I wanted to ask where Christina was, but I would seem desperate even for Fredd, she must be waiting inside already. I heard that her mother worked with the Silva's company, they must be rich and managed to drive here with her own luxury transportation vehicle. "Shall we?" Because of my reverie I did not notice Fredd opened my door and offered his hand again.
Enough insecurities! This is your night, Thonia. Make it special.
"Thanks," I said and went out. The school was full of lights from the outside especially on the left side where our Function Hall was located. I clung my arm in his and greeted him. "Happy birthday."
"Thank you." He winked.
"How old will you be? Nineteen? Eighteen?" I asked.
"Eighteen," he said.
"Oh, so I am also older than you."
He smirked. "Yes, ate."
The Function Hall wasturned to a beautiful party hall. We usually use this place for events, fairs, and other school-related parties, and this time, it magically turned to a ball room with dim lighting, fancy tables and a white grand piano beside the stage.
There was a program at the beginning with song numbers from students and messages from the administrators. There was also a cotillion dance number. After that, there was the awarding of best gowns, Couple of the Night, and the annually anticipated Faces of the Night. Asaila won best dress but Rheid Ezekiel Talaran, the president of the dance troupe won the male award, not Arthur.
When the first part ended, we were to spend the rest of the second part dancing and eating. "Can I have this dance?" Fredd stood infront of me and smiled.
"It will be my pleasure to," I said and we went to the dance floor and danced. It was awkward at first because we really did not know where to put our hands. After glancing at other couples, we figured it out.
I was definitely not in my mood. I had not seen Joshua since he went out of the car. What worried me more was that I still had an obligation to make an article about this. What to write?
"Still thinking about Joshua?" Fredd must've noticed.
I looked at our feet swaying. "I have to make a news article about this with him. I didn't know what to write."
"You're a great photo journalist, just write what you captured."
"I left my camera at home because Gabe said he'll take charge, just until now I can't see him."
He smiled calmly. "Don't be so anxious, come on. It's my birthday in few hours."
"Alright, alright." I smiled for him. We danced and followed the rhythm of the slow and nostalgic song. "Honestly, you grew up since the first time we met. Not that crazy clown anymore, huh?"
"How many inches did I grow?" He smirked at his own joke. "Me? A clown? Well I guess your dream sister-in-law influenced you a lot."
"May?" I laughed. "Yes, somehow."
"You know," he said after a while. "One thing I've learned from my recent break up is that you should tell a person what you want to say because it can be too late." He shrugged. "Well, you probably knew that already."
"I know but I couldn't." I admitted. "I was good in giving advices to others but if it was me caught in the middle, I just couldn't face it anymore. I wanted to melt. Just melt and disappear."
Fredd touched my hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. "Let that be your birthday gift for me, Thony. Talk to him." I did not say anything because I did not want to promise I would or swear I would not. I just closed my eyes and rest my chin on his shoulder. It turned out we almost had the same height with my heels.
After my first dance, I had other dances with random boys who asked me, mostly they were my classmates who had no choice but to ask me a dance than to sit, stare at other people and be boring. My feet sore so I sat alone in my table. I sighed and drank from my glass filled with juice and pretended it was wine. Once I set my glass down, a boy was standing beside my table. I look up and see Sam, a tall guy with waxed hair, thick brows, muscled arms and tender cheeks. "Hey, don't you wanna dance?"
I looked at the scene in front of me. People could almost exchange faces by how close they were. I looked at him and shook my head. He laughed a bit. "What? It's a dance party, Thonia. You came here to dance. Let's go!" I rolled my eyes and followed him.
I was about to bring up the usual conversation I had with guys I danced with— So, who was your first dance? Who do you plan last? How are you? It's been a long time. What are your plans after highschool? —but Sam had it differently and started a throwback conversation. "So, the first day I walked into school, I thought you were mad at me." Sam said, almost laughing.
"What? Why would I be mad at you? Do I really look like that bitch?" I said jokingly to hide my surprise.
He shook his head. "I don't know, I just got that feeling. But yeah, I got to know you."
I laughed a bit. "No, I'm not mad. Maybe I was just having a bad day."
"Well, at least I got to dance you. Thanks for the dance, m'lady." He nodded and left, just like any other boys I got to dance to. It was funny to think how all these people, including me, could be fooled by those minutes that felt infinite, but after few turns, sways, beats, it would come to an end. Always come to an end.
