by Shana Norris
I gave the teachers who attended the doors my dance tickets and they waved us inside. The music already blared throughout the room so that I could feel the vibrations all through my body. The overhead lights had been turned off, with only a few colored spotlights shining. At the far end of the gym hung a huge painted sheet of fabric that proclaimed the theme of the dance with the words TROY HIGH HOMECOMING—HAPPILY EVER AFTER. Along the wall, directly under the sheet, stood the horse float the Spartans had built.
A refreshment table had been set up nearby and students gathered around it. Others danced in the middle of the floor and some sat at small tables along the sides to people-watch.
The mood was strained, but still, as soon as Greg and I entered, I felt the air in the room change. People glanced our way, then turned to whisper to one another. A few people even snickered and sneered.
I considered turning around and leaving, pulling Greg with me. But I didn’t want to run away and hide. So I stepped farther into the gym, clutching Greg’s arm. We found a small bit of floor space, but immediately everyone cleared away from us.
After a moment, Greg leaned toward me and shouted to be heard over the music, “Do you have any idea what we’re supposed to do at a school dance?”
I laughed and relaxed slightly. “I think we’re supposed to dance and then drink some punch. But other than that, your guess is as good as mine.”
“Okay,” Greg said. “Then, do you want to dance?”
I nodded and he led me onto the dance floor. Around us, students jumped and bumped into each other in time with the fast music. We stayed on the edge of the frenzied crowd, just trying to do our own thing. Neither Greg nor I were great dancers, but we had fun doing silly moves to make each other laugh.
After a couple of songs, I got the feeling that more than just a few people were watching us. And it wasn’t entirely because of our bad dancing.
I couldn’t tell if Greg had noticed. If he had, he did a good job of ignoring it.
“Want to get something to drink?” I asked.
Greg nodded, sweat glistening on his forehead. “Yeah, let’s go.”
The crowd parted as we moved through, allowing us a clear path to the refreshments. Teachers patrolled the table, I assumed to make sure no one spiked the punch. Greg ladled out two cups of the red drink.
Across the table, Paul Baker and his date, a senior named Jessica, stopped to get some punch. One of them muttered “traitor” as they walked by me.
“What?” I asked, looking at Paul.
He looked up at me, his expression unfriendly. “You heard me. What would Hunter think if he could see his own sister here with the enemy? Especially after we just lost the most important game of the season?”
“Greg doesn’t play football,” I pointed out.
“He’s still a Spartan,” Jessica said, scowling at us.
“Hey,” Greg said softly. “I’m not here as a Spartan tonight. I want peace between our schools as much as you do. I’m just here to have a good time and let you all see that the Spartans aren’t as bad as you think.”
Paul snorted. “Go back to Lacede,” he growled before turning and marching away.
My face was hot with embarrassment. How could I have thought that bringing Greg here might be a good idea?
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“It’s not your fault,” Greg told me. “It’s understandable that people are angry about the game. Hopefully soon everyone will forget about it.” He smiled at me, but I didn’t feel reassured.
I sipped my drink and faced the dance floor while watching Greg out of the corner of my eye. He drained his drink fast and then stood with the empty cup in his hand, his eyes scanning the crowd but not looking at anything in particular.
He looked stiff and nervous. I should never have asked him to come to this dance. What was I even doing here in the first place? I didn’t do school dances. I was not a heels-and-dress kind of girl. And I was crazy for thinking Greg might be with me on an actual date. He’d only come because he felt it was his duty as my friend. He probably wished he were with someone else.
I could save us both some embarrassment and frustration by ending the night early.
“Greg—” I said.
But just as I started to speak, he turned to me and said, “I’m going to the bathroom for a minute. Wait here for me, okay?”
I nodded. “Okay.”
After Greg disappeared into the crowd, I let my eyes wander over the people on the dance floor. I spotted Elena and Perry dancing close. Elena smiled and looked up at Perry with a peaceful expression on her face. I had never seen her look at Lucas like that.
When Greg returned, I tried to think of something to say to keep us from falling into uncomfortable silence again.
“So … the horse is kind of cool,” I said, gesturing toward the parade float.
Greg glanced at it, then looked away quickly. “Oh, uh, yeah. I guess we didn’t do so bad.”
“We?” I asked.
“The student council. Mr. Yancey asked the entire student council to build it, so I helped out a bit. See that front left leg? That’s my work. Impressive, huh?”
I laughed. “A work of art. Why didn’t you tell me Lacede was doing this?”
“It was supposed to be a surprise,” Greg said, not meeting my gaze. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked around nervously.
I couldn’t think of anything else to say. It was just the two of us, as it had been so many times before. Only this time was different. This time I was aware of every movement I made, every movement he made. What I wouldn’t give to be a mind reader right then. Was he remembering our kiss? Did he want to do it again?
“Cassie,” Greg said. He opened his mouth again, but no sound came out. He paused, running a hand through his hair.
I turned toward him. “Yes?”
He lifted his gaze to meet mine. “Cassie,” he said again.
“Greg,” I said. “Now that we’ve established each other’s names, was there something else you wanted to say?” I squeaked out a laugh, trying to lighten the moment. He was just Greg and I was still just Cassie, his best friend. I didn’t want that to change, no matter what else happened between us.
