Not You Again

Chapter 20.5

Notes: Every now and then I have a little bit of writer's block with the new chapter. Enjoy this little side chapter while I finish up the next full one :) <3

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"Maybe I should just go home." Nathaniel sulked in the corner while everyone else was having a blast dancing. He only came because his friends asked him to. Dances just weren't his thing. Plus, he didn't know how to dance himself.

As he looked around the room, he noticed a bright red figure. A girl with long, dark, curly hair and a bedazzled dress was dancing as if she was floating on clouds. This feeling in his chest was all too well known. From across the room, her eyes looked all too familiar, even from under her mask.

Nathaniel's cheeks felt like they were on fire until he saw who she was dancing with. He was tall, blonde, and wearing a suit darker than the night. Even though his suit was all a deep black, he somehow still shined under the lights along with her. His chest became heavy.

They look perfect together. I can't compete with that.

He tried to walk around the edge of the room to get a good look at his face, but there were too many people getting in the way. Without looking to where he was going, he accidentally bumped into someone.

"Hey! Watch it!"

Nathaniel jumped back in shock. "I'm s-so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going," he apologized.

The girl in the orange dress gave him a mean look. "Yeah, I'll say."

"Y-your dress, it r-really compliments your eyes," he stuttered, trying to get on her good side.

"Hmph, of course it does," the girl replied as she placed her left hand to her chest and the other on her hip. "You're not so bad yourself." She said as she looked him up and down. "Nice mask."

Nathaniel blushed a little as he looked down at the floor. "Th-thank you."

"Wanna dance?" The girl in orange asked.

"What!?"

"I got nothing better to do. Come on," she grabbed him by the hand and led him out to the dance floor.

"W-wait!" Nathaniel couldn't get away from her strong grip. One minute he was by himself in the shadows, the next he was under the lights dancing with some random girl.

"You can't not know how to dance! Come on!" The girl placed his left hand on her hip as she held onto the other.

Nathaniel panicked and just went along with her. After a minute or two, he finally got the rhythm of her dancing down. "Y-you're a pretty good dancer."

"I know," she smirked. "I'm one of the best in the city you could say."

Nathaniel didn't know if she spoke the truth or just thought that highly of herself. He didn't have time to worry about it as he tried his best to keep up with her.

A song or two went by as they discussed generic topics. He felt like he should at least know her name.

"Can I ask what your name is?" He asked curiously.

"Oh? Fallen for me already?" She smirked. "It's Lila. But I don't feel like knowing your name because after this night, I'll probably forget all about this."

Nathaniel felt like he was punched in the throat. "Why would you say something like that when you're the one who forced me to dance with you?" He dropped her hand and his from her waist. "At first, I wondered why you didn't already have a date, but I guess I just got my answer."

As he took a step back, ready to turn, she spoke, "Hey, don't walk away from me! Who do you think you are?" She grimaced.

"My name's Nathaniel, but not like you care. However, you should change your attitude. You'll never make friends that way." He continued and walked away from her, never looking back. For a second, he thought he may have heard her say something more but had already stopped listening long ago. Not that far away, he spotted Alix. She was too easy to find.

Alix noticed him as he came closer. "Hey, you okay? Where have you been?"

"I'm tired so I'm going home," he replied.

"Why so soon? There's still a lot of time left." She asked.

He gave a small smile, "It's just not my thing." After saying their goodbyes, Nathaniel walked out of the room and out of the building. However, without checking his surroundings as he was too distracted, he found himself in the courtyard.

Before walking right back inside, he noticed a familiar figure in red. Without thinking, he hid behind a pillar. He saw her walking with the same black figure she was dancing with earlier. He recognized Bridgette's voice all too well as he's known her for years. Nathaniel tried to focus more on the boy she was with. He was wearing a black mask and he didn't very well recognize his hair. Until he spoke. It was Felix.

Nathaniel ran back inside when the couple walked further away so he wouldn't be seen. As he power walked down the hallway, his chest was full of mixed emotions. Confusion, jealousy, sadness, and a little bit of anger. Confused as to why Felix was here at the school dance when everyone knew he wasn't coming in the first place. Jealous that he was dancing with Bridgette not too long ago and not him. Sad that he couldn't casually talk to her like Felix could. Angry at himself because he felt like he couldn't compete with someone like that, even if he tried.

When he finally reached outside the front of the school, all his emotions cleared away. He looked up to the full moon. The brightness of the moon reminded him of how bright Bridgette looked when she was dancing with Felix. He felt his cheeks move into a smile. If she could look that happy, who was he to get mad and ruin it? By all means, she deserved to be happier than she was tonight.