(*Flash-back to the night of the dance)
Her golden hair sparkled beneath the dancing lights; the halo she wore added an innocence that only she could pull off. "Jeez, she's perfect..." my brain commented as I gawked at her.
"Come on!" Allison hissed as she yanked Kyle away and towards the dance floor.
"What bit her in the ass?" I muttered as I watched them recede into the crowd.
"Well, here goes." I said out-loud before adjusting my jacket and making my way towards her. "Hey Mai, what's crackin'?" I asked nonchalantly as I pulled out a foldable chair and slouched lazily on it.
"Mai it's okay, you stay and keep Jason company, I can go alone." I turned to see an unfamiliar girl standing on the other side of the table. Myra looked at her warily.
"Hey Mai, you know this chick?" I asked while I pointed with my thumb. Myra giggled.
"Yeah Jase." She said as she sat back down.
"Hey Jason" the strange girl greeted. I gave her a puzzled look.
"Your voice sounds familiar, but I can't place your face..." I trailed off as I leaned forward a bit. I lowered my sunglasses attempting to get a better look. She lifted her mask and showed me her face. "Wait." I muttered slowly as I took in her features. "Is that?" I asked as I turned to Myra, an astonished look plastered on my face. Myra nodded. "Hazel?!" I asked in a near shout as I got close to her.
"Uh personal space Jason!" She scolded, her face crimson.
"No way!" I chuckled boisterously. "Croy's gonna freak!" I laughed and sat back down.
Myra shot a worried glance at her friend.
"I doubt it..." she trailed off sadly before excusing herself from the table and disappearing through the crowd.
"What's her deal?" I asked.
"She saw Croy with Allison earlier and assumed something was going on between them."
"Oh, so she's jealous?" I asked as I leaned back in the chair, Myra nodded. I took advantage of the silence that had settled at our table to study her costume. "You look great by the way." I blurted out without making eye contact. A light rose dusted her face as she glanced down at her lap.
"Thanks, you look really cool too." she complimented.
"I always look cool." I boasted, eliciting a chuckle from her.
"So, do you think she'll take the initiative and confess to Croy?" I asked as I popped a chip in my mouth. Myra shook her head.
"I honestly doubt it, she's too self-deprecating. She sees herself as this unlovable, ugly person, even though it's not true." She said as she sipped her soda. I nodded.
"Yeah, and we've got Croy on the other side of the spectrum with his abandonment and trust issues, not that I blame him. I've got a few of those myself..." I trailed off as I ate another chip. My eyes widened when part of the chip I was munching on, went down my windpipe. I coughed loudly causing Myra to freak out.
"Jason, are you okay!?" She asked anxiously before slapping my back. Hastily, I grabbed the water bottle on the table and chugged it.
"Ugh, that sucked!" I rasped after the chip finally unblocked my airway. I turned to Myra, who had been stifling her laughter the entire time. "Yeah, yeah go ahead and laugh." Her face relaxed when she burst out laughing.
"Yep, always cool!" She teased.
"The coolest!" I retorted as I laughed along with her.
"You're such a dork, that's one of the things I love about you!" My face turned red beneath the glasses when she said that. "I'll be right back, I'm gonna go to the ladies' room." I nodded as she stood up and made her way gracefully through the crowd.
"Get it together Jason!" I scolded as I slapped both my cheeks. After the redness in my face had subsided, I glanced around the gym curiously. Streamers and balloons adorned the ceiling and confetti littered the floor. People chatted amicably as they swayed to the music, some of them just stood around with their drinks. After nearly 15-mins, Myra hadn't returned.
"What's taking her so long?" I asked myself as I glanced at the wall clock that hung above the stage. "Girls sure take long in the restroom." I muttered to myself as I began getting antsy. After another 5-mins, I decided to go look for her. I glanced around as I weaved through the crowd. When I reached the restroom, I asked one of the girls coming out if she had seen Myra, but she said she hadn't. As I made my way back to the table, a shrill yelp caught my attention.
"Let go of me!" She shouted just before he forced his lips onto hers. A pervert, dressed in a Superman costume, gripped Myra by the wrist and forced a kiss on her. In her struggle, he snapped the thin strap of her dress. My blood boiled. Without a moment of hesitation, I walked up behind him.
