Slowdance

Halley's mother glared at her as they walked. It was the same look she always gave her whenever she was doing something she didn't like.

"What?" Halley frowned.

"Why do you look so dull?" replied her mother. "It's supposed to be a party."

"You told me to put a dress on, so I did."

"But that's not a party dress. In fact I remember buying that one for you three years ago for Nana's funeral," she sighed. "I can't believe you still fit in it."

"This is the only dress I have," Halley said back. She crossed her arms. "You should have just chosen one for me then."

"How am I meant to know these things if you don't tell me? You're not a child anymore, you know."

There it was. That stupid line. Everyone she knew had recently been treating her like a fully-fledged adult just because she hit the age of eighteen. Absolutely nothing had changed about her, firstly; secondly, she was still classified as a teenager, meaning she was caught in a "not-a-child-but-not-an-adult" layer of hell. It was even worse than puberty.

"Then why did you make me go tonight?" said Halley, infuriated.

Her mother flicked another glance at her, blonde curls unwavering. "Don't be ridiculous. It's your Uncle's birthday. And besides, we haven't seen any of the family for ages."

"It's not my fault we live so far away," Halley muttered.

"Just be sensible, please," she sighed again.

Halley decided to drop it. The sound of her mother's slender heels clicking on the concrete was the only thing cutting the silence as she walked alongside her parents through the carpark. Her mother was dressed that night extravagantly, like always -- although that wasn't Halley's opinion, it was what her mother seemed to believe. The only effort Halley had put in that evening was sticking a black silk headband through her straight, dark hair -- even then, she let her long fringe run through it anyway.

To her, family gatherings had evolved into just one thing over the years: a giant attempt to outdo the rest of your relatives. Whether it was easier things like money, or how amazing your children were; or boring things like maintaining your garden; everyone was competing. And Halley's mum was the prime example. She remembered one Christmas when she was younger, her mother went around and borrowed silverware from each of the houses in their neighbourhood and set her table with them just to try to show up Halley's Aunt Maria.

She was led past the lobby of the venue building, and past the shabby art deco carpet and cream coloured walls, where they approached a set of double doors on the upper floor. Before they even got close, Halley could hear the thumping party music coming from inside. Her dread for the night to come only got worse.

Inside she could barely hear herself think. Around the room were placed a few round tables, all with black tablecloths and mediocre vase centrepieces on each. Stage lights hung from steel bars on the ceiling that shone purple beams onto every surface.

She was led by her parents through to the centre of the room, where the rest of her relatives were all clumped together like glue. On her way past she'd accidentally caught the eye of a tall, round man with a balding head: her Uncle Geoff. He exited his conversation to greet them.

"Michael! There you all are!" He met them loudly with a wide smile. "I'm so glad you could make it."

Halley's mother leaned in for a superficial hug and Geoff kissed her on the cheek. Her father followed with a hug until they were all finished with their drawn-out greeting. Halley always wondered why no adults ever just said 'hello'.

"Happy birthday," started Halley's Dad. "I know it's been a while but between living so far apart and having heaps going on, we've had almost no chances to visit."

He nodded solemnly. "Everyone in the family's so busy nowadays. I haven't even seen little Halley here in ages, though I guess she's not so little anymore. The last time was at Nana's funeral I believe -- what was that, a few years ago?"

"She hasn't changed much since then," her mother said regretfully. "I'm hoping she'll grow out of this rebellious stage she's in."

"Don't be too hard, I'm sure she's a good kid. She'll come to her senses eventually." Halley despised being the topic of conversation when nobody bothered to at least acknowledge her. She felt her eyebrows sink lower. "So how old are you now, Halley? Seventeen?" Geoff asked.

"Eighteen," interjected Halley's mother before she had a chance to even take a breath.

"Wow. That makes me feel old," he chuckled. "Are you thinking about going to university now?"

University. Another thing Halley detested. It was a twisted concept -- forcing kids through more than a decade of school, only to sign up for more once you were done so that you could eventually earn a sense of financial security. If the purpose was truly learning to do what you wanted to as a career, then why not let you do it sooner? And none of it was as glamorous as everybody made out, she'd come to realise. It worked exactly like high school, just more stuck up.

