Tango

Chapter Six




It had been days since the incident in the girls change room. There were still stories going around the school about it, each one more outrageous than the next. I had heard that I was walking around the halls completely naked from one person and from another that I was in a towel, but because I was caught going at it in the boys change room with some teacher’s assistant. Basically, they were all false and exaggerated. Much like the rumours about what had happened at The Underground. I was a fairly popular person now because of them, though not in the way that I wanted.

I was sitting in the Atrium at lunch, it was raining outside, and my group of friends and I were sitting around one of the circular tables by the window. The conversation was settled on nothing in particular; truthfully I wasn’t really paying attention. I had bought a book the week before and I was completely absorbed with the mystery and romance of it all.

I was so engrossed with the whole thing that I never heard the bell signalling the end of the period. Thankfully, my next class was study hall and I was allowed to stay wherever in the school, as long as I kept from wandering the halls. Nicholas was with me as well, him seeming to be in whatever class I had, from Math to Gym.

Now, there is one thing about Nicholas that I could never stand, said something becoming a problem that day while I was enjoying myself completely. You see, he needs to have someone’s attention at all times. It’s one of the true reasons that he joined the band, and it was this flaw of his that led to the disturbances that I was witness to, for they centered around my unmoving body.
The heroine was just about to be saved by the devastatingly handsome cabin boy, when the book was wretched from my fingertips, something that I was not expecting to happen.

“Nicholas, give me back my book.” I hissed, wanting to get back to the obvious love scene that was about to happen, not that I was about to tell Nicholas that. I grabbed the cover of my book and held on, giving it a little tug to show that I was serious.
Grudgingly, he did give it back, and without much need for pinching, but as soon as I found my place again, he placed his hands over the page that I was reading.

“Nicholas, stop it.” I said icily, the intent in my words not frosted over or sugar coated.

“Why are you reading when you could be talking to me?” He whined, while taking my book from me once more and holding it out of my reach.

I gave him a look that would have hade his heart stop pumping blood if I had mutant powers, but sadly it just looked like a glare caused by PMS to him.

“I want to read my book Nicholas.” I grabbed wildly at his arm, the one that was outstretched and held my belongings.

“Fine. But there’s one condition.” He relented, bring his arm closer to me and loosening his hold on the paperback. “You have to go to the dance with me.”

It was at that moment that Alex decided to walk into the atrium and join our little conversation, if you could call it that.

“Did you just ask Renee to the dance Nicky? That’s great! I was wondering when you would grow the balls to actually ask her.”

“Thanks Alexandra.” Whispered Nicholas. Embarrassment was apparent in his voice and through the fact that his cheeks had started to turn pink.

You see, the dance was one of the social events of the year, and was very formal. It was a sort of ‘welcome back’ party that everyone went to. It was also a big deal who you went with, if you went with anyone at all. It seemed, so I had been told, that only couples went officially together, or perspective couples.

As I looked at Alex, her eyes were shining with the hope that I would say yes. Nicholas had a similar look, but there was something else there as well. I just was not sure what I say…or do for that matter.

I still had strong feelings for Derek, but there was that part of me that was drifting from them, and heading towards Nicholas.

The clash of emotions was almost too much to handle, which meant that there was only one thing that I could do.

- - - - - - -

“…And you said yes! Fuck a duck that’s so great! We have to so shopping for a dress for you… On second thought, for me too. I still can’t believe that he actually got up the courage to ask you! Wait until I tell Alex.”

“Alex knows. She was there when he asked me. And Scarlet, we are going just as friends. That’s all. Nothing more so don’t get any ideas.” Although I knew that I wanted it to be more. Nicholas had really grown on me during the last couple of weeks. No longer did I think that he was a pompous jerk. Now I secretly thought that he sweet, caring and the hottest guy that I had ever seen. Even better looking then Derek. And that was something that I would never think about someone.

I heard Scarlet mutter something like ‘Sure you are.’ under her breath but I ignored it. Instead I decided on the type of dress that I wanted to find. Even if we were just going as friends I still wanted to look great. Scarlet was just excited as I was too I think because a couple days later, after school, she dragged me into town to shop until we drop and pamper ourselves a plenty. It sounded fantastic to me. I had had a rough day. A math and a science test that I had neither studied for, and Jessica had tried to break my leg during PE again. I was ready to just relax in the shopping rush.

Our first stop was to Casa Loma, a spa, to get the works done. Our little day trip was going to cost Scarlet’s dad a lot of money, but seriously I don’t think that Scarlet cared how much she spent. I’m guessing that this was sort of a silent way for her to get back at her parents for never really being home. And to be brutally honest, I didn’t care. I would just go with the flow and get pampered without spending a cent of my own money.

