Chapter Twenty
Cam walked me to the school without so much as a word of explanation for the animosity between Stitch and Vance. It seemed almost as if their hatred for each other spanned over centuries. No one should be holding that much anger within them at this age; it wasn't healthy. Cam took me to the elevator and sent me inside, saying goodnight, and disappearing before the door was even closed. I stared after him until the bronze doors slipped shut and I was alone. When I made it to the room, my roommates were already asleep and Kitty was no where to be found. Why was it that every time Vance came around, everyone disappeared? Without further thought, I went to my room, and collapsed on the bed.
“They say she's a witch.” Whispered a young girl next to me. I pulled the hood of my cloak over my head tighter, listening to her speak with her friends. “Kids go into the forest around her house and never come out the same. Always speaking of the enchantments in the forest. Pixies and sprites. Such fairy tales don't exist.”
The woman put her hand on my shoulder. “Can you believe it? Why would they let a witch stay in our town?”
I smiled to myself. “Perhaps to keep things interesting in such a dull place.” I said with a little laugh.
“This village isn't boring,” The woman said, glaring at me. “I find it quite exciting.”
“Then why all the fuss about the which? I'm sure she's a wonderful woman just like us if you would take the time to talk to her.”
The woman scoffed. “I'm sure...Although I wouldn't be completely comfortable around her. I would be afraid she would hex me.”
I lowered the hood off of my head, smiling at her. “It's a shame you think that. I'm actually a very civil person.”
Everard rounded the corner, meeting me with the women, greeted them, and slipped his arm around my waist and we left the women behind to pick their jaws up off the ground.
I woke up when my music began blaring across the room. I rolled over and stared groggily at the clock. 5:45, as per usual. The shower was already running, so I rolled off the bed and shuffled across the room where my Ipod rested on the speakers screaming my wake up songs. I tapped the screen to shut it up and glanced down at myself. I fell asleep in my uniform. With a sigh I dug through my drawers to find my other uniform and set it out on my bed. Kitty opened the door from the bathroom and stuck her head through.
“Shower's free,” she said and closed the door.
After a quick shower I got dressed and did my hair, scrunching the curls with my mousse and exiting the room, still holding fist fulls of hair close to my head. Kitty was headed out the door for breakfast, so I tagged along behind her, letting my hair fall over my shoulders. Kitty's hair was done in braids over her shoulders, a thin headband with a large flower on her head. She smiled at me, but said nothing. We ate in silence until Kitty suddenly spoke up.
“Did Cam say anything to you last night?” She asked suddenly, a fork full of eggs still hanging in the air in front of her.
Taken off guard, I had a moment of hesitation, and her eyes narrowed into a glare. “No, why? Was he supposed to say something?” I asked, taking a long drink of my orange juice.
“No, just wondered. That's all.”
Jay sat down at the table; Cam wasn't with him. I sat up and looked around, wondering where Cam might be. The two seemed inseparable, but for the last two days they were hardly ever together. I began to think that perhaps the two had been fighting since he hadn't joined us yesterday, and we found him with Vance, but that didn't seem like the right explanation. Suddenly from my other side I heard his voice.
“Looking for me, beautiful?” Cam asked, sliding into the seat next to me, a smug grin on his face.
I blushed. “Just wondered where you were. You haven't been around much lately.” I told him, taking a few more bites of my pancake.
“I've been... busy. I apologize, but I'll be around tonight. After all, we are going to my favorite place.” He turned and looked at the others. “You guys don't mind that I invited Vance, do you?”
I watched Kitty's eyes darken for an instant, and then sparkle excitedly. “Not at all! He's welcome to come.” she exclaimed, her enthusiasm seeming feigned.
Cam must have picked up on it, but was gracious enough not to say anything, and ate his food quietly. Kitty and Jay talked quietly amongst themselves, while I watched the opposite wall, wishing I had someone to talk to. Suddenly Cam's hot breath was bouncing off my cheek.
“Vance wanted me to apologize for what happened the other night.” he whispered. “He's normally not that awful, but Stitch brings out the worst in him at times.”
“Why is that?” I asked, continuing to stare straight forward.
