The Last Dance-Cassie/Adam, follow-up to Erase, Rewind, K+

Summary: Cassie befriends a musician and Adam thinks about prom dates.

[C]

Sally called me in excitement. "Tilt is playing downtown tomorrow night. We have to go."

"Tilt?" Why on Earth should I waste my time on some low level band with a crappy name?

She laughed at my tone. "I know the name is lame, but the guitarist and singer are hot."

Now we're getting down to it. "So what? Is their music any good?"

"Of course! Kind of like Radiohead's Bends meets Pete Yorn."

Two names that shouldn't be uttered in the same sentence. "So is it life on a chain, or climbing the walls?"

"Both." Sally gets me and the weird musical references I sprinkle into conversation, something I only do with her. In all the time I've been in Chance Harbor, I don't think I've had a single normal conversation with anyone from the Circle.

"On the night before prom?"

"Why not? Even prom organizers deserve a break." Both of us had been breaking our backs getting things ready, and I secretly hoped no one tried to set the decorations on fire. Maybe I should chain Faye up until after prom night, or maybe just threaten her with pig's blood.

"We do? I'm not even going."

I could hear her frown through the phone. "Of course you are. We'll go solo."

Last time that happened, the gym had gone up in flames. "I don't think so."

"What if I told you that Tilt is playing? I couldn't get that other band I wanted."

I laughed. "You call that sweetening the pot? I haven't even heard them play yet."

"Trust me, you'll love them."

"And what does Regina say?" Regina was Sally's psychic grandmother and someone who had counted my grandmother as a friend.

"That you should absolutely go."

How could I refuse such an offer? "OK, I give up. Now i just need something to wear."

Sally had ideas about that too, and suggested I raid my mother's clothes. "Good idea," I said before hanging up and pushing my way to the back of the closet.

An entire row of dresses was there for the taking, much of it in perfect condition and still stylish after all these years. My mother preferred modest neck and hem lines, and part of me did too. I wouldn't be there to flaunt or flirt, so the beautiful indigo silk dress I pulled out was perfect. It had a matching slip that flared it out slightly, and the sweetheart neckline suited me just fine. I tried it on and was amazed that it fit me like a glove. "Thanks, Mom," I said, eyes misting over once again as I thought of her.

I hung it back up and moved back to my favorite spot on the window seat. I had math homework, so I might as well do that. That ate up an hour, punctuated by occasional texts from Sally. Then one came in from Adam and I pondered whether to answer.

Are you OK? We haven't talked lately.

You mean, other than the night when my cousins ambushed him and Melissa and invited them over for lasagna? That had been a weird night, with glimmers of the old Adam coming through. We'd parted with a smile, but that was over two weeks ago. At school, he was grafted to Melissa's side and seemed determined to keep his distance.

I pretended that was fine with me, because what choice did I have? Other than my slip at the wake, I hadn't called, texted, or spoken to Adam. We managed to stay at opposite ends of our chemistry class, and no one in the Circle sent me SOS texts.

So I decided to reply with a two word answer.

Am OK.

Knowing how much Adam hated non-replies, I figured he'd show up on my doorstep within the hour. Wondering if I should call Sally and start taking bets, I settled for watching the clock. At the bottom of the hour, just after turning on my weekly dose of Revenge, the doorbell rang.

With a barely suppressed smile, I padded to the door in my socks, shorts, and oversized tee. I peered through the opening and saw his worried face staring back at me. "Hey," he said.

I smiled and said, "Don't worry, my Dad's not here. Sam chased him out with a broomstick on his last visit."

Adam smiled. "I bet she did."

It was cold and rainy, and Adam was shivering in his thin flannel. "Umm, want to come in?"

He nodded. "I won't stay long."

Adam could stay forever if he wanted, but I'd never bring that up. "Hope you don't mind Revenge."

"Are you kidding? My Dad and I love that show."

He flopped on the couch and I shoved over the bowl of popcorn. "Help yourself."

Since I had DVRed the show, we zipped through the ads and threw popcorn at the bad guys. Everyone was questionable, so the floor was covered in white kernels by the end of the show. "Wow, I wasn't expecting that," i commented, finishing up the last bit of popcorn.

