Lost To Me (19 page)

KOLTON

It took two hours and forty-five minutes to get to the hotel in Fredericksburg.

I parked, slung my duffel bag over my shoulder, and strolled into the lush hotel lobby. Soft music played, leather chairs and couches sat in clusters with glass tables and huge arrangements of exotic flowers. The scent of coffee and lemon furniture polish mingled with the leather.

“Hello,” I said to the woman at the front desk. “I’m checking in.”

“Name?”

“Seidel.”

“One non-smoking, king Jacuzzi suite for one night, two adults?”

“Right.” Two adults. It sounded so official.

“Room two oh five. Up the elevator to the second floor and to the right.” She gestured like a flight attendant, then bent and picked up a large tote bag. “This was dropped off earlier under the name Seidel.”

I took it, knowing it had to be Lauren’s. “Thanks.” She handed me the key card and I strode to the elevator feeling a strange sense of pride knowing Lauren left her bag under my name. Even if it was because the room was registered to Seidel, I knew she was mine.

LAUREN

Kristin dropped me off back at home at three-thirty, both of us with glossy nails and sporting enough hairpins and hairspray to keep a small building standing. Loose curls were pinned against my head and swept up in the back. Like Mom suggested, I kept some tendrils down to wisp around my face.

My heart skipped as I put some body gel in the whirlpool tub in my mom and dad’s bathroom, and watched it bubble. When the tub was full and the jets were going, I sunk in up to my chin, careful not to get my hair wet.

I should’ve asked Kristin how to prepare for something like this? Something that should just happen and not be so planned. Maybe then I wouldn’t have been obsessing over shaving and scrubbing my skin raw with the loofa.

By the time I was dry and covered with lotion, I only had fifteen minutes to get dressed before Kolton picked me up. Mom came in just in time to zip me.

I stood in my mom and dad’s room in front of the full-length mirror and ran my hands over my dress feeling the bumps and sharp edges of the beads and sequins. My hair was in a perfect coif, my makeup expertly applied, even if my birthmark was still visible. My nails were slick and red, and my lipstick kissable. My earrings sparkled when I turned my head. I spun and watched my dress flare out around me. The silk and netting rustled, and the satin panties caressed.

My eyes latched onto my mom’s, standing behind me in the mirror. She wiped under her eyes and sniffled. “You look perfect. So grown up. Next thing you know, you’ll be leaving for college, then getting married.”

“Mom.” I turned and put my arms around her. I couldn’t deny it though. I would be leaving for college soon. Only seventeen more weeks to wait.

Her body shook with laughter, and she wiped her eyes again. “I’m being silly.” She fanned her eyes with her hands. “Kolton will be here any minute and look at your crazy mom.”

I spun in the mirror a few more times, seeing someone I’d never seen before. She was confident, pretty, sexy. She was someone I thought I liked. She smiled a lot.

KOLTON

At five PM exactly, I pulled my car into Lauren’s driveway and turned off the engine. The plastic box with the corsage in it still sat where I’d put it, fresh and crisp. I took it to the door and rang the doorbell.

Her mom answered wiping her eyes.   “You look so handsome!” She took my arm and pulled me inside. “Lauren! Kolton’s here!” She brushed my shoulders and stood there beaming at me. “A tux suits you.”

“Thanks.” Mrs. Kelling let go of me and stepped out from in front of me just as Lauren came around the corner.

I couldn’t breathe. She was so beautiful. There was no way she was mine. How could she be?

Her lips quivered when she smiled. She was nervous. “You look amazing. That’s not even the right word. More than amazing.” She stepped farther into the room and I met her half way, setting her wristlet of flowers on the coffee table. “Spin.” I took her hand and twirled her around while she laughed. Then she spun into my arms and kissed me.

“I can’t believe tonight’s finally here.” Her face was flushed.

“Oh good,” Mrs. Kelling said, watching out the front window. “Your dad made it home to see you before you go.” She picked up a camera from the end table beside the sofa.

“Use mine,” Lauren said. “Your camera takes terrible pictures.” She straightened my bowtie before darting off to fetch her camera.

A back door somewhere through the kitchen banged shut and a moment later, Mr. Kelling came into the living room. “There’s the man-of-the-hour,” he said, holding a hand out to me.

“Hi, Mr. Kelling.” I shook his hand.

He patted my shoulder and left his hand there, gripping tightly. “Listen, I know all about prom night. The after-parties, the drinking, the…” He shrugged his eyebrows up and down, and I felt like our plans were written in black marker all over my face.

