“You never know!” I said to myself. “It could still happen.”
Just then, I spotted Blake and Jack heading towards us. As they sat down, I could see Jack looking shyly in Millie’s direction. I gave Blake a discreet poke with my elbow and raised my eyebrows questioningly. He just shrugged his shoulders though and ignored my curious glance. I think he was concerned about me embarrassing Jack but he had nothing to worry about. I simply sat back and watched them, all the while munching on my sandwich as Millie laughed and chatted away in her usual bubbly fashion, completely oblivious to what was going on in my head.
But I could see the obvious interest coming from Jack and as he gradually appeared to become more comfortable with sitting amongst a group of girls, he even joined in the conversation. I gave Millie a discreet wink, which she just ignored and then avoided looking at me. I guessed she’d realized what I was up to and had decided to make sure I didn’t say or do anything to make the situation obvious.
However, I was overcome with excitement and had to resist the temptation to clap my hands together in delight. Smiling broadly, I kept my thoughts to myself and when the bell went, I walked quietly alongside her back to class.
She spotted the pleased expression on my face though and commented by saying, “What’s that look for, Julia? What are you up to and why are you smiling like that?”
“Oh nothing, Millie!” I replied. “I’m just happy!” And I plopped down in my seat and pulled out my English book.
Feeling her eyes still on mine, I whispered, “I can’t wait for the disco, Millie. It’s going to be awesome!” She gave me a knowing shake of her head and rolled her eyes but I found it hard to contain the excitement I was feeling. Continuing to smile broadly, I put my head down and started completing the work Miss Watson had put on the board.
The disco…
Finally the night of the disco arrived. We’d spent the entire day at school putting up decorations and organizing all the last minute details. It had been such a mad rush to get everything prepared on time.
Then Millie had come home with me so we could get ready together and we were so pleased with the outfits we’d chosen to wear. Halloween costumes are the coolest thing ever and this year we’d decided on something really different for a change. I was so keen to get to the disco and I couldn’t wait to see what Blake thought of how we looked.
As we jumped out of the car and waved goodbye to my dad who had dropped us off, I felt overwhelmed with excitement about the night ahead. And when we walked into the hall we were not disappointed.
Blake’s dad had put up a heap of really cool lighting, along with a massive mirror ball decorated like a Halloween pumpkin. The little white lights reflected onto the walls and flooring as the ball spun around and the way it shone on the decorations that were hanging everywhere created the most amazing effect. Colored lights flashed on and off to the beat of the music that was being played and we were thrilled with the way the hall had been completely transformed.
I suddenly felt a soft tap on my shoulder and turned around with a start. Staring down at me was the scariest looking Dracula face I’d ever seen and it wasn’t until I heard the familiar voice that I knew who the person beneath the mask was.
“Blake!” I squealed. “Your costume looks amazing! I didn’t even know who you were!”
He gave me an affectionate hug and then stood back to admire my outfit. “Julia you look awesome!” Those words and the impressed smile on his face made all my efforts worthwhile. Feeling pleased with his reaction and in particular, that he was standing there right beside me, I beamed happily back at him. It seemed as though we were the only two people in the room and deep inside I sensed that he was feeling exactly the same way.
“Come on you two, lovebirds!” Millie abruptly exclaimed with a laugh, “We need to get all the candles lit before everyone starts arriving!”
Realizing we had little time to spare, we quickly but carefully helped Miss Brown light all the candles that we’d placed inside each of the pumpkins earlier in the day. Then, as a last minute thought, I suggested that we place the leftover candles on the ends of the steps leading up to the stage. This area was sectioned off as it was where Blake’s dad had all his DJ gear set up but I knew that it would create the coolest effect at the front of the hall.
Standing back, I could see that the overall impact of the lighted candles everywhere was wonderful. This final touch provided the perfect Halloween atmosphere that we’d been hoping for.
As we looked around to admire our handiwork, we saw Sara enter the hall. She was dressed as a witch, but her costume was certainly not the traditional style of witch outfit that kids usually dress up in. It was so typical of Sara to wear something that was totally different to everyone else and that really stood out.
To begin with, it was in the prettiest shade of blue and purple and had gorgeous purple fluff trimming the neck and sleeves as well as around the lower edging. Along with that, she wore a pair of really cool over the knee socks that were striped in matching tones and a pair of bright purple lace-up ankle boots. Sitting on her head was the cutest little witch’s hat that really set off her blonde hair. She had obviously spent time curling it and her hair sat in pretty curls that bounced on her shoulders.
The main thing I noticed though was the skimpy length of her costume. It really was very short, but I had to admit, she looked amazing in it. And I could see that as usual, she would probably win the award for wearing the coolest outfit.
“Hello girls!” she said as she walked towards us. Then glancing around at her surroundings, she continued in a mocking tone, “Well, I guess this place looks a little better than it usually does. Luckily it’s dark. Things always look better in the dark!”
Staring at her in disbelief, I was lost for words. Surely she had something positive to say about all our hard work. I glanced at Blake to gauge his reaction. He had taken off his mask and was also staring at Sara. But I realized by his wide-eyed expression that it was actually her outfit and how good she looked that had him looking so bug-eyed at her.
