Song of a Sophomore

CHAPTER 28 - I Could Fall in Love

The music abruptly cut off and the DJ's voice came over the microphone. "Kids, we're going to change gears. Time to slow things down."

A soulful pop ballad with a throbbing beat filled the gym. It was a cross between soft rock and R&B, with romantic Spanish guitar riffs and beautiful female vocals. I stared at Zach, twenty feet away, the gentle melody tugging at my heartstrings. He stood motionless on the dance floor bathed in sparkling indigo light like he stepped right out of my daydreams.

Zach's gaze met mine from behind the formidable mask. The skin on my forearms broke out in goosebumps. My heart was a magnet gliding toward him. Unstoppable. Inevitable. Some higher aspect of myself buried deep inside made the choice, and the shy, scared girl couldn't do anything about it. I reached Zach and held my breath. It was now or never. I opened my mouth, ready to confess my love, or maybe ask him to dance. I didn't know which.

The crescendo of the music and crashing symbols were a sign from the heavens. Zach reached out to me before I opened my lips to speak. I slid my eager hand into his waiting palm. A warm tingling sensation spread through my arm, into my chest and flooded my heart with endorphins. Zach pulled me in close and put his hands on the small of my back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head gently on his shoulder. Breathing in the sweet smell of sandalwood, I whispered thank you to God, Cupid or whatever divine being conjured up this perfectly serene moment from the chaos of time and space.

My eyes closed as I swayed in time with the music in the embrace of Zachary Ashburn.

The song lyrics seemed to spill from my soul. I could definitely lose my heart. I could be falling in love. Should I tell him? If I took the chance, would he say he wanted me, too? The small voice inside spoke loudly this time.

Take the chance. Tell him everything. Tell him how you felt the first time you saw him gazing at you over his sunglasses at the pool. Tell him how your heart broke into pieces when you learned he was with Katelyn. Tell him how you lay awake at night remembering that ride home after the first football game. How you mind cannot let go of the memory of his hands on the steering wheel, the warm scent of his skin, the soft fall of his hair, or the swirl of smoke escaping from the corner of his mouth. Tell him how you can't forget the way he touched your neck, guided you to the podium and carried you to safety when you fell. Tell him.

But, telling him now wasn't an option. Katelyn broke up with him minutes ago. I had to wait. I would know it when the right moment came. For now, I was content to sway in step to the music with my body sweetly resting against his, desperately hoping this moment would last an eternity. The song played out to the final chorus, but for me, we were frozen in time. The moment would last forever and ever in pure bliss.

Except for one thing... a sharp tap on my shoulder.

"You mind if I cut in?" Leo Goodwin asked.

He puffed his chest out and flexed his arms at his sides like a bird challenging another male for a mate. Leo looked the smaller, weaker of the species. I was hoping for a battle of beaks and talons thrashing as Zach defended me against the invader, but with a simple nod, Zach handed me off to Leo.

The warmth of Zach's body and his enthralling scent faded as he disappeared into the crowd. Disappointment stabbed at my heart. I wanted to reverse time, but Leo put his hands on my waist and anchored me to the present. I searched for his eyes through the slits on his silver wolf mask, which looked more like a Halloween costume than a masquerade accessory. Sharp fangs covered the perfect bow in his upper lip. The menacing features of snarling teeth and an angry snout culminated in two pointy ears.

I lifted the mask off of his face. "That's better."

"What? You don't like my mask?"

"I feel like Little Red Riding Hood and you're the Big Bad Wolf."

"You say it like it's a bad thing." He smirked. "Then it's only fair yours comes off, too." He gently pulled my mask over my head and held it in his hand. "That's better."

"Okay," I said, nearly forgetting about Zach. "Shall we?"

I reached out and rested my forearms on his shoulders, slightly above mine. He moved with more gusto than Zach as the synthesized 1980s beat of the masquerade ball theme song "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel reverberated through the gym. Dozens of couples joined together in all directions for the slow dance. The gym floor teemed with teenage lust, angst and indifference. You could almost smell it.

"So are you coming with us to the bonfire tonight?" Leo asked.

"Bonfire?" I wondered why Katelyn and Bernie never mentioned it.

"A group of us are heading out to Zach's grandpa's farm to roast marshmallows and hang out. You should come."

"Is this the same place where the drunken debauchery takes place?" I joked, referencing Jordan's salacious tales from geometry class.

"Maybe." Leo smiled like a sly fox.

"Do I need a secret password?"

"Maybe." His dimples seemed to wink at me.

"What is it?"

"Carpe Diem!" Leo shouted into the rafters.

"Seize the day?" I asked.

"Or night. Whatever. Why don't you come have a drink? You know, 'Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.'"

Uh, oh. I recalled the line from a poem called "To the Virgins, Make Much of Time" in my English textbook. "You read poetry?"

"Not really. I heard it in the movie Dead Poets Society," Leo confessed. "But you were impressed for a second, right?"

"Maybe." I tossed my hair off my sticky shoulders and longed to pull it all into a messy bun on the top of my head. Maybe the slow dance with Leo irritated me, or the thought of being at a party where people were drinking alcohol. "Well, I have to be home at midnight and it must be after ten o'clock already. And, my ankle hurts."

"We'll take you home at midnight, I promise."

"I don't know..." I stalled, feeling anxiety creeping down my spine.

"Zach is going to be there. Mr. Dreamboat," Leo taunted in a high-pitched voice and pretended to faint like those crazy teenage girls from the sixties did when they saw the Beatles or Elvis. "Don't look all surprised. It's obvious."

I looked away, embarrassed. It was pretty obvious I was infatuated with Zach, and tonight I actually had a chance to make a move. But would I? Going to a wild party in the woods without my parents permission would break all the rules. But....Katelyn was out of the picture for the time being. Going to he bonfire was my best chance to talk to Zach. Maybe I could tell him how I feel. Maybe he would give me chance?

Or maybe I should just go back home and listen to love songs in my room, waiting for another opportunity to get closer to him.

No! I can't do that again.

The dance with Zach was no accident. The universe conspired to put us together, yet again. Zach and I were meant to be, and the first step was to become part of his mysterious world. If it meant breaking a couple of rules, then so be it.

"Okay. I'm in."

I'm all in.