March 9, 2016
Walkerville High Hallway
7:51 A.M.
When Tim had arrived at Walkerville High that morning, he was prepared for an ordinary, dull school day. Despite this being his long-anticipated senior year, the year seemed to have fallen into a rut of sorts; not even Wanda had been as chaotic with her antics in the recent weeks. Between the nerves around college acceptance letters arriving shortly and the drama that had taken place over Valentine's Day, it seemed nobody had the enthusiasm for the usual senior year traditions.
As bad as he felt for many of his friends, especially Arnold and Phoebe, who had both grown withdrawn recently, Tim couldn't deny that calm state of things had him feeling better than ever. He and Janet were going strong, he had a clear vision for his post-high school life, and with no random mischief interrupting his life, completing his schoolwork was a breeze. Honestly, if the calm were to last until May, he'd be content.
His hope for a calm day was shattered the moment he walked through the front entrance, though. Hanging from the ceiling, a large, crudely-made banner covered in glitter and bold colors reminded him of one inevitable that he'd been happy to forget – Senior Prom was that Friday. And no doubt, the dance would come with a wave of drama for his friends.
He braced himself as he walked his usual route to his locker, knowing perfectly well what he'd find once he got there. Sure enough, the guys were already lounging around their usual spot; with a locker so centrally located in the school, it made sense that Carlos, Ralphie and Arnold would flock to his when they demanded attention. And with prom suddenly upon them, it only figured that all three would be looking for some today.
"Sorry to interrupt your party," he murmured sarcastically, gently pushing Carlos aside so that he could actually access his locker. "I didn't get an invite."
"No problem; you can be my plus one," Carlos smirked back. Compared to the other boys, he was in remarkably high spirits that morning, and it didn't take much detective work for Tim to guess the reason why.
"Speaking of plus one's…"
"You saw the sign too, huh? Some real 'banner' work from student council."
Tim rolled his eyes. "You're too perky for 8 a.m. Why the good mood? Thinking of asking someone to the dance?"
Carlos's face flushed a bright crimson. "I don't know… Maybe. It could be fun, right?"
"Wrong."
Tim and Carlos turned to Arnold. The boy was pathetically leaning with his face against the lockers, muffling his voice and concealing all but head of bright red hair. Needless to say, he was not nearly as upbeat about the upcoming festivities as his friend.
Carlos grimaced at the sight. "Dude, I know you're having rough time and all, but you've got to lighten up. Prom is a rite of passage; you should be excited."
"About what, exactly? Awkwardly standing at the punch table, alone, watching everyone I know happy and in love and knowing that I'm destined for loneliness forever and ever?"
"I mean, maybe not that part…"
Arnold sighed and turned around, his back falling heavily against the metal lockers. "Face it, Carlos – prom's going to suck."
He knew Arnold wouldn't be thrilled about the dance, but Tim hadn't planned on just how solemn his friend would be that morning. The break-up was clearly taking its toll on him. "Don't listen to Carlos. If you're not up for prom, you don't have to go. It's just some dance."
Arnold ignored Carlos's exaggerated expression of horror at the comment – he didn't have the energy for such antics today. "I would, but I already ordered tickets back in January. It's such a waste if I don't show up."
"So, show up!" Carlos grabbed Arnold by the shoulders. "You can't let a little drama stop you from living your life! Not with friends like Wanda!"
Tim looked over to Ralphie. "What about you?" he asked, raising a brow. "You going to prom?"
Ralphie shrugged. "Probably not. I mean, I didn't get a ticket or anything – I was where he was when they went on sale," he added, nodding in Arnold's direction.
"Okay, so how about Arnold just gives you his spare ticket and we'll go stag? I mean, I'm meant to perform a song or two, and Janet will probably want a dance at some point, but other than that I'm all yours."
Carlos's enthusiasm died down in an instant. "Stag? Really?"
Unfortunately for him, Ralphie considered the idea and smiled. "That could actually be fun! It'll be-"
"Don't say it."
