Closure

7. Down the Stairs

I ran down the never-ending hall. I wouldn't cry. Not in that hallway. Couples came in and out of rooms, looking at me sympathetically. They would never understand.

What a fool to have believed that a girl like Anne May would actually fall for me. She's probably getting a kick out of what she's done. I bet she's proud of herself, and can't wait to tell her friends about how she played a boy's heart and broke it in an instant.

What a fool I was. How blind could I have been, to overlook the snake in that beautiful garden?

Never again, will I fall for a girl in this school. They're all the same. Fake smiles, fake faces all caked up with makeup. Fake hair with extensions and dyes. Fake hearts incapable of love.

I came to corner, and was about to go down the stairs when they decided to come up to me instead.

I held the railing and leaned back, which was a mistake because I lost my footing and went tumbling down.

Before I knew it, someone had turned out the lights along with the music.

———

The cute girl looked at me expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"'My friend hasn't answered my texts yet," I replied, and took a sip of my drink while looking out into the crowd hanging out in the living room.

"I see. Guy or girl?" She propped an elbow next to my drink on the table, and began to pour herself a drink as well.

"Guy. I bet he's busy with his girl friends right now." I saw no sign of Anne May.

"I suppose he wouldn't mind if I stole you for a bit, would he?" She asked in a teasing voice.

Plink!

I peered into the crowd one more time. I'll see someone eventually, right? I don't want to stand in the kitchen all night.

She handed me my drink. We sipped them at the same time.

After a good gulp, I replied. "No, I don't suppose he would. What do you want to do?"

She abruptly put down her glass and clutched my hands.

"Let's go outside and dance! That's what parties are for, after all!" She smiled.