(A/N: In advance of the reviews, I know homecoming usually is in the fall and Prom in the spring. But in my world with Hollywood Arts, I reversed it. It's Prome in the fall and Homecoming in the spring. It makes more sense to me.)

(2 days earlier)

"So what are you guys doing for Homecoming?" Andre asked.

I ducked my head surreptitiously and dug into my sandwich from home.

"Going to the dance." Tori smiled.

Andre seemed to smile insincerely. "That's cool. How about you Rob?"

I swallowed and cleared my throat.

"Sorry…I have to work."

"Oh, come on man." Beck chided me. "It'll be fun."

"So you're going?" I turned it around on him.

"Uhhh, yeah I am."

"With Tori?" Andre jumped in.

Jade's eyes darted to Andre's face.

I see nothing but lust from her.

But to who?

"Yeah. What are you doing Andre? You haven't told us."

"I'm trying to round up a date. But I wanna go."

"That's nice." Cat piped up.

"Thanks Little Red." He smiled at her. She moved to hug him.

I can feel Tori and Beck looking at me.

"Any big plans for you Jade?" I asked, breaking the tension I was feeling.

"Actually yeah. I'm going to a Bat Mitzvah in Chicago. I'll be gone all week."

"Oh. That sounds cool." I say instinctively.

She shrugged.

"All week?" Cat whined.

Jade nodded and bit into…whatever it is she's eating. I don't recognize it.

"What about you Cat?" Tori asked.

I went back to eating and pretended I don't care.

"I'm going too. It'll be nice to not be alone. I was afraid I would be." She piped up, then quickly taking a swig of her Raderade.

"Who are you going with?"

"A boy from San Diego I met awhile back." She smiled.

I kept looking down, trying to hold in my lunch.

I feel like I just missed a step going down the stairs.

"That's cool." Jade smiled. "You deserve somebody nice and new."

"Thanks Jadey." Cat smiled at her. At least I think she smiled. It sounded like it.

The rest of lunch went without further surprises. I don't even remember what we talked about in class. Next thing I remember—

SLAM!

"Heya Robbie!" She smiled as I waited patiently for the traffic to clear up.

"Hey Cat. Good day?" I asked politely.

"Yeah it was! Thanks for asking. How about you?"

"It was ok." I shrug, trying to keep my mind off of the very lady I'm speaking to.

"You…you don't sound ok." She said quietly.

"What makes you say that? I'm fine."

"Ok…what do you think of your tech crew?" She changed topics.

"They'll be ready." I reply evenly.

"Have they been ok?"

"They have been doing what they have been doing. Learning on the fly as fast as they can Cat. Nothing more, nothing less."

I gritted my teeth and pulled onto the road, accelerating to highway speed.

"Any favorite people?" She piped up.

I shook my head. "Nope."

We were quiet as I got closer to her complex.

"You lied to me." She whispered quietly.

"What? No I didn't." I snap back.

"Yeah you did…You're mad at me."

"Cat, I'm not mad."

She glanced at me as I pulled into her complex and began winding towards her apartment.

"You didn't mention me." She said quietly.

"I'm not getting your point Cat." I say simply.

"…You're not mad, but you are mad at me." She answered.

"You're twisting my words around sweetheart." I say tightly.

Her arrows are hitting the bull's-eye.

"No I'm not. I just noticed that you didn't say you weren't mad at me."

I sighed and shifted into park.

We're here.

"Robbie…I had to get a date for Homecoming. I know you don't like it."

"Cat, why even bring that up?" I said harshly, causing her to quickly look alarmed.

"…He's a nice guy Robbie. I promise that ok. He won't hurt me."

"It sounds like you are already dating him."

"Yeah…Do I have to run my love life past you Robbie?"

"No Cat…not at all." I say quietly.

She has me completely beat. She's just burying me.

Cat grabbed her purse and plopped it into her lap.

"Look…I wanted to tell you. I probably should have. Now I know what you mean when you said you couldn't think of a way to tell me about your parent's divorce."

I gripped the wheel tightly and tried to not lash out at her.

"But…" She continued. "I'm sorry. I did what I wanted and needed to do. I shouldn't have to live in the past to make you feel better. Ok?"

"Robbie?" She said, trying to get me to look her in the eye.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Just…Please don't mope around ok? I want you to be happy too. Nothing is brighter than your smile to me ok? It always makes my day…Can you please look at me?"

I barely shifted my eyes to see her looking up at me.

"Thank you…hug?"

She didn't give me a chance to protest and wrapped her arms around me.

I barely hugged her back.

"See you later. Texdt me if you want." She piped up.

"Gotcha." I replied, feeling heat in my throat.

She didn't wait any longer and hopped out, waving before disappearing up the stairs.

I didn't even wait until I got to the highway to text Jade and ask if she could take Cat to and from work.

"Sure. Sorry she jumped all over you today at lunch." –Jade.

I put my phone back in my pocket and opened the door to my room.

Texts streamed in steadily from everyone over the next few hours as I systematically scoured my room and cleaned it, venting my frustrations into the dirt and dust.