“I--”

“No, no,” he said, squeezing my shoulder harder. “I’m not some old man with my head buried in the sand.” He nudged me. “Get it? Sand? Like how I called you Sandman.” He laughed and lifted his chin at Lauren’s mom, who was trying not to crack up, encouraging her. “See? Even my wife thinks it’s funny.”

He turned me to face him and put both hands on my shoulders. “Seriously though, man-to-man, she’s my little girl. You do anything irresponsible tonight and this is the last time you’ll see her.”

Lauren’s mom stepped forward just as my tongue turned to rock inside my mouth. “Okay, okay. Enough with the tough dad routine.” She put her hand on Mr. Kelling’s arm and he dropped both of them. “Don’t let him scare you. Lauren’s a responsible girl and if she trusts you, so do we.” She gave Mr. Kelling a playful punch in his stomach. “Right?”

“Oomph!” Mr. Kelling bent over, playing along, then straightened up, smiling. “As long as my daughter doesn’t call me in tears begging me to pick her up from some beer-fest after-party with a keg in the bathtub of a seedy hotel room, I wish you a fabulous evening.”

“Dad!” Lauren shouted, striding back into the living room. “Neither of us even drink, okay? God…”

Relief flooded through me as she handed her mom her camera. Her dad was everything my dad never was. Her whole family was awesome, and the last thing I wanted to do was make them hate me.

“Picture time!” Mrs. Kelling motioned us to follow her out the front door. “Stand in front of my Rhododendron. Its blooms will look perfect behind Lauren’s dress.”

We stood at an angle. Lauren wrapped my arms around her waist. “Wait, I forgot your corsage inside.” I darted back up the porch steps, but Mr. Kelling met me on his way out holding the flower box.

“Forget something?” He handed it to me.

“Thanks.” After taking the wristlet out of the box, Lauren held up her hand and I slipped it on. She examined it, touching the soft orchid petals. “Do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful.” She threw her arms around me and kissed me. The camera clicked. We parted to see her mom taking shots of us kissing. Lauren laughed as she reached up and wiped lipstick off my lips.

“Pose for me again,” Mrs. Kelling said, shooing us back toward her flowering bush.

After what seemed like a million pictures in a million poses all around the front and back yards, we were finally free to leave. “I made reservations in the restaurant at the hotel,” I said, after Lauren and I were shut inside the car and on our way.

“Do you mind if we go somewhere else?” she asked, grinning. “I have a craving.”

She was up to something. “A craving that doesn’t require a reservation, I hope.”

“No. Definitely no reservation required.” She pointed out the window. “Turn right up here.”

Lauren licked whipped cream off of her lips. “I can’t believe you’ve never had ice cream for dinner before,” she said.

“I can’t believe you’re sitting on a picnic table in that dress eating hot fudge with a plastic spoon.” I stood facing her. Her bare feet and red-painted toes perched on the bench in front of me; her silver, heeled sandals beside her on the table. “I didn’t peg you for a girly-girl, but I never would’ve imagined this.”

She took the last bite of her mint chocolate chip and hot fudge sundae and leaned back on her hands. “There’s so much pressure—the perfect dress, the perfect hair, the perfect everything—sitting in a fancy restaurant trying not to spill anything down the front of me was just too much. This night is supposed to be fun, right?” A flirty grin crossed her lips.

I sat down next to her. “You know you don’t have to be perfect for me though, don’t you?” She had whipped cream in the corner of her mouth. I dabbed it with a paper napkin. “However this night turns out is perfect because I’m with you.”

“I know. Me too.” She kissed me and eyed my brownie-bash-explosion-something-or-other sundae. I scooped up a spoonful. “Bite?” She opened her mouth and I fed it to her.

“Do you think,” she said, and swallowed, “in like ten years we can dress up and come back here for dinner sundaes?”

“I don’t have to keep this tux do I? Because it’s only a rental.” I pinched the end of her nose. “I’ll be here if you will be.”

“I don’t see any way you could get rid of me.”

“I wouldn’t ever try to.” I picked up her sandals and slipped them on her feet. “Ready for the ball, Cinderella?”

She put her arms around my neck. “Yes. I’m ready for everything that happens tonight.”

As we kissed, it was all I could do to resist convincing her to stop at our hotel and arrive late to prom.

