Finding Faith

by Anthony Lampe

  Angela walked down the stairs wearing her short dark blue dress, which was high above her knees. The neckline was cut down low, with thin spaghetti straps leaving her shoulders and arms bare.

  As she opened the front door, Andrew called out to her. “Wait.”

  She paused and looked back over her shoulder. “Carson’s going to be here any minute.”

  “I know,” Andrew said as he approached and stopped beside her. “Please be careful tonight.”

  “It’s just a dance,” she replied, feeling defensive. “Is this about Carson again?”

  Andrew sighed and took her hand gently in his. “It’s about you. I don’t want anything happening to you. I know that you really like Carson. Please, just be careful with him. Make sure he treats you with respect.”

  “I don’t want to keep talking about this,” Angela said, clearly annoyed. “Carson is my boyfriend, and you’re just going to have to deal with it.”

  Andrew exhaled deeply in disappointment. “Okay.” God, please be with her and protect her. Please let me earn her trust soon.

  At that moment, he saw a black limousine pull up along the curb. Angela followed his gaze and her face lit up when she saw Carson walking up the path to escort her to the limo.

  Angela left her brother as she went outside and met Carson. He stood there in his blue tuxedo and black dress shoes.

  He’s very cute, she thought blissfully. It is still so amazing a wonderful guy like him could possibly like me.

  Angela stepped down the front stairs carefully with her high heels.

  “Wow,” Carson whistled softly. “You look hot. Love the dress, babe.”

  Angela’s eyes went wide for a brief moment as his words reminded her of how Andrew talked dirty about the cheerleaders at the football game.

  I wish he didn’t talk to me like that, she thought. But, he’s my boyfriend, so maybe it’s okay.

  Before she could respond, Carson held out something in his hand. Angela smiled as he placed a white corsage around her wrist.

  “Thank you,” she said with a smile. “You’re very sweet.”

  Carson then held her hand as they walked to the black limousine. He opened the door for her and they joined their friends inside. The benches in the limo faced each other, allowing the group to socialize.

  “Hey Angela,” Jessica began with a grin. “You look amazing.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “Your dress is very pretty too.” Jessica wore a tight fitting yellow dress that overly accentuated her curves.

  Angela glanced at her friends’ faces, along with a few she barely recognized. Jessica sat beside Mason Smith, and Kayla was with Jeremy Kendrick. They all exchanged compliments as the limo headed for the prom.

  Then, Angela asked, “Are we picking up Melissa?”

  Jessica stopped making out with Mason briefly to answer. “I’m afraid not.”

  “Poor Melissa didn’t get asked out,” Kayla said. “And, since she’s not a senior, she can’t go alone.”

  Angela was disappointed not to see her friend. “That’s too bad.”

  “Yeah,” Kayla said with a laugh, “Too bad she’s not pretty like you. Then at least someone would have asked her.”

  Mason and Jeremy laughed, Jessica grinned, and Angela almost thought she saw Carson smirk.

  Why are they being so mean? Angela thought with dismay. And, why would Carson think that’s funny?

  “Well,” Angela asked, “is Melissa coming to your party?”

  Jessica shrugged, “Only people attending the prom are invited to my after-party. I can’t just have everyone showing up.”

  Carson snuggled closer to Angela. “Don’t worry about Melissa. Next year when she’s a junior, someone will probably ask her to prom.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Angela said, trying to relax.

  During the rest of the ride there, they all made small talk. As they arrived at the banquet hall where the prom was being held, each gentleman helped their lady out of the limo. When Angela stepped out she looked at the decorations leading to the building. She could hear music pumping from inside, which made her smile.

  Carson guided her to the front door, then they went inside the hall along with their friends.

  “Tickets?” a staff member said.

  Carson held out two blue tickets and gave them to the man. He nodded and let them go by.

  “Thank you again for buying the tickets,” Angela said gratefully.

  “Of course,” Carson replied suavely. “Anything for you.”

  She blushed, and they continued towards the main hall. As they approached it, a photographer stopped them and asked them to pose for a picture. Carson placed an arm around her waist and drew her close. Angela shivered at the feel of him on her nearly bare skin.

  That’s a little fresh, she thought, slightly perturbed.

  Since his arm was already around her, she just smiled for the photo. After it was taken, his hand moved to her shoulder. He led her through the doorway and into the grand hall.

  The darkened room was lit only by strobe lights and a disco ball spinning from the ceiling. The hall was packed with students from Grove High spread out across the dance floor. A refreshment table to the side had red punch and glasses.

  “Care to dance?” Carson said with a grin.

  Angela looked into his gleaming eyes and whispered, “I’d love to.”

  They headed on the dance floor with their friends and each couple danced. The music was a mixture of Pop, R&B, Techno, and Rap. Angela recognized very few of the songs, but she followed the beat of the music with her moves.

