It wasn’t.
I took his hand. The moment we stepped onto the dance floor, eyes turned toward us. Some whispered, some stared in shock. Caleb ignored them all.
We danced the entire night. I stopped feeling invisible. I didn’t care what anyone else thought. He treated me normally, made me laugh, and by the end of the evening, I didn’t want prom to end.
Afterward, he walked me home.
“You had fun tonight?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “More than I expected.”
He smiled, though something distant lingered in his eyes. At my porch, we paused.
“Thanks for tonight,” I said.
“I’ll see you,” he replied seriously, and then he left.
The next morning, pounding at the front door startled me awake. Police officers and Caleb’s parents were standing outside.
An officer stepped forward. “Cindy, when was the last time you saw Caleb?”
“Last night after prom,” I answered.
“Did he mention where he was going?”
I shook my head.
Then one of them asked something that made my heart sink.
“Do you know what Caleb witnessed?”
I stared blankly.
