Love is a Losing Game

LIALG - Chapter 12

The contents of my drink remained a mystery, but it didn't knock me completely on my ass. Always a lightweight, I had enough sense to forgo a second one just to be safe. The dance floor was much more inviting than listening to Doug and Evie animatedly discuss the material from their recent exams, so I grabbed Audrey, who was already drunk and happy to oblige, and dove into the crowd of people. As soon as I was fully surrounded by wiggling bodies and sufficiently buzzed, I let myself go. Most of the songs were not ones that I had come to know since arriving in Auradon, but I let the music guide me anyway. Every pulse of the bass seemed to synchronize with the beating of my heart, and the melodies ran through my veins and orchestrated my movements. I vaguely registered the familiar bodies around me as countless songs came and went. Jane and Lonnie were to my left, lost in one another and confirming my suspicions that there was definitely something going on between them. Audrey was off to my right, dancing with some boy I didn't recognize.

It was alright, though. I didn't feel alone; I had the music as my dance partner. That feeling remained until a provocative song from Homecoming night began to play, and the memories of the last time I had danced to this ran through my head. As effective as my sober mind was at repressing the memories – the feeling of Evie's body pressed against mine and her lips against my skin – I couldn't escape them now that my inhibitions were compromised. In fact, the harder I concentrated on them the more they felt almost real – like she might appear right behind me if I wanted it badly enough. I craved to experience her again, and soon my boots were taking me out of the crowd of moving bodies and into the hallway.

I didn't know where she was. I had left her and Doug at a snack table a long time ago, but somehow my body intuitively drew me closer to her. Although I struggled with the complexities of the sliding glass door, I finally made it into the indoor pool area in one piece. My body was humming, and it only got worse as I locked my gaze with red-brown eyes. She was swimming near the edge of the pool, and I ambled over to her excitedly.

"Eeeee!" I exclaimed happily, amazed I had managed to find her.

Her arms shot into the air, trying to signal to me to stop approaching. In hindsight, it definitely wasn't ideal for anyone that had been drinking to be so close to a pit of impending doom. "Mal! Where's your buddy? You shouldn't be out here alone!" she chided, looking around me to see if any of our friends had been close behind. They weren't, and they honestly probably had not even notice that I had left with how focused on dancing they had been.

"I'm not alone, I have you," I countered, tapping my finger to my head to indicate my wit. My body lowered into a sit, and I went down a little too forcefully, likely bruising my hand when I tried to break my fall.

Evie rolled her eyes good-naturedly, my drunken state too cute for her to remain upset about.

"Come dance with meeee," I begged, giving her my best pout, despite the fact that I couldn't seem to keep my eyes open at the same time.

Wet hands encased mine as she pondered a response. "We can't dance in the water, M," she chuckled.

"I bet you can; you can do anything," I insisted. Her thumb rubbed against mine, and I sighed at the feeling.

"What time is it?" she wondered aloud.

"Hot o'clock" I offered, my body still perspiring slightly from my time in the dancing mob. With the alcohol in my system, I felt impossibly warm, like I was a simmering volcano after an eruption. It was suddenly very important that I cool off. My fingers pulled away from their restraints and crawled down my legs before fumbling with the laces of my boots.