  After dancing to a few fast-paced, upbeat songs, the music changed to a slow song. Angela felt a little tired from dancing and wanted a short break.

  “Maybe we can get some punch and sit down during this song,” Angela said hopefully as she tried to pull away.

  Carson quickly replied, “It’s the first slow song all night. We should dance to it.”

  Angela rolled her eyes and gave in. Carson grinned, slipped his arms around her, and held her close. Angela could feel the warmth of his hands through the thin sheer material on her back.

  “Um,” she said uncomfortably, “would you mind putting your hands a little lower, please?”

  Carson looked confused, but then nodded with an impish smile. “Sure.”

  He rubbed his hands downward along her dress, until his hands rested well past her lower back.

  “Excuse you,” Angela said with disgust as she pushed his hands away.

  “Hey,” Carson loudly retorted with confusion and some anger. “What’s your problem?”

  As Jessica and Mason glanced in their direction, Angela realized that her friends could probably hear them. She did not want to make a further scene, so she said, “I’m going to get some punch.”

  She turned away from Carson and left.

  At the table, she took some red punch and sat in a chair against a wall. When she looked back at her friends, she saw that they were talking and looking in her direction.

  Great, Angela thought, now they think there’s something wrong with me.

  She looked down at her high heels and at her sore feet. She almost wished the prom was over already.

  After the slow song ended, the music picked back up again. Angela could see her friends all dancing in a group and having a great time together. She wanted to have fun, but she was hesitant to return to Carson.

  She nearly got up, but then shook her head.

  As Angela just stared boringly at the floor in front of her, she noticed black dress shoes beneath dark blue pants. She peered up and saw Carson standing there with a hand extended.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, offering her a small smile. “Would you like to dance with me again? Just the fast songs if you’d like.”

  Angela gave a partial smile and said, “Alright.”

  She took his hand, headed back to her friends and danced with
the group.

  With the prom halfway over, the music came to a stop. On a stage along the far wall, a man with a microphone said, “Thank you all for coming to the Grove High Prom. I would like to announce this year’s Prom King and Queen.”

  Angela’s friends looked excited and they whispered to each other about who they thought would win.

  “Your class has voted and the results are in,” the announcer said. “This year’s Prom King is… Carson Reynolds.”

  Angela’s mouth dropped open and she stared at Carson as he jumped up and down. “Can you believe this?” he asked her. “I’m the Prom King.”

  “I didn’t know you signed up for it,” Angela muttered to herself.

  Carson smiled and then headed up onto the stage, where the man placed a golden crown on his head. The announcer then said, “And, this year’s Prom Queen is… Jessica Martin.”

  Kayla gave her best friend a big hug and said, “You did it, girl.”

  Angela watched as Jessica joined Carson on the stage. After the announcer placed a golden tiara on her head, he said, “Let’s give them a round of applause.”

  Everyone clapped and cheered, and Angela tried to be happy for them, but she stopped clapping when Carson threw his arms around Jessica and gave her a tight hug.

  Hey, Angela thought incredulously, what are you doing?

  As the applause ended, the announcer said, “Now it’s time for the Prom King and Queen to have their first dance.”

  “What?” Angela was dismayed. Carson was her boyfriend and he was going to just hang out and dance with Jessica?

  Carson held Jessica’s hand tight as he led her off the stage and into the center of the dance floor. The DJ played a slow song, and Carson wrapped his arms around Jessica, placing his hands on her bare back.

  Carson, she thought as tears welled in her eyes, how could you?

  Watching Carson dance with Jessica made Angela’s stomach churn. She wanted to storm up to her boyfriend and demand that he stop dancing with Jessica, but she knew that was not a good idea. When the dance ended, Carson guided his queen back to their friends.

  Angela was about to confront Carson when a song she recognized began to blast throughout the grand hall. It was the song they performed at their first halftime show, Spotlight.

  Jessica turned to Kayla and called out, “Round up the cheerleaders ASAP. Let’s own the dance floor with our moves.”

  As Kayla located Julia and a few other senior cheerleaders, Jessica said, “Come on, Angela.”

  The center of the dance floor was still cleared in a circle from when Carson and Jessica danced there.

  Angela’s heart started beating faster than when Carson held Jessica. She was upset with her boyfriend and did not want to attempt any cheerleading moves in her tight dress.

  “Sorry,” Angela said through stiff lips, “I can’t dance in heels.”

  Carson rolled his eyes and tried to cajole her into doing it. “I missed your halftime performance, but I’d love to see you dance for me right now.”

  Angela hesitated, then shook her head. “My feet are too sore.”

  Jessica threw her hands in the air in disgust. “Whatever.” She joined the rest of the senior cheerleaders and began doing their synchronized moves.

  Angela watched as her friends danced in their prom dresses. She realized that Carson was watching the other girls dancing, and had a wide grin.