“Bad blood. There was something that happened a while ago between Vance and Stitch that involved a girl, and after that catastrophe their friendship went straight to Hell. They've never quite been able to get over that.”
We sat still, neither of us moving for a while before he spoke again.
“He's a good guy, Laela. Don't let what happened last night get in the way of you getting to know him better. Just because Stitch doesn't like him, doesn't mean you can't.”
He stood up, taking his empty plate with him and left the room. The bell rang shortly afterward, calling us all to class. I sighed, diving into the regular routine.
I sat and stared blankly at the instructor for my final period of the day, when suddenly Daniel leaned over.
“Hey, my brother has some time free this afternoon if you wanted to get your hair done. He said you're welcome to come by any time.” he said, his face being engulfed by his brilliant smile.
I smiled, as I always did when he smiled. “That would be great! I'll have to check and see what time we are all leaving today to go out to Cam's favorite place, but I'll let you know.”
His smile grew. “I'll text you later then,” the bell shrieked over head, “See ya!”
We gathered our things, and I headed straight for the door, where I found Cam waiting for me, a smirk on his face from across the narrow hallway. People moved around him, guys giving him death glares, and girl's eyes wandering shamelessly over his body. Hoping he wouldn't notice my blush, I coughed into my shoulder. I walked across the hall through a break in the crowd, and before I had a chance to say anything, he pulled me into him, pressing my body against his and holding his arms around me.
“How was your day?” He asked, finally releasing me, and leading me down the hall listening as I replayed my rather boring day. “Well, tonight will be more fun, I promise.” he winked.
“Speaking of which, what time are we leaving? I'm going to get my hair done.” I told him.
“Well, we want to avoid lines, so we should be leaving by.... five. We have to account for time on the tube.”
“Where are we going?” I asked. If we needed to avoid lines, what was going on?
“Somewhere fun, don't worry about it, but I do have to tell you, you might want to wear something you can dance in.” He winked again, and we parted ways as he picked up his cell phone. I heard him say, “She's coming, Vance.”
I watched him as he walked away, hoping to pick up on more of his conversation, but heard no more. With a sigh I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Daniel letting him know I was available for the afternoon. His reply was quicker than I had anticipated. Sweet! Let's go right now! I'll meet you out front. Smiling, I made my way to the front doors, and found Daniel practically bouncing up and down, a huge grin splitting his face. When he saw me, he bounded right over, his feet hardly touching the floor.
“Hey girl!! I am so excited, this is going to be amazing!” He chirped, looping his arm through mine and walking with me out of the school. “Liam said he's got this sexy teal color that will look amazing with your luscious raven curls.”
I noticed that as we walked, groups of girls would duck their heads together and speak in hushed excitement, glancing at Daniel's arm through mine, and then whispering some more. I didn't want to ask, but it needed to be clarified. As much as it needed to be asked, I kept my questions to myself. We walked arm in arm down the street from the school straight into the bustling city streets of London. Daniel pointed out various places he enjoyed visiting on the weekends when suddenly a rather attractive young man crossed the street and stopped in front of us.
“Hey Daniel,” he said, smiling a charming smile. His accent though wasn't British; it was French. “'Ow are you?”
I looked at Daniel, whose cheeks had turned bright red. “H-hi Damien, I'm great. Just going with my friend to get her hair done.”
Damien raised his eyebrow and it vanished behind his dark bangs sweeping across his forehead. “Your girlfriend, yes?”
“No! No...” he chuckled, scratching the back of his head nervously. “Just a friend from school.”
“So you are not dating anyone?” Damien sounded hopeful almost.
I looked at Daniel; his cheeks were turning red. He was avoiding the question, so I decided to help him out.
“We need to be going, don't want to be late for the appointment.” I offered Damien a cordial smile, and gently tugged Daniel along.
It didn't deter Damien. “What salon are you going to? I recently got a job at a salon near 'ere. It is called Tres Tres Chic.”
Daniel stumbled, choking on his breath. “Liam's salon?” he asked, his eyes filling with surprise and anxiety.
Damien smiled, “Oui! You know eem?”
“He's my brother. We are on our way there now.”
“Magnifique! Attente bien ici que j'ai besoin—um... excusez-moi. Wait right here, I need some coffee, and I shall accompany you.” He dashed across the way to a little cafe.
