Evicted

by Traci Sek

  I cringe at the thought of Julia and me in the same car.

  "I don't know, Gia. I don't want to cause any problems."

  "You won't! She will be occupied with her date, and I won't tell her." She laughs.

  "Oh, that should be fun," I retort sarcastically.

  "Please, please come!"

  "Ok, Gia, I will, but I don't have a date yet..." I look away ashamed.

  "Spencer hasn't asked you?"

  "Nope."

  "Well, there are still five days, so don't give up. I know Spencer hasn't asked anyone else or accepted anyone's offer."

  "How do you know that?"

  "Because he's my best friend. He would tell me. Besides, I heard a rumor that a few girls asked him and he declined..." My heart skipped a beat. Declined? Maybe there is hope after all. I pretend like it didn't bother me and shrugged my shoulders.

  "Oh, cool," I respond.

  Gia smiles. "Come on, girl, I'll meet you at lunch."

  We both decide to skip getting our food at lunch and head straight for the ticket table. It’s lined with the whole student body. At the far right sat the secretary, followed by the treasurer, vice president, and then president. All of them had small green metal boxes sitting in front of them with tickets on the side. A few people are already surrounding the table buying tickets.

  "I'm getting my ticket from Spencer,” I tell Gia.

  "Ok," she whispers back with a wink.

  I wait as Spencer gives a ticket to some pretty auburn-haired girl. She’s leaning her arms on the table towards him and twirling her foot. I watch as she purposely grazes her hand over his while grabbing her ticket. She smiles at him and him at her, then slowly walks away. I can't help but roll my eyes and walk up to him.

  "Hey, Jess!"

  Without answering, I slap the money on the table.

  "One ticket, please."

  "Well, I see you've decided to come after all. I was getting worried." Worried?

  "Yes, Spencer, I am ..." I trailed off and stared at him. He takes my money and opens up the green box. He puts the money in the box and starts to rummage through it.

  "You know you don't need to give me change, right?"

  He looks up at me and smiles. His hand comes out of the box, holding a folded white piece of paper, and with his other hand, he grabs a ticket and hands them both to me. I don't remember him giving two to the last girl.

  "Thank you for your purchase of a prom ticket. I hope you have a great time."

  I was speechless. That's it? s I force a smile and walk away. My heart sunk. He didn't ask me again. I was going to attend by myself and enjoy my first prom, even if that meant seeing Spencer with someone else. I shove the ticket and paper in my pocket and grab some lunch. I sit next to Gia and play with my food. I’m suddenly not hungry.

  "So, did you get your ticket?"

  "Yeah," I reply in a sour tone.

  "What's the matter?"

  "He still didn't ask me."

  "Well, did he hint towards anything?"

  "No, he just said have a nice time at prom and handed me a piece of paper with a ticket."

  "A piece of paper?"

  "Yeah, I guess a receipt."

  "Nobody gets receipts."

  I look at her wide-eyed and then dig into my pocket as fast as I can. I pull out the folded piece of paper and open it up. It’s a note.

  "Oh, my gosh!

  Dear Jessa, sorry, this note may seem stupid, but I didn't have the guts to ask you in person. Will you go to prom with me? - Spencer.

  I read it five times and practically squeal.

  "What? What does it say?" Gia‘s now trying to grab the paper from my hands.

  "He asked me! He asked me!"

  I look around for Spencer and catch him staring at me with an expectant look upon his face. He looks at me as if he were waiting anxiously for my answer. I simply nod my head, yes, and he puts his arm in the air and brings it back down as if to say thank God. Gia gives me a big hug.

  "Yay! I told you he would!"

  I notice Julia staring at us from the end of the table and just like that Alex suddenly appears.

  "Told her what?" he asks. Gia goes to open her mouth, but I interrupt.

  "Told me that my dad would give me money for prom, that's all."

  Gia gave me a confused look.

  "Oh well, congrats," he says and continues, "babe, I'm going to talk to a few of my friends. I'll be back."

  "Ok, babe!" Gia looks back at me. "What was that?"

  "I don't want anybody knowing right now. I don't want to risk anything..."

