Sempre (Sempre 1)

“What about them?”

“Tess said they give the impression I don’t care, but I do. I just really like my Nikes.”

“I like them, too.”

He looked at her with the first genuine smile she’d seen grace his lips all evening.

* * *

The school gymnasium was decorated in white and gold, sparkling lights strung up all over the ceiling. A balloon archway greeted them inside, streamers and glitter covering everything. Carmine grimaced at the cheap decorations, while Haven was completely mesmerized. “It’s pretty,” she said, her words barely audible above the thumping bass of the song.

He chuckled at her enthusiasm. “Do you wanna dance?”

“I, uh . . .” She surveyed the crowd on the dance floor. “I’ve never danced.”

“Not true,” he said, pulling her in front of him with his hands on her hips. “We danced on Halloween.”

“That’s different,” she said. “You kind of just swung me in circles, and nobody was watching.”

“No one’s watching now.” He was lying. Eyes focused on them from all over the gym. “Besides, the only way to learn how to dance is by dancing, and I think I’m getting better at this teaching gig.”

They stopped along the edge of the crowd, and he pulled her against him, swaying them to the music. He leaned down with his lips beside her ear and sang along, his voice relaxing her.

Carmine moved her hips to the beat until she was able to keep rhythm on her own. She saw the curious onlookers watching, but Carmine’s warmth made her feel safe. They danced for a few songs before he led her over toward a table, grabbing two plastic cups and pouring punch in them.

They mingled with his classmates for a bit. Haven caught sight of Nicholas after a while with Lisa clinging to his arm. She avoided eye contact with him, focusing her attention on Carmine, but she could feel his gaze from across the room.

The punch eventually caught up to her, and she excused herself to use the restroom. She was washing her hands when the door opened, hostility filling the confined space as Lisa walked in. There was no way to leave without walking past her, so Haven shut off the water and took a deep breath. After drying her hands, she took a few steps in her direction.

“Excuse me,” she said, hoping she would let her go without trouble, but Lisa didn’t move an inch. “I’d like to leave.”

“I’d like you to leave too,” Lisa said. “Leave town, and leave Carmine alone.”

The way Lisa leered, getting pleasure from her pain, reminded Haven of Katrina and all the times she had kicked her when she was already down. There hadn’t been anything she could do about it then, but she didn’t have to take it anymore. Not here, not now. She wasn’t going to hand over control to people who wanted nothing more than for her to hurt.

“I said excuse me.” Haven took another step forward. Lisa didn’t move, so Haven bumped into her and grabbed the door. She swung it open and stepped out as Lisa gripped her shoulder. Haven turned around in enough time to see her make a fist.

Before Lisa could attack, arms jerked Haven away, and Nicholas absorbed the force of the punch in his chest. “Whoa, Laila Ali, watch where you’re swinging!”

Lisa sneered at him. “What did you call me?”

“She’s a boxer,” Haven said. “Muhammad Ali’s daughter.”

“Why are you talking?” Lisa asked, taking a step toward her. “Nobody asked you.”

“Hey now.” Nicholas tried to come between them, but he wasn’t quick enough. Lisa gripped Haven’s arm, tearing her corsage off and hurling it onto the floor. Nicholas intervened again, and Lisa stomped away as he picked up Haven’s flower.

She took it carefully as he smiled, but something was off about his expression, something that spiked Haven’s anxiety. “Is something wrong?”

“I’ve known the DeMarcos for a long time, you know,” he said. “We used to be close, and when you spend a lot of time with people, you learn things about them. Like . . . some of the stuff their family does.”

pouted off the words, not comprehending what she was saying until it was already past her lips and lingering in the air between them.

“I’m not that petty of a person,” he said.

“How am I supposed to know?”

“You’d have to trust me.”