Dreaming Reality {COMPLETED}

The Dance - 23

The next few weeks were harsh for Sandra, not knowing where her heart lied. As soon as she accepted Devin back into her life it seemed as though Maxon had lost himself and checked out of her life. He acted as if he was dead corpse that was still able to function as a normal human being. He still hung out with them but followed them around like an awkward, clunky leg randomly stuck onto someone. She knew she had hurt him badly, so bad it stung to think about it, but she didn't know what to do. What could she do? Her heart felt as thought it was trying to rip itself to pieces as it tried to decide on who she loved. Every day seemed like an obstacle course, taking all her energy just to make it to the finish line. Only a seven hour break that whizzed by in no time, leaving her to run off once more, fighting to persevere. She was alone, alone in her pit of endless confusion.

Even her love life was a struggle. On the outside they looked like the picture perfect couple, always holding hands and smiling, but boiling deep into their hearts there was turmoil. Even with the spotless show Devin put on, Sandra could how little he actually meant in his eyes, the one place he couldn't hide anything from her. He still cared for her, she could see that, but he didn't love her like he used to. He might try to cover that fact with roses and blinding grins, but it was obvious to her. She didn't want to believe it, so instead she covered her doubts with her problems and stress, wanting to hold onto one person she loved dearly.

Walking down the hall to third hour like every other day, Sandra hoped the dance that evening would be enough to get her mind off everything going on. The whole school was buzzing with excitement, making even the most gloomiest of people feel welcomed. Bright, vibrant posters coated the school like wallpaper, as if shouting their news. If this couldn't get her distracted, she didn't know what would.

She walked into third hour, sitting in her usual seat and getting her math books ready, seeing the class was about to start. Biting down on the tip of the pencil she concentrated on the practice problems on the board, determined to learn the one concept she was struggling at.

*****

After another fitful lunch, Devin being as fake as usual and Maxon being cold to her, Sandra raced off to the last of her classes, hoping the day would be over as soon as possible, just wanting to try on her new lovely lavender dress, the first new piece of clothing she had ever had. Her mom had decided it was time for a change and bought her something nice, wanting to get out of all her used clothing for a change. Even if all the clothing was from her older cousin, only 2 years apart, it was refreshing to wear something that was truly hers and her own style, not used, old clothing that didn't suit her.

The rest of her classes were jittering with excitement, even the teachers not able to concentrate because of electrifying vibes that were radiating off the students. Trying to get her mind off everything as hard as she could, Sandra would sit at her desk, hunched over the math sheet she had gotten earlier in the day. Finishing the countless problems that splattered the page she checked her work again and again, making sure in the jumble of numbers that seemed like they were slipping off the page made sense. After about the fifth time going over it though, she gave up. She couldn't do math anymore, seeing there was no way that her math would be wrong, instead hoping the teacher would start explaining the lesson plan again or she would be able to daydream something captivating. With no such luck she sat there, staring at a waxy poster falling off the wall as the seconds seemed to stop, turning into minutes.

*****

While heading home she finally got her mind off Maxon and Devin since they weren't there and couldn't be a constant reminder like in class where they sat suspiciously close. She stared out the window, watching condensation build up on the window and dribble down into the wide pool of water sitting on the ledge. She still traveled on the bus, but luckily her old house was not that far away from where they were staying. Devin had gone back to the place he was before the fight, saying 'they' would be worried about him, not giving any clue to the growing questions in Sandra's head. When her stop came around the corner she acted in autopilot, walking off as her mind drifted. Unfortunately, this caused her to run into Ella's leg that was strategically placed in the isle way, just out far enough to cause anyone to fall.

Hitting the floor with a loud thud, she hissed in pain as Ella and her friends giggled loudly. As she got up she felt her knee, pulling away when she felt something warm and sticky. Seeing her fingers splattered with a little blood, she looked down at her pants. Luckily they weren't torn, which was all she cared about at the moment. She stood up as fast as she could, but not before she felt a sharp pain in her shin. Looking down she saw Ella's knee positioned suspiciously close to her, pointing right at her shin. Slowly, she brought her eyes to Ella's, not understanding why she hated her so much. A sneer smothered her face, her eyes revealing how much she loathed her. Then, in a barely traceable voice, she muttered to Sandra.

