Prom Queen of Disaster

by Joseph James Hunt

  “My final test is in the afternoon before the gallery opening,” he said.

  “That’s fine, it means you’ll be able to celebrate twice as hard.”

  His first two tests had gone well; they were the ones he felt strongest in. He walked out of the exam hall with a huge smile on his face. I greeted him with a hot chocolate and a hug.

  “See,” I said. “Just one more day.”

  “Perfect.”

  “It will be.”

  “No, you are.”

  I stayed up with him until 1 AM, running through practice questions and flash cards. His exam was at 1:30 PM. I spent the night on his chest, laying on some flash cards where ink had transferred to my face. My mom woke us.

  “C’mon,” she said. “That’s a cute one.” I rubbed at me eyes to see her taking pictures with her phone. “I’m getting a jump start on a photo album for the two of you,” she said.

  I was in school all day in study hall revising notes I had for finals, but I couldn’t hold down anything from the excitement I had of Kaleb’s final GED test. I’d split my time to spend in the studio to prepare myself for the gallery.

  “The opening is at 6 PM,” Mrs. Galloway said. “They’re only exhibiting another two students. Two from Mr. Brooks’ class.”

  “Only three of us?” I asked. “I only have a small collection.”

  “Powerful pieces.” she laughed. “But be there before opening. All work is behind a curtain until the reveal.”

  I still hadn’t received a final grade on the art work. It was going to be in the final report with all my other classes. Kaleb would find out his grades at the same time, just before graduation. My robe had been ordered already in anticipation.

  The finished pieces felt like a prophecy all of their own. I didn’t win a crown, no matter how bloodied the paintings were. The school had been a war zone and everyone involved got burned.

  “Finished,” Kaleb said, walking into the art studio.

  “I thought it was another 30 minutes yet,” I said, glancing down at my watch. I was wrong. Time had escaped me. “How was it?”

  He smiled. “Did okay, I think.”

  “That’s great. Think you’ll be graduating with the rest of the class?” Mrs. Galloway asked.

  Kaleb’s jaw clenched. “I hope so.”

  I smiled. “We need to get changed for the gallery,” I said to him.

  “Aw, you two lovebirds have fun,” Mrs. Galloway said as we left.

  My mom was waiting in the parking lot. She’d brought clothes for use to change into. “We won’t have time to get home and have food, so here’s your clothes, we’re going for food to celebrate.”

  She’d brought the dress I’d picked out for tonight. On the mention of food, I had fast food in mind. My dad had booked us a table at his favorite pizzeria.

  “I’m proud of you,” my dad said. “You too, Kaleb. You’ll have done your parents proud.” I noticed Maddie looking up at my dad.

  “And Maddie, you’ve been there, and I’m sure high school won’t be half as dramatic as it was for me,” I laughed.

  “I’ll make sure to put my foot down then,” my mom said.

  “Zoey, don’t ruin high school for me,” she whined. “I promise not to get a boyfriend.”

  “That’s a promise I’ll hold you to,” my mom said.

  We ate at the restaurant in the city, it was only a couple minutes away from the gallery. They left the car in the parking lot of the restaurant after we ate to go to the gallery.

  We arrived 15 minutes before the grand reveal. I wasn’t allowed to look, but I hoped they were all in the correct order. They’d placed a red-rope around each piece. People arrived at six, but they weren’t planning on revealing the art until everyone was inside and the room was packed. They served flutes of champagne for the over 21s, and orange juice for everyone else. My mom gave me her champagne, I needed the bubbles to stop the nerves.

  “Just the one,” she said.

  We stood, ready for the reveal. I was front and center for my pieces. They were last, after both other pieces. They tugged at the rope to part the curtains as I screwed my eyes shut.

  I heard them gasp over the five pieces I’d slaved over for the past few months.

  I heard gasps. I’d kept my eyes closed. My heart racing through me.

  “Zoey?” my mom said, whispering in my ear. “Did you do that?”

