Chapter Seventeen ~ Last Dance
"Prom? Seriously? How could you forget?" Marisa asked, eyes wide. Tyler watched us in shock.
How could I forget about prom?
"You know my memory sucks. Besides," I picked up a cookie from the tray in the middle of the table and dunked it into my cup of coffee. "I don't want to go."
"Well, you're going whether you want to or not." Marisa folded her arms across her chest, smirking.
"Whatever." I shoved the cookie into my mouth and rolled my eyes, frustrated by her persistence.
"You're gonna have fun, trust me," Marisa continued. "We're gonna dance with cute guys all night and take thousands of photos. It's gonna be awesome."
"And I'm gonna wear a suit." Tyler said with a smile. That made me laugh.
"You? In a suit? Now I have to see that," I said after chewing my cookie. "Crap, I don't have a dress to wear."
"Don't worry. We'll go shopping! I'll help you pick out one that flatters you're curves and makes your eyes pop," Marisa piped excitedly as she looked through her purse. She pulled out her iPhone to check the time. "Shit, I've gotta go. Party to crash. You wanna come with?"
"No, I've got some work to finish," Lying casually, I nodded no. Tyler and Marisa rose from their chairs together. I stood up and gave them hugs. "Another time. I promise."
"Okie dokey, artichokie. Bye Michelle!" Marisa called to my mom as she dragged Tyler out. I followed them so that I could lock the door.
"Bye!" My mom called from upstairs. Being the overly paranoid person I am I locked the front door before heading upstairs.
"Mom?" I called as I climbed the stairs. At the top step stood my mom holding a dress bag from a hanger.
"I've got something to show you." She nodded for me to follow her. We went into her bedroom, carrying the dress bag in her arms.
She unzipped it and gently placed a dress on the bed. It was a beautiful sleeveless lace dress with a flower cutout pattern and a lace choker. Vintage yet modern in a chic way.
"I know how much you love lace. When I saw this on display I knew you'd look beautiful in it. It's the perfect dress to trend for prom."
"Wait, this is for me?" Overwhelmed, I waited for my mom to answer. With a quick nod, she smiled and I attacked her with a hug.
"Thank you so much mom! I love it!" I squealed, kissing her on the cheek. She laughed and hugged me back.
I couldn't wait for prom.
I told Marisa about my mom getting me a dress and she freaked out. She kept asking me what it looked like and if she could see me try it on. She asked like a thousand times. I told her to wait for prom night. She could wait.
Those were the longest five days of my life.
When the evening came, I decided to curl my hair so that it would be wavy. After an hour and a half of prepping my hair, I slipped on the dress and applied a little makeup. I figured mascara, foundation and a soft red lipstick would complement my dress. When I looked in the mirror, I nearly fainted. I looked so pretty.
When mom saw me she started crying.
"Mom," My eyes started to tear. I had to fight back tears. "You're gonna make me cry."
"I can't help it. You look so beautiful. My baby's all grown up." She grabbed a tissue. Before a tear could smudge my makeup my mom caught it with a tissue. She looked so happy. I can't remember the last time her eyes sparkled that bright, her smile that brilliant.
"I get my looks from you." I said happily, laughing. She chuckled and wiped away the last of her tears before escorting me down the stairs.
The bell rang.
"I'll get it." I told my mom. She nodded before going to the closet to get our coats. Before I opened the door I slipped on my pair of silver heels.
I opened the door.
Shocked, I took a step back.
Clark was standing outside in a black tuxedo with a red tie on. In his hands he held a corsage with white roses. In his tuxedo pocket was a white rose.
"Hey," He greeted, smiling. "You look stunning... These are for you." He handed me the corsage. I didn't take it.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, my cheeks flushing red.
"Marisa told me you weren't going to prom with anyone so I thought we could go together."
"Cara," My mom called my name from behind me before reaching the door. "Oh, hello Clark. You look very handsome in that tuxedo."
"Thank you. You look beautiful as always," He bullshited, flashing my mom a cheesy smile before getting back to the conversation. "Is it all right if I take Cara to prom?"
"Sure, you two have fun," My mom smiled, not noticing how upset I was. I didn't want to go with Clark. "Just not too much."
