Categories > Original > Romance > Dancing with Death
I climbed into the car, blinking to keep my contacts moisturized and clear. I hadn’t even touched the subject of the dance. What had Gerard meant, he had a lot in common with this mythical god? Why had he seemed so…truthful when discussing the god’s lifestyle? Almost like…almost like he was confessing to something.
I glanced in my rearview mirror to see Gerard through the window of the coffee shop, staring at his computer without touching it. Then I put the key in the ignition and listened as it roared to life. Throwing it into reverse, I hit the gas and turned up my music. Then I drove out of there as fast as I could, considering the place had a 25 MPH speed limit.
I was home in time for dinner.
The next day I arrived at school early—a feat that is to this day unexplainable. I was sitting in my car, reading, when I heard a tapping on my window. I glanced up from the novel I’d been reading to see Tina peering in, her boyfriend Micheal standing behind her, a guy who had once made a barbaric comment about my boobs and I had since avoided him at all costs. I rolled down my window to face her.
“Hello, Sammy dear,” she smiled, sickly sweet.
“Can I help you? In case you didn’t realize, I’m trying to read here.”
“Well then, if you’re gonna be that way…”
“Don’t worry, I am. What do you want?”
“Have you asked him yet?”
I rolled my eyes. “No.” I put the window back up and, no matter how much she banged on it, didn’t roll it back down. I waited until she left, then hesitantly got out of the car, glancing around to make sure she wasn’t hiding behind the bushes.
When I got into homeroom, I noticed that Sarah wasn’t in her spot behind me. I knew she was here—the chick was never sick or late. She was better with time deadlines than me. I slunk into my spot before Ms. Isobel noticed I wasn’t on time. Hey, when your locker is on the other end of the hall from the classroom, and there’s a lot of people to talk to, it’s hard to make it in time for first hour.
“Ah, how nice of you to join us, Samantha. Will this be your fifth tardy this month?”
I sighed. “Sixth.”
She smiled. “You might just set a record. This one’ll land you in after school detention.”
She finally began today’s lecture, and I let my head hit the desk. My mom was gonna kill me. I glanced up through my thick veil of hair to see Gerard snickering at me. I had a sudden urge to smack him.
Later that day, I headed into prison, Mr. McMillian glancing up when I entered, nodding, not surprised in the least that I got detention. Again. I claimed a seat in the back, as alone as I could get, so no one could bug me. I pulled out a book and was absorbed in it when the door opened, and there stood Gerard. I rolled my eyes. He’d probably come to smirk at me some more. Instead, he leaned over McMillian’s desk, asking something in a voice so hushed I almost didn’t hear it.
McMillian nodded. “Just keep it down to a dull roar.”
Gerard met my eyes and claimed the seat next to me. “I found a book in the library,” he said in a hushed voice. He leaned over his bag and pulled out an old tome, its leather wrinkled with time. “It’s got a lot of stuff on Thanatos in here.”
“Okay. What’d you do to get yourself stuck in here?” I asked as he flipped through it.
“I decided not to show up for sixth hour history.”
I laughed quietly. “Nice.”
“Ah, here we are.” He pulled his desk closer to mine so we could share the book. He’d opened it to a page with a picture of a bearded man dragging a limp form along the grass. “Thanatos,” he said, pointing to the guy with the beard. “He’s claiming another victim. And here,” he said, turning the page. “There’s all kinds of stories about him.”
“First things first,” I said, grabbing my notebook from my bag. “Where does his story begin?”
As we pored over detail after detail of the god’s life, time passed. We were released from detention, leaving me to go home to my parents and try to explain why I was once again in trouble.
“You need a ride?” Gerard asked as we stepped into the frigid winter air.
“I got a car,” I said, pulling my coat up around my neck. “Why are you suddenly being nice to me?”
“Would you prefer I glared more?”
I looked up at him then. I could tell he wasn’t fooling around. Something had made him stop, and if I pushed it, he’d be back to staring at me like a squashed bug under his shoe.
“What is up with you? You made a complete 360 spin and now you’re threatening to spin right back?”
“Not exactly. I’ll see you around, all right?”