  I wasn’t looking.

  She nudged me. “Look.”

  Acid from my stomach found my throat as I looked. Not what I remembered. Red paint with the word WHORE, one letter per painting. I went dizzy, dropping the glass. I ran off with the words of Kaleb trailing behind me, telling them that wasn’t my work.

  I found the bathroom, sobbing with my head in my hands and sucking back breaths.

  Standing at the sink washing paint off her hands was Ava. She smiled with pride. “You did it?” I asked.

  “Think I’d let you get away?” she asked, scrubbing at her hands with soap. “If you did, you’re delusional.”

  I wiped my eyes. “Okay, I get it,” I said. “You have nothing, and you’re clinging to some last ditch effort to hurt me.”

  “I almost had a scholarship,” she said. “Then they told me I wasn’t eligible because I had a mark against my name. I wonder where that fucking mark came from.”

  I ignored her and blotted my eyes with a tissue. “I did them a favor then,” I said. “Now they don’t have to put up with you for the next four years.”

  She laughed. “Well, what are you going to do now?”

  “I already have my acceptance letter, and these have already been graded,” I said. “You haven’t done anything to me but vandalize a piece of work in a public gallery.” I wiped my eyes, coming to terms with what had been done, I was oddly okay with it now.

  “It was still yours,” she said.

  “But this isn’t in school anymore,” I said. “Did you wait in here to tell me what you’d done it? Because that was stupid.”

  “You don’t have proof,” she said.

  “You could be fined, community service, heck if they’re strict, you could be put in jail.”

  “No proof,” she said.

  “I’m not angry with you, Ava,” I said, believing my words. I smiled at her, throwing the used tissue in the trashcan. “I feel sorry for you.”

  “Zoey?” I heard my mom call out as she walked into the toilets. “They think it was one of the new girls, they can’t find—her.” She looked Ava up and down.

  “Ava?” I turned. “You found yourself a job?”

  She barged right passed us both as my mom rushed to my side. She wrapped her arms around me, but I didn’t need to be held. I’d found happiness in not holding onto anger.

  “Was it her?” she asked.

  “She admitted it,” I said. “But I’m not mad.”

  “You’re not,” she laughed.

  “I’m happy to be surrounded with my family and friends.”

  Hannah and Libby piled into the bathroom next to make sure I was okay. They’d watched Ava escape the gallery without any being noticed. They were shocked to see I was okay. Mainly because my future no longer depended on whether the art work was amazing or not.

  “Besides, I have bigger things to worry about,” I said. “We have finals next week.”

  I wasn’t going to lose sleep over what had happened. I liked sleep too much, and I needed it if I was going to get through the next week alive. I wasn’t going to surround myself in that drama. They asked me if I knew who was responsible, but I didn’t give them Ava’s name, if other’s did, that was up to them, but she’d crash and burn herself. I didn’t need to give her a helping hand.

  Chapter Thirty

  I dropped five pounds during finals, I took it as a sign I was doing well. Going from exams to study hall and back into another exam. I lived on coffee and five-hour energy shots, desperate times called for desperate measures, and I wasn’t doing any half-measures with my fu
ture at stake.

  The weekend after finals, I slept for almost twenty hours. My lack of sleep caught me off guard. With graduation a week away, I was nervous as hell. I wasn’t nervous for me, I knew I’d passed my exams, I knew I had all the credits I needed. I was nervous for Kaleb, but he was completely fine.

  “How’re you?” he asked as I lifted my head from his chest.

  We’d been watching movies, between them I napped and lost myself in thought. “Good,” I finally said. “Excited to graduate?”

  “If I graduate,” he said.

  “Have they told you?”

  “They’re sending the results out in the mail.”

  “What? Why not just give you it?” I rolled my eyes.

  “They better hurry.” I could sense the exasperation in his voice. He hadn’t even received a letter from the colleges he’d applied for. I squeezed him tight in my arms. I didn’t want to worry him or put those thoughts in his mind, I knew he’d have them already.

