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APRIL 30, 2009
“Son? Your limo will be here soon. Are you ready?”
Fastening the crimson bow tie around my neck, I ignore my dad knocking on my bedroom door. I stare at myself in the mirror and sigh. This is my last prom. I should be trying to enjoy myself, right?
I’m dreading every minute of it.
Why the hell did I have to give in and get back together with Chris? She loves to make a spectacle of herself at these stupid dances, and it’s beyond my tolerance level. I skipped out on Homecoming because we’d broken up. Why can’t I be so lucky now?
I was still voted in as Homecoming King last fall—but I refused the honor. I told my mother to give the crown to the runner up, Pete Bridges. That royal shit suits him better anyway. Of course, Christy threw a fit since she was Homecoming Queen. After I’d received the title my junior year, she’d been waiting for us to be crowned together.
She’ll probably get her wish tonight.
I fork my fingers through my hair and sigh. Wherever You Will Go by The Calling blasts from my speaker, mirroring my dismal mood. I hate this pomp and circumstance crap. Christy is used to it. Her parents throw huge parties at least once a month at the country club. My parents always attend, and they expect me to follow suit. That doesn’t mean I like it.
My father and Mrs. Mefford encouraged me to get back together with Christy. Pressured is a better word, but our parents’ agendas are light years from mine. Since I don’t have the balls to stand up for myself, I caved.
I blame myself entirely. After Christy and I broke up, I focused all my energy on swimming and work. And then Kennedy Harper started engaging me in conversations. She stopped by the pool at least three times a week, and after my practices, we’d talk.
About Penny.
I’m not proud of myself. I wasn’t interested in dating anyone. I knew Kennedy worked with Penny at the theater, so I used her. Talking about Pen was the only way I could feel close to her.
My plan backfired. One night, after Kennedy tried to kiss me, I ended it. I might be stupid, but I’m not so cruel that I’d lead a girl on. She didn’t like my rejection, so she retaliated. After rumors surfaced that Penny had slept with her English teacher at OBL Academy, I’d had enough. I contacted Kennedy and told the bitch off. She swore Penny had told her about the sordid love affair, only to find out from my mom that it was just a horrible rumor, and she was dealing with it.
Once again, my stupid hero complex got in the way, and Penny suffered. No more. I won’t hide behind someone because I don’t have the guts to talk to the one person I need to.
Except Penny wants nothing to do with me.
Colt still isn’t speaking to me, either. I haven’t found a guy friend I can talk to like I could him. Pete’s okay, but he’s shallow and only cares about hooking up with the girls—most of them Christy’s friends. Likely another reason I ended up with her again. Proximity.
Not that I trust Chris. I don’t. Something is off with her. She’s a little too clingy. If it weren’t for our parents, I never would have invited her to prom.
Eyeing my cowardly face in the mirror, I fix my tie. “This fucking sucks.”
The door opens. Still dressed in his work attire, my dad enters with a huge smile. He passes me a card key. “Thought you might want to celebrate tonight.”
My gaze narrows as I swallow hard. “The Hilton? Holy shit!” He gives me a disapproving look, and I clear my throat. “I mean, wow! Why?”
He shrugs. “It’s a rite of passage. I know I’ve been hard on you, son. But you’ve proven yourself this year. Full ride scholarship and an alternate on the national team? Your mom is right. You need to be a teen once in a while. Senior prom only happens once in a lifetime.”
“Are you serious?” Is the zombie apocalypse coming? Joe Donovan isn’t a sentimental guy. Ever. “Um, thanks, Dad.”
Clapping me on the shoulder, he winks. “Just be safe, okay? You’ve got a hell of a life ahead of you.”
Oh, fuck. It seems my mother kept her word. Apparently, she didn’t tell Dad that Christy and I have already been there and done that.
I nod quickly. “Sure. No problem. I’ll keep it covered.” Hell, yes, I will. The last time we had sex, Christy tried to convince me to go bare and pull out. I might be pussy whipped, but I’m not an imbecile. No way in hell am I about to be trapped by this girl. In fact, I doubled up just in case she’d gotten any ideas.
A horn blasts from the driveway, and my dad grins. “Go get ’em. We’ll meet you at Michael and Julia’s for pictures.”
As my dad strides out the door and down the hall, I whip my fingers through my hair one last time. I’m not looking forward to this evening at all. “Get your game face on.”
