Judgmental Morons

21. A Night of Confusion

After we won the Annual Rock Music Festival, of course Jack had to throw together a party, and of course Michelle dragged me to her place on the way to Jack's, and of course she put me through Michelle's Emergency Makeover Services. Thanks to that, I walked into the dimly lit basement crowded with people from school and God knows where else looking moderately good.

"Meg!" An ecstatic Adam pulled me into a bear hug. "We won!"

"No shit," I grinned towards him. Jack waved as he rushed past carrying a bunch of towels; apparently someone had already thrown up on his couch.

"I cannot believe you guys actually did it," Michelle giggled, earning a reproachful look from me.

"You mean you thought we sucked too much to be able to win?"

"No, not that...I mean, you guys have great talent, but you did spend most of the rehearsals either goofing off or hosting an episode of Meg-and-Alex-Sexual-Tension-Contests."

Adam choked on his beer, eyes lit up with amusement.

"Speaking of Alex," I said in a loud, lofty voice, "Where is he?"

"He's hanging around the food table, hiding from all the girls who are trying to give him hickeys."

"Well, then, I should go hook him up with a few," I said, before moving towards the plastic table laden with chips and salsa.

"Make good choices!" Adam yelled at my retreating back, and I flipped him off behind my back.

It was easy to spot Alex's tall frame. I sidled up to him, and he smiled at me. "That was epic," he said.

"Yeah..." my voice trailed off, because I suddenly noticed that he wasn't smiling. I mean, he was smiling, but it was the sad, I've-got-a-huge-hole-in-my-heart smile.

He'd been using that smile a lot, lately.

"Is everything alright?" I asked softly, in what I hoped was considered a gentle voice. A part of me vehemently disagreed with expressing my concern over him, but I plowed on. "You seem...upset about something."

"It's nothing," he told me in an overly happy voice, "Everything's cool."

"Hey Meg!" Jenna's yell made me turn around, "Let's go dance!"

"No thank you!" I yelled back.

"Why won't you dance?" Alex asked.

"Well, 'dancing' according to Jenna is either shuffling around with Jack and sniffing his collarbone, or, as in this case, grinding her ass against complete strangers and singing off-key to whatever song is playing."

"Ahh, I see. I'm sure you're brothuh wouldn't approve."

"That again?"

"You don't honestly think I'll ever let you forget that, do you?"

"Well," I said snidely, "You're the one who was actually on a date with a girl who was allegedly fucking her brother, and allegedly planning to do the same with you. So, I don't know if I'm the one who needs to forget things here."

He turned bright red before abruptly changing the topic. "You have anything against slow dances?"

"No..." I replied slowly, "The other times I slow-danced weren't much, but they're not that bad."

"Good," he breathed out, before extending his arm at me. "Care to join me?"

It took a few moments for me to understand what he was trying to initiate. Alex Richards holding his arm out, soft music in the background—he was asking me to dance with him. Stand close to him, inhale his scent, and have my brain thrown into disarray.