Aglow

by Michelle Pennington

  Approaching the double glass doors, Ashley could faintly hear music playing, and when Mark opened the door, the strains of a popular song poured over them. She looked up at Mark, excited to go dance, and he smiled back at her with the same enthusiasm. They hung their coats up in the foyer, and Ashley left Mark and Shawn to go check her hair in the bathroom, worried that the snow might have ruined it.

  The bathroom was packed with girls trying to get in front of the big mirror set behind the sink. Ashley managed a quick glance and saw that her hair was fine except for a few wet strands that would dry. She retouched her lip gloss and popped a mint in her mouth.

  As she was leaving, she ran into an old friend who talked to her as she walked back to the foyer to put her clutch in the roomy pocket of her coat so she wouldn’t have to bother about it again. The girl went to greet someone else who was coming in, so Ashley walked to the gym alone.

  When she got there, she saw that the decorations were sparse, but Ashley knew it was because the dance had been thrown together last minute. At least cleanup would be easy. She looked around for Mark and finally spotted him dancing with Kari.

  Her heart fell as she saw Mark’s arms around her, a faint smile hovering on his lips. She realized that she was standing in someone’s way and moved off, not sure where to go. She was drifting towards the back wall when she heard someone say her name. She stopped and tried to figure out who it was. Her eyes eventually focused on one of her old friends, Andy Mozer.

  When he saw that she’d located him, Andy said, “Hey there. I heard you were back.” His smile was friendly as he continued. “You look different than the last time I saw you. You look good.”

  Ashley’s ego was already smarting so she didn’t take this well. “Gee, thanks.”

  “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean you didn’t look good before. You just look different, like more grown up or something. Want to dance?”

  Andy hadn’t been exactly flattering, but she didn’t want to stand around like a wall flower while Mark was dancing with Kari. Anyway, maybe it would be good for Mark to see someone else paying attention to her and Andy was certainly attractive.

  As they began dancing, Ashley’s eyes were drawn to Mark. She and Andy were dancing behind him and she noticed that he seemed to be looking around instead of paying attention to Kari. She hoped he was looking for her.

  “Ashley!”

  She realized with a start that Andy was talking to her. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

  “Well, not to me anyway,” Andy said, motioning with his head to Mark. “Don’t tell me you’ve already got a thing for Ellison?”

  Ashley ignored him and asked, “So, what have you been up to? Are you done with school?”

  For the rest of the dance, they caught up on the years since high school. It was pretty funny to Ashley, because she couldn’t help but be aware that Andy was interested in her. He’d never shown much interest when they were teenagers.

  Unfortunately for Andy, he was not a good dancer. He did nothing but turn in a slow stationary circle the entire song. As subtly as she could manage, she prompted him to take a few steps in another direction to relieve the cramp in her right side. She was immensely relieved when the song ended.

  The last notes were still dying away as they walked off the dance floor. She was surprised when Mark appeared at her side a few seconds later. “There you are,” he said. “I wondered where you’d gone.”

  “Andy asked me to dance,” Ashley told him. Mark nodded his head at Andy, but his expression was a little frosty. She wasn’t feeling so friendly herself when Kari made her way back to Mark’s side.

  Kari smiled sweetly at Ashley and said, “What a sweet little dress, Ashley. It looks like one my mom wears, only hers is green. Mark, why don’t you dance with Ashley this dance? She can’t know many people here anymore, and I need to go check on the refreshment table anyway.”

  If anything could have made Ashley not want to dance with Mark, it was doing so at Kari’s suggestion. Especially since Kari was making it clear that she intended to monopolize Mark the rest of the evening. But Mark was holding his hand out to her and she couldn’t say no to him.

  He reached for her to begin dancing, and a tingle went up her spine as he put his right hand on the small of her back. His other hand clasped hers and she realized that she’d never before been so aware of the person she was dancing with.

  Mark leaned close and said, “I guess you’ve known Andy for a while.”

