Oddball

Chapter Three

"Oh, Payton. You look so beautiful." My mother smiles at me as I look at my reflection in the mirror.

I look at my curled hair and my make-up. Then, I look at my body, which is being squeezed by this slim, white dress. I suck in a deep breath and smile at my mom. The doorbell rings and my mom practically runs out of the room.

"Is that him? Is that Milo?" She shouts, rushing down the hall.

She opens the door and I instantly recognize Milo's voice.

"Hi Miss Fisher. It's so lovely to meet you. I'm Milo."

"You're so handsome!" My mother exclaims loudly, "Payton he's so handsome!"

I laugh as I walk out of my room, trying to focus on not falling in these heels. I brush some hair behind my shoulder as Milo looks at me. He smiles slowly and then opens his mouth.

"You look stunning." He tells me, handing me my corsage.

I fasten the little bundle of flowers around my wrist and look at his matching one on his tuxedo. I have to hand it to him; He looks nice when he's all cleaned up. I pat him on the shoulder and smile.

"If you make a move on me tonight, I will hit you." I tease.

My mother gasps and gives me a tap on the shoulder, "Payton Michelle Fisher! Behave yourself!"

"Take it easy, Mom. I was kidding." I assure her, glaring at Milo as he snickers.

"Let me take a few pictures before you go!" She begs, hurrying to go get her camera.

"Okay, okay." I sigh.

She returns and takes a ton of pictures of Milo and I. Then, we say bye to my mother and head out the door. Milo helps me into his truck and then gets in the driver's seat.

"So, I'm not allowed to make moves on you?" Milo snorts as he starts up the truck and backs out of the driveway.

"No, sir. You have to behave yourself." I reply in a monotone voice.

"Well, shit." Milo laughs and stops at a light. "Your mom is nice."

"Thanks. She's been pretty different ever since my dad passed away." I frown, looking out the window as he pulls into the school parking lot.

"I'm sorry, Payton... Hey, look, let's just have fun tonight. It'll take your mind off everything." Milo says, resting his hand on my shoulder.

"Alright." I smile weakly as we get out of the truck and approach the school.

We show the school security guards our I.D.s and they let us into the gym. It's a bit hot inside with everybody dancing and hanging around, but it shouldn't be a problem. We walk across the dance floor as Milo tries to locate his friends on the hockey team. I stand around awkwardly when he finds his friend Travis and they begin chatting up a storm.

My eyes graze over the dance floor and I knit my eyebrows in confusion when I notice a crochet sock monkey beanie in the mix of people. I look down and see that the hat belongs to the same girl that sits in front of me in History.

She dances around, looking like she's having the time of her life. Oddball twirls and spins and takes random people by the hand, leading them in a playful jig. I smile to myself, having never seen someone so amused by something so simple. The song ends and slows down to a couple's dance when she exits the floor. She passes me with a smile on her way to the bathroom.

"Hey, Payton. Can I have this dance?" Milo asks.

I nod shyly as he takes my hand and leads me to the dance floor. We dance for two slow dances and then the tempo picks up. About six songs later, I find myself getting tired and hot. I ask Milo if I can step outside for a bit, feeling a bit flustered at all of the people around. So I step outside and catch my breath.

I hear someone coughing and struggling to breathe, so I round the corner and I see the girl in the hat.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

She nods slowly, her face a deep red. "Yeah, yeah I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Sometimes when it gets too hot I have to step outside because I have a hard time getting breath." She tells me.

"Oh. Um... Maybe you'll feel cooler if you take that hat off. Your head is probably hot." I shrug.

"No, I'm actually cold." She giggles.

"Hi, I'm Willow."

"I'm Payton." I reply.

Willow wears a light blue dress with a pair of white heels and... That beanie. I can't help but laugh as I look at it.

"Why are you wearing that?" I ask her, not meaning to be rude.

"Because I love hats." She tells me, as if I should already know.

"You're weird. I like that." I say.

"Thanks. Maybe we can hang out sometime. I'm gonna go back inside, though. I think me and Steven are ready to dance again." Willow smiles and makes her way towards the door.

"Is Steven your date?" I ask.

"No." She reaches into a tiny pocket on the side of her dress and pulls out a little black hamster with a white circle around his eye. "He's my hamster."

I blink hard, raising my eyebrows.

"Well, see you later!" She says happily as she opens the door and returns to the gym.

What a character...