by Mettey, Tim
“Nicholas, I didn’t care about what anyone else thought, but now people want to be my best friend and be around me. On the inside, I’m still the same Elle that they never noticed.” Elle was shredding her napkin in her lap. She took a deep breath, looking angry.
“Elle, I would still like you, even if you wore glasses and no make-up. You could never be invisible to me.”
She laughed, wiping away a couple of tears that rolled down her cheek. “Well, of course you would, Nicholas. You are different. You are such a good friend.” She smiled.
“Elle, would you go to Homecoming with me?”
“Nicholas, I can’t go with you. I’m going with someone else. . . . I’m going with Oliver.”
The fire burned in me, consuming my soul. “Who?” I said.
“Oliver,” she repeated, but in a whisper like it was some terrible secret.
“So are you dating?” I asked.
“No way, we are going as friends. I would never date him. Our parents have been friends for a long time, and Oliver was that football player who I said liked me.”
“What does that have to do with you going with him to the dance? I thought you hated the fact you’ve become popular.”
“Oliver asked me after the first football game, and I had to say yes. Nicholas, if it makes you feel any better, I would rather go with you. You are the only person I would like to share that night with. We have become such great friends.”
**
After my first day back to school, Elle and I continued to eat under the stairs, but now we did it in silence. Eating there together was once comfortable and cozy, but now it had become tiny and claustrophobic, putting us uncomfortably close.
“So, Nicholas, are you going to the game?” Elle’s question sounded awkward. She was not eating much of a lunch today. Just a cookie and her grape pop.
“Yes, I stand on the—”
She interrupted, “I know, you stand on the sidelines with the team. Sorry, I forgot.”
The team still wanted me to be on the sidelines even though I was injured. They all insisted that they needed me to be there. I was like a rabbit’s foot or a lucky penny.
“Nicholas, I want to know something. Are you going to the dance?”
“I haven’t given it much thought. I don’t have a date,” I said. I looked up, meeting Elle’s penetrating eyes. She took my hand.
“Nicholas, please come to the dance.”
“Okay, I’ll go,” I said like a mindless zombie.
She let go of my hand and I snapped out of it just long enough to realize that I didn’t have anyone to go with or a suit to wear. Why was I going? Better yet, why did she want me to go? I was upset with her, but I decided I would at least try to go anyway. This might be my only chance to go to a dance during high school.
After school, I saw Eric hanging out near my locker. “Hey, Eric,” I shouted.
He spun around like he was in a Western, about to draw his guns. “Hey, Nicholas. How’s my star?”
“Good. I have a question. Who are you going with to Homecoming?”
“Hey, it’s a little late to be asking me to Homecoming,” Eric joked. “Plus, I’m not Ms. Popular Elle, who you are infatuated with.”
“Very funny. Seriously, who are you going with?”
Eric was now batting his eyes at me and making kissy faces. I pushed him up against the lockers. The force of my shove made his long, brown hair fall over his face. He pushed the hair back out of his face.
“Ouch, Keller, I’m just playing around. I’m going with a big group of people. We rented three limos and are going to eat at McDonald’s. Then we are off to the dance. Why? Do you want to come with us?”
I didn’t hesitate. “That would be great, if you have room.”
“But why the change of mind? When I asked you yesterday, you weren’t remotely interested.”
“Well I want to go now, okay?”
“Of course, we always have room for the star of the tenth-grade class.”
“Eric, don’t start that again because next time I won’t be so gentle. I’ll push you through the locker.”
He laughed at me. “See you tonight, star.” He ran by me to avoid getting pushed again. He yelled to me as he ran down the hall, “Don’t run after me. I don’t want you to hurt another vertebra.”
When I got home, Cora was washing the truck. She was on the other side rinsing off the soap when a stream of water came shooting over the truck, drenching me. She looked around the truck, laughing at me. I ran to the front porch just out of reach of getting squirted again.
