I was so excited. It was the first formal dance of the year, and all the Grade 11’s and 12’s were allowed to come. We would be allowed to wear clothing other than our uniforms. It was weird because I had never been in the school in anything besides my uniform. We had three sets of the uniform to wear throughout the week, but they all looked the same. Girls wore a white top with a blue skirt, while guys wore a button-down shirt with tan slacks. So much diversity, right?
Anyways, I decided to get fancy and wear a tuxedo that my dad got me from a place downtown. It was rented. The tuxedo was so nice that I wanted to keep it, so it bothered me knowing I wouldn’t be able to keep it. I was going with Grace as my date, and I was expected to pick her up at 8.
I took my dad’s BMW and drove over to her house. I was kind of nervous, driving in such a nice car, but I tried not to focus on that too much. I tried to focus more on Grace. She was such a nice and sweet girl, but something didn’t really feel right. It felt like it wasn’t meant to be, and I really should’ve turned her down. I tried to keep thinking about Grace and how I should be madly in love with her, but my thoughts kept going over to Finley, Finley, Finley. It was always Finley. I kept seeing his eyes whenever I closed mine, and how ocean-blue they were. Why was it always so bright whenever I looked at him? It wasn’t like that with anyone else. I had never felt like this before with anyone, and I wanted to know why this was happening. Was I really bisexual? I didn’t know what to do.
I arrived at her house, and she was waiting by the gate. She was wearing a red dress, but the area by her breasts was pink. It looked so stunning. It had what I thought were diamonds all over them, and they sparkled in the headlights. She got into the car.
“Hey honey, I’m sorry about the other night,” I apologized.
“Let’s not focus on the past, Charlie. How are you enjoying your first month in Australia?” she asked, changing the subject.
“I like it here. It’s so pretty, and I love the weather. Does it ever snow here?”
“Nope! You have to go into the mountains to see that stuff. Have you seen snow?” she asked.
“Yes. I used to live in Vermont, in the United States. It always snowed there. The winters sucked, though. It was always so cold. It’s so much warmer here,” I claimed.
“I’ve heard of Vermont. I heard it’s really pretty there in the fall,” she said.
“Yeah. It’s really hilly and wooded, so it makes for scenic drives,” I started. “I’m going to miss having a white Christmas.”
“My family and I usually go to Darwin and spend the week there during Christmas vacation,” she said, “But I like it here more in Melbourne. I don’t like the tropical feel that much,” she explained.
By this time, we were arriving at the school. I dropped her off at the front door, and parked the car. I headed inside. It seemed like a different place. It was a nice change of scenery, I think. I walked into the gym to witness a full-on dance party. I struggled to find Grace, and eventually, I did.
“Can we dance, Grace? I really like this song,” I asked her, as “Hey Soul Sister” by Train came on.
“I would love to, Charlie,” she said, standing up.
I’ll admit one thing: she knew how to dance. Really well. Better than most people I knew. She would move to the rhythm really well, and it was almost sexy how she did it. I could sit there and just admire her dancing all night, but that would be kind of weird. Just imagine walking into a room and just seeing a random guy staring at this girl all night while she dances. Sounds creepy to me.
Just like when I was at her house, the mood changed again. Suddenly the song “The Last Time” by Taylor Swift was playing. A majority of the people got off the dance floor, as this song was really slow. Halfway through the song, she stopped dancing.
“Do you like me, Charlie? Be honest, now,” she demanded.
“Look, Grace-,” I started, but she interrupted me.
“Oh, Charlie, why did you lead me on?” she shouted.
“I wanted to give it a try. I thought maybe it could work,” I said really calmly.
“This is the last time I say it's been you all along. This is the last time I let you in my door,” she cried, reciting the words as they were sung.
“Grace, you barely know me! How could you say that?” I said, raising my voice.
“I knew it was you the first day I saw you in English. You’re so smart and you’re everything I look for in a guy. Please don’t leave me,” she said, suddenly crying.
“I’m sorry, Grace. We’re not meant to be. Sorry,” I said, apologizing.
I walked away. I was tired of lying to her. I tried not to cry, but I couldn’t do it. I started crying because I was such an asshole. How could I lead someone on just to get someone else to become jealous? I mean, how low could you fucking go? I climbed into the car and cried. I was so sick of making such stupid mistakes.
