Hidden Behind Walls

Chapter 17: My Drug of Choice

There were tables draped in deep oranges with blood red filigree dripping on it. The chairs were colored in deep browns and gave the shine of mahogany. The room was filled with people chattering at tables, in corners of the gym, and leaning against trees. The dance floor was a large square, that held the most trees and more strings of lights dripping above it.

"C'est incroyable" [It's incredible] I whispered under my breath.

"This isn't even the best part" Clayton says with a boyish grin. He tugs me towards the south wall, taking heed of my complex on the dress I was wearing. There was a full on banquet table here, brimming with so much food.

"This was the wrong dress to wear, I won't even be able to eat that much food" I pouted staring at the food fondly. I felt Clayton tug on my hand once again and I followed after him. We took a seat at a table filled with football players and their dates. I saw Daren, and he was fidgeting grumbling to himself. He looked really put together, his wavy hair hadn't been touched and was messily pushed behind one ear, and he wore a suit that fit him perfectly. His whole look just screamed Ruri. He looked up at me and his eyebrows smashed together in confusion.

"Raven? But Ruri said she was at your house?" he mumbled.

"Yeah, she helped me get ready. She was on full-fashionista makeover mode" I said with a laugh. I studied him a bit more and it dawned on me.

"Is she your date?" I ask incredulously. His poor face turned to beet red. "SHE IS!" I smiled, "And you're worried about her, your adorable Daren."

    At this point I had grabbed the whole football team's attention. Their snickers were apparent even though they were trying to muffle it.

    "Oh, Soyez silencieux" I groan dismissing them in my wonderment. I directed my attention back to Daren. "Not tell me, how'd you do it?" I ask smiling giddy. Daren seemed to become less antsy and relaxed.

    "We we're goofing off, doing different impressions from Sherlock and it kind of just happened" he said wistfully.

"Tu es tellement mignon" [You are so cute] I smiled. I eased into conversation with the rest of them. It was so easy to talk to them and throw in a few french phrases. I wasn't clamming up and my heart wasn't twingeing at the attention. There wasn't any hard labored breathing or fear striking at conversing with people that I barely knew. It was so...simple. Their dates weren't cheerleaders either, and I vaguely knew some of them.

Our conversations were broken when a voice came on the speakers, "AT THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT WE WILL ANNOUNCE THE QUEEN AND KING OF THE AUTUMN FORMAL! Stay tuned!" We all cringed at the crackle of the feedback and corniness and laughed at each other's reaction.

"Why midnight?" I asked confusedly. The boys looked at me weirdly, but explained.

"It's some weird school tradition that makes it seem like some fairytale" Daren says with a shrug.  The others grunted in response agreeing. They didn't explain any further and I took it as the end of the topic. Though, I did glance at the time on my phone, it read 9:50.

                *    *    *
Clayton P.O.V.

    I stared at her as she spoke. She wasn't caving in and hiding herself like she did when we first met. She was perfectly at ease with them and I felt a twinge of jealousy at that. I quickly squashed it down cause it was idiotic. She'd laugh and then reply with something in French.

       They'd ask her what'd she say and then she'd create a guessing game with it. She babbled on about how she tried to make breakfast once, and put a banana in the freezer to well freeze it and the next morning it was basically a chunk of ice and she couldn't cut it up with a regular knife so she got a butcher knife and slammed it down on the banana.