After, we went from store to store in the mall and on the main drag trying to find the perfect outfits. It took Scarlet within the first few stores to find hers. Her final choice was a sultry, low cut red dress. Mine was somewhat harder to locate. I had a mental picture about what I wanted but I just wasn’t finding it in the stores where we were looking. But while we were in this really trendy store trying on shoes that we would never be able to afford, I spotted a store across the street. I silently stood up from the chair that I was sitting in while trying on a pair of strappy green heels that I would never be able to wear comfortably, put on my own dirty running shoes and exited the store, leaving Scarlet staring after me in wonder.

“Where are you going?” She called to my retreating back, but I offered her no answer.

It was a tiny, hole in the wall type store that looked as if it had seen better days about seventy years ago. To me, what was inside was all that mattered. There was just this feeling in the pit of my stomach that told me that there was something there. I entered the store with only the little bell on the door signifying my entrance. An old lady at the front cash briefly looked up from the steamy romance novel that she was reading, but quickly dismissed me to return to her love affair.

I quietly browsed through the racks upon racks of clothing, many of the articles only worthy to grace the ageing figure of my great-aunt Millie. In all honesty I was beginning to lose any form of hope, thinking that, for the first time in my life, my stomach had betrayed me. I was just about to give up and walk out of the store to meet Scarlet, who was just walking across the street towards where I was, when I spotted a rack in the far corner that I hadn’t looked through yet.

There it was again, that feeling reverberating against the walls of my stomach. The butterflies were telling me to look there before I completely forfeited this particular quest. It was about the fourth from last dress on the rack, resting between church dresses that would have been worn sixty years ago. I reached to pull it off the rack just as Scarlet approached my right side.

It was long, flowing and pearly white and it looked absolutely horrible on the hanger. Scarlet told me that it wasn’t worth it but I had to try it on myself. The feeling was still there that this was the dress. I knew from the second that I saw it on me in the mirror that it was the dress for me. Scarlet gave a low wolf whistle as I stepped out of the dressing room. She sure changed her mind in a hurry. The material clung to my body in all of the right places, it was low in the beck and had thin almost non-existent straps. I couldn’t stop smiling, it fit like a dream and it was only $65. I paid the elderly woman at the cash and also bought some well-needed t-shirts with the money left over.

‘This is going to be the best night of my life’ I thought as we were walking home.

“This is going to be the best night of our young lives Renee.” Piped up Scarlet out of nowhere. I really hate that. I’m beginning to think that she’s telepathic.

- - - - - - -

Scarlet and I spent two hours getting ready on Saturday night, taking turns in the bathroom to shower and then we did each other’s hair and make-up. Nicholas and Ben were supposed to pick us up at 7:30. That gave us enough time to take a couple rolls of pictures and do some last minute touch ups before we left. We didn’t want to be the first people there, so we figured that 8:15 was the perfect time to get to the school.

The guys arrived early and were sitting in the den watching football on the sports channel with Uncle Fred when we came downstairs.
Uncle Fred was surprisingly home for the night and took so many pictures that I was seeing spots from the flash going off so many times. When he finished the last role of film, Uncle Fred looked at his watch and said to us, “It’s past 8 o’clock. I think that you kids should get moving if you want to get there at a reasonable time.” With a wink Uncle Fred escorted us all to Ben’s car and told us to have a good time and to be careful. “Remember,” he said, “No drugs unless you have your own needle, no unprotected sex with multiple partners and you are only allowed to have a handful of joints and as much alcohol as it takes until you are leaning over a toilet.” Then he walked back into the house, all with a perfectly straight face.

When we got to the school Ben stopped the car at the front door, got out and rushed around to the other side to help Scarlet out. Scarlet smiled and allowed Ben to take her arm. I was giggling when I heard Nicholas. “Milady?” he asked with a crazy smile on his face. His right hand was right in front of my face and he was waiting for me to take it. “Thank you kind Sir.” I laughed. I gladly took his outstretched hand and stepped out of the car. I fully expected Nicholas to let go once I was out but he only gripped my hand tighter within his.

As we waited at the front door, for Ben to park the car, I could hear the music thumping from inside the gym. There was the faint sound of people laughing, but also I could hear the sound of thunder in the far distance. We were probably in for a storm. I just hoped that it wouldn’t affect the dance.

The music was great. As it turned out the guy’s band was booked to play for a lot of the time. I danced with everyone; even Ben once while Scarlet was in the ladies room. And about every 45 minutes, a DJ from a neighbouring town took over on the stage while the guys had a break. And the DJ knew the best music to play. The only person who I didn’t see much of was Nicholas. Even when he was on his breaks he seemed to avoid me. It was getting me down slightly.