"I don't know," Halley responded simply, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, why don't you give it a try?" Geoff responded. "It'd be much better than sitting at home all day. And I can help you choose something."

Choose for her, he meant.

"I'm always telling her that," Halley's mother agreed exasperatedly. "She did so well on her final tests, but all she wants to do is sit around and draw pictures."

Geoff raised his eyebrows. "Really? That's a shame. I've always thought she was very academic. She could easily fit herself into something like law. She just needs to put her mind to it."

Halley gritted her teeth. Her patience had officially run out. She was considering making a dash for the exits when her mother spoke again.

"Yes, me too," she nodded in agreement. "Anyways, I think we'll go talk around and maybe find some food. Come on, Micheal." She beckoned at her Dad, waving her slender hand in the air.

He smiled meekly. "It was nice seeing you, Geoff."

"Good to see you all." Geoff patted her dad's back as the two of them split off from her Uncle, and Halley saw the opportunity to escape in the opposite direction towards the food platters.

Halley let out a groan. If the first five minutes of the party were this excruciating, then how would she be able to stand the rest of the night?

At the table she examined the spread of food-filled plates, tossing up between plates of unappetising frankfurts, crackers and blue cheese. She settled for the warm sausage and threw it in her mouth, chewing in dissent.

Several wine bottles were placed around the rectangular table, probably doubling as decoration. Halley was able to legally drink now, and so they looked tempting given the circumstances, only she hated wine. On the night of her birthday, her mother let Halley have a sip from her own glass. Not sure of how much to take, as well as falling short in judging just how powerful the stuff was, Halley had taken a large swig that she almost immediately regurgitated back into the cup. Her mother decided she didn't want it anymore and it sat on the bench for the rest of the night. Alcohol was nothing exciting, anyway.

She decided to try and steer her focus toward something else. Anything else. What was she going to do when she got home? Most likely fall asleep. Did she have anything exciting planned for the week? Absolutely not.

The failed attempt to find refuge in her own mind didn't put her at ease, but despite the loud music playing overhead, Halley felt more at peace already. She was alone, and the food could be a lot worse. She stared aimlessly at the middle of the room and observed her family, drifting off into idle thought.

Suddenly from her side someone came to pick at the food as well and she jumped.

Halley spun around. "Grandma," she said, startled.

"Hello," her grandmother greeted. "I didn't realise you were here already."

"Yeah," said Halley. "I just got here."

No response. Dismissed with silence, but she wasn't unfamiliar.

Her grandma was a stockier lady with grey hair that was cut in such a way that made it curl just above her shoulder, looking as if it was petrified to touch her. She was in her mid-seventies by now, but still sharp and spritely. She was one of the few of Halley's relatives that didn't object to her existence. They didn't connect much either, but she was happy to take what she could get. Being from her dad's side, her grandma was not soft by any means, but was passive enough for Halley to get through most encounters unscathed.

"Didn't you wear that dress the last time I saw you?" asked her grandma, looking up at Halley with her stern bug eyes. "Ages ago by now, though."

Halley looked down at herself, then hugged her armpits sheepishly. "Well -- Yes, but this is really the only one I have."

"It makes you look awfully skinny," she commented back while picking up a few more crackers and putting them on her plate. "Have something to eat. You might not get any proper dinner later."

Halley forced a smile at her. "Alright then, I will. Thanks." Her grandma simply turned and left.

Now that she thought about it, being so moody had managed to work up a bit of an appetite in her. She snagged one of the dry crackers and bit just the corner off. It was dry and flavourless, but it would have to do.

Turning back to the room, Halley spotted her mum in one corner of the venue along with her dad, chatting away at Aunt Maria, who looked thoroughly unimpressed by whatever her sister was saying to her. They were grouped with all of Halley's other aunts and uncles and their partners (excluding Geoff, who'd abandoned his wife to go mingle with everyone else). Halley recognised her cousins standing around toward the middle, who she was also quite fond of for the same reason she liked her grandma. They were all much older than her -- like Keith, her favourite -- who was rugged-looking and had a pretty fiancée. Finally, her grandfathers were sitting and discussing something boring at a table of their own.

