The Wrong Prom Date

by Moody, Alexandra

Ethan

  We absolutely smashed our band rehearsal on Saturday afternoon. Our music was performed with passion and precision that had been sorely missing from some of our last few rehearsals. We were practicing for a gig the following weekend, and it was the first time we’d managed to get through our new set without any mistakes. We’d added several new covers recently, so a rush of satisfaction flooded through me at the accomplishment.

  “And that’s how it’s done,” Dex cheered, emphasizing his point with a clash of cymbals. Colin and I both grinned back at him, and as I looked between the two of them, I could see they felt the same elation as me. There was no greater high than nailing a set. We were going to rock the gig next weekend.

  “Oh, babe, you were amazing,” Isla said, as she jumped off the hood of Colin’s dad’s car and rushed over to Dex. She’d been silently watching our practice like she always did. And, as usual, she had decided to end it by showing Dex just how much she enjoyed it.

  Colin and I both swiftly turned away as the two of them started making out. I didn’t want to see Isla like that. It was like watching your sister get all hot and heavy.

  “Really, you guys?” Colin groaned.

  The two of them were too busy kissing to respond.

  “So, we’ll see you at practice on Wednesday?” I called to Dex over my shoulder. I didn’t look because I’d already seen enough of their tongues twisting together to last me a lifetime.

  Dex managed to catch a breath long enough to shout, “See you then, man.”

  I waved a hand and followed Colin out of the garage.

  “They need to get a room,” Colin said. “And my garage doesn’t count.”

  I nodded in complete agreement. “I love Isla and Dex, I really do, but I wish they’d wait until we were out of eyesight before they started on the kissing.”

  “Out of earshot too,” Colin agreed. “There’s nothing worse than hearing the slurping noises they make.”

  We both shuddered and started to laugh.

  “So, any plans for tonight?” Colin asked as he walked me to my car.

  “Not really. What about you?”

  “I’m going to my grandma’s for dinner,” he said though he didn’t sound at all happy about it. “You ready for your brother’s return to school on Monday?”

  I’d finally caved and told my friends about Owen. Not that I’d had much choice once the rumors started circulating. You’d think the people at our school would have better things to talk about. My brow crinkled as I thought of my brother walking the halls of our school every day. “I don’t think I’ll ever be ready. It’s bad enough he’s been back at home for a week.”

  Colin nodded his head in solidarity. He was well aware what my brother could be like. He’d seen the years of torment I’d been put through and had witnessed Owen’s crueler side on more than one occasion. It didn’t help that Owen never used Colin’s name when he spoke to him. Instead, he always called him “loser” to his face, so Colin was definitely not my brother’s biggest fan.

  “Well, here’s hoping he gets expelled from Lincoln too.”

  “If only,” I agreed.

  We reached my car, and Colin paused, leaning against the trunk as he watched me carefully place my guitar across the back seat. “Have you given any more thought to the prom?” he asked, as I closed the door.

  “Nope.” With my brother back home, the prom was the last thing on my mind.

  “You haven’t even considered asking your dream girl…”

  I rolled my eyes. “You sound like Isla.”

  “Well, that’s probably because we both want you to be happy and are sick of watching you love Hayley from afar.”

  “It’s not like that,” I grumbled.

  “It is like that, and I think you should ask her to the prom. I mean, she did finally talk to you last weekend.”

  “But only to ask about my brother.” I let out a sigh as I shook my head. “Hayley has no interest in going to the prom with me. She barely knows I exist.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “And, even if she were aware of my existence, girls like Hayley go out with jocks not music nerds. Her best friend is dating the most popular guy in school, so there’s no way she’d look twice at me.” The thought was enough to make me wish I were a little more like my brother. I might not like Owen, but he had absolutely no issue talking to people or making friends.

  “Perhaps, you’re selling Hayley short,” Colin replied. “I mean, isn’t the whole reason you like her because she’s not like most popular girls.”

  “I guess.” I still didn’t think I had a chance. “Anyway, I better get home. I told Mom I’d clear the leaves off the driveway.”