"This is for stealing from me." With that she pulled away, sitting back far in her seat.

"Hey, what's going on back there?!" Hearing the bus driver yelling she was jolted back from her new problems and raced off the bus to get away from the trails of laughter following her as she left. Traveling home all she could think about was those words. As if a different language, she couldn't process what she said, not understanding of what she meant. Left to wonder with no answers, she walked on.

*****

"Oh Sandra, you look stunning! Just seeing you like this takes my breath away!" Her mom exclaimed, walking in on Sandra finish the last bit of her hair, seeing how magnificent she looked. Her hair was pulled back into a gorgeous bun that was just the right size that sat on the back of her head, with a few soft curls water falling down. Even the hair leading up to the bun was perfect, soft little waves complimenting a few small braids, making her hair flawless. Her dress was just as beautiful, the lavender ball-gown bringing out the rosy flush in her cheeks. Her makeup was sparkling, her lilac eye shadow gleaming off her eyelids and her lip-gloss making her lips pop. Her highlight on her cheeks made her cheekbones accented with glamorous color. She had silver accents lining the already perfect dress, mixing two of the prettiest colors out there. Even her shoes looked fit of a queen, the small silvery straps lined with small gems, gleaming like stars. She looked like royalty that night, and felt lighter than she ever had with happiness.

*****

Arriving at the party, she stepped out of her mother's van, trying not to be noticed in that embarrassing vehicle. With a quick hug from her mom, she headed into the building, searching for Devin as she waited in the check in. Straining her neck from left to right she searched, sadly not seeing him anywhere. After a long three minutes of looking, she gave up as she arrived at the front of the line, checking herself in.

Stumbling into the large gym, only barely lit with a few spot lights traveling around the room, her world turned into a blur. People were screaming along to the music, running around and dancing with friends. After being pushed left to right, she finally made it to the wall, leaning on it like it was her life line. People were wild here, jumping and dancing wildly even though there was barely enough room because the room was so jam packed with dancing teenagers. Sandra felt like she couldn't breathe for a while, still overcome from the overwhelming surge of energy, but soon she was able to calm down, adjusting to one of her first parties. Still not able to find Devin after fifteen minutes of being there and searching for him, she pulled her phone out of her pocket hidden in the folds of the dress.

She typed a hurried message to Devin, worried she would be alone in the chaos. Without a quick response, she stuffed the phone back in the hidden pocket in frustration. Seeing the punch bowl to her right on the snack table, she figured she might as well get something to drink while waiting for her boyfriend. Slowly approaching it while trying to avoid getting hit by the crazed dancers, suddenly a freezing cold feeling overcame her as ice cold punch spilled down her glorious new dress.

Gasping in shock, she whipped her now sticky, wet face towards the culprit. Ella stood there, smirking at her, holding a now empty punch cup. Sandra felt as if she was a hag compared to Ella, parts of her hair now flopping down the sides of her face, Ella's still in perfect little ringlets that framed her face. Sandra's dress soggy and stained dress looking like a rag while Ella looked stunning as always.

"Oops, my bad. It must've slipped from my hands," She says, looking like a devil in disguise in her stunning white dress, lined with rhinestone that shined like the moon. Her whole clique standing behind her starts to snicker, looking equally as stunning in their black, slick dresses, obviously chosen to make their leader get all the attention in this giant crowd. Feeling drab now compared to them, she glared back in hatred and anguish as they all made their sneers wider in amusement. Feeling tears start to build up behind her eyes, she was determined not to give Ella the pleasure of seeing her cry. Quickly, she ran away, pushing people side to side, trying to make it to the girl bathroom before her vision blurs and tears stream down her cheeks.