Going through all of her family members didn't take long, and already bored, she let out a sigh. Her eyes flicked back and forth between them, when out of nowhere she noticed someone she'd never seen before now.

It was a tall boy, probably not much older than she was, with smooth, copper-coloured hair. He wore navy trousers and a white long-sleeved dress shirt. Was he maybe another cousin? Like anyone, she was sure she had enough extended family to surprise her until she died. Still, she stared, watching him standing mindfully with his hands in his pockets as conversation flowed before him.

Halley's body moved way before her mind did, and like it decided on its own picked itself up and started walking towards the boy. In an instant she'd crossed the floor and made her way over to him. Creeping up behind him, she wondered what the hell she was doing and what to do next. Her heart was racing. Her jaw was most likely open. Now at the point of no return, the boy suddenly pivoted as if he felt her presence behind him. They locked eyes and she faltered.

"Hi," he said, looking at her curiously.

Halley didn't move. "Hi."

His face suddenly loosened. "Oh, you're that girl that I saw walk in here before. I was thinking of saying hi, but I thought you looked a bit unhappy, so I left you alone."

Did she seriously look angry enough earlier to be able to tell from the other side of the room? "Oh. Yep," she said back nervously. What did that even mean?

He smiled, then in the awkward silence started straightening his sky blue tie out of fidget. This was becoming painfully messy. For a few more seconds -- or a lot, she couldn't really tell -- they didn't say anything. There were absolutely no words coming to Halley's head.

The boy cleared his throat. "My name is Curtis, by the way."

She wanted to punch herself. "O-Oh, right -- I'm Halley."

"Cool. Nice to meet you." He smiled and she tried to smile back.

"S-So--" she started, "are you like my cousin, or something?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Bit of an odd question."

"No, sorry -- It's just that I've never ever seen you before, and we're at a family party, so I-I just assumed that--"

"Don't be sorry," Curtis interrupted. "No, we're definitely not related. I'm fairly sure anyway."

"We're not?" It was a surprise, but she figured that at least if he wasn't family there was less risk of embarrassing herself. She might not ever see him again after tonight.

"I'm actually from out of town," the tall boy called Curtis continued. "I'm staying with Geoff and Maria right now on a study program."

Her eyes widened. "Really? You are?"

Curtis chuckled, apparently amused by all her questions. "You didn't know I was gonna be here?"

"I had no idea," she huffed. Although she was annoyed, she didn't know why she was surprised by the fact no-one bothered to tell her about Curtis, considering they never did any other time.

"Didn't Geoff tell you?"

"They never tell me anything. I never have any clue what's going on. My mum only told me about this stupid party yesterday."

"Right." Curtis nodded slowly. "Geoff is your uncle though, right?"

She crossed her arms moodily. "Yeah. He is. You'd probably never guess that we were related, though."

Curtis laughed. "Really? I think you look exactly the same. Both kinda short, and skinny, with long brown hair."

Halley smirked. "That's not what I meant. Does anyone find your jokes funny?"

He shrugged. "Depends who you ask. I'd like to think I'm a bit funny."

Halley smiled again and her gaze drifted down to her feet. She twirled in place gently, her thoughts empty. But this time in a good way. She was calm. All she thought about was how nice it was having found someone sensible enough to not want to slap in the face.

"You wanna get some food?" Curtis suddenly said, pulling Halley's attention. He was pointing to the table. "I'm hungry as."

"Oh -- Well I had some before--"

"Come on." He walked away without letting her finish and now she had no choice but to follow him. It felt like some kind of cheap mind trick.

She wanted to be annoyed, but found it slightly amusing. She followed with shuffled feet over towards him. He stood casually, as Halley noticed he was quite good at, with a cheese-and-cracker sandwich half-shoved in his mouth. She exhaled, surveying the room in front of her again, not really sure what to say or do next.

"Your family seems pretty hectic," said Curtis after his mouth was empty enough to speak.

"Yeah," Halley replied bluntly. "I noticed, trust me."

"Do you ever get sick of it?" he asked again. It was weird being the subject of so many thought-feeding questions.

"Always," she sighed. "My parents -- my mum especially -- all my grandparents, too. And then there's my Uncle Geoff--"

"Oh? Don't you like him?"