"A guys night!"
"Damn."
Though still solemn, Arnold nodded along. "Beats moping at home, I guess."
"Well, maybe don't write the moping off just yet-"
Tim pat Carlos on the shoulder. "Sorry, dude, you lost. Ask her out another time."
Carlos huffed, but he knew the discussion was over. Oh well. Maybe one of these days he'd finally work up the guts to make a move; for now, at least he could enjoy a night of fraternal revelry with a reliable gang of mostly good-spirited bros.
March 11, 2016
DA's Bedroom
4:44 P.M.
"Remind me why I let you talk me into attending this stupid dance?" Keesha complained, squirming uncomfortably as Wanda continued to apply a generous layer of lipstick. "I think I'd rather be hit by a truck than let Wanda touch my face with any more of her cheap 80's make-up."
Wanda smacked her lightly on the cheek. "Hey, I'll have you know this is the finest shade CVS offers. On my budget, at least."
"Your budget being approximately 2 nickels and a moldy sandwich?"
"1 nickel. Carlos stole the other."
DA shook her head at the bickering. It had probably been a mistake to let Wanda take charge of their make-up for the evening, but it was the only way she could think to keep the girl away from her parent's liquor cabinet. "You're going because we're having a night of friendship and fun. Deal with it."
"But why doesn't Phoebe have to go?"
"Phoebe's fragile. You're not." Wanda jabbed Keesha in the eye with her mascara wand as she moved from the lips to the eyes. "Whoops."
Keesha pushed Wanda away, protectively covering her watering eye. "And we're done with make-up."
"No, no, I'll get it this time. Just let me finish! You can be gorgeous!"
"And blind." Keesha glared at the girl with her one good eye. "Sorry Wan, impale my eye once, shame on you. Impale it twice, you lose your make-up duties."
DA glanced at her friends in the mirror atop her vanity. Somehow or another, she always ended up babysitting her friends, it seemed. She'd hoped that maybe prom would be a chance for some fun when she first decided to go – maybe even some romance – but then Carlos had mentioned the boys going stag and those hopes were dashed. There were worse ways to spend an evening, she supposed. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if things might be different tonight if her friends weren't such co-dependent idiots all the time.
March 11, 2016
Carlos's Bedroom
5:29 P.M.
"Remind me why I let you talk me into attending this stupid dance?"
"Because you're a co-dependent idiot," Ralphie replied, happily snacking on a bowl of Cheetos in the corner. Unlike Arnold, who had been complaining about prom since that dumb banner went up on Wednesday, Ralphie didn't have any strong feelings about attending the dance. Things were still a bit sore between him and Keesha, of course, but he insisted on focusing on the positives of tonight. For instance, no one could complain if he showed up with fluorescent orange fingers or Cheeto breath.
Tim adjusted his tie in the mirror for the hundredth time in ten minutes. Despite his calm persona, his nerves were beginning to get to him, and Arnold's whining wasn't helping with the issue. "Look, if you're that unhappy, don't go. Prom's supposed to be fun, you know."
Arnold sighed. "I have to go. Otherwise, Phoebe's going to think I'm avoiding her, and then things will be even more awkward."
"Phoebe's not even going, Arnold."
Ralphie looked up from his Cheetos. "She's not?" he frowned, mouth full. "Why?"
"Probably because she's avoiding Arnold."
"Huh." Thoughtfully, Arnold peered at his reflection in the mirror on the wall. Though he would probably like his formal get-up more with a certain someone by his side, he had to admit the suit was a good fit on his lanky frame. "Maybe prom won't be so bad after all…"
In a flash, Ralphie jumped up from his seat, the remaining Cheetos falling to the floor and coating Carlos's carpet with a thin layer of orange dust. "I just remembered I have to do… Something." He bolted out the door, leaving the other boys staring out the door in confusion.
Carlos cleared his throat. "We'll see you at the dance, then?"
"Go without me!" Ralphie called back. "That way, you'll have an even number!"
