Taking The Reins - Book 1 of The Rosewoods (teen romance)

The Gym Arrival

Kaylee and I walked into the gym together, though I’m not sure which one of us was more nervous. I gave her a smile, which she returned.

Sort of. Okay, maybe she was more nervous.

I looked around to try to find our friends, which wasn’t easy among the loud music and dim lights punctuated by moving spots and strobes.

“Over there,” Kaylee said, pointing to the right side of the room that had been decorated with streamers and posters of our schools’ crests. Not the most fun decorations, but the music was good, and as we walked over to our friends, I saw most people were smiling and laughing, so that was what really mattered.

And it didn’t appear Will…Dave was with Emmie, so that was a plus. I scanned around just to make sure, but the look on her face as she bit her lip anxiously and did a room scan of her own, told me he wasn’t there. I felt bad for her, but relieved nonetheless

Her face brightened as we approached. “There you two are! We were getting worried you’d gone back to Rosewood.”

“Nope,” I said. Even though the thought had occurred to me, I didn’t say.

“Just a little bio break,” Kaylee explained.

“So…” I began, hoping someone would fill us in on the lay of the land so far.

“Dave’s not here yet,” Emmie said. “That’s the problem with the dance being at their campus; they wander down when they feel like it. He was supposed to be here by now.” She clucked her tongue; I couldn’t tell if she was angry or nervous. Maybe a bit of both.

I looked around and realized the Rosewood girls probably made up something like eighty percent of the bodies in the room.

“Don’t worry,” Celia said. “Once they realize we’re here, they’ll come down. They are boys, after all. Come on, let’s get a soda,” she grabbed my arm and led Kaylee and I over to the ‘bar’, set up with sodas and juices. There were also plenty of snacks, which my empty stomach appreciated, since I’d skipped supper.

And then, just as I reached for a bag of Doritos, I heard Chelly announce the boys had arrived, her voice an almost inaudible purr over the music.

“They’re here.”

As one, we turned and looked at the dozen or so boys that headed the pack. Perhaps we seemed predatory, but in fairness, our interest was matched by that of the new arrivals as they looked around, taking us in.

And, I had to admit, they deserved our attention, because they all looked good in their suits, complete with fancy pocket squares in various colors. They were clean, their hair brushed and styled, and I imagined they probably took as much care in getting ready for this dance as we had. Actually, in my case, probably more.

We were all on display for each other.

“This is like a weird social experiment,” I said to Kaylee.

She nodded, keeping her gaze on her soda.

“What does Phillip look like?” I asked.

Her head snapped up. “What?”

“You’re going to dance with him, right?”

She gave me a terrified look. “Oh I don’t think so. I can’t dance with him.”

“Yes you can. It was a long time ago. And it’s just a dance. What does he look like?”

She took a sip of her soda and discreetly looked around. “There. On the right in that group with four other guys. He’s the second tallest one with the dark hair and glasses.”