Daneil groaned next to me, pulling his arm away and running his fingers through his hair. “Oh shit, I'm going to die.” he moaned.
“Why? Damien seems like a good guy, what's there to worry about?”
“Well there's the summer of steamy goodness we shared in Belgium last year, and the fact that he's going to work in Liam's salon. That's where Jordan works.”
“Woah woah, you and Damien had a summer fling? And I take it you haven't seen each other since then? And whose Jordan?”
“No, we haven't seen each other. That's why I was so floored. I'm usually so much better with words than that... and Jordan is my boyfriend. But you can't tell anyone.” His eyes were suddenly very stern and serious. “No one can know we're dating because my parents would kill me. They said no boyfriends until I graduate, and they don't really like the age difference between Jordan and I. He's 23, and my I'm only 17.”
“Wait, I thought you said they can't know you're dating him. How would they know how old he is?”
“He works for Liam, and we hit it off one night at a party. My parents knew about it... and told me promptly what they thought. Wasn't a pretty night, and they don't know about Damien either. I was with my grandparents, and if my grandparents found out about Damien, someone would die. My grandfather is very anti-gay everything. He hates having me over. It's sort of depressing, my grandfather hates me, and so does my grandmother because her husband does. Gotta love it.”
I nodded, listening to his story, and when he finished, I smiled. “Your secret is safe with me. But what are you going to do about Damien? He's working with your boyfriend... and I can tell you still have feelings for him.”
“After the summer we shared, I can't just forget about him.” Daniel started pacing slowly in front of me, twisting his shirt nervously in his hands. “But he and Jordan are so different I could never choose between—Damien!” Daniel's hand flew to his heart when the boy suddenly appeared, his face turning bright red.
Damien handed him a biscotti. “I figured we could share.” he said, his charming French accent making Daniel shiver. Now I knew what it must look like when I heard Stitch say my name. “Shall we go zen?”
Daniel started nodding furiously, falling into step next to Damien and I, situating himself between us. He stayed fairly silent for the remainder of the short walk to the salon. The little salon was framed with huge windows and warm red bricks. The awning over the salon was black with bright red words that read Très Très Chic in fancy decorative font. Inside I could see two rows of seats along both walls. There were a few people inside. We stepped through the door, and without looking, one of the men working on an older woman spoke.
“One moment and we'll have someone with you.” he said, delicately cutting the salt and pepper locks of the woman in the chair. “Jordan!”
From somewhere in the back Jordan replied. “Coming, one second!” he hollered, then stepped out of a door in the back seconds later.
He came to the front slowly, a smile spreading across his face. His eyes were locked on Daniel, their shocking blue shade clear from across the room. He ran his hand through his short black hair, making it stand up straight from the product in it. He was a good head taller than Daniel, and far more muscular. His smile lit up the room.
“Well hello there, Daniel. This must be Laela,” Jordan said, his accent, or lack of one surprised me. “I'm Jordan, it's nice to meet you.” He smiled, eyeing the coffee cup in Daniel's hand suspiciously.
“Nice to meet you too,” I replied, his attention turning back to me instantly.
“American?” he asked.
“Yes sir.”
He smiled. “Me too! Where from?”
“Boynton Beach, Florida. You?”
“Detroit, Michigan, I moved out here for school and never wanted to go back, so I didn't. But anyway, we're here to do your hair. Now either I can do it, or you can have Liam do it. Your pick.”
Suddenly Liam piped up. “Or she could have Damien do it. He's here for work anyway.” he said, waving his comb haphazardly.
Jordan looked at Damien now. “Or he could do it... your choice.”
I looked between the three of them. Jordan was looking beyond me where Daniel stood, the ghost of a conversation on his lips. I could tell he wanted to talk to Daniel, but Damien didn't look to keen on leaving him either, but I couldn't leave them both to be with Daniel. So did I leave him with his summer fling, or his boyfriend?
“Alright, Jordan, let's do this thing.” I said with a smile, watching his expression drop slightly.
