brothers.

37~ Under the Stars

Susan had made us all meatloaf for dinner. The boys were surprisingly nice to me tonight. Kyle had been less cold since Ms. Bredlong came, and Jack had become sort of neutral, but they actually talked to me tonight, even smiling every now and then.

After dinner, the older boys and their parents left us alone. We went out to the backyard, where all the lights were on and the pool had the cover over the water. Thelma had brought a Bluetooth speaker so we could play some songs and dance together, like at a normal dance party.

I could've done without Ms. Howells standing there glaring at us the whole time, but I did my best to ignore her.

It was such a perfect night. A beautiful, clear, starry sky... a light, playful breeze... cool air. Fireflies accompanied us in our dance under the stars, flashing their golden light for us.

For a while, we just waved our arms and bounced to many party songs from our childhood, singing along. Many of us were... not great singers, but the tone-deaf harmony made it all the more hilarious. We took what felt like hundreds of selfies and videos.

"I throw my hands up in the air sometimes, saying, 'Ayo, gotta let go'... I wanna celebrate and live my life, saying, 'Ayo, baby, let's go'..." We clapped when the song ended later.

"Okay, another selfie. Everyone get over here!" Mildred waved at everyone to approach. We all forced our cheeks into a smile as she stretched her arm out as far as possible to fit us all in.

A familiar tune came on the speaker and Thelma whooped. "I LOVE THIS SONG!" she said for all of us.

Tony took my hands, pulling me into another dance. We all crowded together to sing along. "Makin' my way downtown, walkin' fast..." I spun around, letting out a giggle. "And I need you, and I miss you, and now I wonder..."

Tommy left us a few minutes into the song, his feet literally killing him, but the rest of us stayed for a long while, well after midnight. I hadn't stayed up this late in... not that long, but long enough to not be used to it anymore. Ms. Howells was now seated, looking exhausted.

I was obviously fine, so why couldn't she just... leave?

We got to a slower song. Most of the girls were exhausted, going to rest. Mildred and Harry were somehow still standing, along with me and Tony. Harry looked at Mildred with shyness, blushing hard. "You want to dance this one?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure, why not?" She happily put her hands on his shoulders. I bit my lip, resisting laughter. Harry was making his crush quite obvious. I wondered if Mildred felt the same.

"Oh, they say people come,

Say people go,

This particular diamond was extra special..."

The song was beautiful, accompanied by smiles and playful twirls.

"And though you might be gone,

And the world may not know,

Still, I see you, celestial..."

I stole a glance at Harry and Mildred. While Harry looked practically enamored, Mildred was treating the dance like a game, even dipping him and giggling.

After the song ended, Mildred and Harry rested, leaving me and Tony alone. He looked at me. "You want to dance this one?"

"I found a love... for me..."

Suddenly, I couldn't look in his eyes. I nodded hastily, lowering my gaze to his feet. My cheeks heated as he took my hand and put his other hand on my waist.