I flashed her an upset look, touching her arm. She curiously looked at me. Just as I was about to speak, I heard someone else.
"Cara, you ready?" Death asked, his voice like music to my ears. Thank God he'd shown up. He was disguised as the blond guy he'd let Clark see him as the first time they met. Peyton I remember calling him. I saw that he was dressed in a black tuxedo vest with a dark blue dress shirt, black dress pants, and held a single white rose wrapped in a cream ribbon. My name was written in cursive across it.
"Yeah," I smiled, kissing my mom on the cheek and walking around Clark. Not even sparing him a glance, I felt Clark's eyes on me as I joined Death's side. "We'll be back before midnight. Bye mom!"
He handed me the rose, which I happily took. Linking arms with Death, we walked down the steps and towards a black Mercedes parked out front. Politely, he opened and closed the passenger door for me before walking around and entering the car.
"Thanks," I said awkwardly, my cheeks flushed red. "You look... Human."
"I'll take that as a compliment," He chuckled as he shoved a car key into the ignition. He changed back to his normal self, his blond hair darkening to black. His eyes were crystal blue and his skin was dark tan. "We've got a prom to attend."
"What are we waiting for?" I said, smiling. He smiled and stepped on the gas, speeding through the streets. I didn't even know he could drive. I learn something new every day.
When we reached the school and parked, I double-checked my makeup. Everything was in order. I didn't even notice Death was out of the car until my door swung open and he offered his hand for me to grab.
After a moment's hesitation, I grabbed it and pushed myself up. His hand was freezing. I shuddered. I left the rose on the car seat.
"Now where do we go?" He asked, shutting the car door.
"The gym. Come on." I pulled him to follow. Holding hands, together we walked towards the front entrance. He transformed to his blonde disguise as we walked the path. Once inside, I said hello to a few friends as we passed them in the halls. Everyone looked great.
Marisa and Tyler were waiting outside the gym doors, talking to a girl I knew from American History. As soon as Marisa saw us she lit up.
"Oh my god," She rushed over in the highest pink heels I'd ever seen her wear and gave me a hug. Dressed in a sleek, sparkly pink, sequenced, one shoulder dress, she looked like one of my old Barbie dolls. So Marisa. She backed away and smiled. "You look so beautiful! That lace dress is beyond pretty. So cliché and pretty and pink except without the pink."
"Thanks," I noticed how Death was watching us, smiling. Walking over to him, I grabbed his hand and lead him over to Marisa. "Marisa, this is Peyton. Peyton, Marisa."
Death offered Marisa his hand. She gladly took it, blushing. "It's nice to meet you. Cara's told me so much about you." Death said, smiling politely down at Marisa. Batting her lashes, she blushed even more and let go of his hand.
"Really?" He gave me a curious look. "Good things, I hope?"
"Great things." Death raised his eyebrows, making Marisa laugh. She looked over her shoulder and called for Tyler to come over. He was in a white tux with a pink and white plaid tie. Marisa probably picked that out for him.
"Tyler, this' Peyton, Cara's date." She said. Tyler shook hands with Death.
"Actually, we're dating." Death suddenly said, staring at me the entire time. He did not just tell them that! I must be hearing things. He placed his left arm around my waist and pulled me close to him.
The looks on Marisa and Tyler's faces verified that they'd heard what I heard. I flashed Death a dirty look quickly before leaning to whisper into his ears.
"We'll talk about this later." He shook his head, flashing me a satisfied look before I turned around and pulled Marisa to follow me.
"You're so lucky! Peyton's mad sexy. No wonder you didn't tell me about him. I would've made a move on him by now." She said as we walked through the crowd and to the bathroom. Once inside I spoke.
"You and Tyler?" She instantly balled up and blushed red. "Oh my god, I knew it!"
"Can we not talk about it? I wanna talk about Peyton. Where'd you find that beefcake? I wanna trade up for one." I laughed at the last part.
"It's a long story. Too long to get into at the moment. So Tyler and you are dating?"
"Yeah..."
"And you didn't tell me?"
"I never got around to it. Besides, we wanted to keep our relationship on the down low... I never thought things would work out for this long, but we're still together." She said glowing up. Aww, she likes him a lot. "How long for you?"
