Homecoming Queen

by Melody Carlson

  DJ blinked. “She did?”

  “Sure. Just a few minutes ago.” Taylor held up her spoon as if to study it. “She came to me with tears and everything. She even promised to make a public statement to the whole school, confessing to everything.”

  “And you just blew her off?” said Conner.

  “Pretty much.” Taylor stuck a spoon in her yogurt and stirred.

  “Wow,” said Harry with his hands held up like he was feigning fear, “remind me not to step on your toes.”

  “That’s right,” said Taylor. “People who mess with me are just begging for trouble.”

  “Hey,” said Eliza. “On a lighter note, I hear that nominations for homecoming queen start up next week.” Then she sighed as if this was sad news. “You know what, ya’ll? I’ve always dreamed of being homecoming queen. And now that I’m the new girl, I won’t even have a ghost of a chance.”

  “Says who?” demanded Harry. “I’ll nominate you.”

  “You will?” She beamed at him.

  “It’ll take more than that to make it as a finalist,” said Conner. “The fight for homecoming queen can be fierce in this town.”

  “How do you know?” asked DJ.

  “Trust me. I know,” said Conner. “Remember, I have sisters.”

  “I think Eliza would make a great homecoming queen,” said Kriti. “I’ll vote for you, Eliza.”

  “Well, thank you very much.” Eliza grinned. “And how about the rest of you? Would you vote for me too?”

  Everyone sort of shrugged and halfheartedly agreed to vote for her, and thankfully the bell rang and lunchtime was over. DJ thought Eliza was crazy to want to run for homecoming queen. Why put yourself through that sort of pain on purpose?

  “I just can’t quit thinking about poor Casey,” said Rhiannon as she and DJ trudged toward the drama department.

  “I know.”

  “She won’t do anything stupid, will she?”

  “Huh?” DJ turned to look at Rhiannon.

  “You know, like what Taylor did.”

  “You mean like run away?”

  Rhiannon nodded. “I mean, she seemed so desperate when I saw her this morning, right after you told her what Taylor had said. She reminded me of a cornered animal. And she said that she couldn’t stand being locked up somewhere, even if it was juvenile detention.”

  DJ shifted her purse strap to her other shoulder. “She probably won’t get locked up.”

  “She will if Taylor gets her way. That girl is out for blood.”

  “I can’t believe that Casey apologized like that and Taylor still wouldn’t consider forgiving her.”

  “Better change the subject,” warned Rhiannon. “Here comes Taylor now.”

  Taylor joined them as they entered the auditorium, acting as if nothing was wrong. She gabbed on about how excited she was about her audition for Liat today. “I can’t imagine that Mr. Harper would consider anyone else.” She smiled at Rhiannon as they took their seats. “I mean you probably would’ve made an okay Liat, but that was only because I was out of the picture. Now that’s not the case. You don’t mind, do you?”

  As students continued to trickle in, Mr. Harper took center stage. “As you know, we have finished with our auditions and it’s — ”

  “Excuse me, Mr. Harper,” said Taylor from her front-and-center seat, raising her hand in the air. “I’ve been absent, but I really had hoped to audition for the role of Liat.”

  He peered into the audience. “Oh, Taylor. You’re back.”

  “Is it too late?”

  He paused as if considering. “No, of course not. Come on down and give it a try. You already impressed us with your general audition. Let’s see how well you can do Liat.”

  So, slightly bowing to the audience like she was already a star, Taylor went down and, without any musical accompaniment or anything, flawlessly performed one of Liat’s songs from the musical. Everyone clapped with enthusiasm, and Taylor smiled with such confidence that DJ knew she thought she had bagged this.

  DJ was not so sure. Rhiannon had done a lovely rendition of Liat too. In fact, Rhiannon’s sweet countenance and innocent personality made her far more like the Liat character than Taylor. Still, it wasn’t DJ’s decision.

  “Thank you very much,” said Mr. Harper after the applause stopped. “Now, I would like to make my announcements.”

  No one was very surprised when Eliza was cast in the lead as Nellie, the perky Navy nurse from Arkansas.