Feeling an unexpected pang of jealousy, I glared back at Sara who just grinned at him and said in a flirting tone, “Hi, Blake! Cool outfit!”
And then she walked past us, making her way towards a group of girls who had just arrived.
Millie rolled her eyes and shook her head in disgust. “Don’t worry about her, Julia. She obviously spent the whole day getting ready, which explains why she didn’t show up to help us. And in actual fact, she’s hardly done anything to help with the preparations at all!”
“Come on!” Millie continued reassuringly, when she could see the level of frustration that I was having trouble shaking off. “We’ve got a great night ahead of us…and we don’t want her to spoil it!”
Deciding not to let Sara get to me, I took a deep breath and replied, “You’re absolutely right, Millie!”
Then, determined to wipe all negative thoughts from my mind, I hurried after Millie towards the entrance of the hall. It was our job to collect the tickets from everyone and we could see people waiting to come in. When we reached the doorway, however, we realized that the queue extended all the way along the length of the building and down the walkway. So we quickly collected the tickets and welcomed everyone inside.
In no time at all, it seemed that the hall had filled with kids dressed in the most amazing Halloween costumes and Millie and I grinned at each other in total satisfaction as we listened to the surprised voices around us. Everyone seemed to be in absolute awe of the transformation in front of them.
“Who would ever have thought our school hall could look so good!” I overheard, Jenna, one of Sara’s friends say to a girl called Monica.
“I know!” Monica replied. “This is so cool!”
I gave Millie a quick poke with my elbow and smiled proudly. She beamed back at me and it was clear that she too, was feeling excited and proud that our efforts had really paid off. Then, as the latest hit song blast
ed out loudly, we watched the two girls join the throng of dancers on the already crowded dance floor. Even the teachers were dressed in Halloween costumes and I laughed when I spotted Mr. Thompson practicing his moves.
Spontaneously, I grabbed Millie’s hand and dragged her onto the dance floor as well. It was so cool to see everyone really enjoying themselves and I wanted to join in the fun.
Near disaster…
Through the crowd and the gusts of wispy smoke that were shooting out from the nearby smoke machine, I spotted Blake making his way towards us. I waved at him and watched as he pushed through to reach me. Grabbing me by the hand, he spun me around and I squealed loudly, nearly toppling over from giddiness. Then, right behind him, I noticed Jack, who appeared to be edging towards Millie. Squealing again, this time with sheer excitement, I took Blake’s hand and led him away from them.
“This is all working out perfectly!” I yelled happily in his ear.
The music was so loud that it was hard to be heard and Blake was looking at me questioningly, not at all sure what was going on. He had no idea what I was talking about. But all the while I kept my eyes on Millie, whose beaming smile grew even wider as she and Jack danced together to the beat of the music.
In an attempt to regain my attention, Blake grabbed my hand and spun me around once more. I focused on him then and thought about how much I liked him. Ever since we’d started going out, he had made me feel so special. He was kind and caring but he was also really fun! And as well as that, he was so good looking. Especially, when he wasn’t wearing a Dracula mask!
The two of us did some crazy Halloween style moves with Blake swishing out his Dracula cape and flashing his glow in the dark fangs that he’d managed to have protruding from the sides of his mouth. I laughed loudly, as I spun around and around. I was having the best time and never wanted it to end.
Just then I noticed Sara staring in our direction. She was dancing with a group of her friends, who all appeared to be having a great time, but for some reason she seemed unable to take her eyes off Blake and I. Starting to feel uncomfortable, I was relieved when the song came to an end and everyone’s attention was directed towards the stage where Blake’s dad was speaking into a microphone.
We all listened intently as he announced that the next song would involve a competition to determine the best dancers on the dance floor. He explained that people would be chosen to go up onto the stage for a final dance off. The winning dancer would be the one who received the loudest cheers from the audience. This certainly sparked everyone’s interest but the most exciting part was that the prize was a $200 voucher to spend at the local shopping center.
The roar that erupted made it clear that this was going to be very popular and as soon as the next song started, a heap of kids rushed to the dance floor hoping to be chosen. When a really popular song suddenly exploded from the speakers, the cheering was louder than ever and the atmosphere in the hall seemed electric.
It was the teachers’ job to look out for kids who really stood out and some were doing the craziest moves in the hope of being noticed. One boy named Michael, even got down on the floor and did an amazing break dance, spinning around on his back and then leaping to his feet in one jump. It was incredible to watch and everyone cheered loudly as he was selected to make his way onto the stage.
I could see Sara amongst the crowd, doing some really cool hip hop moves and I wasn’t surprised when she was also chosen. With a proud smile, she climbed the stairs to stand on the stage alongside Michael.
It was obviously a hard choice for the teachers but it appeared that anyone putting in an effort to be out of the ordinary was being chosen. So kids were going all out to try and get the teachers’ attention.
Before too long, there were about fifteen kids standing on the stage, ready to compete in the dance off and everyone waited eagerly to watch the competition evolve.