Adam helped me clean the floor and followed me into the kitchen. "Want some hot chocolate?"

He'd already stayed an hour, and was clearly not in a hurry to leave. "That would be great."

I made it the old fashioned way, as taught to me by my grandmother. Adam watched me with a small smile, and asked, "So where are the ladies tonight?"

"Playing poker with Regina."

"For money?"

"Oh, yeah. And Regina beats them every time. She's flush with Monopoly cash."

He chuckled. "Sounds like things have improved."

I sighed. "Sort of."

"You know we're all here for you, right?"

Of course I knew that. "I do. Thanks."

"And we're getting together for pizza tomorrow night."

This was his idea of a home cooked meal for the Circle? I almost laughed, but managed to say, "I'd join you, but Sally and I have plans."

"You can invite her too."

I stirred the cocoa and added whipped cream at his nod. Handing it over, I sipped from my mug while leaning against the counter. "That's nice of you, but we're going downtown to see Tilt."

Adam made a face. "Isn't that the crappy band playing at prom?"

"Nope, that's Oscar and the Trashcans. They bailed out, so Tilt is taking their place."

He rolled his eyes at the band name. "Not much of an improvement."

I jotted down the club name and handed it to him. "If you're bored, you can come join the party of five."

Adam's brows lifted. "As in, only five people in the audience?"

"Something like that. It'll be a mob scene."

My dry sarcasm was making him laugh, and I liked the way he responded. "Maybe Faye will fly in on her broom."

"Ooh, free special effects. I'll be sure to warn them."

Adam finished up his hot chocolate and slid the mug to me. "I should go. This was fun."

I nodded. "Thanks for checking on me."

He touched my shoulder and the warmth of his hand spread through me. "If you need anything, just ask."

I looked down for a moment before saying, "Thank you."

Adam was halfway down the walk before he turned around. "I forgot to ask, are you going to prom?"

It was a simple question, but I wondered why he was asking. "I have to. Part of the planning committee?"

"Oh, right. Maybe you could save the last dance for me."

My mouth opened slightly and all I could manage was, "OK."

He waved and dashed to his truck when it started pouring. I was surprised that he'd mentioned it, knowing that my Dad would be one of the chaperones. Oh well, it could prove to be interesting.

Sam eyed me over the breakfast table. "I hear you're going to see a band tonight."

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"I'm in," she said, eyeing me with a suspiciously innocent expression over her coffee mug.

As cool as my cousin was, I was pretty sure I didn't want her hanging with me and Sally. "Yeah? Since when?"

Stacy laughed from the other room, where she was cursing at the TV. "Since forever," she called. "Sam channeled Almost Famous and is a groupie wannabe."

I smiled. "Sally says they're ripe for the picking."

That earned me the patented Sam eye roll. "And you would know, right girlie?"

Her accent was deliberately street and decidedly American. "I would."

Sam poured half the ketchup bottle on her eggs. "Now this is the way to start the day. No bloody bangers and mash in sight."

Like she would ever have that for breakfast. "Sounds like your day is looking up."

"Indeed," Stacy said, walking through with a cheroot between her teeth. I wasn't keen on the smoking, so she ambled outside with a fake scowl on her face. From the amount of non-smoking time she spent in the garden, I got the feeling she loved Grandma's little piece of heaven. The formerly neglected herbs were springing back to life, and the roses were making a strong comeback.

I know what they were doing. "I don't need a bodyguard. We'll be fine," I said, knowing it was almost time to leave for school.

Sam smiled. "Hey, I'm there for the eye candy. You're on your own."

"OK, then." I couldn't help but smile back as she inhaled the rest of her eggs and grabbed her purse.

"Let's roll."

I jumped in her dusty old Rambler and wondered if I needed a crash helmet. "Should I brace myself?"

Her shit eating grin was her only answer as she peeled out of our street and drove the wrong way down the hill. It took us out onto Haven and three blocks ahead of Bus #5. She raced the bus every day and earned curses from Grace the grumpy bus driver. I sat back and watched the scenery rush by at warp speed. We swerved into the school's driveway and I prepared myself for another day in paradise.