Cora walked up to the porch. She looked like she had been swimming, not washing a car. She was drenched from her head to her toes. It was warm for October, but not warm enough for getting soaked.
“You know the water goes on the truck, right?”
She smiled. “So are you ready for the big game tonight, Nicholas?”
“Well, I guess, but I don’t know what I should be ready for. I don’t play, remember?”
“Yes, I remember that. I’m talking about before the game and halftime. Homecoming Court? Remember, you ride in the parade before the game. Then at halftime you walk out and wave to the crowd. They will announce the Freshman and Sophomore Prince and Princess, the Junior Duke and Duchess, and the Senior King and Queen. At least, that’s what the paper said that I got from Joy Lemmins.”
She was right. I had totally forgotten about all the Homecoming Court stuff. The different classes had all been working on building floats for the Best Float Contest, and everyone was talking about the parade and the court. This past week, Joy Lemmins was on the announcements each morning, reminding everyone all about it.
“I forgot,” I told Cora.
“I knew you had, especially with all of the stuff with Elle. Nicholas, I knew you were going to ask her, but when you didn’t say you needed a suit or anything, I figured she said no or you decided not to ask.”
“I did ask and she said no.”
“I’m sorry, Nicholas. Who is she going with?”
“She’s going with Oliver Rails.”
Cora’s expression didn’t change when I said his name. She just stared at me. I wasn’t sure what she was waiting for. I couldn’t take it. I had to break the silence.
“So what am I supposed to do tonight for the parade and stuff?”
Cora’s face lit up again. “You are supposed to wear a suit and meet at the school at 5:00 p.m. to ride on the sophomore Homecoming float with the other nominees. Then during halftime, they will announce who was selected for the Homecoming Court.” The more she described it, the more animated she became. “Once the court is selected, they will represent their different classes at the dance.”
“Cora, how do we represent our classes?”
“Oh, you will be announced and walk down a carpet of some kind. Then the winners will dance to a couple of songs.”
“But Cora, I don’t have a suit.”
Her smile got even larger. She grabbed me, dragging me into the house. There, hanging on the coat closet door, was a garment bag with two red griffons on it and the name “Oxford Clothes” in large fancy writing. Cora quickly took out the suit. It was something royalty would wear. It was a navy pinstriped suit with silver buttons. There was a green tie with a white dress shirt inside the suit. It didn’t look like it was made from fabric. It moved like it was made out of water.
“Cora, where and when did you get it?”
“The where is a long story, but the when was when Joy Lemmins told me you were nominated. I was hoping that you would wear it to the actual dance, but the Homecoming festivities during the game will have to do.”
“Cora, I’m going to the Homecoming Dance with Eric and his friends.”
Cora’s eyes lit up even more. She nearly knocked me over hugging me. “Nicholas, that’s great. I’m so happy for you, and it’s for the best that you’re not going with Elle.”
I knew she was right. Going with Elle would have made
leaving that much harder. Maybe it was good that she was going with Oliver; it would definitely make things easier. Leaving a friend was something I could do, but leaving a girlfriend would be a new pain I wasn’t eager to discover.
Who was I kidding? I longed to have the chance to feel that.
**
It was amazing how well the suit fit. I looked like a celebrity ready to walk the red carpet for a big movie premier.
“Nicholas, you look handsome.” Cora had walked into my room. She was wearing a pair of faded jeans with a gold Winsor hooded sweatshirt. She had her hair up in a ponytail with green and yellow ribbons coming down from it.
“So how do I look?” She spun around like she was modeling for a high school fashion show.
“You look like a Winsor High School model,” I chuckled.
“Well, that was the look I was going for, but I don’t want to upstage you!” She turned quickly and bounced down the stairs. “Hurry, you don’t want to be late.”
We got to the school right on time. The parade was already lined up in the school parking lot and ready to go. I saw the sophomore float near the front of the line. From a distance, our float looked like a large brown egg that had a little yellow chicken sticking out of it.