I was about to go back my when I caught a glance of Rick smiling at me with a hand in mid-air. I showed a quick courtesy and walked over to take his hand. He put his hand above my waist and I put mine on his shoulder. To my surprise, our other hands were already entwined in mid-air.
"Hi," he said, smiling.
"Hello," I replied, also smiling. For real, I swear.
"How are you?"
"I'm great." I replied and chuckled. "Seriously? I had that question more than twenty times tonight."
He smiled apologetically and looked pass me. "You look perfect tonight."
"Thanks," I said. "So do you."
We danced in silence. I kept more distance than usual because I knew my limits. "So, you let Liza dance with other guys?"
"Yeah, we trust each other and our loyalty." He said then looked at me instantly and seemed to wish he hadn't said it.
I just smiled. "You're doing well in the love subject."
"Thank you for teaching me once, you know you'll always be a part of me."
I patted his shoulders. "Just be the Rick I knew and you'll be a wonderful boyfriend to your girlfriend."
He looked at me with curious face like their relationship status that I declared was not true. I rolled my eyes. "Don't deny it. I've heard about that."
"How about you? Joshua?" I looked at him with an inquiring look and he imitated what I said, "Don't deny. I've heard all about that."
"No! Seriously? Where did you get that? What you've heard are merely rumors." I wished I was not blushing too much, thanks for the dimmed lighting.
"I'm an expectator for your new one."
"Wait 'til we rot then. Where did you get that by the way?" We laughed and I saw Liza dancing with her ex snd he looked at where I was looking. "Did she ask permission?" I got curious because he did not seem surprised.
Rick sighed. "Well... to be fair, I didn't ask permission as well..."
I laughed and shook my head. He was still funny as before. "To answer your question," he brought our past conversation just when the music changed. "I may have heard the rumor over lunch. I was at a table behind you. It was Fredd's loud voice, really."
I took a mental note to incinerate Fredd later. "There's nothing really." I explained. "He's already dating someone else. It's time that I move on... quickly."
Rick looked at me direct in the eyes. "Move on? That's going to take a lot of time, Thonia, trust me. I counted the last time and it took us three years."
"Hey, that was different!" It was a light feeling when he used us as an example.
"You need to tell him. As I've noticed, he's one of your close friends."
"I'll try," I said for a dozen times again tonight.
My next dance was Kennard he took me right after Rick and I fell apart. "First dance?"
"Alex." He grinned.
"Last?"
"I am not a fortune-teller but I assure you, it is still Alex."
"Good." I told him and grinned at his success. The song was now lively.
"What about you?" he asked. Huh. That's why I hate asking, the question might fire back.
"Fredd." I said. "I am used to have my date as first and last."
"Did Joshua dance you already?"
I shook my head. It was hard to be a girl; it was you who had to wait for offers. If nothing came, you could not do anything about it. "Even if he did, I wasn't sure I'd be able to talk to him properly."
"Talk to him, Thony." Kennard repeated what everybody else said. "He is your friend, our friend. For a short time we got to know you more than any other new friends we had as a group and we found out you were like us. There's a big chance he will understand."
"That's what everybody says and sometimes... everybody is not right." I looked away.
"Maybe he doesn't see you like... the way you see him, but you are still important in his life. You have that special part in him that no one else can fill." Well, that made me feel a lot better, I thought and I hate reality checks
"I have to avoid him."
"Don't avoid him!" he said. "Running away from your problems won't solve it. See? He's standing behind you."
I shook my head. "Don't, Ken. It's not funny."
"He is. Well, okay, he was still dancing with Shane." He looked back at me and smiled. "And to add to that, he is watching us"
I shook my head faster. "Hey, don't joke like that! It's not funny!"
"Sorry," Kennard's humor and tease went away when he felt I was serious. "But I am serious. He is looking at you."
I took a deep breath and pushed my feelings back. "I don't want to dance with him. Excuse me." I slipped from our dance and went to the comfort room.
When I opened the door, Asaila was putting face powder. He looked up and saw me. "Thonia! There you are!"
I leaned on the door and closed my eyes to fully clear my emotions before speaking.
"What's wrong?" Asaila asked.
I shook my head and breathed. "Where's Art?"
Asaila went back to her powder and ignored my question.
"What's wrong?" I walked near her and brushed the confetti from her curls. She stood straight and kept the compact powder in her pouch then looked at me.