He led me to a seat and sat me down. We talked about life back in the states while he mixed the bleach, and the brightest teal he could find. After he had applied the bleach on a thick chunk in my bangs that ran the entire length of my hair, he left to sit by Daniel for a while. After a good hour of quiet, and obnoxious fumes wafting around my face Jordan came back and washed the bleach out. The salon had emptied, and Daniel moved to sit in the chair in the next stall over.
“So where are you going tonight Laela?” he asked me, his eyes lingering on Jordan's back.
“I don't know, Cam hasn't really told us. I just know I'm supposed to be able to dance in.”
Daniel laughed, and hiccuped. “ 'Scuse me. But Cam's a clubber. That's probably where you're going. He loves clubs.”
Jordan started mixing the teal dye. “Clubber huh? Is this a date?” he asked.
“No,” I said, laughing. “We're just going out with a bunch of friends tonight before we go back to the states for the week.”
He nodded, and went quietly to work putting the blue over the blonde in my hair. Two hours later, we were ready to leave. My phone started shrieking in my pocket. I pulled it out and stared at the screen. It was a number I didn't recognize, but not the one plauging me.
“Hello?” I said, twisting my bright blue hair through my fingers.
“Hey girl, it's Kitty. Where are you?” Kitty asked, “We're looking all over for you.”
“I'm with Daniel right now, we're on our way back to the school, don't worry. I'll be there soon.”
There was a distinct noise that sounded a lot like Kitty tripping over something. “Wait, Daniel... like Daniel Harper, Daniel?”
“Yes, that Daniel. We were getting my hair done. I'll see you in a little bit, we're leaving now. We aren't too far from the school. You have to help me pick out an outfit for tonight. I don't know what we're doing but Cam told me to wear something I could dance in.”
“I've already got an outfit laid out for you, don't worry hun, you'll look smokin'.”
I smiled. Kitty was just like Keltie. I couldn't wait for them to meet each other. “Thanks, Kitty.”
“Anytime, see you soon!”
I hung up the phone and left the salon with Daniel, but not before Jordan stole a quick kiss. Daniel trotted up to me, his face red, and his mind obviously stuck in the clouds. We strolled back to the school, neither of us really saying anything. I had my attention focused on the wall of teal out of the corner of my right eye. I hoped it didn't look strange. I had never really done anything like this to my hair before, it was thrilling. I wondered what the others would think about it, and I suddenly became nervous. What if they didn't like it? What if teal wasn't really my color and I should have gone with purple? I started to twist my hair nervously, and felt a hand touch mine gently.
“You look fine,” Daniel told me, a genuine smile on his face. “Don't worry.”
Daniel was courteous enough to walk me up to my room, so I invited him in for a soda. We stocked the mini fridge in the kitchen with tons of them. It was the least I could do for everything he did for me today. We entered the room, and found Kitty waiting with Jay and Cam inside. They turned to look at us, and a wicked smirk spread across Cam's face.
“You, love, look ravishing.” He said, rolling his R and winking. “Your hair looks great! You should have done that long ago.”
I blushed, raising my hand to my hair again. “Thank you,” I said.
I went to the fridge and pulled out a soda for Daniel and handed it to him just as the door opened again. I glanced quickly in the direction of the door, noticing that Molly and her gang had come through. Without saying a word I went quietly to my room, sensing Kitty following after me, and found my outfit for the evening laid out on the bed. I was surprised I even packed that.
Kitty rushed over to my bed and picked up my black satin tube top and held it up. “I found this in your drawer and about died. I wanted it so bad but girl, you're going to look amazing!” she practically shouted.
Soon enough I was dressed to kill in my black satin tube top with lace trim, black Diesel skinny jeans and silver accessories. I had forgotten how skinny I looked in this top; the material hugged my body in all the right places and left enough wiggle room around the edges so I didn't look like a tramp. Kitty dug through my closet and found my pair of black suede ankle boots and tossed them at me.
“Put those on,” she said, and stood up to straighten her dress.
She was wearing a black dress with a sequin band around her chest which gathered around the middle of her thighs, a simple tear drop diamond necklace, gaudy silver and black earrings, and a million silver bangles. Her shoes were open toed black pumps and she held a sparkly silver clutch. Her hair was curled gently so it fell gracefully, yet sexy over her shoulders. I wished my hair would do that.