“Good luck, Nicholas. I will see you tonight,” Cora said, throwing me a pack of Tic Tacs.
Joy Lemmins was standing right in front of my class float, which turned out to be a football with a yellow football player coming out of it, not a chicken. I tried to walk by Joy Lemmins without her noticing me, but it didn’t work.
“Well, goodness gracious, bless my stars. There he is, the star of the tenth grade, Mr. Nicholas Keller,” she said in a high-pitched voice. She grabbed me and pulled me right next to her with her arm around my waist. “I’m telling you, if I knew then what I know now, I would have given you a king hat with your class schedule that day you were in my office. And to think I was worried about you,” she said, giggling. Did she really just say that?, I thought.
“I’m here to get on the tenth grade float for the Homecoming Court.”
Joy started to laugh in a larger-than-life belly laugh.
“Don’t be ridiculous! You are riding with the rest of the tenth grade Homecoming Court nominees in a nice red convertible—” She stopped mid-sentence, looking down at my suit. “Oh my! Is that an Oxford suit?”
I nodded yes, which was a mistake because she began to feel the suit and turn me around, looking me up and down saying, “Oh my goodness,” over and over again. It was like I was a kid trying on clothing in a fitting room for my mother.
“That suit is gorgeous! Each Oxford suit is handmade with the finest fabrics and by the finest craftsmen. Where did you get it?”
“It’s a long story.”
She smiled and pointed at the red convertible in front of the tenth grade float. Two girls and a boy were already sitting in the car. I recognized the girl sitting by herself from homeroom but didn’t know her name. She was sitting up on the trunk with her feet resting on the back seat.
“Nicholas, you get to sit up here with me,” she said.
I got in and sat next to the petite blonde, who was wearing a pale yellow dress with a large white bow on the back. She looked like a southern belle; all she was missing was a large parasol and fan.
“Hi! My name is Amber King,” she said to me.
I turned and stuck out my hand and said, “Nice to meet you. I’m Nicholas Keller.”
She laughed and shook my hand. “Nicholas, everyone knows who you are.” She linked her arm around mine and the car started to roll forward.
It was perfect weather for the parade. The temperature was in the mid 60s with a light breeze. The fall sun was beginning to set with a harvest moon high in the sky.
The parade lasted forty-five minutes. We wound in and out of busy streets, led by a pair of police cars. The whole time, while waving to the people along the route, I thought about what Amber said—everyone knows you. Yet, my secret was still safe, which again made me question why I had been hiding this whole time.
Going down the last street back toward the school, it dawned on me that Elle was somewhere behind me, which made my heart race. But my image of her beauty faded quickly, tarnished by the thought of Oliver sitting right next to her.
The parade stopped. Amber gave me a big hug. “See you at halftime.”
I got out of the car and headed to the locker room, where the team would be waiting to go into the tunnel. I sat down in front of my locker, where my equipment hung untouched. My jersey, which had been sewn back together after being cut off of me, was now framed and hanging in my locker. The frame had an engraved inscription that read, “Winning is not the most important thing—teammates are.” How ironic that that was what they put on it, especially since every billboard I had seen said, “Winning isn’t everything—it’s the only thing.” Everyone on the JV and varsity teams had signed it, including the coaches, but with only one obvious exception: Oliver.
Coach Miller called everyone over to do his pre-game talk. Everyone was restless today. During Coach Miller’s speech the guys were still talking. Normally Coach Miller didn’t put up with that, but today he didn’t acknowledge that they were talking, understanding that Homecoming had something to do with their restlessness.
“Excuse me,” he spoke up in a louder voice and waited for the room to quiet. “Tonight we have three guys on the team who are part of the Homecoming Court. Please stand,” he said.
Oliver stood up and Chad stood up. I waited to see if someone else stood; I hoped another person would stand.
“Nicholas, stand up,” Coach Miller said, motioning to me. I stood up in the back.