Four weeks until graduation?
I can do this.
*****
“IS IT SO BAD DANCING with me?”
Christy wraps her arms around my neck, her tiara balanced on her head as a smile lights up her face. She straightens my crown, and it takes every effort not to roll my eyes. She’s happier than I’ve ever seen her. This is what she’s been waiting two years for.
Trapping my hands on her waist, I pull her closer. “Of course, not. I’m just tired.”
She trails one of her monstrous nails down the front of my tux coat. “We can go to the hotel if you want.”
I halt our movements. “How do you know about that?”
She laughs. “Are you kidding? Our parents set it up together. My mom gave me a key, too.”
Jesus, this is getting to be ridiculous. We aren’t even through high school and they’re all but pushing us toward the damn altar. “Look, Chris...”
“Move over Prom King and Queen! Make way for the rest of your lowly court!”
As Pete edges us out of the way, his date, Kennedy Harper, gives Christy a fist bump and giggles. I glare at them. Jesus, when did they become friends?
“We have a room at the Hilton,” Christy announces. “You guys wanna come party with us?”
“Hells yes!” Bridges nudges Carter Ashford dancing with Addy on the other side of him and Kennedy. “Donovan/Mefford blowout at the Hilton. Pass it on.”
The hair on the back of my neck prickles. The biggest partiers in school invading our hotel room? That isn’t a good idea. I squeeze Christy’s hand. “Can I talk to you?” Guiding her from the dance floor, I tow her into the hall. “What the hell are you doing?”
She sighs. “Come on, Luke. It’s your senior year. Don’t you want to enjoy it?” She rolls her eyes. “It’s not like you’re going to sleep with me. You haven’t wanted to do much since we got back together. And I’m pretty sure that’s what our parents were expecting when they booked this room.” She smirks. “Except they don’t know we’ve already done it.”
“My mother does.”
Her face goes ashen. “What? When?”
As much as Christy wants everyone else to know that we’re doing it on the regular, she’s more than a prude when it comes to our parents. She doesn’t even hold hands with me during the country club dinners.
I cross my arms and give her a smug smile. “The first time we did it. She caught me coming home that morning. She isn’t stupid.”
Christy’s cheeks flush. “Oh my God, I’m so embarrassed. Mrs. Donovan probably thinks I’m such a slut!”
I bark a laugh. “Really? We’ve been together almost two years. She knows we’re doing stuff. She just told me to be careful.” I stare at her intently. “And we have been. And will continue to be.”
She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth as she laces her fingers with mine. “So, you’re ready to try this again? For real?”
My smile fades. That isn’t exactly the point I wanted to drive home. I still have doubts this relationship can work. In less than two months, I’ll be moving into my dorms at Oakland U to begin intense swimming training. Will she be able to handle it? Her jealousy has gotten worse since we’ve been back together.
I shake my head. “I have a long road ahead of me, Chris. I’ll be gone. A lot.”
She nods. “I know. But it’s only one year, right? I’ve sent an application to Oakland U. Maybe we’ll end up at the same school.”
I’m not sure that’s a good idea, either. Or that I even want her there. Selfishly, I want to spread my wings and fly. “I thought you were hoping to go to Grand Valley State.”
She shrugs. “I was. But you won’t be there.”
Panic grabs hold of my nuts. At one time, I thought her possessiveness was cute. But now? It scares the hell out of me. “Don’t decide anything yet. You still have another year to figure out what you want. GVSU isn’t that far away. We can drive to see one another, yeah?”
“I guess.” As the doors burst open, she smiles. “You ready to bail?”
“Sure. Meet me at the limo? I’m going to use the restroom.”
As she flounces away, I sneak into the bathroom. Heading into one of the far stalls, I set the latch, close the lid, and sit.
Everything feels so heavy at the moment. Times like these, I wish I had my best friend to lean on. Right now, I just need some peace and quiet before shit goes down at this after-prom party.
The main door opens, and I freeze.
Fucking figures. Can’t a guy get some peace?
“Hey, man. You heading to the Hilton for Mefford’s party? It’ll be a rager if she’s hosting it.”
Pulling up my feet, I squint through the crack between the stall doors and scowl at Dylan Winters, the captain of the varsity baseball team, and his little shadow and first baseman Austin Sweetin. The asshole pitcher has a full ride scholarship to Ohio State. And the ego to go with it.
