“You look happy,” Reid noted, “I take it it’s going well?”
“So far. I haven’t heard from Sam yet—” I started but as soon as I did, my phone dinged. “Well speak of the devil,” I joked in a poor attempt to keep my nerves at bay as I unlocked my phone.
Sam: Thank you, Emma. It means a lot to me that you want to include me. You look very nice and I hope you four have fun. Though I’m sure I’m supposed to include some kind of parental warning like be safe and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. So... don’t do anything I wouldn’t do lol.
Emma: don’t worry, I won’t:)
As soon as I hit send on my response, the unnecessary worry lifted and happiness swept in. Just in time too, I thought, taking in the limo as it turned onto the street.
Time to dance the night away.
Anonymous
The group milled about on the lawn, laughing and chatting, but my gaze didn’t shift from the brat. The pain in my ass who always seemed too lost in useless thoughts to be observant. Always surrounded by the others, never alone for long. Fawned over like spoiled royalty just down the street from where I sat watching, my anger pulsing in my chest, but I knew my time was coming.
Soon enough I’d get to make my move. All the perceived happiness would be ripped away, and nothing but me and what I was capable of would remain. I was so close, but I knew if I tried too early, my plans would fail. I won’t let that happen. Digging out the cracked phone, I flipped through the pictures, each bright smile ingrained in my mind.
Oh, the things I could do… It’ll be easy to knock the invisible crown off her head, and then?
I’ll break the brat for good.
April 4th
If you can’t be the prom queen, at least be the dancing queen.
#SeniorProm #YoureOnly18Once #StressfreeSaturday
We pulled up to the building where prom was being held, the glass front of the event center bright in the quickly setting sun. Filing out of the limo, we piled onto the sidewalk, ready and excited. I was stuffed from dinner, but even with my full stomach, I had some pep in my step.
“I’m so ready to bust out my moves,” Reid said with exuberance, busting out into a spin and striking a pose at the end of it. “You best be ready, Cali girl.”
“Oh, I’m ready. I’ve seen your dance skills before, remember?” I replied, giving him a cheery smile. Not even the thought of the party from hell could dim my happiness tonight. My boys and me were all that mattered.
“How could I forget?” he joked, grabbing my hand and twirling me around. The soft, flowy material of my dress flared out, swishing around my legs.
“Okay, the ballroom is on the second floor and to the right,” Jason instructed as I finished my circle. “Yeah, that’s the right one there.”
“They explained where it was on the tickets, babe,” Aubrey told him, holding up the piece of paper that served as our entry.
“Oh, well, guess I should have read it then,” he countered. As we made our way to the stairs, Aubrey’s cheeks reddened as Jason gave her a kiss on the cheek. It was cute, and seeing all my friends having a fun time made the night that much more special.
“Give me a few seconds,” Kingston said when we reached the top of the stairs. Crouching down, he quickly started retying his dress shoe.
“We’ll see you guys in there.” Zo gave a wave, continuing toward the ballroom with the others. It didn’t take long for King to finish up and dust off any lint and dirt that clung to his tux pants, but by the time we reached the entrance, the others had made it inside already. The music was loud and the beat was only serving to pump me up more, but when we neared the ticket taker, I felt my mood sour.
Mr. DeRosa.
“Miss Clark,” he murmured coolly, his scowl growing more pronounced as he looked between the guys. “Having more than one date is against policy, so I’m sorry, but I can’t let the four of you in.”
My stomach dropped, and I felt the blood drain from my face. He can’t be serious… Only based on the triumphant glint in his eyes I knew he was. The guys were stunned silent, but Kingston regained his composure before the rest of us.
“We aren’t going as a group. Jesse is going with Emma, and I’m going with Reid,” he lied smoothly, holding up his ticket. “We all purchased tickets, and nowhere on there did it specify only heterosexual couples were allowed.”
It took everything in me to not sputter, because of all the things I had pictured him saying, that wasn’t one of them. Though it definitely isn’t a bad plan, I thought when I looked over at him. I can definitely see him being a good lawyer. Kingston was calm and collected, keeping eye contact with the school’s assistant principal.
“Oh, so I’m supposed to believe you two are a couple now?” Mr. DeRosa countered skeptically.
“I never said we were. I just said we were each other's dates. Does that violate the rules?” Kingston didn’t back down, and if I was honest, I wanted to clap at his points, but the tension between DeRosa and us kept me standing incredibly still.
“What seems to be the issue over here?” Ms. Ester asked, coming up from behind us. Her face was flat, but based on her thinned lips, I could tell she was irritated. It was the same thing Lyla did when she wasn’t happy with something.
“Ah, Miss Clark, Mr. Parker, Mr. Bell, Mr. Hughes, good to see you four joining the fun!” Mr. Fergusen exclaimed. He held a cup of punch in one hand and had a ‘chaperone’ tag pinned to his dress shirt as he stepped out into the hall from the ballroom. “Ms. Ester, coming to join the chaperone shenanigans?” It was weird to see my normally calm teacher exuberant and peppy, but it was a nice change from the thick air of tension surrounding us.
“I am in fact, I just wanted to see why it was taking so long for these four to gain admission,” Ms. Ester challenged diplomatically, looking to Mr. DeRosa with an expectant stare. “It seems like they all have tickets.”
“Ah, yes, it seems they do,” Mr. DeRosa caved, but his tone was low and harsh, conveying how displeased he was.
Well, too bad for him, that’s what happens when you’re a bully.
“Thank you,” Kingston tacked on after our most disliked school administrator let us pass, the sassy statement making me chuckle.
“I hope you guys enjoy your night,” Ms. Ester told us with a smile after glaring over her shoulder at Mr. DeRosa.
“Yes, stay out of trouble though. Especially you, Mr. Hughes, don’t want to worry about a spilled punch bowl because you got a bit carried away dancing,” Mr. Fergusen teased, patting Reid on the shoulder. As he and Ms. Ester headed to the left, I gave Reid a single brow raise in a silent question. Two patches of pink colored his cheeks, and he shrugged.
“Got a bit excited during sophomore homecoming. It won’t happen tonight, promise. But now that we’ve dealt with Dickhead DeRosa, who’s ready to get this party started?” Reid asked, scanning the room.
I followed suit, taking in the darkened room. A smile spread across my face at the decorations. It was a Roaring 20s theme, so there was black, gold, sparkles, and geometric shapes decorating the space. A dance floor filled with students dominated the center, tables and chairs with black tablecloths and centerpieces surrounding it. Music thrummed through the speakers, a DJ jamming behind the equipment, and the colored laser and lights attached to the stand flared and flashed.