Happiness radiated from him without asking permission.
Towards the end of the evening, they announced the king and the queen of the dance.
Neither of us expected to win.
When they said our names, Michael looked back because he thought they were wrong.
“They mean you,” I whispered.
He leaned toward me. “I knew that hanging out with the smart girl would end up paying off.
You are impossible.
He squeezed my hand all the way to the stage.
Someone placed a plastic crown on my head. Michael's head leaned to the side immediately.
The photographer tried to straighten it out three times. Every time, Michael unintentionally twisted her again.
By the time the fourth attempt came, I laughed so much that I couldn’t sit still.
Anyway, the photos were perfect.
We looked happy.
When the band announced the last slow song, Michael looked for me before anyone else could invite me to dance.
He surrounded my waist with an arm. The other hand rested gently on my back.
For a while, neither of them said anything.
I put my head on his shoulder.
“If you don’t let me go...” I smiled. “...we’ll miss graduation.
He laughed softly.
“I’ve waited three years to dance like this with you.” She looked me in the eye. Five more minutes will not hurt.
The song ended too soon.
We stayed there a few more seconds while everyone around us picked up their jackets and cameras.
Finally, Michael kissed my forehead.
I frowned. — Where are you going?
I left something in my truck.
“What?
“If I tell you,” he smiled, “it won’t come as a surprise.
I crossed my arms. “You have exactly five minutes.
He started jogging into the parking lot.
Halfway, he turned around. He raised a hand. And he put that ridiculous smile that always made him forgive him for being late.
He then disappeared between two rows of parked cars.
I waited.
Five minutes became ten. Ten became twenty.
Someone finally asked, “Has anyone seen Michael?”
At first, no one worried.
I was probably helping someone.
Changing a flat tire.
Starting a car with wires.
Giving directions.
That was the obvious explanation.
Then thirty minutes passed.
The teachers searched the parking lot.
His truck was gone.
At dawn, the police had begun to ask questions.
Three days later, they found their abandoned van on a deserted rural road, nearly sixty-four kilometers away.