  Why is he staring at my friends dancing? Angela deliberated slowly. Or is he just watching Jessica’s body?

  “Do you want to dance?” Angela asked, hoping to draw Carson away from the other cheerleaders.

  “Now you want to dance? Let’s wait until they’re done working it.”

  Angela tugged at the sleeve of his tuxedo. “Why do you want to watch them?”

  “They’re better than the singer in the music video,” Carson replied. “You could have been out there too.”

  She turned to see her friends entertaining everyone with their moves, and for the first time, she realized that the dancing seemed a bit seductive. Angela noticed how Carson’s eyes were fixed on the cheerleaders and he grinned with every move of their bodies.

  When the song was over, all the classmates cheered and started dancing to the next song. Carson turned to Angela and asked if she still wanted to dance, but she shook her head.

  “I just need to sit out for a few,” Angela said.

  She left the group and headed for the hallway. Once she made it to the exit doors, Angela sat on a bench under the front awning.

  The night dragged on and she heard several more songs play before the music finally ended. As the students piled outside, Angela’s friends approached her.

  “There you are,” Carson said with a grin. “I was beginning to think you left me.”

  Angela gave a small smile and shrugged. “I just needed some air.”

  “Well,” Jessica said, “you really missed your chance to perform Spotlight.”

  Kayla wiggled her hips. “It was a riot.”

  Carson looked at her with concern. “You’re not too tired for the after-party, are you?”

  Angela looked at her friends as they stared at her.

  “My parties are the best,” Jessica said.

  Kayla nodded. “It’ll be great.”

  “Alright.” Angela forced a smile. “Let’s go.”

  Their black limousine picked them back up and took them to Jessica’s house. The ride was much shorter, and most of her friends bragged about how much fun they had dancing, especially to the Spotlight song.

  As they got out of the limo, Carson held Angela’s hand and they went inside Jessica’s house. Angela could see that the kitchen had lots of snacks waiting for them, so she munched on some while more of their classmates arrived for the party.

  Kayla soon announced loudly, “Who wants a drink?”

  Mason shouted, “Over here.”

  She walked into the living room and handed a bottle to Mason, then to Jessica, Jeremy, and then glanced at Carson and Angela.

  “Beer?” Kayla offered while raising an eyebrow at Angela.

  “Yeah,” Carson replied enthusiastically.

  He took two from Kayla and tried to hand one to Angela.

  “No, thank you.” Angela crossed her arms against her chest. She could feel her annoyance with him begin to creep back over her.

  Carson smirked. “You don’t drink?”

  Angela shook her head. Being annoyed with him gave her the confidence booster she needed to refuse any peer pressure regarding drinking. “No, I don’t,” she said, her voice cool as ice.

  Carson ignored her and popped the cap off his bottle and guzzled it down right in front of her. He stopped half way, and then offered her the rest.

  Angela glanced around the room and saw that all of her friends, their boyfriends, and most of the other classmates were drinking.

  Kayla, who was still standing nearby, stared at her. “Go ahead and give it a try.”

  She shook her head again and angrily replied, “No.”

  Carson looked disappointed, and he then finished off the bottle.

  Jessica had set up a boom box and started playing slow music. She walked over to where Mason was resting on the couch and she sat on top of him. Angela watched as they began to kiss. Kayla set down her beer and slipped into her boyfriend’s arms to make out. While some people drank, others held each other close and kissed.

  Angela noticed Julia and a guy heading upstairs to the second floor. Jessica saw them too, and she took a moment away from kissing to say, “Have fun.”

  Julia waved and grinned as her and the guy disappeared.

  Carson grabbed Angela’s hand and led her away from the living room and towards the stairs. She crinkled her brows and wanted to say something, but she wasn’t sure how it would come out. As they reached the top of the staircase, Angela looked past Carson and saw Julia and the guy enter into a bedroom and close th
e door behind them.

  Carson began to pull her towards Jessica’s darkened bedroom. “Wait!” Angela choked out as realization dawned on her.

  Carson peered back, but instead of responding, he grinned and nodded at the open door.

  Angela swallowed hard and pulled her hand from his. “What—”

  “It’s prom night,” Carson whispered suggestively. “Let’s relax and enjoy each other’s company.”

  “But.” Angela struggled with the words. Her stomach was tight and she could feel herself begin to shake. “Why in there?”

  Carson stepped closer, his body less than a foot in front of hers, his eyes gazing into hers. “You know you are beautiful, Angela. Since the moment I first met you, I wanted to taste your lips.”

  He leaned in towards her, but she put her hands against his chest. He paused for a moment, inches away from her lips.

  He breathed softly into her ear, “Don’t resist me, baby.”

  “No,” Angela stated firmly. She knew she was way out of her comfort zone. She knew she was naïve about a lot of things, but nothing was as certain and clear in that moment than one thing. “I don’t want to kiss you.”