“I guess. Except Donovan will be there, too. With his mommy in his conscience, it’ll be boring as hell.” Winters scoffs. “Like that stupid prom king contest wasn’t rigged?”
Gripping the toilet lid, I wince. Jesus, is that what people think of me?
“Come on, man. It’s our senior year. This is our last chance to make a name for ourselves. Don’t you wanna stick it to these assholes?”
Washing his hands, Winters smirks. “What’re you thinking? Trashing the room to get back at Donovan for busting your face?”
I clench my fists. Oh, hell no! Sounds like Sweetin needs another trip to the fucking infirmary. I caught the little shit kicking the crap out of one of the freshman after practice a few months ago. So, I gave Sweetin a black eye and bloody nose—the same thing he’d done to that poor kid.
Sweetin mumbles something under his breath. And then, “What if we pull a Sparks?”
My heart slows to a crawl. Jesus, what the hell does that mean?
“What?”
“It’s perfect, man. Check out my new Nokia. It’s awesome. This thing has video capability. We can catch everything we do on digital and post it on YouTube, just like Sparks did.”
“Holy shit, this is so cool,” Winters mutters. “When did you get this?”
“Dad gave it to me this morning as an early graduation present.”
Entitled pricks.
Why the hell my parents have to live in the wealthiest Detroit suburb, I’ll never know. I can’t wait to get away from these rich kids and their fucking privilege.
“What do you wanna do with it?”
“Kennedy Harper told me Donovan’s pet project, Penny Ramsay, still works at the movie theater. We can take a trip down there and humiliate the hell out of her. I guess she’s still a fat cow. We can finish what Hannah started.” Winters laughs.
My jaw clenches. I might not have talked to Penny, but I’ve seen her. She isn’t fat. She’s curvy. There’s a difference.
Sweetin says, “We can take Ramsay down along with Donovan.” He winks. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you?”
Seriously? What the hell has Pen ever done to Winters—or me for that matter? My first instinct is to burst through the door and blacken both their eyes. But I have a better idea.
Quietly, I remove my phone from my pocket and text Colt.
Luke—Bro, you gotta hear this fucking shit. I’m calling and putting it on speaker. Just listen, okay? Don’t say a word.
I pull up Colt’s number and call. As Colt’s voice booms in my ear, I hit the speaker. And sit back.
Someone else pushes through the door.
“Why the hell are you two hiding in here like pussies? Limo’s out front. We’re ready to go.”
Sweetin giggles like a little girl. “Jacobs, bro, it’s goin’ down. Who else is out there? We got an awesome plan.”
“I feel like a damn seventh grader,” Winters grumbles. “Get on with it, Sweetin.”
Sweetin lowers his voice. “I say we grab a couple of the girls and go down there and humiliate the hell out of her.”
“Who?” Jacobs asks.
“That cow, Ramsay. She’s working at the movie theater. I guess she’s some ho’ bag now, handing out blowies to her teachers for grades. I knew she wasn’t as smart as everyone says she is.”
As Colt’s breathing intensifies, I close my eyes. I’m not sure how many of the rumors he’s heard, but none of that shit about Penny is true.
And fuck Sweetin! Pen’s smart as hell.
Winters sighs. “Who cares? She’s a big fat nobody. She doesn’t even go here anymore.”
Jacobs claps Sweetin on the back. “Kennedy put you up to this, didn’t she? You’ve had a crush on that girl for two years. And now she’s dating Bridges.”
“Fuck you!” Sweetin snarls. “But yeah, she mentioned something about it. She’s pissed that her dates with Donovan crashed and burned.”
Winters grunts. “Again, we care, why?”
Jacobs laughs. “Because Kennedy wants revenge on Donovan. Rumor is he has a hard on for Ramsay, always talking about her and stuff.”
I freeze. Oh, shit. I didn’t want Colt knowing that. And they’re taking it all out of context. I was worried about Penny. She shut me out completely. I thought Kennedy was her friend, so I tried to talk to her.
That’s all it was.
“And this has nothing to do with Donovan beating the hell out of you for laying out Patrick Carroll last month?”
Sweetin grunts. “Whatever. Does it matter? Sparks left behind a legacy when she was expelled. With this technology, we can leave our own mark.”
“Hell, yeah, man!” Jacobs seconds it. “Come on, Dyl. It’s our last year. It’ll be epic!”
