"A Mistake" (SPM:Gen AU One-Shot)

A Mistake

Disclaimer: This story was made with minimal sleep & within a word limit of 4500, so it is approximately 4300 words.

Warning - Contains a few minor cuss words

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Standing at the far end of the almost pitch-black cafeteria, I had my arms crossed over my white dress shirt as I stared blankly into the crowd. Flashing disco lights above everyone blinded me further to get rid of any chance I had of finding who I was looking for. As far as the eye could see, the silhouettes of dancing teens were all there was. Noise coming from the crowd and the overly boosted bass from the speakers overhead was enough to make anyone deaf. With a foggy head and almost blurry vision, I strained to make out my date's face in the crowd. If I willed myself hard enough, I could only get my hopes up so much as I imagined him pushing through the crowd to greet me.

Being one of the tallest people in my age group was good for looking over people's heads, but it also made me feel exposed to the mob all around me. Standing at seven feet tall tends to make me feel like I'm exposed to the whole world sometimes. Everyone was probably glancing my way and pointing out how my date was missing, as I'm thinking about it right now. I debated curling up into a ball against the wall as my legs felt a little weak, my black dress pants wrinkling as I clutched them out of stress. Maybe that could be a last resort if a panic attack sneaked up on me. After all, everyone would know that something's up if I do that, assuming they haven't figured anything out already. I stick out like a sore thumb, and not just because of my dyed-purple hair.

"Hey, Marcus!"

Snapping to attention at the sound of my name, three of my friends had made their way to this side of the gym, away from the floor where everyone else was busy having fun. The two sisters' long matching satin dresses and my friend Mavric's ironed tuxedo made me a bit jealous, and a tad embarrassed, comparing their fancy clothes to my measly outfit. I'm thankful that this isn't some kind of dress-up contest, or I would surely lose.

"Why are you just standing over here against the wall?" Charlie asked, flicking some of her stray brown bangs out of her eyes. "Don't you at least want to head over to where everyone else is hanging out?"

I gave her a sheepish smile in response, averting my gaze down to my feet as I rubbed the back of my neck. Trying to explain being scared of large crowds to my friends is challenging, and most of the time they just assume I'm just being shy.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm just...waiting here for now," I reassured.

Charlie tilted her head at me, looking confused and not seeming to get my clues. Her sister, Addison, gave a reassuring pat on Charlie's shoulder, smiling as she did. The gesture told me that at least someone seemed to understand my implications.

"Charlie, he's just waiting for his date. Come on, I'm honestly surprised you forgot that," Addison half-teased her younger, yet taller, sister. "After all, Marcus said that he wanted to ask this 'mysterious guy' out after he turned me down."

Charlie slowly nodded with a look of recognition on her face, seeming to recall what she was talking about. However, I didn't really like the way Addison phrased that. I wasn't that mean when I told her that I wanted to go with someone else to the dance, was I? It was so hard trying to figure out if I was being rude or not whenever I said "No" to things that made me uncomfortable.

"Addy, chill out. Marcus can go with whoever he wants. You guys technically aren't even an item anyway," Mavric stated as he stepped between me and Addison with a smirk.

I was thankful for the save as Addison just shrugged it off, sheepishly running a hand through her pink-tipped brown hair. Charlie and I couldn't help but laugh a little in response. However, mine was more a laugh of relief than anything else.