  Carson’s eyes flashed. “We’ll see about that.”

  She stiffened her arms as he leaned in closer, but he slipped an arm around her back and pulled her towards him. Her arms collapsed, and he held her body against his. Angela tried to say no again, but Carson leaned in the rest of the way and kissed her hard. He began to roughly move his hands all over her body as he tried to lead her towards the bedroom.

  Angela’s eyes started to tear up as she realized what was happening. She then lifted her right foot and slammed her high heel onto his toes.

  “Ouch!” Carson yelped as he released her. “Hey! What’s wrong with you?”

  “You kissed me!” Angela said in a tortured voice. “I told you no.”

  Carson reached down to feel his foot. His face was red with anger and pain. “Why did you hurt me?”

  “I said no!” Angela shouted.

  “You’re my girlfriend. I can touch you all I want. I can kiss you all I want. What’s wrong with that?”

  Angela wiped a tear from her cheek. “I was saving my first kiss.”

  “For what?” Carson retorted in disbelief.

  “My wedding day.”

  He let out a maniacal laugh. “That’s ridiculous. What’s the point in waiting to kiss someone? If you never kiss, then you can never—”

  “Stop! Please, just stop.”

  Carson narrowed his eyes and took a step closer to her. His voice went deep with barely suppressed fury. “We’ve been going out for a while now and I’ve been patient knowing you’re younger. I’ve paid for our dates, I’ve paid for the prom, and I’ve settled for silly kisses on the cheek. The least you could do to repay me is kiss me. You owe me.”

  Angela stared at him in disbelief. “I don’t owe you anything.”

  “You are a cheerleader.” Carson growled. “You dance around in your skimpy uniform and short skirt in front of the entire school. You get all us guys aroused, but, then you act all innocent when we’re together. You are just a tease.”

  “I thought you were a nice guy, a real gentleman. Apparently I was wrong.”

  Carson slumped down and sat reclining against the wall. “I knew I should have gone to prom with Jessica instead of you.”

  “What?” Angela felt numb with pain and heartache.

  You liked her first, she thought despondently. That’s why you talked to her. That’s how she already knew you were going to take me to prom. You didn’t even ask me to go with you, but you probably asked her first.

  He shook his head dejectedly, “Forget it. I should have known better than to take my chances with a freshman. At least I got to dance with Jessica.”

  Frustrated and hurt, Angela fled downstairs and saw that the party was worse than when she had left it. Empty beer bottles were scattered all over the floor, several classmates were drinking more, while her friends seemed entangled with their boyfriends.

  Angela crossed the room and looked down at the couch. Jessica was kissing Max intensely, while Kayla turned away from Jeremy and asked drunkenly, “You’re done already? You animal.”

  “I want to leave!” Angela practically shouted. She could barely keep herself from sobbing.

  Kayla stood up and took Jeremy by the hand. “If you’re finished with the room, I’ll take it, unless you want it Jessica.”

  Max jumped up excitedly, “We’ll take it.”

  Jessica waved them up, “No, it’s alright. Maybe after you.”

  Angela cringed at the thought that she almost entered the bedroom with Carson. As Kayla looked her in the eyes, she could see she how upset she was. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  “Carson,” Angela mumbled as tears began to flow. “I… I want to go home.”

  Kayla shook her head, “Sorry. I don’t have a car.”

  Angela then looked towards Jessica, but she was busy making out with Max again. As her eyes began to water some more, Angela begged, “Jessica, please.”

  Jessica looked up. “You’re not going to stay here with Carson?”

  Angela leaned down and quietly pleaded, “I told him no, but he kissed me.”

  “And?” Jessica arched her brow. “Was he any good?”

  You like him, Angela thought dejectedly. You definitely liked dancing with him.

  “Please, can you drive me home?”

  “I’m busy,” she said flippantly as she kissed Max again.

  “You ruined our last party,” Kayla spoke up angrily, “Why are you trying to ruin this one too? Lighten up.”

  Jessica stared hard at Angela. “Is this really just because Carson kissed you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, what did you expect would happen tonight? He’s a guy, you’re a girl. It’s prom night. Don’t be so naive.”

  Angela looked around the room and saw several other couples staring at her with grins on their faces.

  “This party doesn’t stop ‘til morning,” Jessica shouted out with a shrill laugh. “I’m not leaving my party.”

  “Can anyone please drive me home?” Angela cried.

  Carol, a fellow cheerleader, said, “I will.”

  As Angela saw her sitting across the room, she noticed a half empty beer bottle in Carol’s hand.

  “No!” Jessica waved her off. “Stay and enjoy the party. Let her walk home if she wants to.”

  “I thought Grove Girls had each other’s backs,” Angela said bitterly.

  “You may be a cheerleader, but you’re not really one of us. Enjoy your long walk home.”

  30