LAUREN

As we walked through the doors at the civic center, the parent chaperones handed us each a mask. The boys’ were the traditional, white Phantom of the Opera mask that  covered half of their faces. The girls’ were black, covered both eyes and had red sequins and feathers decorating the edges.

“You knew, didn’t you?” Kolton asked, eyeing my matching dress and mask.

“I might have,” I said, with a sly smile. The girls’ mask sat on my face like sunglasses, which was perfect for not messing up prom-perfect hair. When Kolton put his on, I wished the dance committee wouldn’t have thought of masks. “How will everyone see my hot boyfriend?”

“I’ll have to remain a mystery.”

I spotted Kristin and Conner waiting in a line for pictures. “There’s Kristin. Come on.”

“Ah, more pictures. Of course.” Kolton let out a pretend sigh. “When do we get to the part where we slow dance?” The tip of his finger ran along my spine.

“Soon.”

Kristin left Connor holding their place in line and ran toward us on her tiptoes in her heels. “You’re here!” She took my hands and held them out. “Wow! You look so beautiful!”

“So do you!” Her ice blue, form-fitting dress made her look like a Barbie. “Kris,” Connor called, “we’re up.” He waved, and I waved back.

“We’ll catch you guys inside.” She took a step away and swiveled back. “I know you’re Kolton. I’m Kristin.” She grabbed his hand and shook it.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, as she dropped his hand and darted to the photo backdrop where Connor and the photographer were both watching and waiting for her.

We took our spot at the end of the line. Kristin and Connor posed between two giant silver candelabras. Six red candles burned in each, dripping wax down over the silver holders. They stood in front of a backdrop of a black night with a full white moon, hazed by fog and clouds. “It looks like Halloween,” Kolton said.

“It does.” It was such a strange set up for prom photos. Even the red rose the photographer handed Kristin didn’t make the picture any less eerie. “There should be a coffin with a vampire, or a werewolf howling at the moon. Guess it works for Phantom though.” I shrugged. “At least Mom got normal pictures.”

“I’m sure these will be great, too. Not that you couldn’t take better ones. Too bad you can’t take a picture you’re posing in.”

We reached the front of the line and the photographer handed me my rose. “Masks on or off?” he asked.

“Off. We’ll hold them.” The first picture was awkward and we had to look like poorly posed mannequins.

In the second, I held the rose in my teeth and just as the photographer said, “Three!” Kolton dipped me and the camera flashed. We laughed hysterically, and when we left the photo area I noticed the couple behind us did the same thing.

“You’re such a trend setter,” I said, and patted Kolton on the rear as we entered the auditorium. “There’s Kristin and Connor getting drinks.”

Kolton and I headed toward the side of the room where tables of cookies and snacks had been set up. In the middle, a giant silver champagne fountain bubbled with the non-alcoholic variety, of course.

At the back of the room, a faux grand staircase had been erected that spilled out onto the dance floor. It was the masquerade ball scene from Phantom of the Opera. More giant candelabras lit with flickering light bulb candles filled every corner of the room. The dim dance floor was packed with masked couples gyrating to a fast song as fog billowing out from the D.J. booth crept over them.

“Happy Halloween!” I shouted behind Kristin.

She jumped a little, turned around and smacked my arm. “You almost made me spill my nasty fake champagne all over the place.”

“It
is
like Halloween,” Connor said, and nudged Kristin. “I told you.”

“It is not like Halloween!” She put a hand on her hip. “It’s Phantom of the Opera. How else would you do Phantom?”

“I wouldn’t,” Connor said. “It’s stupid.”

“Whatever.” Kristin waved her hand dismissing his comment. “Connor, this is Kolton. Kolton, Connor.”

“Hi,” Connor said.

“Hey.” Kolton shook his hand.

I smacked Kristin’s arm like she’d smacked mine. “He’s
my
boyfriend. I can introduce him.”

“Whatever. Why are we standing here? Let’s go dance!” She grabbed my hand and pulled me behind her. I latched on to Kolton’s arm and dragged him along. Connor followed us.

Kristin weaved through other couples. We waved and said hi to everybody on our way to the center of the floor. The fast song ended and transitioned into a slow one. Kolton stopped and pulled me to him. “Finally,” he whispered, placing a soft kiss on my neck.

I sank into him, feeling his chest expand with each breath, catching the smell of him—warmth and a hint of sunscreen that never seemed to go away. “I missed you.”

He hugged me tight. “I missed you more.”

