Pride & Persistence

“Oh shut up, “ Anjya laughed as they walked through the front doors of the dance hall. Loud booming music that had built up until they crossed the threshold now crescendoed. Lights flashed, immediately painting Anjya and Ian in red, white, then yellow, then blue. She glanced around, the entire place more than a little crowded, but didn’t see Em right off the bat. “Dancing or mingling first?” She leaned up to call into Ian’s ear.

Anjya didn’t hesitate to follow, already bouncing to the beat with every step. By the time they were on the dance floor she had broken out into a full dance, one hand always in Ian’s though never the same for long. She had inherited her mother’s grace at least, which meant dancing was just another language in her repertoire.

“Let’s check over by the drinks!” Anjya agreed breathlessly, her eyes dancing even if her feet had calmed. Taking his hand she began to weave through the couples to the punch bowl table. A couple of bored chaperones were chatting off in the corner and a few teens, including some faces Anjya vaguely recognized as being upper class.

Anjya took her cup of punch and sipped it, her smile wide and her chest still heaving from dancing. Her attention turned to the couple now approaching - and she made sure to keep her smile easy and carefree at the sight of her former teammate.

“Hi Soph, nice dress.” She complimented, because she wasn’t about to stoop to the level of her former teammates or their silence that seemed required by Em.

“Thank you,” Anjya grinned Johnny’s way, ignoring the waves of hatred wafting from his date. She slid a hand onto Ian’s arm. “Ian look, they are doing pictures over there.” She pointed to the set up and finished her punch. “Let’s go get a picture.”

“I don’t know, it is kind of like they wanted to-“ Anjya trailed off as she heard a familiar laugh. A sweep of her gaze had it falling straight into Em who was currently off in the corner. She was in a tight dress that barely reached mid-thigh as well, but there was an extra sheer piece that fell to the floor. It was very fashion forward- but all Anjya could think of was dress mullet. Of course, her dress wasn’t what caught Anjya’s attention the most. It was Peter who was currently telling some animated story to a group of guys, Em doing her best to hang off him and laugh- a laugh that sounded as sincere as Em’s commitment.

“Smile.” Anjya reminded Ian, perhaps ten seconds before Em looked their way- but Anjya was already stepping over to the Photo Booth area with Ian, doing her best to ignore the bitch who hurt her best friend.

“Silly then serious.” Anjya laughed and elbowed Ian before she draped herself over Ian making a funny face herself. When the camera clicked she immediately switched to a sober expression. Another click and she grinned, hugging Ian for the sake of the photo.

“You have the pockets.” Anjya reminded Ian lightly before the music changed. She gave a gasp and grabbed his hand, hardly giving him time to grab the photos. “Dance floor!” She demanded and half dragged him to the center, determined to enjoy a favorite song.

This was the pattern. Dancing until they needed a breath, a glass of punch, greeting Ian’s friends and receiving dirty looks from any girl from the pep squad. Em obviously was doing her best to put on a show as well, dancing with Peter - once- it seemed dancing wasn’t really his thing, but hanging with guys from the swim team was.

It was one of the breaks from dancing that had Anjya finally breaking her promise to Ian about staying by his side. It was for a good reason, of course- she couldn’t exactly bring him into the girls’ restroom. Anjya glanced at her reflection once before disappearing into a stall, seeing her hair was holding up decently, and her smile was wide. The bathroom was surprisingly empty.

“-can’t believe he brought that sophomore.” The sound of the door opening was accompanied by at least three sets of feet. Anjya paused in adjusting her dress in the stall, her ears perking up. There was only one sophomore at this dance.

“Oh please, it’s just a front.” Another voice, familiar, pep squad. The owner of the voice joined the stall by Anjya while another laughed and went into another.

“What do you mean?” A girl at the sink questioned.

“Em told me not to say.”

A snort escaped from a third girl.

“Oh c’mon. You couldn’t keep a secret if it would kill you.”

Snickers and laughter. Anjya was silently egging the girl on herself.

“Pfft, you’re right. Fine. Ian apparently…well…he swings for the other team.”

Anjya suddenly scowled, slipping her fingers over her lips to keep in an outraged noise. A girl gasped, the other-

“What? Like for the Raiders?”

There was silence then laughter.

“Like for men, you dingus.” The first girl left her stall. All three burst into laughter. Anjya waited for them to leave, a heat building deep in her chest. She stepped out of the stall, checking that none of them were left as she went to the sink to wash up. Her mind was racing. How dare that bitch. Anjya had known Em would spread something- but this?? She looked at her reflection , heard starting to turn. The anger her mother always attributed to the Italian in her built. A roar filled her ears.

So that was how Em wanted to play it?

Every step from the mirror to out of the bathroom, past the punch and through crowds of teens that seemed to part for Anjya like the Red Sea, built the roar louder in Anjya’s ears. There wasn’t much thought, because if there was- she certainly wouldn’t be making this move. She certainly would have taken a pause before following her instinct as she approached Ian, right where she had left him. She certainly would have run a plan by him first- and he probably would have said no. She certainly would have…

But temper had the reigns. So as she stepped up to Ian, her hands lifted up to his chest. It was that movement one might make to get their date to lean down to hear them whisper- but then her hands were tangling in his hair, and instead of her lips finding his ear, they were on his mouth- and the most heated kiss that Anjya could muster was now taken from her best friend, lips parted, tongue delving, body pressing against Ian’s like Anjya wanted to climb inside him. There was a demand in her form, that he didn’t break this, or ruin it.

Then it shifted.

Something in Anjya clicked, and the kiss transformed, it softened, her fingers loosened and slid more gently through his hair, the roar in her ears turned into a pounding- a heat licked up her belly-

Anjya finally broke the kiss, breathless. Her lips were swollen, the red gloss that she had painstakingly picked now smeared on her best friend’s lips. Reality began to sink in, at what she had just done- maybe a second before Em shoved past the group with angry stomps, a trail of pep squad girls following after her.

Anjya stared back up at Ian, her breath falling a bit more roughly from between open lips. She caught his smile, and a familiar flush began to heat her neck and collarbone. Vaguely she was aware the kiss had done its job- though there was a finish line still to cross. Vaguely, she knew Em had stormed past and that Ian's friends had all cheered him on...

But her heart was thundering in her chest told her the kiss had potentially done more than she had intended. Anjya had irreversibly split a path, in a way she couldn't yet see or fathom the consequences of.

"...Outside... yeah..." She finally breathed out, rapidly breaking the eye contact Ian held so she could find her bearings. She spied the doors open to the outdoor courtyard and took Ian's hand from one of her hips, using it to guide him through the crowd. Someone shouted some kind of encouragement to Ian, Anjya's pulse throbbed. She led Ian outside- then, seeing a bunch of classmates out by the water fountain, she was quick to pull him into the 'maze' the class council had made with cheap plywood boards painted to look like hedges. She took one turn, and then another, until she suddenly was met with a dead end-

As private as it would come-

Anjya turned on her heel abruptly to face Ian, caught sight of the gloss still on his lips and quickly grabbed the hankerchief from his jacket pocket, offering it up to him like it was hers to offer. "You have something- there-" she explained, not meeting his eyes as she waved towards her own lips.

Anjya let out a breathless laugh, even as her cheeks superheated. “Of course-“ she paused as she looked at him. A noise escaped her. “I can’t with you covered in lip gloss-“ she reached up and wiped the most offending pieces of gloss from his face. Avoiding his eyes, she began to explain. “Of course there was a reason,” her voice was soft, even as her heart still began to thud. “I wouldn’t just accost you without your permission if there wasn’t… Em is spreading a rumor about you…” she finished cleaning him up.