Football games usually start at seven. The Homecoming game is special. It starts at six-thirty. That half hour allows plenty of time for the floats and crowning ceremony during half-time and gives everyone plenty of time to change before the Homecoming dance, which starts at ten.

I'm late for the game. I don't arrive at SHS until fifteen after seven. I usually make it to all of SHS's home games, but rarely on time (do I ever arrive anywhere on time?) I come to socialize, it's not like I care about the score. Since I'm late, I have to park pretty far from the stadium. It's a nice night though, much warmer than the nights we've had lately. As I approach the stadium, I spot a group of students standing outside the gates, holding signs. At first I assume they're holding campaign signs, which is odd since the votes have already been cast and counted. Then I realize one of the students is Jessi Ramsey. I groan, inwardly, and wish there was an alternate way into the stadium.

"Hi Jessi," I greet her. "What are you doing out here?"

Jessi rolls her eyes. "Can't you read?" she asks, pointing at her sign. It reads: Homecoming Is Racist!

"Oh...not a fan of Homecoming?" I say, lamely.

"Of a fair Homecoming, maybe," she replies. "Doesn't it bother you that no minorities were nominated for King and Queen?"

"There was that Korean kid who ran for Prince,"

"That doesn't count!" Jessi cries.

"Sorry, you feel that way, Jessi. But it's not like SHS is that racially diverse. There really aren't many minorities to nominate. Maybe you can run for Princess next year. Good luck with that,"

I step toward the gates, but Jessi and her friends link arms and block my way. I sigh and roll my eyes. Jessi and I used to be friends, but like with so many of my friends, we drifted apart. We weren't really close friends to begin with, and although I liked her, I wasn't that sad about losing her friendship. She's changed a lot since sixth grade. I know she still dances, but drama and theater are her big passions now. She enjoys the limelight.

"Please move," I tell them. When they don't budge, I shove right on through, knocking some girl to the ground. "Drama freaks," I mutter as I walk away.

Inside the gates, I pay for my ticket, then search the bleachers for Julie and Emily. I find them in the seventh row behind where the cheerleaders are on the field. They found a perfect view of where the crowning ceremony will take place. Julie and Emily are sitting together, sharing a nacho and beside them are Claudia and Erica. Emily has on about a dozen layers of clothes while Julie and Erica appear perfectly comfortable in their long-sleeved shirts. Claudia's wearing...something that may or may not be Mary Anne's face created out of sequins on a sweatshirt. Claudia's digging in her gigantic purse, pulling out boxes and bags of candy. I laugh. It's just like old times.

"Hey everyone," I greet them, taking off my jacket before sitting down next to Emily. "Anyone else have trouble getting through the gates?"

"Is that nutty Jessi Ramsey back?" asks Julie. "I thought Mrs. Hoffman and the PTA chased her off. What a weirdo,"

I laugh and steal one of Emily's nachos. "I'm really glad you decided to come," I tell her.

"Oh, I wouldn't miss this! I'm only staying until the crowning though. It's still the Sabbath and I shouldn't stay out too late," Emily replies.

Claudia looks really confused, but instead of asking questions takes an enormous thermos out of her purse and begins pouring hot cocoa into styrofoam cups. I steal another of Emily's nachos, but this time Julie smacks my hand.

"Get your own! These are ours," she exclaims.

I sigh and stand up. "I guess I'm going to the snack bar then. Anyone want anything?"

Everyone shakes their heads, so I walk down the bleachers and head toward the snack bar (also known as The Blue Jay's Nest. Yes, our mascot isn't some ferocious animal. It's a blue jay). Near the end of the bleachers, I stop to chat with Mary Anne's dad, stepmom, and grandma who are seated in the first row. I notice Mr. Spier and Sharon are sitting with their coats between them.

Mr. Spier's eager to show me all the special features on his new camcorder. "I bought it just for tonight," he explains.

"Frivolous," mutters Sharon.

Mr. Spier's messing with the camcorder and either doesn't hear her or is completely ignoring her.

"It's too bad Dawn couldn't be here," I tell Sharon, in an effort to make pleasant conversation. "Is she coming for Thanksgiving?"

Sharon sighs. "She hasn't decided. Not that I blame her after her less than warm reception over the summer," Sharon shoots a murderous glare at Mr. Spier, who still appears to be ignoring her.

"Well, tell Dawn I said hello," I say, shifting from one foot to the next. "I really hope Mary Anne wins tonight, Mr. Spier."

Mr. Spier smiles at me. "Thank you, Stacey. I hope so, too. I only wish her mother could be here to see this,"

Mary Anne's grandma pats his hand. "So do I," she says. They get along much better now that she lives in Stoneybrook.

