Ren sealed her last box of clothes and leaned against her bed frame.
She glanced around the room to see if everything had been put away.
Meghan's side still had clothes strewn across her mattress and desk.
"So I hear we won't have the pleasure of your company next year," said Meghan, crossing the room to the refrigerator.
"No, I'm going to Connecticut," said Ren. "To Yale."
"Well, have fun with the other dorks," Meghan told her.
"I will," said Ren.
"It's too bad you can't go to the end-of-the-year ceremony with Schwarzenegger."
"Well, next year I'll probably be attending some ceremony with the President or a Prime Minister, so try to stifle your concern," said Ren. She picked up the box of clothes and set it down in the hallway next to all her other stuff. "I hope this will all fit in the plane."
"I'm sure you'll be able to squeeze your anorexic self in there with it," said Meghan.
"I hope you'll be able to squeeze your oversized ego in with your stuff," Ren replied.
"Dork check," said Meghan.
"Well, there's my taxi. I guess I'm leaving now."
"Good."
"Bye. Oh yeah, and delete my number from your cell phone directory because I don't think you'll need to call me from a frat party in the middle of the night asking me to pick you up because you're too drunk to drive back yourself."
The dance floor was filled with students milling about in puffy dresses and neatly pressed suits. Louis picked up an empty plastic cup and dumped a handful of ice into it, his eyes searching the room for anyone he knew. They fell on the back of Tom's head, and he slowly shuffled casually across the floor and stopped right behind Tom, nonchalantly tapping him on the shoulder.
Tom whirled around, nearly spilling his drink on Louis. "Louis!" he exclaimed.
"Hey, Louis, come join us," Tawny invited him.
"Wow, you guys look great," said Louis, noting Tawny's tight-fitting green gown and Tom's neatly combed and styled hair.
"So do you," Tawny told him.
"So are you feeling better?" Louis asked her.
"A little," said Tawny. "I baby-sat for Toby a few weeks ago. Paul and Lori were really nice about everything."
"Hey Louis, we're going to get some milkshakes after the dance, you want to come?" Tom asked.
"Yeah, I guess," said Louis.
"Oh, and invite Twitty too," Tawny suggested. "He's going stag."
"Oh. Well, I'm not." Louis smiled shyly.
"Really?" said Tawny. "Who are you with?"
"My sister hooked me up with one of her friends from last year, her name's Meredith," said Louis. "She's, she's a senior. Nice girl."
"Well that's cool," said Tawny.
"Yeah, we kind of went out on a date a few weeks ago," said Louis. "It was cool."
"Invite her too," said Tawny. "The more the merrier."
Twitty, Tom, Louis, Tawny, and Meredith sat in a booth at Tex Nagita's Burger Bonanza, sipping milkshakes and eating all the greasy hamburgers and fries they could stuff down their mouths.
"Wow, I've never been to this place," said Tom.
"Yeah, me and Louis almost set a record here like five years ago," Twitty told him. "It was pretty sweet. But some British girl beat us."
Tawny laughed. "I remember you telling me about that. That was crazy." She wiped her hand off on her napkin. "I really shouldn't be eating this stuff, I still have like ten pounds to lose."
"You look great," Louis told her.
"Thanks," said Tawny.
"Yeah, you totally don't need to lose weight," said Meredith. "Are you on a diet or something?"
"She, um, had a baby a few months ago," said Louis.
Twitty cleared his throat. "Yeah, um."
"You guys, it's okay," said Tawny.
"Wow, really?" Meredith asked.
"Yeah," said Tawny. "But he's living in San Francisco with his adoptive parents now."
"Oh, wow, that's amazing," said Meredith. "You must be really strong to have done that."
Tawny shrugged. "They're good parents."
"You, are you guys all going to college next year?" Meredith asked.
"I'll be attending MIT," said Tom.
"That's crazy," said Meredith. "You must be really smart. I'm going to University of Portland. My aunt lives up there."
"I'm going to Syracuse University's drama school," said Tawny.
"I'm going to Long Beach," said Twitty. "All the way."
"That's cool, you guys. We're like all going to different parts of the country," said Meredith. "Louis and I are really going to miss each other."
"Yeah, so will Tom and I," said Tawny. "But we might get to see each other every few months."
"That's so sweet," said Meredith.
"Me and Louis are gonna hang out on weekends," said Twitty. "It'll be great."
"Well, thanks for the food, guys, but I gotta take Meredith home," said Louis. "She lives kind of far away, so you know."
"Hey, Louis, nice hanging out with you, buddy." Twitty slapped hands with Louis.
"Yeah, thanks for coming, you two. It was nice to meet you, Meredith," said Tawny.
"We should probably go too," Tom said once Louis and Meredith had left.
"Yeah, it's getting pretty late." Twitty crumpled up his napkin. "It was really cool hanging with you guys."
"Yes, it was a very cool experience," Tom agreed.
"Okay, let's go," said Tawny. "I'm getting kind of tired anyway."
The three walked to the parking lot together and Twitty slapped Tom on the back and hugged Tawny. "You two take care."
