She woke up to her tear-stained pillow. She had lain in bed for countless hours the night before, just crying and feeling depressed.
Now we'll never be the same. He'll never want to be friends again. He couldn't even look me in the eye. He left so fast… but I still love him. He was so perfect. I think I'll always love him…
When she woke up, the tears began flooding down once again. Sorrow felt like a disease she had and couldn't get rid of no matter how hard she tried.
The ball was tomorrow. She had traveled all the way out there, all for nothing. Only a heartbreak.
Eventually, Drew's words played back in her head.
Sometimes you just need to take risks . . . If this guy cuts you out because you tell him you like him, then he's a jerk who was never worth being friends with…
"Well…" she thought, "I guess I'm kind of glad I took the risk instead of living with regret. But he's not a jerk and he didn't cut me out… I don't even know what this is or what to do with it. How can I even face him again? But I don't want him to feel bad… it's not his fault…"
She sighed. She really wanted to talk to Drew about all this. Where was he anyway? Why was he coming to Fall City?
What if I would've asked HIM to Fall Con…? ...Psh, yeah right. Dances aren't his thing.
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"You're amazing. I'll see you tonight," she said as she took the rose held out to her.
"See you tonight."
~.~.~
"I told you, I'm NOT going."
"Come on, May. Go out and have some fun. You don't need a date."
"I just can't do that, Solidad. I'm telling you, I'll be miserable. I need to get back to training."
"If you don't go, you might regret it for the rest of your life."
*Sigh*
"Just give it a try. If you hate it, what have you lost?"
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The lights were dim and moderately loud music was playing. There was a good amount of people there, but the arena was big enough that it didn't feel crowded. She entered alone, looking beautiful. Long red dress, black heels, hair in a bun, sparkling silver earrings.
"Hey there, gorgeous. You be lookin' fine. I bet you'll be reeling in ALL the boys tonight," a voice said. May turned around to find her sassy friend Nate standing there in a tux.
"Oh, hi Nate. It's nice to see you again."
"Likewise, sugarcakes. Hey, I gotta catch up with my bros over there, but you look beautiful, girl. Keep it up," he said loudly as he was walking away.
The night went on. She probably spent close to an hour sitting alone at one of the tables, just watching all the happy couples dance the night away.
Eventually, she caught sight of Drew from a distance. What was he of all people doing there? Dances aren't his thing!
She got up and went over to say hi. Before she approached him, she saw a girl go over and kiss him on the cheek. WHOA. What?
"Um… hey, Drew."
"What's up, May?" he said nonchalantly. "Oh, this is Liz."
The gorgeous woman by his side smiled at her and said, "Nice to meet you. Love that dress."
"Oh, thanks…"
"Are you here alone?" Drew asked.
"Yeah, I um… just wanted to check this out," she said shamefully.
Liz was nudging him towards the dance floor. "Well, hey, good seeing ya. Have a good night," he said as he walked off with his girlfriend. He was a little surprised, as he expected to see her with that guy she was talking about.
She went back to her table and watched those two dance. Drew wasn't too into it, to no surprise, but she couldn't deny that they looked cute together. She wondered what their story was. She thought about it, and soon began feeling frustrated. Disgusted, even. What's so great about HER? What makes her so special? What could he POSSIBLY see in her besides her supermodel good looks? She's not even that great…
Suddenly she snapped out of her trance. Her heart skipped a beat when she caught a glance of Sam across the room. Not thinking, she felt her body shoot out of her chair and found herself walking his way.
What am I doing? Why am I doing this? No! Stop! Turn around and sit back down!
Before she knew it she was face-to-face with him.
"Oh, hey May."
"Hey… how are you? …What brings you here? I uh… thought you'd be back training by now?" She rarely felt as awkward as she did in this moment.
"May… I-"
A woman came up to him and locked her arm with his. "Hey, you. Ready to dance?"
"May… this is Ellie. My… girlfriend."
Her heart sank. Girlfriend? Was he kidding right now?
May put on a fake smile. "Nice to meet you," and looked down.
Sam turned to Ellie and said, "Could you give us a second?"
"Sure. Love you," and she kissed him and went to the dance floor.
The two faces each other again and May folded her arms.
"So… girlfriend, huh? Guess it didn't take long for you to get back on the market…"
"It's only been a day. She came all the way out to Fiore from our hometown just to see me. May, I'm so sorry. I really am. She's been my best friend since we were kids… I really do love her."
May suddenly felt more angry than sad. She looked him straight in the eye and said, "You know what? Don't even worry about it. I hope you guys have lots of fun. Send me a postcard on your honeymoon."
She turned and walked away as quickly as she could. Sam felt bad, but he figured it couldn't be helped at this point, so he went and joined Ellie on the dance floor.
Sitting at the table again, she continued watching them. A romantic slow song came on. All the lovers were holding each other and gazing into each other's eyes. She watched Sam and Ellie. She watched Drew and Liz. All night, she had to watch them being all lovey-dovey with each other.
What's so great about Ellie? How could he choose her over me? She's not even that pretty. I bet she's a total snob. Just look at the way she- oh, who am I kidding? She's gorgeous. She's perfect for him. Way better than I could ever be…
She went into the bathroom, which was surprisingly empty. Locked herself in the handicap stall, leaned against the wall, and soon collapsed to the ground crying.
Why didn't he like me?
She sat in that corner sobbing for the rest of the night.
It was supposed to be a fun night with Sam. That's why she came to Fall City. But instead she was left alone somehow.
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The slow songs ended and the regular music resumed.
"I'm gonna go get a drink. Be right back," Drew said. He went over to the table May was at, only to find her gone. He looked around for a few moments, but she was nowhere to be seen.
"Looking for someone?" Liz's sudden presence behind him made him jump a little.
"Oh, uh, I was just seeing if May was still here."
"So… what's the deal with this May girl? You guys seem pretty close, am I right?"
"She's an old friend and rival of mine."
Liz was starting to look grim in the face. He had never seen her that way before. "Let me ask you a question, Drew. Why were you constantly looking over at her while we were dancing?"
"Oh…" he hadn't realized he was doing that until she mentioned it. "Well, she looked upset, and I was a little concerned, that's all."
But honestly, why was he doing that? Sure, she looked gorgeous and yeah, maybe he missed her, but so what? He had Liz. Why was he more interested in looking at May than at his girlfriend?
"Oh, come on, Drew! You're so full of it. You looked at her more than you looked at me. Why the hell did you ask me to this if you're in love with someone else?!"
She was starting to get a little scary. There was fire in her eyes. Who was this woman? It certainly wasn't the same person he fell for in Summerland. Now he was getting angry too.
"Calm down, Liz! You're assuming something that you know nothing about! You don't know May, and you don't understand the kind of relationship we have!"
"You know what? Maybe I don't. But neither do you. Screw you, Drew! Coming here with you was the dumbest thing I've ever done!"
With one more death glare, she stormed out.
And he was left alone somehow.
