by Raathi Chota
“Yeah, but I’ve known Tommy since fourth grade. He trusts me with his sister.” Aidan waved off as Tiffany walked toward us. She wore an elegant white ball gown, her red hair curled and bouncing as she walked.
“Hey, Aidan, Carter, and…whoa, Lana, you look beautiful,” Tiffany said in her southern accent.
“Thanks, Tiffany, you look gorgeous as well.”
“Wanna get something to eat? I heard people are scooping up the shrimp!” Tiffany motioned to a bunch of jocks devouring the food table.
“Let’s go!” Aidan cheered as he locked arms with Tiffany.
“Would you like to dance, Miss Willson?” Carter asked in a failed British accent.
“Why, of course, Mr. Halls.” I smiled as I put my hand out. He chuckled as he took my hand and led me to the dance floor. RnB music played, and we joined Miranda and Marcus. I couldn’t dance, but it didn’t matter; Carter and Marcus made us laugh by making silly dance moves. I had such a good time that I didn’t notice that Miranda stopped. She put her hand on her hip as she looked past me.
“That can’t be right,” Miranda said as she raised her brow. We followed her gaze, and I bit the inside of my cheek as I looked at the front doors. Jennifer and Kelly entered the building, accompanied by their dates, Ethan and Blake.
***
Blake
“Let the night begin,” Ethan mumbled as we got out of the limo. I locked arms with Kelly West as we entered the building. She looked pretty with her midnight dress and black heels. Her hair bothered me, as it was styled to stand out, literally, because as I stood next to her, it fanned my face. Ethan’s with Jennifer Brighton; she wore a pastel yellow dress with her brunette hair curled. She looked like Belle, and Ethan was the Beast. Kelly got me a suit and said it was a designer label. It looked the same as my other suit, but I didn’t care; it was a simple black suit, white shirt, and bow tie. My hair was styled into a quaff as always, but Kelly sprayed it because she said my hair tended to get messy. The moment we entered the gym, all eyes were on us; Melissa and Nick came over and chatted. Melissa, Kelly, and Jennifer talked about their outfits, while Ethan and Nick spoke sports. I glanced around the room at the many teenagers; it’d be a good night if Kelly wouldn’t annoy me. My smile dropped as I saw Lana. She danced with Carter, and they laughed at something Aidan said. Lana looked beautiful in her pink dress, her hair bouncing as she danced. She looked breathtaking as she laughed. I wish I danced with them; I wanted to dance with her.
“Blake!” Kelly exclaimed as she snapped her fingers. I turned to her as my lips drew in a straight line. “Let’s dance.” She smiled as she grabbed my hand and led me to the dance floor. I tried my best to dance a fair distance away from Lana, but Kelly moved closer to them. I bumped shoulders with Aidan, and he turned to me with a grin.
“Hey, dude.”
“’Sup?”
“So how’s the lady keeping you?” Aidan asked as he winked at me. I glanced at Kelly, who stared at us; I was about to answer Aidan when Kelly spoke.
“Hi, Carter.” She smirked and looked past me. I followed her gaze to see that Carter and Lana held hands.
“Hey, Kelly,” he mumbled as he glanced at me. Carter let go of Lana’s hand as we hugged. I was about to greet Lana but noticed she was gone when I pulled away from Carter. I frantically looked around the dance floor only to see her leave with Aidan. I looked back at Carter, who had an awkward conversation with Kelly. I rolled my eyes because I didn’t care about my date; I had to do it. I walked off the dance floor and searched for Lana. I saw Miranda and Marcus with people; hopefully, she knew where Lana was.
“Miranda, hey, you look pretty tonight,” I said as I glanced at her dress. She smiled at me.
“Thanks, Blake, you look quite handsome too!” she said, then poked my side. I raised a brow as I looked at her; only then I noticed the cup in her hand. A weird smell came from it, and I shook my head.
“Someone spiked the punch?” I grinned as she took a sip. Marcus came beside her and swung his arm around her shoulder.
