talked me into teaching them to her.
“What about now?”
She blinked. “What?”
“I need you to take over for me.”
“What are you doing?” she squealed, her eyes darting around the stage when I stripped out of my clothes.
“Put this on.” I threw the skirt in her direction.
“What do I tell Julian?” The skirt dangled off one of her antennae.
“Tell him he can go screw himself.” I threw Carla’s dress over my head.
“Oh, that’s not nice.”
“Look, I can’t explain, but I’m doing this for Nic, okay. Can you take my place and dance with Julian?”
Kristie took the skirt from off her head and placed a serious expression on her face. “Yes. I’ll dance the Lambada in your place.” The antennae bobbled in agreement. “Go do whatever it is you need to do for Nic.”
I probably could’ve stayed. I was going to meet up with Nic in just a few hours anyway. But I couldn’t let another minute go by without telling him how I felt. He loved me. Even though I’d held back pieces of myself from him, he still loved me. I had to set things right between us, and I had to do it right now.
THIRTEEN: Mandi
I paced the length of the way too small elevator as it climbed up to the top floor of the dorm, trying to catch my breath after running across campus.
“What?” I snapped at the two guys who were in there with me. I was tired of their gawking.
I caught my reflection on the elevator door. I was a mess. Most of my hair was falling down, having come loose from the rhinestone bobby pins. I tugged at the high collar of the dress. Carla’s dress just had to be yellow. I looked like a giant marshmallow Peep.
“Nothing,” one of them mumbled. When the doors finally opened, they scurried away.
“Morons.” I walked out and headed to Nic’s door. Just as I was about to knock, Steve stepped out into the hallway.
“Hey, Mandi, that’s some party dress. It’s all kinds of fun.” He looked at me appreciatively.
“It’s a costume, Steve.”
“If you’re looking for Nic, he left a few minutes ago. Did you two break up or something? He looked awful. Since we’re friends, I’ll give you forty-eight hours before I pounce on him and convince him to play on my team.’’
“Knock it off, Steve. It’s not funny. Do you know where he went?”
Steve’s eyes widened. “Whoa! You two really did break up. I was just messing with you. I didn’t think you two would really break up. Nic is mad crazy for you. He—oh!” He looked up and down the hall, and then leaned in and whispered, “You’re playing on another team, aren’t you? I always thought you did.”
“Ugh, Steve!” I shoved him. “It’s not that. We just had a misunderstanding. Are you going to help me find him or what?”
“Chill, chica. He said something about going to Five Mile Dam. I told him not to. It’s supposed to rain tonight.”
“What are you, the weatherman?”
“Honey, have you seen the weatherman on channel two?” He waggled his eyebrows. “In the words of my grandfather, the original Steve, ‘hubba, hubba.’”
I laughed. Leave it to Steve to make me laugh at a time like this. “Really? The weatherman? You’re getting into seriously desperate territory here.”
“I wouldn’t be so desperate if you gave me that dress and dumped Nic. I’ll go to Five Mile Dam for you.”
“Steve!”
“I kid. I kid. Come on. I’ll drive you there.”
The mist was thick along the riverbank at Five Mile Damn. It was hard to see anything until we drove through the arch separating the road from the entrance. When we rolled into the graveled parking lot, my heart dropped. Nic’s car was nowhere in sight. My head throbbed. Frustrated, I yanked my bobby pins out of my hair. I gazed down at the glittering red of the rhinestones, remembering how lovingly Nic had pulled out each one that night so long ago. It had been the first time we’d made love, the night he told me he loved me.
Tossing the pins into the cup holder,
“What about now?”
She blinked. “What?”
“I need you to take over for me.”
“What are you doing?” she squealed, her eyes darting around the stage when I stripped out of my clothes.
“Put this on.” I threw the skirt in her direction.
“What do I tell Julian?” The skirt dangled off one of her antennae.
“Tell him he can go screw himself.” I threw Carla’s dress over my head.
“Oh, that’s not nice.”
“Look, I can’t explain, but I’m doing this for Nic, okay. Can you take my place and dance with Julian?”
Kristie took the skirt from off her head and placed a serious expression on her face. “Yes. I’ll dance the Lambada in your place.” The antennae bobbled in agreement. “Go do whatever it is you need to do for Nic.”
I probably could’ve stayed. I was going to meet up with Nic in just a few hours anyway. But I couldn’t let another minute go by without telling him how I felt. He loved me. Even though I’d held back pieces of myself from him, he still loved me. I had to set things right between us, and I had to do it right now.
THIRTEEN: Mandi
I paced the length of the way too small elevator as it climbed up to the top floor of the dorm, trying to catch my breath after running across campus.
“What?” I snapped at the two guys who were in there with me. I was tired of their gawking.
I caught my reflection on the elevator door. I was a mess. Most of my hair was falling down, having come loose from the rhinestone bobby pins. I tugged at the high collar of the dress. Carla’s dress just had to be yellow. I looked like a giant marshmallow Peep.
“Nothing,” one of them mumbled. When the doors finally opened, they scurried away.
“Morons.” I walked out and headed to Nic’s door. Just as I was about to knock, Steve stepped out into the hallway.
“Hey, Mandi, that’s some party dress. It’s all kinds of fun.” He looked at me appreciatively.
“It’s a costume, Steve.”
“If you’re looking for Nic, he left a few minutes ago. Did you two break up or something? He looked awful. Since we’re friends, I’ll give you forty-eight hours before I pounce on him and convince him to play on my team.’’
“Knock it off, Steve. It’s not funny. Do you know where he went?”
Steve’s eyes widened. “Whoa! You two really did break up. I was just messing with you. I didn’t think you two would really break up. Nic is mad crazy for you. He—oh!” He looked up and down the hall, and then leaned in and whispered, “You’re playing on another team, aren’t you? I always thought you did.”
“Ugh, Steve!” I shoved him. “It’s not that. We just had a misunderstanding. Are you going to help me find him or what?”
“Chill, chica. He said something about going to Five Mile Dam. I told him not to. It’s supposed to rain tonight.”
“What are you, the weatherman?”
“Honey, have you seen the weatherman on channel two?” He waggled his eyebrows. “In the words of my grandfather, the original Steve, ‘hubba, hubba.’”
I laughed. Leave it to Steve to make me laugh at a time like this. “Really? The weatherman? You’re getting into seriously desperate territory here.”
“I wouldn’t be so desperate if you gave me that dress and dumped Nic. I’ll go to Five Mile Dam for you.”
“Steve!”
“I kid. I kid. Come on. I’ll drive you there.”
The mist was thick along the riverbank at Five Mile Damn. It was hard to see anything until we drove through the arch separating the road from the entrance. When we rolled into the graveled parking lot, my heart dropped. Nic’s car was nowhere in sight. My head throbbed. Frustrated, I yanked my bobby pins out of my hair. I gazed down at the glittering red of the rhinestones, remembering how lovingly Nic had pulled out each one that night so long ago. It had been the first time we’d made love, the night he told me he loved me.
Tossing the pins into the cup holder,
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