"What girlfriend wouldn't be jealous if she saw her boyfriend staring at a girl stranger?" Asaila's eyes started to get wet.
"Hey, don't cry. Your mascara and eyeliner will scatter." I pulled tissue papers and handed to Asaila. "Who is the girl, anyway?"
She wiped her face slowly and rolled her eyes. "Nicole. Joshua's ex-crush. Your ex-rival. Nikki."
"Someone just told me earlier that there is nothing to be jealous of if you know he is trustworthy. Do you trust him?" I recalled what Rick told me.
She nodded.
"Then trust that he wouldn't do anything to ruin your relationship. Loyalty and trust always come together." Asaila hugged me and this time I let my clingy friend.
"Let's go back?" I offered.
We went back to the hall. "Are you going later at Fredd's?"
I nodded. "Yes, midnight swimming okay?"
Asaila smiled a bit. "Sure. Until morning."
~
The dance went blur. An hour before it was officially over, two hours before midnight, Fredd joined me on our table. Whenever someone would ask a dance with me, I would reject them and apologized. "Sorry, I think I already broke my ankle."
"I heard you broke your ankle?" Fredd waved the table cloth and checked my foot. I raised it slightly and shook my head. "No, I just don't want to dance."
Fredd smirked. "I knew it. Your shoes will be the first one that will break before your feet." I punched his arms and laughed. For a moment, we just watched other couples dancing on the dance floor and these boys who would roam around and photobomb whenever people were taking photos.
"Did..." he looked at me before finishing.
"Did...?" I knitted my brows. I knew what he was talking about but I rather not replied. "I can call him and dance with you, if you like."
I smiled sarcastically and drank water from my goblet. "I am done fooling myself, Fredd. I am so tired of fooling myself but I still believe that love can make impossible things happen. Maybe he is busy dancing with Christina."
"Christina?" Fredd leaned backward and checked my face. "What are you talking about?"
"His date. Christina. They bought her gown together and probably his first and last dance."
Fredd chuckled. "I'll let him explain it."
I sneered at him with confusion. "What are you talking about? Tell me now."
"Aggressive Thonia, tsk tsk." He shook his head and laughed. "But to clear things up, let me say that he isn't busy dancing with Tina or with anyone. He is busy taking pictures." Fredd pointed from a distance and I saw Joshua using Gabe's SLR camera taking pictures all around, doing our job as a photojournalist
I just frowned and stared at him. "If you like, we can go home early," he offered his hand. "Last dance before we leave?"
I took it and we danced."If you like to stay we can stay for a bit longer." I said. My hands were on his shoulder and the other in his hand.
"Nope, I don't want my date to get bored. You know, this place isn't so bad after all." He smiled. "By the way, I forgot to give you your token."
"Yes! Yours too. I left it in my bag in your car. Sorry, it's the only thing I can think you'll use." It was a silicon protector for his videogame controller. I wondered what he bought for me.
"I can't wait to see it."
We danced but I was still looking for Joshua. I could not find him again this time. I kept on hiding from him the whole night now he was the one I could not find. The bit lively song that was playing abruptly stopped and a classical music played. The beat and rhythm sounded familiar. I remembered it from the car earlier. "Fur Elise," I said.
Fredd nodded and smiled somewhere past me. I trailed his gaze and saw Joshua playing the music on the grand piano. "He knows how to play piano?" I asked, surprised. His brows were knitted like he was putting all his focus in the music.
Fredd nodded and grinned. "And three types of guitars too! He was the one who taught me, Kenny, Gabby and Pheny." It took me a moment to register who Pheny was then I realized it was Stephen.
"Wow," I breathed.
"Are you falling in love deeper?"
I snorted. "Give me a break."
He laughed. "So, you don't want to go home yet and listen to Mister Piano man?"
I shook my head. "Nah, actually I really wanted to go away from here."
"Me too. My tummy is hurting." I laughed because he might again suffer from LBM like before.
I went to Asaila to say I would go home. She agreed to come with me and leave his boyfriend in the Function Hall. When we reached Fredd's car, I looked back to the building with its lights and sounds, and felt the final breeze of the dance party. I sighed and finally went in the car. Fredd closed my door and Asaila's, and then went to the driver's side. From then, I said goodbye to another chance for me to dance or even talk to Joshua. That could have been a great chance, but I believed somewhere would be better. I just had to make sure I was ready to choose it.