As we kissed and swayed back and forth surrounded by fog and sweaty bodies in taffeta and tuxes, it struck me that prom wasn’t all that exciting now that we were here. Being with Kolton was exciting. Being with Kolton is what I’d been waiting and waiting for since spring break. “We don’t have to stay until the end.”

He glanced down at me. “You’re not having fun?”

“I’m having fun. I’d be having more fun if it were just me and you.” The words tumbled out and I thought I should be embarrassed by them, but I wasn’t.

Another song came on, and Kristin’s thin arms wrapped around my waist, tugging me away from Kolton. “Potty break.” She patted Kolton’s chest. “I’ll bring her right back. Talk to Connor.”

I gave him an apologetic smile as Connor stepped up beside him. “Be right back.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Connor said, “go gossip about us. Talk about how hot we are. We’ll be right here. Or over there by the cookies.” He tapped Kolton and jerked his head toward the cookie table.

Kristin’s energy seemed to bounce and vibrate in the air around her. “So?”

“So?” I slipped past a guy on the soccer team and got a whiff of beer.

“Tonight?” Kristin smiled mischievously. “You and Kolton?”

We got through the crush of people on the dance floor and strode to the side doors leading to the hallway. “None of your business.”

She laughed and pushed open the door. The hallway was dark with more flickering candelabras every few yards leading the way to the bathrooms. “Like I don’t already know the answer,” Kristin said, clucking her tongue. “You have to call me tomorrow as soon as you get home. I want details.”

“I’m not giving you details!” I turned and faced her while pushing the bathroom door open with my back. “That’s private. But you know I’ll call.”

“You better, or I’m coming over and bribing you to talk with cherry chip muffins.” Kristin entered the first stall and closed the door. “Are you nervous?” she asked.

A couple girls, Nina and Sarah, from my government class came in. “Hi,” I said, hoping Kristin would shut up.

“Hey, Lauren. I love your dress,” Nina said, angling up to the mirror and taking her lipstick out of her purse.

“Thanks. I love yours, too,” I said, before darting into the stall beside Kristin’s.

“I asked you a question,” Kristin said, the stall door banging behind her as she walked out to the sinks.

“No. Stop talking about it.” I swear if everyone ended up knowing about my plans for the night thanks to Nina, Sarah and Kristin’s big mouth, I was going to freak out.

The water rushed out of the faucet, garbling whatever she was saying to Nina and Sarah. When I came out, Kristin was alone, waiting for me. “Don’t worry. Like I would tell anyone.” She studied her nails. “But, are you ready?” She glanced up at me. “I mean, I’m no expert, but if you have any questions…”

“Thanks, but I’m okay.” Kolton and I would do what came naturally.

Kristin stepped forward and hugged me. “I’m going to miss you next year.” She smacked her lips against my cheek in an exaggerated kiss. In the mirror, the dark pink outline of her lips showed on my cheek.

After wiping her lipstick off of my face, I followed her out of the bathroom. “Lauren,” a familiar voice called in a loud whisper from the end of the hall.

I turned and narrowed my eyes into the darkness—the candelabras stopped at the bathroom door. “Kolton?” His face, half hidden by the Phantom mask, peered playfully around the corner. He bent his finger summoning me to follow. “What are you up to?”

Kristin giggled. “I’ll see you back inside.” She took off down the hall toward the auditorium.

The click-clack of my heels echoed down the empty hallway. Kolton must not have been able to wait to get me alone. I knew how he felt and picked up my pace. With one hand on the wall, I made my way to the dark corner and rounded it, expecting to find Kolton waiting for me.

Nobody was there. “Kolton?”

I took a few steps forward.

A door creaked opened a little farther down the hall, and I could just make him out in the dark, disappearing into a room on the right.

Bubbles of excitement fizzed through me like fake champagne, and I ran down the hall toward him.

“I found you,” I said, laughing as I reached the door.

Strong arms grabbed me, yanking me into the room.

A quick hand covered my mouth and shoved me against the wall.

My heart pounded as eyes—eyes like Kolton’s—bored into mine. Angry. Crazy.

The door slammed shut. Pain seared through my head as he bashed it into the wall, jarring my neck.

His urgent breathing rasped in and out against my ear, mingling with my whimpers behind his hand.

I bit down on his fingers. He jerked his hand back and backhanded me in the face, knocking my head into the wall again.

Barely conscious, I felt the edge of something cool and sharp burn as it glided across my cheek.

His knife slashed my face again and again as I kicked and lashed out.

Warm blood dripped down onto my chest.

I faded from consciousness.