Put on the spot so quickly, Halley stumbled. "Well, I don't hate him. He's just-- It's kind of hard to explain--"

"You don't have to explain if you don't want to," he interrupted her. "I don't mind him, so I was only curious."

Halley looked down, slightly embarrassed. "Thanks. Maybe that's only because you're not me."

Curtis reached for another cracker, bringing his hand-made meal up to his mouth. "What'd you do?"

"Nothing, that's the problem. I never do anything." Just thinking about it made her bubble, and she felt a tear welling up below her eye. She quickly calmed herself down again. "But everyone in my family acts like I'm the worst thing to have happened to them. Only a few of them get me. But that's only when they take me seriously."

Curtis nodded gently as he listened. "Sounds rough. I reckon you shouldn't worry about them too much. Just do what you want. They can't do much to stop you."

Halley leant back on the table. "You make it sound so easy."

"It's how my family is sometimes, too," he said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, maybe not the same as yours, but it's still hard being a guy with two big sisters. I didn't really have anyone to hang out with, and even now they just see me as the little kid."

"That sounds terrible," said Halley. "If I had sisters they'd just be more people for me to be compared to."

"You have any brothers then?" Curtis asked, sounding surprised.

"No," Halley replied. "God, I can't imagine that."

"You have it easy," he said matter-of-factly, folding his arms over. "Having no siblings sounds way easier."

A smile lifted on Halley's face as she looked up at Curtis and he cracked a smile back at her.

As silence was impatiently trying to settle over the two of them again, Halley frantically thought of things to say to keep it at bay. "So, y-you said you're in university?" she asked, eager to hear more about him. "How old are you?"

"I'm gonna be nineteen in a few weeks," he answered her. "After I left school I couldn't find anywhere to study, so I just gave up and decided to take some time off. Then I found this local program, which is connected to the campus around here. Your Aunt and Uncle signed up for the exchange part, so now I'm staying with them. It's not very heard of, but I'm having a good time. And I'm glad 'cause it really helps people like me out."

While Halley listened, Curtis' words began to fade out of focus at some point, and she found herself instead relishing the fact that she had someone talking to her. Not just having someone to talk to, but someone to listen to her. It was such a brand new sensation, and just the realisation sent butterflies scattering all through her chest.

Curtis had such a nice voice, too, she thought. She could've easily stayed there all night and let him talk about whatever he wanted, as long as she was able to ignore everything else. It'd be just the two of them in their own little bubble. Halley suddenly woke from her daze, wondering what happened. She stood back upright awkwardly, not sure of what she might've just been doing with her body. Halley finally made her first real friend and she managed to completely tune him out.

"Ah, that's enough about me," Curtis proclaimed suddenly. "I probably bored you with all the school-talk. What about you, how old are you?"

She twisted her head around to him. "I just turned eighteen, actually."

"That's cool. I remember when I turned eighteen," he said, nostalgia in his voice. He scratched his head. "Wow, it's been so long already since then."

"Well I reckon it sucks," Halley added. "Everyone judges me for that, too. Like they suddenly expect me to be an adult already."

"Don't even listen to them. Eighteen-year-olds are always just big kids pretending to be adults," Curtis told her. "Besides, you know what you wanna do, right? That's all that matters."

"Wow, I didn't think of that. I'm going to tell them all that from now on."

He chuckled. "Glad I could help."

Halley smiled to herself. When the conversation stopped, the ambience of the room seemed to flood back into the space between them. For once the absence of talking was bothering her, and she wished she didn't have to focus on the commotion around her. Halley was never a master of conversation, though -- in fact it was likely the dullest skill of hers. The effortlessness of talking to Curtis was one of the many things that made him so amazing already. But nothing was being said. While she didn't know Curtis very well yet, she knew he had to have something to say...

"Do you wanna dance?" Curtis then asked her.

...Anything but that.

Halley looked at him with a flushed face. "Really?" she said back to him. "You're not joking?"

He continued to look at her. "Yeah, why not. You don't like dancing?"

A rush of anxiety lunged inside her and she scrunched her fingers at her side. "No way. I'm terrible at dancing."

"I am too," he laughed. Every one of those beautiful, awkward-sounding laughs he'd made so far had put Halley completely at ease. Even if it was for the worse.