  "But Alex is your friend."

  "Yeah, but he's also Julia's."

  "Oh, ok, I guess."

  "Thanks."

  Prince Charming

  I decide to wait for Spencer after school. I was hoping he hadn't told anybody about us going yet. I couldn't handle the laughing and talking behind my back. I spotted Spencer coming out of the front doors and jogged over to him.

  "Hey, Spencer."

  "Hey, Jess!" He wraps his hands around me for a hug. "I'm glad you didn't think the note was corny."

  I give him a smirk.

  "You really had me going there, you know?"

  "How so?"

  "I thought you gave me a receipt..."

  He lets out a burst of laughter. "A receipt?"

  I blush and lightly punch him in the shoulder. "So anyway, I want to ask you not to say anything to anybody, please."

  "Why not?" He looks offended.

  "Because I'm not exactly the most loved person here, and I don't want Julia knowing. She might try and sabotage it."

  "Oh, come on..."

  "Hey, Spencer," the same girl from lunch comes bouncing up.

  "Hey, Lisa. How are you?"

  "I'm good," she says with a flirty smile... "I wanted to ask you if you had a date for prom?"

  He glances at me. "Um yeah, actually as of today."

  "Oh, darn," she whines. "Who's the lucky girl?"

  "Well, it's a surprise," he responds.

  I let out a breath of relief that I didn't know I was holding.

  "Oh, I just love surprises." Her hand touched his face, and for a split-second, I became jealous. I wanted to rip every finger from her little hand. He grabbed her hand gently and patted it.

  "You're so funny, Lisa." He chuckles, his tone flat and fake.

  "Well, maybe I can steal you away at prom." He goes to answer, but she stops him.

  "Bye, Spence." She winks and walks away.

  "If people found out, it would be so much worse, and you know it.”

  "Oh, Jess, come on."

  "I'm serious."

  "Well, I won't say anything, I swear."

  I know he won't. I trust him. He proved that to me many times over. I notice Julia and Alex in the distance.

  "Alright, I got to go. Lots to do before prom." Spencer says.

  "Ok, I'll see you later." I feel him put his hand on my lower back then walk away. It shot chills up my spine, but I ignore them and smile, not looking at him. I continue to stare at Julia and Alex. Julia laughs at him, and I watch as she puts her hand on his chest. The same thing she did at the car wash to Spencer. What was she doing? This behavior is totally inappropriate, especially when her best friend’s dating him. Where is Gia anyway? I ignore my thoughts and walk home.

  I take a look at all my prom stuff now laid out on our bed. In just a couple of hours, I will be wearing this in front of Spencer. My heart races at the thought.

  "Are you ready?"

  My dad’s now standing in the doorway. He reluctantly agreed to drop me off at Gia's house. I nod my head and grab my things. Kate’s downstairs.

  "You better take lots of pictures," Kate says as I hug her.

  "Don't worry; I will."

  I’m apparently the first to arrive at Gia's, and as promised, Gia makes quick work on my hair and makeup.

  "There, all done!"

  I look at my reflection in the
floor-length mirror and I'm in awe. My hair is up in a tight neat bun with just two strands that are curled hanging down my cheeks.

  "I love it. Thank you, Gia. I don't know what I would have done without you."

  Gia laughs. The truth is I feel like Cinderella. And soon, my chariot and Prince Charming will arrive. The doorbell rings, startling me out of my dream.

  "That must be Julia..." Gia hesitates as she looks at me carefully. I cringe.

  "I thought we were picking them up?"

  "We were, but Julia said that the limo company told her the fewer pickups, the cheaper the limo."

  "Oh well, I'm all for saving money."

  I follow Gia downstairs to answer the door.

  "You told Spencer to meet you here, right?"

  "Yes. He was cool with it."

  Gia answers the door, and the look on Julia's face is priceless.

  "You have got to be kidding me, right?" Julia asks incredulously.

  "Nope, she isn't kidding," I reply with a smile on my face.

  Julia rolls her eyes. She proceeded to walk in with her date. My smile quickly faded as I watched her date walk in. My heart stopped. Eric. Julia suddenly smiled a devious smile as she looked at my face. I looked to Gia, who looked shocked as well. "What happened to Mark?" Gia asked cautiously.

