We needed to stay under the radar.
"Are you okay?" Eddie had suddenly appeared by our side - or rather, Jill's side. "What happened?" He wasn't even looking at the punch. His focus was all on Jill, and just like earlier, she actually seemed to notice it. Brayden was the one who answered, his eyes alight with intellectual curiosity as he watched teachers scurry and try to clean up the mess.
"Some sort of chemical reaction, if I had to guess. Could be as simple as using baking soda. Or maybe some kind of mechanical device?"
I gave Eddie a pointed look. "It was a prank," I said. "Anyone could've done it." Eddie looked at me, then looked back at Jill. He gave a slow nod. "I see. We should get you out of here," he told her. "You never know what - "
"No, no," I said. "Get Angeline out of here."
"Angeline?" Eddie's face registered disbelief. "But how...?" I directed him toward where she stood with Trey on the dance floor. They, like many others, were staring at the aftermath of the punch explosion with wonder. "I don't know how she got here," I said. "It's irrelevant. She needs to leave. Mrs. Weathers nearly caught her." A knowing glint flashed in Eddie's eyes. "But the punch distracted her?"
"Yes."
His attention fell back on Jill, and he smiled. "Convenient timing." She smiled back. "I guess we got lucky this time." Their gazes locked, and it was almost a shame to interrupt. "Go," I told Eddie. "Get Angeline." He cast one last look at Jill and then jumped into action. I couldn't hear the conversation as he spoke with Angeline and Trey, but the look on his face would accept no arguments. I could see Trey yielding to family authority, and after a few more arguments, Angeline gave in as well. Eddie quickly escorted her out, and to my relief, neither Mrs. Weathers nor anyone else seemed to notice.
"Jill," I said. "It might be best if you and Micah leave early. You don't have to go right this second... but soon."
Jill nodded, face sad. "I understand."
Even if no one would connect her to this, it was best if she wasn't around. Already, I could see people gathering at the table and, like Brayden, trying to figure out what could have caused such a phenomenon. She vanished into the crowd. Brayden finally looked away from the spectacle. He started to say something to me and then suddenly jerked his head toward the DJ.
"Oh no," he said, face crestfallen.
"What?" I asked, half-expecting the DJ's table to collapse or a speaker to catch on fire.
"This song. I requested it for you... but it's almost over." I tilted my head to listen. I didn't know the song, but it was slow and romantic and made me feel... well, kind of guilty. Here it was, a sentimental gesture from Brayden, ruined by my
"family's" wacky hijinks. I caught hold of his hand.
"Well, it's not over yet. Come on."
We were able to dance to the last minute of it, but it was clear that Brayden was disappointed.
I wanted to make it up to him somehow and, in spite of everything that had happened, still have the normal high school dance experience I'd wanted.
"The night's young," I teased. "I'll go request one for you, and then you can try to guess when it comes on." Considering I didn't listen to the radio, it probably wouldn't be that hard to guess. I made the request and then joined Brayden for another slow song. I was still a little anxious about what had happened earlier but told myself all was well now. Jill had left. Eddie had taken care of Angeline. All I had to do was relax and -
A vibration startled me as I danced. I was wearing a tiny, red dress purse over my shoulder. It was lost in the folds of my gown, but the buzz of my cell phone was unmistakable.
Apologizing to Brayden, I stopped dancing to check the message. It was from Adrian: We need 2 talk.
Great, I thought as my heart sank. Could this night be any more of a disaster?
I texted back: I'm busy.
His response: I'll be fast. I'm close by.
A feeling of dread crept over me: How close?
The response was about as bad as I could expect: The parking lot.
Chapter 14
"OH, LORD," I SAID.
"What's wrong?" asked Brayden. "Is everything okay?"
"Hard to say." I put the phone back in my purse. "I hate to do this, but I have to go take care of something outside. I'll be back as quickly as I can."
"Do you want me to go with you?"
I hesitated. "No, it's okay." I had no idea what to expect out there. It was best if Brayden wasn't subjected to it. "I'll hurry."
"Sydney, wait." Brayden caught hold of my arm. "This... this is the song you requested, isn't it?" The one we'd been dancing to had just ended, and a new one was on - or, well, an old one. It was about thirty years old.
I sighed. "Yes. It is. I'll be fast, I promise."
The temperature outside was pleasant, warm but not oppressively so. We were allegedly due for a rare bit of rain. As I walked toward the parking lot, some of Wolfe's lessons came back to me. Check your surroundings. Watch for people lurking near cars. Stay in the light.
Make sure to -