"A while... Like 6 months, too." I played along. Honestly, I didn't care.
"You're, like, perfect together," She excitedly said. "Cara and Peyton sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G." She wagged her eyebrows. We both broke out into laughter. Me? Kiss Death? Never gonna happen.
"So, what happened to the other guy? You know, the one I caught you in your house with?"
"Oh," I looked down at the ground and stared at my clear manicured toes. "He had to leave. Moved away." I explained, stretching the truth. Gabriel...
"Aww... On the bright side, you have Peyton. He's a keeper." She said, hugging me. I nodded, fighting back tears. I swallowed back the lump in my throat before looking at her.
"Did you tell Clark I wasn't going to prom with anyone?"
"Clark? No, I thought he moved away. Why?" She said, tilting her head.
"He showed up at my house all dressed up and everything with a corsage. He said that you told him I wasn't going with anyone."
"No, I didn't! This is the first I heard of him being back in town. Why the hell would he tell you that?"
"To get me to go with him, I guess... But he knows I've been seeing Peyton."
"Sounds like he's trying to win you over," Marisa took out some pink lip gloss from her purse and applied some to her lips. Satisfied, she put it away and turned to face me again. "Just forget about him. I never liked Clark anyways. There was always something desperate about him, the way he'd expect everyone to be on his side. Let's just forget about that loser and party, 'kay?" Nodding towards the door, we walked out and searched for Tyler and Death. Marisa saw Tyler talking to some guys and headed over.
"Hey," I heard someone say from beside me. I looked around and saw Death leaning back against the wall. He was holding a cup of punch in his right hand. He stared at me, waiting for something. Finally, he walked over and offered me the drink. "Punch?"
"It's not spiked, right?" He sniffed the cup, making me laugh. He nodded no and I took it.
"Thanks." I sipped some. He smiled and looked around the gym. A lot of people were talking in groups while others were dancing.
"So," Death broke the silence. "You wanna dance?"
I stared blankly at him, surprised. I was happy he asked, though. Standing there was so awkward. I nodded, finishing my punch and tossed the cup into a trash bin before walking with him to the center of the gym. People stared, watching us in shock.
"Who's the hot guy?" A girl asked a little too loudly. Death ignored the stares and looked at me, a tiny smile on his lips.
The music was dance music, pop. This' gonna be interesting.
Death started to dance, bobbing his head to the beat. He smiled when I stared to dance. His smile was infectious. Not caring about my hair, I started to shake my head, my hair whipped and bounced in all directions. Not even ten minutes later Marisa and Tyler joined us with a group of five other friends. Death introduced himself to everyone.
The prom was going great until I saw Clark dancing with a cheerleader, watching me over her shoulder. So he decided to crash?
"Trouble at twelve o'clock." I shouted to Marisa. She looked past my shoulder and glared at him.
"Ignore him." She said into my ear.
"Ignore who?" Tyler asked, overhearing Marisa. She pulled Tyler close and whispered into his right ear. He looked at me with a concerned look, a little worried. He mouthed, "You okay?"
I nodded, lying. I felt uncomfortable dancing with him staring like some creep.
"What's wrong?" Death asked suddenly getting close. He continued to dance.
"Nothing," I lied. Obviously, he could tell I wasn't being completely honest. He could read me like a book. He pulled me close, his hand placed gently around me. "Can we just dance?"
"Is it Clark?" He asked. How'd you know?
"He's watching. I can feel his eyes on my back," Death answered loud enough for me to hear. I nodded, feeling myself loosen a bit. "You want me to talk to him?"
"No, you don't need to. Let's just dance." He nodded and we continued to dance for around an hour. We decided to take a break and talk to some friends for a while. I introduced Death to a bunch of people, a lot of who were girls. Even with me there they were practically throwing themselves at him. It was like they couldn't believe that he was with me so they just ignored me. Death held my hand most of the night, keeping me close to him whenever possible. I felt safe with him.
As Death and I were talking to a few of my old Chemistry class friends Clark appeared with a posse of people who were his "friends". They were all jocks and bimbos from sports teams' and the "popular" posse. He'd definitely changed.
