Dangerous waters of Appletown

Appletown's Eternal Virgin

I danced with two boys. The only thing I can remember is, however, their smell, because the middle of the dance floor is too dark to recognize any faces. We're at the drinks corner when Add's jaw drops.

"Look right there," she whispers to me and Lena.

"What are they doing here? I don't think they listen to country," I smirk.

"1989 is a pop album," Lena reminds me.

"Whatever. I'm pretty positive they came here for the girls," Add says.

"Especially Thane."

"You've already met Appletown's Eternal Virgin?" Lena laughs.

"So he is one! I was right!" I high five Adrianne.

"I guess you hit his weak spot. Better watch out for him," Add warns me. We both laugh, but Lena's face goes white.

"Tell me you didn't call him a virgin," she begs me. Her voice goes two pitches higher.

"I did. What's the big deal?" I ask.

"It happened a year ago, the year he turned 16... Wait. If he finds out that I told you, he'll kill me," she mutters as Thane approaches us. My knees go trembling and my heart skip a beat when the familiar muscular body shows up behind him and waves at me.

"Hey, hottie." I ignore Thane's lame attempt at greeting me.

"Hi, Caca," another familiar voice greets me and my stomach drops.

"What?!" I squeal. "Adrianne, I'm going to kill you and use your guts to knit a scarf!"
"Sorry," she replies. "He was asking about you so I told him."
Simon laughed. "Don't you like it? It's cute."
"It's not." I gritted my teeth. "Call me Carrie."
He's even more gorgeous than I've remembered him now that his wavy hair is dry and he's dressed in a white shirt and a dark red pullover. I have a soft spot for classy, smart-looking guys.
"Why are you even here?" I stare at him suspiciously.
"I heard you were coming." Although he glanced at the three of us and pointed at the two boys behind him, something in the way he looked at me made me feel like he was talking just about us. It made my heart skip a beat.
"TIME FOR A SLOW DANCE!" A girl yells at the top of her lungs, her excited voice amplified by a microphone. I glance at Simon. Adrianne takes Ethan's hand and drags him closer to the source of the music. She's slightly swaying and I suspect it's not a part of her dance moves. After all, there's no stopping her when she sees a cocktail bar. I tried.
I watch them for a while. Suddenly, I remember who is standing behind me and my face goes beet red at the mere thought of asking him to dance with me. I look in his dark blue eyes. We're standing under one of the few lamps that illuminate the dance floor so I can see him well. He looks in mine which are a boring shade of light brown. I have fair skin with lots of freckles and dark orange hair. I don't really like my freckles - they're all over my face. Luckily, they're not very bold so I can cover them up with foundation. And so I did tonight.
"Hey, Caroline. Want to dance with me?" He asks.
Omg. OMG. I'm so sure I misheard.
I keep looking at him.
"I know I'm sexy, but can you answer me? The song's already starting," he laughs and puts his hand on my waist.
"Oh. Yeah. Why not? Sorry, I - I didn't mean to stare," I stutter, embarrassed.
"Come on, I don't mind. Stare as much as you want. And let's go."
He grabs my hand and drags me farther from the lamp. When it's dark enough to feel comfortable, he stops and wraps his strong arms around me. I freeze. My whole body is on fire, I can feel butterflies and tingling everywhere he touches it. I forget to dance. I forget to breathe. I forget everything but his nice smell and his arms on my waist. He strokes my cheek and I curse under my breath because it not only makes me freeze even more but it also makes the foundation wear off. He observes my face and says something that sends me totally off control.
"You have freckles."
It's a statement. He wasn't asking, he just said what was on his mind.
"I do. But I hate them."
He rubs my nose and cheeks. I don't know if I should be angry or embarrassed.
Probably both.
"What do you think you're doing?" I have to raise my voice because of the loud music.
"They're cute," he explains. "Don't cover them up. They're a part of you and you are beautiful as you are."
My legs feel like two wobbly pink jellyfish. I can't dance for a while, I just stand still and think about what he just said.
"Beautiful? Me?" I let out a sarcastic laugh.
"Beautiful. You. With freckles, I could even say stunning," he says.
This is getting way too uncomfortable.
"Anyway," I say while dancing to Teardrops On My Guitar, "what's the story behind Thane's eternal virginity?"
"I can't tell you. It's too dangerous to know the whole thing." I can tell he's serious. Lena was, too. I freeze. Simon must've seen the terrified grin on my face because he asks me if everything is alright.
"It isn't," I admit. I tell him all. He stares at me with a worried expression.
"Look, you've gotten yourself in a pile of shit and you don't even know whether you're upright or upside down. That's why I have to tell you. Listen well."
"Carr! Don't wanna ruin the mood, but it's 0:05 and we don't want your dad to declare martial law, so we'd better head back," Add squeezes through the crowd.
"Shit! Simon, I really have to go."
"But it's really important!"
"My dad will kill me if we're not home in the next five minutes, so maybe next time," I answered and we hurried to our bikes.