Ignite (Midnight Fire #1)

Chapter Eleven

Everyone’s eyes were on Kira as she and her friends walked into the barely recognizable gymnasium. A blush crept up her cheeks, and she thanked god for the oversized cat mask—complete with ears—that accompanied her costume. Emma and Dave were holding hands and giggling, completely unaware of the crowd, while Luke and Miles had already headed for the snack table, leaving Kira alone and uncomfortable by the entrance. She was used to the stares she got because of her voluminous strawberry blonde hair, but she had never felt so exposed.

Kira wanted to curse Emma for convincing her to wear the skintight getup and for cutting extra cat scratches up the sides of her legs. Flashes of her skin were exposed all the way up her thighs, and one scratch cut across her entire back. Kira avoided making eye contact with the senior boys who had all but started drooling when she walked in.

Twenty minutes before, when Luke’s trusty pickup had stopped outside her house, Kira had sprinted from her room, down the stairs, and out the door to keep her mother from commenting on her outfit. When she sat safely in the car, Emma kept talking about how she loved the extra black glittery eye shadow and mascara Kira had put on, but the boys had been mysteriously silent. Kira was starting to understand why, and she didn’t like it. It was one thing to feel sexy but another to actually have guys openly staring at you.

Kira took one more look around the room, and all the way in the back of the gym, she spotted him. Tristan sat with Jerome, John, and Diana at a table nestled in the corner of the party, away from the crowd and completely separated from the fun. All three of the boys wore suits, and Diana was dressed in a floor-length black ball gown. They looked like they had missed the memo on the costume party and had instead dressed up for a black-tie affair. But even though Diana was sitting down and in the wrong theme, Kira begrudgingly thought she looked amazing.

Of course, Kira mused, the one guy who I actually want staring at me is completely absorbed in his own world. And Kira left that thought at that, leaving Tristan behind to go find her friends.

Emma had snatched a table right next to the dance floor, so Kira sat with her to wait for the guys who were gorging on hors d'œuvres.

"Aren’t the decorations just amazing?" Emma gushed, while gazing around the room. Kira had to admit that the party committee had done an awesome job. Cobwebs hung all over the ceiling and walls, filled with plastic spiders and white Christmas lights. Carved pumpkins lined the floors and acted as centerpieces. They had even found black lights to make the room and cobwebs glow a creepy purplish color.

"Very mysterious looking," Kira agreed. She looked over at Emma, who was shifting her weight on the seat while going back and forth between speaking and keeping quiet. "Spit it out," she told her friend, more curious than anything.

"I just have to ask about Tristan. What is going on there? I’ve been keeping my distance and waiting for you to talk, but I just can’t wait anymore. And the way he stared at you when we came in. I mean, even I flushed."

Kira snapped her head around to Tristan’s table. "He was looking?"

"Looking like he wanted to devour you! So, spill."

"It’s complicated…"

"Because of Luke?"

Kira silently thanked Emma for the way out. "Yeah totally, because Luke would hate it." Not exactly a lie, but definitely not the real reason for her hesitation.

"You have to let that go. Luke can handle it. And I know you really like Tristan. Your eyes just lit up like stars when I said his name." Kira blushed, hating her obviousness. The boys came back, saving her from the rest of the conversation.