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event.
I nodded. And a very secular one. Well, aside from attempts to merge it into All Saints
Day.
He smiled at me. I smiled back. We were safely in familiar academic territory.
You want to check out the punch? I asked. Some fast, bass-heavy song was on, drawing
lots of people to the dance floor. Fast dancing wasn t really my style. I didn t know Brayden s
take and was afraid he might want to join in.
Sure, he said, looking relieved to have a purpose. Something told me he d been to as
many dances as I had: none.
The punch provided us with a reason to discuss sugar vs. artificial sweeteners, but my
heart wasn t into it. I was too concerned about something else. Brayden hadn t said one word
about my dress, and it was filling me with anxiety. Was he as shocked by it as I had been?
Was he politely holding back his true thoughts? I could hardly expect compliments if I wasn t
giving them, so I decided to take the plunge.
Your costume s great, I said. That s from the theatrical company, right?
Yes. He glanced down and smoothed out the folds of his tunic. Not entirely accurate, of
course, but it ll do. The tunic was knee-length, pinned on one shoulder, and made of very
light, off-white wool. He had a woolen cape over it dyed in a dark brown that was accurate to
the time period. Even with the cape, a fair amount of his arms and chest were exposed, showing
a runner s body with a lightly muscled build. I d always thought he was cute, but it wasn t
until this moment I realized he might actually be hot. I expected that to trigger a stronger feeling
in me, but it didn t.
He was waiting for me to say something. Mine s not entirely, um, accurate either.
Brayden studied the red dress in a very clinical way. No, he agreed. Not at all. Well, the
cut s not that far off, I suppose. He thought for several moments more. But I still think it s
very pretty on you.
I relaxed a little. Coming from him, very pretty was high praise. While he often had a lot
to say about every other topic, he was thrifty with words when it came to emotions. I shouldn t
have expected anything more than a simple statement of facts, so this was a big deal.
Whoa, Melbourne. Where have you been hiding? Trey strolled over to us and began liberally
filling a cup with the fluorescent green punch. You look badass. And hot. He shot
Brayden an apologetic look. Don t take that the wrong way. Just telling it like it is.
Understood, said Brayden. I couldn t help a smile. Trey had been behaving weirdly
around me for the last day or so, and it was nice to see him back to usual form.
Trey gave me another admiring look and then turned back to Brayden. Hey, check it out.
We both went for togas. Romans rule! He held up a hand to high-five Brayden but didn t receive
it.
This is a Greek chiton, Brayden explained patiently. He studied Trey s homemade toga,
which looked suspiciously like it had been made from a bed sheet. That s, um, not.
Greek, Roman. Trey shrugged. What s the difference?
Brayden opened his mouth, and I knew he was about to explain exactly what the difference
was. I quickly rushed in. Yours looks good on you, I told Trey. Looks like all those
hours of weight training paid off and I finally get to see the tattoo.
Like Brayden s, Trey s tunic was draped over one shoulder, giving a glimpse of his lower
back. Trey, like half the school, had a tattoo. But unlike the rest, his hadn t been part of the
high-inducing, sinister vampire blood ones that had swept the student body. Trey s was a sun
with highly stylized rays. It had been done in normal, dark blue tattoo ink. Eddie had told me
about it, but I d never gotten a look at it before, seeing as Trey didn t really go shirtless around
me.
Some of Trey s enthusiasm dimmed, and he turned slightly, keeping his back away from
us. Well, it s pretty softcore compared to yours. Nice to see it out again, by the way.
I absentmindedly touched my cheek. I usually covered the golden lily with makeup at
school, but I figured here at the dance, I could claim it as part of the costume if any teachers
grilled me about the dress code.
Another fast song came on, and Trey brightened again. Time to show off my moves. You
guys coming? Or are you going to supervise the punch all night?
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