The church gym has never been this packed before, of that I'm sure, but this is New Year's Eve. The room is dark, lit only by the big colorful lights set up on either side of the DJ's table. The colors turn off and the strobe light turns on, turning the swarming mass of dancing teenagers into something out of an old movie. One of the ones where there's a flicker of darkness between each frame, giving things a stop motion kind of feel. Up close like this the light is painful and makes my head hurt more than the pounding bass already has.
The carpeted wall is scratchy against the bare skin of my arms, but it's good. Helps keep me grounded. The cheap plastic cup of water in my hand is starting to go warm, so I down the rest and pick my way over to the doors. …show more content…
There are fewer people out here. I refill my water and delve back into the gym. Maybe I can find my brother and persuade him to go home sooner rather than later, miss that post-dance rush.
I'm halfway along the wall of the gym and my brother is nowhere to be found. He's probably out in the middle of the crowd somewhere, pretty girl on his arm. He's not a flirt, really- more awkward than anything else- but the ladies love him for some reason and he's not one to complain.
My jaw hurts. I force it to relax, which eases the tension headache building in my temples. I finish my water again, but this time I dump the cup into a black bag lined can near the stage. The colorful lights are back, which is easier on the eyes. I catch a glimpse of my tall, gangly little brother dancing with a cute girl who barely comes up to his chest. Yeah, he's not leaving anytime soon. I can hide in the bathroom until after the fireworks. It's quieter there and no one can ask me to dance, which means I won't feel obliged to dance with anyone.
Can thoughts jinx you? Because I realize too late that I might have jinxed
The carpeted wall is scratchy against the bare skin of my arms, but it's good. Helps keep me grounded. The cheap plastic cup of water in my hand is starting to go warm, so I down the rest and pick my way over to the doors. …show more content…
There are fewer people out here. I refill my water and delve back into the gym. Maybe I can find my brother and persuade him to go home sooner rather than later, miss that post-dance rush.
I'm halfway along the wall of the gym and my brother is nowhere to be found. He's probably out in the middle of the crowd somewhere, pretty girl on his arm. He's not a flirt, really- more awkward than anything else- but the ladies love him for some reason and he's not one to complain.
My jaw hurts. I force it to relax, which eases the tension headache building in my temples. I finish my water again, but this time I dump the cup into a black bag lined can near the stage. The colorful lights are back, which is easier on the eyes. I catch a glimpse of my tall, gangly little brother dancing with a cute girl who barely comes up to his chest. Yeah, he's not leaving anytime soon. I can hide in the bathroom until after the fireworks. It's quieter there and no one can ask me to dance, which means I won't feel obliged to dance with anyone.
Can thoughts jinx you? Because I realize too late that I might have jinxed