Reverie

Glasses - 2

It's been a week since the 'Nick incident', and everything seems to be back to normal. Nick hasn't behaved weirdly with me, nor has anybody else. Now I believe he just said that under the influence of alcohol, and didn't mean what he said. I haven't told Aiden about this, not wanting to give him more reason to tease me with Nick. He doesn't even know that it was me who dropped him back home. He keeps praising his ability to drive so well and safely even while he was drunk. I make no effort to correct him.

The semi-finals' timetable has come out and I'm relieved to see that we have plenty of study holidays between each exam. The first exam is ecology which I have completed and also revised. I will have to concentrate on the second exam which is Maths. I still have a few more chapters to revise.

As I turn onto the corridor to my locker,I stop cold. I see Nick leaning against my locker talking to Fred Daniel. Its very obvious that he was waiting there to talk to me, because his locker and all his other friends' lockers are not on this corridor. I consider leaving immediately and studying from the material at home but as I turn around, he calls out to me from behind.

"Hey Emma!! One sec!"

I don't stop or turn, instead I fasten my pace trying to reach my car before Nick catches up with me. But suddenly he grabs my arm from behind, pulling me to a stop.

"Sorry I had to do that, but I have something really important to talk to you about." He says.

"What?"

"Can we go someplace more.....private?" He asks lowering his voice.

"No way in hell. You want to say something. Say it right here right now. I have to leave."

"Well, you can go get the stuff you needed from your locker. Dont deny it. I saw you turn away only after seeing me."

I see no point in arguing so I go to my locker and get the books I need. I wonder if I'll be able to run away and out through the other exit without Nick seeing me. But as I try to discreetly look at him, I see him watching me intently. There's no way I can escape. I slowly make my way back towards him.

"Why don't we walk to your car while we talk?" He says and puts his hand on the small of my back. I shiver at his touch and shrug his hand off. I move away from him. He gives me a surprised look but maintains his distance.

"So how's the exam prep going?" He asks.

"Better than yours." I reply.

"I might surprise everyone." He says winking at me. "Well anyway", he continues. "Surely you've heard of 'Dance nights' at Skrools?"

Of course I've heard of it. Even a nerd like me knows about Dance Nights. Its basically a couples dance-off held at Skrools, a bar, every night. The couple that gets the maximum cheers is given 2 free drinks each for that night.

"Yes. I have heard of it."

"I've booked a slot for Thursday night. I was wondering whether you......whether you would....."

Don't say it. Don't say it.

"I was wondering whether you would like to come as my partner."

"No way. No way. There's no way I'm coming with you. No way I'm stepping on the dance floor. Much less with you. Goodbye." I say and start walking fast my car.

"Woah Emma! C'mon it'll be fun! You've never tried dancing before. You might turn out to be really good at it."

I consider what he said. It was true. I have never tried dancing before. Except that one time in front of the mirror, when I was 6 and tried to imitate Keira Roby, from Dancers' Ring, and I fell down and got a huge gash on my head by hitting the Barbie house . Ever since then I was convinced that I was horrible at dancing and hence shied away from every school dance. Maybe now that I've grown, I might have somehow become a bit more stable and graceful. But going with Nick is still out of question.