Dreams Or How I Live My Life in Daydreams

Midnight Bell

The crowd hushed, drawing back as Autumn stood in the center of the dance hall facing Maddox, his face ashen. Tears pooled in her eyes. She fought to hold them in. She wouldn't cry in front of him. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

Her hands trembling, she gripped the frilled edges of her bubblegum pink ballroom dress. The Swarovski crystals sewed into the outfit dazzled in the lights like a kaleidoscope. The choker latched onto her neck, felt constricting. She took a calming breath. Her short auburn hair that she had painstakingly styled into a bun came undone. The wayward strands tumbling onto her face.

His mouth agape, Maddow took an awkward step forward while the crowd watched transfixed, their phones held out in front of them recording the scene. Though it was brief, Autumn saw hurt, and confusion reflected in his emerald eyes.

"Why, Autumn?" he mumbled. His voice was so low Autumn had to strain her ears to hear it. Narrowing her amber eyes, she steeled herself. "Now you know how it feels when the shoe is on the other foot," she spat with venom.

The crowd watching with bated breath, Autumn waited to see what excuse Maddox would give. What comeback did he have at the ready? She waited.

The boy stood motionless as a statue, his eyes not on Autumn but on who was standing beside her. 

Selby stared at him with wounded eyes.

"How could you! How could you do that to Marc!" the short-haired woman said, tears streaking down her face, snot running down her nose.

"Selby, please. It's not what it looks—"

The woman slapped him across the cheek with such force the impact sounded like a gunshot.

Autumn bit down on her lip. Nara flinched. Gasps and shrieks rang out from the crowd.

A red flush suffused the prankster's face, matching the mark on his cheek.

Autumn resisted the urge to gloat. Though, as far as she was concerned, he deserved that slap and then some.

She didn't have all the pieces. However, from what she could gather, the secret Maddox was hiding had to be something terrible. Something he went to great lengths to keep hidden.

In a twist of irony, the prankster found himself on the receiving end of public humiliation. No was laughing, however. The video exposed him for the hideous person he is.

He was responsible for the incident that caused his best friend, Marc, to be brain-damaged.

*********

Maddox looked over at Autumn, searching her amber-hued eyes for hopes of understanding. Her eyes held no warmth or affection. Maddox felt dead inside. She might as well had cut his heart out with a dagger. Selby's anger, he understood. Justifiably so. It was Autumn who had him mystified. Her actions were of someone petty and vindictive.

Though it was faint, he detected a smug smile on her lips. She was in on it. Worse, she brought Selby along to pour salt in the wound. What other explanation could there be? She betrayed him.

His eyes brimmed with unshed tears. He held them in, refusing to give her the satisfaction that she crushed his soul. The pain and betrayal hurt more than anything. He couldn't stomach looking at her a minute longer.

Pushing one foot in front of the other, he marched out of the ballroom past the swarm of onlookers, not stopping until he reached his Ford Escape. 

Firing up the ignition, he backed up and sped away.

*********

Nara exhaled the breath she had been holding. "That was intense."

Autumn gently tapped Selby on the shoulder. "Are you alright?" The woman wrangled her hands. Autumn knew the answer before the woman spoke.

"I didn't want to believe it," the woman replied. "When you told me your suspicions, I didn't want to believe that Maddox was responsible for..." her voice broke. Fresh tears fell down her face. "When I saw that video it..." she broke down, burying her face in her hands. 

Nara pulled the weeping woman into a hug.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way," Autumn mumbled. Though Maddox deserved the karma he got, she took no pleasure in the pain it caused.

Amid the murmuring, the faculty and management on hand urged the DJ to play something to bring back the festive atmosphere. The DJ played Say So from Doja Cat, encouraging the crowd to dance. It didn't work. The emotionally charged scene they just witnessed was what had everyone talking.

One such person was Timothy. He sauntered over to Autumn, a grin spread cheek to cheek on his face. "You're full of surprises," he said. "Mad Zach didn't know what hit him," he said, enjoying the pun.

Autumn pretended to yawn, earning a scowl from the busybody.

"So, how d'you do it?" the boy said.

"Do what?" Autumn said. She fingered the tight-fitting choker on her neck.

"The video?" the boy said. "How d'you get it?"

Autumn scoffed. "I didn't."

The boy eyed her, disbelieving. "Yeah, right."

Autumn glared at the boy grating her nerves. "Are you done with your interrogation?" she said.

A covert glance at Dante beckoning to him by the exit, the boy strode away. "Yeah, for now," he said.

"Whatever," Autumn shot back. Her bravado wavering, she cast a worried glance at the short-haired woman watching in silence. "I knew nothing about the video. Honest."

"I believe you," the woman said still shell-shocked.

"Hey," Nara said, tugging Autumn's hand. "I'm ready to split. How about you?"

Autumn scanned the crowd in case Maddox lurked nearby. She didn't think he'd be stupid enough to try anything with Nara and Selby watching her back. To be on the safe side, leaving was the best option. "Yeah," she mumbled. "Let's go."

*********

Maddox drove aimlessly, tears blurring his vision, his mood fluctuating from depressed to angry.  Selby's disappointment, he understood. He expected it.  Autumn's cold, calculating demeanor took him by surprise. She never cared about him. It was all a game of oneupmanship and revenge. Revenge for something he still did not understand what it was he had done to deserve it.

Despite how badly she hurt him, he wished her no ill will.  Though he left her behind in his hasty retreat, he wasn't worried about how Autumn would get home. He knew Nara would bring her home safely. Autumn was in good hands.

He checked the fuel gauge. Half a tank left. A shopping center up ahead, he pulled into the parking lot and shut off the engine. He needed to regroup.

The video.

Who took it? Who uploaded it?

Those were the questions he needed answered.

The night of the incident involved three people. Himself, Dante, and Marc. One out of the three of them took the video. Dante.

Something else bugged him. He unlocked his phone and watched the video again. He paused it. That's it, he thought.

The video was manipulated and digitally altered. This was something above his expertise. He needed professional help of the legal kind. He placed a call.

"Hey... uh. I... I need your help. I'm in trouble."