.

I stepped toward him, "Yeah, everything's fine. Let's go back to the table."

"Oh, it's your boyfriend." Evan turned to face Lucas.

Lucas clenched his fists.

"He's not worth it. Please, don't let this ruin our night," I pleaded.

Lucas took my hand and said, "Okay, let's go."

We turned toward our table. "Just remember who kissed her first." My sigh of relief quickly turned to panic when Lucas turned to face Evan.

Without thinking, I set the drinks on a nearby table and stepped between them. Putting my hands on Lucas' chest, I begged,
"Please,
don't do this. He's drunk."

The next thing I knew, Evan's hands were on my shoulders and he pushed me aside. In an instant, I was falling into some chairs. Pain shot up my arm as I used it to block my head from hitting the ground. I quickly turned to see what was going on. It took three guys to hold Lucas back. I'd never seen him so enraged.

Jack was in Evan's face. "I think it's time for you to leave before you get hurt."

Evan looked over at Lucas. "This isn't over."

"Yes, it is." Everyone turned to see the baseball coach. "You're done."

Evan never took his glare off Lucas as two teachers escorted him from the prom.

"Lucas, you need to calm down or you'll be the next to go," said Coach. "It's over everyone."

Casey helped me up. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go to the restroom".

"Okay."

Jack was talking to Lucas, trying to calm him down. Lucas' eyes locked on me.

Casey and I went to the restroom. I needed to compose myself and check my arm. I told her that I'd hurt myself in the fall.

Casey examined my arm. "I don't feel anything out of place."

"It doesn't feel broken. I just have a sharp pain when I move my wrist a certain way."

"That might be a sprain or fracture. It hasn't swelled, so that's a good sign."

"I'm sure I'll be fine. It's already starting to feel better," I lied. "I'll just take it easy." I checked my makeup before we went back to find Lucas and Jack.

Lucas was leaning against the wall outside the restroom. "It's my fault. If I hadn't let him get to me, you wouldn't have been thrown."

"Shoulda, coulda, woulda. It's over now. Let's just enjoy the rest of our night. I refuse to end our first prom on a sour note."

He cracked a half grin and grabbed my hand. "All right—let's go back. They're about to announce the Queen and King." He squeezed my hand as he led me back to the prom. I flinched away from him in pain. "What's wrong?"

"I just landed wrong when I fell," I said softly.

Casey pulled Jack toward the banquet hall. "We'll see you two in a few minutes."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Worry filled his voice.

"Please don't be mad."

"Eliana, I'm not mad at you. If anything, I'm mad at myself."

"That's exactly why I didn't want to tell you. I knew you would beat yourself up." I could feel tears building. "I just want to enjoy the rest of the night with you."

Lucas didn't say anything so I didn't know what he was thinking.

I stressed, "Look, it's not broken, I can still move it. I'm sure it will be fine." I walked up to him and grabbed his hand with my good one to lead him back to prom. We'd missed the crowning of the King and Queen because they were already on the dance floor. We sat across from Casey and Jack at our table. Lucas still said nothing. I pushed my chair close to his and laid my head on his shoulder. He reached around and pulled me close. A slow song played. I knew better than to ask him to dance.

Casey pulled Jack to the dance floor. They swayed back and forth. I was stunned when Lucas stood and asked me to dance. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me as close as possible. His hand on my back gave me goose bumps. I practically melted from the intoxicating scent of his cologne. I placed my head against his chest; his heart raced. With everything that had happened, that moment wiped the slate clean. I still couldn't believe he was on the dance floor and he was
my
boyfriend. I wished the song would never end.

When the song did end, we followed Jack and Casey back to our table. Somehow our conversation drifted to the after-parties at the hotel. Casey and Jack said they weren't going to any.