Fractured Fairytales

Chapter 25: Adam's Chapter

Special Edition: Adam

It didn’t matter that I didn’t have a date for Junior Homecoming because I had something even better- I had Captain Morgan.

“Roy, I am counting on you,” Mr. James, Princeton Academy’s only decent teacher and who lucky enough was the only chaperone in sight, said as I walked past him.

“Counting on what?” I feigned innocence.

He raised an eyebrow. “I can take a class but I don’t have enough patience for the entire student body.”

“Your wish,” I bowed and give him a glimpse of my flask. “Is my command.”

“My bet was always on you,” he said amused and I smirked.

“And that is why, Mr. James, you are and have always been my favorite teacher.”

“Kiss-ass,” he mumbled but I knew he was dancing on the inside. “Where’s your date?”

“This,” I said, showing him the flask again, “my lovely teacher, is my date. And by far the best damn date I could ask for.”

“Well,” he mused. “I wasn’t expecting you to be dateless.”

“What are you insinuating?”

“Nothing just that you seem to be popular with the ladies,” he said with a nod of his head.

“Well, the ladies have gotten me in to trouble lately,” I said, thinking about my past roommate.

“I hear you,” he said and then, “you know, that isn’t enough for the whole punch.”

I smiled. “That is why I have three more in the coat room.”

“Smart kid,” he said. 

…………………………………………..

 “C’mere,” I said, grabbing onto Eliza’s hand and pulled her closer to the punch.

“Stand here,” I told her as some cliché slow song started to play, the couples making their way to the dance floor. There were enough people now to start the fun; I poured what I hadn’t drank from the flask into the purple punch that they bless us with every year.

After I was finished, I followed Eliza’s gaze to Charlie and Nick on the dance floor. Little Miss Riding Hood in a blue dress and bow, as was expected and Nick with a scowl on his face, also expected.

“I'm worried,” Eliza said and wondered if she saw what I did.

“Charlie’s a big girl,” but I was lying. She looked tiny next to the Big Bad Wolf. But I knew that if I expressed my thoughts out loud to Eliza she’d worry far more than seemed necessary and after Charlie’s storm out earlier that week I really wasn’t looking for another confrontation.

I turned back to the table and grabbed two glasses and started pouring some of the spiked punch into one.

“Are you getting me some punch?” Eliza teased me.

“Something like that,” I responded, picking up both the glasses and joining her, facing the dance floor. I gave her one of the glasses and looked her up and down. She was wearing a short black dress and ridculously tall heels I was sure Nikki had put her in. "You look hot," I told her, my eyes traveling around the room, in search of the guy Eliza had probably already pinpointed. Where are you Larsen? 

My eyes stopped on Nikki. She, clearly, had dressed herself. Her dress was awfully short. I took a long swig from my cheap plastic cup full of gross purple punch. Nikki looked across the room, her eyes falling on Eliza and me. She pulled herself closer to John, engrossing herself in the conversation. Way to twist the knife, Nik.