"Hey, Super Douche!" I hissed as I tapped him on the shoulder. He broke the kiss and turned to glare at me.
"Can't you see I'm bâ!?" He snapped, but I didn't let him finish. I raised my fist and clocked him in the jaw as hard as I could, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Jason!" Myra screamed as she ran to me. Her mascara was running down her face.
"Let's go!" I urged as I pulled her away from the crowd. I dragged her over towards the water fountain where nobody lingered. "Are you okay!? Did he hurt you!?" I asked as I placed my hands on her arms. She shook her head, black tears still streamed down her face.
"I was so scared!" She hiccupped as she wiped her runny nose. Her eyes widened when I wrapped my arms around her and crushed her to my chest.
"It's okay..." I whispered. "I won't let anyone hurt you, I promise." After a little while, I pulled away and wiped her mascara filled tears with my thumb. "Mai, I've actually been meaning to talk to you about something..." I trailed off as I took in a couple of steadying breaths. She looked at me curiously, her emerald eyes wide and glossy from crying. "I wanted to tell you that Iâ"
"Hey! I'm not done with you punk!" Super Douche interrupted. I cursed under my breath before turning to face him. His cheek was already beginning to swell and dry blood stained his busted lip. "Get behind me." I instructed Myra as I took a step forward. "Let's take this outside. We don't want to ruin everybody's good time, do we?" I asked cautiously as he reached for the back of his pants. "Get down!" I shouted and tackled Myra just as he confirmed my suspicions and pulled out a gun. Myra screamed as bullets zoomed past us. "Aghh!" I flinched as one of the bullets grazed my arm. "Jason you're bleeding!" Myra screamed as I pulled her up and rushed her through the crowd. At this point, chaos had broken out. The music had stopped, and people were running for the exit.
"That fucker tore my jacket!" I groaned as I urged her forward. We ducked as a few more gun shots echoed through the auditorium.
"Jason, what's happening!?" Allison asked as she caught up with us, Kyle following close behind.
"An asshole tried getting fresh with Myra, so I confronted him, and he lost his shit!" I shouted over the screaming crowd of people.
"Let's get out of here!" Kyle urged as we turned to make our way back to the cabins.
"Where the fuck do you think you're going!?" His voice rang out over the commotion. Gasps echoed from around us as he pointed the revolver at my friends. I took a step forward and faced him.
"This is between you and me, leave them out of this!" I growled.
"No, it was between me and cutie over there, but you had to interrupt!" Kyle pulled me back before I could do something stupid.
"Don't." he warned.
"But my friends are right, it's not worth it. She's not even that pretty and her kissing skills SUCK!" At that point I saw red.
"You bastard, I'll kill you!" I shouted, my blood boiling.
"Jason, stop!" Kyle scolded as I thrashed around. In my fit of anger, I elbowed him in the gut, causing him to stagger. When he let go, I took out my knife and charged towards him. Super douche tossed the gun aside when he realized it was out of ammo, then took out his knife as well.
"Jason!!" I stopped in my tracks when Croy stepped in front of me.
"Step aside!" I shouted as I tried to go around him. He didn't let me pass.
"It's not worth it!" He scolded.
"Like hell it isn't!" I snapped as I tried to force my way past him.
"Calm down!" he shouted just before punching me across the mouth. Silence settled over the camp as everyone watched.
"Pfft! You guys aren't even worth my time!" Super Douche hissed before putting his knife away and leaving.
"What the fuck Croy!? Why did you do that!? I could've taken him, I could'veâ"
"Yeah, but then I would've had to get involved because that type of guy doesn't fight alone." He said as he motioned to the posse that followed behind him.
"Did you really have to punch me though?" I asked as I put away my knife, then wiped my lip with the back of my hand.
"You weren't listening, but I'll give you a free pass." he said as he outstretched his arms. "Just, not the face." he requested with a crooked grin. I smiled back just before punching him in the gut. "Just like old times huh?" He wheezed as he grabbed onto his stomach. A nostalgic smile crossed my face.
"Yep just like old times..."