“Hurry, we have to get your makeup done.” She hustled me into the bathroom and went straight to work. “I managed to get out of Cam that we're going to a club called Fabric. It's one of the most exclusive clubs around here. I have no idea how he plans on getting us all in there.”
I coughed as she smothered my face in some shimmery powder and finished my eye makeup. “Maybe he has connections.” I offered, appraising myself in the mirror. Kitty was amazing, I hardly recognized myself.
She opened the door to the bathroom and scampered around me to the door to my room and threw it open. She then boldly announced that the belle of the ball was ready to go. There was a pause, and I assumed I was supposed to come into the room. Suddenly I was very self-conscious, but stepped out of the room. I had scarcely put my leg out the door before wolf whistles broke out. I blushed, looking at my feet instead of the people standing in the room. Finally, I brought myself to look up, and found myself staring at not only the normal three, but an extra set of gorgeous blue eyes. Vance was standing to the right of Cam, and looking magnificent. Tony. You have Tony. I told myself, blushing at the thought of being with anyone besides Tony. We loved each other. Promised we'd always be there for each other, no matter what. I smiled, clearing my head.
“And I thought you looked good before,” Cam purred, “But now you look like a goddess.”
He was wearing a simple white V-neck Tee, and a black button up vest with a pair of dark straight leg jeans with black dress shoes. Jay wore a white button up shirt, unbuttoned casually a few buttons, black straight leg jeans and black dress shoes. Stitch, who stood beside Jay wore essentially the same thing, with a thin black tie, both of their sleeves rolled to just below the elbow. Vance though stood out. He wore a black button up shirt with a white vest, dark jeans and shoes and had rolled his sleeves to his elbows. He smirked, looking almost sinister with the mysterious sparkle in his eyes. He stepped forward, extending a hand to me, which cautiously I took.
“Shall we go then?” he asked the room, staring me straight in the eyes.
There was a shuffle in the room and we were out the door. When we hit the streets I was pleasantly surprised to find that we weren't the only ones decked out in club wear. Vance explained that clubbing was a big thing in London, but the club we were going to was the best. We rushed into the tube and I began to feel a buzz in my head I hadn't felt for a long time. I started to get nervous. I didn't like this feeling; I had left this feeling behind long ago and I didn't want it back. I began to wipe my hands anxiously against my pants. This buzz. It wasn't good for me.
“It's okay,” Stitch's voice caught me off guard, making me jump. He sat beside me on one side, and Vance was on the other. “I think you're just excited. Nothing to fret over.”
Just as I opened my mouth to thank him, Vance leaned over and ran his fingers gently through my blue curls. “I love what you've done with your hair,” he said with a charming smile.
“Thank you, Vance.” I said, smiling back at him.
I heard Stitch mutter beside me, “What was wrong with it before?”
Before I could respond to Stitch, Vance leaned forward, the playful smile turning more sinister. “Perhaps she was looking for change, and change is good. Very good.” he challenged.
Stitch was quick to come back. “Sure, change is good, but the winds can only blow in a certain direction for so long.” His eyes flashed for a moment, the emerald changing to a darker green.
I felt uncomfortable sitting between them as I remembered what Cam told me. Who was this girl? She had to have been pretty special to have two good looking guys fighting over her. Or maybe she was related to one of them... but so far as I knew they were both the only child in their families. Stitch's family was dead, so maybe she was related to Vance. But maybe the girl was one of their girlfriends and maybe she was a cheater... or maybe one of them stole her away... there were just too many possibilities. I tuned back into the conversation floating around me and about died. The acid in their voices astounded me. How could two people hate each other that much?
The train slid to a stop and Cam stood up, motioning for everyone to join him. I jumped out of my seat to put distance between me and the boys, hustling to stand near Kitty and Jay. They were the only two who didn't seem to have a problem cooperating with everyone. We followed closely behind Cam, who stepped off the train and waited for Vance to step by his side. After we were all together, we left the station and hit the streets again. If I thought there were plenty of clubbers by the school, I was wrong. The street was littered with glittery girls and well dressed guys. As we crossed the street I noticed a line of people outside a building that looked a lot like an old garage with vintage diner doors. Above the doors was a sign that read: fabric. This was where we were going? The number two club on the top 100 club list for the year, and it looked like this? I could hardly believe it, but there was a huge line, at least a hundred people just waiting outside the door, and the music could be heard from the inside already. I wondered how long they had been waiting out here. Our tube ride took quite some time, and it was already 10:30. I wondered how many people were already inside. If we had to wait in that line we would never make it in.