  “Yah, I’ve known him since we were kids. I haven’t seen him much since high school.” Ashley was nervous so she just kept talking. “He said that I looked grown up now.” She laughed nervously, frustrated at how gauche that had sounded.

  She considered it a backward compliment, so she was surprised when Mark said, “Yeah, I saw the way he was looking at you.”

  “How was that?”

  “Like he wouldn’t mind having you all to himself. I’m not going to let that happen though.”

  “I’m glad,” Ashley told him, softly.

  Mark turned out to be a great dance partner. He held her firmly and directed her with confidence and a natural rhythm around the floor. She was such a good dancer herself that it was a relief that he was too. Of course, with his handsome face to look up at, she probably would have enjoyed dancing with him regardless. Just not as much.

  Ashley relaxed and drifted along wherever he took her. The music was tender and so was the look on Mark’s face as he gazed down at her.

  All at once, barely giving her time to react, he swung her around just as a rowdy couple collided with them. Because he had been so quick to move her away, Mark took the impact instead of her. For a moment they were pressed close together, and Mark’s arms came protectively around her.

  After the other couple had laughingly apologized and moved off, Mark told Ashley, “It’s a good thing you’re so light on your feet.”

  “It’s a good thing you were paying attention,” she returned.

  He looked a little guilty. “I wasn’t. If I had been, I might have avoided them completely. I just happened to look up in time to get you out of the way. You really need to stop distracting me,” he told her with a nearly straight face. Once again, his dimples gave him away, since they nearly always preluded a smile.

  “I’m not doing it on purpose.”

  “Then heaven help me if you ever do,” he said as the music ended.

  The next song was a fast song, and Ashley wasn’t surprised that Mark didn’t seem interested in dancing to it. In fact, there were only a couple of guys who were. One of them was Shawn. He’d never been shy when it came to dancing. The crowd of dancers was almost entirely girls. She didn’t feel the least bit tempted to join them though. She much preferred staying with Mark. Besides, she wanted to be close at hand in case Kari came hunting for him.

  In that moment, Ashley realized that she wasn’t just attracted to Mark, she was falling in love with him. There was no doubt that he was gorgeous, but as she’d spent more time around him, his looks had begun to pale next to the warmth of his heart and the strength of his character. Ashley remembered her mom’s words from the night before. Mark was worth risking her heart for.

  And she’d be darned if she’d let Kari have him easily.

  The next song that played was a waltz, though she doubted anyone else but Shawn would realize that. She wished that she could dance it with him, but that would mean leaving Mark.

  She was just thinking, “Oh well,” when Mark turned to her and asked, “Do you know how to waltz?”

  “Yes. Do you?” she asked incredulously.

  “I do, thanks to my sister Valerie. She coerced me into taking a ballroom dancing class with her one semester. She said that girls liked a guy who could dance.”

  “Well, she was right. Let’s do it.”

  No longer wondering how Mark could dance well, she followed his lead through the basic steps for a few bars before he moved on to some more interesting steps. She
’d never done some of the passes he led her through, but she quickly picked them up. By the end of the dance she was feeling a bit dizzy from all of the spinning, but since Mark kept his arm around her waist as they walked over to some chairs to rest, she was able to enjoy the sensation.

  Ashley sat down, but Mark remained standing. She looked up at him questioningly. He smiled at her and asked, “Would you like something to drink?”

  “Actually, I would.”

  “Ok, I’ll be back soon.”

  She watched him walk away through the crowd. It was truly remarkable how someone of his size could walk with so much grace. Every move he made was athletic. Taking hold of herself, she tore her eyes from the object of her fascination and saw Shawn coming towards her with a girl she didn’t know.

  As they got closer, Ashley was able to see more of the girl’s features. Her hair was almost black and curled naturally into tight ringlets that bounced around her shoulders and quivered around her face. Her skin was startlingly fair in contrast to her hair, but it glowed with rosy color at her cheeks and lips. From the smile on Shawn’s face as he looked down at her, Ashley guessed that this must be Erin. Ashley smiled a sincere welcome as they took seats next her.

  “Hey, Ashley. I brought Erin to meet you.”

