Candie didn't want to go to the dance, least of all with Kaleb. Sure, it might be nice to actually dance with him and spend the night together with their clothes on for once, but only for her. For him, it was nothing but a mission to get Nena back by making her so jealous she couldn't stand it. Going with Kaleb would just cause drama and tension and she knew what would happen.
She'd get blamed for Nena's broken heart. Kaleb was the one who'd been cheating, but the crime would land in Candie's shoulders. She'd be the slut, she'd be the one who looked like a bitch for showing up with Kaleb, she'd be the one responsible for ruining their relationship all because of her reputation. No one would see her as a victim. No one would see how used she felt or how badly it hurt that Kaleb only wanted her there as a tool to get to Nena. Instead, she'd just be the slut who'd fuck anyone for no other reason than to be a bitch.
Candie had tried to talk Kaleb out of if. She'd practically begged him to stay home with her and fuck her instead, but he'd quickly gotten irritated with her and practically forced her to get ready. She couldn't argue with him when he had his hands around her throat. So she'd done as he'd asked and gotten ready, sitting with him in silence the whole ride to the school.
Finally, they showed up and he cut the engine and she reached for the door. Before she could get out, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. He turned her face towards his so she had to look him in the eye. "Look, I know I treat you like shit, so let me make it up to you, okay?" He said, tone suddenly apologetic, eyes soft and she knew it was a trap, but after weeks if being used and thrown away like a tissue, it was hard not to fall right into it. "Neither of us are here with who we want to be with, I get that, but let's just work with what we got. We'll have a good time and we don't have to fuck later unless you want it. I owe you one actual date." He shrugged with a smirk.
Candie couldn't help but smirk back, falling easily back under his spell and leaning in, kissing his lips. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, pushing a pill on her that she took willingly, glad he had drugs, seeing as she'd snorted the last of her coke just before they'd fucked back at the restaurant.
They stayed out there in the car for a while, making out pretty intensely before finally pulling away from each other. Candie fixed her lipstick quickly while he walked around and opened her door for her and she stepped out. Whatever he'd given her was good. Minutes ago, she'd been a walking bomb of anxiousness and nerves, but now, she was ridiculously carefree. All she wanted was to do what Kaleb had said and have a good time so she let him wrap an arm possessively around her waist like she belonged to him and lead her inside.
Lauren could tell something was wrong the second they got in the car and he tried to start it, but she reached over and swiped the keys. He turned his head to look at her, a "What the hell?" kind of expression on his face when he noticed the one on hers and his surprise dropped, becoming grim and angry. She had that "Something's wrong, I'm not an idiot." look on her face and it irritated him.
Talking to her wasn't as easy as it was with Tansy. Him and Tansy were comfortable together. He could fluidly speak for hours and not even know it with her. Lauren was kindhearted and meant well, but for some reason, he just had nothing to say to her. What was he supposed to do? Tell her he'd been drinking himself to death because he was miserable and missed Tansy? That would only hurt her. He didn't want to hurt her. She was good to him and didn't deserve to be hurt like that. She deserved a fair shot with the guy she loved, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make himself love her back and it was aggravating.
"Baby..." She started softly and Donnie raised a hand to cut her off, knowing where she was going. She was about to ask him what was wrong, promise him he could trust her and all that crap. He knew he could trust her, but, again, if he told her what he was thinking, it'd just hurt her.
"I'm fine Lauren." He sighed, leaning over and kissing her cheek. "I'm just nervous about us all being under the same roof again." He shrugged, figuring that was a good enough excuse and she seemed satisfied with it because she kissed him and said something reassuring he didn't pay attention to before finally giving him back the keys.
Donnie pulled out and they drove to the school with the music playing softly between then. He drove with one hand, the other holding hers until they arrived and he smirked and kissed her before leading her inside.