  There were some murmurs of surprise when Sean Marscolli, a talented actor but a little on the short and pudgy side, was cast as Eliza’s romantic interest and plantation owner, Emile. Eliza, however, took this news in a good-natured way, probably drawing from her solid southern roots of gentility and social graces.

  Next, Bradford Wales was cast as Lieutenant Joe Cable, the romantic interest for Liat’s character. DJ tried not to frown at this. But all she could think was how unfair it would be if Taylor got the part of Liat and now Bradford, the boy Taylor had stolen from Rhiannon, would be her love interest.

  Mr. Harper read off a few more roles, and DJ was relieved that she was only going to be in a very minor role — Ensign Cora McRae, whoever that was supposed to be.

  Finally Mr. Harper cleared his throat as if he were about to make an important announcement. “As some of you perhaps have guessed, I’ve been giving myself a little extra time to consider the role of our sweet, young Liat. I have decided to stick with my first instincts in casting for this role. I have decided that Rhiannon Farley will play Liat, and for — ”

  DJ couldn’t help herself. She actually started to clap, and loudly too. And so did several others. Enough so that Mr. Harper quit speaking. But when DJ glanced over at Taylor, she saw that her roommate was scowling darkly. Clearly, Taylor was not the least bit pleased by this surprising announcement.

  “Yes,” continued Mr. Harper, smiling on stage as if he had just made a great performance himself. “I can see that some of you agree with me on this choice. And, while I must admit that Miss Mitchell did give me some pause, for she did a wonderful audition, I would prefer to cast Taylor in a much larger role, a very important role. I have cast Taylor Mitchell as Bloody Mary.” He beamed at Taylor like she should be thrilled with this news.

  “Bloody Mary?” said Taylor with disgust. “Liat’s mother? She’s a fat cow. No way am I playing her.”

  Mr. Harper chuckled. “Well, it’s certainly not a typecast, Taylor. But Bloody Mary sings some wonderful songs, and with your voice — ”

  “Forget it,” snapped Taylor, tightly folding her arms across her chest. “I would rather paint scenery than play Bloody Mary.”

  This news had to be making Camilla Fairbanks happy. She had tried out for Bloody Mary, and everyone had assumed she was a shoe in. Her singing voice wasn’t anything like Taylor’s, but Camilla had the physique and the loudness to go with the role.

  “Well, no one can force you to play a part you don’t want,” said Mr. Harper a bit stiffly. “Although, I should warn you, attitude will reflect on your final grade, Miss Mitchell. And that goes for everyone. We are a team, and we’re all in this production together. We don’t have room for prima donnas.”

  Taylor just tilted her nose in the air.

  DJ, though, couldn’t help but grin. This was just too funny, and it was all she could do not to burst out laughing. Poetic justice, at last! For a refreshing change it seemed that Taylor was not coming out on top after all. Taylor had finally gotten what she deserved.

  Of course, DJ felt bad as she reminded herself that Taylor hadn’t always come out on top. In fact, Taylor had confessed some hard things to DJ, back before the Internet scandal and before she’d run away and been missing. Still, the way Taylor had been treating Casey today — well, DJ couldn’t help but be a little bit glad.

  The class was separated into various rehearsal groups. Since DJ’s role included, of all things, dancing, she was sent off with the dancers to learn some steps. Ironi
cally, it was kind of fun; maybe because, much to her own surprise, DJ wasn’t half bad at it. When class finally ended, she was warm, and her cheeks were flushed.

  “Did you hear the news?” said Eliza as she came back to where DJ was getting a long, cold drink at the water fountain.

  “About what?” DJ stood up and looked curiously at Eliza.

  “About Liat.”

  DJ frowned and wondered if Eliza was feeling okay. “Yes, Eliza,” she said slowly. “We all heard about that. Remember? Rhiannon got cast as Liat, and Taylor threw a hissy fit.”

  “Not that,” whispered Eliza. “I mean, did you hear that Rhiannon made a deal with Taylor.”

  “A deal?”

  Eliza lowered her voice as if she thought someone else was listening. “Rhiannon offered Taylor the role of Liat if Taylor would promise not to press charges against Casey.”

  “No way!”

  Eliza nodded with large blue eyes. “Way.”

  “And Taylor agreed?”

  “She did. I heard the whole thing myself.”