From downstairs, the front door slammed, and the house fell silent. Tim eyed Carlos and Arnold unsurely. "He knows Janet's going to be there too, right?"
Carlos frowned. "Yeah. I think he just doesn't know math."
"That checks out."
March 11, 2016
Walkerville High Cafeteria
6:22 P.M.
By the time DA had wrangled Wanda away from the make-up and the booze, the girls had already missed the very beginning of the dance. Not that it mattered all that much, though; while prom was slated to begin at 6, 20 minutes in the cafeteria was still relatively empty. Apparently, fashionably late was a real thing where teenagers and partying were involved.
The trio stepped into the decorated cafeteria; almost immediately, DA picked out the familiar faces of Carlos, Arnold, Tim and Janet sitting around a table at the side of the room. The girls joined the group, Keesha raising her brow at the unimpressive attendance. "So much for friends and fun," she commented, slipping into a chair beside Janet. "I think you guys lost one Ralphie along the way."
"He chickened out or something," Tim explained briefly. He wasn't actually sure what made Ralphie bail on the group at the last minutes; after seeing Janet made up to the nines in her figure-hugging gown, he couldn't even pretend to care. If the boy wanted to miss this dance, it was his own loss.
Keesha crossed her arms and glared at DA. "Nobody told me that was an option."
But DA was unbothered by her friend's harsh glare – the sight of the boys in fine suit and tie was too much a distraction. "You clean up nicely," she blushed, her eyes running down Carlos's dark suit as she spoke.
Carlos rubbed the back of his neck, struggling to suppress his own shade of red. "Yeah… Uh, right back at you… Bud…"
"Smooth," Tim murmured with a smirk. Carlos shoved him and joined the others at the table.
As the group got comfortable and settled in for a long evening of blushing and awkward conversation, Wanda was less than impressed with how her prom was playing out. "Ugh, you're all so lame! Bailing on dances, sitting and chatting – let's go dance and stuff!"
"We're a bunch of high schoolers," Keesha deadpanned, unenthused by Wanda's boundless energy. "None of us know how to dance."
"Dancing isn't about knowing how to dance," Wanda rolled her eyes. "It's about getting wasted enough that you don't care that you don't about not knowing and you dance anyway! And guess whose gonna spike the punch?"
Wanda revealed a sizable bottle from her bag, prompting a round of groans from her friends. "Yeah, I think everyone knew you'd be the one to do it," Janet scoffed, unimpressed.
DA squinted at the bottle. "Did you take that from by house?"
"I can neither confirm nor deny. But yes."
"Dammit, Wanda!" DA reached for the bottle, but Wanda was already ahead of her more responsible friend. With a laugh, she disappeared into the crowd, DA in hot pursuit with a killer scowl on her lips.
Keesha rested her head on the palm of her hand, bored by the display thus far. Apparently, tonight was going to be every bit as lame as she'd anticipated it would be. Why didn't she just go AWOL like Ralphie? Why did she continue to let herself get dragged along to these events? But now, it seemed there was nothing to be done but to sit, wait, and as always, complain.
March 11, 2016
Terese House
6:58 P.M.
As Phoebe watched Ralphie jump the fence to her street, déjà vu set in. The boy was panting, red-faced after a sprint from the very same dog that had terrorized him so many years prior, and just like then, his appearance was the last thing Phoebe had expected during her quiet evening. With her dad out at work, the house was eerily calm – it was a novel experience for the high schooler.
But then she opened her front door and let Ralphie stumble across the threshold, and all the calm was gone in an instant. She watched him fall into one of the wooden dining chairs in the kitchen, analyzing his face for any indicator as to his purpose, but the boy offered only a childish grin in return.
"Sup?"
Phoebe bit back a smile. His casual demeanor was a welcome change from the awkward, stunted conversation that plagued the lunch table nowadays. "Hey," she answered quietly. "Want some tea?"
"Er… Uh, yeah, totally." Ralphie cleared his throat. "That sounds… Good?"
