Page 5 of Envy
During those two weeks, Christine and I spent every spare minute we weren’t with Jayce and Wyatt combing the mall for affordable dresses for the dance. My mom somehow scraped together $100 for me to splurge on an outfit and shoes, though she never told me where the extra money came from.
The night of the dance, my nerves were on hyper-drive. Mom helped with my makeup because my hands shook so much.
“Calm down, Megan. It’s just a school dance, and he’s just a boy. Have fun and don’t stress over it.” Her voice was calm and reassuring, helping to soothe my anxiety.
Until Wyatt knocked on the door.
When I opened it, I was surprised to find Christine and Jayce standing there with him. The black stretch limo behind him stood out like a sore thumb on my street lined with aging cookie-cutter clapboard houses.
“Come in, all of you.” I stepped back and gave them room to pass.
“Jayce and I thought you two ladies would appreciate some company during the game while we’re on the field, so we arranged a double date. I hope you don’t mind.” Wyatt produced a beautiful corsage with pale lavender and pink roses that matched my dress perfectly. He slipped the band around my wrist and pulled the back of my hand to his lips.
“It’s gorgeous, Wyatt. Thank you so much.” I couldn’t stop staring at it. Such a small thing touched me more than I’d have ever thought it could. My mom stepped up beside me and held out a small, plastic container.
She always thought of everything.
I removed the boutonniere from its package and stepped closer to Wyatt to pin it on his lapel. “Thank you.” He spoke low and intimately, meant for only my ears to hear.
He looked up at my mom and dad, who’d joined the crowd when I was distracted, and smiled warmly. “Mr. and Mrs. King, what time should I have Megan home tonight?”
“Midnight, and not a minute after,” my dad replied with a smile. He was just happy to be able to say those words at least once before I left for college. My dating life had been non-existent before Wyatt’s invitation.
“You have my word, sir.” Wyatt extended his arm to shake my father’s hand, sealing his promise.
The ride in the limo was amazing—something I’d obviously never experienced before and didn’t expect to again. Wyatt and Jayce were funny and affectionate on the way to the high school, but I could tell Jayce wasn’t accustomed to that level of wealth any more than I was. When we arrived at the school, the driver opened the back doors for us to exit and Christine and I took our seats in the stands while the guys joined the rest of the team in the field house.
After the homecoming queen was named and the game was won, Wyatt motioned for me to meet him at the gate to the field.
“I need to shower and change back into my dress clothes. Give me a few minutes and I’ll meet you just inside the front doors, okay?”
“Okay. I’ll be there, waiting for you.”
“Don’t let anyone else take you away from me. You’re so beautiful—all these guys are already panting for you. I had to threaten a few of them with severe bodily harm during the game.” He flashed his cocky smile, but I saw a twinge of doubt cloud his eyes for just a moment.
“Not a chance, Wyatt. If they even said anything, I’m sure they were just riling you up for the game. They’re no competition for you anyway.”
He leaned toward me and pressed a lingering kiss to my lips. Butterfly flutters filled my stomach, rising in my throat as they threatened to take flight. “I won’t be long.”
There had been three other homecoming dances during the time I attended that high school, but I’d never gone since I was never asked to a single one of them. My coping mechanism activated, telling me it was a stupid tradition handed down by people who longed to reclaim their youth. Forcing the dance on younger generations was their way of living vicariously through us, so I hadn’t missed anything by not going stag.
Dancing in Wyatt’s embrace that night made me regret the time I’d lost during the first three years of high school. The after-game dances, the pageantry of homecoming, and the formality of prom. He held me in his arms, even during the fast songs, and we danced to our own beat of the drum. We were more in tune and in step with each other with each passing minute.
I swallowed the panic that tried to overtake the best time of my life.Prom.Just the thought of it almost sent me into a tailspin. Not because I didn’t want to go with Wyatt, but because I did want it. We were only in October, much too soon to talk about a formal event that wouldn’t happen until mid-April. Six months away.
In the short two weeks I’d been seeing Wyatt, I’d already become attached to him even if I didn’t show it outwardly. After experiencing the attention and affection he’d lavished on me, and how good it made me feel that he went out of his way to talk to me in person or on my home phone, I didn’t want to give it up. To an attention-starved seventeen-year-old girl, Wyatt Weston was a dream come true.
“You two sure seem cozy. Maybe you should get a room so the rest of us don’t have to watch.” One of Wyatt’s football buddies, Billy, stuck his face into what little space was left open between us as we slow danced. He cut his eyes at me and licked his lips, attempting to look provocative but only pulled off sleazy. “On second thought, don’t get a room. I’d love to watchyouany day, Megan.”
Wyatt moved with such speed and ferocity I couldn’t comprehend what had happened, until a group of people had ascended on top of him, pulling Wyatt up from the floor. Billy was still flat on his back with blood smeared across his face. His eye was already starting to swell shut, and his skin had dark red splotches all over. I cut my eyes to Wyatt and was equally shocked at his appearance, but for a very different reason.
His face was beet red from anger. His hands were still balled into fists, and his knuckles were covered with blood. He was still yelling at Billy, though I don’t think Billy could hear Wyatt’s words.
“Don’t you ever fucking talk about her like that again! I’m not finished with you, Brown. Your ass isminewhen these guys aren’t around to save you!”
Several of Wyatt’s friends blocked his access to Billy, pushing Wyatt back into the proverbial neutral corner. Only a few seconds had passed, but I felt like I suddenly snapped out of a long trance when I finally rushed to Wyatt’s side.
“Are you okay? Your hands are bleeding!” I grabbed his hands to inspect the injuries.
