Lost

Chapter 2

I wake up with a sore throat, then I remember that it's the day of the dance and I quickly shower and eat breakfast. Mum is at work again so I get the house to myself, preparing for tomorrow since the dance doesn't start until nineteen o'clock.

Throwing my backpack on the ground, I collect my things with Gertie.

"Extra shoes, check. Underwear, check." I grab a pair of socks from Gertie, who zooms around my room grabbing things that I'll potentially need. "Oh, and do not forget your deodorant sir. You sure do need it."

I chuckle. Mum and I recently started teaching Gertie how to have a sense of humor. She's catching on.

The day goes by quickly. I put my suitcase by the door and eat lunch at noon, then I look over the map of the space shuttle, trying to memorize every room and hall. It's shaped like a bean with two legs sticking out of it and a horizontal leg attaching the two. It's called the SSG-II, but all the astronauts called it the Glider when they came to visit our school. I've never seen it in person.

Finally it's eighteen o'clock. Time to get ready.

I change into my black tux that used to belong to Lucas, who's 25 now. He wore it to his White Lights Black Out dance, where he danced with a girl who he's now married to. Maybe it'll be lucky for me too. I gel my hair carefully and slip into my black shoes.

When I'm done I head downstairs. Noah and a bunch of guys are coming over to pick me up, then we're heading to the school. I look out the window with a hand in my pocket, constantly checking my watch.

"Sir," Gertrude's voice rings out, and I turn around to see her floating towards me. "Your mother is on the line. Pick up?"

"Tell her I'm busy," I say back. "Tell her the guys are here."

Just then I hear a honk, and I look back out the window. A bunch of people sit in a purple skimmer outside my door and I grin, waving. Gertrude does as I say as I open the door. "See you," I call to Gertie and she waves.

"Look who's joining the partay!" Shane shouts, and the guys cheer as I climb in. Shane and I have been friends since we started high school, we're pretty close. Even though I'd consider myself closer to Noah, we hang a lot at school and are considered the senior bad boys. He sticks his head out and I put my forehead on his, we both start shaking our heads and we smack each other on the ear as our famous "headshake" that is basically famous at our school.

"Ready to rock and roll?" Tanner asks from the driver's spot, and we start moving, going faster then we should. I laugh along with everyone else as we joke around, talking about who we're going to dance with. It's a tradition for the WLBO dance to see who has the best proposal, and we all think that Tanner's going to win it this year. He already asked his girlfriend to it by throwing her a surprise party on her birthday. It was funny because she thought he was breaking up with her and she cried a lot before so when we got it on tape she wasn't looking the best. As a joke we got the whole grade to vote for it.

"I call dibs on Alex," Eric announces as we climb out. The school is decorated on the outside with flashing white lights, and the bots greet us at the door, giving us samples of food and collecting our tickets.

"Well if you call Alex, I call Hannah," Shane says, and I look at him, grinning since he knows I like her.

"Dammit," I say. "You beat me to it, bro."

"I thought you asked Carson," Oscar says, clueless as always.

We all laugh. "I did ask her you little dumbass," Shane says. "We were joking. Now let's go already."

The ten of us boys walk inside, where the hallways are illuminated by all sorts of lights. People talk and laugh all around us, and a bot is placed in every corner, watching us closely so nothing bad happens.