  "He got sick at the last minute and couldn't come. And I just couldn't go by myself, so Eric stepped up."

  "Julia..." Gia starts.

  "Well, I didn't know, “little miss save me from everything” would be here."

  I feel my cheeks get hot. My fingers clench into fists.

  "Julia, let's not ruin this night. We just have to make it through the limo ride, and everybody can separate."

  "Sounds like a great idea." Julia agrees.

  My head starts to spin, I can't breathe, and I can't speak. Eric stands there like he has no recollection of the other night at all.

  "Jessa, are you ok?" Gia asks.

  I look up at her.

  "No, I need to use the bathroom." I turn on my heels and run as fast as I can. I need to get out of here and fast. I reach the bathroom and make sure I close and lock the door behind me. I grab hold of the sink and try to catch my breath. I just have to get through the limo ride. I repeat my thoughts out loud.

  Flashes of him pinning me to the wall come flooding back like a wave. A knock at the door makes me jump.

  "Jessa?"

  I practically start to cry when I hear Spencer’s voice. I whip the door open as fast as I can and jump into his arms. He staggers back a bit with a grunt but instantly wraps his arms around me protectively. I don't have to say anything. I know that he knows, and I feel instantly better. He puts me at arm's length and looks me in the eye. He wipes the few tears that overflowed on to my cheeks. His eyes are full of intensity but comfort me nonetheless.

  "We don't have to ride in the limo. We can get a ride from my parents."

  "No, it's ok. I know nothing will happen. You're here."

  I'm shocked by the words that come out of my mouth and I quickly duck my head down avoiding his eyes. Spencer grabs my hand, sending a tingling sensation up my arm and leads me back to the kitchen.

  "Limos here," Julia says eyeballing our threaded fingers. A look of repulse is etched on her ugly face.

  Prom

  The Limo ride is tense Gia, and Alex sit next to Spencer and me and Julia and Eric across from them. Gia tries her best to bring up a conversation that everybody can talk about to ease the tension. I admire Gia for always being so upbeat despite all the bad things that happened in her life.

  We arrive at the banquet hall and pull up behind all the rest of the limos and fancy cars. We all step out of the limo one by one. I look up momentarily at the giant glass building in all its shiny glory. The excitement is starting to build in me. I reach for Spencer's hand and squeeze it, looking into his delicious chocolate eyes.

  "Shall we?" He calmly asks with a smile that could melt a thousand hearts.

  I simply nod as we walk up the front steps and through the big double glass doors. The front hall is grand. To the right is another hall and also to the left, both seeming to lead into darkness. In the right-hand corner sat the photographer for prom photos, and a massive chandelier hanging in the middle above a luscious red velvety carpet.

  We continue to walk through another set of doors into another room. Half of the room is filled with tables and chairs, decorated with blue and white, our school colors. The other half of the room has a wooden dance floor with a D.J. booth, which is already blaring music.

  Many people have arrived already; some are trying to find their seats as others are hugging each other. A few girls immediately run up to Spencer, practically pushing me out of the way. I fight the urge to push them back and compose myself.

  "Spencer! You look handsome tonight." Neither one of them even glance my way.

  "Hey, Mary, Chelsea, how are you?"

  "We're good," they giggle and bat their eyelashes.

  "So, who's your date?" One girl asks. He looks in my direction and then wraps his arm around my waist.

  "This is Jessa." The girls look at me in shock as if just realizing someone else is standing here.

  "Oh," they say together with half-smiles. I try to smile back as awkward silence follows.

  "Well, you girls enjoy your night, come on Jess." He pulls me towards the closest available table.

  "This looks like a good enough table. Hey Gia! Alex, over here." He waves his arm in the air to catch their attention.

  Gia and Alex walk over.

  "So, Jess, what do you think?" Gia nudges my shoulder.

  "It looks awesome. Spencer did a great job." I wink at Spencer, who smiles back.

