They talked for what seemed like hours. It was surprisingly easy, almost too easy. She used to tell Jesse things, but it felt like ages ago since they had a heart to heart conversation. Now he just blankly listens while she drones on and on about something that happened to her that day. But with Unicycle, they had no expectations of each other. Jesse didn’t have to hide his boredom and Aubrey didn’t have to pretend to listen while Jesse talked about the latest movies coming out. She swore, she knew more about film production than she should.
Unicycle listened intently while Aubrey babbled on about her favorite television show or song on the radio. The conversation was light, and that was what Aubrey had been needing for awhile. Unicycle was a surprisingly good listener. He nodded at all the right times and interjected some advice when he felt like her sentence was coming to an end. He never really knew much about Aubrey apart from school, but that never meant that he wasn’t interested. He did have Aubrey in some of his classes but she was so roped up in her studies that they never had time to chat about anything else.
Unicycle was a little bit tipsy, just a smidge. His older brother, as a sort of brotherly gesture, had threw him a beer before dropping him off at the dance. “For a fun night,” he had said as Unicycle took a swig and exited the car. It wasn’t like Uni had never drank, but he was still a bit of a lightweight even if he never wanted to admit it out loud. His parents were lenient.They had let him take a flute of champagne at a wedding recently. They figured their son should be exposed to alcohol in high school to know his own limits before being thrust into college situations where alcohol was everywhere.
He, fortunately, wasn't going to be driving the rest of the night since he made sure he could catch a ride with some of his friends. The confidence to talk to the one and only Aubrey Posen was oozing out of him as he made stupid jokes and talked about the weirdest things. In school, she was just this force of nature. She worked harder than everyone he knew. Even if he wanted to be more friendly with her, she was just always on a different wavelength than him. Today, the stars must’ve aligned because here they were, outside the school gym on prom night, talking like old friends.
After being out there for forty five minutes or so, a comfortable silence fell over the two of them. Thank god they lived in Atlanta otherwise they would’ve froze out there. Her dress was wrinkled, but it was of no worry to her. Aubrey was content just sitting outside with a boy she hardly knew. Everything just felt so simple.
Maybe it was because of the alcohol or maybe because he wanted to do it for awhile, but Unicycle turned his head to see Aubrey’s blue eyes staring back at him. Hesitating for a second, he moved closer when he realized she wasn’t backing away from him. Within a few centimeters from each other’s face, the door opened.
…..
Jesse was worried. He hadn’t seen Aubrey around for the past hour or so and that was very rare. She was usually ushering him from one table to another, attempting to greet all her fellow club members from every extra curricular she partook in. She even made them retake the photo booth strip five times because she didn’t like how her hair looked. Ten minutes later and with a brush in her hands, she was finally ready.
Convincing himself that she was in the bathroom or something, Jesse put his concerns about Aubrey to the back of his mind. It was a school dance, where could she go? Nevertheless, he promised himself if she didn’t turn up in the next ten minutes or so, he would go looking for her.
After the slow song that played when he danced with Beca, the music changed to an upbeat hit, the two of them laughed at his attempt to dance. “It’s not bad,” Beca had said, “but you do need to cut out all those boy band moves.” He had chuckled along with her, trying to emulate his inner Justin Timberlake. Jesse looked a few feet away at Chloe, finding the redhead dancing along to the beat like she was hopped up on Red Bull. Her hair flew over her eyes and a smile was spread across her face. The rest of the gang was scattered throughout the room, talking and laughing.
“Let’s take a break,” Beca said, pulling Jesse along with her. They made their way towards their table before picking up their respective glasses of water. Fanning herself with her hand, Beca motioned towards the door at the back of the room. “Good idea,” Jesse replied.
The music was loud and the masses seemed to be multiplying by the minute. They must’ve been dancing for awhile because Beca’s cheeks were a rosy red and there were little beads of sweat on Jesse’s forehead.
“You’re having fun,” Jesse said smugly, “Don’t try to hide it.” Beca gently pushed Jesse’s shoulder but her smile stayed on her face. Pulling the door open, they were hit with a cool breeze. It was late, but it wasn’t dark. Light bounced off the pavement of the parking lot from the streetlamps and the music from inside faded to a low hum.
