Devil in the Details

FIFTEEN: A Hell of a Time - Pt. 2

Out in the hallway, I couldn't help but let out a loud sigh. I could hear the thumping of bass from the gymnasium where the dance raged on, but I couldn't bear to go back and pretend everything was okay. I pressed my forehead into a locker. Lana's magic was out of my system, but I still felt all tangled up inside. Out of control. My emotions were a chaotic jumble: anger, sadness, fear, frustration, disappointment... I wanted, so desperately, to blame Lana for the way I was feeling, for roping me into her crazy scheme and compromising my morals. And yet I wasn't just mad at Lana; I was mad at myself.

"J-Jessa?" came a quiet stutter.

I turned and saw that Peter was standing next to the water fountain, looking up at me from behind his large round glasses.

"Peter?" I was more than a little shocked that he had actually shown up.

His hair was drenched in sweat, which either meant he had been dancing or had just had a panic attack. "It's been a crazy night," he said.

"Tell me about it," I murmured. "What's going on with you?"

"Well, I got here like 30 minutes ago. And I was able to walk to the punch table, so umm... pretty proud of myself for that since it's pretty close to the dance floor. And then I danced by the gymnasium doors... by myself of course, but, you know... progress."

I couldn't help but feel the smallest of smiles tug at the edges of my mouth. "Yeah, that's definitely progress."

"And then I came out here for a drink," he said, pointing to the water fountain, "which is when I ran into—"

"Me," I completed.

He blinked. "Well actually, I ran into Lana first."

My stomach rumbled. "Ah."

"She was really upset."

"Well, maybe she deserves to be upset..." I mumbled. Then, when I caught Peter's shocked look, added, "Sorry. I'm not in a great mood... and it's mostly because of her."

"Well, Lana wasn't in a great mood either. She was kind of teary. And... do you know... she apologized to me? About snapping at me on Wednesday, after our group meeting?"

I blinked. That was news. In the entire time I had known her, Lana had only apologized once—and now she had done it a second time. "No, I didn't know she did that."

"Yeah, I was surprised too." Peter rubbed his arm. "And then she started telling me about how she messed up tonight pretty bad and she didn't know what to do."

"How'd you respond?"

Peter shrugged. "I mean, she didn't tell me specifics, so I just told her she had to make it right. And then she uhh... she..." Peter blushed. "She gave me a hug," he mumbled, so quietly that I almost didn't catch it. "And then she went that way." He pointed down the hall, towards the front entrance.

"Huh..." I murmured, staring at the front door.

I couldn't keep track of things in my mind anymore. What was going on?

"I'm gonna go find her," I said. "Thanks for the update, Peter."

"No problem." He gestured at the fountain. "I'm gonna drink some water and then... maybe I'll try to... socialize, I guess?"

"If you run into Alex, maybe you can tell him I'm outside? I've kind of ditched him with all the drama going on."

"I'll... t-try my best," Peter said nervously.

"Thanks, Peter," I said. And then, for good measure, I gave him his second hug of the evening, and then headed for the large double doors.

When I walked outside, it took a second for my eyes to adjust to the darkness of the night. I saw Billy and Clarissa sitting on the same bench that I'd left them on, but Lana was standing in front of them, her arms wrapped around the redhead. What is she doing? I wondered, staring at the strange embrace. But then Lana withdrew her arms, and Clarissa's head perked up.