Sunset Memories

Chapter 19 - Simon Says

The school day went by quickly, and before I knew it I was dressing in my white shirt and new jeans for the Valentine's Day dance. I'd asked Danielle at lunch, and of course she'd said yes, smiling shyly at me and catching my eye. 

     I was applying deodorant before slipping my shirt on when Danielle walked in on me, wearing a knee-length red chiffon dress and a necklace with a heart on it. She looked warm and delicious.

     ''Whoa, stop for a second.'' I dropped my shirt on the floor (this was the umpteenth time she'd seen me completely topless, most likely) and said, ''Where'd you get this dress?''

     ''I brought it from home,'' she answered. ''You like it?''

     ''Hell yeah. Looks awesome.'' 

     She gave me a smile. ''Thanks. You should wear a tie.''

     ''I should?'' 

     ''Yeah. Something blue.'' 

     I picked up my V-neck on the floor and threw it into the laundry. ''Okay. I need to find a dress shirt, then . . .'' 

     She went over to my drawers and rummaged through as I found a black dress shirt and put it on. It was slightly big, since it used to be Curt's, but it didn't choke me like all my other dress shirts did.

     When I turned around, Danielle was holding a tie that was the color of teal.

     ''It's not blue,'' I said.

     She shrugged. ''It doesn't have to be.'' She moved closer to me and wrapped the tie around my neck. I stood as still as a statue. 

     When she was done, my fingers scratched the edge of it. It felt soft and thin.  

     ''Thanks,'' I said. My voice came out as a whisper. 

     ''No problem.'' Hers was a little louder, but its softness wasn't comparable. ''Let's go.'' 

     Curt drove us there in the Ecosport, since he ended up getting a date as well. I teased him about it on the way there. 

     ''What's her name?''

     ''None of your business, Luca.''

     ''C'mon, tell me!'' 

     ''No.'' 

     I guessed names. Curt shook his head to most of them. 

     ''Bettina?''

     ''No.''

     ''Liesel!''

     ''No.''

     I paused. Who was that girl he always hung around with at school? ''Renate?''

     Curt's eyes went round. 

     I laughed. ''You asked her? Really?'' 

     ''Yeah, really,'' he mumbled, and didn't say anything else until we got to the school. 

     The gym was decorated in red, white, and pink. Danielle stared at it in awe, and I personally thought that they could use a little less hearts. Everything about it screamed Love, Valentines, Cupid. 

     I couldn't find Max or Hanna or Astrid anywhere, and at that moment, the music started to play. I saw Jonas Eichenwald at the DJ's table, his broken arm no longer in a cast and his yellow hair flung across his hair. He turned the volume up. 

     ''Shut the door, turn the light off . . .'' 

     Some of the girls around us screamed slightly. ''Oh mein Gott, es ist One Direction!'' they cried.