Despite her attempts to think of anything but the dance, Summer found herself distracted up until it was time to get ready. She hadn't seen Decker since their last dance, and she couldn't help the doubt that grew in her. Decker had never said anything about liking her, but he'd helped her at dinner and danced with her.
Beck hadn't done those things. And yet, the thought of dancing with Beck the way she danced with Decker thrilled her.
"No, no, you have to wear your hair down," Biji instructed.
Summer glanced at her friend. Biji wore an exotic Indian sari in brilliant oranges and reds. Her long, dark hair had been brushed to a sheen and rippled like black silk.
"You look like a doll," Summer said, admiring her friend.
Biji beamed. "Maybe Decker will go and maybe he'll dance with me."
"You have a one-track mind!" Summer laughed.
"You look great, Summer," Biji said, hunching beside her to see into the mirror on the back of the door. "Except your hair."
Summer looked at herself, unconvinced. She'd cleaned the soft pink dress. It was a baby-doll style that emphasized her breasts and slender waist before flowing over her hips. Washing it had caused it to shrink more than she liked. The hem of the dress was halfway up her thighs. She'd worn her sandals, the only shoes she had that didn't clash too loudly with the dress. They were old and looked it. Her gaze swept over her body and lingered on her shoes.
Biji had painted her toe and fingernails a bright pink.
"You think it should be down?" Summer asked.
"Definitely." Biji pulled a chair from the corner and placed it before the mirror. She grabbed Summer's brush and comb.
Summer sat. Her hair was still damp. Biji unwound it from the tight bun Summer had put it in before working out the knots with her comb.
"You have hairspray?" Biji asked.
"No."
"I might have some."
Summer watched Biji in the mirror as she dug through a large handbag. It looked pricey, like the bags Summer saw displayed in the windows of the expensive stores at the mall. Biji pulled out a travel-size hairspray and proceeded to redo Summer's hair into soft waves.
"One more thing then we're ready," Biji said. She rifled through her bag again and pulled out a thick silver belt. "I thought your dress needed something else."
"Why are you being so nice?" Summer asked, struck by her friend's actions.
"That's what friends do," Biji said nonchalantly, wrapping the belt around her body.
Summer's throat tightened.
"Haven't you ever ..." Biji stopped. "You've never had a friend before?"
"Not a nice one."
Biji laughed.
"Thank you, Biji," Summer said. "I've never had a friend like you before. This place is like a dream to me. I can't believe I'm here."
"I'm glad you're here. I can't imagine your life if you think dealing with Dawn is good," Biji said. "Ready?"
"No."
"Come on! You've got a date waiting for you!"
Summer smiled. She looked at herself again, patted Tarzan then trailed Biji down the stairs. Her heart sank some to see Dawn and her friends waiting in the lobby for the van. Dawn and her friends wore their expensive, revealing dresses and high heels, and they carried small evening bags. Their make-up was heavy and flawless.
Summer crossed her arms, feeling plain next to them in their high fashion. She hadn't thought to put on anything but gloss and mascara, because she didn't have anything else. She looked at Biji for some support. Biji was glaring at Dawn openly. Summer nudged her.
"You look too nice tonight not to smile," she whispered. "Ignore her."
"We are cuter," Biji said grudgingly.
"You are," Summer agreed. "Are you going to—"
"Summer, you look gorgeous," Dawn exclaimed from across the foyer. "I never would've guessed you bought that dress from a yard sale."
The girls with her laughed. Biji stepped forward, red-faced. Summer took her arm.
"Thank you, Dawn. You look beautiful," she said before Biji could retort.
"I knew Beck would like it," Dawn said and smoothed her hands over her hips. "Do you think he will?"
"Um, yes," Summer said uneasily.
"He's my date, you know."
Summer frowned. She was about to retrieve the letters from her room to make sure she hadn't made a mistake when Amber flung the screen door open.
"Ride's here!" she called. "Everyone in."
Dawn and her friends were the first out. Summer hesitated.
"She's just messing with you," Biji told her. "Come on. Beck is a good guy. If he said he's going with you, then he will. She's just jealous."
Summer smiled and let Biji pull her out of the house.
"He did say he was going with you, right?" Biji whispered as they stood in line to enter the van.
"Yes. Well, he wrote it. I haven't actually talked to him."
"What? Are you serious?"
"In the van, girls!" Amber said again.
Biji climbed in and sat beside one of Dawn's friends while Summer sat on the bench two seats ahead of her. Their conversation was silenced. Summer felt a sliver of dread, not for the first time. She gazed out the window as they drove. The dark reminded her of Decker.
She barely recognized the resort when they piled out of the van. It was brilliantly lit, the walkway to the dock hidden between darkness and trees. She could see teens in the main floor of the resort through the windows.
"Let's find Beck," Biji said and grabbed her hand. She tugged Summer into a side entrance and ran up stairs to the main level.
Summer followed. The Dark teens were lined on one side and the Light on the other. Only a few couples ventured onto the dance floor. The edges of the room were dark and the dance floor brightly lit while music throbbed. One wall held buffet tables lined with snacks and punch, and bright decorations had been hung up all over the room.
She wound her way through the Dark teens. A sense reached her, one that told her Decker was close even without seeing him. She glanced around before catching sight of Biji again. The smaller girl was waving at her frantically, standing in front of a small group of Light boys, including Beck.
Summer's heart pounded. She'd all but memorized his notes and recited them as she approached. Biji tapped his arm, and he turned, taking them both in with smiles. His hair was combed, his teal eyes making Summer's knees weak. She hadn't seen him in a few days and yet, his appearance didn't impact her as much as Decker's.
