Brendan looked around and noticed that no one was even paying attention to them. He sighed, then said, 'Why not?' He placed his hands on her hips and she hung her arms right around his shoulders and they began to sway sideways in dance. It took him a while to fall comfortably and coordinately into this routine, but with Samantha's patient and giggling help, he soon got the hang of it.
Brendan looked over at the supervising teachers. They had turned their attention on them now. Mrs. Cooke had a hawk's eye locked tight on Brendan, like a sports coach that was waiting for any one of her players to drop the ball so she could blow her whistle and start cussing him out.
'Why has Simon grown so cold?' Samantha asked Brendan while they danced.
'It's because of you,' he answered. 'He's convinced that you ruined his life.'
'I can't deny that but…why can't he be like you?'
'Like me..?'
'Yeah, you're so forgiving. I thought it would take you years to get over what I did to you.'
'Well, Simon is a more sensitive guy. His mother doing drugs is a major problem for him, he can't stop blaming her. And for a black guy who comes from a family with a history of drug problems for him, it feels like he's fallen right into the stereotype.'
'Oh, God…so…' They stopped dancing. She looked him straight in the eye. 'I made him blame himself for all of this?'
He looked aside, 'Well, the fact that you kept reminding him was what kept pissing him off, that you had to remind him each and every day of what his mom does.'
She rubbed a tear from her eye, 'If only there was a way to fix this. I had no idea what kind of mess I was creating for him.' She began to sob softly.
He embraced her and began comforting her. 'There is a way to fix this, actually.'
She removed her head from his chest. 'There is?'
'You could find a way to sit down and talk to him, just like what you did with me…make him understand.'
'How can I? I can't even get a greeting from him and you think I can get him to talk to me?'
'Where there's a will there's away, Sam.'
'There's a will, alright, but there is no way I can get Simon to sit down with me on the same table and talk to him, unless..,' she eyed him, slyly.
'No, no, no way, Sam.'
'Come on, you're the only one he'll listen to.'
'This is not my job.'
'But I'm asking you as a friend.'
'Having me do this for you will only make things worse. He'll think I betrayed him.'
'No he won't. Just make him come to reason and if he agrees, I'll join you guys and we'll talk like civilized adults.'
'Do you even know how much you are asking me to do?' he said looking around him like there were people listening in on their conversation.
'I know but don't you want to see your best friend happy again?'
'He is happy.'
'Then shouldn't I be too?'
He looked to be at the verge of defeat. 'Fine, I'll…I'll see what I can do.'
She smiled, 'Thanks.'
'But I'm not promising anything.'
The DJ switched to another soft song.
Samantha gasped in excitement, 'This is my mom's favorite song!'
'It is?' he asked in surprise.
'Uh-huh!' She grabbed his hands and placed them on her waist then flung hers around his shoulders as before. They started to dance again slowly to the music.
'You know something, Brendan? I could have never dreamt of this day.'
He looked at her in curiosity.
'You know…you and me talking to each other, or better yet friends.'
He smiled, 'You know, my dad, Howard, once told me that, "behind every eagle, there's a dove." '
'So, what you're saying is, I am…was the eagle?'
'Yeah…kind-a.' They laughed shortly. 'But to tell the truth..,' he continued, '…when I look at you now, I don't see an eagle.'
'What do you see? A dove?' She looked him straight in the eye.
'No, I see something much more wonderful.'
'What?'
'I see an angel.' They stopped dancing and stared each other in the eyes.
The teachers on duty had turned back to conversation, but Brendan didn't care. Neither of them did. Brendan and Samantha closed their eyes in a dreamily sort of fashion. Their lips drew closer and closer to each other, then, just before contact, all lights in the hall went out.
There was panic in the room and then fifteen seconds later they came back on. This was unusual. Brendan looked towards the teachers on duty.
Mrs. Cooke and Mr. Benson were in a major state of panic; Mr. Sparrow and Mr. Price had disappeared.