Chapter 43 (Part 2)
It hits me like a bucket of freezing water of an Ice Bucket Challenge. There's something about walking in front of a huge crowd, pretending like you're the hottest thing that ever walked the earth. I can feel the adrenalin, the fear, and the excitement all at once. The feeling is indescribable, almost ethereal. The people are cheering--roaring, and it gives me that extra boost. In a split second, I turn into Penny, a people pleaser. All of a sudden, my I-just-don't-wanna-embarass-myself attitude is gone and is replaced with a better posture and a sickeningly sweet smile. The second Drew and I pose at the front, not to mention dead-centre of the stage, I feel a little more bold than a second ago. Timid Eli completely disappears.
Ms Queen talks about me over the mic, the booming music turns into a soft hum. She states my interests, my strengths (which really, is just a bunch of baloney my sister fed them in order to make me look good), and my goals. I'm not sure where they got my 'goals' from, considering I, myself, don't know what path I want to forge. Still, I don't let that bother me. And, by the time she finished, Drew and I are in our spot for the opening dance. It's an instrumental version of Secrets by OneRepublic. It's the same--played with drums, a piano, and a violin, but no lyrics. As I ready myself for the dance, my eyes briefly dart to Charlie's. From the way he quickly averts his, I know he was looking at me. Of course, even though this irritated me, I force myself not to frown. In all honesty, I'm not sure how Charlie is going to keep up with the routine. I know he's an alright dancer, but how is he actually gonna pull this off?
You better know what you're doing, Charlie, I say to him in my head.
"And now, for the opening dance!" Mr Brower says cheerily.
Everybody shares his enthusiasm and claps. The music, the background noise, and the clapping makes me want to shrivel up and die. It takes everything in me not to tell everyone to pipe the hell down. It's like I'm bipolar; on top of the world one minute, shovelling dung the next. An emotional rollercoaster indeed. Sometimes, I wonder how I can still be sane with a sister like Penelope.
Upon hearing the familiar tune, my right arm lifts up and instinctively, my palm connects with Drew's. I stare at his blue irises, the initial rush fading away once again. We share a secretive smile, as the song droans on and we start to slowly step in a circular motion. I felt like one of those fair maidens from centuries ago. His stare never wavers, but then again, neither does mine. Except, this time something's different. As I look into Drew's beautiful eyes, I realise I'm no longer a slave to them. The air is no longer electric and his touch doesn't make my skin fizzle with shocks.
But, knowing that it's the last time we're doing this dance, I try to make the most of it. No matter what happens, this pageant is for me and I won't let anyone ruin it. Not even Charlie's sudden participation is going to tear it down. Neither will this unravelling infatuation with said golden-eyed boy.
Once the music stops and we're all doing the dip, I grin. Drew smiles back at me, both of us breathing heavily. Very quickly, the curtain closes and there is nothing but black. Drew cautiously draws me back up as I blindly hold onto his arms. When my eyes finally adjust to the dim light, I see the outline of his face and the whites of his eyes and teeth. Channeling the boldness I had earlier, I go for a hug. But I guess I overestimated it, because suddenly it's not as difficult as I imagined. Drew stumbles back a bit, seemingly suprised.
"We did it!" I chirp, pulling away from him.
"We sure di--"
The lights switch back on before he could finish his sentence. All of us, groan and hiss like vampires hating on the sun. This makes me laugh loud enough for others to look at me strangely. My laughter becomes all-too-contagious, and seconds later, the majority of them are joining me. Soon enough, we're all hysterical for no solid reason. But that's only until Mrs Parody, my history teacher, scolds us and tells us to go change. We all oblige, and Cindy appears and drags me along; I stumble a little, barely keeping up because of who I am as a person. And these pumps, of course.
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My Best Friend's Brother // Young Love Book 1 ✔️
Teen Fiction* * * NOTE: THIS STORY IS UNDERGOING A SLOW, MAJOR EDITING. PLEASE EXCUSE THE CHILDISH WRITING OF THE EARLIER CHAPTERS. I WAS FOURTEEN, GIMME A BREAK. J.E. * * * "If I told you I like you, would it change anything?" I ask him. I'm trying to sound no...
