Page 60 of Spiral
Henry notices me as the choreographed dance shuffles the stranger and I into his line of sight, and his expression immediately shifts from anger to dejection. To my surprise, he begins to push his way through the crowd towards me, dodging couples spinning and dipping and jumping as the song continues to blast through the speakers.
“Can I cut in?” he inquires, impatiently darting his eyes between us as he waits for the stranger boy’s response.
The boy swallows hard, his expression uncertain. “Uh, sure–”
“Thanks.”
Henry immediately takes his place, my hand barely untangling from the other boy’s fingers before he grasps me confidently, his touch tender and earnest.
“What are you here?” I snarl, my tone cutting. “You have a girlfriend.”
He spins me around, matching the movements of the other dancers, before gently pulling me back against him. His feet move quickly, as if he’s danced to this song a million times before.
“I don’t have a girlfriend, Georgia,” he asserts as he guides me through each movement instinctively.
I scoff, a lump forming in my throat.
“So, you came here to lie to me again?”
Tears form in my eyes, embarrassing me, and I swallow in an attempt to will them away.
“I would never lie to you.” He pauses for a moment to dip me to the music smoothly, like it’s second nature. “Can I please explain?”
I shake my head no, concentrating on keeping my tears inside my eyes where they belong.
Don’t cry here, Georgia – you’re supposed to be having the time of your life on a date with Todd Watson. Don’t let Henry hurt you again.
“Georgia–”
“I said no, Henry,” I snap, a single tear escaping as I groan in frustration. “You’ve hurt me enough as it is!”
“He’ll hurt you!” he pleads, nodding in the direction of Todd as we continue to step to the music, bodies intertwined. “That dude is fucking crazy, Georgia!”
“You’re fucking crazy!” I retort, the harshness of my voice stopping him in his tracks. We stand, unmoving, in the center of the dance floor. “Giving me that jersey, kissing me, lying to me about being with her!”
The tears are flowing freely now as I rush off, wiping each drop as it falls to avoid streaking my makeup. Henry follows me, grabbing my hand and turning me towards him as I step towards the front door.
“Everything was real, Georgia!” he asserts, his voice desperate. “Todd and Natalia hate me. They’re working together to ruin my life.”
I sneer, rolling my eyes at him.
“Yeah, right. You seriously think I’m gonna believe that? We’re adults, Henry! And I’m on a date with someone else!”
He swallows, his jaw clenching and eyes darkening as he notices Todd striding in our direction. He starts speaking rapidly, trying to get out every word before Todd makes it across the dance floor.
“Georgia, please listen to me. Watson was meant to be captain this year. Coach gave me his spot when the Mavericks said they’d sign me, and because Watson’s a drunk. Natalia’s been out to get me since the night you first came to my house. She came upstairs and tried to have sex with me, and I rejected her.”
He rakes his hand through his hair, a look of uncertainty clouding his demeanor, before continuing.
“When Watson ran into me on that field, he wasn’t trying to hit me. He was trying to hit you – because Natalia wanted revenge, and because Watson knew it’d destroy me to see you get hurt.”
He looks at me, desperate and vulnerable.
“Georgia,” he rasps, his voice gravely and low. “I haven’t been able to even think about another woman since the first day I saw you.”
35 | Henry
“ANDERSON, WHAT ARE you doing here?” Watson asks as he approaches, his eyebrow raised in pretend confusion.