Sharon snorts and rolls her eyes. I take that as my cue to leave. After saying goodbye, I walk down the steps of the bleachers and stand in line at the snack bar. It's crowded around the snack bar, although the line isn't very long. Mostly it's just kids hanging around in large clusters. I see Vanessa Pike, Haley Braddock, and Charlotte Johanssen and a few other middle school kids standing behind the bleachers. I smile, remembering how grown up it felt to attend high school games when I was in middle school.

I have to keep to a strict eating schedule because of my diabetes, so I've already eaten dinner. I can still have snack though. I order a diet coke and a small nacho. I figure that whatever I don't eat either Julie or Claudia will inhale. After paying, I head back toward the bleachers, holding my soda and nachos in the air while fighting the crush of people. Someone bumps me hard in the shoulder, causing soda to slosh over side of the cup and onto the grass.

"Sorry!" cries the person who bumped into me.

"It's okay," I reply, turning my head in his direction.

It's Charlie Thomas, Kristy's and Sam's older brother. He's a senior at Central Connecticut State in New Britain. I haven't seen him in a long time. I don't think he comes home very often.

"Hey, Charlie! Slumming it at a high school football game?"

"I never miss a Homecoming game," he replies. "Besides, my roommate's girlfriend is one of the Queen candidates, so I didn't really have a choice but to come,"

"Who's his girlfriend?" I ask, a sort of sinking feeling in my stomach.

"Uh...Cokie Mason,"

"Oh, yes, the college boyfriend she's always bragging about,"

Charlie laughs. "Kristy doesn't even want Rick staying at the house. She says he has Cokie germs on him,"

It's my turn to laugh. "It's nice to know Kristy's still as mature as ever,"

"Yeah. She's up in the bleachers with Abby, Anna, and Shannon," Charlie points toward the bleachers. I crane my neck, but can't see Kristy. She's still too short. I think I see the Stevenson twins' wild, curly hair though. "You should go up and say hello," Charlie pauses. "Sam and Janet are up there too."

"Oh...well, maybe you should tell Kristy and everyone to come down to see me. I'm sitting with Claudia,"

"All right. I better get in line. I'm supposed to be getting Janet a soda. It's not like she's Sam's wife or anything. It was nice seeing you, Stacey,"

"You too, Charlie," I tell him with a wave.

When I get back to my seat, Claudia and Erica have somehow produced giant burritos from Claudia's clown car of a purse. Claudia's going to make herself sick. I don't know what I'll do if she throws up.

Julie and Erica are in the middle of a thrilling conversation about Mr. Arden's toupee. Emily keeps checking her watch and her left eye is beginning to twitch. Only Emily Bernstein could get stressed out at a football game. I turn around in my seat and try to discreetly look at Kristy and her family. I don't want Sam seeing me and thinking I'm checking him out. Sam's too busy watching the game to notice me, or maybe he's just trying to ignore Janet, who's hanging on his arm and talking to him. Or trying to. He doesn't seem to be paying attention. I wonder if Janet still snaps her gum like she did in middle school. She definitely still wears too much make-up.

Kristy, Abby, and Shannon are huddled together, laughing, and looking extremely close. Anna a little removed from their group, appearing very much the outsider. Anna didn't go to SDS with Abby. SDS doesn't have an orchestra, so Anna came to SHS as planned. She was here for freshman and sophomore year, then last year transferred to a special music school in New Haven. During the week, she lives at the school, but comes home most weekends. Anna was sort of part of our group at SHS, but none of us have really kept in touch with her. I should go up and say hello to everyone, even if Sam is there. I just don't know what to say to people who are no longer my friends. Everything that comes out of my mouth always seems awkward and shallow.

Julie leans over and pokes my leg. "Did you see Grace's parents when you came back?" she asks, gesturing in front of us. Grace's parents are four rows ahead of us. I recognize her dad's bald head and her mom's bobbed red hair.

"Walked right by them, I guess," I reply.

Julie gestures to her chest and whispers, "Mrs. Blume got her breasts redone."

"You are obsessed with breasts," I whisper back.

"I am not!"

"Who's breasts are you guys whispering about?" Claudia asks, loudly.

That pretty much ends the conversation right there.

We go back to pretending to watch the game. Claudia pulls a tupperware container of seven-layer bean dip out of her purse (I swear, that purse is magic) and opens a bag of tortilla chips. She passes the dip and chips around, then refills everyone's cups of cocoa. (I am, of course, not drinking any). Claudia's just pulling a roll of paper towels out of her purse (seriously) when a loud thunder of feet stop by our row. It's Kristy, Abby, Shannon, and Anna.

"Hey everyone!" says Kristy.

"Hi," we all chorus.

"Isn't this exciting?" asks Kristy. "Personally, I think Homecoming Court is stupid and demeaning, but it's the kind of thing Mary Anne's into. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to offer our support. It's too bad the entire BSC couldn't be here."

