Rei spent most of the evening by the punch bowl, glaring at Andi and brooding. How dare she! She must have had some sort of mind-reading power from the Negaverse and wore that costume just to piss her off!
"Hi Rei!" She whirled around to face Serena's friend Molly standing behind her. "Wow, you and Andi must be really great friends! You even wore the same costume to the party! You're like twins!"
Rei felt her cheeks turn fiery red and snapped at Molly. "It's not the same costume! SHE is a phoenix! I am a firebird! There's a difference, you know!"
"Oh gosh, Rei, I'm sorry. . . I didn't mean to upset you. . . Look, I'm just gonna go. See you later!" Molly hurried off, knowing that it was time to leave her alone. There was practically smoke coming out of her ears!
Chris was dancing with Andi while Fred had gone to talk with Paula. His hands rested on her waist and hers on his shoulders. But there was something different about him. It was as if he was seeing her up close for the first time as she carried on a friendly conversation. He seemed dazed. . . almost in awe of something. She giggled a bit and blushed as she averted her eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?" he said, sounding startled as if she had jostled him out of his thoughts. "Oh, sorry. Was I staring? I didn't mean to. I was just. . . thinking about something."
It was hard to tell if his expression showed apprehension, guilt, confusion, or some combination of the three, but there was no doubt that he was not himself. But before Andi could say anymore, Fred reappeared and cut in on their dance. Chris looked as if he resented it, but did not have the courage to stand up to Fred.
"Listen Fred," said Andi, stepping back from him on the dance floor with a frown. "Suddenly I don't feel like dancing anymore. I'm just gonna go sit down. Do you mind?"
"Are you feeling alright?" He moved closer to wrap his arm around her shoulders, but she pulled away from his touch. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing, Fred. I just. . . I need something to drink, that's all."
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"NO!" She said more sharply than she had meant to, but she didn't apologize. She turned and hurried over to the punch table.
Rei forced a smile as Andi approached. "Hi Andi...getting tired?"
"Yeah...I just needed to get some punch. Hey, check it out! We have the same costume! I guess it's true what they say: great minds really do think alike!"
Rei bit the inside of her cheek to keep from strangling the girl. "Here. Allow me. . ." She took Andi's cup and began filling it with punch from the bowl.
"Oh, thanks! Look Rei, I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm not sure exactly why, but. . . do you think we could just. . . start over and be friends?"
Suddenly, Rei just couldn't hold it in anymore. As she turned to hand Andi her punch, she pretended to trip and splashed the whole cup in Andi's face, while simultaneously stepping on the bottom of her dress, causing it to tear up the seam to a treacherous height.
"Oh god! I'm so sorry! Here, Andi, let me help you!" She grabbed a pile of napkins and began wiping Andi's face so roughly that it was only making it worse by smearing all of her make-up and completely destroying her mask. On top of that, in the scuffle, the tear in her dress grew until a large portion of it was ripped completely off, revealing more than modesty saw fit.
"STOP IT, REI!" Andi shrieked in outrage. "GET OFF ME! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!" She shoved Rei aside and tore out of the gym, running as fast as she could in her heels from the whispers and snickers of the crowd. Too mortified to stop, she did not even pause to wipe the tears from her eyes.
Fred smirked and turned to Paula and Chris. "Things are going better than we had hoped. . ."
"Hi Rei!" She whirled around to face Serena's friend Molly standing behind her. "Wow, you and Andi must be really great friends! You even wore the same costume to the party! You're like twins!"
Rei felt her cheeks turn fiery red and snapped at Molly. "It's not the same costume! SHE is a phoenix! I am a firebird! There's a difference, you know!"
"Oh gosh, Rei, I'm sorry. . . I didn't mean to upset you. . . Look, I'm just gonna go. See you later!" Molly hurried off, knowing that it was time to leave her alone. There was practically smoke coming out of her ears!
Chris was dancing with Andi while Fred had gone to talk with Paula. His hands rested on her waist and hers on his shoulders. But there was something different about him. It was as if he was seeing her up close for the first time as she carried on a friendly conversation. He seemed dazed. . . almost in awe of something. She giggled a bit and blushed as she averted her eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?" he said, sounding startled as if she had jostled him out of his thoughts. "Oh, sorry. Was I staring? I didn't mean to. I was just. . . thinking about something."
It was hard to tell if his expression showed apprehension, guilt, confusion, or some combination of the three, but there was no doubt that he was not himself. But before Andi could say anymore, Fred reappeared and cut in on their dance. Chris looked as if he resented it, but did not have the courage to stand up to Fred.
"Listen Fred," said Andi, stepping back from him on the dance floor with a frown. "Suddenly I don't feel like dancing anymore. I'm just gonna go sit down. Do you mind?"
"Are you feeling alright?" He moved closer to wrap his arm around her shoulders, but she pulled away from his touch. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing, Fred. I just. . . I need something to drink, that's all."
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"NO!" She said more sharply than she had meant to, but she didn't apologize. She turned and hurried over to the punch table.
Rei forced a smile as Andi approached. "Hi Andi...getting tired?"
"Yeah...I just needed to get some punch. Hey, check it out! We have the same costume! I guess it's true what they say: great minds really do think alike!"
Rei bit the inside of her cheek to keep from strangling the girl. "Here. Allow me. . ." She took Andi's cup and began filling it with punch from the bowl.
"Oh, thanks! Look Rei, I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm not sure exactly why, but. . . do you think we could just. . . start over and be friends?"
Suddenly, Rei just couldn't hold it in anymore. As she turned to hand Andi her punch, she pretended to trip and splashed the whole cup in Andi's face, while simultaneously stepping on the bottom of her dress, causing it to tear up the seam to a treacherous height.
"Oh god! I'm so sorry! Here, Andi, let me help you!" She grabbed a pile of napkins and began wiping Andi's face so roughly that it was only making it worse by smearing all of her make-up and completely destroying her mask. On top of that, in the scuffle, the tear in her dress grew until a large portion of it was ripped completely off, revealing more than modesty saw fit.
"STOP IT, REI!" Andi shrieked in outrage. "GET OFF ME! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!" She shoved Rei aside and tore out of the gym, running as fast as she could in her heels from the whispers and snickers of the crowd. Too mortified to stop, she did not even pause to wipe the tears from her eyes.
Fred smirked and turned to Paula and Chris. "Things are going better than we had hoped. . ."