"So Jade's taking me to work today? I wouldn't have gotten upset if you would have told me Robbie." –Cat 4:28 PM

I pulled the dolly out of the basement and after heaving it up the stairs, lifted my dressers onto it and put it out in the hall, allowing me to clean the swath of floor underneath.

"Is this how you are going to make it Robbie? Not replying to me? I don't know what else I'm supposed to do Robbie. I owned up to my mistake. Maybe you just need space and your silence is telling me that. I'll be quiet now."

Oh look. It's that picture Cat gave me when Alex stayed over. The smile I never got up until then.

And now it belongs to another guy. Again.

Fittingly, the glass is cracked on her side.

I put it to the side as my phone buzzed again.

Jade.

Tori.

Andre

Jade again.

again.

Tori.

Jade…again.

I lift the dresser back into its place and turn my focus to my bed.

It's designed to come apart. So I begin taking that apart.

Buzz.

Buzz.

"Lemme see you put your hearts up! Aye lemme see you put your hearts up…"

That's Cat's ringtone when she calls.

My phone stays in my pocket.

I shift my focus to my closet, which is relatively neat. Except for the very top, which is the only part that didn't get touched during my brief stint at…her place.

Underneath some blankets and in a shoebox…

Is Rex.

I guess I'll take him with me to the beach tomorrow night.

The next time I check my phone I'm at a little pizza place. I declined dinner with my parents to try and get some space to clear my head.

The tally is: 5 texts from Cat with 6 from Jade and a smattering from the others.

(The next Day)

"Here you go Robbie…now why do you want my truck again?" Bash asked as I stood on his front porch.

"I need room for a bonfire at the beach."

"Ahh! A bonfire!" Jared said, smiling.

"Any particular reason?" Peter asked.

"Not really. It's homecoming weekend and I just thought a bonfire on the beach would be a good idea."

"That's cool…but why do you need it tonight?" Jared asked, looking confused.

"I'm going tonight."

"There isn't a homecoming dance?" Peter piled on.

"There is, I'm just not going. The others are meeting up with me."

"Why aren't you going?"

"Couldn't get a date." I shrugged.

"You're kidding!" Peter said, looking shocked.

"Eh, dances are dumb anyway." I shrugged again.

"You know, with all that shrugging you're doing, you'll get stuck that way." Jared joked.

I smiled and laughed. "I'll get your truck back tomorrow morning. Promise." I said, turning to leave.

They both were quiet for a while and my mind's eye envisioned them looking at one another.

Crack…

CRASH!

Who knew a fire could be so loud? Especially when you start throwing stuff into it.

Like DVD's and pictures.

CRACK!

I use the tongs and pitch Rex in. It takes a few minutes and the thought crosses my mind that Jade would have enjoyed seeing him melt before some part of him came flying right at me.

I barely dodged it.

I always knew he was out to get me.

I sigh and hit my stereo.

"I remember when we broke up, for the first time.

Saying that I've had enough, cause like, we haven't seen each other in a month.

When you said you needed space.

Wait, WHAT?

Then you come around and say, 'Baby'.

I miss you and I swear I'm gonna change, trust me.

Remember how that lasted for a day?

I say, 'I hate you', we break up.

You call me: "I love you."

Oooh ooh. We called it off again last night.

This time…I'm telling you, I'm telling you.

WE. Are never ever ever. Getting back together.

We, are never ever ever getting back together.

You go talk to your friends, talk to my friends, talk to me.

But we are never ever ever. Getting back together."

(Back in the present…)

The school is practically deserted. It's senior skip day, and unsurprisingly the seniors are gone.

What is surprising is that most of the school is gone too. Everyone that went to the dance. Or at least said that they did.

You never know when you are being lied to your face about something.

Blink.

"You at school?" –Jade

"Yeah. I see you aren't." I reply back.

I'm waiting patiently outside Sikowitz's. His class is next.

He's in for a surprise if there ever was one.

"Yep. What about the others?"

"Nope. I might be the only junior here." I reply back.

This school is so quiet I think I could hear a pin drop.

"You're kidding."

Better get to Sikowitz's before he makes me run a mile or something. You never know with him.

I get prime seating being the only one in the class. He does a double take when he comes in.

"This is it? Just you Robbie?"

"I think so sir."

"This is ridiculous. It's senior skip day, not everybody skip day…do you know if Helen knows about this?" He asked me.

"No idea."

"I'll bring it up with her. This is unacceptable. In the meantime, I should reward you for coming…"

"You don't have to sir." I jump in.

"Nah, I want to. You've had a terrible year. I know! Robbie, you can take a early lunch the rest of the week and I'll give you a A participation grade all week. The others will fail."

"That sounds kind of harsh sir." I say.

"It's the last Monday before performance day. This is unacceptable. It's probably a good idea for you to stay away tomorrow." He said darkly as he peered at his coconut.

"Why sir?"

"There's a high probability of me yelling tomorrow. And you don't deserve that."

"Ok…I'll stay away."

"Good good…now what are we going to do for today?" He asked exasperatedly, peering out to all the empty seats.