His Eyes by Renee Carter Page B

awkwardly returned Mrs. Edmund’s hug. I felt strange being complimented at Tristan’s graduation. Once she released me, I gestured at Tristan with my head. She frowned at me, as if wondering if I was developing some kind of twitch. Then, finally, I saw the light bulb go on and she said, “Tristan, your father would have been so proud of you!”
    Tristan shifted his weight and replied sarcastically, “Yeah, I’m just this really brave guy who can’t walk on his own or tell what he’s about to drink.”
    So I guess he hadn’t quite forgotten about that rehearsal thing. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and sighed. Mrs. Edmund and Chris were standing in awkward silence. Suddenly Marly, who was obviously not too clear on what was happening, cried, “I love you, Tristan,” and threw her arms around his legs. I looked up in time to catch Tristan’s surprised smile. He patted her head and said, “Thanks, Marly.”
    “Well, we should probably get going,” piped Mrs. Edmund. “The party’s not going to host itself and these two have to get to bed.”
    “Aww, Mom ,” Chris groaned.
    “Are you going to the dance?” she asked.
    Tristan didn’t exactly sound like he was in a partying mood. I began, “Well—”
    “Yes, we’re going,” he interjected.
    What ?! “What?” His arm subtly squished my hand against his side. I choked, “Oh, yeah.”
    Mrs. Edmund smiled, saying, “All right. Amy, can you give Tristan a ride home?”
    I nodded and the family headed toward the exit. Chris hung back and, once his mother was out of earshot, said, “You’re just gonna kiss, huh?”
    “We are not! Get out of here!” Tristan swatted at the air and narrowly missed Chris’s nose. The little boy grinned wickedly and scampered off into the crowd.
    I looked up at him in disbelief. “You want to go to a dance?”
    “’cause my mother’s party sounds like so much fun,” he scoffed.
    Right, that probably wouldn’t have been such a good thing. I turned and, with my hand firmly clasped around his arm, wove through the remaining clusters of families. Some of the parents looked up and nodded approvingly at me while I passed. I tried to smile back at them while my cheeks grew hotter. Spotting a group of students leaving the gymnasium, I began to trail them at a distance.
    I followed them down two locker-lined hallways and into a cafeteria. In truth, I could hardly tell that it was a cafeteria. Large bouquets of balloons in the school’s colors, navy and maroon, crowned the entrance. The cherry-wood floors glittered under streams of tiny white lights that hung from the ceiling. The room was dim, with just a hint of fog to set the scene. To my left were cloth-draped tables and to my right was the dance floor, where most of the senior girls and some of the boys crowded together while Fallout Boy blared.
    I thought I heard a noise, so I turned to Tristan and shouted over the sound, “What?”
    “ Can we go sit down ?” he screamed back.
    “Sure!”
    I led him over to one of the tables. Tristan sat down stiffly next to me. He spoke quietly, as if to himself, and I had to strain to hear. “This must be the cafeteria....”
    I winced, hardly able to imagine what it would be like to not know where I was. My voice betraying my thoughts, I said shakily, “Yeah, that’s right.”
    Tristan’s head jerked sharply. “I knew that, I was just saying....” He sighed and stood. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
    A tall, redheaded boy with a smiling brunette on his arm appeared behind Tristan. He clapped Tristan on the back. “Hey, buddy, congrats! Sorry we haven’t hung out in a while.”
    A fake smile spread thickly over Tristan’s face. “Thanks, Nick.”
    The girl shook her head. “Trist, it’s really too bad.”
    Nick elbowed her, while hissing, “ Melissa .”
    “I meant about not hanging out with him!” she hissed back.
    With a quick shake of his head, Tristan took a step forward. “Actually, I was just heading