When we arrived at the Heslop house, I instantly regretted promising a dance with Delcan. I had no idea who was attending the dance or who was skipping it, nor did I know how many of my teammates had gotten a date. Evvie texted me an angry face when I stopped the car, saying that students from Oakwood were also allowed to attend the dance.
I sighed, opening up the car door. My sister must’ve gotten the same text from Evvie because she scrambled to my side. “Are they seriously letting Oakwood go to our dances now?” I looked at her, raising my eyebrows. “No, Callie and Delcan are fine, but the rest of them...bad stuff happens at that school.”695Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6spOb4FRb
“Bad stuff happens at every school, Evelyn,” I told her, lifting up my hand to knock on the door. Evelyn didn’t respond to my statement, hiding a side of her hair from me again as we waited for someone to answer.
Callie opened up the door with one hand, the other one messing with her hair. She was wearing a long black dress that faded into a white color at the end, lace and satin covering the middle of her stomach. She was still barefoot, but I noticed her curly hair that fell down past her collarbone. “I like the style,” I told her, nodding to the hair.
Callie scrunched up her face. “It’s natural, Ezra.”
Oh. I felt my cheeks get hot. “It-it looks beautiful then,” I stuttered, ignoring my sister as she giggled behind me. “In the um, natural style or straightened.” Callie rolled her eyes, moving out of the way so both of us could walk in. Callie and Evelyn hugged each other, debating which one’s makeup looked better while I looked around for Delcan, who was nowhere to be found.
“Hi, Ezra, and Evelyn,” Mrs. Heslop stated, her tone warm and welcome. She smiled at Evelyn and her daughter, before giving me a kind smile as well. “Delcan should be ready soon.”695Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfFOl499HX
“He’s fixing his hair for the millionth time,” Callie added in, still holding onto my sister. Evelyn laughed, putting her arm around Callie’s waist to support herself.
“High-maintenance boyfriend.”
I looked at her. “Stop, please.”
My sister listened, leaning into Callie so she could hear what she’d muttered. They smiled and started speaking in hushed voices so I wouldn’t hear them. Mrs. Heslop turned around to stand next to her husband, who was watching Callie with a prideful smile. When his wife went next to him, he placed a hand to the lower part of her stomach, kissing her forehead. I looked at Evelyn to see if she’d experienced their public display of love too, and she had a frown on her face.
Mom and Dad didn’t seem as loving and affectionate as these two are with each other, and I wondered if it was healthy.
“I’ll be back,” Callie announced to the room. She rushed up the stairs, pulling up her dress so she wouldn’t trip on it. Mr. Heslop had stopped paying attention to his wife, and he looked at my sister and me calmly. “You two can get comfy if you’d like,” he told us. He gave me a nod. “It shouldn’t be too long from now.”
Taking our invitation, Evelyn sat down on the couch cushion closest to the stairs. I hesitated for a moment, considering how long it actually would be. I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins, considering the parties that would happen after the dance tonight. Large houses that desperate freshmen or football players would rent so everyone could have a room if they needed it. Alcohol and dirty dancing followed maybe minutes after the party started, usually resulting in some ridiculous pool scene or someone vomiting on camera. That hardly seemed like a place to go to with Delcan, and I’m not sure he would tell me that.
But is it smarter to stay inside, by ourselves?
No, I corrected myself. His parents will be here, and everything will be fine.
Delcan and Callie finally walked downstairs, arm-in-arm like best friends. Callie detached herself from her brother, running over to her parents to give them a hug. I looked at Delcan, making three things obvious in my head.
One, Delcan either didn’t care for the dance, or he’d never known how to dress for one. He wore casual, dirtied black jeans with a rip towards the ankle, and a UCLA sweatshirt. Two, he was nervous. Behind his back, I saw his hand as he started tapping a rhythm on the back of his thigh.
And third, I did not deserve someone as beautiful as he is.
Delcan smirked when he saw me, joining me in standing as I looked at his parents. Mrs. Heslop was smiling at something her husband had said, joining in as Mr. Heslop wrapped his arms around Callie. “They’re all about group hugs,” Delcan informed me, leaning in. I watched Evelyn as she seemed to absorb Mr. Heslop’s behavior. He wrapped an arm around his daughter without any issue, whispering something in her ear in the process. Callie smiled, kissing her father on the cheek. I wondered if they were the only family who did this level of affection. Evvie’s mother didn’t seem to show an ounce of affection to her daughter like this, and Haven’s parents weren’t ever a victim of her constant stream of hugging.
They must be the only family like this, I concluded.
“You alright?” Delcan asked, pressing his arm to mine. I looked at him and nodded, fixing my posture again. Evelyn excused herself to the restroom (probably to change her clothing), and in minutes, she walked back out, proudly showing Callie her ripped jeans, a regular white blouse with the shoulder part cut out, and a long snowflake necklace dangling from her neck.
She looked normal, and more than that, happy.
“How can you pull off jeans like that?!” Callie examined, making my sister laugh. Beside me, Delcan smiled too, waving his parents goodbye as we all stepped outside. Evelyn, for the first time since I’d been driving, opened up the door, and sat in the back seat. As Delcan walked past her, she reached out her arm from the window and playfully hit him. He glared at her, fighting back a smile.
I smirked, settling myself into the driver’s seat and waiting for everyone to put their seatbelts on. Delcan was defiant with me until I finally agreed to buy Callie and his tickets to the dance. With a smile, he pressed a kiss to my cheek. I started the car quickly, ignoring the laughter that rose behind me.
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