Em and Em

by Budzinski, Linda

  Pretty soon half the restaurant had gathered around, admiring the photo and congratulating Emily.

  “We should get some pictures of you two with the magazine,” Zach said. “Give me your phones.”

  Emily and Trina posed together by the counter while Zach took photos. He kept saying, “smile,” but he didn’t have to. Emily couldn’t stop smiling. She’d received lots of attention over the past year, but not like this. Her cheeks hurt from all the smiling.

  Zach took several shots and then suddenly burst out laughing. Everyone who was watching started to laugh, too. For a moment, she thought they were laughing at her. Had they read her mind? Maybe it was silly to think she could ever amount to anything more than Emily Slutkowski. Then she turned around … and came face-to-face with a gigantic cow head.

  The Big Moo mascot was leaning across the counter between her and Trina.

  “Best. Photobomb. Ever.” Trina gave the cow a fist bump.

  Emily turned back around and howled. So they weren’t laughing at her. For once, she was part of the joke, not the object of it.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Ember tucked the lens into a padded pocket, slung her camera case over her shoulder, and gave it a light pat. “Guess you’re my date tonight.” She could do worse.

  Of course no one had asked her to the homecoming dance. She’d only been there two weeks. And anyway, she wouldn’t have wanted to go. The only person she could imagine herself dating was half a continent away. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder whether Charles was going, and if so, who his date would be. And how he’d look in a suit.

  She checked her phone before heading out to the parade. This would be the last time she’d check it for the day. She was not going to obsess over Zach when she needed to concentrate on her photography.

  She scrolled back through their Twitter messages—a total of thirty-eight DMs in the past three days, not that she was counting. At first, he was just super happy to hear from her and to know she was okay. He said he missed her and wanted her home. But then he started grumbling about how she should give up her “obsession” with testifying and come back to Jersey. Obsession? Because she wanted to do the right thing?

  As she was reading, a new message popped up.

  Zach: Weekends suck the most. Give it up and come home.

  Damn it. She shoved her phone into her back pocket. She almost regretted contacting him in the first place. He didn’t get it before she left, and he didn’t get it now.

  ***

  Little kids and animals—every photographer’s dream, and the parade had plenty of both. Especially animals. Horses, cows, goats, sheep. One kid even rode by with a chicken perched atop his bike’s handlebars. Ember had never seen a parade like it. She wished she’d thought to bring along an extra card for her camera. She took nearly two hundred shots in the first hour.

  At last, the marching band, the cheerleaders, and the final floats—the ones carrying the team and the homecoming court—came into view. Ember set her tripod at the edge of the route and adjusted her aperture settings to accommodate the bright noon sun. Charles had specifically directed her to get a good shot of the Homecoming Court, and she intended to blow him away.

  The cheerleaders flounced by in a flurry of pompoms and backflips. Ember waved to Claire and noted that Marissa was nowhere to be seen. Of course. She must be part of the court. Pretty, talented, and popular. The high school trifecta.

  The team floats rumbled by, sporting a mishmash of banners and flags and ribbons in the school colors, red and white. Some of the players rode in them, while others walked alongside them, handing out candy to the kids along the route. Directly across from her, a huge guy—he had to be a linebacker—crouched down to hand a lollipop to a little girl in a bright yellow-and-white polka dot dress. Her eyes grew big and round as she reached out to take it. So sweet. Ember snapped a photo, then another, then her viewfinder went black.

  What the … She pulled away to find Charles standing in front of her, his hand over the lens. “Hey, there.”

  She narrowed her eyes, though she couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t you know better than to disturb the photographer when she’s in her zone? You may have just ruined the best shot of the day.”

  Charles turned to follow her gaze. “That is a cute shot. But it’s not the best shot of the day. That’ll be tonight at the dance.”

  Tonight? He must mean the crowning of the king and queen. Did he really care about that stuff? Ember resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Looking forward to it. In fact, here comes the float with the court. Don’t want to miss that.”

