The Skylar Experiment : The "X" in Apex

Chapter Twenty-Five - The Savior

The adorned gym held no surprise for me and the girls. We'd helped all day to string up the fairy lights, disco balls, and streamers. For me, the activity had been necessary to come back down to Earth.

Snack and punch lined one side of the room. Resting tables were draped in white sheets, with fresh flowers at the center. The dance floor was already packed, but the photo booth with all the canvas and lights was unmanned.

"Are you okay?" Adam spoke over the music, snapping my attention back.

"I'm good." I pointed at the snack table. "I'm kind of thirsty. Want me to bring you something?"

He squeezed my hand gently. "Orange soda, please."

I left to fill a cup with soda for Adam and another one with chocolate milk. I came back with both in each hand, greeting a few classmates and a chaperone on my way. I found the group settled at a table on the outskirts of the dance floor. Emma was already pulling her date along, and soon enough, they disappeared amid the mass.

After a couple of minutes, Adam asked me the question.

"Want to dance?"

"I thought you were supposed to wait for a slow to come on. You know... like in the movies."

His teeth glowed in the neon lights. "Rules are no fun. I think it makes it harder to know you."

I must have blushed so hard he picked it up even through the multicolored lighting.

"I don't know how to dance."

"You danced well enough at the victory party back at my house," he replied with a smirk.

I didn't have a clue it was that memorable. "You know I was drunk and it was not my fault."

"Come on, I'll show you if you can't remember. No one's really watching, anyways." He got up and offered his hand.

I took it, and it was nice and steady. Sam and Jen silently wished me good luck. We weaved through the crowd, stopping in the middle of it. He took my other hand, and then proceeded to shake it loosely.

"You're a little stiff, be flabbier."

"Interesting choice of words," I pointed out as he rotated me like he was playing with a stuffed animal. Then, he spun me around and brought me closer to him, grinning when I clumsily bumped his chest. Embarrassment flushed over me.

"I'm going to be so bad at this."

"No worries," he said, eyes bright. "We're here to have fun. Do what you want."

I couldn't help the next silly thing that escaped my mouth. "Oh, so I can twerk if I want to?"

I wanted to fill our conversation with something funny and not seem dull or worse—uninterested, but it came out weird. It would have been better if I had let that churn in my brain an extra second.

"I won't stop you. Hell, I'd do it with you."

It was sweet of him to make me comfortable, despite that. But I was not making an even bigger fool out of myself.

"I can't manage that in heels, sadly." If that happened, the whole school would remember. "But I dare you to do one for the both of us."

Adam blinked. "You're serious?"

"Do you want to impress me or not?"

His eyes narrowed. "All right, challenge accepted, Addison. Watch, because you're about to witness some life-changing moves. I won't hide behind excuses."