"Reunion of Sorts"
Chapter 5:
Beth was talking to a group of old friends when she felt Luis grab her arm. In front of everyone, he asked, "Excuse me, can I talk to you for a minute?" His tone was kind but Beth could see through the act. His eyes menacingly locked with hers. She could only wonder why he resembled a wolverine at that moment. She nodded unsurely, feeling him hold onto her elbow as they walked out of the gym.
Once outside, Luis got straight to the point. "What's this between you and Caulfield?" he demanded.
She looked at him, agape. "We were talking," she protested.
"Is that all?" He looked about to explode in anger. "I saw the kiss!"
Her mouth opened in surprise, not sure what to say. Why did he care if she kissed another person? Sure, he was her date tonight, but she knew that didn't mean much. So why all this rage?
"Luis, you're acting like a jealous boyfriend. Which you're not. A boyfriend I mean. Did you forget that?"
"Did you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, baffled.
Despite his better judgment, he couldn't help but throw the next words in her face, even though he knew she could get very mad at them: "Why did you ask me to come with you to this, Bethy?"
She surprised him. She answered simply, as if in preparation for the question, she had previously formed a response. "I told you. For old time's sake."
"What's old time? We were together in the old time. So you asked me for the sake of fucking being together again?" His anger didn't diminish. So lost in his emotions, he lashed out. She silently thanked God that they were outside, where not as many people would hear or see them.
She brought her hands up to his arm, stroking them gently in an attempt to leash his temper. "Luis, we were also friends in the past. What's the matter with you?" It was said softly, as if she weren't mad at all.
"I don't understand why you didn't tell me about Steven Caulfield?!" he insisted.
She stopped massaging his arm. "There's nothing to tell. Not anymore. Not to you. I didn't tell you then, because it ended before we started, and I'm not going to tell you now."
"Caulfield said you chose me over him. It doesn't exactly sound like what you just told me. I deserve to know everything, Beth."
She stayed strong. She wouldn't cower under him. "Maybe you did then, but not anymore."
He fumed. "Now!" he exclaimed vehemently.
"No. You're not my husband or boyfriend so this doesn't concern you. I'm sorry, Luis, but you lost a lot of privileges to me when you dumped me for that rich bitch!" She finally released the anger inside of her. The anger she felt at Luis's betrayal of their love two years past. It had been bottled up far too long and was finally let loose that night.
He had to laugh at the irony of it all. He had just thrown something in her face and she had the gall to do it back to him. She wouldn't take that from him. Tit for tat. But other than that, he wouldn't allow her to speak that way of his girlfriend.
"Don't you talk that way about Sheridan!"
"Dammit, Luis, I'll talk as I please. I'm so angry, more than I've ever been with you. Leave me alone."
"I should have known you would act this way. Shit Bethy, why are you so damn stubborn?"
Her eyes flashed, with a new animosity that had been alien to her. "I hate you!" she hissed, running away. He had never before openly insulted her, and she wouldn't stand for it.
"You say that now but you know you can't live without me. Tell me, Bethy, the past two years have you been waiting for this party so you can claw your way back into my heart?" He called after her loudly, so she'd hear.
She turned around. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she walked back slowly to where he was. Seductively. Her hips moving every which way, to the side and back in a rhythmic pattern. He could almost picture her grabbing his face and leaning in for the kill er kiss. But she didn't. She slapped him hard on the cheek instead, playing him for a fool into thinking that she'd surrender to him like his sweet Sheridan would.
He watched her hand slowly reach up until it hit his cheek hard. Bethany Mariam Wallace sure knew how to slap a man silly! Despite her hitting him like that, an enticed passion seemed to grow inside of him at the woman who he was facing.
Instead of walking away, satisfied with her actions, Beth stood there, her eyes on Luis, practically challenging him to say something. Anything. And he did.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled. It always had been hard for him to apologize. It just didn't come easily to him, since he regarded it as a sign of weakness. But tonight, gazing back at Beth's brown eyes, he knew it wasn't the time to lament over such a weakness. He was clearly wrong, and besides he hated to see his Bethy get mad at him.
Still scowling, she looked away. Her teeth clenched, she whispered back an "It's okay." Her tone didn't comprehend with the fact that she forgave him, but he could see that she definitely had.
And just like that, their argument/fight/private conversation was over. No extra prefixes necessary betwen the two as they returned to the Harmony High gym. Luis's hand softly grazed Beth's before he finally got the nerve to hold on to it. And she let him, as they walked back inside.
"How about a dance?" he whispered into her ear.
"Sounds good, Luis," she nodded, falling into his embrace.
Her arms crept up to perch themselves just at the nape of his neck, while his hands sat comfortably on her waist as they swayed lightly to the soft, relaxing music.
Steven watched them with furious disgust. This was high school, all over again. He considered going between the two, breaking up their dance, cutting in. But that was juvenile, and he knew that Beth wouldn't ever give him the looks she was giving Luis at that exact moment. So why bother trying? Right? Wrong. He had to try - it was in his blood. Practice made perfect, try and you shall succeed.
Steven sighed. Why was Beth being so stupid? Why was she still keeping herself grounded to this love - this love that she could never again have with Luis? Maybe because she really loves him, he thought to himself. Maybe her love for Luis is like my love for her. Unyielding to anything in its path, never-ending. After all this time, Steven was still crazy for his first love, while Beth was the same, but for her second. Steven knew, deep down, that a conclusion should come to, to settle this problem once and for all. And he had just the thing.