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I wasn’t looking forward to the prom committee meeting Tuesday afternoon. It seemed as if I was just setting myself up for disappointment. It wasn’t that I didn’t have faith in Chloe’s determination. I just knew that Denise would be bringing Amanda and her hoard of pom-pom wielding drones. It didn’t seem worth the fight. Without Matilda’s threats, my motivation was a little lighter too. Of course, I did feel compelled to help her and Wayne have their perfect goodbye. So I decided to go ahead and try my luck.
Danielle met me in the hall outside the art room with four girls in tow whose names escaped me. “Denise and Amanda brought half the damn school,” she fumed. “We’re wasting our time.”
I patted her on the back. “Let’s just take a look at the presentations. It can’t hurt. Besides, even if we do go with the Disco theme, I’m sure it will be a good time.”
Danielle scowled at me. “Are you drunk? What happened to you?” She stepped back to take in my hoodie, jeans, and clean face with a panicked expression.
“I’m fine. This is no big deal. Let’s just get in there before they start without us.” I opened the door and led our small group inside.
Danielle had been right. There was barely standing room left, especially with the big television cart Mrs. Walters had set up next to her desk. Chloe spotted me and waved me up to the front of the room.
Denise watched me join her with a sinister smile. She gave me a once-over, and her smile widened. I could see the wheels turning behind her fake eyelashes. She thought I was digging my own grave. I smiled back at her and waved. It didn’t matter what she thought of me anymore, and I was done snubbing Chloe, especially after the way she had come through for me.
I owed her a second thank you for my lack of chemistry homework. Mrs. Roth was furious about the missing blood, and I was pretty sure that we were going to run out of science documentaries before the end of the semester, but it had been totally worth it.
Chloe handed me a notecard. “Here,” she whispered. “You’re the face of this campaign. I’m just the speech writer.”
Mrs. Walters cleaned her glasses with the hem of her painting smock and turned to face us. “Are we ready girls?”
“I am.” Denise stepped forward and snapped her fingers. Amanda appeared at her side with a foldout poster board, like the kind used at the science fair. She spread it open on Mrs. Walters’ desk for everyone to see.
It was covered in various magazine clippings. Images of John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever and Staying Alive were spread out over a backdrop of seventies textiles. Right at the top of the center panel was a big, tacky disco ball. It was impressive enough by D standards, I guess.
Denise tilted her chin up and looked over her shoulder at me. “Where’s your presentation, Janie?”
I looked down at the notecard Chloe had handed me, but all it said was Press Play. I glanced over at the television cart next to Mrs. Walters’ desk and then grinned at Chloe. She really had been busy last night. Denise frowned as I walked past her and pressed play on the DVD player under the television. One of Chloe’s art friends clicked off the lights.
Haunting orchestra music filled the room as a slideshow of movie clips flickered across the screen. There were dance scenes from the Labyrinth, Phantom of the Opera, Marie Antoinette, Romeo and Juliet, Legend, and Sweeny Todd. They were sliced together in an effortless collage. It was elegant and enchanting. I was hypnotized and in awe of Chloe’s masterpiece.
I looked around the room. Quite a few of the cheerleaders were whispering amongst themselves, sighing and pointing at the screen. Denise looked like she might be sick. Chloe didn’t look surprised at all, although she did look pretty tired.
She nudged me with her shoulder and smiled. “Stick around after we take that wench down a notch. I have something for you,” she whispered.
When the presentation ended, a little diagram popped up on the screen. On one side, there was a girl in a tight, sparkly disco getup. On the other side, there was a regal looking lady in a ball gown and a feathered mask. I was waiting for a caption to pop up that said something along the lines of Trash or Class, but Chloe had been good. She knew her work was solid. A cheap shot wasn’t really needed at this point.
Denise left the art room before the voting had even begun.