But I could have been just jumping to conclusions. He was my date, sort of, so why would he be avoiding me? Unless he never really wanted to go with me and this was all just some cruel joke. Wow, I really needed to take a break from all of this. My mind is in total overload and it was affecting my logic. Just then I spotted Alex talking to Tom and Kelly across the room at a table. I went over and joined them, coming halfway through a conversation. I was behind them so they couldn’t see me and I didn’t want to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t help overhearing what Tom was saying.

“We have to get back to playing in a few minutes. If he’s going to ask her to dance he had better stop dicking around with that bitch and do it fast. Or else he’ll have to wait until 11:30 because that’s our next break time.”

I could see Alex shrug and I knew that that was my cue to make myself known. I went up to Alex and took the chair next to her. “Hey guys.” I chirped. I was curious whom they were talking about but I didn’t want them to know that I had heard them.

“Renee darling!” chirped Alex in a false British accent.

“Hey Renee.” Chorused Kelly.

“Renee, how’s the night been treating you?” Asked Tom while shoving a cookie from the refreshment table in his mouth.

“Yes, having fun?” Added Alex, still using the accent.

“Yep. The night has been great and it’s been really fun. Also the night is young and so am I.” I laughed. “Have you seen Nicholas? I haven’t seen him much all night myself.”

“Uh yeah…He’s over there…Dancing with Jessica.” Said Tom, looking over my shoulder.

I turned around to see if he was maybe just mistaken, but he wasn’t. There was Jessica, swaying to the music with Nicholas. There was a look of sheer bliss on her face, although Nicholas was staring somewhere over and slightly below her right shoulder. He didn’t look like he was enjoying being with her, if that was a consolation. It wasn’t really. He was supposed to be my date. But then again, we were just here as friends.

Eleven o’clock came and went and the storm outside grew worse. Hard pellets of rain hit the gym roof at such velocity that I wondered if there were hail stones mixed in. Some guy from my math class, Robbie, nervously asked me to dance a couple of times but never for slow songs. During these I sat and talked to random people and sometimes Robbie joined me. Finally it was 11:30 and the guy’s band finished its last set. The first song that the DJ played was a slow song and my heart dropped. Nicholas hadn’t asked me to dance all night and I had quit getting my hopes up.

I had just started to talk to Robbie about the new math teacher when there came a voice from behind me. “Mind if I cut in?” I turned around and my stomach did a series of flip-flops. I was looking up at Nicholas.

“N-not a-at all.” Stuttered Robbie. Poor guy, he was the type of person whose best friend was his computer. He didn’t have a lot of social interaction.

Nicholas reached his hand down towards me. “Then can I have this dance?” He asked me. I smiled and took his hand. The song was one of my favourite corny love songs. ‘My heart will go on’ by Celine Dion. Nicholas led me to the middle of the dance floor and wrapped his arms around my waist. I laced my fingers together behind his neck and we swayed to the music.

“You looked lonely.” He whispered in my ear. His breath was warm and tickled my skin.

“I was.” I whispered back, “I hadn’t gotten the chance to dance with my date all night.

The song finished quicker then I wanted it to. But I could see Alex and Scarlet walking to the DJ and giving him a tape. Suddenly the music coming from the speakers was sizzling tango music. Nicholas and I looked at each other and were suddenly connected in more than one way.

“Shall we Morticia?” He asked.

“Most definitely Gomez. We didn’t sweat in gym class for nothing. And I think that that was Alex’s plan.” We waited for the right beat and then we began to tango around the gym. People stood back and watched us. But I was having so much fun that I didn’t care.
While we were spinning around I looked at the door and noticed Jessica leaving. I had to admit that she had looked really nice all night. Her hair was down loose and her dress complimented her skin tone. If I were a guy I would have wanted to dance with her too.
We had gone around the whole gym a couple of times when all of a sudden the power went out. The entire room was cast in darkness so thick that I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. Trust me I tried and almost took an eye out. Nicholas still had his arm around my waist and is was the only thing that kept me from having an outright panic attack. I have always hated the dark, more so since the incident. Then I felt Nicholas squeeze me close to his warm body and then suddenly draw back and let go of me and a mere second later as something dripped onto my bare shoulder.

“Don’t come near me Renee.” Nicholas said in a low voice.

“Why? What’s wrong?” I wondered out loud.

“I don’t want your dress to get ruined.”

I was totally puzzled. How could he possible ruin my dress? It wasn’t like he was drunk and was about to be sick. I didn’t smell alcohol on his breath when we were dancing.