  I stayed cuddled up to him, my arms around his stomach and my head on his chest. Of course, my place at college was conditional on graduating, but I had a letter back. Kaleb was without any reply.

  Monday morning came and I waited beside the front door for the mailman Kaleb received two letters, one which I could see was from the high school, and another had the emblem of one of the colleges he’d applied to.

  I woke him up with them and a coffee, pestering him to open the letters. I was strangely optimistic for someone who didn’t know what either of the letters said.

  He sat up in bed and looked at them both, glancing back at me.

  “Do you want me to go out?” I asked.

  He shook his head and pulled me close. “Stay,” he said.

  Waiting with him, I touched his hand. They were warm in mine, but I kept tight hold. He opened up the first letter, it was from California State college, and in the first line, everything he needed to know was revealed.

  “We regret to inform you, your application has been unsuccessful,” he said in a puff. “Take it I failed.”

  “No,” I protested, snagging the opened letter from him. “Some colleges can only accept a certain number of GED students a year.” I’d been researching it, something to give him an answer to if he didn’t get in. It wasn’t UCLA, so there was still hope we’d be going away together.

  Inside the second letter, he closed his eyes and passed it to me.

  “You passed!” I said, scanning the letter through.

  “What? Really!” I gave it back so he could see for himself.

  He didn’t want to get emotional, so I left him with the letters. I had nothing to worry about now as I walked back into my room. Although I had all my things inside, it felt empty. I threw myself on my bed beside the graduation robe.

  Kaleb’s robe hung up on the back of my door, I placed mine beside it. At least he was graduating now, I hadn’t even told him about his robe.

  “Need to get you one,” I said as Oreo stood at the door looking up at them, probably asking himself if he should claw at them.

  Saturday, June 11th was graduation day – it was humid, the kind of heat that forced clothes to stick to your skin. It wasn’t any better having to wear the thick black graduation robes. Under my robe, I wore a thin white cotton dress, something airy enough to keep myself from sweating through my clothes.

  I remembered being told to wear colors in the heat, never black because it absorbed heat. So the reason for wearing black robes was beyond me.

  They’d set chairs out on the field and a stage for the graduation ceremony. The beauty of living in California meant there was always a good chance it would be warm enough to be outside. The smell of summer reminded me of strawberries and orange juice.

  “Good morning, Class of 2016,” the voice called out over the PA system.

  I walked into the main hall where the senior class stood around, talking to each other. I inhaled deeply as I walked in with Kaleb on my arm. My parents and Maddie went to find seats before the ceremony.

  “It’s okay,” Kaleb said to me.

  I chuckled. “I know,” I said. “I’m being strong for you.”

  “I’m being strong for you,” he said, nudging me.

  Chat was surrounded by the posse she kept close; Dylan and Ava mainly, but some of the junior girls she was mentoring were fanning her. She’d really ballooned, pregnancy made her glow, or at least her new contouring palette did, because a good contour could take you from being on TEEN MOM with a sex tape to a reality TV star.

  “Looks like Mila’s Valedictorian,” I said, tugging on Kaleb’s arm.

  Mila stood practicing a speech on cue cards, reading them out to Heather and Kristen. I saw Delilah and Brittany close-by, they’d grown a lot closer together, it used to be the three of us, now I was just me, and they were the best of friends.

  The principal’s aide walked around getting us all formed in an orderly line. It was alphabetical, from last name. Kaleb was before me, he was lined up beside Libby. And only a few people behind me, there was Dylan, shuffling his feet, his face, staring ahead.

  Pomp and Circumstance played as we marched out of the hall onto the field. We went straight down the middle of the aisle to take our seats at either side. Right at the front.

  Principal Sanders took to the stage for his speech.

