The Nameless Boy

18: Pitiful Prom

He stared at me with a blank expression.
My arm was interlocked with Reed's. I freed my arm from his and ran to Darren, picking up my dress about two inches from the ground so it wouldn't drag on the floor. He saw me, but didn't seem excited or anything. He was unfazed. "Darren!" I yelled without realizing I had just said his name aloud.

     "You're here with him." He said bluntly.

     "I know, I know. It's nothing, I swear. My friends thought we should go as friends so I wouldn't be without a date since I didn't know if you were even going to show."

     "I guess it's my fault. I should've assured you that I would be here."

     I scanned him with my eyes, suddenly noticing how well he was dressed. "You look amazing. That tux is so nice."

     "Thanks. You look breathtaking." He said hiding a smile.

     "Why did you leave? Where were you? You worried me so much."

     "I already said I couldn't tell you. You found and read the whole note, right?"

     "Yes."

     "I knew you would." He smiled.

     "It drove me crazy not knowing where you were and having no way of contact at all."

     "I'm sorry." He simply said. A slow paced song began to play as couples got together and singles sighed in annoyance. "Want to dance? I'm not that good, but it's worth a shot."

     "I would love to dance with you." I smiled.

     He wrapped his hands around my waist and I placed my hands upon his shoulders. We swayed back and forth to the music and I tried looking into his eyes, but I was intimated.

     "Why can't you just talk to me," I asked softly.

     "I try, sometimes I can't." He confessed.

     "You don't make any sense."

     "I know. I make sense to me though."

     "We're never going to be able to be together. Are we?"

     "Probably not, but we have tonight." He twirled me around gracefully.

     "Why does it have to be this way?"

     "Sometimes things just are what they are." He simply stated.

     "You really do look great tonight." I complimented him once again as I admired his appearance.

     "As do you, although you always do."

     "Thank you." I smiled. We danced without saying anything for the rest of the song. A fast-paced song began playing and we found a table to sit down at. "Where are you going after this?"

     "Tomorrow or tonight?"

     "Both."

     "I'm going to head out again tonight. I have to take care of the rest of the mission."

     "Mission?" I asked in surprise.

     "The top-secret thing I left for."

     "No, no. That doesn't seem safe at night and stuff. Why don't we just go back to the cabin tonight?" I asked nervously. This mission he speaks of could easily be in his head, but if I accused it all as fake, I'm afraid of how he would react.

     "I can't. There's no time. I'm risking a lot just to be here." He said firmly.

     "Darren, can you please tell me about your parents? Family? Anything, please. I'm worried about you."