  Charles nodded, handed her a piece of candy, and jogged away. “Back to your zone,” he shouted over his shoulder. “See you this afternoon. Or tonight.”

  Tonight. So he was going to the dance. Ember’s stomach performed a tiny flip, but she didn’t have time to scold herself for it. The float carrying the court had stopped about twenty feet away.

  Ember took a handful of wide shots, then zoomed in for some close-ups. Marissa looked amazing. She wore a simple purple and white strapless dress with a blue-green sash that should have clashed horribly but somehow didn’t. She appeared perfectly comfortable in three-inch heels, even on a rickety float filled with bales of hay. She even managed to pull off the ridiculous tiara each of the girls was wearing. At one point, Marissa looked straight at Ember and smirked. Ember snapped the shutter, but too late. The smirk had morphed into an angelic smile.

  As the float pulled away and the parade wound down, Ember packed up her camera. There, at the bottom of her case, sat the piece of candy Charles had given her. For the first time, she looked at it. A pink candy heart.

  Her stomach did the flippy thing again. This time she did scold herself. Surely that was unintentional. He’d handed her a random piece of candy that happened to be the universal symbol of love. It meant nothing. And even if it was supposed to mean something, she wanted nothing to do with it.

  She started to open the wrapper but then changed her mind and tucked it carefully back into her case.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Ember grabbed the card and gave her mom a quick hug. “Thanks. You’ve saved my butt.”

  She turned and dashed back through the parking lot toward the stadium. Maybe she could still catch the end of the halftime show. “Never again,” she muttered to herself. Forgetting her extra memory card was a total amateur move. She hoped no one noticed she hadn’t taken a single photo for the final five minutes of the second quarter. Luckily, neither team had scored.

  With a flash of her press pass, she slipped in through the entrance and cut to the left, toward the back of the bleachers. It was no shortcut, but it would allow her to avoid the meandering, snack-seeking halftime crowds.

  Though it was mid-afternoon, the light was dim beneath the bleachers, and she had to watch her step to avoid the occasional puddle of soda or rotting hot dog that had fallen through from above. The marching band’s hilarious mash-up of “Happy” and “Tears of a Clown” filtered in through the metal structure. How far along were they? Could she get into position in time to shoot their finale formation?

  She had just stepped over what appeared to be a used condom—so gross—when she heard a noise. She stopped. She wasn’t the only one under there. She squinted and made out two dark shadows up ahead. Please, not condom users. Anything but that. Her only choices were to turn around and go all the way back or to forge ahead, past the mystery couple. Only one of those choices would result in halftime photos.

  She walked warily toward them and was relieved to realize it was two guys huddled together whispering. Then one handed the other a wad of money. A drug deal under the bleachers. How cliché. They probably wouldn’t appreciate having company for it, especially not someone wearing a press badge and a camera. And really, the last thing she needed in Boyd County was to witness another freaking crime. Forget the halftime photos. She was going back.

  She turned to leave when a shout stopped her.r />
  “Who’s that?”

  Crap. They’d seen her. Nothing to do now but walk by. Perhaps if she pretended she hadn’t seen a thing … “Oh, hey,” she said, trying to keep her voice light. “Didn’t expect to see anyone else under here.”

  She rushed past with what she hoped was a breezy wave. As she did, she recognized the guy who had handed over the money as one of the team’s coaches. The other guy was a skinny kid with short, dark hair and a weak chin. Not that she cared. This was none of her business, and she had no intention of ever needing to identify either of them for any reason. Period.

  ***

  One peek. Just one. Ember checked her phone on her way into the dance. Nothing from Zach. Not that she could blame him. She hadn’t responded to his last message, the one urging her to come home.

  What was he doing right now? Was he with her? His homecoming was next weekend. What if he asked her to go with him? Ember had asked him about surfgurrl, of course. Turned out her name was Allie, and she was from the next town up the coast. Zach insisted they were just friends, but … maybe he’d insisted too much.

