Status: This is a YA novel i am working on between projects, i will try and update weekly but close to publication dates of my self published books it may be a little bit longer between updates
The Monster Below
Chapter 7
The place was packed. The music blasting loudly from the speakers around the DJ booth. I could barely hear myself think it was so loud. Looking around I wasn't sure if I was sad not to see Finn anywhere or a little bit relieved. Maybe it was just nerves. Yeah, that must be what it was... nerves. It had been a while since I had seen him, and with the whole Reidar thing and everyone saying that I had made Finn up, I was bound to be nervous. If he didn't show I would be the laughing stock of the whole school.
Following Anita and Adam through the room we headed straight to the refreshment table for a drink, then went to bag a table to sit at for a while until Finn made an appearance.
"Will you be ok on your own for a bit Phoenix? I want to get in a few dances with my girl before I'm too drunk to function," Adam asked as we set about pushing a few tables together, creating a big enough space for the whole group to congregate.
"Yeah I'll be fine," I lied, not liking the thought of being left by myself at all.
"Are you sure? I mean we could wait till Finn gets here," Anita said.
"I'm sure. Go and dance and I'll see you in bit." I didn't want to be alone, but I didn't want to be the reason that kept my best friend from having fun with her new boyfriend. I would be fine, really, eventually anyway.
For the next hour my eyes strayed to the clock high upon the wall of the gym way too many times. More times than I could count. Was time actually moving at all? It didn't seem or feel like it, but it was.
One hour.
Two hours.
Three hours.
Anita and Adam were doing their best to keep me company. Every 30 minutes they would reappear from the dance floor, or wherever they kept disappearing too, and making sure that she was ok.
"He said he was coming. Have you checked your phone lately? Maybe he's messaged you again," her face pulled down in a frown, pity in her eyes.
"He hasn't." I had been looking at my phone almost as much as I had been the clock. Nothing. No call. No text. Though I was still adamant that I had never given him my number. Just how did he get it? And how did his name appear as the sender when he wasn't even in my contacts?
"Well I'm sure he will be here any minute," Anita smiled, doing her best at putting on her best fake smile. It was nice that she was trying her best to stay upbeat and positive, even though I could tell that she didn't think he was going to show. The others sure weren't making the effort to comfort me.
"Just admit that you made him up," Hannah sneered from her perch in Kemp's lap.
I wanted to yell, scream at her and everyone else around that I hadn't lied, that Finn was real. But what was the point. They wouldn't believe me, not with the dance almost over and me sat in the same spot that I had planted myself in over three hours ago to wait for him.
"I hope you all have had a fantastic time. I am DJ Greed and this is the last dance." Squeals of delight came from almost every girl in the room. Groans from the boys. I quickly found myself being dragged up from my seat and out onto the dance floor.
"What are you doing?"
"You have to have at least one dance tonight. It is your birthday after all. So you will dance with me," Anita smiled, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug.
"What about Adam?" Wouldn't he want to dance with her? Slow dance like all the other couples were doing?
"I have danced with him all night. I think he can survive missing out on this one."
Dancing with Anita I did my best to block everyone else out. I could feel everyone's eyes on me. Could almost hear the laughter that would follow me through the halls at school the following Monday, and I had no doubt would continue for a while afterwards, if not forever.
Halfway through the song the room seemed to get suddenly quiet. The music was still blaring loudly from the speakers, but all other noise stopped. No feet moved. No one spoke. It was as of no one even breathed. What was going on?
The whole room had stopped whatever they had been doing and was looking towards the doors.
"Holy crap!" Anita gasped looking over my shoulder.
"What? What is it?"
A happy, slightly dreamy smile pulled at her lips. "That should wipe the smiles from their faces." Grasping my shoulders she spun me around to face the door. I followed her gaze, and everyone else's in the room, and my heart began to beat wildly in my chest, my throat became suddenly dry.
OMG! He's here!
Stood at the entrance to the gym, his hypnotising gaze ignoring everybody else and focused upon me, was Finn.
Following Anita and Adam through the room we headed straight to the refreshment table for a drink, then went to bag a table to sit at for a while until Finn made an appearance.
"Will you be ok on your own for a bit Phoenix? I want to get in a few dances with my girl before I'm too drunk to function," Adam asked as we set about pushing a few tables together, creating a big enough space for the whole group to congregate.
"Yeah I'll be fine," I lied, not liking the thought of being left by myself at all.
"Are you sure? I mean we could wait till Finn gets here," Anita said.
"I'm sure. Go and dance and I'll see you in bit." I didn't want to be alone, but I didn't want to be the reason that kept my best friend from having fun with her new boyfriend. I would be fine, really, eventually anyway.
For the next hour my eyes strayed to the clock high upon the wall of the gym way too many times. More times than I could count. Was time actually moving at all? It didn't seem or feel like it, but it was.
One hour.
Two hours.
Three hours.
Anita and Adam were doing their best to keep me company. Every 30 minutes they would reappear from the dance floor, or wherever they kept disappearing too, and making sure that she was ok.
"He said he was coming. Have you checked your phone lately? Maybe he's messaged you again," her face pulled down in a frown, pity in her eyes.
"He hasn't." I had been looking at my phone almost as much as I had been the clock. Nothing. No call. No text. Though I was still adamant that I had never given him my number. Just how did he get it? And how did his name appear as the sender when he wasn't even in my contacts?
"Well I'm sure he will be here any minute," Anita smiled, doing her best at putting on her best fake smile. It was nice that she was trying her best to stay upbeat and positive, even though I could tell that she didn't think he was going to show. The others sure weren't making the effort to comfort me.
"Just admit that you made him up," Hannah sneered from her perch in Kemp's lap.
I wanted to yell, scream at her and everyone else around that I hadn't lied, that Finn was real. But what was the point. They wouldn't believe me, not with the dance almost over and me sat in the same spot that I had planted myself in over three hours ago to wait for him.
"I hope you all have had a fantastic time. I am DJ Greed and this is the last dance." Squeals of delight came from almost every girl in the room. Groans from the boys. I quickly found myself being dragged up from my seat and out onto the dance floor.
"What are you doing?"
"You have to have at least one dance tonight. It is your birthday after all. So you will dance with me," Anita smiled, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug.
"What about Adam?" Wouldn't he want to dance with her? Slow dance like all the other couples were doing?
"I have danced with him all night. I think he can survive missing out on this one."
Dancing with Anita I did my best to block everyone else out. I could feel everyone's eyes on me. Could almost hear the laughter that would follow me through the halls at school the following Monday, and I had no doubt would continue for a while afterwards, if not forever.
Halfway through the song the room seemed to get suddenly quiet. The music was still blaring loudly from the speakers, but all other noise stopped. No feet moved. No one spoke. It was as of no one even breathed. What was going on?
The whole room had stopped whatever they had been doing and was looking towards the doors.
"Holy crap!" Anita gasped looking over my shoulder.
"What? What is it?"
A happy, slightly dreamy smile pulled at her lips. "That should wipe the smiles from their faces." Grasping my shoulders she spun me around to face the door. I followed her gaze, and everyone else's in the room, and my heart began to beat wildly in my chest, my throat became suddenly dry.
OMG! He's here!
Stood at the entrance to the gym, his hypnotising gaze ignoring everybody else and focused upon me, was Finn.