  Colin grabbed my cheek and tugged it. “Oh, you’re such a good boy.” He proceeded to cluck at me like I was a baby.

  I batted his hand away. “You’re a dick.”

  Colin laughed and started back toward his house. “See you Monday, munchkin.”

  “Have fun with Grandma,” I called back.

  Colin threw his middle finger up at me before he turned to walk up the stairs to his front door. I shook my head at him and got in the car to drive home. My car was a serious fixer-upper. It coughed like a chain-smoker whenever it started, and the material on the seats was beginning to fray with age. The rust on the door and chipped paint did little to add to its appeal. It was the only car I was getting though, so I tried my best to take care of it.

  It was a miracle the thing still ran, but I hadn’t had any issues with it yet. It let out a bang, and a waft of black smoke appeared in my rearview mirror as I took off from the curb. It was scary how much I’d grown used to that happening. Anyone else would have been worried, but I’d learned to accept the strange quirks of my car.

  When I got home, Owen was out in front of the house mowing the lawn. It was somewhat surprising, seeing as my brother rarely did anything to help around the house when he was home. He must have been trying to earn some brownie points with Mom since my parents were both furious with him for losing his scholarship.

  It was almost a welcome change to have Mom and Dad angry with my brother. He’d always been the favorite in our house—the kid that could do no wrong. And his absence had definitely made my parents’ hearts grow fonder toward him. They used to miss him so much when he was away at school that they granted his every wish whenever he returned home.

  I didn’t think he’d ever mowed the law in his life, and it was obvious he had no idea what he was doing. He hadn’t managed to cut one straight line through the grass, and he looked incredibly confused by what should have been an easy task.

  Owen killed the motor when he saw me getting out of the car. “What’s up, loser?” Did I mention my brother was a total tool?

  “Owen,” I said in greeting. “I wasn’t aware you knew how to do manual labor…”

  Owen grinned. “I’ve got a hot date tonight, and Mom said I could take her car if I mowed the lawn.”

  “Of course, she did,” I muttered. Owen was supposed to be grounded and in the worst trouble he’d ever been in, yet my parents not only let him go on a date, but they also let him take Mom’s most prized possession. Her car was a vintage Jaguar, and she wouldn’t let me touch it in a thousand years. The rules were different when it came to Owen though.

  Not even a week had passed since Mom was giving him the silent treatment, but I probably shouldn’t have been surprised she’d come around so quickly. Owen could be persuasive when he wanted to be, and I’d seen him turn on his charm enough times to know how easily he manipulated people—and Mom was far from immune.

  A small part of me wondered if Owen was simply taking the car because he knew how desperate I was to drive it. For years, Owen had been taking things just because he knew I liked them. When we were kids, he’d just stolen stupid stuff like my toy trucks or he’d asked our parents for all the presents he knew I wanted on our birthday. It had escalated over the years though, and I’d grown careful not to show
an interest in anything I liked around him—especially when it came to girls, because once we hit our teens, he’d started to take them too.

  I learned the hard way that my brother had no limits to how far he’d go to hurt me. I’d been stupid enough to tell him about my first crush. She was a girl from my music class, and I’d fallen hard and fast for her when I heard her play the violin. Of course, Owen asked her out the very next day. They barely dated for a week before he ditched her, breaking her heart so badly that she never went near me again. It was like I was guilty by association.

  The next time he struck was when he saw me dancing with a girl at our eighth-grade disco. I hadn’t even been interested in dating the girl, but Owen was kissing her by the end of the night. Stealing girls almost became a sport to him after that. Even during the last summer holidays, Owen was only home for one week, and he still managed to seduce a girl he caught me looking at. We’d shared one smile at the local pool, but Owen must have seen it, because by the time I left, she was sitting on his lap and giggling.

  It was a miracle I’d managed to hide my interest in Hayley from him over the years, or she probably would have been added to the list too.

  “So, a date?” I prompted. “Who’s the lucky girl?”