The rules were that two people were selected to dance while the others moved to the back of the stage. Then one at a time, each person had the chance to display what they were capable of and when the music stopped, the crowd had to applaud their favorite dancer. Through a process of elimination, the numbers were gradually reduced until there were only 3 dancers left. Those people happened to be Michael, the break dancer, another boy named Dean who was really good at hip hop and Sara, who was the only girl.
“Typical that she’s still up there!” Millie whispered in my ear.
I shrugged my shoulders; I really didn’t feel bothered at all. I was so happy that the disco had become such a success that I wasn’t the least concerned about Sara being on stage in all her glory. And besides that, I had Blake beside me, his hand firmly holding mine and I could also see that Jack definitely appeared to be taking an interest in Millie. He hadn’t left her side for ages and they seemed to be getting on really well. Giggling to myself, I pictured the four of us hanging out together and thought about how much fun that would be.
Eventually the time came for the audience to decide who their favorite dancer was. Blake, Jack, Millie and I had all chosen to vote for Michael as we thought that he was definitely the most impressive. When his name was announced, we joined the majority of other kids and cheered as loudly as we could. It seemed that it was going to be almost unanimous and we weren’t surprised when he was announced the winner.
I watched as he claimed his prize and headed off the stage followed by Dean and Sara who had both been given runner-up prizes of $50 each. Everyone appeared pretty happy with themselves, even Sara who walked down the stairs with a broad smile. I guessed that the prizes made up for not being selected as the overall winner and I was glad to see that it was a good outcome for everyone.
Just as the music began to play again and the dance floor started to refill, a sudden glow of light caught my attention.
A group of younger kids had decided to climb the stairs leading to the stage. They were probably hoping to raid the baskets and take the treats that had been stored there ready for Blake’s dad to toss out into the crowd at the end of the night. But because there were so many kids on the steps at once, I guessed that one of them, a girl who was wearing long black pants that flared out at the bottom, had brushed past the flame on one of the candles. Staring in horror, I watched as the fabric of her pants caught alight.
The impression I had was that she was completely unaware of what had happened. And no one else had appeared to notice either, although the flames were growing in intensity and literally devouring the synthetic cloth in hungry gulps.
The horrific scene in front of me seemed to unfold in slow motion as I lunged desperately towards her. Grabbing her by the hand, I dragged her down off the step and frantically slapped at the flames with my bare hands. It was a reaction that I was helpless to prevent. All I could think about was that a little girl’s pants were on fire and I had to save her.
The crowd had scattered away from us and looked on in shock as I continued to extinguish the flames in any way possible. I had no regard for my own safety and afterwards, I realized that I could have been badly burnt myself. But miraculously, apart from very red hands, I was unhurt.
Within seconds, although it seemed like ages, there were teachers at my side. They had been alerted and had run to the spot where we stood, overcome with disbelief at what had just happened.
Fearing the worst, I looked down at the girl’s leg expecting it to have been burnt by the flames. But in the semi darkness, I realized that she was wearing long black boots which had acted as protection from the fire. This was also probably the reason that she’d been unaware at first, there was even a problem.
The synthetic cloth on her pants’ leg from the knee down had completely disappeared however, and it was clear that it had been eaten up by the hungry flames. The exterior of her boot felt very hot and it was quickly peeled off her leg before it melted and stuck to her skin.
She was then whisked away to be checked by the first aid attendant and I stood there, shaking at what could
have been a complete disaster. Visions of the flame engulfing the young girls’ leg remained vividly in my mind and I had to sit down to try to overcome the shock I was still feeling.
“You saved that girl, Julia!” Millie said, astonished at what she had just witnessed.
“What you did was really brave, Julia!” Miss Brown was congratulating me for my quick actions and I was soon surrounded by kids telling me what a hero I was.
Then, over the music that had continued to play, I heard Sara’s comment as she stood shaking her head and looking at me.
“Whose idea was it to put candles on the steps, anyway?” she snickered loudly. “That was an accident waiting to happen!”
It was obvious that she was directing the comment towards me and I was filled with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Ridden with guilt that a little girl could have been badly burnt, I got up from where I was sitting and made my way to the back of the hall.
The disco that had been such a huge success only moments earlier had almost ended in disaster and I felt that I was to blame. Miserably, I found a chair in the corner and sat down to wait for it all to end. Even Blake was unable to cheer me up and resting my head on his shoulder, I tried to erase the terrible vision from my mind.
But Sara’s words lingered long afterwards and later that night as I climbed into bed, I thought once more of Halloween pumpkins, candles and a young girl whose clothes were on fire as well as a tragedy that, thanks to a pair of long black boots, had miraculously been prevented.
Uneasy…
Back at school on the following Monday, everyone was talking about the disco and how much fun they had had. Even though I continued to feel guilty about what had happened, it seemed that the fire incident had added excitement to the night and I was still being congratulated for my bravery. We had hoped to plan a disco that everyone would remember, and it appeared that we had done just that.
Julia Jones' Diary - Boxed Set - Books 2 to 6 Page 17