"I believe I saw Jessi Ramsey greeting people at the front gates," says Julie.

I bite my bottom lip to keep from laughing and end up snorting. Emily and Erica do the same. Kristy, Abby, Shannon, and Anna look confused.

"I saw you looking up at us, Stacey," Kristy says in that oh-so-tactful way she seems to share with Julie. "I don't blame you for not coming up. Janet probably would have shoved you off the bleachers. Sam talks about you all the time. It's creepy. Can you believe that two-faced bimbo is my sister-in-law? Remember when she tried to sabotage the BSC?"

I don't particularly want to discuss Sam or Janet or the BSC. I change the subject. "How's SDS?" I ask.

"Great!" says Abby. "We really like it,"

"Yeah," agrees Kristy. "The uniforms aren't so bad and the classes are really small. There are a lot of electives, too. I'm taking a business class this year. So, yeah, it's a great school. The kids don't even seem that snobby anymore,"

"They never were snobby," protests Shannon.

We talk about school and our families awhile longer (I do not divulge that my mother's dating Mr. Prezzioso. That's probably a violation of club rules and Kristy may attempt to fine me). Once Anna finishes telling us about her school in New Haven, it seems like we've run out of things to talk about. There's just an awkward silence. It's the awkward silence of when people cease to be friends. There's no use trying to fill it up because it will always be empty.

Kristy and the others return to their seats. I feel the kind of dull sadness I feel whenever I see an old friend. It's sort of twisted and confused. I wonder how people who once had so much in common, once liked each other so much, can end up as total strangers. I wonder the same about my parents - how they went from being madly in love to hating the thought of each other. I guess I know the answer though. People change, circumstances change...and life moves on.

"Half time!" Emily cries, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Finally!" I exclaim.

I intwine my fingers in Emily's and on her other side Julie does the same. There's a fluttering in my stomach. I didn't realize I'd be so nervous. Out on the field, Lauren Hoffman and Coach Keller are setting up a microphone and I spot Rick Chow running around with his camera, preparing to take photos for the Gazette. There's also a reporter and photographer from The Stoneybrook News (the local newspaper). That's impressive enough, then I notice the WSBK van pull onto the field. Their star reporter, Mimi Snowdon, hops out of the van.

"Oh my Lord!" Claudia exclaims. "Mary Anne's going to be on t.v.!"

"I just hope Mary Anne doesn't know that," I reply.

Emily and Julie exchange a worried glance.

On the football field, Coach Keller steps up to the microphone, taps it, and clears her voice. "Welcome to the Stoneybrook High School Homecoming game!" Everyone in the bleachers stand up and cheer. Coach Keller grins. "An enthusiastic crowd tonight! In a few minutes, the class floats will be rolling out onto the track along with our Homecoming King and Queen candidates. Our students have worked hard on their floats and I hope you will give them the respect and applause they deserve. The same for our candidates. I'm getting the signal now. Here comes the freshman float!" Coach Keller walks away from the microphone and takes a seat on a bench, alongside the football coaches.

In the distance, from behind the locker rooms, I can barely make out the freshman float. Even so, everyone stands and cheers. Everyone on the freshman float is dressed in seventies clothing. There's a disco ball and strobe lights on their float, which are rather blinding. The freshmen are all doing the Hustle. Behind their float is the sophomore float, which isn't impressive at all. The sophomores are all dressed in our school colors - navy and red - and are screaming and jumping around. And that's it. Their float doesn't even have a theme! Next is the junior float, which has an underwater theme. Their float is decorated like a lagoon and the girls are dressed like mermaids and the boys like deep-sea divers. Last is the senior float - the one Alan Gray designed. I dropped off the float committee when I heard Alan talking about an alien invasion theme. I wasn't quite prepared for his actual design.

"Pirates!" I can't help but shriek.

Yes, the senior float is a giant pirate ship and all the seniors on it are dressed as pirates. Austin Bentley's at the steering wheel (is that what it's called?) with an enormous fake black beard and a parrot on his shoulder. Ross Brown and Mary Sherwood are on the top deck in the middle of a sword battle. A group of pirates are attempting to force Katie Shea to walk the plank. This only could have come from the demented mind of Alan Gray.

"It's Alan's senior year goal to have the mascot changed to a pirate," says Emily. "This is the first step in his petition. He wants to write an editorial about it."

"If I'd known you got to dress like a pirate," exclaims Julie, "I would have joined the float committee!"

"Me too!" cries Claudia, apparently forgetting that she no longer attends SHS.