Okay, so he was still a little awkward. Still, he was a welcome distraction from her quiet surroundings. Phoebe began preparing two steaming mugs of tea, ignoring the stutter in Ralphie's response. Everyone had come to realize at some point that the boy didn't really enjoy the drink, but the girls still took pleasure in offering him different brews, eager to see how long he'd continue with his ridiculous act.
Once the tea was finished, Phoebe sat across from Ralphie, holding her mug tightly between her hands. "I didn't think anyone would be stopping by tonight. Wasn't everyone going to prom?"
"You weren't," Ralphie answered without hesitation. He sipped his tea; it scalded his mouth, but at least it was still too hot to really taste.
Phoebe's eyes darted away. "Well… No. I thought it might be too weird… Besides, Arnold ordered my ticket for me. I didn't think it would be fair to ask him to hand it over."
"Oh, yeah!" Ralphie dug his ticket out of his pocket and slammed it on the table. "He said he had a spare, so he gave it to me! I guess I didn't realize it would've been yours. Kinda obvious in retrospect, though." He frowned at the crumpled ticket. "You can have it, if you want. I mean, obviously I haven't used it."
"No thanks. I'm pretty sure it's too late to get a dress. Or a date," she tacked on, her voice low.
Ralphie swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. Man, he hated being in these situations. "Speaking of which…" he fidgeted with his mug, desperate to distract himself from the conversation. It didn't help. "I felt like I should probably come over and say something…"
"Oh?"
He squeezed his eyes shut, gathering his nerves. "I, uh… Damn it…" he ran his hand through his hair anxiously. He could tell that his panic was concerning Phoebe, though, and quickly he tried to conceal his worry. "I just wanted to say I was sorry."
Phoebe stared at Ralphie with wide eyes. His words didn't seem to register as she continued watching him blankly. "Sorry? What do you have to be sorry for?"
"Well, I mean, it's my fault, isn't it? That you and Arnold broke up and stuff. Right?" Phoebe's mouth fell open, but Ralphie continued his rambling apology before she could speak. "You've been different ever since I freaked out at you at mom's wedding. Like… Like I really hurt you. And you should know, I never meant to do that. I'm sorry I did that."
A heavy silence fell upon the room. Ralphie chugged his burning tea, desperate for any excuse to avoid making eye contact. Phoebe, meanwhile, watched him with an empty, unreadable expression. Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, she mustered the strength to respond. "You don't have to apologize, Ralphie."
"Really?" Ralphie's shoulders dropped, at last relaxing. "Cuz', like, I feel like I kinda ruined your whole relationship, and… I don't know, your whole life."
"Um… Sorta." Ralphie's heart dropped at Phoebe's confession, but she gave a weak smile in reassurance. "It's not a bad thing, though."
"Are you sure? Because that sounds bad."
Phoebe thought for a moment before replying. "I think I've been stuck in this 3rd grade mindset my whole life. And as much as I love Arnold, if I wanted to keep being with him, I could never grow out of it. I was being childish by trying to play the hero and fix you and your dad – I've always been childish. But you're the only person to ever call me out on it. It's like… It's like I'm a plant, and Arnold kept me in the shade. Then you forced me into the light – it might not be easy or comfortable, but you helped me to grow."
"Yeah, by shitting all over you." Ralphie sighed. "Well, I'm glad you're not mad or anything. But you have to admit, I definitely did ruin your prom."
Phoebe shrugged. "That's okay. You ran over here, didn't you? So, I guess I ruined yours, too."
Ralphie lifted his mug, his childish grin returning to his face. "To ruining each other's lives, then!"
"Now and forever," Phoebe added with a laugh. "Cheers!"
March 11, 2016
Walkerville High Cafeteria
7:23 P.M.
DA peered at her watch and groaned. An hour in, and prom was already turning out to be a complete bust. As much as she, Carlos and Tim might try to get some conversation rolling, the effort would inevitably be cut brief, either by a snide remark by Keesha or Arnold, the atrocious DJ blasting another awful song at mind-numbing volumes, or by one of Carlos's infamous terrible jokes. All in all, it certainly wasn't turning into the celebration of her dreams.