“Hey!” I called when he turned to walk away. “I got three pages of otherwise useless stuff on some Greek god named Thanatos. Are you gonna make me do this project alone?”
He didn’t even turn around.
I glanced in my rearview mirror to see Gerard through the window of the coffee shop, staring at his computer without touching it. Then I put the key in the ignition and listened as it roared to life. Throwing it into reverse, I hit the gas and turned up my music. Then I drove out of there as fast as I could, considering the place had a 25 MPH speed limit.
I was home in time for dinner.
The next day I arrived at school early—a feat that is to this day unexplainable. I was sitting in my car, reading, when I heard a tapping on my window. I glanced up from the novel I’d been reading to see Tina peering in, her boyfriend Micheal standing behind her, a guy who had once made a barbaric comment about my boobs and I had since avoided him at all costs. I rolled down my window to face her.
“Hello, Sammy dear,” she smiled, sickly sweet.
“Can I help you? In case you didn’t realize, I’m trying to read here.”
“Well then, if you’re gonna be that way…”
“Don’t worry, I am. What do you want?”
“Have you asked him yet?”
I rolled my eyes. “No.” I put the window back up and, no matter how much she banged on it, didn’t roll it back down. I waited until she left, then hesitantly got out of the car, glancing around to make sure she wasn’t hiding behind the bushes.
When I got into homeroom, I noticed that Sarah wasn’t in her spot behind me. I knew she was here—the chick was never sick or late. She was better with time deadlines than me. I slunk into my spot before Ms. Isobel noticed I wasn’t on time. Hey, when your locker is on the other end of the hall from the classroom, and there’s a lot of people to talk to, it’s hard to make it in time for first hour.
“Ah, how nice of you to join us, Samantha. Will this be your fifth tardy this month?”
I sighed. “Sixth.”
She smiled. “You might just set a record. This one’ll land you in after school detention.”
She finally began today’s lecture, and I let my head hit the desk. My mom was gonna kill me. I glanced up through my thick veil of hair to see Gerard snickering at me. I had a sudden urge to smack him.
Later that day, I headed into prison, Mr. McMillian glancing up when I entered, nodding, not surprised in the least that I got detention. Again. I claimed a seat in the back, as alone as I could get, so no one could bug me. I pulled out a book and was absorbed in it when the door opened, and there stood Gerard. I rolled my eyes. He’d probably come to smirk at me some more. Instead, he leaned over McMillian’s desk, asking something in a voice so hushed I almost didn’t hear it.
McMillian nodded. “Just keep it down to a dull roar.”
Gerard met my eyes and claimed the seat next to me. “I found a book in the library,” he said in a hushed voice. He leaned over his bag and pulled out an old tome, its leather wrinkled with time. “It’s got a lot of stuff on Thanatos in here.”
“Okay. What’d you do to get yourself stuck in here?” I asked as he flipped through it.
“I decided not to show up for sixth hour history.”
I laughed quietly. “Nice.”
“Ah, here we are.” He pulled his desk closer to mine so we could share the book. He’d opened it to a page with a picture of a bearded man dragging a limp form along the grass. “Thanatos,” he said, pointing to the guy with the beard. “He’s claiming another victim. And here,” he said, turning the page. “There’s all kinds of stories about him.”
“First things first,” I said, grabbing my notebook from my bag. “Where does his story begin?”
As we pored over detail after detail of the god’s life, time passed. We were released from detention, leaving me to go home to my parents and try to explain why I was once again in trouble.
“You need a ride?” Gerard asked as we stepped into the frigid winter air.
“I got a car,” I said, pulling my coat up around my neck. “Why are you suddenly being nice to me?”
“Would you prefer I glared more?”
I looked up at him then. I could tell he wasn’t fooling around. Something had made him stop, and if I pushed it, he’d be back to staring at me like a squashed bug under his shoe.
“What is up with you? You made a complete 360 spin and now you’re threatening to spin right back?”
“Not exactly. I’ll see you around, all right?”
“Hey!” I called when he turned to walk away. “I got three pages of otherwise useless stuff on some Greek god named Thanatos. Are you gonna make me do this project alone?”
He didn’t even turn around.
Sign up to rate and review this story