“Someone poured something all over me.” Nicholas said as if reading my thoughts.

“What, why? Who would do something like that to you?”

“I have no clue.”

After a couple of minutes the lights came on again and I could see the damage done to Nicholas. He was wet and sticky looking and his white shirt was soaked and had a reddish tint. His hair was slicked down and the liquid was dripping onto the floor and congealing into a dark puddle underneath him. I gasped as I realized what it was, blood.

“Wow Nicholas. Maybe you should have been the one to be named Scarlet!” She snickered as she made her way towards us slowly.
Though it was an incredibly disgusting and morbid sight, I was surprised to hear a small giggle escape from my lips. After all, I had gotten a fair amount splattered onto me too. But the tie to the Stephen King novel was extremely overdone.

“Oh you think this is funny do you?” He demanded.

I shook my head but snorts of giggles betrayed me.
Nicholas just shook his head, spraying droplets of blood everywhere as he did so, and started to walk away towards the door that went outside, the crowd that had developed after the incident parting in two as he walked by them.

“Wait Nicholas where are you going? I shouted after him. But by them he was already outside and walking under the awning attached to the gym. The sound of the rain on the roof must have drowned out my voice. It was raining really hard. I sighed and started to follow.

“Where are you going?” I shouted again over the sound of the falling rain. He was standing in the downpour now.

“Well I have to get this stuff off me some how don’t I?” Nicholas finally heard and turned around to face me. The blood was flowing off of his body in little rivers of red diluted by the rainwater. He had a cheeky grin on his face and his hair was plastered against his face, this time from rainwater, and it was getting into his eyes. I had a sudden urge to push it out of the way but I stayed where I was. I looked at Nicholas and saw that he was walking towards me, still with that cheeky grin. I knew what he was planning.

“Oh no you don’t! You are the one that needs to get clean. As for me, well I really think that a trip to the bathroom will get me freshened up. Don’t you even dare!” I started to back up but after about five or six steps I collided with the picnic table that was under the awning.

I sat down hard on the top and started to plead with Nicholas. “Please I really don’t want to get wet! I will get cold and sick and will get pneumonia! Do you really want that to happen to me?” Plus my dress was white and we all know that when white clothing gets wet, it goes see through. And I really didn’t want that to happen. I also wasn’t wearing a bra but I wasn’t about to come out and say that now was I?

But Nicholas wasn’t backing down. He was right in front of me by then and was well in reaching distance. I gave him a pleading look with my eyes but it didn’t help. Nicholas grabbed me around the waist and hoisted me up over his shoulder fireman style. I’m sure that he had a very nice view of my but which was sticking up in the air. I felt the first drop of rain on the back of my leg and started to threaten him. “Nicholas Jonathan O’Shea! If you don’t put me down right now I’ll…I’ll make your life miserable until the day you die!”

“Ok I’ll put you down. Right here.”

I was set down in the middle of the field where there was no shelter and by the time that I got to one I would be thoroughly soaked. Nicholas had me and he knew it. I tried to glare at him but the rain was making it hard.

“Alright Mr. Wise guy, mind telling me why you just had to carry me out into the pouring rain, to the middle of nowhere? Where my hair is getting wet along with my dress and the rest of me. Because I would really like to hear the ans-” And then before I knew what was happening Nicholas leaned down and wrapped him arms around me. I looked up as best as I could without getting blinded by falling drops of rain and saw that he was staring down at me, drops of rain running off of his perfectly straight nose. His eyes were soft and loving, and closed when he leaned down and kissed me. At first my brain didn’t register what he was doing but then it kicked into action and I kissed him back. As the kiss grew more passionate, I wrapped my arms around his neck. Our tongues battled for dominance as my knees grew weak and butterflies developed in my stomach. When he pulled away I was unsurprised to find that I was disappointed.

“That is my answer.” He said quietly.

“Well if you put it like that I think that I can forgive you.” Then I leaned towards him and kissed him lightly.

“So does this make us more then just friends?” laughed Nicholas when I pulled back. Smiling I slowly nodded and leaned against him, resting my head on his chest. No longer caring about my clothing or anything else for that matter.

A bolt of lightening illuminated the sky and I thought that I could see someone watching us from across the field, in the parking lot. But my brain must have gotten contaminated from the events that had just taken place because next time I got a view, there was no one there.

“Come one, we should leave and maybe get dried off. And I think that we both could both use a nice hot shower with soap. I wouldn’t even object to sharing that with you.” Stated Nicholas with mock seriousness.

“Pervert.” I said as I slapped his arm, then I grabbed his hand and started to walk back towards the school, no longer concerned how wet I was or how I looked.