All the Things She Said

Chapter 26, Sam's pov

"There they are!"

I turn, hearing a shout in the distance, to see someone running towards me out of the dusk,

"Oh, hey Jaimie..." I say as she stutters to a halt, panting. Tilly is following her,

"you guys, we were getting worried, Tilly said you hadn't gone back to the caravan, and that Leslie was really mad at you and then when the teachers were calling everyone to go to the dance you guys weren't there!" Jaimie says breathlessly,

"All right...calm down...we're okay..." I laugh,

"So, are you coming to the dance?"

"Do I have to?" I groan,

"Yes, you both do" she grins, pulling my arm. I swing my legs over to the other side of the wall and jump down.

"well guess I'm going like this then" I say, looking down at my baggy black jogging bottoms, then at everyone else's skirts and shorts and jeans...

"Yup" Jaimie says taking my arm, I reach out my other hand to Laura. Jaimie and Tilly march us over to the main building, into the dinner hall that's been transformed into a dance floor, with all the tables missing, and the chairs pushed up to the edge of the room.

The floor is an ever changing mass of bodies, jumping along to the beat of the music, with circles of dancers forming as if from nowhere, and dispersing in the same way. Faces are only just distinguishable in the multicoloured gloom, bright lights flash from the walls, music blares from the speakers. One of our teachers is meant to be dj-ing, but from the crowd gathered around the laptop, it looks like the students are doing the job for him.

I'm not much of a rave person...or whatever this is...but Laura and Jaimie and Tilly pull me into one of the circles and start dancing along to the song that's playing...not one I recognise, but I enjoy it...

The song switches midway through, to a chorus of "awh, noooo put it back on" but quickly people adjust to the new song. It amuses me how much this happens...

When "Shake It Out" comes on, I grin widely at Laura...remembering the time we sang it...back at Leslie's...

She dances across the circle towards me and pulls me into the centre, I back away with a shy "no" but she won't let me back out, so we end up singing along at the top of our voices, not really dancing, but entertaining the crowd of people around us all the same,

About halfway through I notice Rohan's presence...and when I say notice...I mean...become slightly overwhelmed by...

He was appearing everywhere I looked...every time I formed part of a circle, he'd be opposite me...every time I was dancing in a smaller group with Laura and some other close friends, he'd be there...every time I went to get a drink, or sit down, he'd be right there, doing the same...

I ignore him, I mean...he should know better? Right?

Towards the end of the night, a teacher announces its time for a slow dance. Jaimie pushes me and Laura together, and I wrap my arms around her, blushing,

"No, no...boys and girls, boys and girls...you go dance with...Rohan...and Laura go dance with your boyfriend Zack..." the teacher says pulling us apart and pushing me into Rohan's arms,

"But they're--" Jaimie begins, but the teacher cuts her off by pushing her into Mo's arms,

I look over at Laura, who's standing there alone, surrounded by couples, a look of panic on my face,

They start the song, "Make you feel my love" by adele...

I look up at Rohan, then back over at Laura, then over at Jaimie, who gives me a sheepish smile,