The Opposition

Chapter 22: Carter

"Oh, it's you," he says, stepping out of the way for me to come in.

"Nice to see you too," I laugh, walking over to sit in a chair at the desk in the corner of the room. His room is a little smaller than Sadie and I's, but it's full of the same stuff: a king bed, a desk, and a bathroom.

"Sorry, I've just been trying to get my hair to lay flat for the past hour. It's driving me insane."

"It looks fine," I tell him.

"Wow, an hour of work for fine. You really know how to compliment a man," he says.

I roll my eyes, "It looks great. Really put together."

"Why thank you, Carter."

I push off of the chair I'm sitting on after catching a glimpse at the time on my phone. It's still earlier than 5 PM, but it's less weird if I show up early with someone. "We should get going."

"With me?" Felix gasps, clutching his chest in mock admiration. "To what do I owe the pleasure of attending this dance with the Carter Conners?"

"Oh, fuck off," I scoff.

"Seriously, though," Felix says. "No hot date?"

"This is a debate competition," I deadpan.

"That your attending with a very hot–no disrespect, Sadie–girl."

"It's not like that," I say, ignoring any disappointment that comes with the comment. Dimitri and Landon are right, and I need to follow their advice.

Entering the room where the ball is taking place, I'm overwhelmed. The budget for this competition must be fucking massive because I don't know how they managed to fill this room with a live band, tables of horderves, rows of tables and chairs, and moody lights. There are already at least fifty students sitting at round tables and actually... talking? I wasn't excepting to see schools actually joining together for a laugh. I spot a few kids from Crestwater and Sydney Morgan chatting by a punch table. I wonder if they're bonding over their dislike for Sadie and I after we beat them.

"Holy shit! They really went all out," Felix says from beside me, his eyes surveying every corner of the huge room. There are staff members and teachers lining the walls, but they're keeping a sizeable amount of distance between themselves and the students. There's even a spiral staircase off near the back of the room that leads up to a balcony connected to what I assume is the fifth floor.

"Yeah, they did," I breathe.

We move around the room, scoping out the food and trying to figure what's the name of the band that's playing. When 5 PM comes around, the room is full of students from a bunch of different schools. Clearly, I thought these kids were more stuck up than they are because the dance floor is actually full and laughter travels around the room. It's almost as if we aren't all ruthlessly hoping each other fail.

Felix escapes to find something to drink and returns with a napkin piled high with cookies and a red cup full of clear bubbling liquid. He opens his mouth, as if to say something, but then closes it, his eyes drifting up to something behind me. His mouth tilts up into a smirk. "I bet you're wishing she was your date now."

I raise an eyebrow in confusion and he gestures for me to turn around. I do.

And.

Oh.

My.

Fucking.

God.

She's standing at the top of the spiral staircase, descending down it with more grace than I've ever seen. Her makeup and gold jewelry shimmers even through the dimly lit room. She's wearing a red dress with strappy red heels. I don't know how many times my eyes roam up and down her body, but, God, I don't want to look away. For a while I forget about our rivalry. How she hates me. How I hate her. All I can see is Sadie. And she looks fucking perfect.