  “Only the head cheerleader at Lincoln,” he replied. “She’s the third chick from school to ask me to prom so far. I’m not even back there yet, and I’m already having to fend off all these advances…”

  It wasn’t all that surprising. I’d heard plenty of girls at school gushing over him this week. It was enough to make me want to burn my ears off. “Head cheerleader… You’re talking about Laurie, right?”

  “Yep.”

  It was hard to picture the ice queen of Lincoln High throwing herself at my brother, but from what I’d seen, she’d always been the kind of girl to go after what she wanted. “So, you’re going to prom with her then?”

  “Ha, no.” A smirk began to spread across his face. “Like I said, I’m keeping my options open. I told her the same thing I’ll tell all the girls. I’m not deciding on a date until the day before prom, so the answer is no, for now. If they want a chance to go with me, they’re going to have to impress me. Laurie seemed pretty eager to prove herself, so here’s hoping she’s impressive tonight.”

  I shook my head, unable to hide the disgust from my face. My brother was a complete sleaze, and I couldn’t believe so many girls fell for him. Owen was deliberately leading them on, and he didn’t even care. He was rejecting them and giving them a cruel sense of hope all in one breath. It was sick. That was Owen though, steamrolling his way through life without any regard for anyone other than himself.

  I loved my brother. Somewhere deep, deep, deep down. But, most of the time, I really couldn’t stand him.

  A car door slammed behind me, and I turned to see Hayley and Madi getting out of a truck that was idling on the curb. I didn’t recognize the vehicle until I noticed Cole Kingston sitting in the front seat. He waved at the two girls before driving off, and they shared a giggle as they watched him speed away.

  They were both carrying large dress bags and had happy smiles pasted across their faces. Their identical expressions shifted though the moment they noticed Owen and I were standing on our front lawn. The girls exchanged heated whispers, their gazes darting in our direction.

  They were probably talking about Owen, and he must have assumed as much because his chest seemed to swell in response. I rolled my eyes. My brother was so predictable. I was about to start toward the house once more, but Madi stole Hayley’s dress bag and pointed in our direction. Hayley shot her a dirty look before she blew out a long breath and headed our way.

  My stomach dropped as I watched her walk toward us, and a wave of nerves rushed through me. I’d somehow managed to talk to Hayley twice in the past week without embarrassing myself, and I wasn’t sure if I could manage to stay composed again. As it was, it was a miracle the nerves I always felt around her hadn’t resulted in a bad case of the babbles. Could I really be so lucky again?

  Owen seemed to have noticed her coming over too as he leaned his head in close to mine. “What’s her name again?”

  My nerves lay forgotten for a brief second as I frowned at him. How could he not remember her? “It’s Hayley.”

  “Hayley.” He repeated the name as if he was practicing the word, and a small smile lifted the corner of his lips, like he enjoyed the way it sounded. I didn’t want him enjoying any part of her even if it was just her name. He was already stringing several girls along, and he didn’t need to add another. From the amused way he was looking at Hayley, he already seemed to be considering the idea.

  She was chewing on her lower lip as she drew close, and her eyes were wide as if she were worried. Her steps were hesitant as she stepped onto our lawn, and I got the impression she wasn’t all that enthusiastic about reaching us.

  “Hey, Ethan,” she said, coming to a stop in front of us. My heart skipped a beat as she said my name. I wanted to say something cool in response, but I was drawing a blank. I kind of just stood there staring, which was the exact opposite of what I’d wanted.

  She wasn’t watching me though, and her eyes were lingering on my brother. “Owen, welcome back.” Her voice gave a nervous squeak as she said his name—not that he even noticed. Owen was too busy checking Hayley out to have heard her greeting.

  I waited for my brother to say something, but his eyes were still preoccupied with Hayley’s legs. Yes, they were amazing, but so was the rest of her. When it was clear Owen wasn’t going to respond, I somehow managed to find my voice. “Hey, Hayley, is there something you wanted?”

