Gravity, a young adult paranormal romance (24 page)

"That's beautiful, Theo, but it's huge," I
said, looking it over.

"Mom has a sewing machine," she said
hopefully. "I've made a few skirts and tops before; this wouldn't
be too difficult to turn into something wearable."

I began to get discouraged as we continued to
paw through the crowded racks. I wondered if I would find any of
the things we had tossed out of our storage room. From the looks of
it, half of Hell had the same idea about cleaning out their old
junk.

I knew I was being picky, but since I was
going with Henry, I wanted to look my best. I was about to give up
and go home begging to Claire, when I saw a swatch of shimmery
silver-white fabric. I pulled out an elegant dress with a halter
top. The cascading fabric looked magical. There were no tags, and
it appeared handmade. It was exactly what I wanted, even though I
hadn't known what to look for.

"Wow, that is really beautiful," Theo said.
"Try it on."

I went into the little fitting room in the
back, pulling the dress over my head. It fit perfectly from what I
could see in the mirror, curving gently around my hips and even
giving me the appearance of something in the chest. I walked out
and showed Theo, whose face lit up.

"It's a great contrast with your hair," she
gushed. "You have to buy it."

"I don't know about the back, though," I said,
turning around and putting my long hair over my shoulder. There was
a deep v plunge that stopped midway down. It felt a little odd
having my whole back exposed.

"Well, you can make it like a costume, so how
about some wings?" Theo suggested. "I'm sure you could find some
cheap at the costume shop."

That settled it, and we took our finds up to
the checkout counter. As we paid for them, I knew Saturday was
going to be a very interesting night.

Chapter 16

Theo and I sat in our dresses on my living
room couch. I had just been through two hours of makeup application
and hair styling. My scalp itched and I felt like I had pancake
batter smeared on my face. And now I couldn't stop twiddling my
thumbs. I shifted, the feathery white angel wings I was wearing
cutting into my back.  

Theo had done major reconstructive surgery to
her dress in just two days, shortening the front and turning the
excess into a long train in the back like a mermaid tail. The
result was stunning. She'd found an unusual mix of chunky blue and
green glitter from the craft store that now not only framed her
eyes, but decorated her cheeks.

"I really don't want to wear my glasses," she
complained, taking them off and squinting at the TV, "but I'm
completely blind without them."

"They look fine," I assured her. "You look
really pretty."

"I feel kind of exposed," she admitted,
putting up the front of her dress.  

Claire came out of her office, where she had
been clearing old pictures off of her camera. She held the camera
with both hands, her face excited. But it fell when she saw us, the
corners of her mouth dipping down.   

"Why are you two sitting?" she squealed.
"You'll wrinkle your dresses!" 

Theo and I glanced at each other, both
releasing sighs at the same time. I stood up, careful to make sure
my wings weren't snagging on the couch pillows. Theo followed.
Claire started snapping photos, barely giving us a chance to pose.
I imagine Theo and I were both grimacing in all of them.

My mother had offered about twenty times to
drive us, but apparently Theo's date was older and had a car. This
mystery man was really piquing my interest.   

"You're going to run out of space before the
guys even get here, Claire," I observed dryly. "Don't you want some
couples shots?" She lowered the camera and frowned at it.
 

The doorbell rang, and I hustled over to beat
my mother.

Henry stood on the porch, dressed in a
knight's costume made of white and gold fabric. His head was
uncovered, dark hair in its usual carefree style that fell however
it wanted to. The costume was both a little goofy and attractive.
Much like the person wearing it. When he saw me, his eyes lit up
and his smile was soft and private.

"Wow," he breathed, eyes sweeping up my body.
 

"Hi," I said shyly, pulling at one side of the
halter. I felt the wings wiggle behind me.  

"You look amazing," he said quietly. The way
he held himself now, hands pressed to his sides, looked like he was
containing the urge to reach out and touch me. 

"Move out the way bro, I gotta see my date," a
familiar voice said behind him. Alex slapped Henry on the back and
walked inside. Henry winced.   

I turned to Theo, eyes wide,
shaking my head.
Are you kidding
me?
I mouthed.

She shrugged, her face contorted. Alex's
tuxedo was the color of grape juice, but he otherwise had no
costume elements. He was his own costume.

Claire positioned all four of us over by the
closed doors to the den and made us pose for pictures until I
finally whisked our little group out of the door and down the
walk.

"We're going to be late," I reasoned as we
escaped.   

"Have fun!" she called, waving from the
doorway. If she could she would have hopped in the car with us.
   

Inside Alex's Jeep, we were all like awkward
kids. None of us looked at each other; we found endlessly
fascinating sights out of the window. No one brought up our last
misadventure; it was as if we silently agreed to stop talking about
it. Alex managed to stay on the road most of the time, and had
turned off the heavy metal that normally blasted from his cheap
subwoofers. I still couldn't believe that Theo would want to go
with him. I wondered who asked who, as my eyes darting back and
forth between them.

I glanced out of the side window. A little
girl stood by herself on the sidewalk. She wore a blue raincoat,
even though the evening sky was clear. I had never seen someone
look so utterly abandoned.

The Jeep whizzed by her. I craned my neck
back.

"Did anyone see that little girl?" I
asked.

"What little girl?" asked Henry from his seat
beside me. But I couldn't see her anymore. Maybe her parents had
been nearby, after all, and had only just picked her up.
 

Although the school didn't have any
decorations on the outside, it looked different when we arrived.
More mysterious, the tall exterior standing resolutely against the
night. We got out of the car, and Henry held out his
arm.

"My lady," he said, grinning his cheesy
grin.

