Music fills my head as we walk through the gym doors; strings of beads gently falling on our shoulders as we brush past them. Dallas and Luke push me onto the dance-floor, almost tripping me in the process. I walk back over to my teammates, pretending to laugh it off. Sometimes I just want to punch them. Dallas is already talking to some girl that I’ve never seen before, while Luke is laughing at an overweight sophomore with Owen. I roll my eyes and decide to take in everything going on. There’s a DJ up on stage and some guy in a Polar bear costume dancing by him. Most of the guys are standing in the corner, and a lot of the girls are dancing with each other, trying to look sexy. I look for the one person I want to see out of everyone here at this stupid dance. She is nowhere to be found. I lean against the wall and put my hands in my pockets. I lick my lips, tasting the alcohol that had soaked into them. I shouldn’t of let the team pressure me into drinking all of that whisky. My head starts spinning, and the temperature gets 10 degrees warmer. I bring my hand up, rubbing my eyes. This won’t end well. I finally see Maya. She’s accompanied by her usual group of friends. Tori is tugging Zig along while Tristan follows them, looking around. Maya turns to Tori and says something, making Tori laugh. They walk toward the refreshments, and Maya takes a Seven up from the cooler. She looks different. Her hair is straightened, and she’s wearing a t-shirt that hugs her body closer than what she usually wears. I want to go talk to her, but I’m too buzzed to even see straight. Owen claps me on the back so abruptly that I almost fall over. I swallow hard, regaining my balance. “Dude, you okay? You look like you’re going to pass out.” He laughs and so does Luke. I smirk, feeling even worse now. “Yeah I’m fine,” My voice echoes through my body. “I’m just feeling a little weird.” I feel my eyes start to water a bit. They laugh even harder. “Your so drunk right now.” Luke says a little too loudly. I scratch the back of my neck, feeling the warmth seep through my hand. I then realize that I’m overheating. I take off my jacket, dropping it onto the ground in front of me. “Is that your niner Rookie?” Dallas suddenly chimes in, pointing at Maya and her friends. They’re in their own world, dancing by themselves at the refreshments. I smile. “We’re just friends.” I choke out, feeling my palms start to sweat. “Go ask her to dance! Stop being a wuss!” Dallas pushes me and I fall down. Their laughs are almost in harmony. My body starts to tingle, and my breath gets heavy. I stumble getting up, making my head spin even more. I blink a couple times, take a deep breath and start to walk toward Maya. My feet lead me like they have minds of their own. And before I can think of what to say, I’m right behind her. Zig greets me first. “Campbell, now it’s a party!” Maya turns around, smiling brightly. I smile back, waving awkwardly. “Hey Cam, I didn’t know you were here.” Her lips are moist and her breath smells like cinnamon. I want to kiss her so badly, that I can’t help but lean my head in close to her. I can practically feel her heart beating. Or maybe it’s mine. “Do you want to dance?” I ask her without thinking twice. She nods. I lead the way to the dance floor, trying my hardest to keep my balance. I go over the dance moves Zig had taught me in my head. Okay Cam, just sway back and forth. It’s not that hard. A slow song starts. A wave of relief goes through me. I don’t think I could handle “getting down.” Especially at this state I’m in. I look at Maya, who is waiting patiently for me to make my move. Her gaze meets mine and I smile. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her in close, as she snakes hers around my neck. And in unison we start to sway back and forth. I know that I like her. She likes me too. I just can’t man up and ask her that terrifying question. Will you be my girlfriend? I suck in air. My eyes dare to look straight into her blue crystal eyes. She gives me this smile that melts my heart. I feel it sink down into my stomach. She’s so beautiful. And she could be mine. I just have to ask her… I bring her in even closer, our bodies pressing up against each other; her head is leaning on my shoulder. My head rests on her shoulder as well, my lips brushing her neck. I start to feel calm, and everything moves slowly. After a couple minutes, she speaks up. “I’m really glad that you’re here Cam.” She brings her head up to look at me. Her glasses are crooked. I grin, fixing them. I rest my hand on her cheek, and she starts to turn pink. “Yeah, me too.” I whisper, hoping she hears. I want to kiss her; I need to. Her lips are still moist, and her eyes are bringing me in closer every second. Before I can stop myself, my lips are pressed against hers, moving together.