"Glad you could make it!" he said to her over the music. "You look great."
"You guys should dance!" Biji said.
Beck glanced around, his hesitance brief. "Sure. Come on, Summer."
Summer couldn't help feeling even more triumphant over Dawn. Biji was right; Dawn was jealous. Summer took Beck's hand when he offered it and ventured onto the dance floor with him.
She felt none of his magick, and her first attempt to keep up with the dance moves failed. She looked at one of the other girls and tried to mimic the movements. Her own lightness on her feet helped keep the situation from getting too awkward, but she wasn't comfortable.
"I got your notes," she said, looking up at Beck.
"Notes," he said. "Okay."
"They were nice," she said. "It's the reason I came."
His brow furrowed. "I meant to talk to you about that."
"Sure."
"I, uh, got your notes, too."
Summer waited, puzzled by his words. She'd written no notes to him, only passed back the first one, as it instructed.
"And the video," he said, face reddening. "You look very nice in your ... um, but uh, I'm kind of—"
"What video?" she asked.
"I don't think you meant to forward it to everyone, but we all got it," he said. "Look, I'm flattered, I really am—"
"What video?"
"The one of you undressing. Good footage, of course, but probably not something you should've put on YouTube."
Summer stopped in place. Beck looked nervous. A roaring was filling her ears, and her face felt hot enough to explode.
"I'm with Dawn, so I'm sorry I can't really, you know, hook up," he said. "I'm really sorry. You're a great girl. And I have to say, the video was like, wow. We were looking at it again on the ride over. It's kind of cool that you sleep naked."
"Who all saw it?" she managed.
"Everyone. The link went out to all of us on our school email accounts."
"Hi, guys," Dawn said, approaching them. She struck a pose then made a kissy-face at Beck, who pecked her on the lips. "Don't you like Summer's dress? She found it in a trash can and fixed it up."
"It's, ah, nice."
"Did you tell her?"
"Yes, we were just talking about it," Beck said. "Only one girl for me."
Dawn batted her eyelashes at him and maneuvered between them.
"I'm sorry, but he's taken, Summer. No more videos, okay?"
Summer stepped back, unable to register exactly what happened. She looked around, feeling cold. All the guys in the room were staring at her, a few snickering. She felt exposed standing in the middle of the dance floor. Not only had everyone seen her very public snub from Beck, but they'd all seen her naked.
Someone set her up. Staring at the two dancing, she couldn't help thinking it was Dawn.
Summer moved out of the spotlight and bumped into one guy then strode towards the door. Everyone seemed to be staring at her, ridiculing her. Her tears held until she reached the outdoors. The patio was open and empty, and she sat down, devastated.
In one night, her paradise had been destroyed. No one would want anything to do with her after this! Amber would send her away, back to the orphanage, for a video she had nothing to do with. Even if they didn't, how could she live in a place where everyone was laughing at her?
"Hey. Uh, can I ask you something?"
She wiped her tears away hastily at the sound of Beck's voice and rose to face him.
"You didn't send the video, did you?"
She shook her head.
"Or the notes?"
"No."
He appeared troubled. "That sucks. I owe you an apology, then."
"It's okay. I'm used to people messing with me." Summer crossed her arms, chilled in the evening air.
"I've got a list of girls a mile long who want to dance with me, but if you want to go back inside, you'll be the first," he offered. "I don't know what happened, but I'll make it up to you." A note in his voice told her he suspected he knew what happened.
"No thanks," she said. "I'll probably just take a shuttle ride back to the dorms."
"Well, if you change your mind, come on back inside."
"Thanks, Beck."
He flashed his famous smile and turned away, disappearing into the resort. While she appreciated his words, any affection she felt for him was gone. He'd all but helped humiliate her.
She always ended up alone. Summer gazed at the forest, hurting more than she could remember. The two weeks at the new school had lulled her into believing this time would be different. She'd lowered her guard, begun to accept that she might fit in here. She'd even taken her jewelry box out of her suitcase and set it on the dresser.
I should've gone with Decker. Her instincts had told her as much. But even he might've seen the video. She wasn't sure how she'd face him, if so.
Heart aching, Summer sniffed back more tears and walked towards the dock. The forest was alive with night sounds around her, the air even colder next to the lake. She sat on the edge of the dock, hugging her knees in an attempt to keep warm.
"Shouldn't you be dancing with Beck?"
She squeezed her eyes closed at Decker's voice. His step was light on the wood of the dock.
"Why are you crying?" The sarcasm left his voice.
"I owe you an apology, Decker."
"Don't bother. You made your choice."
Summer twisted to see him a few feet away. His magick brushed by her, comforting with its dark-heat sensations. She rose, and he turned to leave.
"Decker, I mean it. I made a mistake."
"I take it something bad happened. I'm not going to be a back-up plan."
"I don't want you to be," she said. "I'm not asking anything of you. Just apologizing."
He was silent, though he didn't leave.
"And I hope you didn't see the video," she added quietly. "Did you?"
"Yeah."
More tears rose. Decker's magick was just out of reach, and she was alone again, cold and alone.
"You've been the only person who's been decent to me. You and Biji. I'll miss you when they send me away," she whispered.
"They won't send you away."
"They always do."
He faced her, his features hidden by darkness.
"Would you dance with me, Decker? One last dance?" she ventured, wanting to feel his magick through her again.
"No."
His rejection crushed hermore than Beck's, more than Dawn's carefully executed humiliation. Summer'sthroat was tight. She nodded in understanding, wishing she could go back to thehallway the day before and accept his offer of taking her to the dance.