Just Outside the Dance: Caitlin & Open to John
Caitlin kept toying with the bauble in one hand the whole way back from Camden. The soul was secured there via magic. Magic that all Cat Sìth knew out of necessity for survival. She had arrived on school grounds much when she expected to. The dance was already underway and John would've been there maybe forty-five minutes. Enough to be present and seen but then he could slip away and they wouldn't notice as much since he'd been around before.
The dance would've been easier to avoid had it been indoors. It being outside meant that she would have to make a grand effort to avoid it. Caitlin figured she could hang on the outskirts and wait for John and they'd be out before anyone realized she was even there. Caitlin had nearly mastered the art of blending in, but it was hard to blend in when everyone was dressed like bad cosplay of a Baz Luhrmann film.
She texted John to let him know she was near the exit and that the coast was clear of teachers. If he was going to make his escape, now was the time to do it. She wanted to bail as soon as possible.
It was chance that she caught sight of Van. She'd been ignoring texts from him since Wednesday. She nearly bailed on the dance prep too but showed up to keep true to her word but ended up running errands that meant she and Van didn't say much if anything to each other. There wasn't time. Van’s attempt to lecture her for her prank that he apparently figured out so easily had set her on edge. How fucking dare he. Sasha acting like a big baby came as no surprise. He was good at being a victim and that’s all he’d ever be good at.
She had been actively pushing Van out of her mind because he kept creeping in. So of course she would end up seeing him; even from a distance.
Van stood not overly dressed like everyone else (surprise, surprise) but he was standing next to Gil. Was it just them talking? Maybe. Chance then provided her with information. A Standard boy was complaining that Gil had come with Van, expressing disappointment in a whiny nasal voice.
Oh.
Caitlin thought back to the conversation she had with Van when she asked him to go to the dance with her. He wanted to ask someone else. She'd assumed Gil and said as much. Van had implied strongly it wasn't him. But it was.
Typical.
She should have known but she had foolishly believed him. Caitlin's list of grievances against Van were growing in number. He had lied without outright lying. He tried to get her to think it was someone else but it wasn't. It was Gil the whole time. She was starting to wonder what else he told her that fit into that same gray area.
Caitlin had been staring and she noticed him looking that way. But she didn’t know if he saw her. She quickly turned away, finding concealment as she sat on the grass and the fair lights just missed her. Her expression darkened and her eyes threatened to do something that she hadn’t done in front of anyone.
There had been some second guessing before. Questioning if she really wanted to start edging Van out of her life. She was mad at him, yeah, but she still felt something for him. Something she hated but hadn’t wanted to let go just yet. This definitely wasn't enough to snuff those feelings out but it was enough to strengthen Caitlin's resolve that she was on the right path. She’d been wrong about him. Fuck him.
She began playing a game on her phone as she waited for John to join her. Occasionally she would pause to make conscious blinks to get herself under contol. Caitlin wanted to get shiftfaced as soon as possible. The sooner she was drunk, the less she would think. The less she would feel. The less she would care about a stupid boy.