The Summer of Sparks

Casper and Kat

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"Clara, you look.. y-you look amazing," Chad stammered.

I guess I did. Well I looked better than I had ever before in my life. Maddy had set my hair into glossy curls with this hot tong thingy and painted on my face with make up so my blue eyes looked big and sultry. Of course Chad couldn't know that she helped me.

"Mom taught me makeup," I fibbed. And then I said honestly, "You look pretty great yourself." He looked so cute in a suit though the shirt he wore was colorful and totally unlike him.

Chad's face turned dark. "Had to wear Tyler's extra shirt. My whole laundry got destroyed today. A red sock winded up in it. Everything white is pink and everything blue is purple!"

I actually felt bad for him so I caressed his cheek sympathetically and got a whiff of the unmistakeable smell of flowery hair removal cream.

Averting my face so he wouldn't see the guilt all over it I took his hand and we walked to the main camp where the cafeteria had been turned into ... well... not a cafeteria. All the tables had been dragged out to provide dancing space, music played in the background, and it was bare of all decorations. The Quarter Summer Dance was a simple event.

Betty, Jean and Sara were at the centre of the dancefloor and centre of attention. Jean was using a flustered Betty to dirty dance while throwing seductive glances at the nearby boys while Sara was dancing like a drunk monkey.

It was very disturbing and I felt slightly less hatred than before towards Vick when she came to break them up.

Maddy stood in her pretty pink dress next to some of her Rosewood friends. She caught my eye and gave me a subtle wink before approaching us.

"Hey Chaddy, hey.. what was it? Cara?" She said. That girl could be an actress.

"Clara." I played along. Chad squirmed uncomfortably.

"Right, right. Clara," Maddy said. She put a hand on her heart and said in the most sincere voice possible, "So sorry to hear about your mom!" She was referring to the lie Chad had told her about my mom having cancer.

"My mom?" I looked towards Chad who had gone white.

"Maddy, can I talk to you?" He blurted. "Clara, please get me some punch."

I'd love to give you a punch," I thought walking off. He was probably going to tell Maddy I didn't like talking about my mom's supposed 'cancer.'

I poured pink punch into a plastic cup and was about to take a sip when Dylan approached me and covered the rim with his hand.

"Uh hi, I was going to drink that," I said.

"Yeah, that's why I covered it, so you wouldn't be able to," Dylan replied.

"May I know why I'm not allowed to drink this punch?"

He removed his hand. "Go ahead, but Tyler spiked it so..."

"Oh," I looked at the punch in distaste. "Thanks for warning me."

A nervous Chad came up to us and very rudely snatched the drink from my hands. He downed it in one swallow.

"Ex troubles?" Dylan asked.

Chad poured out some more punch for himself. "Yeah, she's crazy." He drank another glass. "What about you two?"

"Oh, nah, no ex troubles here," I blabbered.