Winters groans. “Jesus, calm down. Fine. Just the three of us, okay? Not the girls. We’ll show up and ditch the Hilton party and head to the theater before Ramsay gets off work. We’ll flirt with her... ask her out. We’ll get her to come home with us and give us a real show. We’ll have it all on video.”
“Hell, yeah! We can watch it later and then post it.” Sweetin is practically salivating.
“Then we’ll send a copy to Sparks. She’ll love it,” Jacobs says. “She got a bad rap for all that shit that went down.”
“You’re only saying that because you wanted to screw her.” Sweetin punches him.
“Shut up, asshat!”
“Both of you shut it,” Winters growls. “So, that’s it. Don’t let the girls know what we’re doing, alright? They’ll go crazy and blab it to everyone. It’ll just screw everything up.”
As the idiots babble excitedly, bile sits at the back of my throat. What is wrong with people? And Winters? What the hell? He leads an all-conference team, and he has a fucking scholarship! Does he really think pulling a stupid prank like this is smart?
The noise from the hall escalates as the door opens. It slams back on its hinges, leaving me in silence. I place my feet on the floor and wait a few minutes, just to be sure I’m alone.
“Pick up the fucking phone, Donovan!” Colt’s voice echoes through the stall.
Shit, he sounds pissed.
Taking the call off speaker, I put it to my ear and swallow hard. “I thought you needed to know what’s going down, man. I was in the lav when they came in. I overheard their plans and called you. I told you, I’ve always got Pen’s back.”
Colton mutters, “Keep those assholes there, understood? I’m coming. What room?”
I glance at the key card. “543.”
“I mean it, Donovan. If you care about my sister at all, you’ll do what you should have done last time and protect her. Got it?”
Loud and clear. And this time, I won’t get sidetracked.
*****
“YO! WE’RE OUT OF DRINKS! Donovan, man, wha’s up? Great party!”
I rub my temples. The headache from hell pounds with every pulse of the music as Sara Bareilles’ Love Song blares through the room. It’s almost eleven, and my classmates are still raging.
Holding a red Solo cup filled with pop, I glower at Bridges doing shots like he’s in a damn frat. Fucking asshole loaded up half his dad’s bar and brought it to the party. I’m not drinking. I can’t take the chance. No way in hell I’m losing my scholarship because of this shit.
Besides, I have to keep an eagle eye on the three stooges draining the makeshift bar like losers. They didn’t think their plan through very well. Sweetin and Jacobs are drunk as hell. How they’re going to drive to the theater in this shape, I have no clue.
Only Winters is sober.
The guy looks at his watch. He motions to the other two. I panic. I have to stall them. Colt isn’t here yet. He said he’d text when he pulls in.
Standing up straight, I turn down the music. Pretending to be three sheets to the wind, I yell, “Hey, yo! How’s everyone feeling tonight? Your Prom King speaks!”
Along with several guffaws, the crowd cheers. Ever the queen, Christy sidles up next to me with a big smile on her face. I raise my cup. With Winters in my peripheral vision, I clear my throat dramatically. “Seriously, though. It’s been a hell of a four years. Some of us will have another go of it. Chris and I wanted to celebrate with friends before we get our asses kicked in college.” The crowd roars again. I wave my arms to quiet everyone. “I jus’ gotta say good luck to all of us who are goin’ on and livin’ our dreams. Cody, great year in wrestling, man. Take ’em down in Madison.” Everyone pats the guy on the back with congrats. I nod at my suspect. “And Winters?” Draping an arm over the guy’s shoulder, I jab a finger into his pecs. Hard. “This guy here? Mr. All-State pitcher has a full ride to Ohio!”
The crowd goes wild as Winters preens. God, what I wouldn’t give to smack the smug look off the asshole’s face. But it isn’t time yet. I raise my cup again. “Here’s to the major leagues, bro!”
“And the ‘lympics for you, Donovan!”
I grin. Will Jacobs. Guy is as dumb as my grandmother’s Bassett hound. “You better believe it. Here’s to all of us!”
I crank the music. The bass on Paralyzer by Finger Eleven booms. As everyone dances, Jacobs tosses a beer over the top of Winters’ head, and Sweetin joins in.
Fucking baseball players. I’ll never understand the whole ritual of dunking your teammates with Gatorade and shit to celebrate anything.
Christy hugs me. “That was so sweet! I’m glad you’re coming around. I wasn’t sure you were having fun tonight.”
