Song of a Sophomore

CHAPTER 42 - Total Eclipse of the Heart

I was a goddess on the dance floor. The iridescent satin of my ball gown flared out under me like a cloud, encircling me in a white mist of magic and femininity. I moved gracefully and seductively, alternating between dominance and submission to the techno music. Zach didn't dance much, but he swayed to the beat, smoldering. I knew it because I had seen it before in the old black-and-white movies I watched late at night. It was the moment a man looked a woman up and down when she walked into room and knew he had to have her; or the moment right before he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. It was a soulful stare filled with longing. It reminded me of the night I pulled Zach into the great, green field, overcome with honesty and pure, unfiltered adoration. But, this time, there was a mysterious undercurrent—a ripeness, like a grape plump on the vine.

Zach pulled me toward him. I spotted Katelyn just a few yards away with Bernie at her side, watching our every move. With a coy smile, I grinded against Zach's leg like they do in the hip-hop videos on MTV. I leaned back, exposing my neck, and Zach dipped me down and back up again, bringing my lips inches from his. I checked to make sure Katelyn was still watching. She was.

Time to show off. I spun around and pressed my backside into Zach, sashaying to the beat all the way down to floor in a deep squat, then back up again. Katelyn folded her arms over her chest, her eyes raging with jealousy. Sweet revenge!

I reached for Zach's hand and he twirled me under his arm, letting me float off into the atmosphere and pulling me back down to Earth. I straddled his leg again and wrapped my arms around his neck, swaying in time with the music, eating up the attention—and we had everyone's attention.

Leo and Courtney danced with six feet between them to the pulsating music, watching us like spectators at sporting event as they sipped their drinks. I locked eyes with Leo. He reminded me of a lost puppy at the pound with his tail between his legs and the hollow look of rejection in his eyes. It broke my heart, but only for an instant. It was like I told Leo on the phone, I needed to explore these feelings for Zach. I gazed down at down at my corsage, green and fresh and new, just like I felt at this moment.

"Rose, I'm going to go get us a drink," Zach said with a wink as the music ended and strutted toward the bartender, who was serving soda, juice and water.

"Hey, Josephine, come dance with us," Leo hollered over the music and motioned for me.

I walked over to them, grabbed Courtney's hand and spun her around. She danced in a circle around me and we turned our backs to each other, grinding together down to the floor and back up again.

"Wow, just wow," Leo said, the pitiful expression fading from his eyes. "Do more of that."

"You're such a perv," I told him with a throaty laugh. Courtney danced her way over to another group of friends.

"That's fair. But, you're such a tease," he said and took a step toward me.

"Am not."

Leo learned in closer and spoke over the music. "You're practically throwing yourself at Zach. All this—" He flung his hand in the air wildly. "It's a spectacle. A desperate one."

"I'm just doing what feels natural," I said with my hands firmly on my hips. "We're just having a little fun."

"Well, let me clue you in on the male psyche. Zach can't tell the difference between a little fun and sealing the deal. You catch my drift?"