She rubbed her temples. "Ugh, my head is pounding." She narrowed her eyes in Wanda's direction, a scowl on her face. "I'd get some punch, if someone hadn't insisted on spiking it 20 minutes into the dance."
"It's your own fault that you didn't anticipate this."
"I hate that you're right." She moaned once again as she turned towards Tim. "Please tell me whatever performance you have planned is better than that DJ."
With a smug grin, Tim stood up from the table. "You'll just have to wait and see. Lucky for you, I'm on in 5." He winked to Janet. "Keep them from grumbling too much while I'm gone."
"Bit late for that, don't you think?" Still, as Janet watched Tim disappear behind the stage for his final preparations, she was taking his words to heart. While she didn't care much about whatever had most of his ridiculous friends in this grim mood, at the very least her cousin's plight had her dismayed. Arnold was never the life of any party, of course, but for the boy to be acting this dejected – she could only imagine how hurt he was.
She stood and grabbed her cousin by the arm. "Come on," she ordered, pulling him out of his seat in a swift motion, "You need to lighten up."
And though she would continue to insist that she wasn't interested in the group she left behind as she dragged Arnold to the front of the cafeteria, she couldn't help but glance back and wink when Carlos looked over to her. What could she say? Perhaps she had a sentimental side to her yet.
Naturally, Wanda wasn't going to let this new opportunity go to waste. If anyone was going to get Keesha to stop moping this evening, it only made sense that it would be Wanda Li. After all, who could possibly not be entertained by her? So, following in Janet's lead, Wanda yanked Keesha out of her own seat, sending the girl toppling to the ground. "No more lying around!" she shouted, dragging the girl away from the table, Keesha stumbling as she tried to keep up with her energetic friend.
And in a matter of moments, DA and Carlos found themselves alone at the table, with no sullen friends to babysit. DA reveled in the newfound quiet for a minute, a content grin on her face. She owed Janet, big time. Then, she locked eyes with Carlos and extended a hand. "Want to dance?"
"You dance?" Carlos joked lightly.
"Not really. But… It's prom, right? We might as well."
Carlos's heart skipped a beat as he accepted DA's gesture and allowed himself to be led to the dance floor. As much as he appreciated each and every one of his friends, this was really how he had been hoping to spend the night of his senior prom. Sure, the drama around them might come and go, but Carlos was certain that this moment, dancing with a beautiful woman in a sea of colorful lights and pulsing music, would be with him for the rest of his life.
As if on cue, the loud thumping of the DJ's miscellaneous music came to an end and the cafeteria was filled with the unmistakable noise of microphone feedback. From the stage, Principal Adams cleared his throat. "Good evening, students. Next up, Walkerville High is excited to introduce…" Adams squinted at a set of notecards in his hands. "To introduce… Oh, whatever, these kids are playing some music or something." Principal Adams tossed his notecards over his shoulder and stepped off the stage, a weak round of applause accompanying him.
A gentle strumming replaced the painful, piercing noise of feedback. A red, velvet curtain lifted over the stage and now, instead of some horribly out of touch DJ or principal, Tim and his band stood front and center. Tim smirked and stepped up to the microphone with an unusual air of confidence about him. "I hope you're all ready for a slow dance," he teased, guitar in hand as he looked out into a crowd of grinning faces, Janet and Arnold's at the very front. He nodded to Janet, acknowledging her presence, before he began to croon a sweet melody.
"The book of love is long and boring
No one can lift the damn thing
It's full of charts and facts, and figures
And instructions for dancing
But I
I love it when you read to me.
And you
You can read me anything."
Janet was trying her very best not to be swept up in the music, but she and Arnold both knew who the romantic song would be dedicated to, and that thought alone had her face a bright read just seconds into the performance. She hoped her cousin wasn't looking at her face too closely – her own swooning was unlikely to cheer him up tonight. And while she knew she should check up on him, just to make sure he wasn't gagging at the lyrics alone, she somehow couldn't bring herself to take her eyes off of the stage.
