I shook my head, a grin still on my face. “No, Ash, I’m smart enough to know that accepting a dance with you is a bad idea. I’ve seen Carrie. I’ve seen Never Been Kissed. It never works out well for the geeky girl when the popular boy asks her to dance.”
“You don’t look very geeky in that dress,” Ash said, looking me up and down, his eyes lingering over my breasts, hips and legs. I felt a blush creep up on my cheeks, and I knew my face probably matched my dress perfectly.
“Zoey, do you want to dance?”
I turned and saw Eddie Ward standing there. He had been considered as a perfect match for Madison when she was obsessed with that sort of thing, until he had announced that he was gay, to the disappointment of Madison and pretty much every eligible bachelorette in New York City. Eventually he became incredibly close friends with Madison and, in turn, with me as well. He often went out to the clubs with us, dragging his boyfriend Trent along with us. He was a fantastic dancer.
I grinned and put the cupcake back on the table, away from the clean, untouched ones. “I would love to.” I took his outstretched hand and let him lead me down to the dance floor. I tossed a victory smile over my shoulder at Ash. The DJ picked a faster paced song, and I felt the music pouring through my body.
“Was Ash bothering you?” Eddie shouted in my ear, his hands on my hips.
I rolled my eyes. “He’s always bothering me. It’s fine.”
We stayed on the dance floor for a few songs before Trent came up to us. He looked awful. His face was incredibly pale, and sweat dripped through his hair and was running down his cheeks.
“Oh my god, Trent. Are you okay?” I shouted. I grabbed his arm, and Eddie and I guided him through the crowd to a seat on the outside.
He immediately collapsed on a bench, his head in his hands. He groaned loudly. “I feel awful.”
“Please don’t throw up on the shoes,” I begged, and Eddie laughed. “Seriously, I worked hard for these. And Madison will kill you because she picked them out.”
Eddie threw me an amused but exasperated look and turned to his boyfriend. “What did you have to eat?”
“Pancakes at the diner. And I had about three of those cupcakes,” Trent said, looking like he was going to blow chunks at any moment.
Eddie laughed a little at that. “I told you that pancakes for dinner was a bad idea,” he scolded him. He hooked his arm through Trent’s and hauled him to his feet. “Sounds like a trip to the little boy’s room is in order.” He smiled apologetically at me, and I smiled back, watching them walk away.
“What’s wrong with Trent?” Madison said, coming up from behind me and looking worried.
“He’s sick. He’s probably throwing up right now,” I explained. Madison looked panicked for a moment. “He had pancakes before the dance apparently and three of the cupcakes, so it’s really not a surprise.”
“Oh god, the cupcakes,” Madison moaned, looking around. “There are a couple girls in the bathroom throwing up too.”
“Yeah, that’s probably not the cupcakes,” I said drily. Brody laughed, and I grinned widely.
“Zoey Elizabeth Valentine, be seriously!” Madison shrieked. “This is a disaster.”
“It’s not a disaster,” I said, breezily. “A couple people are sick. It’s not a big deal, and it’s most likely not the cupcakes. Did you have a cupcake?”
“Yes,” she answered, slowly and uncertainly.
“And are you sick?” I said, just as slowly.
“Well, no, but…”
“It’s not the cupcakes,” I said firmly.
“There’s been some guys throwing up too,” Brody piped up.
“You’re not helping, Brody,” I laughed. “We’re trying to avoid a meltdown.” Brody laughed again, and even Madison showed a small smile.
At that moment, a few freshmen girls came bursting out of the dance crowd. Two girls had a third supported between them. She had a distinct green tinge to her face, and I had a bad feeling immediately. She stopped her friends, her hands clutching her stomach tightly. I winced as she pitched forward and threw up all over the concrete floor.
Madison ran forward and grabbed the arm of one of the friends. “Did she have a cupcake?”
The girl looked from Madison to me, looking shocked, but nodded. Madison threw me a triumphant look, and I resisted the urge to throw my shoe at her. We jumped back a moment later as she joined her friend in vomiting.
“This is a disaster,” Madison said again, her voice full of anger and disappointment.
I looked at Brody and saw that he was giving up as well. “Yeah, I think it’s time to cut the party.” I sighed and headed over to the DJ, taking the reins away from my disappointed friend.
Five Weeks Later