He pointed to each one of us in order. “Chad, if you are chosen to be Junior Duke, or if Oliver is selected to be Junior Duke, or if, Nicholas, you are selected to be Sophomore Prince, I hope you remember that it’s an honor, and you are representing the football program and your school. So be on your best behavior.”
He motioned for us to sit. He continued his talk about how every win from now on is important because it gets us one step closer to our goal of winning a state championship. He went to one knee and bowed his head. A minute later he rose to his feet and yelled, “Let’s go!” and the team jumped up.
I walked behind the team to the tunnel with the student trainers. The team ran onto the field through fireworks and cheers from the crowd. I walked over to the sideline. The stadium seemed to be even more crowded and louder than at other games.
With five minutes left in the half, Joy Lemmins appeared about ten feet from me. Seeing her nearly gave me a heart attack. She waved me over to where she was standing. I reluctantly walked toward her, still remembering the last time she saw me. I was hoping she wouldn’t grab me again and feel my suit. That would be a lot more embarrassing in front of ten thousand people.
“Nicholas, you need to go to the south end zone where the scoreboard is. All of the Homecoming Court is down there waiting for you.”
I looked down at the far end zone, and there was a group of people congregating, all dressed up in suits and dresses.
I walked along the track toward the end zone. The closer I got, the more nervous I felt. Amber spotted me right before I made it to them. She ran up to me and gave me a big hug.
“So glad to see you again, partner! Are you nervous? I’m a wreck!” she exclaimed, pulling me over to the other waiting nominees.
“No, I don’t get nervous,” I lied.
Then out of nowhere, I was grabbed from behind and spun around. It was Joy Lemmins.
“Okay, now, everyone line up. When you hear your name over the PA, you and your partner will walk to the center of the field and face the home stands and wait. They will first announce the Freshman Prince and Princess, Sophomore Prince and Princess, Junior Duke and Duchess and then Senior King and Queen. If you are so lucky as to win, step toward me, and you will get your crown or tiara. Then we will have a group photo taken for the paper.”
Right then the halftime buzzer went off, and both teams ran to their locker rooms. Chad and Oliver ran over to us and got in line behind me. Elle was somewhere behind us, maybe right behind me. Nicholas, I told myself, you need to forget about her. It’s going to be hard enough to move feeling the way you feel now. Plus, she is going with Oliver to the dance. The nervous feeling subsided, but my jealousy bubbled back to the surface.
I hadn’t noticed that they had already announced all of the freshmen and the one other sophomore couple. Then over the loud speaker I heard, “Amber King escorted by Nicholas Keller.” Amber pulled me across the field to the middle, right next to the other sophomore couple.
The next names were announced, “Elle Canan escorted by Chad Reiger.” I turned and looked at them. There she was. She was more stunning than I had ever dreamt her to be. Her black hair had big thick curls that bounced as she walked. Her eyes sparkled, reflecting the light from the stadium, making them look like bright blue stars. She was wearing a long brown flowing dress with yellow accents that made her look like she was floating on air. She looked right into my eyes the entire way. I couldn’t break away from her gaze. She had me, again, under her spell. Then she gave me a smile and turned with Chad, facing the crowd. The rest of the Court followed.
The announcer thanked everyone on the Homecoming Court and Joy Lemmins, who did a very awkward curtsey in front of the home crowd, almost tipping over. Then the announcer said, “And now, for your 2012 Homecoming Court: The Freshman Prince and Princess are Joe McDonald and Lisa James; your Sophomore Prince and Princess are Nicholas Keller and Amber King; your Junior Duke and Duchess are Elle Canan and Chad Reiger.”
I looked back to watch Elle walk up. Behind her I saw Oliver looking angrier than I had ever seen him. He didn’t win; Chad did. The most popular guy in the school didn’t win Homecoming Duke. How was this possible? The captain of the football team always wins. Then the announcer said who the Senior King and Queen were, but I wasn’t paying attention. I was obsessing over why Oliver hadn’t won.
