Closed Left Behind

[Caleb Thorne]

Caleb couldn't believe his luck as he stood off to the side of the dance floor. Everyone looked like they were having fun but the last thing he wanted to do right now was dance. He couldn't believe that Louis and Rene got dates for the ball. He was surprised Rene had the guts when he could barely talk about her last year. He frowned and took another sip of his juice. Caleb wasn't even sure why he decided to come now that his friends were better off without him apparently. He tried to scan the room to see if there was anyone else he knew that looked as pathetic as he did and came up short. He finished his drink and placed the empty cup on a nearby table and shoved his hands in his pockets. In a desperate attempt he tried to see if his sister was around but he couldn't find Lila anywhere. Was she also off with some date? He groaned and leaned against the wall feeling restless and sorry for himself.

 

[Manaia Te Rangi]

Manaia felt a little silly not having dressed up for the dance, but he supposed it hardly mattered. His uniform shirt and trousers were fine, it wasn't exactly a fashion show or anything. He was sticking mostly to the edges of the party and pretending very hard to himself that he believed that thought as he looked for people he knew. He wasn't sure where his friends had gotten to today, knew a few of them were busy with dates, and he was just hoping he could find someone to pass the time with. That someone came quickly when he spotted Caleb, giving an impressed whistle as he approached his classmate. "Awesome suit, bro." Manaia said, giving the Slytherin an easy smile. "You went all out, aye?"

 

[Caleb Thorne]

Caleb was on the verge of writing off the entire evening when he heard a whistle that made his head snap up. He grinned when he saw it was Manaia and it widened as the other boy gave him a compliment. "Thanks." he said and finally took a moment to take in what the Hufflepuff was wearing. It looked like their uniform and he raised an eyebrow. "I see you didn't." he said teasingly with a good natured laugh. He hadn't cared at all last year what he looked like but this time he wanted to at least try to look nice. It wasn't like they got the chance very often. "So what are you up to?" he asked. "Did you managed to score a date too?" he asked with his arms cross his chest and waited expectantly for an answer.

 

[Manaia Te Rangi]

Manaia snorted with laughter at Caleb's comment, shaking his head. "Nah, I didn't really think about it 'til it was too late. Feels a bit silly being in uniform, but it's better than nothing." He smiled slightly, hands in his pockets. He definitely felt underdressed next to Caleb. Manaia shook his head when the Slytherin asked about dates, giving a small shrug. "Nah, wasn't really thinking about it. Figured I'd just hang out for a bit, aye? Didn't really think about everyone else being too busy with their dates to hang out." He said with an awkward laugh, glancing about Caleb. "How about you, did you come with anyone?"

 

[Caleb Thorne]

Caleb grinned when he managed to Manaia to snort and felt rather pleased with himself. With a little more confidence he decided the other boy could handle a bit more teasing. "You didn't seem to think about much." he joked again and nudged the other boy with his elbow. He appreciated his casual attitude even though he frowned when he was asked if he had come with anyone. "No." he said quickly and grinned again. "It looks like we're alone together and can show everyone else what they're missing." he said and grabbed Manaia's hand. "We should dance." he suggested as the music picked up tempo.

 

[Manaia Te Rangi]

Manaia laughed at the teasing, shrugging slightly. "Didn't seem like much point putting effort in to just come hang out for a bit." He said with a small shrug. He knew that a year ago he would have felt different, would have found it fun to get dressed up and enjoy the dance, but now it was hard to find joy in things like that. He hadn't been trying hard at anything but music since his parents' separation, trying to just focus his energy somewhere he could get his pain out. But it hurt, knowing how far he had changed from the person he had been so recently. So when Caleb pulled him onto the dance floor he grinned back, deciding to do his best to just let the past go and focus on having fun tonight. "Hell yeah!" Manaia grinned, following the Slytherin onto the dance floor and trying not to think about anything but dancing and having fun.

 

[Caleb Thorne]

Caleb couldn't help but roll his eye's at Manaia's excuse for not dressing up. "Lame excuse." he laughed, as he pulled the other boy out onto the dance floor. He was emboldened by the Hufflepuff's enthusiasm and grinned as they started to dance to an up beat tune. He was finding it a lot easier to forget about his date-less status when he was dancing. At least he didn't have to waste time with small talk and feeling awkward. He was free to do what he wanted and as Caleb watched Manaia dance he realized there was something he could do. Without another word and without thinking too much he reached out and took Manaia's face in his hands and brought him in for a kiss. Their lips crashed together kind of awkwardly as they danced but he felt breathless as he let go and grinned wildly. He doubted his friends would have the guts to do that.

 

[Manaia Te Rangi]

Manaia laughed at Caleb calling his excuse lame, elbowing the Slytherin lightly. "Whatever, bro!" He grinned as he fell into dancing with Caleb easily, throwing himself around to the music and letting himself just forget his problems and have fun for once. It had been so long since he had felt like this, and Manaia didn't want anything to distract him from it. So it was a shock when mid-dance he felt hands on his cheeks, and before he could really process what was going on Calebs lips were on his, and he felt his eyes fly wide in shock. As he pulled back Manaia gave the Slytherin a shocked look but Caleb looked happy, so he met the other boy's smile with a grin of his own, fixing his glasses as he processed what had just happened. It had been his first kiss, and it wasn't bad. He was having fun, dancing with a friend, why shouldn't they kiss? He started moving to the music again, dancing a little closer to Caleb and quietly reassessing how he felt about the other boy.

 

[Caleb Thorne]

Caleb felt like his head was spinning a bit and he was pretty sure it was just because of the dancing. He let out a laugh when he took in Manaia's shocked expression after they broke apart. His lips were still tingling and he couldn't wait to tell his friends about it later. It wasn't bad for a first kiss and it didn't hurt that Manaia was cute as he fixed his glasses. "So is tonight better or worse than you expected?" he asked over the music, still smiling.