making the most of the night

 

So Mercer and Cade were out of the loop for Homecoming. It seemed they skipped school but not really. They just spent a good portion of the afternoon in the dark auditorium together. Still when not in class means skipping school.

"It wasn't like we were making out the whole time." Cade would hate for Lily to think this. Although, well, he thought he'd learned a thing or two in that department. "We, we talked. We talked it all out."

"Oh, I bet you did," Lily smirked back. Of course, Rafe and Lily came back early from the Homecoming dance because they were hungry and didn't want to go out and buy food. So the four of them sat around eating pizza and catching up on the latest SNL.

"Brooklyn had a date," Lily told both of them. Which shocked Cade but Mercer acted like he didn't hear. He just stared at the TV. 

"Well, who is he?" Cade wanted to know.

"I dunno." Lily shrugged. "She's Mercer's friend." She took another slice of pepperoni pizza.

"Why are you two so hungry?" Cade thought it was odd. Both of them wolving down a pizza together. Of course, neither looked worried about how the other looked even if Lily was in a Homecoming dress and Rafe had on his nicest pants. But he hadn't worn a jacket and his shirt wasn't tucked in. He didn't even wear a tie. 

"We got there early to decorate," she said.

"I'll never do that again," Rafe finally said after he swallowed pizza and downed a cheap soda pop.

"It's that hard?" Cade was puzzled. "Did you see Maisy? She said she would help decorate." He guessed he would have been there with her if things hadn't changed between him and Mercer.

"She's quite bossy," Rafe shook his head. "She's the main reason we didn't get to eat before the dance."

Cade didn't believe him. 

"I bet you guys were doing something," Cade crossed his arms. Oh, he'd seen them kissing in the hall. Even in the lunchroom.

"We weren't!" Lily practically bellowed. "I just think she has it in for us." She was in a huff.

"She needs a boyfriend. That's what she needs," Rafe agreed.

Cade sighed and went to sit down in the floor next to Mercer.

"Did you hear that Brooklyn had a date?" Cade asked.

"I don't care." He barely said.

"Is she going to be your enemy now?" He wanted to know why Mercer could be so black and white about his anxieties. 

But he wouldn't say anything. Cade guessed he better leave it alone.