The dance was already well underway when Mav arrived. He’d been in some major trouble when his parents found out about the tuck shop incident. In fact, they nearly forbade him to go to the dance. Mr Reaper had given them a call. Apparently, Wal had admitted to the theft and that Mav had been an unwilling participant. If it wasn’t for that, Mav probably would have had to stay home that night, but fortunately, for him, his parents decided to go easy.
‘You should have reported it right away,’ his mother had said. ‘Not kept it quiet. It meant you were an accessory.’
Mav still had no idea who had reported them, but his chief suspects were still Ben and Rex. Ben seemed like the most likely candidate due to his disdain for him, but then he couldn’t help but wonder whether it might be Rex too, after all Rex was an enigma. Mav still wasn’t sure he trusted him.
His father had been late back from work and Mav had relied on him for a ride. He was relieved when he finally arrived, but also nervous. Would Wal be there at the dance? Would Pete be there? Both of them may not be pleased to see him. For all Mav knew, Wal may have implicated Pete too, which would give his friend even more reason to be angry with him.
His first concern though was Craig McLeod. On arrival, he scanned the car park and buildings but saw no sign of him. With a bit of luck - maybe finding that Mav had not yet arrived - Craig had already left. That’s if he’d even turned up in the first place. Perhaps he had been hot air all along?
Mav found his fellow classmates and for a fleeting moment was a little concerned to see Holly dancing with Rex, but then it occurred to him that it might be best this way. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about juggling two dates in one evening. Now he could fully focus on Samantha.
As for Wal, he could see no sign of him, however Pete was there sitting with some of the other boys. When he saw Mav, he turned his eyes away. It made Mav sad to think that a guy he’d hoped would be a good friend of his now had only contempt for him now.
He immediately felt better when Sam advanced from the other side of the hall. ‘It’s about time you arrived.’
Mav pushed Wal and Pete from his mind and delivered her a big smile. ‘I’m touched. Most people can’t wait to see me leave.’
‘I thought that I might end up having to sit out the entire evening.’
‘Surely you’d have guys queuing up to dance with you?’
‘No, I think that everyone still thinks I’m with Craig. Either that or they’re afraid that he might get upset with them, which is silly really, because he’s not here.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Well, I haven’t seen him. If he did turn up, he’d soon get sent home, because he’s been banned from coming.’
Mav hoped that would be the case but didn’t hold up too much hope. He figured Craig would be smart enough to evade the teachers. He wanted to mention Wal too, another guy who would no doubt be out for him if he turned up. ‘You must be itching to get onto the dance floor huh? That’s assuming you didn’t bring any insect repellent.’
‘If you’d like a drink, I’m happy to sit down for a little longer.’
‘Wouldn’t mind actually.’
They had only just sat when Rex and Holly came in from the dance floor and made a beeline to where Mav sat. ‘Ah, Mav.’ Rex smiled. ‘We were wondering when you’d turn up. She’s all yours. Thanks for the dance, Holly.’
‘You’re welcome!’ She sat down next to Mav as Rex departed and peered across at Samantha with curiosity. Mav’s body tensed up and anxiety began to build. There was an uneasy silence and nobody seemed to know what to say.
‘So, Holly,’ Mav said, getting more and more uncomfortable with the silence. ‘You and Rex seem to be getting along just fine.’
‘He’s a really nice guy. A real honey.’ She regularly glanced at Sam with concerned curiosity in her eyes.
‘Ummmm,’ Mav said. ‘Have you two met?’
‘Not really,’ Sam said.
He quickly made introductions and although both girls greeted each other without any coldness, there was a definite air of tension.
Sam spoke up, ‘Look Mav, if I’m not wanted here, I’ll head back over to the other side of the hall. It’s ok, I don’t mind.’
That was the last thing that Mav wanted, but he dared not come out and say it. ‘No, don’t go.’
Holly frowned. ‘Well, you’d better dance with one of us. Who will it be?’
‘I...’ Confused thoughts rushed through Mav’s mind. Choosing one would undoubtedly send a message to the other over whom he most preferred. Things would be over before they started. He wished he could alternate between the two, but obviously that would not be acceptable to either girl. It might work for a guy like Rex, but not him.
‘Look,’ Samantha said. ‘You and Holly dance. I’ll be fine.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Sure,’ she said, but didn’t smile. ‘I’ll be fine.’ She rose to her feet and meandered back across the hall leaving Mav staring after her. He felt like she was walking out of his life and he could do nothing about it.
‘Mav?’
He turned back to Holly who gazed at him with pain in her eyes. He had to be strong and had to act as if nothing was wrong, that it was no big deal. ‘Holly, shall we dance?’ He smiled. ‘Seems like a rather silly thing to do at a school dance, but I’m game if you are.’
‘Sure.’ A glimmer of a smile crossed her face. ‘Why not?’
They advanced onto the dance floor and began to dance. At first, all was fine and Holly was all smiles, but Mav noticed Sam sitting with her classmates looking despondent. He began to feel guilty. She had probably hoped to form some kind of a relationship, but now it wasn’t going to happen and it was his fault. All because he couldn’t make up his mind as to whom he liked best.
Holly stopped dancing. She delivered a frustrated sigh and ran her hand through her hair, almost looking as though she was about to cry. ‘There really is something going on between you two isn’t there?’
‘Me and Sam?’ He paused. ‘No, there isn’t.’
‘Don’t lie to me, Mav. I can see by the way that you’re looking at her that you want to be with her rather than me.’
‘That’s not true, Holly.’
A deep frown came over her face. ‘If she’s the one that you want why don’t you just go and spend the evening with her instead?’ Holly turned and stormed off the dance floor. All Mav could do was stand there and gawp as she disappeared out the main exit.