  “It’s about time,” Ashley said teasingly. She turned to Erin and said, “I hope you don’t mind if I say how gorgeous your hair is. But you probably get told that all the time, don’t you?”

  Erin smiled and pulled deprecatingly on a curl while she rolled her eyes. The strand was almost a foot longer when pulled straight. It bounced back into its tight curl as soon as she let go of it. “Yeah, well, it’s kind of flashy and it’s so much work to keep it under control. I’d love to have beautiful straight hair like yours.”

  Thinking of the time she’d spent coaxing curls into her straight hair, Ashley couldn’t help but laugh at the comment. “I guess we all want something we can’t have.”

  Apparently bored by this turn of conversation, Shawn got up and said that he would be right back. When he was a few steps away, Erin leaned closer to her and said quietly, “Speaking of wanting what we can’t have, I’ve never seen such a bitter expression on Kari Allen’s face. Way to go.”

  Ashley must have looked as startled as she felt because Erin continued, “I know it doesn’t seem very kind of me, but it’s kind of nice to see that something can upset her. Maybe she’s human after all. Mostly she walks around smiling like someone in a toothpaste ad.”

  A little bewildered to be having such a conversation with a girl she didn’t know, Ashley just looked at her. Finally curiosity got the better of her though and she asked, “I’m sorry, but what are you talking about?”

  “Well, Shawn told me that you and Mark are dating.”

  Ashley felt a blush warm her cheeks and she hoped it wasn’t noticeable in the dim light. “Not exactly.”

  “Well, what are you waiting for? If you don’t grab him while you can, Kari will get him.”

  Amazed at such blunt advice, Ashley barely managed to reply, “Mark has some say in who he dates, you know.”

  “Of course, but it’s pretty obvious he’s nuts about you. I’ve been paying attention, you see, because I’ve been waiting for someone to throw a wrench in Kari’s plans.”

  “Did Kari do something to upset you?”

  “Not me directly – a friend of mine. When she moved here a few months ago, she sized up all the single guys in the stake and settled on my friend Ben as the best there was in this back woods place. He was totally nuts for her. I mean, you have to admit that she’s gorgeous. She’s not so pretty inside though. As soon as Mark moved here, she no sooner got a look at him than she dropped Ben flat. She’s done nothing but chase after Mark ever since. I’d always wondered why she hadn’t gotten much traction with him until I saw the way he was watching you when you were dancing with Andy. If he’s paying that much attention to another girl while dancing with Kari, I’d say she can’t have much of a chance with him.”

  Ashley started to speak, but realized that she didn’t know what to say so she just sat there with her mouth partially open. She was thankful to see Mark and Shawn walking back towards them. Each of them carried two drinks in one hand and a plate of cookies in the other. Ashley thanked Mark as she took one of the cups from him and took a sip. It was lemonade that was so cold it was slushy. It was wonderfully refreshing and she’d finished it all before she realized it. She looked at her cup as if it had disappointed her in some way.

  She heard a deep chuckle next to her and saw that Mark was watching her as he ate his cookies. Before he took another bite, he asked, “Would you like some more?”

  She didn’t want him to have to go wait in line for her again, but she was pretty sure that he would insist on it if he knew how badly she wanted some, so she said, “Um, no. Not right now, thanks.”

  “Ok, just let me know. Want a cookie?” She refused, knowing it would make her thirstier.

  Just then, the country ballad that had been playing ended and the first notes of an old swing filled the air. She jumped up excitedly and said, “Hey, Shawn, you wanted to swing, right?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she looked at Erin and said, “Or maybe you were going to dance with Erin?”

  Erin waved her hand in denial. “Go ahead. I’m fine sitting this one out.”

  Ashley smiled her thanks at Erin and followed Shawn out to the nearly empty dance floor. As they found the rhythm, Shawn said, “Erin is still learning. She’s picking it up quickly, but it’ll be fun to dance with someone who already knows how.”

  “Yeah, but I’ll have trouble with my heels.”

  “Take them off.”

  “No, I’ve got pantyhose on and I’d ruin them.”

