The Dance
Mo wanted to run after her and say, “Les, I’m sorry. I want to go to the lake with you, I want to go to the dance with you, I want be with you more than anything!” But that would only make her look stupid. Okay, she was stupid, for listening to Patty and Evelyn, unless Les bounced back and danced Friday night away with someone else. Once Les calmed down and realized she was free to go with anyone, she’d probably jump at the chance to go with Patty. Everyone would see Les and Patty together and figure Les was available. Same-oriented girls at the academy would buzz around her, competing for her attention. Les would be on her comm unit constantly, fielding invitations. She’d quickly forget she’d ever been in a relationship. “Mo who?” she’d say, laughing with her new friends.
A sick feeling formed in the pit of Mo’s stomach. She blinked back tears. If this was what mature felt like, she’d stick with immature from now on.
Lesley raised an egg sandwich to her lips, sighed, and put it back into her lunchbox. Egg sandwiches were her favourite—usually, she’d devour them and wish there were more. But usually Mo was here, too. She’d sat down at the picnic table hoping Mo would show up—a vain hope, as it turned out. She glanced at the empty place next to her and rubbed her eyes. Mo’s sudden change of heart mystified her.
She’d spent the previous evening going over what had happened yesterday, replaying the day from when she’d walked with Mo to the academy to when they’d had that horrible conversation. She must have said something, done something, to upset Mo, but she couldn’t figure out what it was.
Yesterday, at this very spot, they’d talked about the lake and agreed that they were looking forward to it. Mo hadn’t known about the essay at the time—that is, if she’d even been assigned an essay. But even if she’d been telling the truth about her assignment, one hour at the lake wouldn’t have made much difference.
And then there was the dance. On their way to the academy, they’d laughed as they’d done a couple of practice whirls on the path. “I wonder if everyone will be as rusty as we are,” Mo had said, grinning. Why would she suddenly decide she didn’t want to go to the dance? Well, she’d said she probably wouldn’t go. She’d also made it clear that if she did go, she’d go alone or with someone else.
Lesley sighed again. Despite analyzing and re-analyzing every word they’d said yesterday, she honestly didn’t think she’d said anything terrible. But she must have hurt Mo. Why else would Mo suddenly decide that she wanted their relationship to be more casual? Lesley had considered the possibility that someone else had caught Mo’s eye, but that didn’t make sense. Mo wasn’t fickle, one of the reasons Lesley cared for her. She wouldn’t toss aside a three-year relationship because someone looked cute one afternoon. If things between them had cooled over time or they’d grown less content with each other, maybe Lesley could see Mo wanting to date others. But their relationship had seemed as strong as ever, and Mo wasn’t the type to bottle up a list of grievances and pretend everything was all right. So why, then? What had happened?
A shadow fell across the picnic table. Lesley’s breath quickened, but her shoulders sagged when she looked behind her.
“Mind if I join you?” Patty said.
“Go ahead,” Lesley replied, hoping the disappointment she felt wasn’t evident in her voice.
“No Mo today?” Patty asked as she lowered herself into Mo’s spot.
“She’s, uh, eating inside today. She’s working on an essay. Didn’t want any distractions. Including me.”
“Oh.”
Lesley picked at an imaginary thread on her sleeve.
“Nice day,” Patty said.
“Yes.”
“I hope the weather holds for tomorrow. Walking to the dance in the rain wouldn’t be much fun.”
“No.”
“Though the train station isn’t that far away. It’s only a couple of minutes’ walk to the academy. Less if you run,” Patty added with a smile.
“True.”
“But I’m not sure I’d want to risk tripping and falling into a puddle.”
Lesley searched for something to say that would consist of more than one word. “You probably wouldn’t trip,” was all she could manage. Why did she always have to be polite? She should have told Patty to sit somewhere else.
“Are you going to the dance?” Patty asked in a higher than usual voice.
“I don’t know.” Mo could still change her mind.
“Do you have a date for the dance?”
Lesley hesitated. She wanted to say yes, but Mo might not change her mind—or worse, go with someone else. Saying she had a date and then not showing up for the dance would start everyone gossiping. She’d already fibbed to Patty once. Twice would be asking for trouble. “No.” She briefly met Patty’s eyes, then looked away.
“Do you want to go with me?” Patty asked, her voice shrill.
Lesley focused on her lunchbox. The conversation had suddenly turned awkward. Maybe she should have lied. “It’s nice of you to ask, but . . .well, I wasn’t completely honest before. I won’t be going to the dance.” She forced herself to look at Patty. “With anyone.”
Patty frowned. “If you’re worried about Mo, don’t be. I talked to her. She doesn’t mind if we go together.”
“You talked to Mo?” Now her own voice sounded shrill. “When?”
“I don’t know. Yesterday, I think. Does it really matter? The point—”
“It matters to me. Did you talk to her in the morning or the afternoon?”
“After History class, I think.”
History? That was Mo’s last class of the day. “What did you say?”
“I said, ‘Mo, do you mind if I ask Lesley to the dance?’ She said, ‘No, go ahead.”
Lesley looked at her for a moment, expecting more. “That’s it?”
Patty let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes.”
“You must have said more than that.”
“This is worse than being interrogated by the flaming military! She said she doesn’t mind if we go to the dance together. That’s all that matters.”
Lesley snapped her lunchbox shut, struggling to control her temper. The last person she’d go to the dance with was a meddling, insensitive girl like Patty. “Well, we won’t be going to the dance together. I’m sure you’re a very nice girl,” she said through clenched teeth, “but if I go to the dance, it’ll be with Mo.”
Patty’s face fell, but she shrugged. “It was just a thought. We can go another time.”
“No, I don’t think so.”