Kimberly Konquers 2 WIP

6: Franklin crashes the party

Franklin stood there, paralyzed. A ragged breath drained from his lungs. He wanted to run, but his body wouldn't budge—he was trapped in a nightmare and his legs refused to work.

A date. He didn't know why that thought had popped into his head, or where it had come from. But now it was all he could think about, and he couldn't un-think it. He tried to focus on the loudness around him. He fiddled with the pipe in his pocket. But the more he tried to distract himself, the more his mind sprung back to that four-letter word.

Deep down, Franklin knew that he wasn't going to be able to get past this. He heaved a sigh. The night was ruined.

For the first time in his life, Franklin found himself wishing to be surrounded by people—just enough for him to quietly fade into the background. Then at least it wouldn't be a date.

So why weren't his stupid friends here? He had enough of them. Almost seven. Besides Jann and Prince, he had a whole group of stoner friends from his old school, all of whom he knew had nothing better to do on a Saturday night.

What good was pretending to care about people if they weren't around when you needed them to bail you out of awkward situations, Franklin lamented. A few more bodies would make this ordeal feel less weird. But Prince was under house arrest, and Jann had flaked. And his old friends were—somewhere. One by one they'd disappeared, leaving Franklin alone, like he was living through an Agatha Christy story.

It's just you and me...

What did Kimberly mean by that? Did she know it would turn out like this? Or... had she set it all up? The idea made him feel slightly betrayed. Like finding out that your best friend is actually a serial killer.

He knew that Kimberly was smart—smarter than anyone he'd ever met. But she wasn't some kind of criminal mastermind, and everything that had happened today had just been one big coincidence...

Right?

Franklin narrowed suspicious eyes at his sequined companion, fighting back a growing sense of dread.

Kimberly didn't notice him. She was still taking in the mayhem that surrounded them, eyes wide and excited.

She watched the wild crowd swaying and surging like it had a life of its own. Then her attention fell on the stage, where a Visual Kei band blasted out a metal version of I'll Put a Spell On You from behind cobwebs and mascara. And then her gaze trailed upward, to where laser lights danced and flashed across the vaulted ceiling.

The scene only vaguely registered with Franklin. The more he stared at Kimberly the less he could focus on anything else. He became painfully aware that she was still holding his hand tight. It felt impossibly soft, and a warmth started to spread through his body that had nothing to do with relief from the cold outside.

They were both stuck in a kind of limbo, frozen to the spot. Alone in the middle of this crowded room. Kimberly stood transfixed by everything, and Franklin stood transfixed by her.

She swung back to face him suddenly, and Franklin found himself nearly eye-to-eye with Kimberly. His breath caught in his throat. Suspicion and dread gave way to panic as her green eyes pierced into him, locking him into the most intense staring match of his life. They were way too close.

Kimberly always stood too close, Franklin thought, his mind playing at half-speed. But this time was too too close. He tried to look away, but for some reason, he couldn't. She held his gaze like a spell, the reflection of the disco lights dancing in her dark emerald eyes.

Franklin felt his face flood with heat. The back of his neck prickled. He didn't know if he was mesmerized or terrified. Both, probably.

It was soft—her hand. That's all he could think about. And he kept repeating to himself that this wasn't a date. But as he gazed into her sparkling eyes and her small face, and the music pulsed around them, soon he wasn't able to think about anything at all.