Greg took the tiniest step toward me. “I … I’ve thought … I mean, I wanted …”
“I guess we know now how Lacede put laxatives in the spaghetti sauce,” a voice behind us interrupted.
We spun around, jumping slightly as if we’d been caught doing something wrong. My heart pounded against my ribs as I faced Mallory and Kelsey and the small crowd of cheerleaders behind them.
“What?” I asked Mallory, glaring at her. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, come on, Cassie.” Mallory walked around us slowly. “The two of you look awfully cozy over here. You claim to be only friends, but it certainly looks like something more than that to rest of us.”
My cheeks grew hot. I couldn’t look at Greg to see how he reacted to her words.
“Twice now, Lacede has gotten into Troy to play a prank,” Mallory continued. “First with the spaghetti and then again with the chickens. I’ve been wondering just how they’re doing it. How are they getting in without anyone noticing?”
“And now we know,” Kelsey said. “An insider is helping them.”
“I got sick from that spaghetti too,” I reminded her. “Why would I eat it if I knew there were laxatives in it?”
“To throw us off your track,” said Mallory as she glared at me. “You knew it would make you look less guilty if you were sick like the rest of us.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I’d really make myself sick just to get back at all of you. And as for the chickens—I was in class that morning. Ask Elena. When I walked into the hall, the chickens had already been set loose. How exactly did I let them inside the school while I was in class?”
Mallory looked stumped for a moment, her smile faltering. But then she raised her chin, smiled again, and said, “Why don�
��t you tell us?”
I wanted to punch her right in the nose.
“Cassie has had nothing to do with these pranks,” Greg said. “You can blame me all you want, but leave her out of it. She’s been trying to get everyone to see how stupid they’re acting. It might do you some good to listen to her.”
Mallory looked back at Greg, one side of her lip curled into a snarl. “Is that a threat, Spartan?”
“No,” Greg said. “Just some friendly advice. We’re not all bad, you know. If you took the chance to get to know me, you might find that—”
But I didn’t hear whatever it was Greg was about to say. Because at that moment, a loud boom thundered throughout the gym and bits of flowers, dust, and wire rained down all around us.
Shrieks filled the air that had clouded with smoke and then someone cried out, “Fire!”
People ran past us, girls holding up their skirts as they ran barefoot and guys slipping on the polished floor in their nice shoes. Someone pushed me backward into Greg, and he caught me to keep me from falling.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
The fire alarm suddenly screeched so loudly I could barely hear anything else. I spun around as Greg pulled at my arm. “Come on, Cassie!” he said. “Run!”
At the far end of the gym stood what remained of the horse parade float—a mess of broken wire frame and burned flowers. Above it, flames licked across the painted banner. The fire spread rapidly over the fabric, moving up the wall toward the strings of lights, paper streamers, and Troy’s basketball championship banners.
People pushed past us, their skin coated with dust and debris from the explosion inside the float. Coach Wellens and Ms. Fillmore and a few other members of the Troy High staff stood at the doors, directing students toward the street.
Greg grabbed at me, dragging me along behind him as he moved toward the exit. Once outside, we were nearly separated, but Greg squeezed my hand tight and pulled me closer to him.
“Wait!” I said as something caught my eye.
I stopped at the foot of the headless Trojan statue. Spray-painted across the gray stone were the words SPARTANS WIN.
I stood frozen in place, staring at those blue letters, the paint still wet and dripping, until Greg pulled me away.
“What’s going on?” I asked when we reached the street, where the rest of the Trojans had gathered. The stunned faces of my schoolmates surrounded me. Some of the girls cried, huddled together in small groups or wrapped in their boyfriends’ arms.
“We have to go, Cassie,” Greg said, reaching for my hand. He pushed through the crowd, running down the sidewalk with me in the direction of my house. We moved in silence for several moments.
I felt as if we moved in a dream.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” Greg muttered.
I stopped short, pulling my hand from his grasp. “What do you mean?”
Greg looked as if he were fighting back rage. “Nothing. Let me get you home.”
But I stepped back when he reached for me. “What do you mean, Greg?” I asked again through clenched teeth.
Greg stared silently at me.
“You knew about this?” My voice was barely above a whisper. “You knew something was going to happen tonight?”
I knew the answer, but I wanted to hear him say it. I wanted to hear him admit everything to me.
“No,” he said. “I mean, yes, I knew something would happen. But it wasn’t supposed to be this. Not something dangerous.”
I felt as if someone had reached inside my chest and squeezed my heart tight. “You used me.”
“No,” Greg said, stepping toward me. I stepped back again.
“Yes, you did. You used me to get inside Troy tonight for your stupid prank.”
“I didn’t, Cassie, I swear! Some guys snuck into the gym before the game ended so they could rig the float to explode at a certain time.”
“So they could burn down my school?” I shouted. The wail of sirens echoed in the distance. “Someone could have gotten hurt.”
“No!” Greg’s face contorted into a deep frown. “It was only supposed to be a small explosion to send the flowers shooting off in the air, you know, just to give a little scare. I don’t know what happened. I would never have agreed to an explosion that could cause a fire.”