But of course we didn't have to do such a thing. Vance slipped his arm through mine, where he came from I had no idea, and led me to the door. The bouncer, a tall muscular man, glared down at us for a moment. Vance flashed a charming smile, and the bouncer moved aside, much to the displeasure of the people waiting in line. Suddenly there was a group of girls screaming Vance's name. He glanced over his shoulder at them, listening to their pleas to get them in, but he politely declined and stepped in with me. The heat hit me before anything else, then the smell. Cologne, perfume, and sweat all mingled together with the mass of bodies within the building. There had to be at least three hundred people already in here, but there was plenty of space left to fill in on the massive open dance floor. I wondered how many people they could fit in here. We weaved through a sea of people, and left the room, entering another room, full of even more people. As soon as we had situated ourselves in the crowd, we went straight to dancing. I moved beside Kitty and we went at it, dancing with the beat of the music, our bodies moving in time together, and then Jay stepped up behind Kitty and moved her hair to the side, pressing his lips against her neck. Well, they need their privacy... I chuckled in my head, turning to look at the others. Cam was watching me; I smiled, winked, and motioned him over. He didn't waste a second moving to me. I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath. Don't think about it, just remember to have fun and dance! I told myself, it was the same thing I told myself every time my friends and I went clubbing.
I left the world behind and heard only the music, felt only Cam's body pressed against mine as we moved in time with the music. His hands were on my hips, moving slowly up and down as we danced. I couldn't help it, but I put my hands on his, and we moved faster as the song changed. Coming back to the world, I found Kitty staring at us, an amused smile on her face. She was watching us, dancing with Jay, and then motioned her head toward the other boys. Vance was surrounded by a group of girls, dancing dangerously close to him. Of course, I had no room to talk, dancing as close as I was with Cam. I stayed like that, quite content for a good time before Vance approached, asking for his turn to dance. Nervously, I accepted, and for a while, we just danced, side by side until my brain stopped working and my body took over. He moved behind me, his hands on my waist, his body flush against mine. His touch made me dizzy, his breath on my neck made my heart race. Our bodies moved in perfect unison, not a glitch in our movement. I don't know what came over me, but I suddenly wasn't worried about what was happening or who I was dancing with, my carnal side took over. I started moving against him more roughly, and his response was to match the heat.
My head started to spin, and my body kept moving of its own accord as I seemed to drop away. Images flashed through my mind like a slide show, and then the movie started. I was watching something filled with passion, two people, lovers I suppose, moving against each other, skin against skin, hot and sticky. It was as if the camera pulled back and I saw for the first time what I couldn't before. It wasn't just two people, it was Vance and I, and then the vision vanished and I was thrown back into the real world. Who knows how long I had been stuck in that vision, but it seemed like an eternity. I blushed. What was I thinking? In my brief moment of transition, our flawless movement against each other faltered. His hands had snaked down my waist to my hips, and further, slowly. I blushed and waited for the song to end before I moved away. He seemed upset for a moment, but let me leave. I wandered hopelessly lost across the dance floor until I found the bar. I just needed water. I needed to sit. I found an open seat at the bar and took it, wedging myself between a couple eating each other, and a rather handsome young man. After I asked for a water, and the bartender gave me a strange look, the boy turned to me. He introduced himself as Leon, and after I gave him my name, he reacted just like every other person had.
“American, huh?” He asked, “Just here on vacation?”
“No, actually I'm a student,” I half shouted over the music, leaning toward him. “I was kicked out of the U.S.”
“Kicked out, for what?”
“I didn't do anything, my dad just sent me away. He won't even tell me why.”
Leon's eyebrow lifted slightly. “He did? How rude.”
I laughed. “I know, right?”