Beside her, Arnold had noticed her flushed features – they were hard to miss. But to his own astonishment, he didn't find himself feeling resentful of his cousin's bliss. Though he was having a hard time with his own love life at the moment, it was a comfort to see Janet so at ease with her own vulnerable feelings for once. She was loving this moment, and she deserved that; all of his friends deserved that, really.
He needed to put on a brave face. He wasn't happy, but he wouldn't stop his friends and family from enjoying their prom. So, instead of scowling and turning away, Arnold allowed himself to watch his friend perform with a smile on his face. And, maybe eventually, he wouldn't need to fake his enjoyment anymore.
March 11, 2016
Walkerville High Roof
7:31 P.M.
"The book of love has music in it
In fact that's where music comes from
Some of it's just transcendental
Some of it's just really dumb
But I
I love it when you sing to me
And you
You can sing me anything"
"We're definitely not meant to be up here," Keesha commented, admiring the view of Walkerville from her and Wanda's new vantage point. Walkerville High wasn't particularly tall, only 2 stories in total, but the town wasn't exactly littered with skyscrapers; from the roof, the girls could see to the edge of town and beyond.
Wanda shrugged. "So? All the chaperones are downstairs, remember? Now we can finally do something fun!"
"Right, fun." Keesha snorted. "Like getting rained on."
It was true that drops of rain were just beginning to fall, but Wanda refused to be deterred by such a minor inconvenience. She'd waited all evening to do anything other than sit and talk – the rain would be a welcome break. While Keesha crossed her arms, struggling to keep warm in the chilly night air, Wanda dug her phone out of her bag and turned the volume on high. With a few more taps, the device began blaring one of her favorite new dance tunes, something far more relevant than whatever DJ McLoser was spinning.
"Dance off: you, me, and The Weeknd. You game?"
Keesha rolled her eyes. "You can't dance, Wanda."
"You think you can?"
"6 years of dance class says I can."
"Then prove it."
Wanda smirked, and Keesha knew she wouldn't be escaping the evening without accepting the invite. And while she wasn't in much of a dancing mood when they got onto the roof, soon she and Wanda were jumping and dancing around the roof, laughing along at their ridiculous moves as the rain continued to come down.
March 11, 2016
Terese House
7:32 P.M.
"The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things we're all too young to know
But I
I love it when you give me things
And you
You ought to give me wedding rings"
"You know," Ralphie considered aloud, "Maybe prom doesn't have to be a total bust. I mean, what do you really need to throw a good prom, anyway?"
Phoebe cocked her head. "Um… Music? Guests? An actual dance floor?"
Ralphie peeked down at his phone; sure enough, Tim's performance had begun and his band's Facebook page was live streaming the entire event. He turned the volume up on the video and grinned across the table to Phoebe. "Wanna be my prom date? Since we're both lonely and bored?"
"Well, when you put it like that…" Playfully, Phoebe let Ralphie pull her to her feet and the two started to swing around the kitchen, clumsily following along to the low-quality audio that blared from Ralphie's phone.
March 11, 2016
Walkerville High Cafeteria
7:33 P.M.
"And I
I love it when you give me things
And you
You ought to give me wedding rings
You ought to give me
Wedding rings"
DA and Carlos slowed to a stop as Tim finished the song. While the band was quick to transition into the next song on their set list, the two continued to stare into each other's eyes, oblivious to their surroundings.
With an awkward chuckle, Carlos rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… Thanks for that…"
"Yeah, sure. Of course." DA dropped her head as she felt a familiar warm feeling rush across her cheeks. "You're not bad."
"You, too." After several more moments, the two shared a final grin and relaxed, the moment at last passing. "We should check on the others, huh?"
"I mean… What's one more song?"
Content, DA fell back into Carlos's embrace and the two continued their dance, happily lost in a world of their own.