  DJ didn’t know whether to be happy or ticked. On one hand, this might get Casey off the hook — that is if Taylor stuck to her word. On the other hand, Taylor, once again, came out on top. Not only did she get the role she wanted, she also got Rhiannon’s ex-boyfriend, the guy Taylor had already stolen once, for her love interest. If DJ’s memory served, they even had a fairly passionate kissing scene. “Man,” said DJ with a frown. “Sometimes life sucks.”

  “Not according to Taylor,” said Eliza. “She’s already worked it out with Mr. Harper, and she’s flying high.”

  “I can just imagine.”

  “And I have a feeling Taylor will stick to her agreement too. I mean, that girl may be a lot of things, but I think she’s fairly honest.”

  “Hey,” DJ said, “I gotta call Casey and tell her the good news.” DJ dialed Casey’s cell phone number, but not surprisingly, Casey’s phone was off. “I gotta go.” She took off jogging toward the locker bay. And, sure enough, there was Casey with her head in her locker, trying to shove a notebook onto an already jammed shelf.

  “Casey,” said DJ breathlessly. “Have you heard?”

  Casey pushed in the notebook and slammed the locker shut. “What?” she asked in a flat-toned voice.

  “It’s over. Taylor is playing Liat in exchange for everything. Rhiannon made a deal with her — for you!”

  Casey looked confused. “Rhiannon did what?”

  “She gave up her role in South Pacific! She handed over the part Taylor wanted in exchange for Taylor’s promise not to press charges against you.”

  “Seriously? And Taylor agreed?”

  “Yes. She really wanted that role. Plus, Bradford is playing Joe Cable, Taylor’s character’s love interest.”

  Casey frowned and shook her head. “That’s kind of like twisting the knife for Rhiannon, isn’t it?”

  “I know.”

  “It figures that Taylor would use this for her own gain.”

  “Still, it’s good news. This thing with you and Taylor is over now.”

  Casey nodded slowly, as if taking this in, but she still didn’t look fully convinced. “Maybe round one is over, but I doubt that it’s completely over.”

  “You’re probably right, but at least the legal part of it might be over. Eliza and I both think Taylor will keep her word.”

  Casey brightened slightly. “And that is a relief. I mean, I so did not want to be locked up. The idea of being stuck in some kind of detention facility was freaky. But, man, do I owe Rhiannon now.”

  “That’s for sure,” said DJ. “That was a huge sacrifice on her part.”

  Casey sighed. “I wonder why life has to be so complicated.”

  “Especially when you don’t allow God be part of it,” pointed out DJ. She and Rhiannon had been working on Casey . . . trying her to get her life right with God. Maybe this would be the real turning point.

  “So, are you going to start preaching at me now?”

  “Not right now,” said DJ, grinning. “I have to get to class.” But as DJ hurried off she knew Casey was going to have to listen to someone’s “preaching.” And considering Rhiannon’s sacrifice, Casey ought to be willing to listen to her.

  4

  “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE STICKING with volleyball,” Taylor said in a tone that suggested disgust. She was getting dressed following PE, their last class. And, although DJ had been trying to avoid Taylor since drama, she now felt cornered as she laced up her volleyball shoes.

  “I like it,” DJ said with her head down, focusing on her laces.

  “Why?” demanded Taylor.

  DJ wanted to ask Taylor why she needed to know but suspected it was simply Taylor’s smokescreen, a way to avoid other topics that might not be so comfortable — like where were you these past few days or how did it feel to be cast as Bloody Mary until Rhiannon struck a deal? “It’s fun,” DJ said.

  “Getting sweaty and hanging with jock girls is fun?” Taylor buttoned her shirt.

  “And it’s a good form of exercise.” DJ was losing patience. And so she tossed a slightly accusatory look at Taylor. “Anyway, it beats having to constantly diet or play with anorexia like some girls I won’t mention.”

  Taylor scowled. “I don’t play with anorexia, DJ.”

  DJ shrugged. “Maybe not, but you always act like you have some big phobia when it comes to eating good food.”

  Taylor smoothed her fitted shirt over her long, lean waist. “I avoid fats and carbs because I happen to care about my appearance.”

