Devils Roses 01 - Cursed

together, like boyfriend and girlfriend together. Are we there yet?”
    I nodded. “Yeah.” I knew I had another door to close before we were completely there, but I wanted him more than anything else.
    We stopped dancing and walked to the punch table where two parent chaperones stood watch. I smiled at them as Shane got us both a drink. I watched him drink his before I had any. He smiled, knowing what I was doing. “It’s safe, Aimes—that’s Becky Magee’s mom, she’s a Baptist.”
    I drank the punch.
    We went and sat at a table where my sister and Blake were sitting with a few other people.
    I smiled at Shane. “So the police force... I watched a show on it once. It was brutal. It’s like the marines. Police boot camp is savage, but the guys seemed so confident and proud of their accomplishments there. Are you excited?” I asked, trying to keep the conversation light.
    “ I saw that one too. It looked pretty intense. Yeah, I’m excited, but I have a long process before I'm in.”
    I wanted to encourage him; his parents were living for themselves and he had such potential. It would be a shame for him to spend his life in our little town.
    I looked down the table at Blake, who looked happy talking to my sister. She looked partly mystified and the rest happy.
    The girl next to us was named Nadine, she was one grade behind us. Her boyfriend, William, was in graduating with us. She smiled at me, as Shane started talking to Tommy who was beside him. My sister tried to be discreet as she eyeballed Tommy and then me.
    I nodded slowly, as if not responding to her. We both were watching him, when Nadine whispered to me, “You look pretty. I didn’t even recognize you. You look like a model. Like your sister.” It was a backhanded compliment, but I knew she meant well.
    I smiled at her. “Thanks. You do too.” Her long brown hair was pulled up into a French twist and her yellow-satin halter dress was very form fitting. She looked amazing for a sixteen-year-old, more like twenty-five. I assumed that was the point.
    “ Have you heard how Jaime is doing?” she asked.
    I shook my head. “No, I have been meaning to go see her. Have you heard?”
    She nodded. “Yesterday I heard, she woke up but that she doesn’t remember anything. She seems to be on the mend, I guess. Kind of creepy, huh—the whole thing?”
    I nodded, watching Tommy talk to Shane. His lips were full and thick. He had crooked teeth in the front. He had a very tiny mole on his left cheek, low on his face. None of which, the rapist had. Tommy was creepy enough to do a lot of things, but I could never believe him to be that creepy.
    The dance was a booming success, not that I had anything to compare it to. My sister appeared to be having a great time with her friends. I worried about Blake though. At one point he made eye contact with me. He looked uncertain of his surroundings, but also of us. I smiled, hoping to reassure him we were fine. It was a conversation that was eventually going to have to happen, but not right then.
    I was starting to feel light-headed and excused myself to go to the bathroom. I couldn’t focus my eyes and I was starting to sweat a little. Shane gave me a worried look, but I shook my head at him and walked toward the bathroom.
    Mr. Mac walked toward me smiling. “Hey kid, you look a little pale. You feeling okay?”
    I nodded. “Yeah, just still a bit weak, I guess. Who knows how long that’s going to last."
    “ You’ve had quite the year, haven’t you? Well take it easy.”
    He frowned at me like my dad did sometimes. Usually when I got caught for going along with whatever bad idea my sister had convinced me of.
    I walked around the corner to the girl’s bathroom. I barely made it into the bathroom, when I started to pass out. I felt a warm breeze and slipped into Aleksander's arms. I couldn’t see him. My world went black.
    Everything was dark and calm and then I heard a voice. “Aimee, please wake up. Please or I’m taking you back to the hospital. Please wake up.” I felt my lips curl up into a smile. I could feel his warm touch on my arm. I was safe as long as he was there.
    I strained to open my eyes, but the focus took longer than I expected. “Aleks, you're here?” I knew the answer but I needed to be sure I wasn’t dreaming.
    My eyes fuzzed out and then focused on his worried face. “Yeah, I’m here baby. Just hold onto me. Did you drink anything at the dance?”
    I shook my head. “Just