  "Come on, let's break the ice and dance!" He grabs my hand and pulls me to the dance floor. We’re the first to start dancing, which makes me feel shy. I cling to Spencer's shoulder, not looking anywhere else. I refuse to see other people's faces or hear their offensive comments. I can't help but, once again, feel safe in his arms. It’s like he has this magical power over me. Soon a crowd joins us.

  After we had finished dancing, we sit at the table to eat, but I’m not hungry. In fact, when I look around, most of the girls barely touch their food either. Julia’s sitting at a different table with Eric. She must have finally gotten the hint.

  "Jessa, will you slow dance with me?"

  "Of course," I say with a smile.

  We both get up and walk to the dance floor again, his hand gently resting on my back near my waist.

  "I'm glad everything worked out with you and Gia," Spencer whispers in my ear.

  "Yeah, me too."

  Even though Spencer’s just a bit taller than me, I’m still able to see over his shoulder. Gia and Alex are dancing a few inches away. Gia's head lies on his chest. I notice Alex’s looking in a different direction. I follow his gaze to a corner of the room. Julia’s sitting laughing with a few other people. Why the heck is he so interested in Julia? Maybe he’s looking at one of the other people. I can't quite tell. His gaze is deep, his brows furrow as if he were either thinking very hard or just angry at someone. The song ends, and Gia looks at him. His face changes immediately to a smile, and he kisses her gently on the lips.

  "Jessa, I want to ask you something." I focus my attention back on Spencer.

  "What is that?"

  "Will you go out with me?" I can't help but laugh.

  "You're silly, we are out. Duh." He smiles.

  "No, I mean, will you be my girlfriend officially?"

  "Oh my God! Say yes! Say, yes!" Gia’s now by my side before I have a chance to process what he’s saying. I glance at Gia and notice that Alex is no longer with her. I quickly scan the room.

  "Where did Alex go?"

  "He said he had to use the restroom."

  "Ugh, hello?" Spencer interrupts. "I just asked you an important question!"

  "Oh, I'm so sorry ... I trail off as I spot Alex leaving the hall with Julia following be
hind him.

  "Hold that thought; I’ll be right back."

  I quickly take off towards the door and thrust it open. I look from left to right, and as I do, I catch a glimpse of what looks like a dress turning the corner. I quietly jog down the hall towards the corner and stop. I slowly peek around and see Julia and Alex making out fiercely. My mouth falls open and I freeze, not knowing what to say or do.

  "Jessa!" I jump at the sound of my name echoing in the hall. Damn it. Spencer’s looking for me. I peek around the corner again, and they are gone.

  "You must have a sick obsession of running away from me and leaving me hanging," Spencer says out of breath. I put my finger on his mouth, gesturing for him to be quiet. He looks perplexed.

  "Shush," I whisper.

  "What is going on?" He whispers back.

  "Where is Gia?" I quickly ask.

  "I don't know. She went to talk with some friends. Why?"

  "I just saw Julia and Alex making out around this corner!"

  "What?" He quickly moves around me and looks around the corner.

  "There's nobody here. I thought we were over all this crap with Julia?"

  "I thought so too. I mean, I'm over it, but I swear, I saw them. When you screamed my name, they took off! What am I going to do, Spencer? I know what I saw!" I didn't give him a chance to answer. "Come, let's look for them." I grab his wrist and pull him down the hall that Julia and Alex had just been in.

  "This is crazy, Jessa!"

  "Shush! I say again. We get to the next corner and slowly look around, nobody’s there.

  "Jessa, let's go back to the prom. I'm sure Alex is back with Gia by now."

  "Wait," I whisper, holding up my hand to stop him. "Do you hear that?" Giggling sounds come from somewhere nearby.

  Spencer goes silent for a moment, his expression changing to stone-cold anger. "Yeah, I hear it." We tiptoe down the hall a little further.

  "It's coming from that door," I whisper. Spencer reaches for the handle, but I stop him.

  "Wait. What are you going to do?"

  "I'm going to rip this door open, and if it's them, I'm going to beat the crap out of Alex."

  "No, you can't!"

  "Why not?"

  "Because remember what happened to me? I can't let you get suspended."