  Ember smoothed the light blue skirt of her dress. She wished Zach could see her in it. He’d run his hands along its fitted waist and tell her how beautiful she looked. He’d kiss her bare shoulder, on up to her neck and her earlobe, until she’d giggle and push him away. She sighed. Instead, she was here alone, standing outside the gym doors with no date and no real friends. It reminded her of last year, the pre-Zach era. Depressing.

  “Your bruise is gone.”

  Deon Jackson was standing in the shadows of the hallway staring at her. She touched her eye. “Yeah. Like it never happened.”

  “I still feel bad about that. Glad you’re okay.”

  Ember glanced around. Where was his date? For a moment, her heart lightened. Maybe he didn’t have one. Maybe lots of people went to the homecoming dance without dates here.

  “Thalia’s in the bathroom,” he said, almost as if he’d read her mind. “Girl takes forever in there.”

  She nodded and forced a smile. Of course he had a date. Everyone would, except her. She’d be the lone loser. As soon as she got those photos of the king and queen in their crowns, she was out of there.

  Deon pointed to her camera case. “You taking the pictures?”

  Ember nodded.

  “Better get in there, then. Fun’s about to start.” Deon wore a devious smile.

  Right. Time to take pictures of everyone else having fun.

  The gym had been transformed into an undersea paradise. Glittery blue and silver streamers curved in long, elegant strips from the ceiling. Blue light coverings and a few carefully placed disco balls created the illusion of a watery shimmer. Seashells, conches, and starfish served as centerpieces on the scattered high-top tables.

  As Ember took it all in, her eyes grew misty. She’d known coming to this would make her miss Zach, but she hadn’t expected it to make her miss everything else about home too. The shore, the pier, the Shoot ’Em Up.

  She clung to the shadows, taking occasional shots of the festivities, but for the most part trying to stay invisible until it was time for the court to be called on stage. During one of the slow songs, she saw Claire dancing with a boy she didn’t recognize. He was tall, with blond hair like hers. Very cute. Ember managed to get a shot of the two of them without Claire seeing her.

  After a few songs, she grabbed a glass of punch and a plate of mini tacos, found a table in the corner, and surveyed the scene. Where was Charles? She hadn’t spotted him anywhere. Earlier she’d been anxious to see him and find out who his date would be. Now she hoped she’d get through the night without running into him. Better if he didn’t witness her in all her dateless glory. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder. Were he and his date running late? Or had they left early? Not that she cared. She popped a mini taco into her mouth. And another. She checked the time on her phone. Let’s get this show rolling.

  As she downed her last drop of punch, the music stopped. Toward the front of the room, someone shouted and a bunch of kids began hooting and whistling. Ember grabbed her camera. What was going on? A fight? Someone breaking out their dance moves? Or maybe it was finally time for the court to be crowned.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Ember pushed through the growing crowd. The entire football team had formed four lines on the dance floor in front of the stage. One of them held up a fist and counted off: “One. Two. Three.” The speakers crackled to life with “It’s Raining Men,” and everyone erupted into laughter as they broke into a pseudo flash mob routine with just the right mix of sexy and hilarious.

  Ember stood, mouth agape, for a solid thirty seconds before she realized she should be taking photos. As she played with the focus, she spotted him. Second from the left in the back row, Charles stared straight at her. A playful grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, and she smiled back. He could dance. Really dance. The boy was full of surprises.

  For the last verse, the guys ripped off their shirts and rushed into the crowd. Each of them grabbed the hand of the closest girl. A huge guy with a shaved head took Ember’s hand and pulled her onto the floor. She tried to protest, holding up her camera, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. While all the girls stood laughing, the guys shimmied around them.

  Ember danced and sang along as the players waved their hands in the air and shouted “Hallelujah,” but just as the song ended, one of the guys bumped into her, pushing her into Shaved Head Dude’s chest. He and another player grabbed her arms to steady her, but Ember suddenly felt smothered, boxed in.

