"There's one more thing," he said.
I immediately regretted feeling relieved.
"...What now?"
"Father said there's no penalty for attending without a partner, but he's planning to pair people up with someone at the venue."
I stared at him.
For a moment, I genuinely wondered whether I'd heard him correctly.
"...I'm sorry. He plans to do what?"
"Pair people up."
"With strangers?"
"Yes."
"And then make them dance together?"
"That's the general idea."
I slowly turned my head toward the ceiling.
You absolute idiot.
What did Lucas mean when he said there would be no penalty for attending without a partner?
Being paired with a complete stranger and expected to dance with them at a formal ball was practically a punishment!
And depending on who that stranger was, it could be even worse.
What if someone was socially awkward? What if they didn't know how to dance? What if they simply didn't want to participate?
