by Sherri Renee
I was thankful to have the spotlight off me.
“I’m so glad to see you,” Michelle gushed. Tears shone in her eyes, and I understood how she felt. She was my very best friend. If the situation was reversed I would have been worried sick about her. I swiped at another tear that escaped.
“Thanks for calling Matt.” I said quietly before the other girls demanded hugs. Michelle smiled from me to him and nodded. “It was the least I could do for the class hero,” she teased, and I rolled my eyes.
Danny walked up behind her and put a hand on her back. I raised my eyebrows in surprise, and he just nodded happily in reply.
“Danny,” I started nervously, twisting my hands together. I needed to apologize to him. “I’m so sorry about the game and everything.”
He smiled at me, and I relaxed. “Michelle told me you were going to try to claim credit for the work of a crime syndicate. You might be a hero,” he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, “but I don’t see you as a criminal mastermind.”
He was teasing me. If I’d known him better I would have given him a huge hug. Instead, I settled for a smile. “Thank you.” I nodded, overcome with emotion so thick it clogged my throat.
Matt seemed to sense I needed some space. “Let’s go find the punchbowl. We’ll see you all in a little bit.”
“You’re at our table,” Michelle called as we started working our way through the crowd.
It took forever to make it to the punchbowl because every few steps someone stopped us to tell us what a great job we did last night. A few guys slapped Matt on the back with twinges of envy on their faces. I was sure any one of them wished they were the one who’d knocked out a criminal at the game.
I squeezed Matt’s hand and waited for him to answer a question before we were able to move on a few more feet. By the time we got to the punch bowl, I really was thirsty from all the talking I’d done in the last thirty minutes. I grasped the cup Matt poured and took a long drink of the fruity punch. It was cool and refreshing and eased my dry throat.
Matt took a drink of his punch and scanned the crowd before looking at me. “Are you glad you came?”
“So glad. I could never have imagined such a magical night.”
“Yep,” he took another drink, “I’d say you’re more popular than ever. I think you’re a shoe-in for prom queen.”
I glanced around the room filled with mostly familiar faces and shook my head. “Everyone’s being so great.” I lowered my eyes and looked up at him through my lashes. “But that’s not why tonight’s so special. It’s because I’m here with you.”
Matt put his arm around me and bent to kiss my head. “I thought you were such a snob when I moved in next door to you.”
“What?” I might have shrieked, totally caught off guard by the comment.
“Oh, yeah,” he grinned at me. “I’d try to wave at you if I saw you in school, and you’d stick that cute little nose in the air and walk right by like you couldn’t even see me.”
I gave a guilty laugh. “You noticed that, did you?”
“Of course I noticed the prettiest girl in school giving me the cold shoulder.”
“Well, I only did that because you were so full of yourself I didn’t want to add to your overgrown ego.”
“Overgrown ego?” He burst out laughing, and some people looked over with curious smiles wondering what the joke was.
“I might have been wrong,” I joked.
He tilted his head back and forth thoughtfully. “No, you were probably right.”
I gave a surprised laugh and swatted his arm. A slow song started and he took my cup from me and sat it down beside his on the table. “I’ve been waiting to get you on a dance floor since that party at Tony’s”
My entire body flushed as I remembered dancing for him as he’d watched from the edge of the crowd. He led me to the center of the floor and pulled me into his arms. I rested my cheek against his chest and closed my eyes.
The people disappeared around us, and it was just me and Matt on the floor moving in time to the music. I felt so full of happiness it was almost painful. I couldn’t believe how much things had changed from one night to the next. And while I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, for right now, I knew I was exactly where I belonged.
Coming Soon: Book 2 in the Forest Ridge High Series, High School Heartbreak. Did you love Michelle? You can read her story in High School Heartbreak.
I hope you loved reading Kristen’s story in High School Hero. Now please show her some love by taking a minute to leave a review!