“Yeah, dude, all thanks to Benny.” Marcus cheered as he shoved his cup in my face. Clearly, since they’re drunk, thanks to Benny Nielson, they wouldn’t know where Lana was. I scanned the gym for a brunette with a pink dress until I found her with Ethan. My fists clenched as I walked to them; they were at the food table, feeding each other like a happy couple. It disgusted me as the jock played with the nerd, my nerd.
“Hey, guys.”
“Hi, Blake. You cleaned up nicely,” Lana said as she gave me a once-over.
“Thanks, you look beautiful in that dress.”
“Thank you.”
“Aren’t you guys supposed to be with your dates?” a familiar blonde asked as he popped out of nowhere. Ethan and I groaned in unison as we watched Kelly and Jennifer approach. Carter wrapped his arm around Lana’s waist and whispered something. She giggled.
“Hide me,” Ethan mumbled as he raised the tablecloth. We laughed as Ethan attempted to duck under the table.
“Blake, come on. Let’s go in the photo booth!” Kelly whined as she gripped my arm.
“Do we have to go now? There’s a long line,” I said as we looked at Aidan, who got in with his redhead date.
“Yeah, but we’re popular, so they’ll let us pass,” Jennifer said as she grabbed Ethan’s arm. As our dates dragged us to the photo booth, I got one last glance at Lana and Carter, who laughed.
After a half an hour of pictures in the photo booth with Kelly, Jennifer, Ethan, Aidan, Benny, Nick, Melissa, and Liam—the photo booth almost fell over with all the people inside it—Kelly said she had to go to the bathroom. I was glad because I could finally speak to Lana. She sat with Miranda as they talked; I took this as my chance and walked toward her.
“Hey, would you like to dance?” I asked as I approached her. She looked up at me, confused at first, but then her lips turned up into a warm smile.
“Sure.”
“Let It Go” by James Bay played. Everyone seemed to get the idea as we walked to the dance floor. Guys got their dates while I was with Lana. Our partners were nowhere to be seen. I gently placed my hands on her hips as she put her hands around my neck. We moved in sync with the music; I looked at Lana to see her eyes were closed. I couldn’t believe she managed to forgive us, even though she knew we were dangerous. Lana knew she’d get caught by her dad if she didn’t go that day, but she did. Yet she came back and helped us; all my worries were gone, everything that went on seemed to vanish when I was with Lana. I thought when I sent her on my motorcycle that she wouldn’t come back and that she’d never speak to us, but she did, and she took a significant risk for us. I’d learned a few things from Lana, and that’s to never judge a book by its cover and always give people a chance even though they didn’t seem to deserve it. There’s still a second chance. Yesterday’s conversation seemed to be on my mind a lot; I never shared my dad’s death with anyone except the guys. I almost cried in front of her; I never cried in front of anyone except at my dad’s funeral. Fuck, she got to me. Even though I only knew Lana for two weeks, it seems like we’ve known each other for years. Lana glanced up. The dress she wore brought out the color of her eyes. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity until she placed her head on my chest, and I rested my chin on her head. I wrapped my arms around her as the song played. The song ended, and I felt emptiness as she pulled away. Lana smiled at me as she walked off the dance floor. She spoke to Carter as she rubbed her arms furiously. He took off his blue jacket and put it on her. Another party song came on. I was thirsty, so I walked off the dance floor over to the food table. I got myself a drink and went to stand by the guys. Aidan talked, and Carter and Ethan laughed.
“So when is it finished?” Parker asked, who I’ve conversed with before.
“Well, she has Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, which I doubt she’ll handle, because we’re taking her out, right, guys?” Ethan asked as he looked at us. I looked at him in confusion as Car
ter mouthed Lana’s name.
“Sure.”
“Man, you guys are lucky you get to use her like that,” Austin said. “You show up late to class, and you have Willson covering your ass. Mind if we tag along?”
“I don’t know how she does it, coming up with excuses like that every time. It’s gold!” Carter laughed.
“And Gunner, congrats on getting her wrapped around your finger. The bad boy and the sheriff’s daughter,” Parker said as he sent me a wink.
“Whatever, dude. After we win the bet, and she breaks, she’ll just be another one.” I shrugged. I didn’t want them to bother me with Lana; Aidan already knew how I felt about her. The guys laughed as they looked at the four of us.