“Maybe it’s a little fun,” Beca replied, “Just a little.” Taking a step outside, they saw two bodies so close that they were almost kissing. Startled a little, Beca scrunched up her nose and turned around, ready to retreat back into the sweaty gym. Jesse, on the other hand, stood there in shock. He recognized the lacy, pink dress. His eyes caught the eyes of the other guy, Unicycle. Jesse, clenching his fists, paused, not knowing what to do. It was obvious if Beca and he didn’t decided to come out at just that moment, Aubrey and Unicycle would’ve continued their affections.
Unicycle’s eyes grew wide as his mouth opened slightly then closed again. Staring at Unicycle’s face, Aubrey dreaded turning around. She knew who was out there. Jesse, the boy she was with, the boy she once loved, was standing behind her probably looking at her with disgust in his eyes.
She had been stupid. Jesse would have never done anything with Beca as long as they were together. Jesse was the guy who ignored all the football players that tried to invite Aubrey to a party. He was the guy who suffered through all her mathletes lunch meetings where he would try to understand cosines and derivatives but she always knew he was lost. He didn’t deserve this.
Turning her head around, she could just see the outline of Jesse’s body as he went inside. She could hear the loud footsteps, slowly blending into the sounds of the music. Staring right back at her was Beca, eyes wide and mouth agape. She hated looking at Beca, hated letting her see her weak. Aubrey, who usually gave Beca a death stare until she averted her eyes, couldn't even make eye contact with her. Before she could stop Beca or Jesse, they were already inside.
“Jesse,” Aubrey called after him, stumbling over her heels as she ran inside. She saw him towards the back of the room, holding a tightening grip on a plastic cup. His fingers were pushing the sides in until there were obvious dents. Making a beeline towards him, Beca saw her and moved away from Jesse, moving her comforting hand off his shoulder before walking towards Chloe. Aubrey turned around to see Unicycle glancing over at her before blending into the crowd himself.
“I don’t what to say,” she began as she took a seat next to him, “I’m sorry. Nothing happened, I swear.” She turned her body to face him even though he eyes never met hers. Aubrey played with a napkin in her hands, folding it over and over itself. The silence hung over the two of them like a looming cloud.
“I know, Aubrey. I’m not mad. I should be mad but I'm not,” Jesse finally turned to face her, “It’s just...We’re not happy anymore, like we used to be.” Her gaze fell to her lap as her forehead wrinkled. In the background they could hear the loud music playing and feel the vibrations of the floor as the people jumped up and down on the dance floor.
Taking a few seconds to meet his gaze, Aubrey replied, “I know.” She stole a look at Beca who was laughing with Chloe, but kept shooting looks back at the two of them. Sighing, Aubrey continued, “If I gave you an out, no strings attached, would you take it? No messy breakup, no friends picking sides. Just a mutual decision.”
He bit his lower lip in thought as he opened his mouth, “I can’t believe it’s coming to this. The dance! Out of all places!”
The seconds lingered, weighing them down. “We did have fun together, Aubrey. We had so much fun, really. I just think our time might be coming to a close. We lost the spark.” Aubrey nodded, ignoring the pain in her chest. It was true; she had known it for awhile. She had seen he was unhappy and that, in turn, made her realize she wasn’t happy as well. It’ll be okay, though, right? Aubrey watched him as his eyes picked up and turned towards the group in the corner. One of them, the one in the navy blue dress with heels kicked off to the side, accompanied by a red-headed girl and blonde guy by her side, gave him a slight wave in which he returned.
“Go,” Aubrey said even though it took her a second to say the word, “It’s okay.” Giving him an encouraging nod, she motioned towards Unicycle, “I’ll be okay.” Jesse, taking a second glance at Beca, gave Aubrey a hug before relinquishing her to meet up with Uni who was coming their way. Getting up and walking towards Beca, he stole one last look at Aubrey who gave him an encouraging smile.