Raj Kukuri had thought he wouldn't be able to sleep after the events of last night, yet he found himself waking up the next morning. A glance told him that the prom tiara was still on his nightstand. He was never one to believe in the supernatural, but since he had learned of the creepy stuff going on with Lisa he wouldn't be surprised if the crown was haunted. It had already been the cause two deaths. If that wasn't haunted, what was? But then again, wouldn't that mean the curse had now landed on him?
It was all too much. He wished he could go back to sleep, but his mind was already too flooded. Instead, he stretched, rolled out of bed, and commenced the rest of his morning routine. All the while, he was wondering what the situation now was at school. Was it cancelled? Would there be some kind of announcement? What if news trucks came to the school? Two student deaths didn't exactly reflect well on the school. And they were both electrical deaths, no less. Principal Richardson could even be sacked over this. After he had mulled over these larger points, he began to reflect on the minutiae of that night. Were Lisa and that random kid a couple now? Who the heck was he? Where was Lisa's ghost girl? And, though he thought this might be a little selfish on his part, was he still technically Prom King? He was willing to bet nobody even remembered his name after what happened to Carlita. They hadn't bothered to learn his name before, so why stop now? Especially in the face of much more tragic and scandalous news.
On further reflection, Raj was just glad he could brush his teeth. They were small comforts, ones that she would never be able to enjoy again, he thought morosely. And as he brushed his teeth, he thought of Carlita brushing her teeth on her last day. She couldn't have known that such a routine act was one of her last. He wondered how she would have spent the day differently if she'd known it was her final day. It was then that he noticed that it was nine o'clock. Wait, didn't school start at eight?
With this realization, he leapt into action. He was already dressed, and he could skip eating breakfast. But as he frantically threw open the door to his room, he came face to face with his mom, whose hand was raised in a fist as if she was about to knock.
"Oh! Raj! You startled me!" she said with her hand over her heart.
"Mom! I'm sorry but I have to go right now," Raj said frantically.
"But son, where are you going?" his mom said. "I made you a nice breakfast. I know you had a hard day yesterday."
It occurred to Raj that his mom must think he had been emotionally scarred by last night. "I have to go to school, though," he said.
"Raj, it's Saturday," she said gently, obviously concerned.
"Oh…that's right," he said.
"It's alright. It's been a strange week. That poor girl!"
"Yeah…"
"By the way, the school left a message on the phone."
"Oh! Can I hear it?"
"The message is still on the phone, if you would like to listen."
"Okay, thank you Mom."
When he entered the kitchen a bowl of aval was there waiting for him. Though he was glad for his mother's sympathetic attention, he still went straight for the phone on the counter.
"Hello, student," said the pre-recorded message, "this is a message from the Eugene Ashley High School regarding the events of last night's prom. School has been canceled to accommodate grieving family and students. We will also be conducting an inspection of the school's wiring, a process that will take about a week. School will be back in session the Monday after next. Once school is back in session, grief counselors will be available on campus during all hours of the school day. We will call with any further updates about the situation. Thank you for your time."
"Poor girl!" his mom repeated, "I can't believe how unsafe the wiring is at your school! Maybe I should put Anushka in a different high school."
"Well, they're doing checks on the wiring now, I'm sure it'll be fine," said Raj. "And you should let Anushka stay with her friends. By the way, where is she?"
"She still has school. School is only canceled for your high school, not for the entire district," she said, "And you're right! She should be with her friends. I just get worried about my kids. I'm so glad you weren't hurt, Raj!"