Flight of Life (Essence Series #1) (27 page)

The doorbell rang and Calloway returned
to the living room. Easton walked inside first, wearing a slimming
black dress that matched the color of her dark strands of hair. She
wore high heels that made her appear tall and thin, and her face
looked different—she was wearing makeup. Her hair was pulled back
in a lose clip and a few strands of hair framed her face. She
looked so different that Calloway found himself staring at her. He
finally found his bearings and stepped toward her. “You look
amazing,” he said.

Easton smiled at him. “Thank you.” She
stared at him for a moment and appraised the sight of him in his
suit. “Beatrice is going to be staring at you tonight—and not
because you look poor.” She turned to Breccan and waited for him to
speak. He stared at her for a long moment but said nothing.
Calloway glared at him, silently commanding him to compliment her
in some way. Aunt Grace was practically bouncing on her toes as she
waited for her son to speak.

“
You—look—yes.”

Easton raised an eyebrow.
“Yes?”

“
I mean you look nice,” he
said quickly.

“
Nice
?”

Calloway intervened. “He meant to say
you look beautiful.”

“
Well, that wasn’t very
clear,” she snapped as she walked past him.

Calloway sighed. He knew he was going
to hear them argue all night. Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea they
were going together. Breccan always treated her like she was one of
the guys because she was cool like one—forgetting she was a
lady.

Weston walked through the door and
shattered Calloway’s last thought. She wore a dark blue dress that
was imbedded with stones that shined in the light. It fit the
curves of her body perfectly and highlighted her blue eyes. Her
hair reached across her shoulders in long curls and Calloway felt
his throat go dry—he couldn’t believe she was his date.

Breccan elbowed him in the ribs, trying
to snap him out of his stupor. “Aren’t you going to say something?”
Breccan whispered to him.

Calloway realized his mouth was open.
He closed it and approached her.

She placed her finger under his chin
and closed his lips. “That’s the reaction I was hoping for.” She
smiled.

Calloway chuckled. “You’re as beautiful
as ever.”

Her eyes softened at his words while
she stared at him. She wrapped her slim arm in his. “Are you ready
to go?”

“
Yes,” he said.

“
Wait,” Aunt Grace said as
she held up the camera. “We need to take pictures!”

Calloway leaned into Weston’s ear. “I
apologize.”

“
It’s cute.” She smiled.
She turned to Aunt Grace. “Hello, my name is Weston. It’s very nice
to meet you.”

Aunt Grace circled her arms around
Weston and squeezed her tightly. “Call me Grace,” she said. “And
you look so beautiful—both you and your sister. I see the
resemblance.”

“
Thank you,” she said
gracefully.

“
Now stand against the
wall.” Aunt Grace smiled. “And smile!”

Aunt Grace took pictures for the next
fifteen minutes. Breccan was getting frustrated with his mother’s
obsession with the camera and he tried to walk away but his mother
pulled him back. The pictures were becoming absurd when Aunt Grace
suggested Weston and Breccan take a portrait together. Eventually,
she had Uncle Scott take a picture with Easton and Weston and
that’s when Breccan snapped. “That’s enough, Mom!”

“
Just one more.” She
smiled.

“
No,” he said as he walked
out the door. “We’re going to be late.”

Calloway grabbed the box that held the
corsage and opened it in front of Weston. He placed the corsage
around her wrist and held her hand for a moment.

“
It’s lovely, Calloway.”
She smiled.

“
I’m glad you like
it.”

“
Let me take a picture!”
Aunt Grace said.

Calloway grabbed her hand. “Let’s get
out of here—quick.”

They walked to the car and buckled
themselves in their seats. Easton drove them to the campus, and
Calloway noticed that she didn’t say a word to Breccan. He just
looked out the window and into the darkness, indifferent to the
hostility emitting from Easton.

Calloway glanced at Weston every few
moments but didn’t engage her in a conversation—he didn’t know what
to say. He didn’t want to bore her by talking too much but he
didn’t want her to think he disliked her by his silence—he didn’t
know what to do. Weston was upbeat, vibrant and very compatible but
he was always nervous around her—his palms were sweating. When he
thought about dancing with her—touching her—he felt his heart
accelerate. He just wanted this night to end—he would rather take
his SAT again than suffer through this social torture.

“
Are you finished with
your applications?” Weston asked.

Calloway flinched at the sound of her
words. He turned to her and smiled. “Yes,” he said. “I just took
the SAT today.”

“
And how did that
go?”

“
I think it went
well.”

“
Good,” she said. “I was
very nervous when I took mine.”

“
I felt the same way.”
Calloway nodded then looked outside the window. The lights from the
businesses on Main Street lit the road and Calloway stared at the
buildings as they passed. The windows were starting to frost from
the winter air and Calloway wanted to slap himself when he realized
something—he never offered his jacket to Easton. She probably
thought he was a total jerk. Calloway decided to give it to her
when they reached the dance.

“
Are you planning to
attend Fresno University?” she asked.

“
Yes,” he said. “It’s my
first choice.”

Weston nodded. “Any particular reason
why?”

“
I want to be a member in
the White Wing.”

“
But there’s no guarantee
you’ll be accepted,” she said.

Calloway shrugged. “I’ll take my
chances.”