  “And I happen to care about my health,” said DJ. “I’d rather eat normal foods and participate in sports than constantly be on a diet.”

  Taylor gave DJ her haughty look now. “Well, if you don’t mind having a lesbian coach gaping at you, I guess sports are okay.”

  DJ sucked in a quick breath, glancing over her shoulder just in case Coach Jones was around to hear that mean comment. “You don’t know if that’s true, Taylor.”

  Taylor shrugged. “I don’t know that it’s not.”

  “You must’ve forgotten how it feels to have people believing mean lies about you.”

  Taylor’s brow creased slightly. She actually seemed to be considering this.

  DJ drove home her point. “It seems like you’d have more compassion.”

  “I think I liked you better before you became such a goody-two-shoes, DJ.” Then Taylor picked up her black Kate Spade bag, slung it over her shoulder, and walked off, her high heels clicking across the hard locker-room floor.

  A few minutes later, Casey came into the locker room, glancing nervously around. “I wanted to make sure that Taylor was gone before I came in,” she said to DJ.

  “Coast is clear,” said DJ. “Thank goodness she left when she did. I felt like I wanted to deck her.”

  Casey’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? Why?”

  DJ quietly filled her in on Taylor’s derogatory comment about Coach Jones.

  “Well, a lot of people think that’s true,” said Casey. “In fact, I’ve even heard you make some of those same kinds of comments.”

  “Only as a joke!” DJ’s face went red. “Well, I’m not going to do it anymore.”

  Casey just shrugged. “Whatever.”

  “Think about it, Casey. No one likes to be judged, not to mention misjudged.”

  Casey pulled on her shorts. “I guess. Even so, I keep my distance from Coach.”

  DJ rolled her eyes.

  “I’m just saying.”

  DJ let it go. Still, she was determined to watch her words a little more closely. And even as they did their regular drills, ending with a match between JV and Varsity, DJ sensed that her attitude toward her teammates, even the “jock girls” as Taylor liked to call them, was changing. She was accepting them, and they were accepting her — like a real team — and that felt good.

  “Great game, Tawnee,” said DJ after Varsity won, and they were all heading back to the locke
r room. “Way to be on it.”

  Tawnee looked surprised, but then smiled. “Thanks!”

  Since DJ hadn’t seen Conner since lunch, she had asked Casey to join her in watching the end of his soccer practice. But as the girls emerged from the locker room, there was Conner waiting for her in the gym’s breezeway. “Hey, girls,” he said cheerfully as he pushed back his damp hair. “How was practice?”

  “Okay,” said DJ. Conner slipped an arm around DJ’s waist and gave her a squeeze. DJ smiled. Having a boyfriend was nice, but it still took some getting used to.

  “Better than okay,” said Casey, “since we quit early.”

  “Same with us. Coach cut practice short because we have two back-to-back matches tomorrow morning.”

  Just then Garrison McKinley joined them. He looked fresh out of the shower room too. “Hey, ladies,” he said, smiling at Casey. “What’s up?”

  DJ and Casey chatted with the guys as the four of them walked out to the parking lot. Then Garrison brushed his fingers through Casey’s short hair and chuckled. “Gotta admire a girl who isn’t afraid to look butch.”

  “What?” Casey turned and glared at him.

  But Garrison just smiled “Hey, if you’re pretty enough, you can carry it off.”

  “Meaning what?” demanded Casey.

  “Meaning you can carry it off.”

  Casey looked unconvinced, but DJ was certain that Garrison was totally flirting with Casey.

  “Go easy on Casey,” warned DJ. “She’s had a rough day.”

  “Could’ve been rougher,” added Conner.

  Now they were all standing around DJ’s car, and the guys were still making small talk like they weren’t ready to say good-bye yet. And it seemed that Casey was actually warming up to Garrison now, like maybe the light had clicked on and she’d figured out that he was pretty interested in her.

  Garrison mentioned a movie that had just released. “Hey, you guys want to go together?” he asked. “I mean, the four of us?”

  DJ peered curiously at Casey. Garrison was obviously asking her out but trying to keep it casual. And, unfortunately for Garrison, Casey started to act oblivious again, giving him a blank expression. Or maybe she just wanted to be asked out properly.