"Hey," Clark greeted, a blonde cheerleader I knew as Courtney clung to his side. He smiled at me and didn't even spare Death a glance. Rude. "Enjoying prom?"
"Very much. I see you've blended into the crowd nicely, rekindled with some old friends?"
"Who are you calling old, Clara?" Courtney asked dumbly.
"It's Cara," I corrected, ignoring her question. "Well, we've gotta get going-"
"Already?" Clark asked, interrupting me. The way he said it sounded like he was teasing me. He sounded sassy. I did not like his attitude one bit.
"Watch your attitude." Death said, taking a step forward. I pulled on his arm to back away only for Clark to take a step forward as well.
"I don't have to do shit." Clark said, pushing Death back. As soon as I saw Death raise his right hand I pulled him away. Tyler helped by stepping in between the two of them while I calmed Death down.
"Hey," I touched his face and made him look at me. "Look at me."
"I am." He said, his cheeks reddening.
"He's not worth it."
"I know that, but that doesn't mean he can disrespect you," He grabbed my hand from his face and held it. "Especially when he's saying that to get a reaction from me."
"I know."
Suddenly, the music turned slow and all the lights dimmed except for the ones over the dance floor. I looked around and saw that couples were slow dancing, holding each other close. Clark walked out of the gym with a bunch of people while Tyler and Marisa strolled to the center of the dance floor. Without a word, Death walked around me, pulling me to follow him. He twirled me around, placing his arms around my waist.
"This wasn't what I expected," He said, keeping his voice low. "I thought it would be a bit wilder." I just listened to him, not saying anything else. Placing my head on his chest, I ignored all the noise and people around me and just danced with him.
It was... Nice.
Everything was perfect.
"It's almost twelve." Death pointed out. I lifted my head and looked around for the gymnasium clock. He was right. It was about twenty minutes to midnight.
"Time flies when you're having fun." I said as I looked back at him. He looked a little pale and his eyes darkened.
"What's the matter?"
He went back to looking like normal, smiling even. "Just thinking about something."
"Something bad?" He stared at me, his eyes connecting with mine. I was right on the money.
"You really want to know?" He asked, his voice serious. His eyes darkened and his arms tightened around me. I stared at him, not knowing what to do or what to say.
"How old are you?" I asked, breaking the silence. He looked at me, his face softening.
"I don't know," He loosened his arms from around my waist. "I stopped keeping track a while ago. Time doesn't matter to me anymore."
"Can you die?" I asked softly. His eyes turned bright blue and then brown. He paled ever so slightly.
"I don't think so... At the end of time, when everything's dead, I'll be the only thing left," He said, his cold breathe brushed against my skin. "I'm tired of all of this."
"Of what?"
"Doing the same thing over and over," He shook his head. "I've always wanted to be someone, to live an unpredictable life, to choose my own destiny. But I can't."
"Why not?" I honestly asked. He smiled and pulled me closer, raising me so that our faces were inches away.
"Just because... Imagine living in a world where nothing died. Waking up every morning and knowing that you have tomorrow and the day after that and the days after that to do the same things over again. Life wouldn't be precious." He let me step on his shoes, elevating me even more. We looked straight at each other; staring into his big blue orb eyes and seeing them change different colors.
"I never thought about it that way." I slowly said, realizing how close we were to each other. I rested my head on his shoulder and hugged him tighter. We continued to dance for another couple of minutes before the song ended. I unwrapped my arms from around him. Holding hands, we walked over to Marisa and Tyler and told them we were going. Marisa gave me a hug and Tyler patted Death on the shoulder before we headed out.
Just as we walked around the hallway we saw Clark making out with Courtney. My stomach convulsed in disgust. Courtney was wearing the corsage Clark had offered me earlier.
Sleaze bag.
Death blocked me from Clark as we rounded the corner. He'd been right about Clark all along... What he said about him being a player was true.
Death squeezed my hand a little, making me look at him. He smiled, his tan skin lightening.
When we reached the car, he opened the door for me. Just as he was about to shut it we heard someone chuckle.
Someone we did not expect.
"Enjoy yourself tonight, Death? Or is it Peyton?"