I kiss her cheek. “I’m glad we did this. We all deserve it.” Especially those fucking idiots that want to leave their mark. I can’t wait until Colt gets a hold of them. Forget legacy. It will be legendary.
And it’s all for Penny. One way or another I’m determined to make up for the shit that happened to her. Even if she doesn’t know about it.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. Pulling it out, I grin. “Awesome! I’ve got more drinks coming, people.”
Stumbling forward, Christy squeals. “Yay! I’ll help you!”
I wink at her. “I’ve got it, babe. Enjoy yourself. Looks like Harper could use a friend since Bridges is getting it on with Erin.”
Christy whips her head around. Sure enough, Pete the Player’s lips are locked with Erin Withers’. Kennedy looks like she’s going to cry.
Serves the bitch right.
I close the door to the room and traipse down the hall. The entire floor has been rented by the upperclassmen. There are parties raging all over, and there must be a shit-ton of alcohol. People are staggering from room to room like drunken sailors.
I’ve never been into the party scene. Why is this fun? And who in the hell did these kids’ rich mommies and daddies pay off to get away with this? Booking at the Hilton is an RHHS tradition, and apparently the hotel staff looks the other way. Including my dad—a fucking police captain.
Such bullshit.
I step into the elevator. At the lobby, the doors open, and a very pissed Colton Ramsay stands on the other side. I jump back in surprise.
Holy hell, the dude is jacked. I haven’t seen him for almost eighteen months. Things have changed for sure. “Jesus, have you been working out?”
Colton crosses his beefy arms. “Not now, Donovan. Where the hell are they?”
“Upstairs. I kept them here, man. I told you I would.” Colt eyes me suspiciously, and I hang my head with a sigh. “Look, this is totally legit. Penny won’t talk to me. I haven’t seen her in over a year. I had no fucking clue about any of that shit that went down at Homecoming.” I swallow hard. “I failed. I know I did. I didn’t get to apologize to her. But I’m here now. I swear I will always be there for her, bro. You gotta know that.”
Shaking his head, Colt mutters, “Whatever. Right now, I just want those assholes to stay the hell away from her. I texted her. She’s fine. She’s still at work. So, how’re we gonna do this?”
“It shouldn’t be long. They know the theater closes at eleven. I say we jump them in the parking lot. If you go busting up there right now, the hotel will be in chaos. The managers will call the police, and that won’t be good for you or me. We gotta do this on the down low.”
Colt nods. “Got it. Where’s their vehicle?”
We cross the lobby and head toward Colt’s car. I point at a vintage Pontiac Firebird sitting at the back of the lot. “It’s Austin Sweetin’s. Winters rode in a limo.”
Colt’s eyebrow arches and he snarls. “Fuck, no. Dylan Winters?”
“You know him?”
“Yeah. That little shit! I dated his sister for a while in high school. When I broke it off, she went nuclear, and he got pissy. The girl was a crazy clinger.”
I press my lips together. That sounds familiar. There might be more to this than I thought. “No wonder the guy was so willing to jump on this. Dude’s an idiot. He has a scholarship to a Big Ten school. Why risk it?”
Cracking his knuckles, Colt scoffs. “If he touches one hair on my sister’s head, he won’t have to worry about it.”
The doors open. Three teens stumble out, and I clap a hand on Colt’s shoulder. “We got this, man.” I hold up my fist for a bump. “Ready to finish it?”
Smirking, Colt returns the gesture. “You know it, brother. No one messes with our baby sister and gets away with it.”
*****
Eight Months Later
This is the private journal of Penny Elaine Ramsay. Do not read!!
DECEMBER 20, 2009
I can’t wait to be done with this place. Why do I have to be the one to pick up where Colt left off? It’s like I’m the freaking adult. I’m working two jobs and killing myself to maintain my GPA while my mother hangs out at the bar every night.
Where is she getting all this money? I know the house is paid for, but we still have to pay taxes on it. She’s barely working enough to cover the lights and heat. Our cable was shut off last month. I pay for the groceries. Our cell phones were disconnected recently, so I bought a cheap pre-paid burner and texted the new number to Colt claiming I was trying to be more independent.
What he doesn’t know doesn’t hurt him, right?
But being stuck out in the middle of a snowstorm just to earn enough money for food?
Yeah, being an adult sucks.