I smirked and took his arm. I finally noticed
the stone fountain a few yards from the steps, since a spotlight
was thrown on it for the night.

Inside, a purple fabric roll was duct taped to
the floor to resemble a rug. It led, presumably, to the gym. In the
entrance hall, hundreds of paper bats hung from the ceiling. Alex
shrieked as they brushed the top of his head, batting them
away.

"What have I gotten myself into?" I heard Theo
mutter as we continued towards the gym. She was pulling at the
fingerless blue lace gloves on her hands. I wondered the same thing
myself. The two of them together was the strangest combination I'd
ever seen, especially considering he was almost a foot taller than
her.  

"The dance committee went all out," Henry
said, giving me a side grin. He was so handsome I couldn't help but
smile, remembering how I couldn't when we first met. I couldn't
believe that I was actually there with him. It seemed like some
untouchable fantasy that had amazingly come true.  

Volunteers were offering face and body
painting out in the hall, and one girl had a full dozen roses
across her back, starting to slowly melt in the warmth coming from
the gymnasium.

Inside the gym, everyone was so dressed up
they were almost unrecognizable. The regular lights were turned
down, and tons of twinkle lights were strung up on the walls. Most
people were wearing formal wear with masks or horns or tails, but a
few people had full on costumes. The teachers especially had gotten
into the festive mood. Mr. Vanderlip was dressed as a pilgrim
complete with buckled hat, which for some reason made me
giggle. 

Madison and Lainey were parked by the
refreshment table. Both wore low cut dresses —  Lainey had
devil horns, and was wearing a two piece red dress that looked like
it could easily be from the dress shop Theo and I escaped from. A
good four inches of her tan stomach were on display. Madison had at
least used some creativity. The fabric of her modest dress looked
fluffy, and she had lamb ears and white tights.

Lainey's date appeared to be Ambrose
Slaughter, who swayed and looked a bit tipsy as he took a drink
from a presumably tainted glass of punch. Lainey didn't seem too
thrilled. She and Madison were arguing, Lainey moving animatedly
and waving her hands.

"You look ridiculous," Lainey yelled angrily,
her high-pitched voice carrying over the floor. I looked away from
the car wreck they were quickly becoming.

Mr. Warwick sidled up to us, a grin plastered
on his face. A bulky trenchcoat draped over his lanky frame, the
collar flipped up around his neck.  

"Hey, Wick," Alex said. "What's your costume
supposed to be?"

"I'm a turncoat," he said, showing the yellow
lining of the coat which looked totally different. Alex just looked
confused.

"Is that one of those guys that sells
counterfeit watches in the city?" he asked.

Warwick looked at him with his head cocked to
one side. He waved at us as he went off to talk to someone
else.

"Have fun, you guys," he
said. 

"Excuse me," a woman next to us said to a
teacher I didn't recognize. The teacher was dressed up as a box of
French fries, "Have you seen Mr. McPherson?"

The French fry lady shook her head. It gave me
pause for a second, but I brushed it off, not wanting to think
about our strange Principal. 

"Alright, let's boogie," Alex said, grasping
Theo's hand. They went off to dance.

"I hope she'll be alright with him," I said to
Henry over the music.

"She'll be fine," Henry assured me. We were
huddled close so we could hear each other. "He's not that bad of a
guy when you get to know him. He's not that great either, but not
the slimeball he may appear to be."

I opened my mouth to protest that declaration,
but he silenced my argument by taking my hand and leading me to an
empty space on the floor where we started dancing.

I felt a bit awkward at first, but I got
caught up in the spirit of everyone having such a good time, and
the strobe lights flickering to the bass beat.

Alex passes by with Theo, spinning her around,
and they tangoed off, her cheek to his chest.

Henry and I danced close, not letting go of
each other's hands. We laughed, pressing our foreheads together and
looking into each other's eyes. It dissolves into a fit of giggles
on both sides. Song after song passed, the night stretching out
endlessly.    

I was getting tired and I could feel sweat
rolling down my back, my wings crooked, but I didn't care. I felt
free. I couldn't get enough of Henry so close to me, and I didn't
take my eyes off of his handsome face now that I had an
excuse.

The night began to wind down, a few people
taking off or sitting down. A slow song started up. I looked around
at all the other couples dancing as they started to sway slowly.
Henry took both of my arms by the wrists and pulled them up around
his neck, never looking away from my eyes. He slipped his hands
down and slid them around my waist below my wings.

I gulped. The friendly mood between us had
taken on a different tone entirely.

We pulled closer, so that our bodies were
pressed together. Henry smelled so good and felt so warm, and fit
so well against me that my head swam. I couldn't get close enough
to him. I wanted him everywhere.

His face nuzzled into my neck. I felt him
begin to kiss my shoulder, sending little electrical shots through
my body.

Pulling away from me, he held my gaze with his
own. So many times I had thought about this moment in the last few
weeks. Our faces moved towards each other, and then our lips
touched.

One half of the gym lights flickered on,
blinding me. For a moment, I just assumed another electrical issue,
which had come at exactly the wrong time, as usual. I was prepared
to shrug it off, nearly frenetic to kiss Henry again. Now that I'd
had a little bit of him, it wasn't enough. I had to have more. Then
I heard a woman arguing with others in a hysterical
voice.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" she shrieked. "I
am not calming down! My daughter is missing!"

As my eyes adjusted, I saw it was one of the
chaperones. With a chill, I realized she was the one who had been
asking about McPherson. I wondered if that meant he was
involved.

"I'm not going to calm down!" The
woman repeated. "There was
blood
on the floor of the ladies' room."