"I'll see you on Monday," Tawny told him. She and Tom got into her car and she drove toward Tom and his mother's house.
"So I hear we won't have the pleasure of your company next year," said Meghan, crossing the room to the refrigerator.
"No, I'm going to Connecticut," said Ren. "To Yale."
"Well, have fun with the other dorks," Meghan told her.
"I will," said Ren.
"It's too bad you can't go to the end-of-the-year ceremony with Schwarzenegger."
"Well, next year I'll probably be attending some ceremony with the President or a Prime Minister, so try to stifle your concern," said Ren. She picked up the box of clothes and set it down in the hallway next to all her other stuff. "I hope this will all fit in the plane."
"I'm sure you'll be able to squeeze your anorexic self in there with it," said Meghan.
"I hope you'll be able to squeeze your oversized ego in with your stuff," Ren replied.
"Dork check," said Meghan.
"Well, there's my taxi. I guess I'm leaving now."
"Good."
"Bye. Oh yeah, and delete my number from your cell phone directory because I don't think you'll need to call me from a frat party in the middle of the night asking me to pick you up because you're too drunk to drive back yourself."
The dance floor was filled with students milling about in puffy dresses and neatly pressed suits. Louis picked up an empty plastic cup and dumped a handful of ice into it, his eyes searching the room for anyone he knew. They fell on the back of Tom's head, and he slowly shuffled casually across the floor and stopped right behind Tom, nonchalantly tapping him on the shoulder.
Tom whirled around, nearly spilling his drink on Louis. "Louis!" he exclaimed.
"Hey, Louis, come join us," Tawny invited him.
"Wow, you guys look great," said Louis, noting Tawny's tight-fitting green gown and Tom's neatly combed and styled hair.
"So do you," Tawny told him.
"So are you feeling better?" Louis asked her.
"A little," said Tawny. "I baby-sat for Toby a few weeks ago. Paul and Lori were really nice about everything."
"Hey Louis, we're going to get some milkshakes after the dance, you want to come?" Tom asked.
"Yeah, I guess," said Louis.
"Oh, and invite Twitty too," Tawny suggested. "He's going stag."
"Oh. Well, I'm not." Louis smiled shyly.
"Really?" said Tawny. "Who are you with?"
"My sister hooked me up with one of her friends from last year, her name's Meredith," said Louis. "She's, she's a senior. Nice girl."
"Well that's cool," said Tawny.
"Yeah, we kind of went out on a date a few weeks ago," said Louis. "It was cool."
"Invite her too," said Tawny. "The more the merrier."
Twitty, Tom, Louis, Tawny, and Meredith sat in a booth at Tex Nagita's Burger Bonanza, sipping milkshakes and eating all the greasy hamburgers and fries they could stuff down their mouths.
"Wow, I've never been to this place," said Tom.
"Yeah, me and Louis almost set a record here like five years ago," Twitty told him. "It was pretty sweet. But some British girl beat us."
Tawny laughed. "I remember you telling me about that. That was crazy." She wiped her hand off on her napkin. "I really shouldn't be eating this stuff, I still have like ten pounds to lose."
"You look great," Louis told her.
"Thanks," said Tawny.
"Yeah, you totally don't need to lose weight," said Meredith. "Are you on a diet or something?"
"She, um, had a baby a few months ago," said Louis.
Twitty cleared his throat. "Yeah, um."
"You guys, it's okay," said Tawny.
"Wow, really?" Meredith asked.
"Yeah," said Tawny. "But he's living in San Francisco with his adoptive parents now."
"Oh, wow, that's amazing," said Meredith. "You must be really strong to have done that."
Tawny shrugged. "They're good parents."
"You, are you guys all going to college next year?" Meredith asked.
"I'll be attending MIT," said Tom.
"That's crazy," said Meredith. "You must be really smart. I'm going to University of Portland. My aunt lives up there."
"I'm going to Syracuse University's drama school," said Tawny.
"I'm going to Long Beach," said Twitty. "All the way."
"That's cool, you guys. We're like all going to different parts of the country," said Meredith. "Louis and I are really going to miss each other."
"Yeah, so will Tom and I," said Tawny. "But we might get to see each other every few months."
"That's so sweet," said Meredith.
"Me and Louis are gonna hang out on weekends," said Twitty. "It'll be great."
"Well, thanks for the food, guys, but I gotta take Meredith home," said Louis. "She lives kind of far away, so you know."
"Hey, Louis, nice hanging out with you, buddy." Twitty slapped hands with Louis.
"Yeah, thanks for coming, you two. It was nice to meet you, Meredith," said Tawny.
"We should probably go too," Tom said once Louis and Meredith had left.
"Yeah, it's getting pretty late." Twitty crumpled up his napkin. "It was really cool hanging with you guys."
"Yes, it was a very cool experience," Tom agreed.
"Okay, let's go," said Tawny. "I'm getting kind of tired anyway."
The three walked to the parking lot together and Twitty slapped Tom on the back and hugged Tawny. "You two take care."
"I'll see you on Monday," Tawny told him. She and Tom got into her car and she drove toward Tom and his mother's house.