The King and Queen candidates follow the floats. Each couple stands in the back of a truck and each truck has a sign along its side for that particular couple. Margie and Logan are in the first truck. Margie's changed out of her cheerleading uniform and into an impossibly low-cut magenta dress. Logan's still in his football uniform, as is RJ Blaser who's in the next truck with Cokie Mason. Cokie's in a teal and black lace dress with a corset that's so tight her breasts are practically pushed up to her chin. For some reason, she's wearing black fishnet stockings.

The third truck has Pete and Grace. Grace has on a dark green dress with long sleeves and a v-shaped neckline. The skirt is short and full. It's a dress I never would have chosen for myself and I'd probably have never chosen it for Grace either. She looks terrific though. The fourth truck has Howie and Sheila and the nicest thing I can say about Sheila's dress is that it covers more than Margie's and Cokie's combined.

Mary Anne and Alan bring up the rear. I haven't seen Mary Anne's dress yet. She and Mr. Spier bought it at Lear's in the Washington Mall. She wouldn't let me see it. She said it was a surprise. And I am surprised. Not by the dress, which is a definite Mary Anne dress - long and fitted and dark burgundy, sleeveless and the top cuts high across her chest. A very romantic dress. It's an obvious choice for Mary Anne. But what surprises me is how beautiful Mary Anne looks. I'd forgotten how lovely Mary Anne really is. And in the back of the truck with Alan Gray, waving and smiling, Mary Anne looks absolutely beautiful - more so than Margie and Sheila and Cokie and even Grace.

All the trucks stop in front of the bleachers. The candidates climb out of the trucks (which is rather difficult for the girls, especially Cokie, who looks like she can hardly breathe let alone move). The candidates line up beside the trucks, then each couple takes their turn walking onto the football field. Mary Anne and Alan are last. Emily, Julie, and I all groan when we get our first good look at Alan. Apparently, he wasn't willing to miss out on his pirate float after all. That's right - Alan Gray is escorting poor Mary Anne onto the football field dressed as a pirate.

The five King candidates line up to the right of Lauren Hoffman, who's now standing at the microphone. The Queen candidates line up on her left. Grace and Mary Anne are standing together, clutching each other's hand. Grace appears confident and not the least bit nervous. Somehow, Mary Anne doesn't look like she's going to cry or throw up. Instead she looks relaxed and happy. Her smile is absolutely genuine. I feel a pang of regret for not voting for her. Maybe she wants this after all.

"And this year's Homecoming King is..." Lauren says into the microphone, looking down at a piece of paper, "...Howie Johnson!"

All the other King candidates slap Howie on the back and punch him in the shoulders. Grace's smile flickers from her face, but she quickly turns it back on. Her smile suddenly looks very fake. The Queen candidates hug Howie, all except Grace, who steps backward when Howie approaches her and slips an arm around Mary Anne's waist.

"And now...the winner of this year's Homecoming Queen..." Lauren grins, as she unfolds her piece of paper. She takes her time reading it (as if it isn't just two words and as if she doesn't already know who the winner is), "...the winner is...Grace Blume!"

Emily, Julie, and I scream. On the field, Grace screams too. So does Mary Anne, as she throws her arms around Grace's neck. Margie, Sheila, and Cokie plaster smiles on their faces, although their eyes are simply murderous. I underestimated Grace. I didn't think she could win.

Lauren places a crown on Howie's head. Then she hands a bouquet of red roses to Grace and slips a tiara onto Grace's head. Lauren and Grace spend some time messing with the tiara because there's no way Grace will have it the least bit crooked. Now that they're crowned, Grace and Howie are supposed to link arms and walk forward together. Howie takes a step and Grace hesitates, then walks around him to stand on the side of his good leg. When Howie offers his arm, Grace pretends to not notice. She strides forward quickly and Howie has to hurry to catch up. It's all so obviously deliberate. Everyone must see that.

Grace smiles and waves to us, like she isn't being rotten, even though she's gotten exactly what she wanted. And we wave back because she's still our friend.

"She's going to be impossible now," says Julie.

"Everything's going to change," I agree.

Things are always changing.

On the football field, Grace continues to smile and wave. Then, out of nowhere, a spray of water hits her in the face. Before anyone can cry out, we notice that everyone on the football field is getting sprayed in the face.

"Sprinklers? In the middle of a game?" Erica shrieks.

"Someone must have messed with the automatic timer!" Julie yells.

Chaos breaks out. People in the bleachers are shouting and pushing for a better view. Grace is screaming on the field, her face turning bright red while her dress and hair become soaked. The other girls are running off the field, including Mary Anne, who as a second thought runs back to Grace and pulls her off the field. The King candidates don't run off the field, but rather further onto it, sliding on the wet grass and jumping through the water in their coats and ties.

"Who would mess with the timer?" asks Emily.

"This is such an Alan Gray thing to do!" exclaims Erica.

And it clicks in my mind. Not Alan. Not at all.

"Jessi Ramsey!"