Easton arrived at the high school and
parked. There was line outside the gymnasium and the other students
were waiting to get in. The girls were dressed in their formal
gowns with flashing earrings, and all the guys looked the same in
their dark suits. Calloway stared at the girls waiting in line.
Even the beautiful ones didn’t compare to Weston. He still wasn’t
sure why she agreed to be his date. She outshined everyone in her
exquisite gown, and the light in her eyes was brighter than the
street lamps. The birds started to sing when she walked by because
they mistook her for the morning sun. Artists stared at her perfect
face and wished their paintings were just a complex and beautiful
as her flawless features. To look at her and not fall under her
spell was unheard of. And Weston wasn’t just beautiful on the
outside—she was gorgeous on the inside—a mythic fantasy.

Calloway offered his jacket to Weston
when they climbed out of the car. He could see the moist breath
escaping her lips and nose and knew she was cold. The redness of
her lips was absent in the freezing darkness, turning a pale
white.

“
No, thank you.” She
smiled. “We’re going inside in a few minutes. I’m sure it will be
warm in there—too warm.”

“
Let me know when you
change your mind,” he said. “It’s your when you want
it.”

“
I know.”

They walked toward the line, and
Calloway placed his hands in his pockets. Weston wrapped her arm
around his and the unexpected touch made his heart race. Breccan
and Easton were walking together but neither of them spoke. They
stopped when they reached the entrance.

Calloway looked at everyone in line. He
recognized most of the students and he was relieved that Hawk
wasn’t standing nearby with Beatrice—they were the last people he
wanted to see.

“
You seem tense,” Weston
said.

Calloway smiled. “I hate being at
school more than I need to be.”

“
I know how that is,” she
said. “I hated high school, too.”

“
I find that hard to
believe.”

“
Well, I was bored in most
of my classes and the social hierarchy of the students was
irritating. I would rather sit in the library and read instead of
socializing with others.”

“
You and your sister are
more alike than I thought,” Calloway said. “But I find that hard to
believe. You just had a party last week.”

“
I’m social now,” she
said. “Student life in college is vastly different than high
school. You’ll love it, Calloway—no matter where you
attend.”

“
That gives me peace of
mind.”

The staff finally opened the doors and
let the students walk into the gymnasium. There were Christmas
lights across the walls and an assortment of balloons across the
floor. There was an area for picture taking along with a few tables
to sit at. Weston held his hand as they walked into the room.
Calloway wasn’t sure how to act with her—this was novel to
him.

They moved to the opposite side of the
room and Breccan and Easton followed.

Weston looked at her sister. “Are you
just going to ignore him all night?”

“
Why don’t you ask him?”
she said.

“
He didn’t give you a
compliment—big deal,” Weston said. “You look amazing and you know
it. Even Calloway said so. You don’t need a guy to say you look
great—you
know
you look great.”

Breccan sighed. “You do look beautiful
tonight, Easton,” he said. “I’m not quick with the words like my
cousin.”

“
I’ve noticed,” Easton
said.

“
I’m sorry,” he said.
“Let’s just make the best of the night. You can be mad at me
tomorrow.”

“
I’ll probably be mad
about something else that you did,” she said.

Calloway looked at Weston. “It never
ends,” he whispered.

Weston laughed. The stereo started to
play and the first song of the night was a slow love ballad. She
grabbed Calloway’s hand and pulled him to the dance floor. “Let’s
dance,” she said. “I like this song.” Calloway was dragged away
before he could even think. He didn’t know how to dance—he’d never
done it before. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him
close to her chest. Calloway moved his hands at his sides, unsure
where to put them. Weston read his distress. She grabbed his hands
and placed them around her waist. “I’ll lead.” She
smiled.

Calloway moved his body
with hers as they danced in the middle of the floor. He avoided
direct eye contact with her and looked at the other students in the
room. Most of them were staring at him and Weston, pointing at them
as they whispered to their neighbors. Calloway knew what they were
thinking—what was Weston doing with
him
? Even though he was incredibly
awkward, her tall height was compatible to his. Calloway was almost
taller than six feet and Weston’s head almost reached his eyes—it
made dancing with her easy. He couldn’t imagine trying to dance
with Easton—she was very short.

The room was dark but Calloway could
see the reflection of the Christmas lights in her eyes and it made
them shine brighter than he’d ever seen them. The gems in her dress
also sparkled in the dim light and made her look like a dancing
star. The color of her lips returned to a lush pink from the heat
in the building, and Calloway noticed the shine on her mouth. She
had a slight freckle near the corner of her lips and he stared at
it for a moment. Every inch of her skin was flawless except for
this tiny mark, and he thought it made her look more perfect—made
her look real. Calloway was thankful his aunt combed his hair and
helped him present himself for tonight—he didn’t look as dirty as
he normally did.

Weston stared at him for moment. “You
look very nice tonight, Calloway,” she said. “You clean up
good.”

Calloway smiled as he felt his cheeks
redden. “Thank you,” he said. “You look amazing as
well.”

“
I hardly recognize you,”
she said. “You look like a whole new person.”

“
I’ll take that as a
compliment.”

“
It was meant to be one.”
She smiled. She rested her hands on the back of his neck and
Calloway felt his spine shiver. She studied him for a moment. “Why
are you so nervous around me?”

Calloway halted momentarily before he
continued to sway with her. He didn’t realize he was being so
obvious. “I just don’t want to embarrass you,” he said
quietly.

She raised an eyebrow. “How could you
embarrass me?” she asked. “You’re great, Calloway.”

“
Well, I’m the biggest
loser in school and I’m the poorest kid in the city,” he said. “I
think those are good reasons.”

“
I don’t agree at all,”
she said. “That means nothing to me. You’ll realize that when you
graduate. No one cares if you’re poor—especially me.”

“
That’s good to know.” He
smiled.

“
Wealth isn’t measured in
money—but in happiness.”