“So which one of you got hold of the sheriff’s handcuffs?” Austin smirked.
“None, even though I was so close. Her dad was downstairs, and she has thin walls.” Carter smirked as he looked at me. I rolled my eyes as I remembered that night; I was so pissed at Carter when he sent us a picture of Lana in the shower.
“But man, underneath those glasses, she’s hot as fuck,” Parker said as he bit his lip. The guys nodded in agreement as I watched them with my jaw clenched. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Aidan lowered his head.
“Blake, have you seen Lana?” a familiar voice asked. I looked to my side and saw Miranda with an anxious look on her face.
“No, we haven’t. Why?” Ethan asked.
“I need to give her phone back. It’s been going off like crazy!” she exclaimed as she held Lana’s phone in her hand.
“Last I saw her was when you two were dancing,” Aidan said as he pointed to me. Parker and Austin had left, and it’s just us five.
“Miranda, come on!” Marcus yelled over the loud music; he dragged her away and left us. By their lopsided movements, they must’ve been drunk already.
“Yo, what’s up with Willson?” Nick asked as he made his way over to us.
“Why? What happened?”
“She ran out of the gym covering her face,” he said. As soon as those words fell from his mouth, we walked out of the gym.
“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to announce the Homecoming king and queen!”
We heard strange noises from outside, and I seemed to get annoyed as we walked out of the building to rain pouring down on us. Principal West moved Homecoming a day earlier because of the rain, but it rained anyway.
“There!” Ethan yelled as he pointed. I followed his gaze to see a tiny figure in the distance. No doubt it was her. We ran into the open parking lot where we saw Lana, her back to us as she held onto Carter’s jacket.
“Lana, what the hell are you doing out here?”
“You’re going to get sick!”
Lana Willson turned around, and even though it rained and she was soaked, I saw her face. She was crying.
“Y-you guys were using me?” Lana croaked out as she looked at us. Right then and there, we stopped to look at her. I glanced down and felt guilt take over me; she must’ve heard our conversation with Austin and Parker. “Answer me!” Lana shouted as she looked at us. Aidan stepped forward as he held out his arms, but she backed away. “Don’t touch me!”
“Lana, just let us explain,” Ethan mumbled as he looked at her.
“Explain what? How you guys have been using me to get away with things? When I loaned you guys my homework, I thought that’s what friends do, and when I covered for you when we were late, I figured it was out of kindness, but no, you filthy bastards were using me!” she yelled with a pained look in her eyes. “Oh my God, what if you guys were just using me to get away with the drugs because you knew I would be gullible enough to come back?” Lana mumbled as she covered her mouth.
“Lana, I know you’re scared right—”
“I am not fucking scared, Blake!” She cut me off, and we stared at each other. Her mouth moved, but no words came out.
“Lana, come on, we—”
“No, leave me alone. You’ve all put me through so much hell the past few weeks. Just leave me the fuck alone!” she shouted as she turned around to walk.
“Willson, you can’t walk in this weather!” I yelled over the rain. Lana stopped; her back faced us as she slowly spun around. A sigh of relief went through me as she walked back. At least we could take her home and explain to her. As Lana walked, she ripped off Carter’s jacket, eyed him the whole time, then shoved his coat in his chest.
“I fucking hate you!” She pointed to each of us as she yelled. Lana spun around and walked away, but none of us went after her.
Chapter Thirteen
Everyone stood where they were as they watched Lana storm off. The rain dripped and clung to their wet suits. They tried to process what had happened. Part of it was correct—they did use Lana in a way to get what they wanted.
“Fuck!” Ethan screamed as he ran his hand through his damp hair.
“What are we going to do now? Lana’s running around not knowing where to go in a fucking dress, and it’s our fault!” Aidan yelled as they walked closer to each other. Suddenly, Carter, Ethan, and Aidan turned to Blake.
“I don’t fucking know! Are your cars still here?” Blake asked as he looked at Ethan and Aidan. They’d left their cars and got a ride with Marcus. They’d become friends with him, so they went out to the diner after school and left their vehicles at school.
“Yeah.”
