The words Emily had spoken only a moment ago were miles away from him. She spoke low and jabbed Jack with her elbow, and he finally snapped his attention back to her.
"That's Dylan Chiraini. Oh my God, isn't he just so handsome?"
Jack watched as Dylan walked through the crowded room, right past them. He could feel the brush of his leather jacket against his arm, it sent a sort of chill through his body.
Dylan continued walking without even looking back, then he rounded a corner and disappeared.
"Hey!" Emily waved her hand in front of his face and he jumped back, bumping into someone behind forcing him to apologize quickly before turning back to face the blonde girl. "Are you okay? You sort of drifted off there for a moment."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay," he said, pausing, nervously adjusting his glasses.
"He looked angry."
"Someone probably tried to fight him, bet he was asking for it. I heard he likes to start things, you know?" She shrugged and tugged at Jack's sleeve, pouting. "C'mon, let's keep dancing; this is the only thing keeping me from going insane here."
Jack stared at the spot where Dylan had turned for a second longer before nodding and letting his body start to adjust back into the music.
"Yeah, okay." He smiled and Emily swayed in front of him, moving her arms at her sides, and he matched her motions, keeping beat with the song.
It didn't take very long before he had lost himself in the music and the drifting movements of the other people around them. He smiled at Emily and she bit her lip coyly, sneaking her hands to his shoulders to pull him closer to her. Jack stalled for a moment when his palms brushed over her dress, his throat growing a little thick. His fingers twitched with repulsion as he settled them on her body, her own arms coming up to tangle in his blonde hair. He took a breath and tried to look over her shoulder even as she tried to peer right in his eyes.
He knew how Emily felt about him. She was constantly trying to get him interested, and it wasn't her fault. It really wasn't. Jack wished, with every part of him, that he could reciprocate the feelings to a female.
He stiffened and kept rocking with her, trying his best to be at ease. But he felt so clumsy suddenly, and even though he didn't trip or anything, he felt supremely out of sync. It was maddening to be so offbeat, and yet he had to keep dancing anyway, regardless of how he felt.
It wasn't even like he could explain himself - the reason was that Emily was barking up the completely wrong tree. He wanted to stop her as she experimentally slid her hand over his neck, but he couldn't. He couldn't do anything about it because he was a boy and she was a girl and it was a Delta party and even if he knew the reason he sure as hell couldn't show it.
Emily tilted her head shyly at him and he smiled, he hoped the pity he felt for her wasn't too obvious. She was one of the valuable friends he had, and he was desperate not to lose her. Things at school had been going so well. So much better than he'd ever anticipated and he would do anything not to ruin it like he had at home.
He must have frowned because Emily suddenly looked concerned, blinking at him, his gaze zeroing in on her cat-eye liner. She had probably been poring over magazines for hours just to look as good for him as possible and it made his stomach drop.
"Something wrong?" she said loud enough for only him to hear.
"Oh, no, just thinking," he answered quickly and she giggled, playing with his sweater.
"You know, you can tell me what's wrong..." she continued.
'No, I really can't.' Jack thought desperately, but he just laughed a little, pushing away from her as the record transitioned into a faster song, one that didn't require any intimate touching.