  “Oh, um, yes. No.” She was mumbling and looked uncomfortable as she stood in front of us. I’d never seen her this flustered before, and she started to back away. For a second, it seemed she was going to leave as quickly as she’d arrived, but then, a determined look entered her gaze. It seemed to grow stronger until she squared her shoulders and stopped moving.

  “Actually, there was something I wanted to ask,” she finally said, but again, she wasn’t looking at me when she spoke. Her eyes were completely focused on my brother. She barely took in a breath before she quickly blurted out her question.

  “I mean, you’ll probably think it’s stupid, and you might not want to go, but our prom is coming up, and I was wondering if you want to go with me?”

  Cold shock washed over me as I realized her words were directed at Owen. I would have done just about anything to go to prom with Hayley, and I couldn’t understand why she’d asked Owen of all people. My brother wasn’t a good guy—especially not when it came to girls. He’d happily just told me of his plan to toy with potential dates until the day before prom, and it looked like Hayley was about to join that list of unlucky girls. He was going to break her heart, and I couldn’t believe I was going to have to watch.

  Owen finally lifted his gaze from Hayley’s legs and looked her in the eyes. A cocky smirk raised the corner of his lips as he looked at her. “You’re asking me to prom? That’s cute…”

  Owen was such a slimeball, and I couldn’t stop myself from cringing. Hayley was clearly blind to it though because her cheeks turned bright pink at his demeaning response. Could she really not see how fake my brother was? That his pores were practically oozing with false charm? That his voice dripped with the putrid stench of insincerity?

  Hayley bit on her lower lip and her eyes filled with apprehension as she waited for him to continue. I knew what was coming. He’d already rejected three girls, and Hayley was going to be number four.

  The thought of Hayley being hurt by my brother was worse than the shock of her asking Owen to the dance in the first place. I had to do something to stop this, but I felt powerless.

  “And I have to admit I’m flattered,” he continued. “Because you’re hot and all, but…”

  But. It was amazing how such a small word could pack such a punch. Hayley’s shoulders immediately deflated, and her skin turned a si
ckly shade of white. She knew what was coming, just as much as I did, and it looked like she wanted nothing more than to disappear.

  I really couldn’t watch this train wreck unfold right before my eyes, and in a moment of insanity, I came up with an idea. It was a stupid idea, and Hayley was probably going to kill me for it, but I would do anything to stop her from being hurt. I started chuckling before I could rethink it.

  Owen halted mid-sentence, and he and Hayley turned to look at me. I was nervous and awkward, and really not great at acting, so I was going to have to put on the show of my life right now.

  “Hayley wasn’t asking you,” I said to Owen, who immediately started to frown.

  “Actually, I…” Hayley’s voice trailed off as she caught my wide eyes and subtle shake of the head. Her brow furrowed as she looked between the two of us, and I desperately tried to silently convey the fact that she shouldn’t finish her sentence.

  Apparently, I’d confused her enough because she didn’t keep talking. I needed to act fast before that confusion cleared though. She deserved so much better than being strung along by Owen.

  “Why would you think that?” Owen scoffed.

  My mouth turned dry at his question, and I tried to stop panic from flaring in my eyes. I needed a viable answer, but only one came to mind.

  Hayley was definitely going to kill me now.

  I chuckled again before walking over and placing an arm around Hayley’s shoulders. The gesture was stiff because I was silently freaking out, but hopefully, it didn’t look that way to Owen who was watching me with hawk-like interest. I tried to ignore him though and looked into her eyes. “Because we’re dating. Aren’t we, baby?”

  Hayley lifted an eyebrow at the nickname, but thankfully didn’t shrug my arm off her shoulder. She wasn’t the kind of girl who would ever allow a guy to give her a pet name, and from the look she was giving me, she wasn’t impressed.

  “You guys are dating?” Owen interrupted our silent stare-off.

  Hayley stared into my eyes for several more seconds. I hoped she could see my concern. That she could heed the silent thoughts I was shouting at her. She needed to go along with this.