“Okay, Ethan, you go and drive around her neighborhood. Aidan, take Carter, and you guys drive around town, and I’ll grab my motorcycle and look around here,” Blake ordered.
“Call us when you find her!” Carter shouted as they ran to Aidan’s car. Blake and Ethan gave the nod, and they went their separate ways.
***
Lana
Lana cried while she attempted to run in heels. She finally gave up and ripped them off her feet. She didn’t know where she’d go, but anywhere was better than the school. She was upset that they used her in the hope that one of them would get to sleep with her in the end. Lana thought they were friends. The part that hurt her the most was that Blake danced with her a while ago, and now she ran away from him. While she danced with him, she thought of the connection they had. They didn’t talk much, but when they did, they talked about anything and everything. How they listened to each other with interest and comforted each other. It all ran through Lana’s head as she walked with her heels in her hand. While Lana shouted at them, she looked at Blake; she couldn’t believe she fell in his trap. Literally and figuratively, she fell for him. Hard. But she didn’t know what to think. Tears streamed down her face as she ran near a couple of buildings; she went into an alley for cover from the rain, but she knew she wasn’t alone.
***
Ethan
Ethan drove around her neighborhood. He must’ve driven around ten times already with his headlights bright. He couldn’t believe what he’d done. Ethan knew something would happen when Blake asked about Lana, how he watched her every day as girls threw themselves at the guys while she sat back and laughed. Ethan made it worse when he offered a ride to Lana; he wanted to be nice to make up for hitting Miranda with a ball, and he knew she was Lana’s ride home. Then the next day when Blake asked to bring Lana to him, Ethan saw it coming. He tried to protect her in a way, not wanting Blake to use her. She was kind and beautiful; girls like that you didn’t use then throw them aside. You kept them, were friends with them, gained their trust, and watched them open up to you. Ethan wished he could’ve taken back all the times he teased and bullied her; he only did it because he was influenced by Benny. All Ethan ever wanted was to be friends with her. He’d known her since second grade, and he still remembered when they spoke about what they wanted to be when they grew up.
“Ethan, what do you want to be when you grow up?” Ms. King asked as they sat in a circle. Ethan shyly sat next to Lana.
“I want to play football!” he cheered as he waved his hands. Everyone laughed at what he said. Seven-year-old Ethan frowned but felt a ha
nd on his shoulder.
“You can be anything you want, Ethan. You just gotta believe in yourself,” Lana said with a bright smile. Her big glasses covered her face but still managed to bring out her big blue eyes.
“Thank you, Lana. You’re a real friend.” Ethan smiled with his chubby cheeks.
He remembered that day and what she had said. Now look at him. He’s team captain and played toward a scholarship, and everyone liked him. All thanks to Lana, who encouraged him. He drove around her neighborhood once more. Every time he passed a house, his nerves shot up. The rain got worse, it was close to winter, and she could be anywhere in Illinois. Ethan drove faster, and since he drove a sports car, he had to put it to its actual use. The way the car drove swiftly down the streets, his eyes flickered left and right as he searched for Lana. The feeling of going fast got interrupted when he saw the familiar blue and red lights flash behind him. Ethan cursed as he stopped the car. The vehicle behind him came to a stop too as the woman got out of her car.
***
Carter and Aidan
Carter and Aidan drove in silence for the first five minutes. They drove everywhere in search of the girl in the pink dress. They grew impatient as they drove on. Carter decided to open the window as far as it’d go.
“What are you doing?” Aidan yelled as Carter stuck his head out the window.
“Looking for my Homecoming date…properly!” he shouted as he leaned out the window. “Lana!” Carter yelled as they slowly drove down the streets. He didn’t care that he was soaked; he took off his jacket and threw it in the backseat of Aidan’s car. Carter thought back to when they fought in class and corrected the teacher.
“And if you see here in the textbook, it says William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in Stratford and died in May 1616,” Mr. Goodman, their tenth-grade teacher, said as he read from the textbook. “Yes, Miss Willson?” Mr. Goodman asked Lana, who had her hand up. He glanced at Carter, who stared at Lana too. Mr. Goodman knew what would come.