  A creep show flashed through her mind—Jimmy and Brad closing in on her at the Shoot ’Em Up, guys pawing at her in the backseats of cars, a tub full of football players ogling her as she dangled a bikini top in the air over and over and over. Her stomach lurched.

  One of the guys stepped back. “You okay, Red?”

  “Yeah, I’m … I need some air.”

  As she turned to leave, Charles appeared. “What did you think?”

  She blanched, and without answering, ran through the crowd and out into the hallway. She made it to the girl’s bathroom just in time. Those mini tacos were a horrible idea.

  Afterward, as she splashed cold water on her face, Claire peeked in. “You all right? You acted like you saw a ghost.”

  Ember grabbed a paper towel and dabbed at her smeared mascara. “I think I had a bad taco. Stay away from those.”

  Claire walked over and gave her back a tentative rub. “I’m sorry. You looked awfully cute out there dancing, though. I love your dress.”

  Ember teared up again. Claire was so sweet. She wished she could tell her everything. About the GIF, about the horrible year she’d had, about Zach and how he’d made everything better. Maybe even about the murder. Claire might understand, might even forgive her for her part in all of it. But of course, she couldn’t tell. Not Claire. Not anyone.

  “That guy you were dancing with is really cute.” Ember scrolled through the photos on her camera. “I got a great shot of the two of you.”

  Claire peered over her shoulder at the shots. “That’s Ryan. Last year he was Lancelot and I was Guinevere. But we’re just friends.”

  Something about the way she said it made Ember wonder if that was how Claire really felt. “Well, you look good together. Like a couple. Just sayin’.”

  Claire’s blush told her all she needed to know.

  By the time they returned to the gym, the homecoming court had already lined up across the stage. Thank goodness. Ember could take the shots and go home. The crowning ceremony was every bit as lame as she’d expected, though at least Marissa wasn’t named queen. That was something.

  As the court left the stage, she glimpsed Charles on the other side of the room. He was with a girl whose back was to her. She wore a simple black dress with pumps. She was tall, with long, dark curls that cascaded all the way down to her butt.

  Of course. She would be beautiful, glamorous,
and brilliant. Charles was no doubt madly in love with her.

  Ember nudged Claire. “Who is that?”

  Claire craned her neck. “That’s Mrs. Bonner. From the chemistry department.”

  “A teacher?” Ember tried to say it casually, but Claire broke into a teasing grin.

  “Yes. A teacher.”

  “So not a date?”

  “Um. Pretty sure Charles wouldn’t be dating a teacher. Or vice versa. As far as I can tell, he’s here alone.”

  Ember turned away. If he didn’t have a date, why hadn’t he asked her? She felt partly relieved and partly upset, and completely annoyed at herself for feeling anything at all. Charles was under no obligation to ask her. He was a friend. Maybe not even a friend, maybe just a boss. Besides, she loved Zach, and Zach loved her, and she wasn’t going to let some meaningless homecoming-dance-insecurity thing trick her into thinking she cared about some guy who just happened to—

  “Nice dress.”

  Ember turned to find Charles standing beside her. Claire had disappeared. “Oh.” Her hands shook as she smoothed her skirt. “Thank you.”

  “Sorry about that dance.” Charles motioned toward the spot where Ember had freaked out earlier. “With the stripping and all. A few of us guys came up with it, and we thought it would be funny, but I guess it was more like obnoxious.”

  “No, no.” Ember shook her head. He must think her a total prude. “It was cute. Awesome. But I …”

  She what? Had a flashback to her former life, where she was a complete loser slut who had no friends and no boundaries and certainly not the guts to change anything? She stared down at her shoes. “I didn’t feel well, that was all. I needed to get some air.”

  Charles said nothing for a moment. Finally, he put his hand on her lower back. “Do you feel better now?”