  “First, I’d like to welcome you all on this fine summer day,” he said. “And huge congratulations to the senior class, the class of 2016, we are so overwhelmed and overcome with the talent, already some of you have secured places at prestigious colleges, while others have placed themselves on scholarships in art, science, linguistics, and sports. We are proud to have you call Marin County High School your home.”

  He went on to speak about things we’d accomplished. There was nothing about the scandal of prom night, nothing about the drugged punch bowl, mostly the awards that had been won, but of course, nobody wanted to relive the bad things that happened, least of all me.

  Principal Sanders were the department heads and some of the school officials. There was a large blue and white backdrop behind them. I almost missed my cue as I paid more attention to how my hair was looking with the cap on, and how the robe fell over my shoulders. I wanted to look perfect for the photos.

  “Zoey Jensen,” my name was called out, suddenly next in line to shake the Principal Sanders’ hand and receive a mock diploma in a small book secured with blue and white piece of fabric.

  “Congratulations, and good luck,” he said to me as I shook his hand.

  “Thank you,” I said, before being guided off stage and back into my seat.

  I forced myself through the chairs to sit next to Kaleb, there was someone already beside him, and my self-importance of having the seat beside him was more important than inconveniencing everyone by moving up a seat.

  “Zo,” he said, grabbing my hand. I could see him clutch a tight hold of the diploma. “Were you nervous?”

  “I’ve been in cheer competitions were people poison the water with eye drops,” I said. “Of course not.”

  “When you put it like that,” he laughed.

  After we’d officially graduated, he invited back to the platform the Valedictorian and the Salutatorian. Mila took to the stage with Char beside her, she couldn’t have had the second highest grades.

  “Welcome, Mila Dobrev and Charlotte Brooke, it’s a great honor to see you graduate today, and both with different futures in hand,” Principal Sanders said. “Round of applause for your Salutatorian who will begin.”

  Char took to the stand. She fanned herself with an open palm and caressing her bump with the other. “Being home, being unable to do anything but sit down and crave food, having to rest and retire from cheer for the season has been difficult,” she began, “but I came to enjoy the time I had, of course, I wasn’t in a lot of classes, but I had to occupy my time, and I found myself studying, and you know what, it really paid off. I’ve always thought I was a good student, but havi
ng time to reflect told me unless you were being praised for your academia, you weren’t quite good enough.” She took a step back and clenched her stomach.

  Principal Sanders took a step to her to see what had happened. They whispered to each other for a moment before Char nodded and took to the microphone again.

  “Sorry. She’s a kicker,” Char said. “Everything I’ve done, I’ve been in competition, and if I wasn’t coming first, I was ashamed, but being named your Salutatorian here today has been a great pleasure, and I know I’ll miss a lot of you, but I have something more important in my life now. I have a life inside me.”

  She took another step back. This time all the teachers in the back jumped up. Something happened behind the podium. I wanted to stand, but to watch Mila’s jaw drop was a picture in itself.

  “Do we have a doctor in the house?” Principal Sanders called out. “It appears her water has broken.”

  Her mom immediately hurled herself from the chairs and stomped to the stage. Mila fumbled through her cue cards as she stared at Char, squatting on the floor in her graduation robe.

  “Did she even find out who the dad is?” I heard someone say from behind.

  Kaleb turned to me. “Did she?” he laughed.

  I shrugged. I knew it wasn’t Dylan, but it could’ve been anyone, as long as she had sex with them last August or September, because from the look of her squatting behind the podium with her mother shouting breathing exercisers at her, I knew she was at least full term.

  I glanced at Kaleb. “It can’t be,” I said.

  “What?”

  “I know of one person she slept with early fall,” I said. “Your brother.”

  He groaned hard, slapping his face with a hand. “Which one?”

  “Enzo,” I said. “Ava was sleeping with Bellamy, Char with Enzo. I’m surprised you don’t remember; they were always at the bar.”

  “Good luck getting child support,” he laughed.

  “Bet she’s regretting not lying to Dylan,” I said. “At least he could probably pay her.”