  Not too sympathetic, Shawn said, “Well do your best.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him, but soon got the hang of the steps in her heels. Before long, they were flying around through the whole repertoire of their moves. Towards the end of the song, they did a lift where he held her by the waist, bounced her off his bent knee, and swung her feet backwards until she was practically vertical and upside down. Because she was lighter and Shawn was stronger than the last time they’d danced together, she almost rotated completely around. At the critical point of no return, she hung for a precarious second in the air, but they managed to gain control in time to bring her safely back down before either she or her skirt fell. When she was steady on her feet again, with no injury to her person or her modesty, they paused to recover after the near accident, laughing now that it was over.

  She glanced over at Mark and saw him standing as if poised to rush to her rescue. He didn’t look as amused as they were. She mouthed, “I’m Ok,” to him and when he nodded, she finished the dance with Shawn.

  Afterwards, they walked back while teasing each other over mistakes, but they had both enjoyed themselves. Mark was still standing as they approached, and Ashley saw him send a look to Shawn that had a hint of anger to it. He didn’t say a word, but Shawn knew him well enough to recognize it.

  “Look man, I’m sorry. It was an accident.” Shawn told him. “See, she’s ok.”

  Mark still didn’t say anything, but he shook his head at Shawn. His expression was a bit friendlier now though, so Ashley didn’t worry about it anymore. It was a nice feeling to have Mark being so protective of her. At some point during the dance, Mark had gotten her another cup of lemonade. He held it out to her and she took it gratefully.

  “Oh, thank you. That’s perfect.”

  The next song was another slow love song, so Ashley bent to put her empty cup on the floor, eager to dance with Mark again. As she stood up though, Kari came out of the crowd and confidently approached Mark. “I’m back. Sorry that took so long. I hope you weren’t bored without me.”

  “Not at all,” Mark said. He looked uncomfortable, but he was smiling. Ashley tried to figure out if it was just a casual, friendly smile or something more affectionate.
Before she could reach a conclusion, Kari grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her onto the dance floor.

  As they walked away, Kari looked back at him with a sultry flutter of her eyelashes, “Well, it’s time for you to have some real fun.”

  Ashley couldn’t watch so she went to throw away their used cups and plates. That didn’t take nearly long enough, so she decided to go to the bathroom as well. There was only one other girl in there, and she was gone by the time Ashley was washing her hands, so she didn’t feel like such a dork leaning against the counter and staring at the opposite wall waiting for the time to pass.

  She gave herself a pep talk and tried to prepare herself to face any snide or possessive comments Kari might throw her way. She had no way to judge the time however, so she only left when a group of girls came in and she heard through the open door that a new song was playing.

  She hurried back into the cultural hall, slowing her steps to look unconcerned as she drew closer to Mark and Kari. They were standing close together, but when Mark saw her coming he took a step backwards. His smile welcomed her even if Kari’s didn’t.

  “There you are,” he said in a soft, pleased voice. “Want to dance?”

  “Sure, but the song is half-way over.”

  “That doesn’t matter. I’m sure there will be another one after that.”

  Ashley enjoyed the angry pinch that settled around Kari’s lips when Mark’s back was turned. Perhaps it was mean of her to enjoy such a small victory at Kari’s expense, but Kari’s earlier comment about her dress was still smarting.

  Enfolded in Mark’s arms, Ashley glanced around for Kari and saw that she hadn’t moved. She watched them with glaring eyes that sent a shiver down Ashley’s spine. She had no idea how Mark felt about either one of them, but she knew that Kari’s feelings for him were as decided as hers were.

  Ashley was pretty sure that the girls must have gotten control of the playlist, because for the next half hour, it was one slow dance after another. Mark seemed to enjoy dancing with her, but Kari broke in every other dance. Luckily, Andy always seemed to be on hand, ready to dance with her when Mark wasn’t so she didn’t have to stand around looking pitiful. During one of these dances, she saw that Mark’s eyes were almost constantly on her and Andy, and he lost no time making his way over to them when the song ended.