Leon and I talked some more before he set his drink down and asked me to dance. We moved into the crowd of people and he grouped up with a bunch of his friends. We had a great time dancing together, but the feel of his body against mine wasn't like Vance's had been. After a while, I excused myself to find my friends, but had a difficult time weaving through the masses of people moving like an ocean in the room. Just as I was about to give up and head back to the bar, a hand fell on my shoulder. Startled, I turned around and found myself looking at Stitch. I sighed, relieved. He took me by the hand and led me back to the others. When we arrived, we started dancing. He stayed a good distance from me for a while, but when I took his hand and pulled him toward me, our bodies pressing up against each other. I was staring up at him over my shoulder, his eyes locked on mine. The world melted away again as we danced, he of all the boys I had danced with was the most conservative with his hands. He kept them against my hips, moving them only slightly when he had to. His touch against my body lit me on fire. The heat in the room was sweltering, but the heat from his body was confortable, something I longed to have by me forever. Our bodies moved together perfectly, but unlike the movements with Vance, I wasn't rough. Our movements were fluid, we moved not as two people, but as one entity, one being, one mind.
I remained with Stitch for the evening until Kitty pulled me away to go to the bathroom. Both of us were glistening with sweat, our hair becoming flat, but luckily our makeup was still in place.
“Laela, I had no idea you could dance like that!” Kitty shouted once we entered the John as Kitty called it. “You're amazing girl.”
I waited with several other girls while Kitty disappeared, and came back minutes later. We fixed our hair as best we could, checked our make up, and just stood around. There was a chill to the room that made it nice compared to the heat of the dance floor. We talked for a while about the guys, she mostly questioned me about Vance, but I managed to satisfy her with the response, “It's nothing, I was just dancing.” She dropped it, and we listened to a group of girls talking about a couple of dishy guys. I furrowed my brow, confused by the term. Kitty promptly told me they meant they were good looking. Upon closer listen, we were able to determine they were talking about our boys. Kitty looked like she was going to explode, so I took her out of the bathroom. She was fuming when we returned to the boys, but their situation wasn't much better. Stitch and Vance were at each others throats in a yelling match.
“Get stuffed you bloody awful bastard!” Stitch shouted, and the crowd around them hushed, an audible gasp rushing through them.
Vance stood, a sinister glare in his eyes, the immediate area turning cold as ice. Kitty gripped my arm tightly next to me, biting her finger nervously. I didn't know what he had said, obviously he had used some term in British slang I wasn't familiar with, and it was bad.
“Oh naff off you git.” Vance countered, folding his arms over his chest.
Stitch's body tightened; he looked as if he were going to lunge at Vance and rip him to shreds. The crowd was hissing whispers around us. They had to be removed before something catastrophic happened. I stepped into the cleared circle around them and put my hands on Stitch's chest, shoving him backward. He stayed in place, but looked down at me.
“Stitch, knock it off. Let's go.” I said harshly, glaring up at him.
I could hear Vance laughing behind me. I turned to glare at him, but said nothing. I took Stitch's hand and led him away from Vance and the crowd and glancing at the clock. It was four am. It didn't seem like we had been there that long, but time was a funny thing. I dragged him onto the street and turned to face him.
“Look, I don't know what your problem is with Vance, but could you at least act civilly in public?” I shouted.
For a long time he didn't answer me, the muffled sound of the music was all I could hear behind the doors.
“If you knew what that snake did, you wouldn't be so keen on defending him.” he growled.
“Then tell me.” I stepped closer to him, glaring.
“You don't need to know,”
“Like hell I don't! You were acting like an animal in there! There's something up with that. Now tell me.”
“You would never understand! I shouldn't have to explain myself to a girl whose too blind to see it herself!”
I gasped, throwing my hand over my heart. “How dare you! I can't believe you Stitch! You have no manners at all.”
“If I have no manners, you have no taste. I saw the way you were pressed up against Vance, not a care in the world for the boyfriend back home whom you claim to love. You and your wishy-washy feelings! Get something straight for me within yourself before I even think of explaining my reason to loath him so!”
I ground my teeth together to keep from saying something truly awful as I noticed Kitty and Jay standing behind Stitch. They looked just as shocked as I felt. Stitch looked over his shoulder at them, clenched his fists at his side, and then stomped off into the darkness.
Kitty approached as I felt tears leaking down my cheeks. “Let's go home,” she whispered.