I choked back a sob as I looked into his eyes. He wasn’t the Greg I knew.
“Go home,” I said.
“Cassie—”
I picked up a rock from the road and threw it at him. He ducked, and it sailed over his shoulder.
“Go away,” I told him.
“Cassie, listen to me,” Greg pleaded.
“No!” I shouted as tears fell down my cheeks. “I hate you! I never want to see you again!”
I turned and started running back toward school, toward the people I belonged with. But Greg’s arms suddenly circled my waist, pulling me back to him. I turned around and pushed at his chest, trying to get away.
And then Greg pressed his lips to mine.
For a moment, I felt as if I were melting. My legs grew weak and I wouldn’t have been able to stay standing if Greg hadn’t still held on to me.
But he lied to me. He knew the Spartans had planned something bad and he wasn’t going to say a word. He let me believe he really wanted to be at the dance with me when in reality he just came to make sure everything was in place for Lacede’s final prank on Troy.
I pushed him away as hard as I could and ran toward Troy High burning in the distance.
“POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING THE CAUSE OF LAST night’s fire at Troy High School, which happened during the school’s homecoming dance. As of now, police have not named a suspect. If you know any information, please call the Troy Police Department at—”
I turned off the TV. I couldn’t stand to listen to any more news reports about what had happened at Troy.
After I’d left Greg, I had run back to where everyone else still stood in the road. The fire had spread quickly, engulfing all the paper decorations and the float, and smoke billowed out of the gym. Even from a distance, the smoke burned my eyes. At least I could blame my watery eyes on that if anyone asked any questions.
I had moved through the crowd unnoticed, so I was able to take a good look at my schoolmates. Mallory and Kelsey sat on the asphalt, visibly shaken. Some of the guys from the football team watched the flames and muttered under their breaths about Spartans. And nearby, Perry held a trembling Elena in his arms.
Hunter should have been there. He would have known what to do. He would have been able to make us do something, anything other than just stand there looking lost and bewildered as we watched our school burn.
But Ackley had made sure that Hunter wasn’t there with us. Maybe that had been the plan all along. Take out Hunter, and Troy would fall.
The fire department and police had arrived quickly. While the firefighters worked on putting out the flames, the police officers ushered us down the street and away from the school. Everyone started calling their parents and soon cars squealed to a stop in the road and panicked parents rushed over to us.
Mom and Dad were with Hunter at the hospital, so I wasn’t sure whether to call them or not. I found Perry and Elena again and asked, “What should we do?”
“I just called Dad,” Perry told me. “Come on, I’m taking both of you home.”
I curled up on the couch when we got there. As much as I wanted to stop it, I dreamed of Greg. I dreamed of his lips on mine and melting in his arms as the fire raged around us.
I heard the front door open and I sat up, rubbing at my eyes.
“Anyone home?” Dad called.
“In here,” I called back.
Dad came through the doorway, followed by Mom and Hunter. Mom held tightly to Hunter’s left hand. His right arm, from wrist to shoulder, had been wrapped in bandages and was held in place with a sling.
“Are you okay?” I asked, jumping up and hurrying toward my brother.
&nb
sp; “We’ll see,” Hunter said. “The doctor says I have a separated shoulder. Nothing to do now but wait and see how I heal.” He grimaced slightly.
“We lost to the Spartans,” he added somberly.
“Do you need anything, honey?” Mom asked. She grabbed a throw pillow and fluffed it before stuffing it under Hunter’s arm. “Do you want a sandwich? Something to drink?”
“I’m fine,” Hunter said. “Really, Mom. I just want to sit down for a little while. I don’t need anything.”
“What about you, Cassie?” Mom asked, turning to me.
“I’m okay,” I said.
“Okay.” Mom stepped back, wringing her hands.
“Come on, Mary,” Dad said. “We’ve been up all night. Let’s get some sleep.”
After my parents left, I studied my brother for a moment as he sat there with his eyes closed. He didn’t look like a leader right then. He looked broken, weak, and vulnerable. He looked just like everyone else who walked the halls of Troy High.
“Don’t worry about Ackley,” I said as I sat down on the couch. “I promise he’ll get what’s coming to him.”
“He will,” Hunter agreed. “But not from you.”
“I’m not a weak little kid,” I said.
The look of anger on my brother’s face surprised me. “You are so stupid sometimes. Just stay out of it, Cassie.”
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Hunter had never talked to me like that before.
“I’m just trying to help you out,” I said, clenching my fists in my lap. “And I can’t stand the thought of Ackley thinking he’s won this war.”
“The Spartans did win,” Hunter said, sounding exhausted. “We lost the game, Troy burned, and I’m in these bandages for who knows how long. The war is over and Troy is defeated.” He rubbed at his eyes with his left hand. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore, Cassie. Just stay away from Ackley and those other guys. You should never have been involved in this battle.”
I stood, but I didn’t leave just yet. I glared down at my brother and said, “You’re not the only one who lost here, you know. You may have lost some stupid fight with the Spartans, but I lost my best friend. For you. So don’t tell me this wasn’t my fight too.”